Search

Corrosion is a serious problem that affects several industries and causes significant economic losses. In recent years, the transportation industry has replaced several ferrous parts with aluminum or magnesium alloys to produce lighter vehicles. Due to this, galvanic corrosion has been more frequent in that industry. In this work, a colorimetric sensor for the detection of Al(III) species during galvanic corrosion is presented. The sensor was made of a chromophore immobilized on a gel electrolyte based on NaCl and agar. The sensor developed a red coloration proportional to the Al(III) concentration under the pH interval studied (3.2–4.5). A galvanic couple consisting of an aluminum alloy and carbon steel was used to test the capacity of the sensor to develop the production of Al(III) into the gel electrolyte and over the whole aluminum surface. Through image processing, it was possible to construct 2D Al(III) concentration maps over time using a commercial aluminum alloy (AA7075) and a castable aluminum alloy from a steering rack as a real sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cathedral of Cuernavaca City, Mexico is one of the earliest monuments built in the American Continent by the Spanish Conquerors. The cathedral lodges a collection of historic artifacts including eight bells. The aim of this study was to provide preliminary information for the conservation diagnosis of the historic bells. A set of three bells dating back to the nineteenth century was studied. Two of the bells present a crack and the third and oldest remains complete. Metallurgical characterization and electrochemical evaluation were used to describe the behavior of the patinas formed on the surfaces of the bells. Studies were done “in situ” over the surface of the artifacts. Preliminary experiments were carried out using a modern cast bronze with equivalent chemical composition. Besides the useful information for conservation purposes, the work depicts the behavior of an ancient material exposed to the atmosphere for a long period of time. The obtained data suggest a relationship between alloy composition, especially tin and lead content and electrochemical properties of the materials. Techniques used include potential measurements as function of time, potentiodynamic polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electrochemical noise as well as metallography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue: Recently, innovative clinical trial designs have been proposed, which have the potential to revolutionize clinical research. Whereas classical trials mostly evaluate only one investigational drug, platform trials embed various trials under a shared master protocol to enable the evaluation of multiple interventions for a disease or condition. Platform trials have mostly been used to evaluate cancer therapies, but also recently for COVID-19. The EU Patient-cEntric clinicAl tRial pLatforms (EU-PEARL) project aims to expand the use of platform trials as the backbone of drug development. Description of Issue: EU-PEARL is a Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking funded project (2019-2023), and a strategic public and private sector alliance, which aims to support the transformation of the classical trial approach into a cross-company collaborative, multi-compound platform, centred around patients, not diseases. How to operationalize and sustain this? A multi-stakeholder, mixed-methods approach is taken, focused around the concept of an integrated research platform (IRP), i.e., a common enabling framework for platform trials. The IRP will be established as a sustainable and scalable global solution, consisting of an infrastructure, workflows, and guidance on how to meet complex regulatory, ethical, legal, statistical and data requirements. Lessons from COVID-19 trials will be incorporated. Results: A disease-agnostic IRP is being developed, as well as four disease specific IRPs in four areas of high public health relevance, i.e. major depressive disorder, tuberculosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and neurofibromatosis. Lessons: Multi-stakeholder, multi-sector and multi-disciplinary collaborations are challenging in practice, but rewarding in outcomes. Given the complexity of setting-up these novel trials, clear communication and standardized terminology must be established, as well as continual awareness building of their components, challenges and benefits. Key messages: EU-PEARL intends to stage the clinical trials of the future, which will be more adaptive, efficient and patient-centred by design and outcome. EU-PEARĹs efforts aim to contribute to timely societal access to affordable medicines and address unmet health needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]