A new method for load matching in multimode microwave feating applicators based on the use of dielectric layer superposition

Usage of a dielectric multilayer around a dielectric Sample is studied as a means for improving the efficiency in multimode microwave- heating cavities. The results show that by using additional dielectric constant layers the appearance of undesired reflections at the sample-air interface is avoided and higher power -absorption rates within the sample and high -efficiency designs are obtaine

Thin Layer Coulometry with Ionophore Based Ion-Selective Membranes

We are demonstrating here for the first time a thin layer coulometric detection mode for ionophore based liquid ion-selective membranes. Coulometry promises to achieve the design of robust, calibration free sensors that are especially attractive for applications where recalibration in situ is difficult or undesirable. This readout principle is here achieved with porous polypropylene tubing doped with the membrane material and which contains a chlorinated silver wire in the inner compartment, together with the fluidically delivered sample solution. The membrane material consists of the lipophilic plasticizer dodecyl 2-nitrophenyl ether, the lipophilic electrolyte ETH 500, and the calcium ionophore ETH 5234. Importantly and in contrast to earlier work on voltammetric liquid membrane electrodes, the membrane also contains a cation-exchanger salt, KTFPB. This renders the membrane permselective and allows one to observe open circuit potentiometric responses for the device, which is confirmed to follow the expected Nernstian equation. Moreover, as the same cationic species is now potential determining at both interfaces of the membrane, it is possible to use rapidly diffusing and/or thin membrane systems where transport processes at the inner and outer interface of the membrane do not perturb each other or the overall composition of the membrane. The tubing is immersed in an electrolyte solution where the counter and working electrode are placed, and the potentials are applied relative to the measured open circuit potentials. Exhaustive current decays are observed in the range of 10 to 100 μM calcium chloride. The observed charge, calculated as integrated currents, is linearly dependent on concentration and forms the basis for the coulometric readout of ion-selective membrane electrodes

Timing of nasogastric tube insertion and the risk of postoperative pneumonia: an international, prospective cohort study

Aim: Aspiration is a common cause of pneumonia in patients with postoperative ileus. Insertion of a nasogastric tube (NGT) is often performed, but this can be distressing. The aim of this study was to determine whether the timing of NGT insertion after surgery (before versus after vomiting) was associated with reduced rates of pneumonia in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Method: This was a preplanned secondary analysis of a multicentre, prospective cohort study. Patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery between January 2018 and April 2018 were eligible. Those receiving a NGT were divided into three groups, based on the timing of the insertion: routine NGT (inserted at the time of surgery), prophylactic NGT (inserted after surgery but before vomiting) and reactive NGT (inserted after surgery and after vomiting). The primary outcome was the development of pneumonia within 30 days of surgery, which was compared between the prophylactic and reactive NGT groups using multivariable regression analysis. Results: A total of 4715 patients were included in the analysis and 1536 (32.6%) received a NGT. These were classified as routine in 926 (60.3%), reactive in 461 (30.0%) and prophylactic in 149 (9.7%). Two hundred patients (4.2%) developed pneumonia (no NGT 2.7%; routine NGT 5.2%; reactive NGT 10.6%; prophylactic NGT 11.4%). After adjustment for confounding factors, no significant difference in pneumonia rates was detected between the prophylactic and reactive NGT groups (odds ratio 1.03, 95% CI 0.56\u20131.87, P = 0.932). Conclusion: In patients who required the insertion of a NGT after surgery, prophylactic insertion was not associated with fewer cases of pneumonia within 30 days of surgery compared with reactive insertion