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The LIR!C trial showed that laparoscopic ileocaecal resection is a cost-effective treatment that has similar quality-of-life outcomes to treatment with infliximab, an anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) drug. We aimed to compare long-term outcomes of both interventions and identify baseline factors associated with the duration of treatment effect in each group.

Treatment of patients with ileocaecal Crohn's disease who have not responded to conventional therapy is commonly scaled up to biological agents, but surgery can also offer excellent short-term and long-term results. We compared laparoscopic ileocaecal resection with infliximab to assess how they affect health-related quality of life.

Universities are increasingly evolving into network organisations 3.0. In these new organisations, hierarchically connected components are no longer the norm. Instead, departments and teams have their own internal and external relationships. To best support a network organisation 3.0, the focus of the communications department needs to shift to managing conversations and connecting the organisation with its surroundings. A communications department is best able to achieve this when it is itself structured as a network. In response to the network organisation 3.0, HAN University of Applied Sciences changed its communications department’s organisational structure from a central staff department to a matrix department with central and decentralised teams. The department also created specific centres of knowledge in which members of central and decentralised teams participate simultaneously. These centres have further developed into networks. Additionally, the communications department at HAN is part of an extensive regional platform of professionals who specialise in marketing, communications, science and creative design. Participation in the regional network ensures up-to-date expertise and great flexibility, while also fostering partnerships that arise as a result of mutual attraction between the parties.

As a former aircraft engine mechanic and member of Naval Air Transport Squadron 2 (VR-2) at Alameda, Calif., in 1954-55, I read with great interest and pleasure "The Mighty Mars" […]

AbstractA new membrane distillation (MD) concept (MemPower) has been developed for the simultaneous production of high-quality water from various aqueous feedstocks with cogeneration of mechanical power (electricity). Driven by low-grade heat (waste, solar, geothermal, etc.) a pressurized distillate can be produced by operating TNO’s Memstill®process at high hydraulic pressures. These pressures are theoretically limited by the liquid entry pressure (LEP) of the membrane. The proof of principle has been shown and is based on the transport of water vapor against a hydraulic pressure gradient. Various commercially available membranes have been evaluated in order to obtain high yields in water flux and power densities. Power densities have been measured which are sufficient to drive the pumps in MD. This allows standalone Memstill®units without electricity consumption to be possible, which are fully driven by waste heat. The application of new incompressible hydrophobic membranes, combining a high permeance with a high LEP, will allow for much higher power densities.

The article examines the architectural trend of urban high-rise living. According to the author, a major challenge in designing tall buildings lies not only in creating good spaces and then vertically stacking them up. The author adds that the challenge for new monuments can be found in creating a civic-minded architecture.

Bimetallic three‐dimensional amorphous mesoporous materials, Al‐Zr‐TUD‐1 materials, were synthesised by using a surfactant‐free, one‐pot procedure employing triethanolamine (TEA) as a complexing reagent. The amount of aluminium and zirconium was varied in order to study the effect of these metals on the Brønsted and Lewis acidity, as well as on the resulting catalytic activity of the material. The materials were characterised by various techniques, including elemental analysis, X‐ray diffraction, high‐resolution TEM, N2physisorption, temperature‐programmed desorption (TPD) of NH3, and 27Al MAS NMR, XPS and FT‐IR spectroscopy using pyridine and CO as probe molecules. Al‐Zr‐TUD‐1 materials are mesoporous with surface areas ranging from 700–900 m2g−1, an average pore size of around 4 nm and a pore volume of around 0.70 cm3g−1. The synthesised Al‐Zr‐TUD‐1 materials were tested as catalyst materials in the Lewis acid catalysed Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley reduction of 4‐tert‐butylcyclohexanone, the intermolecular Prins synthesis of nopol and in the intramolecular Prins cyclisation of citronellal. Although Al‐Zr‐TUD‐1 catalysts possess a lower amount of acid sites than their monometallic counterparts, according to TPD of NH3, these materials outperformed those of the monometallic Al‐TUD‐1 as well as Zr‐TUD‐1 in the Prins cyclisation of citronellal. This proves the existence of synergistic properties of Al‐Zr‐TUD‐1. Due to the intramolecular nature of the Prins cyclisation of citronellal, the hydrophilic surface of the catalyst as well as the presence of both Brønsted and Lewis acid sites synergy could be obtained with bimetallic Al‐Zr‐TUD‐1. Besides spectroscopic investigation of the active sites of the catalyst material a thorough testing of the catalyst in different types of reactions is crucial in identifying its specific active sites.

To maximize utilization of expensive laboratory instruments and to make most effective use of skilled human resources, the entire chain of data processing, calculation, and reporting that is needed to transform raw NMR data into meaningful results was automated. The LEAN process improvement tools were used to identify non-value-added steps in the existing process. These steps were eliminated using an in-house developed software package, which allowed us to meet the key requirement of improving quality and reliability compared with the existing process while freeing up valuable human resources and increasing productivity. Reliability and quality were improved by the consistent data treatment as performed by the software and the uniform administration of results. Automating a single NMR spectrophotometer led to a reduction in operator time of 35%, doubling of the annual sample throughput from 1400 to 2800, and reducing the turn around time from 6 days to less than 2.

Nowadays, the great versatility of the miniemulsion polymerization technique to synthesize novel and high value added materials attracts great interest from both the academic and the industrial community. Recently, a novel process based on the use of alkali soluble resin (ASR) as sole surfactant in miniemulsion polymerization for high solids content latexes has been disclosed. This new technology opens a vast field for the production of high performance latexes for industrial applications, as well as an interesting topic for future academic research. This work presents the key factors influencing the use of ASR in aqueous polymer dispersions, highlighting the differences in terms of types and concentrations of ASR used in conventional and miniemulsion polymerization. The effects of type of initiator, ASR concentration and type, as well as solids content on the miniemulsion polymerization of styrene and acrylic monomers are presented.

Seeded emulsion polymerizations of styrene in the presence of two reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) agents were studied. We designed the seed to be small to observe the effects of exit and, we made the seed of poly(methyl methacrylate) so that the molecular weight distributions of poly(styrene) by gel permeation chromatography could be obtained independently by UV detection. The rates were significantly retarded by the presence of a RAFT agent, with the retardation being greater with an EMA RAFT agent [2-(ethoxycarbonyl)propyl-2-yl dithiobenzoate] than with a cumyl RAFT agent (2-phenylprop-2-yl dithiobenzoate). We propose that exit from the particles after fragmentation was the main cause of retardation. In addition, the number-average molecular weight and polydispersities (broad) did not resemble the characteristic living behavior found in bulk or solution. This was a result of the continuous transportation of RAFT agent into the particles during interval II and the transportation of a small amount during interval III. A conspicuous red layer was also observed at the beginning of the polymerization. The red layer consisted of low molecular weight dormant species swollen with monomer. Once the switch from interval II to interval III occurred, the low molecular weight species coalesced to form a red coagulant. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3864–3874, 2000

Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) was applied to the copolymerization of styrene and maleic anhydride. The product had a low polydispersity and a predetermined molar mass. Novel, well-defined polyolefin-based block copolymers were prepared with a macromolecular RAFT agent prepared from a commercially available polyolefin (Kraton L-1203). The second block consisted of either polystyrene or poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride). Furthermore, the colored, labile dithioester moiety in the product of the RAFT polymerizations could be removed from the polymer chain by UV irradiation. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3596–3603, 2000

The catalytic powerof Al‐Zr‐TUD‐1 is symbolized on the cover, in which a tiger is pacified (i.e., citronellal is cyclized) by this catalyst. The seal of the university after which the catalyst is named—Technische Universiteit Delft 1 (TUD‐1)—is depicted in the bottom right‐hand corner. For more information see the Full Paper on page 2077 ff.by U. Hanefeld et al.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "The Mighty Mars," by E. R. Johnson in the January 2009 issue, "Convair's Incredible Wet Jet," by Robert Guttman in the January 2009 issue, and "Red Mule," by Truman Temple in the November 2008 issue.