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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the presence of psychopathological symptoms and the relations of these dimensions with the quality of life and sexual function in a group of women affected by systemic scleroderma. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seventy-one women with systemic scleroderma were invited to participate in the study; 65 agreed to participate, while 6 declined. Four questionnaires were administered to the patients: a specific socio-demographic questionnaire, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and the Quality-of-Life Questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO-41). RESULTS: Of all the participants in this study, 48% of patients showed a clinical score on SCL-90-R Somatization, 45% on depression, and 37% on obsessive-compulsive. As hypothesized, psychopathological symptoms were related to lower quality of life since somatization and depression predicted the total score of health-related quality of life and lower sexual functions, showing a specific effect of depression on sexuality. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlighted the presence of an association between psychopathological symptoms and reduced sexual functioning and the associations between somatization and the health-related quality of life dimensions in scleroderma patients. Furthermore, our results sustain the importance of also considering the mental health of patients with systemic sclerosis, within an integrated biopsychosocial care model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the long-term performance of new environmentally-friendly blowing agents for polyurethane foams. Several blowing agents, hydrofluorocarbons, hydrocarbons, and a possible hydrochlorofluorocarbon substitute (dimethoxymethane), as well as hydrochlorofluorocarbons, were analyzed. The determination of effective diffusion coefficients (knowledge of which is required to study long-term performance) was performed by means of a classical gas chromatographic technique and by a new method based on infrared spectroscopy. The reliability of the experimental procedure used is showed by comparing experimental and predicted aging, as the slope of the aging curve (i.e., thermal conductivity vs. time) depends only on effective diffusion coefficients. Our study of long-term performance of foams blown with alternative blowing agents shows that hydrofluorocarbons represent a proper alternative to hydrochlorofluorocarbons, as the foams show similar initial thermal conductivity and a slower aging rate (i.e., better long-term performance). POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45: 260-270, 2005. [c] 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION Polyurethane foams are widely used as thermal insulator materials due to their low thermal conductivity. Otherwise, they are subjected to aging phenomena (i.e., the increase with time of thermal [...]

The effective diffusion coefficients of novel, environmentally friendly, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents for polyurethane foam production were measured. The method was based on gas chromatography and infrared spectroscopy measurements. The accuracy and reliability of the procedure developed were confirmed by comparisons of experimental and the predicted thermal aging curves. The slope of the aging curves (i.e., the change in thermal conductivity with time) depended only on the effective diffusion coefficients. The effective diffusion coefficients of the new HFC blowing agents were close to those of conventional hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) blowing agents, and the aging behavior of foams produced from HFC or HCFC blowing agents were similar. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:2229-2239, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers., INTRODUCTION Polyurethane cellular foams are widely used as thermal insulator materials as they are characterized by a very low thermal conductivity. One major drawback concerning the use of those materials [...]

R-RIM PU (reinforced-reaction injection molding polyurethanes) from the automotive industry (production scrap and parts at the end of their life cycle) can be recycled for the production of new RIM PU by a chemical process. Among the various possible chemical processes (hydrolysis, alcoholysis, aminolysis, and pyrolysis), we have examined glycolysis, a particular form of alcoholysis, for the purpose of obtaining a mixture of oligomers sufficiently similar to a polyol to be used in the production of new R-RIM PU. Glycolysis with dipropylene glycol (DPG) of R-RIM PU forms a monophasic product that could be used in the preparation of new, highly crosslinked polymers, similar to those used in the preparation of rigid thermal insulation foams. The same product, because of its high hydroxyl number, cannot be directly re-used in the production of new RIM PU. Partial substitution of free DPG in the glycolysis product with a triol having high molecular weight forms a homogeneous mixture suitable for production of new RIM PU. This final product has been used in the original R-RIM application introducing an appropriate optimization of formulation. In comparison with RIM PU obtained from only virgin materials, the loss in properties of molded parts based on even high amounts of regenerated polyol was only marginal., INTRODUCTION RIM and R-RIM (reinforced-reaction injection molding) polyurethane/polyurea polymers are materials that, owing to their intrinsic properties, are increasingly used in the automotive industry (bumpers, fascias, side panels, door interior [...]

Smoke taint is becoming a worldwide problem for wine production because of the increasing number of fires in wine regions. It is the result of volatile phenols released by fire smoke which bind to berry sugars, translocate mainly through bunch stem and/or through berry skin. The techniques used to remove smoke taint from wine can modify wine quality provided that smoke taint is completely removed from the wine. We report the first data on the ozone fumigation of harvested grape which was affected by the smoke taint. The experiments were run on table grapes in the laboratory. The grape bunches were smoked by straw fire for 2 hours and then ozone fumigated for 4 hours in a cold room at 10 °C. At a nonformal sensory evaluation, the smoke taint which was strong on smoked grapes, was not perceived after the ozone treatment, and the main volatile phenols (guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol) of the smoke taint were reduced significantly; the skin color slightly darkened in the berries affected by smoke while skin firmness increased; ozone did not recover these effects. Application of NIR-AOTF (Near InfraRed-Acoustic-Optic Tunable Filter) and E-nose (electronic nose) on smoked grapes emphasizes the role of temperature but overall discovers the usefulness of the E-nose in the early detection of smoke taint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent years, due to the climate change and the effects of greenhouse gases average temperatures are increasing. Grapes cultivated in Mediterranean areas are exposed to high temperatures especially during the late growing season and at harvest. This may induce undesirable biochemical processes (e.g. aroma losses and oxidative reactions) with negative effects on the berry composition and specific quality traits of the resulting wine. In the present study the effects of shortterm low temperature treatments on harvested grapes before vinification have been evaluated. Bunches of wine grapes cv. Vermentino have been handharvested and then refrigerated at 4°C and 10°C for 24 and 48 hours, while 22°C has been applied as control temperature. Grapes were analysed in terms of technological parameters (weight loss, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH and total polyphenols) and volatile organic compound profile by HSSPME GCMS. Lowtemperature postharvest treatments affect total polyphenols content of the berries and appear to reduce the heatrelated aroma loss, increase the content of four volatile terpenoids and decrease the accumulation of ethyl acetate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical blowing agents such as n-pentane and methyl formate and, for comparison, chemical blowing agents such as water were used to prepare structural polyurethane rigid foams of different densities by [...]