Novel measurement system for respiratory aerosols and droplets in indoor environments

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has created a great demand for a better understanding of the spread of viruses in indoor environments. A novel measurement system consisting of one portable aerosol-emitting mannequin (emitter) and a number of portable aerosol-absorbing mannequins (recipients) was developed that can measure the spread of aerosols and droplets that potentially contain infectious viruses. The emission of the virus from a human is simulated by using tracer particles solved in water. The recipients inhale the aerosols and droplets and quantify the level of solved tracer particles in their artificial lungs simultaneously over time. The mobile system can be arranged in a large variety of spreading scenarios in indoor environments and allows for quantification of the infection probability due to airborne virus spreading. This study shows the accuracy of the new measurement system and its ability to compare aerosol reduction measures such as regular ventilation or the use of a room air purifier.     

Design of novel urogenital pharmabiotic formulations containing lactobacilli,salivaricin CRL 1328 and non-microbial compounds with different functionalities

Context: The administration of pharmabiotics is a promising alternative to antimicrobial drugs for the treatment and/or prevention of female urogenital infections.

Objective: To design pharmabiotic formulations including bioactive ingredients of microbial origin combined with non-microbial substances and then to evaluate the stability of the combinations during freeze-drying and storage.

Materials and methods: Different formulations including Lactobacillus gasseri CRL 1263, Lactobacillus salivarius CRL 1328, salivaricin CRL 1328 (a bacteriocin) and non-microbial compounds (lactose, inulin and ascorbic acid) were assayed, and the ingredients were freeze-dried together or separately. The formulations were stored in gelatin capsules at 4?°C for 360?d.

Results: The viability of lactobacilli was affected to different extents depending on the strains and on the formulations assayed. L. salivarius and ascorbic acid were successfully combined only after the freeze-drying process. Salivaricin activity was not detected in formulations containing L. gasseri. However, when combined with ascorbic acid, lactose, inulin or L. salivarius, the bacteriocin maintained its activity for 360?d. The selected microorganisms proved to be compatible for their inclusion in multi-strain formulations together with lactose, inulin and ascorbic acid. Salivaricin could be included only in a L. salivarius CRL 1328 single-strain formulation together with non-microbial substances.

Conclusions: This study provides new insights into the design of urogenital pharmabiotics combining beneficial lactobacilli, salivaricin CRL 1328 and compounds with different functionalities.     

Electrolytic Corrosion of Titanium Carbonitride Composites

The corrosion properties of TiCN, TiCN – AlN, and (TiCN – AlN) – (Fe – Cr) ceramics as well as those of the individual components TiN and TiC in a 3% NaCl solution have been investigated. The kinetics and the mechanism of anode dissolution of metals and oxidation of specimens have been studied by using polarization curves, chemical and x-ray phase analyses, Auger electron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). TiCN and TiCN – AlN composites have been found to be the most corrosion-resistant. The presence of a metallic binder in the titanium carbon nitride somewhat decreases the corrosion resistance of the ceramics. On the whole, however, the ceramics developed boast a significantly higher corrosion resistance than that of structural steel.     

Operating experience from the ehecatl wind turbines

This paper presents a summary of the mechanical features and the medium term operating experience from three small horizontal axis wind energy conversion systems covering a range of 500 to 5000 Watt, intented for rural and isolated communities. These turbines have a new regulator which reduces gyroscopic loads, is easy to adjust and could be manufactured stronger and in smaller sizes than the conventional tail vanes. It is concluded that is feasible to build cheaps and reliable wind turbine generators with an acceptable efficiency employing common-use elements, but is needed a careful and optimized design.     

Selection of serum deproteinization methods

Dentists are often called upon to perform painful procedures on children. This may present a management problem for the practitioner who is unfamiliar with accepted behavioural management techniques or prescribing analgesics for paediatric patients. This article will review techniques that may be used to guide a child patient's behaviour through painful procedures as well as addressing the need for post-operative analgesics in the paediatric population.     

Erbium ion electroluminescence in p ++/n +/n-Si:Er/n ++ silicon diode structures

Results of experimental studies of erbium ion electroluminescence in p ⁺⁺/n ⁺/n-Si:Er/n ⁺⁺ silicon diode structures grown by sublimation molecular-beam epitaxy are discussed. The distinctive feature of these structures is that the regions of electron flux formation of (n ⁺-Si) and impact excitation of erbium ions (n-Si:Er) are spaced. The influence of the n ⁺-Si layer thickness on electrical and electroluminescent properties of diodes was studied. It was shown that n ⁺-Si layer thinning causes the transformation of the structure breakdown mechanism from tunneling to avalanche. The dependence of the Er³⁺ ion electroluminescence on the thickness of the heavily doped n ⁺-Si region is bell-shaped. At the n ⁺-Si-layer doping level n ≈ 2 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3, the maximum electroluminescence intensity is attained at an n ⁺-Si layer thickness of ～23 nm.