Permanent magnets are fundamental constituents in key sectors such as energy and transport, but also robotics, automatization, medicine, etc. High-performance magnets are based on rare earth elements (RE), included in the European list of critical raw materials list. The volatility of their market increased the research over the past decade to develop RE-free magnets to fill the large performance/cost gap existing between ferrites and RE-based magnets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcetic acid is an organic acid of great importance globally and the demand of this product is currently increasing. The production of this acid has consequently aroused more and more interest over the years, especially for more sustainable processes. From a biological point of view, acetic acid can be produced by acetogenesis using inorganic substrates like CO or CO (with acetogenic bacteria) and aerobic fermentation (with acetic acid bacteria or fungi).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoastal sediments subjected to high anthropogenic impacts can accumulate large amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals, demanding effective and eco-sustainable remediation solutions. In this study, we carried out bioremediation experiments on marine sediments highly contaminated with PAHs and metals. In particular, we investigated the effects of biostimulation (by the addition of inorganic nutrients), bioaugmentation (by the addition of fungi belonging to Aspergillus sp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCitric acid is considered one of the most valuable weak organic acids on the market and its production by biotechnological approaches is a very interesting topic. Despite the related scientific research, the literature still lacks a state of the art for the technological innovation change, necessary for a study of the inventions designed for real scale implementation. In this context, the present review looks to account for more than 100 worldwide patents (1929-2018), necessary for the identification of the innovative markets and the most promising fields for economic investments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction And Objectives: To compare the perioperative outcomes of thulium vapoenucleation of the prostate (ThuVEP) with holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) for patients with symptomatic benign prostatic obstruction (BPO).
Methods: Forty-eight and 46 patients were prospectively randomized to ThuVEP and HoLEP. All patients were assessed preoperatively and 4-week postoperatively.
This study is a mixed-methods examination of the prevalence and impact of parental substance abuse among families involved in foster care who have a child with a serious emotional disturbance. Data utilized for this study were both administrative and assessment data collected by case managers and parents as part of a federally funded demonstration project in a Midwestern state. At baseline, parent self-report and case manager ratings of family functioning found that parents affected by substance abuse fared worse in domains related to socioeconomics, parental trauma, parental mental health, and social supports when compared to families without parental substance abuse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Dent
December 2014
Purpose: To evaluate the porosity, surface roughness and anti-biofilm activity of a glass-ionomer cement (GIC) after incorporation of different concentrations of chlorhexidine (CHX) gluconate or diacetate.
Methods: For the porosity and surface roughness tests, 10 test specimens were fabricated of the GIC Ketac Molar EasyMix (KM) and divided into the following groups: Control, GIC and 0.5% CHX diacetate; GIC and 1.