Methallylsulfonate Polymeric Antiscalants for Application in Thermal Desalination Processes.

Nine copolymers of acrylic acid and sodium methallyl sulfonate were tested as scale inhibitors in thermal desalination. The nine antiscalants covered molar masses between 2000 and 9500 g.mol and concentrations of sulfonated monomer ranging between 10 and 30 mole percent.

Long-Term Changes in Atrial Arrhythmia Burden After Renal Denervation Combined With Pulmonary Vein Isolation: SYMPLICITY-AF.

Background: The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in atrial fibrillation (AF) and hypertension. Renal denervation (RDN) lowers blood pressure (BP), but its role in AF is poorly understood.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether RDN reduces AF recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI).

Potassium ion channels as a molecular target to reduce virus infection and mortality of honey bee colonies.

Declines in managed honey bee populations are multifactorial but closely associated with reduced virus immunocompetence and thus, mechanisms to enhance immune function are likely to reduce viral infection rates and increase colony viability. However, gaps in knowledge regarding physiological mechanisms or 'druggable' target sites to enhance bee immunocompetence has prevented therapeutics development to reduce virus infection. Our data bridge this knowledge gap by identifying ATP-sensitive inward rectifier potassium (K) channels as a pharmacologically tractable target for reducing virus-mediated mortality and viral replication in bees, as well as increasing an aspect of colony-level immunity.

Universal Langmuir and Fractal Analysis of High-Resolution Adsorption Isotherms of Argon and Nitrogen on Macroporous Silica.

High-resolution isotherms of argon and nitrogen adsorption on macroporous silica have been simulated with universal Langmuir and fractal models. A four-parameter, fractal universal Langmuir equation is a good fit to the data at low pressures. Standard Gibbs energy changes calculated from equilibrium adsorption coefficients show a series of broad peaks that indicate adsorbate structural transformations as a function of pressure and coverage.

Acute toxicity of atrazine, alachlor, and chlorpyrifos mixtures to honey bees.

The acute toxicity of chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon (organophosphorothioate insecticides) was examined alone and in combination with atrazine (triazine herbicide) and alachlor (chloroacetanilide herbicide) to honey bees (Apis mellifera). Atrazine and alachlor were observed to not be acutely toxic to bees at doses up to 10 and 4 μg per bee, respectively. However, atrazine significantly increased chlorpyrifos toxicity by 3-fold while reducing chlorpyrifos-oxon toxicity by 1.

Digital Technologies for Restorative Dentistry.

Although the accuracy of direct digitization of oral structure has been improved, indirect digitization is still required in specific situations such as full-arch scanning. Once accurate images are imported, efficient designing can be achieved by CAD software. Although smile design using a 3-dimensional facial scan better predicts planned restorations, further improvement in virtual articulators is needed for complex cases.

A national survey of skin health in nursing personnel.

Background: Hand dermatitis is a well-established occupational risk in nursing staff.

Aims: To explore skin health in nursing staff and to develop resources and recommendations to promote good skincare at work.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey.

Transcriptome-based screening of ion channels and transporters in a migratory chondroprogenitor cell line isolated from late-stage osteoarthritic cartilage.

Chondrogenic progenitor cells (CPCs) may be used as an alternative source of cells with potentially superior chondrogenic potential compared to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and could be exploited for future regenerative therapies targeting articular cartilage in degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). In this study, we hypothesised that CPCs derived from OA cartilage may be characterised by a distinct channelome. First, a global transcriptomic analysis using Affymetrix microarrays was performed.

Clinical Performance of CAD/CAM Monolithic Lithium Disilicate Implant-Supported Single Crowns Using Solid or Predrilled Blocks in a Fully Digital Workflow: A Retrospective Cohort Study With Up To 33 Months of Follow Up.

Purpose: To assess the clinical performance of CAD/CAM monolithic implant-supported restorations manufactured using a fully digital workflow and two different types of ceramic blocks.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and one patients received single-unit implant-supported restorations at a University predoctoral clinic. All restorations were designed and fabricated using either a predrilled LS block (group P, n = 59) or a conventional solid LS block with an occlusal opening drilled manually prior to crystallization (group M, n = 42).

Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization: From Polymer Network Synthesis to 3D Printing.

3D printing has changed the fabrication of advanced materials as it can provide customized and on-demand 3D networks. However, 3D printing of polymer materials with the capacity to be transformed after printing remains a great challenge for engineers, material, and polymer scientists. Radical polymerization has been conventionally used in photopolymerization-based 3D printing, as in the broader context of crosslinked polymer networks.

Influence of Durum Wheat Bran Particle Size on Phytochemical Content and on Leavened Bread Baking Quality.

Wheat bran is a conventional by-product of the wheat milling industry mainly used for animal feed. It is a rich and inexpensive source of phytonutrients, so is in demand for fibre-rich food products but creates quality issues when incorporated into bread. The purpose of this study was to characterize the physicochemical properties and phytochemical composition of different size durum bran fractions and show how they impact bread quality.

Statistical physics of two-temperature rotational energy distributions in stationary plasmas.

Two-temperature rotational energy distributions from rarefied diatomic molecules are very often observed in laboratory plasmas. There has been much debate over the years about the physical meaning of this kind of rotational energy distributions and the associated statistical physics. We show here that under certain reasonable assumptions and constraints the condition of Shannon-Jaynes entropy maximization may produce a two-temperature distribution.

A bright γ-ray flare interpreted as a giant magnetar flare in NGC 253.

Soft γ-ray repeaters exhibit bursting emission in hard X-rays and soft γ-rays. During the active phase, they emit random short (milliseconds to several seconds long), hard-X-ray bursts, with peak luminosities of 10 to 10 erg per second. Occasionally, a giant flare with an energy of around 10 to 10 erg is emitted.

Clusterin secretion is attenuated by the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in models of cartilage degradation.

The protein clusterin has been implicated in the molecular alterations that occur in articular cartilage during osteoarthritis (OA). Clusterin exists in two isoforms with opposing functions, and their roles in cartilage have not been explored. The secreted form of clusterin (sCLU) is a cytoprotective extracellular chaperone that prevents protein aggregation, enhances cell proliferation and promotes viability, whereas nuclear clusterin acts as a pro-death signal.

Fortification of durum wheat spaghetti and common wheat bread with wheat bran protein concentrate-impacts on nutrition and technological properties.

Plant industrial by-products have generally low value but can be a good source of nutritional compounds. Wheat bran is the main by-product of wheat milling and contains >15% high-quality proteins. Extraction of wheat bran proteins (WBPC) and inclusion in spaghetti and bread formulations was studied to determine if the nutritional properties of these foods could be enhanced without deleterious effects on quality.

Alterations in the chondrocyte surfaceome in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Background: Chondrocytes are exposed to an inflammatory micro-environment in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of articular cartilage in joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In OA, degenerative changes and low-grade inflammation within the joint transform the behaviour and metabolism of chondrocytes, disturb the balance between ECM synthesis and degradation, and alter the osmolality and ionic composition of the micro-environment. We hypothesize that chondrocytes adjust their physiology to the inflammatory microenvironment by modulating the expression of cell surface proteins, collectively referred to as the 'surfaceome'.

Ground and In-Flight Calibration of the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite.

The OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS) onboard the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is used to study the shape and surface of the mission's target, asteroid (101955) Bennu, in support of the selection of a sampling site. We present calibration methods and results for the three OCAMS cameras-MapCam, PolyCam, and SamCam-using data from pre-flight and in-flight calibration campaigns. Pre-flight calibrations established a baseline for a variety of camera properties, including bias and dark behavior, flat fields, stray light, and radiometric calibration.

In Situ Modification of Polyisoprene by Organo-Nanoclay during Emulsion Polymerization for Reinforcing Natural Rubber Thin Films.

Nanoclay-modified polyisoprene latexes were prepared and then used as a reinforcing component in natural rubber (NR) thin films. Starve-fed emulsion (SFE) polymerization gives a higher conversion than the batch emulsion (BE), while the gel and coagulation contents from both systems are comparable. This is attributed to the SFE that provides a smaller average polymer particle size which in turn results in a greater polymerization locus, promoting the reaction rate.

Pressure-varying Langmuir parameters and stepped nitrogen adsorption on alumina and silica.

Insights into surface structures and thermodynamics are provided for nitrogen adsorption on two nonporous alumina adsorbents and two macroporous silica adsorbents by modelling high-resolution data using the simple Langmuir isotherm equation combined with pressure-varying flexible least squares. The fitted parameters, maximum adsorption capacity and standard Gibbs energy change for each adsorbent show multiple steps that are assumed to be indicative of transitions to different complete monolayer and multilayer structures. Pressure-varying N2 cross-sectional areas for three of the adsorbents are calculated by assuming that one of the steps is the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller monolayer with molecular area 16.

Characterization of low-shrinkage dental composites containing methacrylethyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (ME-POSS).

The aim of this study was to characterize low-shrinkage dental composites containing methacrylethyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (ME-POSS). Four experimental composites were manufactured, two of which contained organic matrixes of BisGMA-TEGDMA (70/30 wt% - BGC) and BisEMA-TEGDMA (80/20 wt% - BEC). The two other experimental composites replaced BisGMA and BisEMA with 25 wt% of ME-POSS (BGP and BEP).

Impact of hand sanitizer format (gel/foam/liquid) and dose amount on its sensory properties and acceptability for improving hand hygiene compliance.

Background: Effective alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs) and healthcare worker compliance with hand hygiene guidelines are important in the prevention of infection transmission in healthcare settings. Compliance to hand hygiene guidelines is affected by many factors including education, ABHR availability, time pressure, skin health, and user acceptance of the sensory properties of ABHRs during and after application.

Aim: To examine the effect of ABHR format (gel/foam/liquid) and dose (0.

Spectral Analysis of the Amplified Spontaneous Emission in the Second Positive System of the N Molecule.

The spectrum of the 0-0 band of the [Formula: see text] electronic transition of the N molecule presents a considerable difference in its distribution of intensities, as a function of the wave number, when the emission spectrum by glow discharge is compared to an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) regime spectrum, commonly known as the N "laser". In the present paper, this particularity, due to gain of the transition, is analyzed from an experimental and theoretical point of view, and for the first time has its experimental and theoretical intensities fully compared. An experimental rotational spectrum is obtained for this transition and a model for the ASE intensities has been carried out in order to retrieve the experimental conditions.

Effect of the Z- and Macro-R-Group on the Thermal Desulfurization of Polymers Synthesized with Acid/Base "Switchable" Dithiocarbamate RAFT Agents.

Thermolysis is examined as a method for complete desulfurization of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-synthesized polymers prepared with acid/base "switchable" N-methyl-N-pyridyldithiocarbamates [RS CZ or RS CZH ]. Macro-RAFT agents from more activated monomers (MAMs) (i.e.

Retrospective review of Arctic Front Advance Cryoballoon Ablation: a multicenter examination of second-generation cryoballoon (RADICOOL trial).

Background: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) via catheter ablation is an approved therapy for patients with drug-refractory and symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). Furthermore, cryoballoon is now considered to be as effective as focal radiofrequency catheter ablation. This study examines the second-generation cryoballoon performance in a US multicenter review of real-world practices.