How the European Union writes about ophthalmology

This study evaluates the distribution of papers published by European Union (EU) authors in ophthalmological journals from 1995 to 1997. The impact of ophthalmological research in the EU is compared with that produced in other countries and trends of research are highlighted through the keywords analysis. Data of articles published in ophthalmological journals (ISI Subject Category) were downloaded. Mean Impact Factor, source country population and gross domestic product were analyzed. A special purpose software for keyword elaboration was utilized. 11,219 papers were published in the world in the ophthalmological journals: 34.8% came from the EU (UK, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands ranking at the top) and 40.7% from the US. The mean Impact Factor of EU papers was 0.8 in comparison with 1.5 in the US. Despite the limitations of the existing methods, bibliometric findings are useful for the monitoring of research trends. The keywords analysis shows that the leading fields of research were retinal pathologies for diseases and keratoplasty for surgical procedures. It also suggests that keywords are overused, and urges minimization of this as well as standardization among journal editors. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Role of Citric Acid in Delaying Gypsum Precipitation

The comprehension of the mechanisms of nucleation and growth that regulate the gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) precipitation is fundamental to prevent scaling problems. The present paper reports measurements of the induction period for gypsum nucleation when citric acid is added in solution as an additive to retard scale formation. The supersaturation ratio was varied in the interval 2.3‐6.0, the concentration of citric acid ranged from 0.01 to 0.30 g/L, while in all experiments the temperature was fixed to 25°C. The induction period values were compared to those previously obtained, by using the same experimental technique, in the absence of foreign ions in the mother liquor, showing that the citric acid has a strong retarding effect towards gypsum nucleation.     

Timing clorpirifos + cypermethrin and indoxacarb applications to control European corn borer damage and fumonisin contamination in maize kernels

BACKGROUND: European corn borer (ECB) is the main maize pest in central and southern Europe and it promotes the infection of maize with Fusarium verticillioides, which is able to produce fumonisins. Field experiments were performed from 2006 to 2007 in northwestern Italy to determine the effects of the timing of insecticide applications on maize fungal ear rot and fumonisin contamination in natural infection conditions. Four application timings and two insecticides (clorpirifos + cypermethrin and indoxacarb) were compared each year. RESULTS: In both years, the treatments applied at the beginning of a consistent ECB flight activity and at the flight peak showed the best efficacy to control the insect damage on ears. Fungal ear rot and fumonisin contamination were clearly affected by ECB control. The efficacy of the best application timing to control fumonisin occurrence was 73% in 2006 and 84% in 2007. Earlier insecticide applications showed lower fumonisin contamination than treatments applied after the adult flight peak. CONCLUSION: The production of maize and maize‐based foods with a low fumonisin content may be enhanced through correct insecticide application against the second ECB generation. The optimum timing of insecticides is between the beginning of a consistent adult flight activity and the flight peak. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

NaAlH4 production from waste aluminum by reactive ball milling

Due to its thermodynamic properties and high reversibility, Ti doped sodium alanate is considered as a prototype hydrogen storage material. In this work we show how sodium alanate can be synthesized by reactive ball milling using aluminum particles obtained from recycled waste incineration slag. The synthesis was monitored with an in situ milling vial and characterized stepwise by PXD and DTA analyses. The sorption properties of the material were investigated using in situ synchrotron radiation PXD and volumetric analyses. A complete conversion of the starting reactants was obtained.     

Destabilization of LiBH4 by nanoconfinement in PMMA–co–BM polymer matrix for reversible hydrogen storage

Destabilization of LiBH₄ by nanoconfinement in poly (methyl methacrylate)–co–butyl methacrylate (PMMA–co–BM), denoted as nano LiBH₄–PMMA–co–BM, is proposed for reversible hydrogen storage. The onset dehydrogenation temperature of nano LiBH₄–PMMA–co–BM is reduced to ∼80 °C (ΔT = 340 and 170 °C as compared with milled LiBH₄ and nanoconfined LiBH₄ in carbon aerogel, respectively). At 120 °C under vacuum, nano LiBH₄–PMMA–co–BM releases 8.8 wt.% H₂ with respect to LiBH₄ content within 4 h during the 1st dehydrogenation, while milled LiBH₄ performs no dehydrogenation at the same temperature and pressure condition. Moreover, nano LiBH₄–PMMA–co–BM can be rehydrogenated at the mildest condition (140 °C under 50 bar H₂ for 12 h) among other modified LiBH₄ reported in the previous literature. Due to the hydrophobicity of PMMA–co–BM host, deterioration of LiBH₄ by oxygen and humidity in ambient condition is avoided after nanoconfinement. Although the interaction between LiBH₄ and the pendant group of PMMA–co–BM leads to a reduced hydrogen storage capacity, significant destabilization of LiBH₄ is accomplished.     

Electrothermal stability of uniform arrays of one‐port elements

Power electronic elements are often built employing arrays of devices designed to evenly share high currents over a large number of single devices. In some situations, mismatch in current sharing can occur causing temperature differences between elements of the array. These differences can trigger electrothermal instability phenomena and even device destruction. In this paper, we consider the electrothermal dynamic behavior of arrays composed of identical one‐port elements. We first introduce a simplified model of the thermal paths and of the elements composing the array that allows the analysis of the behavior of the electrothermal system. Then, we investigate from a mathematical standpoint dynamic effects governing current sharing and possible situations causing hot spots with consequent device destruction. These results are compared with simulations of detailed non‐linear models confirming predictions given by the simplified model. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Occurrence of ochratoxin A-producing fungi in grapes grown in Italy

A study was carried out to investigate fungi present on grapes grown in Italy. Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. isolates were identified and studied in vitro, and their ability to produce ochratoxin A (OA) was investigated. The survey involved nine vineyards, three located in northern Italy and six located in southern Italy. In 1999 and 2000, bunches of grapes at different growth stages were collected from all nine vineyards, and berry samples were placed in moist chambers and incubated. The resultant fungal colonies were then transferred to petri dishes containing Czapek yeast agar and incubated at 25 degrees C for 7 days; the fungal isolates were identified and then cultivated in liquid Czapek yeast medium and evaluated for their ability to produce OA. During the survey, 508 isolates were collected, with 477 belonging to Aspergillus spp. and 31 belonging to Penicillium spp. Among the aspergilli, species of the Fumigati, Circumdati, and Nigri sections were identified, with species of the Nigri section (464 isolates) largely predominating; for species of the Nigri section, 108 isolates were uniseriate, 270 were biseriate, and 86 were identified as Aspergillus carbonarius. Black aspergilli isolated over the 2 years of the study showed a very similar pattern. On average, the biseriates represented about 60% of the isolates collected in both years and were followed by uniseriates (21%) and A. carbonarius (19%). The most toxigenic strains proved to be those of A. carbonarius; about 60% of these isolates were OA producers and produced the highest levels of OA. A. carbonarius was more frequent in the south, but in both areas the percentages of OA-producing isolates remained the same.     

Zero‐Depth Interfacial Nanopore Capillaries

High‐fidelity analysis of translocating biomolecules through nanopores demands shortening the nanocapillary length to a minimal value. Existing nanopores and capillaries, however, inherit a finite length from the parent membranes. Here, nanocapillaries of zero depth are formed by dissolving two superimposed and crossing metallic nanorods, molded in polymeric slabs. In an electrolyte, the interface shared by the crossing fluidic channels is mathematically of zero thickness and defines the narrowest constriction in the stream of ions through the nanopore device. This novel architecture provides the possibility to design nanopore fluidic channels, particularly with a robust 3D architecture maintaining the ultimate zero thickness geometry independently of the thickness of the fluidic channels. With orders of magnitude reduced biomolecule translocation speed, and lowered electronic and ionic noise compared to nanopores in 2D materials, the findings establish interfacial nanopores as a scalable platform for realizing nanofluidic systems, capable of single‐molecule detection.