Blends of linear-low-density polyethylene and thermoplastic bloodmeal using maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene as compatibilizer

Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) was blended with Novatein Thermoplastic from bloodmeal (NTP.) The compatibilizing effect of maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (PE-g-MAH) on mechanical, morphology thermal properties and water absorption were studied and compared with blends without compatibilizer .The amount of polyethylene added was varied between 20% to 70% with 10% of compatibilizer. An improvement in compatibility between NTP and LLDPE was evident across the entire composition range only when using compatibilizer. The tensile strength of blends decreased over that pure LLDPE, but never dropped below that of pure NTP. Results showed that blending NTP with LLDPE decreased water absorption significantly, even more so using a compatibilizer. The result is a more water stable material

Development of blood meal protein thermoplastic

Polymers are blended with other polymers to combine their properties or improve physical characteristics and blending turns to be the most reliable techniques compare to synthesis of chemically new polymers. In the research of sustainable materials from non-potential food sources, bloodmeal is one of the best candidates for bioplastic manufacture. It is one of the highest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen coming from meat processing and approximately 80000 tonnes of raw blood is collected annually in New Zealand. Natural polymers often present processing difficulties as well as maintaining product quality over extended periods because of their hydrophilic nature. Blending bloodmeal with other polymers may offer a solution to this problem. However, most blends are immiscible, and the processing are challenging because of dissimilar nature of natural and synthetic polymer, thus requiring compatibilization to achieve good blends performance. The process to solve incompatibility is the compatibilizer should migrate to the interface, reducing the interfacial tension, stabilizing the blend morphology and improving the adhesion between phases in solid state, hence improving the mechanical properties. True thermodynamic term of miscibility of polymer blends is a mixture containing two or more components that form one phase system but this determination of miscibility may be rather ambiguous. In practice, polymer blend compositions is said compatible if they exhibit two phases on a microscopic level but the interactions between polymer groups might be reasonable in a manner that provides useful properties of the multicoponent system. In many instances, it is desirable to have two phases present, as long as we can control the multicomponent systems which depend on their structure, polymer interactions and phase sizes. We have identified several strategies in order to improve miscibility; 1. Addition of a small quantity of a third component that is miscible with both phases 2. Addition of a copolymer whose one part is miscible with one phase and another with another phase 3. Compounding blends in the presence of chemical reactants that lead to modification of at least one macromolecular species (reactive compatibilization), resulting in generation of an in-situ desired quantity of compatibilizer. The propose of this paper is to explore the potential of blending bloodmeal with other thermoplastic by taking account the type of polymer, type of compatibilization and processing condition in order to improve processability and mechanical properties

Interventions to facilitate return to work in adults with adjustment disorders

BACKGROUND: Adjustment disorders are a frequent cause of sick leave and various interventions have been developed to expedite the return to work (RTW) of individuals on sick leave due to adjustment disorders. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of interventions facilitating RTW for workers with acute or chronic adjustment disorders. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Review Group's Specialised Register (CCDANCTR) to October 2011; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) to Issue 4, 2011; MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and ISI Web of Science, all years to February 2011; the WHO trials portal (ICTRP) and ClinicalTrials.gov in March 2011. We also screened reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews. SELECTION CRITERIA: We selected randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to facilitate RTW of workers with adjustment disorders compared to no or other treatment. Eligible interventions were pharmacological interventions, psychological interventions (such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and problem solving therapy), relaxation techniques, exercise programmes, employee assistance programmes or combinations of these interventions. The primary outcomes were time to partial and time to full RTW, and secondary outcomes were severity of symptoms of adjustment disorder, work functioning, generic functional status (i.e. the overall functional capabilities of an individual, such as physical functioning, social function, general mental health) and quality of life. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently selected studies, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. We pooled studies that we deemed sufficiently clinically homogeneous in different comparison groups, and assessed the overall quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: We included nine studies reporting on 10 psychological interventions and one combined intervention. The studies included 1546 participants. No RCTs were found of pharmacological interventions, exercise programmes or employee assistance programmes. We assessed seven studies as having low risk of bias and the studies that were pooled together were comparable. For those who received no treatment, compared with CBT, the assumed time to partial and full RTW was 88 and 252 days respectively. Based on two studies with a total of 159 participants, moderate-quality evidence showed that CBT had similar results for time (measured in days) until partial RTW compared to no treatment at one-year follow-up (mean difference (MD) -8.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) -23.26 to 5.71). We found low-quality evidence of similar results for CBT and no treatment on the reduction of days until full RTW at one-year follow-up (MD -35.73, 95% CI -113.15 to 41.69) (one study with 105 participants included in the analysis). Based on moderate-quality evidence, problem solving therapy (PST) significantly reduced time until partial RTW at one-year follow-up compared to non-guideline based care (MD -17.00, 95% CI -26.48 to -7.52) (one study with 192 participants clustered among 33 treatment providers included in the analysis), but we found moderate-quality evidence of no significant effect on reducing days until full RTW at one-year follow-up (MD -17.73, 95% CI -37.35 to 1.90) (two studies with 342 participants included in the analysis). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found moderate-quality evidence that CBT did not significantly reduce time until partial RTW and low-quality evidence that it did not significantly reduce time to full RTW compared with no treatment. Moderate-quality evidence showed that PST significantly enhanced partial RTW at one-year follow-up compared to non-guideline based care but did not significantly enhance time to full RTW at one-year follow-up. An important limitation was the small number of studies included in the meta-analyses and the small number of participants, which lowered the power of the analyses

A Phenomenology of Religion?

This research explores the possibility of a phenomenology of religion that is ontological, founded on Martin Heidegger’s philosophical thought. The research attempts to utilise Heidegger’s formulation of phenomenology as ontology while also engaging in a critical relation with his path of thinking; as a barrier to the phenomenological interpretation of the meaning of Religion. This research formulates Religion as an ontological problem wherein the primary question becomes: how are humans, in our being, able to be religious and thus also able to understand the meaning of ‘religion’ or something like ‘religion’? This study focuses on the problem of foundation; of whether it is possible to provide an adequate foundation for the study of religion(s) via the notion ‘Religion’. Further, this study also aims to explore the problem of methodological foundation; of how preconceptions of the meaning of Religion predetermine how religion(s) and religious phenomena are studied. Finally, this research moves toward the possibility of founding a regional ontological basis for the study of religion(s) insofar as the research explores the ontological ground of Religion as a phenomenon. Due to the exploratory and methodological/foundational emphasis of the research, the thesis is almost entirely preliminary. Herein, the research focuses on three main issues: how the notion of Religion is preconceived, how Heidegger’s phenomenology can be tailored to the phenomenon of Religion, and how philosophical thought (in this case, Pre-Socratic philosophy) discloses indications of the meaning of Religion. Pre-Socratic thought is then utilised as a foundation for a preliminary interpretation of how Religion belongs-to humans in our being. This research provides two interrelated theses: the provision of an interpretation of Religion as an existential phenomenon, and an interpretation of Religion in its ground of being-human. With regard to the former, I argue that Religion signifies a potential relation with the ‘originary ground’ of life as meaningful. Accordingly, the second interpretation discloses the meaning of Religion as grounded in being-human; that for humans in our being, the meaning of life is an intrinsic question/dilemma for us. This being-characteristic, I argue, can be called belief

Randomized controlled trials are needed to close the evidence gap in the prevention of preterm birth

Pregnant women have been advised to avoid heavy lifting during pregnancy due to concerns of adverse pregnancy outcomes including premature delivery. To date there is no evidence on the effectiveness of advice in preventing preterm birth as found in a recent systematic search and appraisal of published literature. This letter employs the findings of the review to inform future studies

Human Rights to Inclusive Living and Care for Older People With Mental Health Conditions

Although older persons wish to age at home, many older persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disability (MHC-PSD) spend the last few years of their life in residential facilities. This paper will examine the impact of ageism and human rights violations manifested in environmental design, specifically regarding social isolation, loneliness, inadequate psychosocial, environmental, recreational and spiritual support. This is compounded by failure to meet basic care needs-nutrition, hydration, pain and medication support. This paper highlights two innovative initiatives from the Netherlands, which show that older persons' rights can be maintained in innovative, collective living arrangements. It is concluded that the creation of inclusive and safe environments for older persons with MHC-PSD can facilitate the enjoyment of Human Rights

Ageism and the State of Older People With Mental Conditions During the Pandemic and Beyond: Manifestations, Etiology, Consequences, and Future Directions

The pandemic has put the spotlight on older people and on the topic of ageism. In early 2021, a call was made for input into the Thematic Report on Ageism and Discrimination to inform the United Nations Independent Expert on the Rights of Older Persons' forthcoming report to the 48th session of the Human Rights Council. The aim of this paper is to articulate the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) and the World Psychiatric Association Section of Old Age Psychiatry (WPA-SOAP) response to this call. This brief statement on ageism with a special focus on older people with mental health conditions is divided into three sections. We start by outlining the various manifestations of ageism in varied contexts and countries with a primary focus on the pandemic. Possible consequences of ageism with a focus on older people's mental health and well-being are outlined. We conclude by discussing ways to overcome ageism and reduce its occurrence, especially during times of extreme conditions

Sparse Suffix and LCP Array: Simple, Direct, Small, and Fast

Sparse suffix sorting is the problem of sorting $b=o(n)$ suffixes of a string of length $n$. Efficient sparse suffix sorting algorithms have existed for more than a decade. Despite the multitude of works and their justified claims for applications in text indexing, the existing algorithms have not been employed by practitioners. Arguably this is because there are no simple, direct, and efficient algorithms for sparse suffix array construction. We provide two new algorithms for constructing the sparse suffix and LCP arrays that are simultaneously simple, direct, small, and fast. In particular, our algorithms are: simple in the sense that they can be implemented using only basic data structures; direct in the sense that the output arrays are not a byproduct of constructing the sparse suffix tree or an LCE data structure; fast in the sense that they run in $\mathcal{O}(n\log b)$ time, in the worst case, or in $\mathcal{O}(n)$ time, when the total number of suffixes with an LCP value greater than $2^{\lfloor \log \frac{n}{b} \rfloor + 1}-1$ is in $\mathcal{O}(b/\log b)$, matching the time of the optimal yet much more complicated algorithms [Gawrychowski and Kociumaka, SODA 2017; Birenzwige et al., SODA 2020]; and small in the sense that they can be implemented using only $8b+o(b)$ machine words. Our algorithms are simplified, yet non-trivial, space-efficient adaptations of the Monte Carlo algorithm by I et al. for constructing the sparse suffix tree in $\mathcal{O}(n\log b)$ time [STACS 2014]. We also provide proof-of-concept experiments to justify our claims on simplicity and efficiency.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

Frequent Episode Mining to support Pattern Analysis in Developmental Biology

Computer Systems, Imagery and Medi