Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising material for the preparation of high temperature membranes [1-5] due to its many unique properties such as high thermochemical stability, high thermal conductivity and resistance to abrasion. In our studies, SiC microporous membranes are fabricated using two different techniques. The first approach involves the pyrolysis of pre-ceramic polymeric films [3,4],...

OBJECTIVES To explore perceptions of superslims packaging, including compact 'lipstick' packs, in line with 3 potential impacts identified within the impact assessment of the European Union (EU) Tobacco Products Directive: appeal, harm perceptions and the seriousness of warning of health risks. DESIGN Qualitative focus group study. SETTING Informal community venues in Scotland, UK. PARTIC...

OBJECTIVE To examine trends in the prevalence of hospitals and birth centers (hereafter, hospitals) distributing infant formula discharge packs to breastfeeding mothers in the United States from 2007 to 2013. METHODS The Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care survey is administered every 2 years to all hospitals with registered maternity beds in the United States. A Web- or paper-ba...

OBJECTIVES To study the impact of the use of cool water packs (water packs refrigerated at 2 to 8 degrees C) on the cold life of vaccine transport boxes and the shelf life of the vaccines. METHODS Data loggers were used to measure the temperatures of vaccine shipments with cool water packs in laboratory studies and country evaluations. The temperature recordings were mathematically translated...

[1] A technique for visualizing particle transport in the interior of a porous medium is presented. The technique, which includes the construction of a translucent medium and the use of laser-induced fluorescence for particle tracking, was used to examine the behavior of a dilute suspension of negatively charged, micron-sized particles in the interior of uniform glass bead packs during one-dime...

AIMS To gain insight into the potential impact of plain tobacco packaging policy, two experiments were undertaken to test whether 'prototype' plain compared with branded UK cigarette pack stimuli would differentially elicit instrumental tobacco-seeking in a nominal Pavlovian to instrumental transfer (PIT) procedure. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Two experiments were undertaken at the Unive...

Despite being negatively charged, DNA can be compacted to almost crystalline densities inside virus capsids. However, how this is achieved has been debated for years. Most theoretical models predict that attractive DNA–DNA interactions — such as those resulting from the screening effect of nearby positively charged molecules — would facilitate DNA packaging by countering the effects of DNA self...

Introduction: Silicon carbide is a particularly interesting phase because more than a hundred different polytypes can be formed in the laboratory. The formation of these polytypes depends strongly on growth conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure). Daulton et al. [1] used TEM to study the microstructures of ~500 presolar SiC grains in an acid residue of the Murchison meteorite (KJB fraction of ...

With increasing interest in the carbon cycle on arid land, there is an urgent need to quantify both soil organic carbon (SOC) and inorganic carbon (SIC) thus to assess various methods. Here, we present a study employing three methods for determinations of SOC and SIC in the Yanqi Basin of northwest China. We use an elemental analyzer for both SOC and SIC, the Walkley-Black method for SOC, a mod...

Background and objective: The use of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration has been proposed as a surrogate marker for monitoring airway response to specifi c inhalation challenge (SIC). We investigated the usefulness of FeNO measurements for monitoring airway response to SIC with occupational agents. Material and methods: Workers with suspected occupational asthma were recruited...