scholarly journals Assessment of the Impact of Accelerated Migration Testing for Coated Food Cans Using Food Simulants

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (17) ◽  
pp. 3123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Paseiro-Cerrato ◽  
Lowri DeJager ◽  
Timothy H. Begley

In this study, an accelerated migration test on food can coatings into food simulants was investigated. Food simulants covering a wide range of polarity were used to conduct migration tests at 60 °C with storage times ranging from 4 h to 30 days. Epoxy-resins, acrylic–phenolic, polyester, and vinyl coatings were exposed to water, 3% acetic acid, 50% ethanol, and Miglyol 812®. Using liquid chromatography coupled to a variety of detectors (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS, UFLC-MS/MS, and HPLC-DAD), migration of several monomers and previously identified oligomers, as well as some unidentified migrants, were determined during the experiment. The data from this study was compared to our findings from previous long-term migration studies with storage times ranging from 24 h to 540 days at 40 °C using the same can coating applications. The results illustrate that performing migration experiments for short time periods at 60 °C may mimic migration results that would be obtained at 40 °C after long-term migration tests (up to 1.5 years) from food can coatings into food simulants.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s258-s259
Author(s):  
James Harrigan ◽  
Ebbing Lautenbach ◽  
Emily Reesey ◽  
Magda Wernovsky ◽  
Pam Tolomeo ◽  
...  

Background: Clinically diagnosed ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is common in the long-term acute-care hospital (LTACH) setting and may contribute to adverse ventilator-associated events (VAEs). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common causative organism of VAP. We evaluated the impact of respiratory P. aeruginosa colonization and bacterial community dominance, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, on subsequent P. aeruginosa VAP and VAE events during long-term acute care. Methods: We enrolled 83 patients on LTACH admission for ventilator weaning, performed longitudinal sampling of endotracheal aspirates followed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing (Illumina HiSeq), and bacterial community profiling (QIIME2). Statistical analysis was performed with R and Stan; mixed-effects models were fit to relate the abundance of respiratory Psa on admission to clinically diagnosed VAP and VAE events. Results: Of the 83 patients included, 12 were diagnosed with P. aeruginosa pneumonia during the 14 days prior to LTACH admission (known P. aeruginosa), and 22 additional patients received anti–P. aeruginosa antibiotics within 48 hours of admission (suspected P. aeruginosa); 49 patients had no known or suspected P. aeruginosa (unknown P. aeruginosa). Among the known P. aeruginosa group, all 12 patients had P. aeruginosa detectable by 16S sequencing, with elevated admission P. aeruginosa proportional abundance (median, 0.97; IQR, 0.33–1). Among the suspected P. aeruginosa group, all 22 patients had P. aeruginosa detectable by 16S sequencing, with a wide range of admission P. aeruginosa proportional abundance (median, 0.0088; IQR, 0.00012–0.31). Of the 49 patients in the unknown group, 47 also had detectable respiratory Psa, and many had high P. aeruginosa proportional abundance at admission (median, 0.014; IQR, 0.00025–0.52). Incident P. aeruginosa VAP was observed within 30 days in 4 of the known P. aeruginosa patients (33.3%), 5 of the suspected P. aeruginosa patients (22.7%), and 8 of the unknown P. aeruginosa patients (16.3%). VAE was observed within 30 days in 1 of the known P. aeruginosa patients (8.3%), 2 of the suspected P. aeruginosa patients (9.1%), and 1 of the unknown P. aeruginosa patients (2%). Admission P. aeruginosa abundance was positively associated with VAP and VAE risk in all groups, but the association only achieved statistical significance in the unknown group (type S error <0.002 for 30-day VAP and <0.011 for 30-day VAE). Conclusions: We identified a high prevalence of unrecognized respiratory P. aeruginosa colonization among patients admitted to LTACH for weaning from mechanical ventilation. The admission P. aeruginosa proportional abundance was strongly associated with increased risk of incident P. aeruginosa VAP among these patients.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 723
Author(s):  
Antti Kurvinen ◽  
Arto Saari ◽  
Juhani Heljo ◽  
Eero Nippala

It is widely agreed that dynamics of building stocks are relatively poorly known even if it is recognized to be an important research topic. Better understanding of building stock dynamics and future development is crucial, e.g., for sustainable management of the built environment as various analyses require long-term projections of building stock development. Recognizing the uncertainty in relation to long-term modeling, we propose a transparent calculation-based QuantiSTOCK model for modeling building stock development. Our approach not only provides a tangible tool for understanding development when selected assumptions are valid but also, most importantly, allows for studying the sensitivity of results to alternative developments of the key variables. Therefore, this relatively simple modeling approach provides fruitful grounds for understanding the impact of different key variables, which is needed to facilitate meaningful debate on different housing, land use, and environment-related policies. The QuantiSTOCK model may be extended in numerous ways and lays the groundwork for modeling the future developments of building stocks. The presented model may be used in a wide range of analyses ranging from assessing housing demand at the regional level to providing input for defining sustainable pathways towards climate targets. Due to the availability of high-quality data, the Finnish building stock provided a great test arena for the model development.


Author(s):  
Marianna Rita Stancampiano ◽  
Kentaro Suzuki ◽  
Stuart O’Toole ◽  
Gianni Russo ◽  
Gen Yamada ◽  
...  

Abstract In the newborn, penile length is determined by a number of androgen dependent and independent factors. The current literature suggests that there are inter-racial differences in stretched penile length in the newborn and although congenital micropenis should be defined as a stretched penile length of less than 2.5SDS of the mean for the corresponding population and gestation, a pragmatic approach would be to evaluate all boys with a stretched penile length below 2 cm, as congenital micropenis can be a marker for a wide range of endocrine conditions. However, it remains unclear as to whether the state of micropenis, itself, is associated with any long-term consequences. There is a lack of systematic studies comparing the impact of different therapeutic options on long-term outcomes, in terms of genital appearance, quality of life and sexual satisfaction. To date, research has been hampered by a small sample size and inclusion of a wide range of heterogeneous diagnoses; for these reasons, condition specific outcomes have been difficult to compare between studies. Lastly, there is a need for a greater collaborative effort in collecting standardized data so that all real-world or experimental interventions performed at an early age can be studied systematically into adulthood.


Geofluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Tao Qiu ◽  
Yonggang Zhang

Mud cakes are very likely to occur at the shield cutter when the shield machine passes through a clay stratum, which adhere to the cutter and reduce the excavation efficiency. Due to the thrust of the cutter, the mud cakes are compacted and cause friction at the soil-structure interface, which results in high temperature and aggravates the adhesion, and the effect tends to become stronger as the heating process lasts. In this paper, the effects of the interface temperature and the contacting time between the soil and the hot surface on the adhesion properties of the soil were studied by a self-made adhesion test device. According to the findings, at low interfacial temperature (≤40°C), both the adhesion force and the amount of adhered soil were insignificant in a short term, and the effects were found to be strengthened as the contacting time went on; at the high interfacial temperature (≥50°C), very significant soil adhesion occurred at the structure surface within a short time, and as the contacting time increased, the amount of the adhered soil decreased rapidly while the adhesion force kept increasing, and both tended to remain a constant and become independent with the temperature after a long-term contact. This study is of guiding significance for understanding the formation and development of the shield mud cakes during shield construction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Havsteen-Franklin ◽  
Megan Tjasink ◽  
Jacqueline Winter Kottler ◽  
Claire Grant ◽  
Veena Kumari

Crisis events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can have a devastating effect on communities and the care professionals within them. Over recent years, arts-based interventions have helped in a wide range of crisis situations, being recommended to support the workforce during and after complex crisis but there has been no systematic review of the role of arts-based crisis interventions and whether there are cogent themes regarding practice elements and outcomes. We, therefore, conducted a systematic review to (i) define the arts-based change process used during and after crisis events, and (ii) explore the perceptions of intermediate and long-term mental health benefits of arts-based interventions for professionals in caring roles. Our search yielded six studies (all qualitative). All data were thematically aggregated and meta-synthesized, revealing seven practice elements (a safe place, focusing on strengths and protective factors, developing psychosocial competencies to support peers, emotional expression and processing, identifying and naming the impact of the crisis, using an integrative creative approach, and cultural and organizational sensitivity) applied across all six studies, as well as a range of intermediate and long-term benefits shared common features (adapting, growing, and recovering; using the community as a healing resource; reducing or preventing symptoms of stress or trauma reactions, psychophysiological homeostasis). The ways in which these studies were designed independently from one another and yet used the same practice elements in their crisis interventions indicates that there is comparability about how and why the arts-based practice elements are being used and to what effect. Our findings provide a sound basis and meaningful parameters for future research incorporating quantitative and qualitative approaches to firmly establish the effectiveness of art-based interventions, and how arts can support cultural sensitivity, acceptability and indicated outcomes, particularly those relating to stress and trauma during or following a crisis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. ar20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepshikha Chatterjee ◽  
J. Kevin Ford ◽  
Julie Rojewski ◽  
Stephanie W. Watts

Graduate students and postdocs in science, technology, engineering, and math fields are faced with a wide range of career paths to employment, but they are often not trained to effectively pursue these opportunities. The lack of career management skills implies long tenures in graduate school for many students, especially as tenure-track positions in academia dwindle. At our university, we used a cohort model in which graduate students and postdocs were encouraged to apply to the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training program (BEST under the aegis of the National Institutes of Health) that provided opportunities to gain career management skills, engage in career exploration, and complete at least one formal internship. In this interview study of the BEST trainees, we investigated the efficacy of internships as career exploration tools and associated outcomes. Our findings show that internships were seen as effective career exploration and self-development vehicles that influenced participants’ long-term career goals. Graduate students and postdocs reported gaining transferable knowledge and skills, in addition to receiving valuable industry mentoring and networking opportunities.


JAMIA Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Shin ◽  
Yuanyuan Feng ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi ◽  
Nicci Gafinowitz

Abstract Objectives Activity trackers hold the promise to support people in managing their health through quantified measurements about their daily physical activities. Monitoring personal health with quantified activity tracker-generated data provides patients with an opportunity to self-manage their health. Many have been conducted within short-time frames; makes it difficult to discover the impact of the activity tracker’s novelty effect or the reasons for the device’s long-term use. This study explores the impact of novelty effect on activity tracker adoption and the motivation for sustained use beyond the novelty period. Materials and methods This study uses a mixed-methods approach that combines both quantitative activity tracker log analysis and qualitative one-on-one interviews to develop a deeper behavioral understanding of 23 Fitbit device users who used their trackers for at least 2 months (range of use = 69–1073 days). Results Log data from users’ Fitbit devices revealed 2 stages: the novelty period and the long-term use period. The novelty period for Fitbit users in this study was approximately 3 months, during which they might have discontinued using their devices. Discussion The qualitative interview data identified various factors that users to continuously use the Fitbit devices in different stages. The discussion of these results provides design implications to guide future development of activity tracking technology. Conclusion This study reveals important dynamics emerging over long-term activity tracker use, contributes new knowledge to consumer health informatics and human-computer interaction, and offers design implications to guide future development of similar health-monitoring technologies that better account for long-term use in support of patient care and health self-management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 587-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaise Gnimassoun

Regional integration in Africa is a subject of great interest, but its impact on income has not been studied sufficiently. Using cross-sectional and panel estimations, this article examines the impact of African integration on real per capita income in Africa. Accordingly, we consider intra-African trade and migration flows as quantitative measures reflecting the intensity of regional integration. To address the endogeneity concerns, we use a gravity-based, two-stage least-squares strategy. Our results show that, from a long-term perspective, African integration has not been strong enough to generate a positive, significant, and robust impact on real per capita income in Africa. However, it does appear to be significantly income-enhancing in the short and medium terms but only through intercountry migration. These results are robust to a wide range of specifications.


Author(s):  
Aaron Simon Blicblau ◽  
Tracey Louise Nelson ◽  
Kourosh Dini

This study investigated the impact of two arrangements of work experiences; short term (over 12 weeks, STIE) and long- term (over 52 weeks, LTIE) on both final academic grades and capstone project grades. The results from this work will inform future approaches of determining the benefits to students of the usefulness of industry placed learning experiences (short or long term) as both an indicator of academic performance, and success in capstone project work. Outcomes have shown that engineering graduates without substantial industrial experience often find employment difficult to find in the short time after completing their studies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrià Ramos ◽  
José F. Mediato ◽  
Raúl Pérez-López ◽  
Miguel A. Rodríguez-Pascua ◽  
Roberto Martínez-Orío ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;The long-term managing from the geological hazard point of view of the Hontom&amp;#237;n onshore pilot-plant for CO&lt;sub&gt;2 &lt;/sub&gt;storage, located in Spain and recognized as the first and only key-test facility in Europe, is one of the main objectives stated in the ENOS European project. This project is led and funded by the European Network of Excellence on the Geological Storage of CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; (CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;GeoNet).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The complex geological emplacement of the Hontom&amp;#237;n Carbon capture and storage plant is considered rather relevant to analyse the impact of fracturing and both local and regional strain field on the reservoir parameters. The reservoir of Hontom&amp;#237;n pilot-plant is formed by highly fractured Middle Jurassic dolomites with associated secondary porosity. This parameter is one of the main concerns when managing CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; storage and monitoring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In order to characterize the fracture pattern and its implications on a proper CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; monitoring, we characterized the surface structural elements through the study area and their relationship with fractures affecting the reservoir porosity. The methodology followed in this work is mainly based on detailed geological mapping (field work complimented with orthophoto analysis), adding missing information from previous works. This analysis does not increase the cost for long-term monitoring, given that they are low-cost and the results are acquired in a few months.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The main structural trend in the study area, concerning faults with a wide range of displacement and metric to decametric folds, follows a regional E-W orientation. On the other hand, fractures show two main sets of trends, from NW-SE to NE-SW.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This fracturing pattern, considered as a conjugate fracture system, corresponds to the tectonic stress recorded in both Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary successions where the Hontom&amp;#237;n pilot-plant is placed. Riddle faults formed from a nearby regional right-lateral strike slip fault (Ubierna Fault) are the responsible structures for the fracture system affecting the area and the reservoir. Moreover, this fracturing pattern is in agreement with local to regional active tectonic field from Cenozoic times to present-day, when the Ubierna Fault recorded its maximum right-lateral displacement (15 km).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Secondary porosity within the reservoir can be produced from this fracture pattern, highly increasing the permeable migration paths for CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; migration after the injection. Therefore, we state that a combination between fracture analysis and structural and tectonic study, should be considered as mandatory in the monitoring phases of the CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; plume, during and after injection operations.&lt;/p&gt;


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