Synthesis and Characterization of Metal Hydride/Carbon Aerogel Composites for Hydrogen Storage

Two materials currently of interest for onboard lightweight hydrogen storage applications are sodium aluminum hydride (NaAlH4), a complex metal hydride, and carbon aerogels (CAs), a light porous material connected by several spherical nanoparticles. The objectives of the present work have been to investigate the synthesis, characterization, and hydrogenation behavior of Pd-, Ti- or Fe-doped CAs, NaAlH4, and MgH2 nanocomposites. The diameters of Pd nanoparticles onto CA’s surface and BET surface area of CAs were 3–10 nm and 700–900 m2g−1, respectively. The H2 storage capacity of metal hydrides has been studied using high-pressure TGA microbalance and they were 4.0, 2.7, 2.1, and 1.2 wt% for MgH2-FeTi-CAs, MgH2-FeTi, CAs-Pd, and 8 mol% Ti-doped NaAlH4, respectively, at room temperature. Carbon aerogels with higher surface area and mesoporous structures facilitated hydrogen diffusion and adsorption, which accounted for its extraordinary hydrogen storage phenomenon. The hydrogen adsorption abilities of CAs notably increased after inclusion of metal hydrides by the “hydrogen spillover” mechanisms

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

The family care of Chinese old people : a study of Chinese communities in London.

This research examines the financial relationships between Chinese older people and their family, the living arrangements of older people, the needs for care and the provision of care in Hong Kong as well as in London. It points out the myth of the traditional Chinese extended family which existed only among the gentry and the elites and the mistake which relates the provision of care to the existence and prevalence of the Chinese extended family. It is argued that westernisation and industrialisation have not washed away the caring capacity of the Chinese family. The research showed that Chinese old people in the two places maintained an active financial relationship with their children, and the majority still lived with their families, which reflected not so much an absence of alternative but a matter of preference. Help in such aspects as personal care, household maintenance and social survival continued to be provided by the family. However, the research also showed that a new pattern of relationships between Chinese old people and their children and grandchildren have emerged, and a unique pattern in the division of labour in care within the family has also been developed. It is argued that the basis of care in the Chinese context has undergone reconstruction. Five interlinked factors are important the reciprocal contributions of the Chinese old people and the family members; the affective compatibility between the old people and the helpers; the obligatory compatibility between the two parties; and the sanction of normative expectations. All these conditions are subject to the intervention of state policies. The reconstruction of the basis of care showed that the classical Chinese thesis which suggested that being old must be respected could no longer be upheld. Instead, the state has, through various social policies, shaped and sustain the help seeking and provision of the old people and their families