Green composites based on pla and agricultural or marine waste prepared by fdm

Three dimensional-printability of green composites is recently growing in importance and interest, especially in the view of feasibility to valorize agricultural and marine waste to attain green fillers capable of reducing bioplastic costs, without compromising their processability and performance from an environmental and mechanical standpoint. In this work, two lignocellulosic fillers, obtained from Opuntia ficus indica and Posidonia oceanica, were added to PLA and processed by FDM. Among the 3D printed biocomposites investigated, slight differences could be found in terms of PLA molecular weight and filler aspect ratio. It was shown that it is possible to replace up to 20% of bioplastic with low cost and ecofriendly natural fillers, without significantly modifying the processability and the mechanical performance of the neat matrix; at the same time, an increase of surface hydrophilicity was found, with possible positive influence on the biodegradability of such materials after disposal

INCIDENTAL FINDING OF INTERRUPTED AORTIC ARCH IN AN ADULT PATIENT UNDERGOING URGENT PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION

Interrupted Aortic Arch (IAA) is a rare congenital abnormality characterized by a complete discontinuity of the aortic lumen, usually located after the origin of the left subclavian artery. IAA is mainly diagnosed during childhood and has an extremely high mortality rate if left untreated. Therefore, only a few cases have been diagnosed in adulthood. We report the case of a patient with Non-ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) and unknown IAA abnormality, who underwent urgent percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PCI). It was not possible to reach ascending aorta from the right radial artery because of the presence of tangled arteries connecting the prevertebral subclavian segment to the descending aorta. PCI was completed successfully through the left radial artery. A post-procedural Angio-CT scan confirmed the Aortic Arch interruption. The presented case highlights the crucial role of a multi-imaging modality approach for those patients with such congenital abnormalities before undergoing PCI

Mild synthesis of poly(HEMA)-networks as well-defined nanoparticles in supercritical carbon dioxide

Free-radical dispersion polymerisation of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) in the presence of stabilisers based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) and poly(heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate) (PFDA). Different architectures of copolymers (random, palm-tree and diblock) were tested for their surface tension, cloud point and as a stabilising agent. The diblock architecture was found to be the best candidate resulting in poly(HEMA) spherical particles with a size of 316 nm. Furthermore, the effect of the CO2-phobic block (PEO) in the diblock architecture was investigated by using three different chain lengths (1000, 2000, 5000 g mol−1). By optimizing the stabiliser composition and structure, mild reaction conditions have been identified allowing us to obtain well-defined spherical cross-linked poly(HEMA) particles with a mean diameter of unprecedented low size (216 nm) at a temperature as low as 35 °C

Fuzzy clustering with entropy regularization for interval-valued data with an application to scientific journal citations

In recent years, the research of statistical methods to analyze complex structures of data has increased. In particular, a lot of attention has been focused on the interval-valued data. In a classical cluster analysis framework, an interesting line of research has focused on the clustering of interval-valued data based on fuzzy approaches. Following the partitioning around medoids fuzzy approach research line, a new fuzzy clustering model for interval-valued data is suggested. In particular, we propose a new model based on the use of the entropy as a regularization function in the fuzzy clustering criterion. The model uses a robust weighted dissimilarity measure to smooth noisy data and weigh the center and radius components of the interval-valued data, respectively. To show the good performances of the proposed clustering model, we provide a simulation study and an application to the clustering of scientific journals in research evaluation

X-ray Near Field Speckle: Implementation and Critical Analysis

We have implemented the newly-introduced, coherence-based technique of x-ray near-field speckle (XNFS) at 8-ID-I at the Advanced Photon Source. In the near field regime of high-brilliance synchrotron x-rays scattered from a sample of interest, it turns out, that, when the scattered radiation and the main beam both impinge upon an x-ray area detector, the measured intensity shows low-contrast speckles, resulting from interference between the incident and scattered beams. We built a micrometer-resolution XNFS detector with a high numerical aperture microscope objective and demonstrate its capability for studying static structures and dynamics at longer length scales than traditional far field x-ray scattering techniques. Specifically, we characterized the structure and dynamics of dilute silica and polystyrene colloidal samples. Our study reveals certain limitations of the XNFS technique, which we discuss.Comment: 53 pages, 16 figure

Cancer pain management in an oncological ward in a comprehensive cancer center with an established palliative care unit.

Abstract BACKGROUND: This survey was performed to draw information on pain prevalence, intensity, and management from a sample of patients who were admitted to an oncologic center where a palliative care unit (PCU) has been established for 13 years. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey in an oncological department performed 1 day per month for six consecutive months. RESULTS: Of the 385 patients, 69.1, 19.2, 8.6, and 3.1 % had no pain, mild, moderate, and severe pain, respectively. Inpatients and patients with a low Karnofsky score showed higher levels of pain intensity (p < 0.0005). One hundred twenty-eight patients with pain or receiving analgesics were analyzed for pain management index (PMI). Only a minority of patients had negative PMI score, which was statistically associated with inpatient admission (p = 0.011). Fifty of these 128 patients had breakthrough pain (BTP), and all of them were receiving some medication for BTP. CONCLUSION: It is likely that the presence of PCU team providing consultation, advices, and cultural pressure, other than offering admissions for difficult cases had a positive impact on the use of analgesics, as compared with previous similar surveys performed in oncological setting, where a PCU was unavailable. This information confirms the need of the presence of a PCU in a high volume oncological department

Screening and Management of Coronary Artery Disease in Kidney Transplant Candidates

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and during the first year after transplantation. For these reasons, and due to the shortage of organs available for transplant, it is of utmost importance to identify patients with a good life expectancy after transplant and minimize the transplant peri-operative risk. Various conditions, such as severe pulmonary diseases, recent myocardial infarction or stroke, and severe aorto-iliac atherosclerosis, need to be ruled out before adding a patient to the transplant waiting list. The effectiveness of systematic coronary artery disease (CAD) treatment before kidney transplant is still debated, and there is no universal screening protocol, not to mention that a nontailored screening could lead to unnecessary invasive procedures and delay or exclude some patients from transplantation. Despite the different clinical guidelines on CAD screening in kidney transplant candidates that exist, up to today, there is no worldwide universal protocol. This review summarizes the key points of cardiovascular risk assessment in renal transplant candidates and faces the role of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging tools and the impact of coronary revascularization versus best medical therapy before kidney transplant on a patient’s cardiovascular outcome

Gut thinking: the gut microbiome and mental health beyond the head

Background: In recent decades, dominant models of mental illness have become increasingly focused on the head, with mental disorders being figured as brain disorders. However, research into the active role that the microbiome-gut-brain axis plays in affecting mood and behaviour may lead to the conclusion that mental health is more than an internalised problem of individual brains. Objective: This article explores the implications of shifting understandings about mental health that have come about through research into links between the gut microbiome and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. It aims to analyse the different ways that the lines between mind and body and mental and physical health are re-shaped by this research, which is starting to inform clinical and public understanding. Design: As mental health has become a pressing issue of political and public concern it has become increasingly constructed in socio-cultural and personal terms beyond clinical spaces, requiring a conceptual response that exceeds biomedical inquiry. This article argues that an interdisciplinary critical medical humanities approach is well positioned to analyse the impact of microbiome-gut-brain research on conceptions of mind. Results: The entanglement of mind and matter evinced by microbiome-gut-brain axis research potentially provides a different way to conceptualise the physical and social concomitants of mental distress. Conclusion: Mental health is not narrowly located in the head but is assimilated by the physical body and intermingled with the natural world, requiring different methods of research to unfold the meanings and implications of gut thinking for conceptions of human selfhood

The racist bodily imaginary: the image of the body-in-pieces in (post)apartheid culture

This paper outlines a reoccurring motif within the racist imaginary of (post)apartheid culture: the black body-in-pieces. This disturbing visual idiom is approached from three conceptual perspectives. By linking ideas prevalent in Frantz Fanon’s description of colonial racism with psychoanalytic concepts such as Lacan’s notion of the corps morcelé, the paper offers, firstly, an account of the black body-in-pieces as fantasmatic preoccupation of the (post)apartheid imaginary. The role of such images is approached, secondly, through the lens of affect theory which eschews a representational ‘reading’ of such images in favour of attention to their asignifying intensities and the role they play in effectively constituting such bodies. Lastly, Judith Butler’s discussion of war photography and the conditions of grievability introduces an ethical dimension to the discussion and helps draw attention to the unsavory relations of enjoyment occasioned by such images

Spacecraft Optimization Layout and Volume (SOLV)

No abstract availabl