Legal forms of Not-for-Profit Organisations in Europe

In the world of economists a lawyer feels a bit strange. How does an economist look to a lawyer? Is he a formalist, some one who focuses on forms? And is an economist in his own eyes some one who is interested in facts in stead of forms, words, rules etc., in which the lawyer is interested? If this how you as an economist look to it, I would like to make some corrections on this view. Take for instance the position of shareholders in a company. Economists are inclined to say that shareholders are the owners of the company. Legally this is incorrect. The contribution of the shareholder in the company has become the property of the company (legal person). The shareholder certainly receives some rights in relation to the company, but he is not the legal owner of it. The company as a legal person is a subject, not an object of law. To contradict the economists' formulation that shareholders are the owners of the company, is not only a question of words, it has also to do with facts. The shareholder (also the sole shareholder) has not the right to sell the property of the company; he may only sell his shares. The property of the company can be taken by the creditors of the company, the shareholders have this right only at the end of the liquidation after dissolution. I presume that this makes clear that lawyers have a different perspective on socio-economic facts. I agree that lawyers should not neglect the economic data, but economists like other people can not neglect the legal structure, as this also creates the basis for the economic realityNot-for-Profit Organisations; legal; europe

Mixed gas plasticization phenomena in asymmetric membranes

This thesis describes the thorough investigation of mixed gas transport behavior of asymmetric membranes in the separation of feed streams containing plasticizing gases in order to gain more insights into the complicated behavior of plasticization. To successfully\ud employ gas separation membranes in (new) applications containing plasticizing feed streams, membranes with improved stability have to be developed. Fundamental knowledge on the complicated behavior of plasticization in the separation of these gas streams using asymmetric membranes is an important issue in this development

Integrated autothermal reactor concepts for oxidative coupling and reforming of methane

A direct method of converting natural gas into ethylene is the heterogeneously catalyzed oxidative coupling of methane (OCM), however, only with hydrocarbon yields limited to 30-35% despite enormous efforts to optimize the catalysts. By combining the exothermic OCM with a secondary process, namely steam reforming of methane (SRM), the methane conversion can be increased significantly while improving temperature control and simultaneously producing valuable synthesis gas. In this thesis, two different reactor concepts were developed to integrate the OCM and SRM reactions in an overall autothermal process, so that the OCM process is effectively cooled and the generated reaction energy is efficiently used to produce synthesis gas.\ud \ud The integration is most optimally achieved on the catalyst particle scale, which would eliminate the need for external heat exchange and opens up the possibility to use distributive oxygen dosing with which much higher product yields can be achieved. It is proposed to use a dual function catalyst particle in which the two chemical processes are physically separated by an inert, porous layer, such that additional diffusional resistances are intentionally created to control the reaction rates. This concept was studied with numerical simulations on the scale of a single catalyst particle and on reactor scale. It was found that the SRM and OCM reaction rates could be effectively tuned to achieve autothermal operation at the reactor scale, while the methane conversion was enhanced from 44% to 55%.\ud \ud An alternative integrated process can be achieved by combining OCM and SRM in a heat exchange reactor comprising of two separate reaction chambers which are thermally coupled. The OCM is carried out in packed bed reverse flow membrane reactor tubes submerged into a fluidized bed where the unconverted methane and byproducts from OCM are reformed, thus producing synthesis gas and consuming the reaction heat liberated by OCM. The feasibility of this concept is supported by experiments of OCM on a Mn/Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst in a packed bed (porous Al2O3) membrane reactor. The results demonstrated that a C2 yield of 25-30 % can be achieved and that distributed feed of oxygen is optimal for the combined OCM/SRM reactor concept

Influence of Pyrolysis Parameters on the Performance of CMSM

Carbon hollow fiber membranes have been prepared by pyrolysis of a P84/S-PEEK blend. Proximate analysis of the precursor was performed using thermogravimetry (TGA), and a carbon yield of approximately 40% can be obtained. This study aimed at understanding the influence of pyrolysis parameters—end temperature, quenching effect, and soaking time—on the membrane properties. Permeation experiments were performed with N2, He, and CO2. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been done for all carbon hollow fibers. The highest permeances were obtained for the membrane submitted to an end temperature of 750°C and the highest ideal selectivities for an end temperature of 700°C. In both cases, the membranes were quenched to room temperatur

Palladium-Platinum nanoparticles: well-structured bimetallic catalysts for fuel cells

The high price of platinum currently employed as catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells represents an obstacle for a widespread usage of these cells. The development of bimetallic particles, reducing the quantity of platinum is a promising solution to increase the viability of the cells and to reduce their price. In this doctoral thesis, palladium was used as a second metal to synthesize bimetallic particles with easy methods. The role of bromide on the properties and performances of the palladium-platinum clusters with a nanoflowers structure was investigated (Chapter 2) and the effect of the time of synthesis on particles prepared by galvanic replacement was analyzed (Chapters 3 and 4). In the end, the formation/dissolution of oxide at the surface of core-shell palladium-platinum nanoparticles was examined (Chapter 4). ..

Influenza infection and risk of acute pulmonary embolism

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Influenza infections have been associated with procoagulant changes. Whether influenza infections lead to an increased risk of pulmonary embolism remains to be established.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a nested case control study in a large cohort of patients with a clinical suspicion of having pulmonary embolism. Blood samples were collected to investigate the presence of influenza A and B by complement fixation assay (CFA). We compared case patients, in whom pulmonary embolism was proven (n = 102), to controls, in whom pulmonary embolism was excluded (n = 395). Furthermore, we compared symptoms of influenza-like illness in both patient groups 2 weeks prior to inclusion in the study, using the influenza-like illness (ILI) score, which is based on a questionnaire. We calculated the risk of pulmonary embolism associated with influenza infection.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The percentage of patients with influenza A was higher in the control group compared to the case group (4.3% versus 1.0%, respectively, odds ratio 0.22; 95% CI: 0.03–1.72). Influenza B was not detectable in any of the cases and was found in 3 of the 395 controls (0.8%). The ILI score was positive in 24% of the cases and 25% in the control persons (odds ratio 1.16, 95% CI: 0.67–2.01). We did not observe an association between the ILI score and proven influenza infection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this clinical study, influenza infection was not associated with an increased risk of acute pulmonary embolism. The ILI score is non-specific in this clinical setting.</p

The Production and Application of Hydrogels for Wound Management: A Review

Wound treatment has increased in importance in the wound care sector due to the pervasiveness of chronic wounds in the high-risk population including, but not limited to, geriatric population, immunocompromised and obese patients. Furthermore, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is rapidly growing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global diabetic occurrence has increased from 4.7 in 1980 to 8.5 in 2014. As diabetes becomes a common medical condition, it has also become one of the major causes of chronic wounds which require specialised care to address patients’ unique needs. Wound dressings play a vital role in the wound healing process as they protect the wound site from the external environment. They are also capable of interacting with the wound bed in order to facilitate and accelerate the healing process. Advanced dressings such as hydrogels are designed to maintain a moist environment at the site of application and due to high water content are ideal candidates for wound management. Hydrogels can be used for both exudating or dry necrotic wounds. Additionally, hydrogels also demonstrate other unique features such as softness, malleability and biocompatibility. Nowadays, advanced wound care products make up around 7.1 billion of the global market and their production is growing at an annual rate of 8.3 with the market projected to be worth 12.5 billion by 2022. The presented review focuses on novel hydrogel wound dressings, their main characteristics and their wound management applications. It also describes recent methodologies used for their production and the future potential developments