Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/Au-nanoparticles composite as electrode coating suitable for electrocatalytic oxidation

Composite materials consisting of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) including Au nanoparticles, encapsulated by citrate anions, have been firmly deposited on an electrode surface through a simple method, taking advantage of the interaction between Au metal and thiophene polymeric backbone. A series of similar electrode coatings, also including different amounts of nanoparticles inside, has been characterised in terms of thickness and surface morphology, through different microscopic techniques. The electrocatalytic properties have been studied with respect to the oxidation of glucose in alkaline media, which is prevented from occurring on the pure organic material.     

Correction to Cuevas, Sabina, and Picard (2010).

Reports an error in "Interpersonal victimization patterns and psychopathology among Latino women: Results from the SALAS study" by Carlos A. Cuevas, Chiara Sabina and Emilie H. Picard (Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2010[Dec], Vol 2[4], 296-306). There were citation errors in the last sentence of the first column of text on page 9, and a reference was omitted from the reference list. The sentence should have read: “This result is consistent with other work that has found support for the anxious and dissociative reaction associated with trauma among Latinos and how it may relate to “ataque de nervios” (Hinton, Chong, Pollack, Barlow, & McNally, 2008; Lewis-Fernandez et al., 2002; Schechter et al., 2000; Tolin, Robinson, Gaztambide, Horowitz, & Blank, 2007). (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-19221-001.) Research on the victimization of Latino women and the subsequent psychological impact has been limited by focusing on individual forms of victimization, primarily partner violence or sexual assault. Another deficiency includes mainly using convenience and/or geographically restricted samples, which impacts the generalizability of the results. To overcome these research limitations, the Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) study aimed to evaluate the broader scope of victimization among Latino women. The study surveyed a national sample of 2,000 Latino women using random digit dial methodology. Women were asked about various forms of victimization in childhood and adulthood including physical assaults, sexual assaults, stalking, threats, and witnessed violence, as well as psychological symptomatology including depression, anxiety, anger, and dissociation. This analysis found that victimized women were more likely to experience some form of polyvictimization and/or revictimization throughout their lives, with only 36% of victimized women experiencing one form of victimization in childhood or adulthood alone. Furthermore, multiple victimization experiences significantly increased the proportion of women who experienced psychological distress symptoms in the clinical range. For almost all evaluated symptoms, the multiple forms of victimization or varying victimization patterns significantly predicted clinical levels of psychological distress over any specific form or single incident of victimization. The results suggest that victimized Latino women experience multiple forms of victimization and that the evaluation of a broader spectrum of victimization better accounts for pathological symptomatology. Clinical implications for Latino women and future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bonding strength of glass-ceramic trabecular-like coatings to ceramic substrates for prosthetic applications

A new approach based on the concepts of quantized fracture mechanics (QFM) is presented and discussed in this paper to estimate the bonding strength of trabecular-like coatings, i.e. glass-ceramic scaffolds mimicking the architecture of cancellous bone, to ceramic substrates. The innovative application of glass-derived scaffolds as trabecular-like coatings is proposed in order to enhance the osteointegration of prosthetic ceramic devices. The scaffolds, prepared by polymeric sponge replication, are joined to alumina substrates by a dense glass-ceramic coating (interlayer) and the so-obtained 3-layer constructs are investigated from micro-structural, morphological and mechanical viewpoints. In particular, the fracture strengths of three different crack propagation modes, i.e. glass-derived scaffold fracture, interface delamination or mixed fracture, are predicted in agreement with those of experimental mechanical tests. The approach proposed in this work could have interesting applications towards an ever more rational design of bone tissue engineering biomaterials and coatings, in view of the optimization of their mechanical properties for making them actually suitable for clinical applications.     

Plasma-assisted synthesis of Ag/ZnO nanocomposites: First example of photo-induced H2 production and sensing

Ag/ZnO nanocomposites were developed by a plasma-assisted approach. The adopted strategy exploits the advantages of Plasma Enhanced-Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD) for the growth of columnar ZnO arrays on Si(100) and Al₂O₃ substrates, in synergy with the infiltration power of the Radio Frequency (RF)-sputtering technique for the subsequent dispersion of different amounts of Ag nanoparticles (NPs). The resulting composites, both as-prepared and after annealing in air, were thoroughly characterized with particular attention on their morphological organization, structure and composition. For the first time, the above systems have been used as catalysts in the production of hydrogen by photo-reforming of alcoholic solutions, yielding a stable H₂ evolution even by the sole use of simulated solar radiation. In addition, Ag/ZnO nanocomposites presented an excellent response in the gas-phase detection of H₂, opening attractive perspectives for advanced technological applications.     

Bullwhip effect and inventory oscillations analysis using the beer game model

This work examines the bullwhip effect generated and suffered by each level of a four-stage beer game supply chain when different demand scenarios are considered. The paper shows that the actors who generate lower bullwhip are those who suffer more from its effects. Moreover, a new definition of an inventory oscillations measure based on bullwhip definition is introduced. Finally the paper verifies that the new measure of inventory oscillations provides more information on supply chain performance than the bullwhip measure.     

Effect of powder characteristics for a magnesium based metal hydride store

The particle size and shape of commercially available MgH₂ have been characterised, together with those of ball milled MgH₂. These parameters have then been compared with those obtained for the hydrogenated and dehydrogenated state. In addition, thermal conductivity measurements of each specimen have been made. The results show that significant changes occur upon dehydrogenation, which are contrary to expectation. These changes include an increase in average particle size of 28% post dehydrogenation for as received MgH₂, rather than the theorised decrease, and an increase of approximately 300% post dehydrogenation in the ball milled MgH₂ sample. The change in thermal conductivity between the two material states is also higher than expected with an average variation of 14% between the samples in the hydrogenated and dehydrogenated states.     

Al-MCM-41 inside a glass–ceramic scaffold: A meso–macroporous system for acid catalysis

Al-MCM-41 was incorporated, through a sol–gel based dipping approach, inside a glass–ceramic scaffold belonging to the SiO₂–CaO–Na₂O–Al₂O₃ (SCNA) system, to obtain an acidic system with bimodal porosity in the meso- and macro-range. First, SCNA was investigated by means of wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and hot stage microscopy (HSM) in order to select the optimal sintering condition to fabricate the macroporous foam-like carrier for Al-MCM-41. Then, Al-MCM-41 was incorporated into the SCNA scaffold; the pH value of Al-MCM-41 synthesis solution, used for the scaffold impregnation process, was shown to be a crucial parameter, on identical scaffold dipping time, to determine the distribution and the stability of the incorporated phase. The systems were characterized by means of XRD, N₂ adsorption/desorption, TGA and SEM coupled with EDS.The Al-MCM-41-containing scaffold is active in the acid-catalyzed sucrose hydrolysis, chosen as model reaction, at variance with the scaffold as such.     

Single-mode solution for post-buckling analysis of composite panels with elastic restraints loaded in compression

A closed-form solution is obtained to determine the buckling and post-buckling behavior of elastically restrained composite panels under compressive loading. The approach allows to study the response of stiffened panels undergoing local buckling modes, taking into account the restraints provided by the stiffeners to the rotation of the skin edges. The panels are modeled as thin plates referring to Marguerre type equations together with classical lamination theory. The equations are written in non-dimensional form, allowing for the study of a wide class of orthotropic laminates. The problem is formulated in terms of out of plane displacement, represented with a single-mode approximation, and Airy stress function. The compatibility equation is solved exactly, while the method of Galerkin is applied to impose the equilibrium. The buckling load, the out of plane displacement at different load levels, and the post-buckling stiffness are derived and compared with finite element analyses, revealing good accuracy. Sensitivity analyses are also performed obtaining design charts.     

Evaluation of lung inflammation induced by intratracheal administration of LPS in mice: comparison between MRI and histology

Purpose  

To study the in vivo effect of intratracheal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to investigate the correlation with ex vivo histological evaluation of lung inflammation and oedema.