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.     

Exploring design trade-offs for achieving social inclusion in multi-tiered design problems

ABSTRACT

The digital age of the future is ‘not out there to be discovered’, but it needs to be ‘designed’. The design challenge has to address questions about how we want to live, work, and learn (as individuals and as communities) and what we value and appreciate, e.g.: reflecting on quality of life and creating inclusive societies. An overriding design trade-off for the digital age is whether new developments will increase the digital divide or will create more inclusive societies. Sustaining inclusive societies means allowing people of all ages and all abilities to exploit information technologies for personally meaningful activities. Meta-design fosters the design of socio-technical environments that end-user developers can modify and evolve at use time to improve their quality of life and favour their inclusion in the society. This paper describes three case studies in the domain of assistive technologies in which end users themselves cannot act as end-user developers, but someone else (e.g.: a caregiver or a clinician) must accept this role requiring multi-tiered architectures. The design trade-offs and requirements for meta-design identified in the context of the case studies and other researchers’ projects are described to inform the development of future socio-technical environments focused on social inclusion.     

Heat propagation in thermally conductive polymers of PA6 and hexagonal boron nitride

Thermally conductive polymers offer new possibilities for the heat dissipation in electric and electronic components, for example, by a three‐dimensional shaping of the heat sinks. To face safety regulations, improved fire performance of those components is required. In contrast to unfilled polymers, those materials exhibit an entirely different thermal behavior. To investigate the flammability, a phosphorus flame retardant was incorporated into thermally conductive composites of polyamide 6 and hexagonal boron nitride. The flame retardant decreased the thermal conductivity only slightly. However, the burning behavior changed significantly, due to a different heat propagation, which was investigated using a thermographic camera. An optimum content of hexagonal boron nitride for a sufficient thermal conductivity and fire performance was found between 20 and 30 vol%. The improvement of the fire performance was due to a faster heat release out of the pyrolysis zone and an earlier decomposition of the flame retardant. For higher contents of hexagonal boron nitride, the heat was spread faster within the part, promoting an earlier ignition and increasing the decomposition rate of the flame retardant.     

GOLPH3 Regulates EGFR in T98G Glioblastoma Cells by Modulating Its Glycosylation and Ubiquitylation

Protein trafficking is altered when normal cells acquire a tumor phenotype. A key subcellular compartment in regulating protein trafficking is the Golgi apparatus, but its role in carcinogenesis is still not well defined. Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3), a peripheral membrane protein mostly localized at the trans-Golgi network, is overexpressed in several tumor types including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most lethal primary brain tumor. Moreover, GOLPH3 is currently considered an oncoprotein, however its precise function in GBM is not fully understood. Here, we analyzed in T98G cells of GBM, which express high levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the effect of stable RNAi-mediated knockdown of GOLPH3. We found that silencing GOLPH3 caused a significant reduction in the proliferation of T98G cells and an unexpected increase in total EGFR levels, even at the cell surface, which was however less prone to ligand-induced autophosphorylation. Furthermore, silencing GOLPH3 decreased EGFR sialylation and fucosylation, which correlated with delayed ligand-induced EGFR downregulation and its accumulation at endo-lysosomal compartments. Finally, we found that EGF failed at promoting EGFR ubiquitylation when the levels of GOLPH3 were reduced. Altogether, our results show that GOLPH3 in T98G cells regulates the endocytic trafficking and activation of EGFR likely by affecting its extent of glycosylation and ubiquitylation.     

Lignin from Annual Plants as Raw Material Source for Flavors and Basic Chemicals

The enzymatic conversion of lignins, possibly in combination with electrochemical oxidation, makes aromatics such as syringol, guaiacol, vanillin and catechol available in the qualities required by the fragrance industry. The lignins were obtained by soda digestion from wheat straw and Miscanthus, characterized and then converted with laccases. The overall yield amounted up to 9 wt % with a product spectrum confined to four substances. Catechol was the major product, with a fraction of ≈75 %. It can easily be isolated by extraction with acetone.     

Information Population of an Integrated Construction Management System

This paper discusses the future requirements of integrated construction management systems and the need to support the management of large volumes of information on several levels. The solution proposes a combination of an efficient user interface and methods to partially automate the creation of the required information through access to stored information from past projects. The research follows the path being established for integrated construction management systems that rely on a standard representation of the industry's information requirements. By exploring the comprehensive aspects of construction planning for an integrated construction management system, the research demonstrates the usefulness of applying sound information representation structures. Through the application of case-based reasoning, the research advances the concepts of planning tools as they apply to integrated systems. The resulting prototype construction management system has the primary characteristic of assisting the user in the manipulation of information in order to generate the initial information requirements of an integrated construction management system.     

Review of The parent-child connection.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 31(2) of Canadian Psychology Psychologie Canadienne (see record 2007-08913-001). In the October 1989 issue (Vol. 30, No. 4, p. 697), Arnold Rincover's affiliation with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education was incorrectly given as Associate Professor. He has been an Extramural Instructor at O.I.S.E.] Reviews the book, The parent-child connection by Arnold Rincover (1988). The parent-child connection is a well written book that offers valuable advice to help parents of young children evaluate and understand their children's behaviour. It also offers useful suggestions on managing child behaviour, although these parenting tips are most likely to be useful to those parents who least need them (i.e., those with numerous personal and social resources, whose children are presenting only minor behavioural difficulties). The two general themes of the book, child behaviour as communication and developmental norms as guidelines for deciding if behaviour is problematic, are well-suited to the purposes of a parent reference book. They offer an appropriate framework for discussing specific child behaviours and helping parents to determine if these behaviours are problematic in their children. This book is a welcome addition to the list of available parenting books, and may prove particularly useful for younger parents in need of accurate and understandable information about normal child development and behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression in ethnically diverse women: Implications for treatment in primary care settings.

What do health care practitioners need to know about providing adequate care for depressed minority women? This article examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms and clinical depression in ethnic minorities, the extent to which current health service utilization is congruent with needs, and the effectiveness of treatments provided to ethnic minorities in the primary care setting. The impact of ethnic minority women's sociocultural context on symptom expression and help-seeking behavior is also discussed. Finally, the clinical implications for accurate assessment and treatment of ethnic minority women by both medical and mental health practitioners working in the primary care sector are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bias and temperature dependence of homogeneous hot-electroninjection from silicon into silicon dioxide at low voltages

In this paper, new homogeneous hot-electron injection data at 300 K and 77 K is provided covering applied voltages from well below to well above the Si-SiO₂ barrier height, and a wide range of oxide fields. We found that, in contrast to the MOSFET case, homogeneous injection shows two different regimes for accelerating voltages below and above the barrier height. A simple interpretation of the data is proposed, and supported by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the injection experiment. Essentially, the two regimes are the signature of a marked transition between an electron population mostly heated by the electric field, and a tail population created by additional but less efficient energy gain mechanisms, leading to a sharp transition in the carrier distribution function. The details of the bias and temperature dependence of injection are then interpreted as the combined effect of tunneling and carrier distribution. Furthermore, possible implications on MOSFET gate currents are briefly discussed