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Poor indoor air quality has become of particular concern within the built environment due to the time people spend indoors, and the associated health burden. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) off-gassing from synthetic materials, nitrogen dioxide and harmful outdoor VOCs such benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylene penetrate into the indoor environment through ventilation and are the main contributors to poor indoor air quality with health effects. A considerable body of literature over the last four decades has demonstrate the removal of gaseous contaminants through phytoremediation, a technology that relies on plant material and technologies to remediate contaminated air streams. In this review we present a state-of-the-art on indoor phytoremediation over the last decade. Here we present a review of 38 research articles on both active and passive phytoremediation, and describe the specific chemical removal efficiency of different systems. The literature clearly indicates the efficacy of these systems for the removal of gaseous contaminants in the indoor environment, however it is evident that the application of phytoremediation technologies for research purposes in-situ is currently significantly under studied. In addition, it is common for research studies to assess the removal of single chemical species under controlled conditions, with little relevancy to real-world settings easily concluded. The authors therefore recommend that future phytoremediation research be conducted both in-situ and on chemical sources of a mixed nature, such as those experienced in the urban environment like petroleum vapour, vehicle emissions, and mixed synthetic furnishings off-gassing. The assessment of these systems both in static chambers for their theoretical performance, and in-situ for these mixed chemical sources is essential for the progression of this research field and the widespread adoption of this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more than 240 million people infected, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major health concern. The inability to mimic the complexity of the liver using cell lines and regular primary human hepatocyte (PHH) cultures pose significant limitations for studying host/pathogen interactions. Here, we describe a 3D microfluidic PHH system permissive to HBV infection, which can be maintained for at least 40 days. This system enables the recapitulation of all steps of the HBV life cycle, including the replication of patient-derived HBV and the maintenance of HBV cccDNA. We show that innate immune and cytokine responses following infection with HBV mimic those observed in HBV-infected patients, thus allowing the dissection of pathways important for immune evasion and validation of biomarkers. Additionally, we demonstrate that the co-culture of PHH with other non-parenchymal cells enables the identification of the cellular origin of immune effectors, thus providing a valuable preclinical platform for HBV research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Der Internist is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of e & i Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The creep behavior of specimens of α-Zr, machined from the three principal directions of a rolled slab or from swaged rod, has been studied in the temperature range 870 to 975 K, for stresses in the range 5 to 20 MPa. For a given stress and temperature, the creep rate depends on texture, being higher for specimens having their axes parallel to the longitudinal (rolling) direction than for specimens cut from either the transverse or short transverse directions. The activation energy for creep, Q , decreases with increasing stress, and becomes approximately equal to Q , the activation energy for self-diffusion, only for stresses in excess of about 20 MPa. The stress exponent n increases from 3 at low stresses to about 9 at high stresses, for the range of stresses and strain rates investigated. The results are incompatible with a simple, power-law representation of the steady-state creep rate in which n is constant, and Q = Q , independent of stress. It is demonstrated that the data are consistent with models in which the glide process contributes to the stress and temperature dependencies of steady-state creep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two patients with chest injuries, flail chest and respiratory failure were mechanically ventilated by a system composed of 2 Bennett respirators and an independent source of gas. This system provides high-frequency positive pressure ventilation (HFPPV), low-frequency conventional mechanical ventilation (LFCMV) and high inspiratory flow of fresh gas (HIF), through the independent source. This system made use of the advantages of HFPPV and also solved the problem of possible CO2 retention. Using this system we could ventilate the patients while they were fully conscious and cooperative, thus eliminating the need for sedatives and muscle relaxants. Time of mechanical ventilation was shortened since the internal pneumatic fixation was very good and made it possible for the fractured ribs to unite rapidly. Restoration of spontaneous breathing was immediate after disconnection from the ventilator. We suggest this method as another mode of ventilation for patients with flail chest and respiratory failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of the relationship between grain size and creep ductility has been made on OFHC copper when the fracture process involves intergranular cavitation. Tests have been carried out at a constant nominal strain-rate at 10 hr at temperatures of 350°, 425°, and 500°C. At all temperatures a peak in the grain size vs ductility plots is obtained at (approximately) 30 μm for 350°C, 60 μm for 435°C, and 150μm for 500°C. The work involved a metallographic study of the fracture process and it is deduced that the final stage of fracture (cavity linkage) controls ductility, rather than either the rate of nucleation or individual growth of cavities. At coarse grain sizes and low temperature the crack length seems to be critical and increasing grain size decreases ductility. At fine grain sizes and high temperature, failure is by a ductile void-sheet process and the volume fraction of cavities is controlling so that decreasing grain size decreases ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]