New High-Power Ozone Generators and Their Application In Industry

BBC ozone generators, with their high efficiency and high production density, have opened up for the exceptionally strong oxidizing agent ozone, a wide range of new possibilities in industrial applications. The article reports on measurements carried out on type OH ozone generators and on their use in industrial processes. An indication of future developments is given.     

Surgical treatment of tumors of the ampulla of Vater by local resection

The cases of six patients suffering from Vater's ampulla neoplasia were studied 1981 and 1995. All cases are described both clinically and in terms of diagnostic techniques. All patients underwent a transduodenal excision of the neoplasia. A number of factors provided an indication for ampullectomy: the extremely high surgical risk, the suspected benign nature of the lesion or the very small size of the neoplasm associated with no pre-surgery finding of lymphadenomegaly in the area. The following issues were analysed: the accuracy of results obtained by a correct pre-surgery diagnosis, short and long term complications and mortality related to surgery. All patients received a five years post-surgery follow-up. Results show that the ampullectomy can be considered, in selected cases, as a valuable alternative to pancreatoduodenectomy even if further and wider studies are necessary in order to obtain an accurate definition of the correct pre-surgical diagnostic approach and surgical indications.     

Effect of residual water content on the physico-chemical properties of sucralfate dried gel obtained by microwave drying

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physico-chemical characteristics of sucralfate humid gel dried by microwaves, in relation to the residual water content. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) allowed for the determination of the water state in sucralfate samples. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to monitor the changes in sucralfate gel structure induced by the microwave drying. A boundary value of total water content for sucralfate gel samples was found at 42% (w/w). Below this value only bound water was present, whereas above this value, the increase in total water was due to free water. In the physical form of gel, the strength of the coordination between sulfate anions and the positively charged aluminum hydroxide was dependent on the residual water content. The study of the sedimentation behavior of water suspensions prepared with dried sucralfate allowed for the evaluation of the retention of gel properties. We found that the microwave drying process affected the sedimentation of sucralfate dried gel suspensions independent of the residual water content: when suspensions were prepared from sucralfate dried gel powders containing more than 42% (w/w) of residual water, the sedimentation ratio was higher than 0.9. The non-gel powder suspension showed a sedimentation ratio of 0.68 ± 0.02, whereas the sucralfate humid gel suspension did not sediment.     

In Vivo Silencing of Genes Coding for dTip60 Chromatin Remodeling Complex Subunits Affects Polytene Chromosome Organization and Proper Development in Drosophila melanogaster

Chromatin organization is developmentally regulated by epigenetic changes mediated by histone-modifying enzymes and chromatin remodeling complexes. In Drosophila melanogaster, the Tip60 chromatin remodeling complex (dTip60) play roles in chromatin regulation, which are shared by evolutionarily-related complexes identified in animal and plants. Recently, it was found that most subunits previously assigned to the dTip60 complex are shared by two related complexes, DOM-A.C and DOM-B.C, defined by DOM-A and DOM-B isoforms, respectively. In this work, we combined classical genetics, cell biology, and reverse genetics approaches to further investigate the biological roles played during Drosophila melanogaster development by a number of subunits originally assigned to the dTip60 complex.     

Growth factors, CD34 positive cells, and fibrin network analysis in concentrated growth factors fraction

An interesting clinical option for optimizing healing tissue is the use of platelet concentrate. Platelets contain high quantities of growth factors, among these TGF-β1 and VEGF, which are known to be implicated in tissue regeneration. CGF is produced by processing blood samples with a special centrifuge device; three layers are formed: top acellular plasma (PPP), middle CGF and bottom red blood cells (RBC) layers. Given that to date there are no data concerning the biological characteristic of CGF, the aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of TGF-β1 and VEGF in CGF and also in PPP and RBC layers. In addition, since circulating stem cells are recruited from blood to injured tissue for healing we also evaluated the presence of CD34 positive cells. Our data show the presence of TGF-β1 and VEGF in CGF and RBC layers. In addition, we show CD34 positive cells in CGF.     

Design of experiments (DoE) in pharmaceutical development

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Sir Ronald Fisher introduced the concept of applying statistical analysis during the planning stages of research rather than at the end of experimentation. When statistical thinking is applied from the design phase, it enables to build quality into the product, by adopting Deming’s profound knowledge approach, comprising system thinking, variation understanding, theory of knowledge, and psychology.

The pharmaceutical industry was late in adopting these paradigms, compared to other sectors. It heavily focused on blockbuster drugs, while formulation development was mainly performed by One Factor At a Time (OFAT) studies, rather than implementing Quality by Design (QbD) and modern engineering-based manufacturing methodologies.

Among various mathematical modeling approaches, Design of Experiments (DoE) is extensively used for the implementation of QbD in both research and industrial settings. In QbD, product and process understanding is the key enabler of assuring quality in the final product. Knowledge is achieved by establishing models correlating the inputs with the outputs of the process. The mathematical relationships of the Critical Process Parameters (CPPs) and Material Attributes (CMAs) with the Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) define the design space. Consequently, process understanding is well assured and rationally leads to a final product meeting the Quality Target Product Profile (QTPP).

This review illustrates the principles of quality theory through the work of major contributors, the evolution of the QbD approach and the statistical toolset for its implementation. As such, DoE is presented in detail since it represents the first choice for rational pharmaceutical development.     

Advanced screen printing: Application on microLED tiled display

One of the suitable applications for microLED technology is on large LED screens, which are recently emerging as new generation of displays. The display is built as a combination of an array of smaller modules (or tiles) in a bottom up approach. On each module, LEDs are mounted on one side of the substrate and are powered by a matrix which is positioned on the opposite substrate face. In this configuration, the active matrix and the scan driver need to be electrically connected. Established manufacturing technologies such as lithography, sputtering and via drilling, used to achieve this connection suffer from low productivity and high costs, so new approaches have been recently investigated. In this work the realization of wrap-around electrodes by screen printing has been studied, and this technique proves to be competitive with mainstream processes due to high productivity and processing yields.     

From Facebook to the Neighbourhood: Infrastructuring of Hybrid Community Engagement

In recent years, social media have increased the resources that individuals and organizations are able to mobilize for the development of socially innovative practices. In this article, we engage with a naturally occurring development in a Trentinian neighbourhood to examine the cooperative interactions amongst members of a local community. The first author and local residents of the neighbourhood participated in online discussions, decision making, and physical activities that led to material changes in the area. The interventions are motivated by and based on the concept of Social Street that combines online interactions in a closed Facebook group with face-to-face meetings seeking to practically engage the collective in accomplishing certain immediate or ongoing needs. Over the course of two years, we studied this local instantiation of Social Street in Trento, Italy by way of an action-oriented (digital) ethnography. Through this work, we demonstrate how urban neighbourhoods might benefit from hybrid forms of community engagement that are enacted through a constant back and forth between online and face-to-face interactions. We further argue that the infrastructuring of local urban collectives should follow strategies that pay attention to the multiple issues in urban neighbourhoods and people’s attachments to them. Overall, the paper reflects upon the challenges and configurations of participation that this form of community-work entails.     

Fate of nitrogen (15N) from oxamide and urea applied to turf grass: A lysimeter study

Slow release N fertilizers are receiving increasing attention for use on turf grass, but their fate in the plant-soil system is still poorly understood. We aimed to quantify the uptake and recovery of N by a mixture of grasses when applied as either urea or oxamide in different diameter granules using a tracer technique (¹⁵N). The effects of the N source on soil biomass, root density and amount of readily available organic C in soil were also evaluated.In a first experiment oxamide in 4–5 mm diameter granules was compared with urea. The initial N absorption, 40 days after fertilization (d.a.f.), was higher for urea (23.5%) than for oxamide (12.1%), but after 64 days absorption efficiencies were about the same (11%) for both fertilizers. Fertilizer-derived N lost by leaching was much greater from the urea-fertilized soil (1.57 g), compared with losses from oxamide-fertilized soil (0.05 g). The total residual fertilizer N remaining in the system at the end of the experiment was 26.7% of applied urea N and 39.6% of applied oxamide N. Cumulated absorption efficiencies, calculated after dismantling the lysimeters, were 43.1% for urea and 54.8% for oxamide (roots included). A priming effect caused by a larger uptake of soil N because of the better root development was found in the oxamide-treated lysimeter. Fertilization with oxamide also caused an increase in the amount of soil microbial biomass.In a second experiment, the efficiencies and fertilizer N uptake rates from oxamide applied at two different granule sizes (1–2 mm and 5–10 mm) were evaluated. The amount of soil N taken up by the grass was linearly related to root density (r = 0.92).