Grote sterns <i>Sterna sandvicensis</i> verwijderen eischalen en dode kuikens uit de kolonie = Sandwich terns remove egg shells and dead chicks from the colony

Observations of Sandwich Terns removing eggshell fragments are reported. On one occasion a dead chick was seen to be carried away from the colony. This is not a common behaviour in Sandwich Terns, but it seems to be functional because eggshells and dead chicks may attract predators and may be a source of infections

Home medicines reviews in Australian war veterans taking warfarin do not influence International Normalised Ratio control.

Background: The clinical outcomes of warfarin are largely dependent on the international normalised ratio (INR) control achieved, and strategies to improve the time in therapeutic range (TTR) should be identified and widely implemented in practice. Aims: To investigate the influence of pharmacist-led medication reviews on INR control and observe the quality of INR control in Australian veterans who take warfarin. Methods: We undertook a retrospective cohort study using administrative claims data for Australian veterans and war-widows identified by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs who were regularly dispensed warfarin and invited them to contact the research team. Pathology providers were subsequently contacted to provide INR results. Results: INR data were available for 344 of 818 (42.1%) veterans who consented to participate in the study; 64.4% were male and the median age was 83 years. The overall TTR for the veteran cohort during the study period was 64.0%. There was no difference in the TTR in the 6 months following home medicines review (HMR) compared with the control group (63.0% vs 67.0%, P = 0.27), with the TTR in patients with INR data available in the 6 months prior to, and the 6 months following HMR, remaining high (67.9% vs 69.6% P = 0.63). Approximately, one-third of veterans in this study had a percentage TTR below 60%. Conclusions: INR was well-controlled in this elderly cohort, comparable to that achieved in recent randomised trials involving warfarin. Pharmacist-led medication reviews were not associated with a change in INR control

Uncatalyzed synthesis, thermal and mechanical properties of polyurethanes based on poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and 1,4-butane diisocyanate with uniform hard segment

Polyurethanes based on poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) (750-2800g/mol) and 1,4-butane diisocyanate (BDI) with different soft segment lengths and constant uniform hard segment length were synthesized in absence of catalysts for the production of a degradable meniscus scaffold. First the polyesterdiols were endcapped with BDI yielding a macrodiisocyanate with a minimal amount of side reactions and a functionality of 2.0. Subsequently, the macrodiisocyanates were extended with 1,4-butanediol in order to obtain the corresponding polyurethane. The polyurethanes had molecular weights between 78 and 160 kg/mol.Above molar masses of 1900 g/mol of the polyesterdiol crystalline PCL was found while the hard segment showed an increase in melting point from 78 to 122 degreesC with increasing hard segment content. It was estimated that the percentage crystallinity of the hard segment varied between 92 and 26%. The Young's modulus varied between 30 and 264 MPa, the strain at break varied between 870 and 1200% and tear strengths varied between 97 and 237 kJ/m(2). (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</p

Microcrystalline cellulose: an alternative to increase the resistance of kraft packaging with recycled fiber

O consumo de embalagens de papel está aumentando; em contrapartida, as áreas plantadas de Pinus spp. apresentam tendência de desiquilíbrio entre oferta e demanda. Por isso, muitas empresas estão priorizando a utilização de fibra reciclada; contudo, a sua inclusão pode influenciar a qualidade do produto. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar se a combinação de fibra reciclada com celulose em microescala permitiria a formação de papel mais resistente. A primeira etapa consistiu em produzir em escala de bancada amostras de papel Kraft (com diferentes porcentagens de fibra virgem e reciclada) e caracterizou-o fisicamente (gramatura, umidade, porosidade Gurley, tração Z, SCT e Mullen). A segunda etapa consistiu em reproduzir a primeira etapa com a inclusão da celulose microcristalina (MCC) e eliminação de Pinus spp. (FL). Todas as formulações foram aprovadas na caracterização física, com exceção da análise de porosidade e gramatura para F5. No primeiro teste (MCC=0%) houve redução no índice de tração, compressão e estouro de 13,2, 7,3 e 19,5%, respectivamente, demonstrando que quanto maior a porcentagem de fibra reciclada menor é a resistência do papel. No segundo teste para Formulação 3 (MCC=6%) houve aumento no índice de tração, compressão e estouro de 9,5, 2,6 e 2,7%, respectivamente, quando comparado à Formulação 2 (FL=MCC=0%). Este estudo demonstra que a adição de até 6% de MCC fortalece as fibras recicladas e diminui a dependência de Pinus spp., em uma alternativa promissora para a produção de embalagens sustentáveis e resistentes.The consumption of paper packaging is increasing. On the contrary, the planted areas of Pinus spp. are showing a trend tendency of imbalance between supply and demand. Therefore, many companies are prioritizing the use of recycled fiber (RF). However, its inclusion can influence the quality of the product. This study aimed to evaluate whether the combination of RF with microscale cellulose will enable the production of resistant paper. The first step involved producing bench-scale samples of Kraft paper (with different percentages of virgin and RF) and characterized it physically (grammage, moisture, Gurley porosity, Z-traction, SCT, and Mullen). The second stage involved replicating the first stage with the inclusion of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and the elimination of Pinus spp. (LF). All formulations were approved for the physical characterization tests, except for the porosity analysis and grammage for F5. In the first test (MCC=0%), there was a reduction in tensile, compression, and burst index of 13.2, 7.3, and 19.5%, respectively, showing that the higher the percentage of RF, the lower the paper’s strength. In the second test for Formulation 3 (MCC=6%), there was an increase in the tensile, compression, and burst index of 9.5, 2.6, and 2.7%, respectively, when compared with Formulation 2 (LF=MCC=0%). This study demonstrates that the addition of up to 6% MCC strengthens the RFs and decreases the dependence on Pinus spp., making it a promising alternative for the production of sustainable and resistant packaging

Letter to the editor: Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV in Europe: The need for resistance surveillance

__To the editor:__ In a recent paper by Hauser et al. in this journal, a prevalence of 10.8% of transmitted drugresistant viruses was reported among newly diagnosed HIV cases in Germany in 2013 and 2014. The authors conclude that genotypic resistance testing remains important for treatment as well as HIV prevention. We comment on the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in relation to drug resistance in HIV infections and the need for European surveillance of drug resistance