Influence of the Total Consumption of Households on Municipal Waste Quantity in Romania

Sustainable development is a worldwide concern. This paper presents an analysis of the influence of the final consumption expenditure on the total consumption of households in Romania. The regression function of the association between “the amount of municipal waste” and “the total consumption of households” has a direct linear relationship. The regression variable “total household consumption” (X) has a regression coefficient of −0.03031, which indicates that the amount of municipal waste decreases by one unit as household consumption increases by 30.31 units. Therefore, this regression coefficient indicates that the volume of municipal waste decreases by 30.31 tons to an increase in the final consumption expenditure of households of EUR 1 million. The influence of the final consumption expenditure of households by consumption purpose on the quantity of municipal waste is in the following order: health; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; clothing and footwear; miscellaneous goods and services; recreation and culture; food and non-alcoholic goods; restaurants and hotels; furnishing and household equipment and routine household maintenance; alcoholic and tobacco goods; communications; and education. The value of the Significance F must be less than 0.05. In the case of the model, it is found that this value exceeds the threshold of 0.05 in the case of consumption generated by health services, recreation and culture, restaurants and hotels, alcohol and tobacco goods, and communications. Regarding the high value of Significance F in relation to consumption, we find the sectors that generate the least amount of waste (services). In the case of all of the independent variables, we can note that the relationship is a negative one, which proves that an increase in the quantity of any expenditure of the households generates a decrease of the municipal waste quantity

Automated procedure for determination of friction grip and bearing joint strength used for space missions

This paper presents an algorithm that calculates the nominal torque for friction grip joints, followed by its implementation in a Microsoft Excel worksheet that is automated by a macro written in Visual Basic. The algorithm outputs not only the optimum nominal torque (the value for which the margin of safety is maximum) but also the interval of acceptable values so that the user can easily choose the torque according to his preferences

Orbital complications of acute rhinosinusitis

Introduction. Rhinosinusitis is the infection and inflammation of at least one of the 4 paranasal sinuses (frontal, maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid). Their correct diagnosis is generally determined by examining the patient clinically and by rhinosinusal endoscopic examination. There are also cases that show complications or continued evolution despite the correct treatment, and then we will use some imaging investigations to find out more about affection(radiography of anterior sinuses of the face, sinus computerized tomography, sinus magnetic resonance imaging). In particular, acute rhinosinusitis should be carefully managed to avoid complications such as the local ones: orbital cellulitis, orbital abscess, osteomyelitis, cavernous sinus thrombosis; and intracranial complications: meningitis, epidural abscess, subdural abscess, cerebral abscess.Materials and methods. There will be presented all orbital complications according to the cases treated in the ENT Clinic of the Coltea Clinical Hospital.Conclusions. Diagnosis of rhinosinusitis is largely clinical and endoscopic.When complications of the condition arise, these should be investigated imagistically to determine their exact extent and to institute the correct treatment as soon as possible. The complications of rhinosinusitis are medical and surgical life-threatening emergencies, which is why in order to diagnose and correct and quickly institute therapy requires a multidisciplinary approach

Gallic Acid Reactive Extraction with and without 1-Octanol as Phase Modifier: Experimental and Modeling

Gallic acid (GA) is a naturally occurring phenolic acid that can be found in the leaves, roots, flowers, or stems of a wide variety of plant species. It has a broad range of uses in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The objective of this research is to investigate the GA reactive extraction process employing dichloromethane and n-heptane as solvents, 1-octanol as a phase-modifier, and Amberlite LA-2 as an amine extractant dissolved in the organic phase. The separation yield and distribution coefficient data were discussed, along with the analysis of the extraction conditions and the extraction mechanism. Dichloromethane employed as the solvent, 80 g/L Amberlite LA2 used as the extractant, and 10% phase modifier were determined to be the ideal conditions for the reactive extraction onto a biphasic organic-aqueous system. Statistical regression and artificial neural networks (ANNs) established with the differential evolution (DE) algorithm were also used to model and optimize the process

Gallic Acid Reactive Extraction with and without 1-Octanol as Phase Modifier: Experimental and Modeling

Gallic acid (GA) is a naturally occurring phenolic acid that can be found in the leaves, roots, flowers, or stems of a wide variety of plant species. It has a broad range of uses in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The objective of this research is to investigate the GA reactive extraction process employing dichloromethane and n-heptane as solvents, 1-octanol as a phase-modifier, and Amberlite LA-2 as an amine extractant dissolved in the organic phase. The separation yield and distribution coefficient data were discussed, along with the analysis of the extraction conditions and the extraction mechanism. Dichloromethane employed as the solvent, 80 g/L Amberlite LA2 used as the extractant, and 10% phase modifier were determined to be the ideal conditions for the reactive extraction onto a biphasic organic-aqueous system. Statistical regression and artificial neural networks (ANNs) established with the differential evolution (DE) algorithm were also used to model and optimize the process

Electrochemically Synthesized Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Nanowires as Photosensitive Neuronal Interfaces

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is a hole-conducting polymer that has been intensively used to develop organic optoelectronic devices (e.g., organic solar cells). Recently, P3HT films and nanoparticles have also been used to restore the photosensitivity of retinal neurons. The template-assisted electrochemical synthesis of polymer nanowires advantageously combines polymerization and polymer nanostructuring into one, relatively simple, procedure. However, obtaining P3HT nanowires through this procedure was rarely investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the template-assisted electrochemical synthesis of P3HT nanowires doped with tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAHFP) and their biocompatibility with primary neurons. We show that template-assisted electrochemical synthesis can relatively easily turn 3-hexylthiophene (3HT) into longer (e.g., 17 ± 3 µm) or shorter (e.g., 1.5 ± 0.4 µm) P3HT nanowires with an average diameter of 196 ± 55 nm (determined by the used template). The nanowires produce measurable photocurrents following illumination. Finally, we show that primary cortical neurons can be grown onto P3HT nanowires drop-casted on a glass substrate without relevant changes in their viability and electrophysiological properties, indicating that P3HT nanowires obtained by template-assisted electrochemical synthesis represent a promising neuronal interface for photostimulation

Measurement of the Extracellular pH of Adherently Growing Mammalian Cells with High Spatial Resolution Using a Voltammetric pH Microsensor

There are only a few tools suitable for measuring the extracellular pH of adherently growing mammalian cells with high spatial resolution, and none of them is widely used in laboratories around the world. Cell biologists very often limit themselves to measuring the intracellular pH with commercially available fluorescent probes. Therefore, we built a voltammetric pH microsensor and investigated its suitability for monitoring the extracellular pH of adherently growing mammalian cells. The voltammetric pH microsensor consisted of a 37 μm diameter carbon fiber microelectrode modified with reduced graphene oxide and syringaldazine. While graphene oxide was used to increase the electrochemically active surface area of our sensor, syringaldazine facilitated pH sensing through its pH-dependent electrochemical oxidation and reduction. The good sensitivity (60 ± 2.5 mV/pH unit), reproducibility (coefficient of variation ≤3% for the same pH measured with 5 different microsensors), and stability (pH drift around 0.05 units in 3 h) of the built voltammetric pH sensors were successfully used to investigate the acidification of the extracellular space of both cancer cells and normal cells. The results indicate that the developed pH microsensor and the perfected experimental protocol based on scanning electrochemical microscopy can reveal details of the pH regulation of cells not attainable with pH sensors lacking spatial resolution or which cannot be reproducibly positioned in the extracellular space

Real time SPR assessment of the structural changes of adaptive dynamic constitutional frameworks as a new route for sensing

International audienceCross linked gold-dynamic constitutional frameworks (DCFs) are functional materials of potential relevance for biosensing applications, given their adaptivity and high responsivity against various external stimuli (such as pH, temperature) or specific interactions with biomolecules (enzymes or DNA) via internal constitutional dynamics. However, characterization and assessment of their dynamic conformational changes in response to external stimuli has never been reported. This study proves the capability of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) assays to analyze the adaptive structural modulation of a functional matrix encompassing 3D gold-dynamic constitutional frameworks (Au-DCFs) when exposed to pH variations, as external stimuli. We analyze Au-DCFs formed from Au nano-particles, (AuNP) connected through constitutionally dynamic polymers, dynamers, with multiple functionalities. For increased generality of this proof-ofconcept assay, Au-DCFs, involving DCFs designed from 1,3,5-benzene-tricarbaldehyde (BTA) connecting centers and polyethylene glycol (PEG) connectors, are covalently attached to standard SPR sensing chips (Au nanolayers, carboxyl terminated or with carboxymethyl dextran, CMD toplayer) and analyzed using state-of-the art SPR instrumentation. The SPR effects of the distance 24 from the Au-DCFs matrix to the Au nanolayer of the sensing chip as well as of Au-DCFs thickness 25 were investigated. This study reveals the SPR response, augmented by the AuNP, to the confor-26 mational change, i.e. shrinkage, of the Dynamer & AuNP matrix when decreasing the pH and 27 provides an unexplored insight on the sensing applicability of SPR real-time analysis of adaptive 28 functional materials

Hybrid Nanostructures Containing Sulfadiazine Modified Chitosan as Antimicrobial Drug Carriers

Chitosan (CH) nanofibrous structures containing sulfadiazine (SDZ) or sulfadiazine modified chitosan (SCH) in the form of functional nanoparticles attached to nanofibers (hybrid nanostructures) were obtained by mono-axial and coaxial electrospinning. The mono-axial design consisted of a SDZ/CH mixture solution fed through a single nozzle while the coaxial design consisted of SCH and CH solutions separately supplied to the inner and outer nozzle (or in reverse order). The CH ability to form nanofibers assured the formation of a nanofiber mesh, while SDZ and SCH, both in form of suspensions in the electrospun solution, assured the formation of active nanoparticles which remained attached to the CH nanofiber mesh after the electrospinning process. The obtained nanostructures were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The SDZ release profiles and kinetics were analyzed. The SDZ or SCH nanoparticles loosely attached at the surface of the nanofibers, provide a burst release in the first 20 min, which is important to stop the possible initial infection in a wound, while the SDZ and SCH from the nanoparticles which are better confined (or even encapsulated) into the CH nanofibers would be slowly released with the erosion/disruption of the CH nanofiber mesh

Direct, Rapid Detection of Pathogens from Urine Samples

The problem of rapidly detecting pathogens directly from clinical samples poses significant analytical challenges. Addressing this issue in relation to urinary tract infections, we propose an effective protocol and related immunomagnetic test kits enabling versatile screening for the presence of pathogenic bacteria in unprocessed urine samples. To achieve this, the components of a typical immunomagnetic separation protocol were optimized towards the sensitive assessment of the aggregates formed out of immunomagnetically tagged target pathogens collected from clinical samples. Specifically, a dedicated immunomagnetic material was developed via the functionalization of standardized, micron-sized magnetic beads with generic antibodies against gram-specific bacterial constituents with mannan binding lectin. As such, we demonstrate efficient procedures for achieving the enhanced, specific, and pathogen-mediated cluster formation of these tailored affinity-coated magnetic beads in complex samples. We further show how cluster analysis, in conjunction with the use of nonspecific, inexpensive fluorescent dye, allows for a straightforward optical assessment of the bacterial load directly from urine samples. The optimized sensing protocol and related kits provide, in less than 60 min, qualitative (positive/negative) information on the bacterial load with 85% specificity and 96% sensitivity, which is appropriate to empower clinical microscopy with a new analytic dimension. The procedure is prone to automation, can be conveniently used in clinical microbiology laboratories and, since it preserves the viability of the captured bacteria, can be interfaced with downstream analyses and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Moreover, the study emphasizes a suite of practical validation assays that are useful for bringing the tool-box of immunomagnetic materials outside the academic laboratory and into real-life applications