Social class, education, and smoking cessation: Long-term follow-up of patients treated at a smoking cessation unit.

Our objective was to examine social class and educational differences in long-term smoking cessation success among a cohort of smokers attending a specialized smoking clinic. We studied sustained abstinence after cessation among 1,516 smokers (895 men and 621 women) treated for smoking cessation between 1995 and 2001 at a university teaching hospital in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, Spain. We calculated 1-year and long-term (up to 8-year) abstinence probabilities by means of Kaplan-Meier curves and the hazard ratio of relapse by means of Cox regression, after adjusting for other predictors of relapse. Overall abstinence probability was .277 (95% CI = .254-.301). Men and women in social classes IV-V had significant hazard ratios of relapse after long-term follow-up (men: 1.36, 95% CI = 1.07-1.72; women: 1.60, 95% CI = 1.24-2.06), as compared with patients in social classes I-II. The same independent effect was observed for education: Men and women with primary or less than primary studies had higher hazard ratios of relapse (men: 1.75, 95% CI = 1.35-2.25; women: 1.92, 95% CI = 1.51-2.46), as compared with patients with a university degree. Similar estimates were obtained after adjustment for stage of change, Fagerstr?m score for nicotine dependence, and type of treatment. Patients of lower socioeconomic status are at higher risk of relapse, and this association is independent of other well-known predictors of relapse. Social differences have to be taken into account in the clinical setting when tailoring specific actions to treat smoking dependence.     

An Enantioselective Recyclable Polystyrene‐Supported Threonine‐Derived Organocatalyst for Aldol Reactions

A series of primary amino acids covalently supported onto polystyrene through alkyne–azide cycloaddition reactions has been synthesized and evaluated as catalysts in asymmetric aldol reactions. A polymer‐supported threonine behaves as an easily recyclable, highly reactive and stereoselective (up to 99% ee) catalyst in the aldol reaction of both cyclic and acyclic ketone donors with aromatic aldehydes in aqueous environments. While cyclic ketones react with anti diastereoselectivity, syn adducts are predominantly obtained with acyclic substrates. The heterogenized threonine catalyst has been used for the sequential synthesis of a small library of enantiopure aldol products.

     

Management of acute otitis media caused by resistant pneumococci in infants

OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical outcome and risk of failure after oral vs. intravenous treatment in otitis media caused by penicillin-resistant pneumococci. To determine the possible correlations between pneumococcal minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) to penicillin and clinical outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective study of 156 cases collected between 1993 and 1995. Mean follow-up: 5 months. Setting. Two tertiary academic medical centers in Paris, France. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pneumococcus was isolated from 191 of 570 ear samples obtained from children with otitis media and shown to be penicillin-resistant in 156. Medical history, antibiotic therapy during the previous 3 months and day-care center attendance were reviewed. For the current episode microbiologic characteristics of the isolated strains, type of treatment, therapy efficacy and clinical outcome were analyzed. Patients were predominantly young (76.3% were <1 year old) and bacteriologic samples were taken mainly because of previous treatment failure. RESULTS: Among 156 children with pneumococcal penicillin-resistant otitis media, 72.2% attended day-care centers, 71.8% had been previously treated with aminopenicillin and 52.5% with cephalosporins. Failure of previous empirical oral therapy was noted in 84% (one-third of these had been receiving amoxicillin-clavulanate). Patients treated intravenously had had a more protracted otitis but no greater number of previous episodes of acute otitis media than those receiving oral therapy. Acute mastoiditis occurred in 4 infants resulting in mastoidectomy. Oral treatment (mainly with high dose amoxicillin,120 to 150 mg/kg/day) and intravenous therapy (cephalosporin or glycopeptide) had been used in 59 and 41%, respectively. Mean duration of therapy was 10.7 days. Three failures (1.9%) and 10 recurrences (6.4%, average 28 days) occurred. No statistical difference was found between intravenous and oral therapy with respect to risk of recurrence. A high penicillin MIC value was correlated with previous antibiotic treatment but not with clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Oral therapy appears to be as effective as intravenous therapy for the treatment of penicillin-resistant pneumococcal otitis media. Intravenous treatment should not necessarily be dictated by the penicillin susceptibility value but should be considered in cases of failure to thrive, persistent otitis or other complications.     

Contribution to the study of the band structure of amorphous selenium

From a study of the conductivity and photoconductivity of amorphous Se layers we are able to propose a model for the electronic states in the band gap.     

The determination of the amount of bound water within cellulosic gels by NMR spectroscopy

It has been shown that the NMR spectrum of moist cellulose is consistent with the idea that part of the water within the gel is destructured and bound to the accessible surfaces. A method for calculating the amount of bound water is presented, but because of experimental difficulties in obtaining an exact value for the spin-spin relaxation time of the protons in the bound water, only upper limits can at present be obtained for the amount of bound water. Accordingly, it is estimated that the amount of bound water does not exceed the following values: wood, 0.23 g/g; cotton, 0.15 g/g; two wood pulps, 0.30 and 0.33 g/g. The amount of bound water appears to approximate to a monomolecular layer upon all accessible surfaces, which suggests that the NMR technique might be used to determine the surface areas of the gels in the wet state.     

Plasma-enabled healing of graphene nano-platelets layer

Graphene platelet networks (GPNs) were deposited onto silicon substrates by means of anodic arc discharge ignited between two graphite electrodes.Substrate temperature and pressure of helium atmosphere were optimized for the production of the carbon nanomaterials.The samples were modified or destroyed with different methods to mimic typical environments responsible of severe surface degradation.The emulated conditions were performed by four surface treatments,namely thermal oxidation,substrate overheating,exposition to glow discharge,and metal coating due to arc plasma.In the next step,the samples were regenerated on the same substrates with identical deposition technique.Damaging and re-growth of GPN samples were systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.The full regeneration of the structural and morphological properties of the samples has proven that this healing method by arc plasma is adequate for restoring the functionality of2D nanostructures exposed to harsh environments.     

Controllable Image‐Based Transfer of Flow Phenomena

Modelling flow phenomena and their related weathering effects is often cumbersome due their dependence on the environment, materials and geometric properties of objects in the scene. Example‐based modelling provides many advantages for reproducing real textures, but little effort has been devoted to reproducing and transferring complex phenomena. In order to produce realistic flow effects, it is possible to take advantage of the widespread availability of flow images on the Internet, which can be used to gather key information about the flow. In this paper, we present a technique that allows the transfer of flow phenomena between photographs, adapting the flow to the target image and giving the user flexibility and control through specifically tailored parameters. This is done through two types of control curves: a fitted theoretical curve to control the mass of deposited material, and an extended colour map for properly adapting to the target appearance. In addition, our method filters and warps the input flow in order to account for the geometric details of the target surface. This leads to a fast and intuitive approach to easily transfer phenomena between images, providing a set of simple and intuitive parameters to control the process.     

Development of UV-curable ZrO2 slurries for additive manufacturing (LCM-DLP) technology

Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a powerful technique for the preparation of ceramic parts with high resolution and complex shapes. In the last years, the development of photosensitive slurries for the production of ceramics with good mechanical properties has received much attention. In this work, ZrO₂ UV-curable slurries were prepared in two steps for their application in DLP. Firstly, the surface modification of the ZrO₂ particles was carried out using a dispersing agent and secondly, the modified powder was dispersed in an acrylate based mixture. Parts with different geometries were printed and a resolution experiment was also carried out in order to determine the limitations of the slurry. Finally, 30 bars were produced to study the mechanical properties of the sintered parts (ρ = 6.00 ± 0.01 g/mL) by 4-point bending tests and Weibull analysis, obtaining a flexural strength σ₀ = 741 (718–765) MPa with a Weibull coefficient of 11.4.