Hybrid inorganic-polymer coatings prepared via miniemulsion process

A synthetic route was designed for the incorporation of inorganic materials within water-based miniemulsions with a complex and adjustable polymer composition. This involved co-homogenization of two inverse miniemulsions constituting precursors of the desired inorganic salt dispersed within a polymerizable continuous phase, followed by transfer to a direct miniemulsion via addition to an o/w surfactant solution with subsequent homogenization and radical polymerization. To our knowledge, this is the first work done where a polymerizable continuous phase has been used in an inverse (mini)emulsion formation followed by transfer to a direct miniemulsion, followed by polymerization, so that the result is a water-based dispersion. The versatility of the process was demonstrated by the synthesis of different inorganic pigments, but also the use of unconventional mixture of vinylic monomers and epoxy resin as the polymerizable phase (unconventional as a miniemulsion continuous phase but typical combination for coating applications). Zinc phosphate, calcium carbonate and barium sulfate were all successfully incorporated in the polymer-epoxy matrix. The choice of the system was based on a typical functional coatings system, but is not limited to. This system can be extended to incorporate various inorganic and further materials as long as the starting materials are water-soluble or hydrophilic. rnThe hybrid zinc phosphate – polymer water-based miniemulsion prepared by the above route was then applied to steel panels using autodeposition process. This is considered the first autodeposition coatings process to be carried out from a miniemulsion system containing zinc phosphate particles. Those steel panels were then tested for corrosion protection using salt spray tests. Those corrosion tests showed that the hybrid particles can protect substrate from corrosion and even improve corrosion protection, compared to a control sample where corrosion protection was performed at a separate step. Last but not least, it is suggested that corrosion protection mechanism is related to zinc phosphate mobility across the coatings film, which was proven using electron microscopy techniques.Eine neuartige synthetische Route zur Einlagerung von anorganischen Materialien in wässrige Miniemulsionen einer komplexen und variablen polymeren Zusammensetzung wurde entwickelt. Das Synthesekonzept basiert auf der Co-Homogenisierung zweier inverser Miniemulsionen, welche die Vorstufen der gewünschten anorganischen Pigmente als wässrige Lösungen, dispergiert in einer polymerisierbaren kontinuierlichen Phase enthalten. Durch die Addition einer wässrigen Lösung eines o/w Tensids und nachfolgender Homogenisierung wurde im nächsten Schritt die Bildung einer direkten Miniemulsion - welche die inverse Miniemulsion als disperse Phase enthält - induziert. Die freie radikalische Polymerisation der so gebildeten Monomertropfen resultierte in einer wässrigen Dispersion polymerer Hybrid-Nanopartikel. Diese Methode wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit erstmals beschrieben und zeichnet sich durch eine besondere Vielseitigkeit bezüglich der verwendbareren anorganischen Pigmente und der polymerisierbaren Komponenten aus. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass sich Zinkphosphat, Calciumcarbonat und Bariumsulfat erfolgreich in Polymer-Epoxy Matrices einbetten ließen. Hierbei stellt die Verwendung der Mischung aus Vinylmonomeren und Epoxyharz (etabliert in Beschichtung-Anwendungen) als kontinuierliche Phase in der inversen Miniemulsion ein neuartiges Konzept dar. Das untersuchte System basiert auf einer typischen, etablierten Materialkombination, welche in der Beschichtungsindustrie Anwendung findet. Darüberhinaus lässt sich jedoch das hier entwickelte Verfahren zur Einbettung von speziellen Materialien in polymere Matrices auf eine Vielzahl von (anorganischen) Komponenten erweitern. Die einzige Voraussetzung hierbei ist die Wasserlöslichkeit der entsprechenden Vorstufen. rnDie synthetisierten wässrigen Dispersionen der Hybrid-Nanopartikel aus Zinkphosphat in einer polymeren Matrix wurden in weiteren Untersuchungen dazu verwendet Probenkörper aus Stahl zu beschichten. Hierzu wurde in Analogie zu industriellen Beschichtungsverfahren, der sogenannte autodeposition Prozess verwendet. Hierbei stellt die Verwendung einer wässrigen Dispersion polymerer Partikel, welche eingebettete Zinkphosphat-Pigmente beinhalten, eine Neuerung dar. rnDie beschichteten Stahlplatten wurden bezüglich ihrer Korrosionsbeständigkeit mittels eines Salz-Sprüh Verfahrens untersucht. Diese Untersuchungen zeigten, dass die Beschichtungen mit den neuartigen Hybrid-Nanopartikeln die Korrosion erfolgreich reduzieren konnten. Im Vergleich zu etablierten Verfahren, welche auf einer Einlagerung von Zinkphosphat vor dem Aufbringen einer polymeren Schicht basieren, zeigten die untersuchten Proben eine bessere Korrosionsbeständigkeit. Anhand von rasterelektronenmikroskopischen Untersuchungen konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass der zugrundeliegende Mechanismus auf einer Diffusion des Zinkphosphats durch den polymeren Film in Richtung des Stahlkörpers basiert

PRIVASI KONSUMEN DAN PERLINDUNGAN DATA: PERSPEKTIF KEBIJAKAN DAN STUDI PERBANDINGAN

Kehidupan perekonomian merupakan suatu hal yang penting bagi negara. Oleh karenanya, ekonomi harus didasari dengan etika bisnis yang keberadaannya sesuai dengan porsi masing-masing baik pelaku usaha maupun konsumen. Memasuki era digital, timbul berbagai bentuk kejahatan baru yang mengancam perlindungan privasi konsumen berupa data-data pribadi yang seringkali dicuri dan diperjualbelikan. Untuk melindungi hak asasi konsumen, maka Indonesia meregulasikan perlindungan tentang privasi konsumen dan perlindungan data di dalam UU ITE dan PP 71/2019. Namun keberadaan regulasi saja tampaknya belum cukup, dimana masih banyak kasus kebocoran data di Indonesia yang mengancam konsumen. Oleh karena itu, sepatutnya kita bercermin kepada negara Singapura dan Amerika Serikat sebagai negara yang memiliki keamanan siber yang baik

Evaluation of Diagnosis Techniques Used for Spinal Injury Related Back Pain

Back pain is a prevalent condition affecting much of the population at one time or the other. Complications, including neurological ones, can result from missed or mismanaged spinal abnormalities. These complications often result in serious patient injury and require more medical treatment. Correct diagnosis enables more effective, often less costly treatment methods. Current diagnosis technologies focus on spinal alterations. Only approximately 10% of back pain is diagnosable, with current diagnostic technologies. The objective of this paper is to investigate and evaluate based on specific criteria current diagnosis technique. Nine diagnostic techniques were found in the literature, namely, discography, myelography, single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT), computer tomography (CT), combined CT & SPECT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), upright and kinematic MRI, plain radiography and cineradiography. Upon review of the techniques, it is suggested that improvements can be made to all the existing techniques for diagnosing back pain. This review will aid health service developers to focus on insufficient areas, which will help to improve existing technologies or even develop alternative ones

Complete Sequences of Organelle Genomes from the Medicinal Plant Rhazya Stricta (Apocynaceae) and Contrasting Patterns of Mitochondrial Genome Evolution Across Asterids

Rhazya stricta is native to arid regions in South Asia and the Middle East and is used extensively in folk medicine to treat a wide range of diseases. In addition to generating genomic resources for this medicinally important plant, analyses of the complete plastid and mitochondrial genomes and a nuclear transcriptome from Rhazya provide insights into inter-compartmental transfers between genomes and the patterns of evolution among eight asterid mitochondrial genomes. Results: The 154,841 bp plastid genome is highly conserved with gene content and order identical to the ancestral organization of angiosperms. The 548,608 bp mitochondrial genome exhibits a number of phenomena including the presence of recombinogenic repeats that generate a multipartite organization, transferred DNA from the plastid and nuclear genomes, and bidirectional DNA transfers between the mitochondrion and the nucleus. The mitochondrial genes sdh3 and rps14 have been transferred to the nucleus and have acquired targeting presequences. In the case of rps14, two copies are present in the nucleus; only one has a mitochondrial targeting presequence and may be functional. Phylogenetic analyses of both nuclear and mitochondrial copies of rps14 across angiosperms suggests Rhazya has experienced a single transfer of this gene to the nucleus, followed by a duplication event. Furthermore, the phylogenetic distribution of gene losses and the high level of sequence divergence in targeting presequences suggest multiple, independent transfers of both sdh3 and rps14 across asterids. Comparative analyses of mitochondrial genomes of eight sequenced asterids indicates a complicated evolutionary history in this large angiosperm clade with considerable diversity in genome organization and size, repeat, gene and intron content, and amount of foreign DNA from the plastid and nuclear genomes. Conclusions: Organelle genomes of Rhazya stricta provide valuable information for improving the understanding of mitochondrial genome evolution among angiosperms. The genomic data have enabled a rigorous examination of the gene transfer events. Rhazya is unique among the eight sequenced asterids in the types of events that have shaped the evolution of its mitochondrial genome. Furthermore, the organelle genomes of R. stricta provide valuable genomic resources for utilizing this important medicinal plant in biotechnology applications.King Abdulaziz UniversityIntegrative Biolog

PANC Study (Pancreatitis: A National Cohort Study): national cohort study examining the first 30 days from presentation of acute pancreatitis in the UK

Abstract Background Acute pancreatitis is a common, yet complex, emergency surgical presentation. Multiple guidelines exist and management can vary significantly. The aim of this first UK, multicentre, prospective cohort study was to assess the variation in management of acute pancreatitis to guide resource planning and optimize treatment. Methods All patients aged greater than or equal to 18 years presenting with acute pancreatitis, as per the Atlanta criteria, from March to April 2021 were eligible for inclusion and followed up for 30 days. Anonymized data were uploaded to a secure electronic database in line with local governance approvals. Results A total of 113 hospitals contributed data on 2580 patients, with an equal sex distribution and a mean age of 57 years. The aetiology was gallstones in 50.6 per cent, with idiopathic the next most common (22.4 per cent). In addition to the 7.6 per cent with a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, 20.1 per cent of patients had a previous episode of acute pancreatitis. One in 20 patients were classed as having severe pancreatitis, as per the Atlanta criteria. The overall mortality rate was 2.3 per cent at 30 days, but rose to one in three in the severe group. Predictors of death included male sex, increased age, and frailty; previous acute pancreatitis and gallstones as aetiologies were protective. Smoking status and body mass index did not affect death. Conclusion Most patients presenting with acute pancreatitis have a mild, self-limiting disease. Rates of patients with idiopathic pancreatitis are high. Recurrent attacks of pancreatitis are common, but are likely to have reduced risk of death on subsequent admissions. </jats:sec

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Solutions of minimum time problem and minimum fuel problem for discrete linear admissible control systems

In this paper the minimum time problem and the minimum fuel problem for discrete linear admissible control systems arc formulated (is one linear programming problem with two different objective functions. It is found that the obtained problem is very similar to the dual form of the linear programming problem for the discrete linear L1 approximation problem. An efficient dual simplex algorithm for the latter problem is used with the necessary modification* to obtain the solution of either of the former problems. Numerical results show that the present, method compares favourably with other known methods.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Chebyshev and L1 solutions of overdetermined systems of linear equations with bounded variables

Two algorithms are here presented. The first one is for obtaining a Chebyshev solution of an overdetermined system of linear equations subject to bounds on the elements of the solution vector. The second algorithm is for obtaining an L1 solution of an overdetermined system of linear equations subject to the same constraints. Efficient solutions are obtained using linear programming techniques. Numerical results and comments are given.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Piecewise linear L1 approximation of planar curves

Two fast algorithms for solving the piecewise linear L 1, approximation problem of plane curves are presented. The first one is for the case when the L 1, error norm in any segment is not to exceed a pre-assigned value. The second algorithm is for the case when the number of segments is given and a \u2018balanced\u2019 L 1 error norm solution is required. The given curve is first digitized and either algorithm is then applied to the discrete points. Both algorithms use parametric linear programming techniques, which result in speed of computation. They also take advantage of the interpolating property of the L 1, approximation and thus avoid unnecessary computation. Numerical results and comments are given.Very similar to NRCC 23654?Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye