The Potential of the Superhydrophobic State to Protect Magnesium Alloy against Corrosion

We describe the technologically simple route for the fabrication of the superhydrophobic coatings on top of wrought magnesium alloy MA8 based on nanosecond laser processing followed by the chemical vapor deposition of fluorosilane. The chemical and phase composition, surface morphologies, and variation of the coating wettability during prolonged contact with 0.5 NaCl solution or with salt aerosol were characterized using X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy measurements, and the wettability analysis. The as-prepared coatings demonstrate corrosion current of more than eight orders of magnitude lower, while after 30 days of sample immersion into corrosive solution, the current was four orders of magnitude lower than that obtained for a polished sample which was for only 2 h in contact with electrolyte. The mechanisms of the protective activity of fabricated coatings were discussed.

Impact of Partitioning in Short-Term Food Contact Applications Focused on Polymers in Support of Migration Modelling and Exposure Risk Assessment

Food contact materials (FCMs) can transfer chemicals arising from their manufacture to food before consumption. Regulatory frameworks ensure consumer safety by prescribing methods for the assessment of FCMs that rely on migration testing either into real-life foods or food simulants. Standard migration testing conditions for single-use FCMs are justifiably conservative, employing recognized worst-case contact times and temperatures. For repeated-use FCMs, the third of three consecutive tests using worst-case conditions is taken as a surrogate of the much shorter contact period that often occurs over the service life of these items. Food contact regulations allow for the use of migration modelling for the chemicals in the FCM and for the partitioning that occurs between the FCM and food/simulant during prolonged contact, under which steady-state conditions are favored. This study demonstrates that the steady-state is rarely reached under repeated-use conditions and that partitioning plays a minor role that results in migration essentially being diffusion controlled. Domains of use have been identified within which partitioning does not play a significant role, allowing modelling based upon diffusion parameters to be used. These findings have the potential to advance the modelling of migration from repeated-use articles for the benefit of regulatory guidance and compliance practices.

The Commitment of Nineveh Governorate Residents to the Precautionary Measures against Global 2019 Pandemic and Dermatological Affection of Precautions

The world has changed dramatically since the novel pandemic pours in all aspects of life, including economic, health, and social life. The first case was initially observed in the Wuhan province of China; fast spread occurs around the world. Until now, there is no proven effective treatment for it. The study’s objectives are to assess residents of Nineveh governorate’s commitment to the COVID-19 pandemic precautionary measures recommended by the WHO and Iraqi national authorities; the protective measures are used to prevent its spread and restrict the viral infectivity. Several cutaneous changes were observed in some persons as a result of prolonged contact with personal protective equipment and excessive use of personal hygiene measures.

Non-invasive on-skin sensors for brain machine interfaces with epitaxial graphene

Brain-machine interfaces are key components for the development of hands-free, brain -controlled devices. Electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes are particularly attractive for harvesting the neural signals in a non-invasive fashion. Here, we explore the use of epitaxial graphene grown on silicon carbide on silicon for detecting the electroencephalogram signals with high sensitivity. This dry and non-invasive approach exhibits a markedly improved skin contact impedance when benchmarked to commercial dry electrodes, as well as superior robustness, allowing prolonged and repeated use also in a highly saline environment. In addition, we report the newly -observed phenomenon of surface conditioning of the epitaxial graphene electrodes. The prolonged contact of the epitaxial graphene with the skin electrolytes functionalize the grain boundaries of the graphene, leading to the formation of a thin surface film of water through physisorption and consequently reducing its contact impedance by more than 75%. This effect is primed in highly saline environments, and could be also further tailored as pre-conditioning to enhance the performance and reliability of the epitaxial graphene sensors.

A pilot study assessing the various dermatoses associated with the use of a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: An occupational disease is any disease developing primarily as a result of exposure to risk factors arising from work activity and contributing to a significant portion of work-related diseases. Although COVID-19 is not dermatotropic, prolonged contact with personal protective equipment—that is, goggles, face shields, N95 respirators, double-layered gloves, etc.—may cause various dermatoses. Several dermatoses due to PPE have been well documented, but facial dermatoses specifically due to the use of face masks remain a relatively uncharted entity. In this study, we report preliminary data on individuals experiencing various facial dermatoses due to the use of face masks. Objective: The aim was to study the various facial dermatoses associated with the use of a face mask. Materials and Methods: After obtaining informed consent, individuals using a face mask were enrolled in this single-institution, questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study. Results: A total of 364 participants were enrolled for the study, among which 59.3% revealed to have worn a face mask for more than six months. A majority used ear-looped N95 masks. Nine problem areas were identified in the study. Among the facial dermatoses observed, acne was the most frequently reported, followed by redness. Conclusion: In spite of contact dermatitis arising due to masks, it is recommended to use well-fitted and comfortable masks for sufficient periods of time to reduce the risk of transmission, ensure safety, and reduce mask-related side effects.

Multi-Scale Convolutional Neural Network for Accurate Corneal Segmentation in Early Detection of Fungal Keratitis

Microbial keratitis is an infection of the cornea of the eye that is commonly caused by prolonged contact lens wear, corneal trauma, pre-existing systemic disorders and other ocular surface disorders. It can result in severe visual impairment if improperly managed. According to the latest World Vision Report, at least 4.2 million people worldwide suffer from corneal opacities caused by infectious agents such as fungi, bacteria, protozoa and viruses. In patients with fungal keratitis (FK), often overt symptoms are not evident, until an advanced stage. Furthermore, it has been reported that clear discrimination between bacterial keratitis and FK is a challenging process even for trained corneal experts and is often misdiagnosed in more than 30% of the cases. However, if diagnosed early, vision impairment can be prevented through early cost-effective interventions. In this work, we propose a multi-scale convolutional neural network (MS-CNN) for accurate segmentation of the corneal region to enable early FK diagnosis. The proposed approach consists of a deep neural pipeline for corneal region segmentation followed by a ResNeXt model to differentiate between FK and non-FK classes. The model trained on the segmented images in the region of interest, achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 88.96%. The features learnt by the model emphasize that it can correctly identify dominant corneal lesions for detecting FK.

Compassion fatigue and mental health nursing: the final taboo?

For mental health nurses, a core component of the nurse–patient relationship is compassion. Bearing witness to patients' distress may lead to the manifestation of compassion fatigue; a decrease in compassionate and empathic responses because of prolonged contact with patients with mental ill health issues. Mental health nurses, particularly those who work in areas where they are exposed to frequent crisis presentations, such as inpatient settings and crisis teams, are at risk of developing compassion fatigue, yet there remains a paucity of research into the impact on those delivering mental health care in the UK. This article highlights the importance of identifying compassion fatigue, advocates for open honest and supportive discussions without fear of reprimand, and argues that possible workplace causes should be effectively addressed by nurse leaders and organisations, not just for sake of the mental health nurse and their employers, but also to ensure positive patient outcomes.

Beyond Beauty. Byzantine steatite icon from Chełm. Archaeology, Petrography and Traceology

A fragmentarily preserved Byzantine icon made of steatite was discovered in 2015 during regular excavations in Chełm, eastern Poland. Identified as the left wing of a diptych illustrating the Twelve Great Feasts and created at the close of the 12th century, the find is one of the most important and beautiful Byzantine artefacts to have been found in Poland. The icon was uncovered within the confines of the palace complex which was created by Daniel (Danylo) Romanovych († 1264) in Chełm in the second quarter of 13th century. The icon, even though it was found within the borders of what is now Poland, is material evidence of contact between Byzantium and the social elite of the Galicia-Volhynia lands, rather than with the Polish Piasts. In this paper we concentrated on the presentation of the archaeological context of the find, which made it possible to establish that the icon arrived Chełm before the middle of the 13th century (terminus ante quem 1253), and especially on petrographic and traceological analyses of the icon. Assuming that greenish plaques were indeed the most characteristic steatite icon type, a decision was made to examine, apart from the Chełm artefact made from white rock, a greenish icon from the National Museum in Krakow as well. Petrographic analyses were based on optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Both icons were carved in steatite i. e. talc rich rock but their chemical compositions indicate the presence of other components. Artifact from Chełm is white. Porous, enriched in potassium (K) and locally blistering outer rim of the icon from Chełm was formed probably during the fire event. Presence of forsterite and subordinate amount of leucite also indicate high temperature influence. Local enrichment in calcium (Ca) is related to exchange reactions with ground compounds. Accumulation of different components on the surface of the icon’s surface was noted. The icon from the National Museum in Krakow is greenish probably because of the presence of chlorite. The results of the traceological analysis (icon from National Museum in Krakow was not analysed) indicate that the icon found in Chełm was created most likely by a skilled and experienced carver with access to the high-quality magnifying glass and specialist tools required for rendering minuscule objects and their details. The production of the icon also involved the use of a “mechanical” tool, probably a kind of a miller with a rotating polishing head, which also seems to point to a specialist workshop. The use-wear traces observed on artefact are limited to polish resulting from prolonged contact with human hands or storing the icon in a leather case. Most of the extant Byzantine icons are unprovenanced objects held in museum collections or church treasuries. Therefore, as the icon presented in this paper was discovered during archaeological excavations, it ranks among the few Byzantine artefacts to have been found outside of this realm. The petrographic and traceological analyses conducted are the first published natural science contributions to the study of Byzantine steatite icons and we hope they will provide the impetus for undertaking such research on other Byzantine finds, helping to develop Byzantine archaeology further.

EP.FRI.196 The Giant Hoqweed as a rare cause of chemical burns: A Case Series

Introduction The Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a rare cause for chemical burns in humans and animals and is acquiring growing recognition in mainstream media as a relevant public health concern. Injuries attributed to this plant range from innocuous superficial irritation to full-thickness chemical burns. A vast majority of cases will resolve with conservative measures and effective first aid, but these case series demonstrate the clinical course of more severe injuries. Description We present a case series of 2 patients requiring admission to the Royal Group Hospitals for management of mixed thickness hogweed burns. Injuries were sustained by two separate infestations of giant hogweed in the Western Trust Area. Both patients responded to observation and conservative measures, namely effective analgesia, UV light protection, topical hydrocortisone, and dressings. Discussion Cutaneous burns induced by giant hogweed are caused by contact with its photoactive sap containing plant furocoumarins. On exposure to sunlight, the sap initiates a damaging process known as phytophotodermatitis (PPD). This process can be managed effectively with topical steroids; however, prolonged contact and subsequent sun exposure may lead to more severe skin damage. In extremely rare instances, damage may progress to full skin thickness burns warranting operative intervention.

The effect of contact time between alginate impression material and type III dental stone on the surface properties of stone casts

Background: Alginate impression material is the irreversible hydrocolloid material that is widely used in dentistry. The contact time between alginate and gypsum cast could have a detrimental effect on the properties of the gypsum cast. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of various contact time intervals of Alginate impressions & type III dental stone on surface properties of stone cast. Materials and Methods: Time intervals tested were 1hour, 6 hours and 9 hours. Surface properties of stone cast evaluated were surface detail reproduction, hardness and roughness. Surface detail reproduction was determined using cylindrical brass test block in accordance with ISO 1563. Surface roughness was measured by profilometer and hardness was measured by Durometer (Shore D). Results: The detail reproduction showed significant difference (P<0.05), at 6 hr., and 9 hr. showed better results. While surface roughness significantly decreased (p<0.01) with prolonged contact time. However, surface hardness increased significantly (p<0.01) with increased contact time. Conclusions: Surface detail reproduction increased with increasing the contact time and this was noticed at (6, 9 hours). However, 1hour time interval showed decreased surface detailed reproduction. Roughness decreased when the contact time was increased between type III dental stone and alginate impression whereas, hardness was improved significantly with increasing contact time.