Microwave-assisted and conventional hydrothermal carbonization of lignocellulosic waste material: comparison of the chemical and structural properties of the hydrochars

This study compares the chemical and structural properties of the hydrochars prepared from microwave-assisted and conventional hydrothermal carbonizations of Prosopis africana shell, a waste plant material. The preparation involved heating the raw material in de-ionized water at 200 °C for 5-20 min, and 120-240 min in the microwave and conventional oven respectively. The prepared hydrochars were characterized using the scanning electron microscope, nitrogen sorption measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, CHN analyzer, thermogravimetric analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance. The results showed that the microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization process is fast in the carbonization of the Prosopis africana shell as shown by the level of conversion attained within the short time. This study presents new data on the comparison of the hydrochars from microwave-assisted and conventional hydrothermal carbonization processes of the same lignocellulosic material in terms of their properties

A Systems-Psychodynamic Exploration into GP Experiences of Current Changes in Healthcare Delivery

My research uses a psychosocial approach to undertake an exploration into general practitioners’ (GPs) experiences of current changes in healthcare delivery. Under the impact of the neoliberal paradigm and the challenges of running a general practice, GPs appear to have been retiring early, and it has been hard to recruit GPs for some years. At this time, when we are seeing an ageing population, increasing incidence of chronic comorbidities, and the development of clinical technologies, the biopsychosocial model of medicine has to contend with much complexity. Moreover, the nature of primary care is such that the business of general practice is also being challenged by the processes of commissioning, bidding and contracting required to sustain income and viability, with some practices joining together to form primary care networks in order to survive. All of these varying elements beg the question: what defines GPs’ primary tasks, roles and systems, and how might their motivation and identity be affected by this situation of clinical complexity and financial challenge in the healthcare context? Bringing in concepts from systems psychodynamics and organisational consultancy, this thesis considers both the doctor- and organisation-in-the-mind. Using a qualitative approach to explore these dynamics, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 12 GPs at different stages of their career, with different interests and responsibilities. Ten themes were identified as pertinent to the sample, to varying degrees: 1) the long-term patient relationships – dependency and intimacy; 2) identification with the role, and the GP surgery as a second home; 3) underpinning ethical value systems; 4) satisfaction in one’s role as a clinical GP; 5) the systemic leadership role; 6) being overwhelmed by the context; 7) a business-minded approach to the financial state of the surgery and context; 8) determining one’s own timetable; 9) one’s own family or illness as a motivator; 10) family aspiration as a motivator.Three major clusters of responses were identified, revealing three GP types with varying social defences and valencies for individual and group functioning. The neoliberal paradigm, together with managerialism, changes in funding methodology, the erosion of social support systems, an ageing population, advanced medical technologies and other issues, appear to have disrupted GPs status as the family-doctor-in-the-mind committed to caring for patients from cradle to grave. An increasing ambivalence about meeting the demands of patient dependency, and a turning away from the responsibilities of full-time partnerships in general practice, is an identifiable trend. In addition, my research identifies the alternative allure of entrepreneurial activity and engagement with both organisational demands and novel clinical pathways in the wider system of healthcare. Through the application of the metaphor of the periodic table, a hypothetical model is tentatively offered comprising the three GP types in order to consider not only the effect on individual GPs but also the possible impact on general practice as an institution

Nanotoxicity of polyelectrolyte-functionalized titania nanoparticles towards microalgae and yeast: Role of the particle concentration, size and surface charge

We studied the nanotoxicity of titania nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) of various hydrodynamic diameters and crystallite sizes towards C. reinhardtii microalgae and S. cerevisiae (yeast) upon illumination with UV and visible light. The cell viability was assessed for a range of nanoparticle concentrations and incubation times. We found that bare TiO₂NPs affect the C. reinhardtii cell viability at much lower particle concentrations than for yeast. We observed an increase of the TiO₂NPs toxicity upon illumination with UV light compared with that in dark conditions due to the oxidative stress of the produced reactive oxygen species. We also found an increased TiO₂NPs nanotoxicity upon illumination with visible light which indicates that they may also interfere with the microalgae's photosynthetic system leading to decreased chlorophyll content upon exposure to TiO₂NPs. The results indicate that the larger the hydrodynamic diameter of the TiO₂NPs the lower is their nanotoxicity, with anatase TiO₂NPs generally being more toxic than rutile TiO₂NPs. We also prepared a range of polyelectrolyte-coated TiO₂NPs using a layer by-layer method and studied their nanotoxicity towards yeast and microalgae. We found that the toxicity of the coated TiO₂NPs changes with their surface charge. TiO₂NPs coated with cationic polyelectrolyte as an outer layer exhibit much higher nanotoxicity than the ones with an outer layer of anionic polyelectrolyte. TEM images of sectioned microalgae and yeast cells exposed to different polyelectrolyte-coated TiO₂NPs confirmed the formation of a significant build-up of nanoparticles on the cell surface for bare and cationic polyelectrolyte-coated TiO₂NPs. The effect comes from the increased adhesion of cationic nanoparticles to the cell walls. Significantly, coating the TiO₂NPs with anionic polyelectrolyte as an outer layer led to a reduced adhesion and much lower nanotoxicity due to electrostatic repulsion with the cell walls. This suggest a new way of making cationic TiO₂NPs safer for use in different formulations by pre-coating them with anionic polyelectrolytes. The results of this study give important insights into the various factors controlling the nanotoxicity of TiO₂NPs

Mirror, Mirror: Adoption and Mothering in Film

What narratives are being told about adoption, by whom and for whom, and what consequences do they have? How might my birthmother, adoptive mother or I have received and internalized messages about adoption and mothering transmitted via the pervasive medium of film Barbara Estrin notes in her review of Marianne Novy’s Reading Adoption how all of us are shaped, consciously or unconsciously by “the anxieties that cultural influences instill (217).” These anxieties, Novy suggests, must have shaped those women who have had to make difficult decisions regarding their desire, or lack of desire, to raise a child. Film, as one of the most pervasive and accessible cultural products, can serve as a mirror to the zeitgeist of the times in which it was produced, allowing viewers to think critically about the messages of such narratives and how, or whether, they have changed over time. Adoption and illegitimacy remain primarily a marginal plot device in film. Those films that do make these themes central may have influence on how those inside and outside the adoption triangle view themselves. I look at a selection of films created over a period of seventy years about unplanned pregnancy and adoption. I hope to measure the shift in cultural images of adoption and mothering in film, or lack thereof, to gauge whether the anxieties that Novy mentions have been exposed or whether gaps, omissions and misconstructions remain