Revista Jurídica Digital UANDES
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Agreement of exposure assessors, heuristics and factors affecting exposure in a desktop exercise to evaluate exposure to asthmagens in the cotton and textile, and other industries
No full textIn the absence of personal exposure measurements, expert assessment, generally on a case-by-case basis, is often used to estimate exposures. However, the decision processes of individual experts when making assessments is unknown, making it difficult to assess the quality of these assessments or to compare different assessments to each other. We conducted a study combining quantitative estimation with qualitative methods to investigate the mental decision making processes and heuristics used in exposure assessment of experts and non-experts in primarily the textile and cotton industries, but also in baking, metal work and agriculture industries. This study focusses on the quality of the desktop exposure assessment exercise and the agreement between the independent experts.Intra-Class Correlations of absolute agreement (ICC1) and consistency (ICC3) between raters were calculated; stratified for several important factors that could influence assessments, while further sensitivity and specificity were estimated using a probabilistic simulation methodology. 14 occupational hygienists and exposure assessors with complete data for all 48 job descriptions 8 non-experts participated. Absolute agreement between expert raters was fair-good, but was somewhat better for intensity (ICC1=0.61) than for probability (ICC1=0.44) of exposure and was better for experts than non-experts. Sensitivity was 0.95 and specificity 0.82 for intensity, while these were 0.91 and 0.78 for probability of exposure, respectively. Agreement between raters (both expert on non-experts) dropped for medium levels of information compared to little or extensive information. Inclusion of a photo or video generally improved agreement between experts but not between non-experts, while also for the experts the year of the job description had no influence on the assessments whereas non-experts agreed stronger on jobs in the more distant past. These data indicate that that the desktop exposure assessment exercise was of similar quality to previously reported levels of agreement. As such, agreements between experts’ assessments were independent of the time period, providing confidence in retrospective exposure assessment exercises of long latency diseases, and can be improved by inclusion of visual material. Importantly, agreement between experts and non-experts does not linearly increase with the detail of provided job information. <br/
A double-blind randomized trial demonstrates the role of zonal priming & direct topical application of epigallocatechin-3-gallate in modulation of cutaneous scarring in human skin
No full textBackground Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol, influences cutaneous wound healing due to its anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. We previously demonstrated the role of EGCG in scarring in ex vivo human scar models. Here, we evaluate direct application of topical EGCG compared with zonal-priming, a novel concept in immediate treatment of zone-of-injury at the time of wounding prior to scar formation. Trial Design A double-blind randomised-controlled trial. Methods We assessed EGCG application compared to placebo over 1-6 weeks, in scars created in 62 human volunteers using quantitative non-invasive devices, immunohistochemical analysis, mRNA sequencing and QRT-PCR of tissue biopsies. Results EGCG reduced mast cells at weeks 1-3 evidenced by gene and protein analyses (p≤0.01). M2 macrophages were increased with EGCG compared to placebo. EGCG application by zonal-priming significantly downregulated VEGFA and CD31 at week 1 and 2-4 weeks after direct application (p≤0.01). Direct EGCG application also reduced scar thickness at weeks 1-3 (p=0.001), and increased scar elasticity at week 4 (p=0.01). Increased hydration was evident both non-invasively and by increased hyaluronic acid (p<0.01) at week. 3. Conclusions We demonstrate the beneficial role of both zonal priming and direct EGCG application in scar therapy with positive effect on scar thickness, erythema, hydration and elasticity
AEROMECHANICS MODELLING OF TILTROTOR AIRCRAFT
No full textA numerical investigation into the effects of aerodynamic interaction modelling for tiltrotor aircraft is undertaken. The study compares a baseline case, with no interaction accounted for, with those that include the download on the wing and the rotor and wing wakes at the empennage against literature models. The results are obtained using a reduced-order blade element/strip theory framework and simulates the entire conversion corridor. The results are compared for trimmed pitch attitude and control stick position, showing the most important interaction to account for is the wing downwash. This interaction increases trimmed pitch attitude in low-speed helicopter and early conversion mode, decreases the forward stick towards aeroplane mode, and affects the flight speeds boundaries through the conversion corridor
How do Educational Psychologists in the UK and Ireland assess the needs of autistic children and young people?
No full textDegradation of Ytterbium Disilicate Environmental Barrier Coatings in High Temperature Steam Atmosphere
No full textThe use of Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) in the hottest part of an aero engine promises great improvements in fuel efficiency by decreasing component weight and allowing higher gas inlet temperatures. However, an environmental barrier coating (EBC) is required to protect the CMC from the corrosive water vapour contained in the combustion environment. Here, CMC specimens were coated with a silicon bond coat and ytterbium disilicate (Yb2Si2O7) layer using air plasma spraying. The specimens were subsequently exposed to a water steam environment at 1350°C for hundreds of hours. Stress evolution and phase stability were measured throughout to observe possible degradation. Cross-sectioning of the samples revealed the occurrence of sintering, the formation of a thermally grown oxide along the silicon/EBC interface, and a reaction between the ytterbium disilicate and silica. However, no coating failure was observed, even after 750 h of isothermal exposure to the hot steam environment.<br/
Impact of divalent ions on dynamics of pressure field in water films influenced by salinity modification
No full textIt is known that wettability is thermodynamically related to disjoining pressurein thin films, which is itself determined by short-range and long-rangesurface forces. Disjoining pressure is referred to as the net difference betweenthe pressure in a thin film and that of the bulk fluid. By changing the ionic strength and composition in the fluid in thin films, the electrostatic/ electrokinetic forces are modified, which results in the variation of disjoining pressure. This has been of particular interest in industrial applications such as enhanced oil recovery technology (e.g. low salinity water flooding). In low salinity water flooding, the variation of disjoining pressure has been linked to alteration of wettability, however, there are still many unanswered questions in this regard, such as the role of ion valency in dynamics of the disjoining pressure.In this work, we simulate the variation of ionic composition and disjoiningpressure in a thin film, induced by the reduction of the ionic strengthin the bulk fluid. The results are compared for different electrolytes, includingasymmetric and divalent ion pairs. We simulate the initial equilibriumconditions under high ionic strength (high salinity) by solving the Poisson-Boltzmann equation. Then, the boundary ionic strength is reduced (lowsalinity) to induce transient transport of ions, which is simulated using thePoisson-Nernst-Planck equations. To investigate the impact of ionic compositionon the ionic transport and pressure dynamics, all simulations areimplemented at the same ionic strength, but different ion pairs (1:1, 1:2 and2:1), and different finite film thicknesses. We discuss the impact of systemscaling factors in the total disjoining pressure, such as the ratio between lmthickness and Debye length, and the relation between the electrostatic andosmotic pressure effects
Gender Incongruence as a Condition Relating to Sexual Health: The Mental Health ‘Problem’ and ‘Proper’ Medical Treatment
No full textIn the 11th version of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) there has been a significant change in the placement of gender identity conditions. Gender incongruence will now be reclassified within the chapter ‘Conditions Relating to Sexual Health’. In this paper we suggest that there are a number of potential ethical and clinical problems with this. One problem is that sexual health conditions are often assumed to have psychofunctional aetiology, so the rejected psychiatric classification may reemerge regardless of reclassification. The second problem is that reclassifying gender incongruence as a condition relating to sexual health could lead to a misguided understanding of gender identity as an issue that is necessarily or inherently related to one’s sexuality and subsequently to an imprudent focus on genital incongruence. We suggest that understanding gender incongruence as something relating to one’s sexuality and thus becoming ultimately integral to a person’s sexual health may shape the perception of what is proper medical treatment. To explain how this may happen we, in part, consider the case of intersex conditions and specifically so-called ‘genital-normalising’ surgery. We do not want to compare intersex with gender variance, yet we argue that there is a lesson to be learnt from the way clinical nomenclature may shape the understanding of human diversity and health and disease, and therefore influence the provision of medical care, specifically genital surgery. Using the case of intersex conditions or variations of sex characteristics, pathologised as Disorders of Sex Development, we can further argue that focusing on medical anatomical or functional sexual health prognosis fails to consider gender identity in its entirety. We therefore suggest an alternative chapter entitled ‘Conditions Relating to Sex and Gender Identity’