•CO and methanol oxidations on Pt–Ru supported on carbon nanofibers were studied.•CO and methanol activation energies were determined up to 70°C.•Ru strongly decreases the activation energy for the ...CO oxidation reaction.•The rate-determining step for the methanol oxidation changes at T≥50°C.•Catalysts performance in DMFC is enhanced by the carbon nanofibers support.
The current work focuses on the mechanistic and kinetic study of CO and methanol oxidation reactions in acidic medium for Pt–Ru nanoparticles (atomic ratio 1:1) supported on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) in an intermediate temperature range (20<T<70°C). The Pt–Ru/CNF catalysts were previously synthesized by impregnation and reduction with different agents: sodium borohydride, methanol and formate ions 1. Activation energies (Eact) and apparent activation energies (Eap) for the CO and methanol electrooxidation were determined by potentiodynamic and potentiostatic experiments and correlated with the physicochemical properties of the catalysts previously reported 1. The rate-determining step was established for the different materials. Main results revealed a great decrease of Ea with the introduction of Ru in the Pt-based catalysts during the CO stripping experiments. In order to evaluate the catalyst performance, the materials synthesized were tested as anodes in a direct methanol fuel cell station operating at 40 and 60°C. In agreement with the results achieved at the three-electrode system, the catalyst reduced with formate ions developed the best performance toward the methanol oxidation reaction. Surface crystalline Ru oxides, high density of suitable surface sites for methanol adsorption and elevated conductivity of the catalyst support appeared to be responsible for the catalyst performance.
An evaluation of the Potential Dermal Exposure for the mix/load, application and re-entry stages, associated with procymidone and deltamethrin usage, was carried out for tomatoes grown in greenhouses ...of small production units in Argentina. Eight experiments were done with four different operators, under typical field conditions with a lever operated backpack sprayer. The methodology applied was based on the Whole Body Dosimetry technique, evaluating a set of different data for the mix and load, application and re-entry operations. These results indicated that the Potential Dermal Exposure of the application step was (38
±
17)
mL
h
−
1
with the highest proportion on torso, head and arms. When the three stages were compared, re-entry was found to contribute least towards the total Potential Dermal Exposure; meanwhile in all cases, except one, the mix/load operation was the stage with highest exposure. The Margin of Safety for each different operation was also calculated and the proportion of pesticide drift from the greenhouse to the environment is presented.
These results emphasize the importance of improving the personal protection measures in the mix and load stage, an operation that is not usually associated with high-risk in small production units.
In Buenos Aires periurban area, horticultural practices are one of the most important activities. Pesticides and fertilisers are used without any control to cover the farmers’ needs, obtaining high ...crop yields at short terms and modifying soil ecosystem in the long term. The aim of this work was to isolate indigenous strains from periurban horticultural units with pesticide degrading capacity and to evaluate their plant growth-promoting properties in order to design biofertilisers to be applied in the restoration of these exploited soils. After the screening, eight strains were isolated and identified. They showed not only the capacity to produce indole-3- acetic acid, to fix nitrogen, to secrete siderophores and to solubilise calcium phosphate but also tolerated the mixture of pesticides usually used for horticultural practices. By their behaviour in mixed cultures and plant growth-promoting properties, these autochthonous isolates represent a promising alternative as biofertilisers according to soil type and activity.
Resumen Introducción El glioblastoma es el tumor cerebral más frecuente. A pesar de los avances en su tratamiento, el pronóstico sigue siendo pobre, con una supervivencia media en torno a los 14 ...meses. Los costes directos, aquellos asociados al diagnóstico y el tratamiento de la enfermedad, han sido descritos ampliamente. Los costes indirectos, aquellos derivados de la pérdida de productividad debido a la enfermedad, han sido descritos en escasas ocasiones. Material y método Realizamos un estudio retrospectivo, incluyendo a los pacientes diagnosticados entre el 1 de enero del 2010 y el 31 de diciembre del 2013 de glioblastoma en el Hospital Universitario Donostia. Recogimos datos demográficos, relativos al tratamiento ofertado y la supervivencia. Calculamos los costes indirectos a través del método del capital humano, obteniendo datos de sujetos comparables según sexo y edad, y de mortalidad de la población general a través del Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Los salarios pasados fueron actualizados a euros de 2015 según la tasa de inflación interanual y los salarios futuros fueron descontados en un 3,5% anual en forma de interés compuesto. Resultados Revisamos a 99 pacientes, 46 mujeres (edad media 63,53 años) y 53 hombres (edad media 59,94 años). En 29 pacientes se realizó una biopsia y en los 70 restantes se realizó una cirugía resectiva. La supervivencia global media fue de 18,092 meses. Los costes indirectos totales fueron de 11.080.762 € (2015). El coste indirecto medio por paciente fue de 111.926 € (2015). Discusión A pesar de que el glioblastoma es un tipo relativamente poco frecuente de tumor, que supone el 4% de todos los tipos de cáncer, su mal pronóstico y sus posibles secuelas generan una mortalidad y morbilidad desproporcionadamente altas. Esto se traduce en unos costes indirectos muy elevados. El clínico debe ser consciente del impacto del glioblastoma en la sociedad y los costes indirectos deben ser tenidos en cuenta en los estudios de coste-efectividad para conocer las consecuencias globales de esta enfermedad.
Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumour. Despite advances in treatment, its prognosis remains dismal, with a mean survival time of about 14 months. Many articles have addressed direct ...costs, those associated with the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Indirect costs, those associated with loss of productivity due to the disease, have seldom been described.
We conducted a retrospective study in patients diagnosed with glioblastoma at Hospital Universitario Donostia between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. We collected demographics, data regarding the treatment received, and survival times. We calculated the indirect costs with the human capital approach, adjusting the mean salaries of comparable individuals by sex and age and obtaining mortality data for the general population from the Spanish National Statistics Institute. Past salaries were updated to 2015 euros according to the annual inflation rate and we applied a discount of 3.5% compounded yearly to future salaries.
We reviewed the records of 99 patients: 46 women (mean age 63.53) and 53 men (mean age 59.94); 29 patients underwent a biopsy and the remaining 70 underwent excisional surgery. Mean survival was 18.092 months for the whole series. The total indirect cost for the series was €11 080 762 (2015). Mean indirect cost per patient was €111 926 (2015).
Although glioblastoma is a relatively uncommon type of tumour, accounting for only 4% of all cancers, its poor prognosis and potential sequelae generate disproportionately large morbidity and mortality rates which translate to high indirect costs. Clinicians should be aware of the societal impact of glioblastoma and indirect costs should be taken into account when cost effectiveness studies are performed to better illustrate the overall consequences of this disease.
A tunable hydrothermal synthesis of single-crystalline BaMnO3 nanoparticles is reported. The parameters governing the synthesis pathway are carefully evaluated, assessing their influence on both the ...morphology and size of the as-prepared products. The reactor filling volume is found to have a main influence on the particle shape (predominance of microrods for a filling volume of 70% and particles for ca 40−50 %), whereas the alkalinity is crucial for the control over the size: higher alkalinities lead to a drastic decrease in both final particle size and aspect ratio. Average minimum particle diameters of ca 20 nm are prepared using a KOH concentration of 20 M, metallic salts concentrations of 50 or 100 mM, and a filling volume of 53%. Finally, the temperature and time exert a minor influence on the final structural properties of the resulting products: 200 °C and lower (even 150°C) and times of 24 hours or less (4 hours) are suitable for nanoparticles formation. The ability to synthesize nanoscale manganites with a narrow particle size distribution has allowed the study of the correlation between the nanoparticle average diameter and magnetic properties. An exchange bias phenomenology is observed in nanosized BaMnO3 as a result of ferromagnetic (FM) correlations in coexistence with a dominant antiferromagnetism. The stronger FM correlations in smaller nanoparticles lead to larger remanence and smaller exchange bias fields.
Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumour. Despite advances in treatment, its prognosis remains dismal, with a mean survival time of about 14 months. Many articles have addressed direct ...costs, those associated with the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Indirect costs, those associated with loss of productivity due to the disease, have seldom been described.
We conducted a retrospective study in patients diagnosed with glioblastoma at Hospital Universitario Donostia between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. We collected demographics, data regarding the treatment received, and survival times. We calculated the indirect costs with the human capital approach, adjusting the mean salaries of comparable individuals by sex and age and obtaining mortality data for the general population from the Spanish National Statistics Institute. Past salaries were updated to 2015 euros according to the annual inflation rate and we applied a discount of 3.5% compounded yearly to future salaries.
We reviewed the records of 99 patients: 46 women (mean age 63.53) and 53 men (mean age 59.94); 29 patients underwent a biopsy and the remaining 70 underwent excisional surgery. Mean survival was 18.092 months for the whole series. The total indirect cost for the series was €11080762 (2015). Mean indirect cost per patient was €111926 (2015).
Although glioblastoma is a relatively uncommon type of tumour, accounting for only 4% of all cancers, its poor prognosis and potential sequelae generate disproportionately large morbidity and mortality rates which translate to high indirect costs. Clinicians should be aware of the societal impact of glioblastoma and indirect costs should be taken into account when cost effectiveness studies are performed to better illustrate the overall consequences of this disease.
El glioblastoma es el tumor cerebral más frecuente. A pesar de los avances en su tratamiento, el pronóstico sigue siendo pobre, con una supervivencia media en torno a los 14 meses. Los costes directos, aquellos asociados al diagnóstico y el tratamiento de la enfermedad, han sido descritos ampliamente. Los costes indirectos, aquellos derivados de la pérdida de productividad debido a la enfermedad, han sido descritos en escasas ocasiones.
Realizamos un estudio retrospectivo, incluyendo a los pacientes diagnosticados entre el 1 de enero del 2010 y el 31 de diciembre del 2013 de glioblastoma en el Hospital Universitario Donostia. Recogimos datos demográficos, relativos al tratamiento ofertado y la supervivencia. Calculamos los costes indirectos a través del método del capital humano, obteniendo datos de sujetos comparables según sexo y edad, y de mortalidad de la población general a través del Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Los salarios pasados fueron actualizados a euros de 2015 según la tasa de inflación interanual y los salarios futuros fueron descontados en un 3,5% anual en forma de interés compuesto.
Revisamos a 99 pacientes, 46 mujeres (edad media 63,53 años) y 53 hombres (edad media 59,94 años). En 29 pacientes se realizó una biopsia y en los 70 restantes se realizó una cirugía resectiva. La supervivencia global media fue de 18,092 meses. Los costes indirectos totales fueron de 11.080.762 € (2015). El coste indirecto medio por paciente fue de 111.926 € (2015).
A pesar de que el glioblastoma es un tipo relativamente poco frecuente de tumor, que supone el 4% de todos los tipos de cáncer, su mal pronóstico y sus posibles secuelas generan una mortalidad y morbilidad desproporcionadamente altas. Esto se traduce en unos costes indirectos muy elevados. El clínico debe ser consciente del impacto del glioblastoma en la sociedad y los costes indirectos deben ser tenidos en cuenta en los estudios de coste-efectividad para conocer las consecuencias globales de esta enfermedad.