Magnetic water treatment for scale prevention

A home-made magnetic device was built with permanent magnets for treating scaling waters. Its efficiency was evaluated by measuring the remaining ionic calcium at the output of the device by means of an ion selective electrode. The scaling power of the treated water was estimated through an electrochemical scaling test. Chroamperometric curves and chronoelectrogravimetric curves were plotted to obtain the scaling time and the nucleation time of the scale deposition. The variation of the efficiency of the magnetic treatment was studied when the length of treatment, the flow velocity of the scaling water in the device, the material of the pipe where the scaling water flowed were changed. An empirical relationship, which gives the value of the efficiency in function of the length of treatment and the flow velocity, was proposed. Possible mechanisms of action of the magnetic treatment were discussed.     

The impact of related variety on the creative employment growth

Cultural and creative industries (CCIs) have recently become highly relevant with regard to creative economy research, as they are considered drivers of regional and urban innovation policies and economic growth. CCIs are a priority sector on the European agenda and represent an excellent opportunity to exit the current economic crisis. In the literature, the most discussed aspect of CCIs is their value creation ability, which is due to a high degree of diversity/variety, and their impact on innovation within the wider economy, which results from the activation of cross-fertilisation processes between different sectors. Evolutionary economic geography (EEG), adopting the recently established approach based on related variety, also emphasises the issues of diversity/variety as determinants of local and urban development and innovation. This interesting and complex theoretical framework has produced a considerable number of empirical studies, none of which has been specifically applied to the creative sector. With the present study, we intended to contribute to the debate on creative economy research and EEG by investigating the impact of variety in CCIs in Italy, following the related-variety approach and using a long-term employment perspective (1991–2011). The results indicated that related variety has an important effect on the growth of creative industries, characterised by high internal connections between different creative activities. Our outcomes also led us to reassess the view held by some, namely, that creative industries can actually make a strong impact on economic growth in the wider economy; this did not appear to emerge in the Italian context, according to the methodologies we used.     

Endometriosis Susceptibility to Dapsone-Hydroxylamine-Induced Alterations Can Be Prevented by Licorice Intake: In Vivo and In Vitro Study

Endometriosis, an estrogen-dependent chronic gynecological disease, is characterized by a systemic inflammation that affects circulating red blood cells (RBC), by reducing anti-oxidant defenses. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential beneficial effects of licorice intake to protect RBCs from dapsone hydroxylamine (DDS-NHOH), a harmful metabolite of dapsone, commonly used in the treatment of many diseases. A control group (CG, n = 12) and a patient group (PG, n = 18) were treated with licorice extract (25 mg/day), for a week. Blood samples before (T₀) and after (T₁) treatment were analyzed for: i) band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation and high molecular weight aggregates; and ii) glutathionylation and carbonic anhydrase activity, in the presence or absence of adjunctive oxidative stress induced by DDS-NHOH. Results were correlated with plasma glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) concentrations, measured by HPLC–MS. Results showed that licorice intake decreased the level of DDS-NHOH-related oxidative alterations in RBCs, and the reduction was directly correlated with plasma GA concentration. In conclusion, in PG, the inability to counteract oxidative stress is a serious concern in the evaluation of therapeutic approaches. GA, by protecting RBC from oxidative assault, as in dapsone therapy, might be considered as a new potential tool for preventing further switching into severe endometriosis.     

Analysis of mode coupling due to spherical defects in ideal fully metal-coated scanning near-field optical microscopy probes

We investigate the effect of defects in the metal-coating layer of a scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) probe on the coupling of polarization modes using rigorous electromagnetic modeling tools. Because of practical limitations, we study an ensemble of simple defects to identify important trends and then extrapolate these results to more realistic structures. We find that a probe with many random defects will produce a small but significant coupling of energy between a linearly polarized input mode and a radial/longitudinal polarization mode, which is known to produce a strongly localized emitted optical field and is desirable for SNOM applications.     

Reduced nitric oxide synthase and cyclo-oxygenase activity in the uterus of non-obese diabetic mice

A functional interaction between progesterone, Th2 cytokines and a suitable balance between nitric oxide and prostaglandins in the uterus is considered to have a major role in the success of embryo implantation and pregnancy. Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice offer a suitable model to study the modulatory role of Th1 cytokines on uterus signalling and function, since at the prediabetic stage they develop a spontaneous Th1 autoimmune response against exocrine glands similar to Sj?gren's syndrome. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a vasoactive neuro- and immunopeptide that promotes Th2 profiles and contributes to the smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the activities of nitric oxide synthase and cyclo-oxygenase and the effect of VIP in the uterus of NOD mice with an emerging Th1 cytokine response. We present evidence of a reduced basal and VIP-stimulated activity of both enzymes in the uterus of NOD mice compared with normal BALB/c mice in proestrus. An altered functional interaction between both enzymes is also present in NOD mice at the time when increased levels of serum interleukin (IL)-12 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha but not interferon (IFN)-gamma or IL-10 were detected. We conclude that signalling alterations in uteri of NOD mice are simultaneous to the onset of a systemic Th1 cytokine response.     

Nanoassisted Laser Desorption-Ionization-MS Imaging of Tumors

The ability of nanoassisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (NALDI-MS) imaging to provide selective chemical monitoring with proper spatial distribution of lipid profiles from tumor tissues after plate imprinting has been tested. NALDI-MS imaging identified and mapped several potential lipid biomarkers in a murine model of melanoma tumor (inoculation of B16/F10 cells). It also confirmed that the in vivo treatment of tumor bearing mice with synthetic supplement containing phosphoethanolamine (PHO-S) promoted an accentuated decrease in relative abundance of the tumor biomarkers. NALDI-MS imaging is a matrix-free LDI protocol based on the selective imprinting of lipids in the NALDI plate followed by the removal of the tissue. It therefore provides good quality and selective chemical images with preservation of spatial distribution and less interference from tissue material. The test case described herein illustrates the potential of chemically selective NALDI-MS imaging for biomarker discovery.     

Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of peripheral-finned tube heat exchangers

The peripheral-finned tube is a new geometry aimed at avoiding moisture-condensate blockage hindering of the air-side heat transfer, by allowing for robust air flow pathways. It consists of a porous structure formed by periodic, radial-hexagonal fin arrangements of different radial extents mounted with a 30° offset from its neighboring level. Here, the air-side pressure drop and the heat transfer characteristics of five different heat exchanger prototypes with different geometric characteristics, such as the radial fin length, fin distribution, and heat exchanger length, were evaluated experimentally in an open-loop wind-tunnel calorimeter. The results demonstrate the effective performance, i.e., the pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics, of this new heat exchanger. A one-dimensional theoretical model based on the porous media treatment was also developed to predict the thermal-hydraulic behavior of the heat exchanger. The model incorporates the actual fin geometry into the calculation of the air-side porosity. The air-side permeability is calculated according to the Kozeny–Carman model and the particle-diameter based analysis. The model predicts the experimental data within a few percent RMS, depending on the correlations used for the friction coefficient and interstitial Nusselt number.     

The application of nanoemulsions with different orange oil concentrations to remediate crude oil-contaminated soil

The petroleum industry stands out for causing significant environmental risks from contamination of the air, water and soil. The removal of organic pollutants from the environment poses a great technological challenge, making it increasingly necessary to develop efficient clean-up technologies. Surfactant solutions have been used to remediate soils and aquifers contaminated by hydrocarbons or crude oil derivatives. The aim of this study was to develop nanoemulsions and analyze their efficiency in extracting crude oil from a sand sample. The nanoemulsions were prepared by the phase inversion temperature (PIT) method. The oil phase consisted of orange oil and the nonionic surfactant ethoxylated lauryl ether (Ultrol L70) was used to stabilize the nanoemulsions. The surfactant concentrations were varied from 10 to 12 wt% and the oil phase from 5 to 20 wt%. The efficiency of extraction of oil from sand was assessed using the two nanoemulsions that presented the greatest stability (containing 5 wt% oil phase with 12 wt% surfactant and 20 wt% oil phase with 10 wt% surfactant). A 2(3) factorial experimental design with center point was used to evaluate and improve the soil washing process, varying the time, temperature and agitation speed of the system. The highest efficiencies were obtained at 45 degrees C.     

Development of a safety awareness group intervention for women with diverse disabilities: A pilot study.

Objective: Describe the development and preliminary evaluation of a safety awareness program for women with disabilities. Design: Baseline and postintervention questionnaires administered to a sample of women who completed a safety awareness program. Participants: Seven women with diverse disabilities. Intervention: Eight interactive sessions designed to increase protective factors. Setting: Community site for persons with disabilities. Main Outcomes: Safety self-efficacy, safety skills, social support/isolation, and safety promoting behaviors. Results: Significant increases from baseline to postintervention were found on measures of self-efficacy and safety skills. Although not statistically significant, improvements were also found in safety promoting behavior. Conclusion: Despite the small sample, findings suggest that participation in a safety awareness program may improve protective factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevention and mitigation of severe accident developments and recriticalities in advanced fast reactor systems

GEN-IV nuclear systems, especially advanced sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) are on the horizon and a key issue of their success is the promise of a higher and improved safety level. In Europe safety investigations are currently under way e.g. in the collaborative CP-ESFR project of the EU. Both on the prevention and mitigation side significant efforts are invested to fulfill the high safety goals. One route of assurance concentrates on the mitigation or even elimination of specific severe accident routes leading to core disruption and recriticalities. The accident phase with larger disrupted and molten fuel regions is coined the transition phase. A competition between fuel losses and in-pool material motion exists deciding over recriticalities and energetics potentials in this phase. To get a control of the transition phase recriticalities and energetics, ideas have been developed to install dedicated means in the core that enhance and guarantee a sufficient and timely fuel discharge - a controlled material relocation (CMR). Several proposals are under way to accomplish this CMR and especially in Japan significant theoretical and experimental work has been performed. In Europe the path to develop CMR measures was driven in the past by the development of the CAPRA reactors with a high Pu enrichment. In the current paper the status of analyses is described and some new concepts are discussed. The CMR measures are discussed along two accident scenarios, the unprotected loss of flow (ULOF) and the instantaneous blockage accident (TIB).