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Leather-wood fibreboards are innovative composite materials, which combine together the high mechanical properties of wood with the superior fire behaviour properties of leather. This study deals with the understanding of the combustion mechanism of the wet-white leather panel. During burning, an overlay coating-like surface is formed on top of a foamy structure that creates the heat transfer barrier. The FT-IR spectroscopy results of the leather show the rearrangement of the proteins and the formation of an increasing amount of acid groups when the exposure to hot gun at over 530°C was prolonged. These acid moieties can react with amino groups of other peptide chains, building a protective polymer network which hinders the oxygen to reach the core of the panel. Simultaneously, the gases produced during rearrangement cannot easily leave the material, producing a foamy structure which slows down the heat transfer to the core of the material. The Py-GC-MS analysis shows that the gases produced by the wet-white leather-type protein-based boards were amino-aromatic compounds like the diketopiperazine (DKP), which do not burn easily. The combination of the effects of (i) formation of the overlay coating-like surface, (ii) establishment of the foamy structure, and (iii) degassing of DKP explains the outstanding fire properties of leather and wood-leather fibreboards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper focused on reducing greenhouse gases emissions in wastewater treatment plants operation by application of suitable control strategies. Specifically, the objective is to reduce nitrous oxide emissions during the nitrification process. Incomplete nitrification in the aerobic tanks can lead to an accumulation of nitrite that triggers the nitrous oxide emissions. In order to avoid the peaks of nitrous oxide emissions, this paper proposes a cascade control configuration by manipulating the dissolved oxygen set-points in the aerobic tanks. This control strategy is combined with ammonia cascade control already applied in the literature. This is performed with the objective to take also into account effluent pollutants and operational costs. In addition, other greenhouse gases emissions sources are also evaluated. Results have been obtained by simulation, using a modified version of Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2, which takes into account greenhouse gases emissions. This is called Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2 Gas. The results show that the proposed control strategies are able to reduce by 29.86% of nitrous oxide emissions compared to the default control strategy, while maintaining a satisfactory trade-off between water quality and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical and mechanical properties of OSB made with mixture of beech and poplar strands were compared to boards made purely of beech, poplar and pine at 650 and 720 kg m−3. The mixed beech and poplar strand boards showed better properties in bending strength and IB compared to pure panels. In addition, MOR and MOE were found to reach values two times higher than the levels as specified in EN300 the standard at a density of 720 kg m−3. Thickness Swelling (TS) after 24 h for panels of mixed beech and poplar strands were 13%, which is around 35% less than EN300 allows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport teaches you to fight for your goal and not to be harmed in the moments of balance. The psyche feeds on the desire for recognition, self-transcendence and progress; consequently, once the taste for small victories has settled and the desire to overcome barriers exists, the ambition to achieve the set goals appears. Ambition means pursuing a goal and the desire to do everything in your power to achieve it. In the paper "The role of players as innovators" we aimed to present first of all the social dimension of sport, why it has become so important nowadays, as well as the reasons why we consider athletes to be innovative. In the last part are presented a series of athletes considered innovators or pioneers, each in the sport they practice, because they managed to stand out and have exceptional results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sport and the athlete have inspired a lot of admiration among people. With the passing of the years and the improvement of knowledge about the human body and its capabilities, most believed that their abilities could not be improved. But with the advancement of modern technology, this has changed. The modern athlete uses all the help he can get; from specialized coaching to dieticians, to the best and latest technologies. The data gathered through technology is used to dissect the athlete's performance, identifying exactly where improvement is needed and where the focus is needed. In the paper "The use of technological innovations in sport" we make a presentation on how technology has taken over the sports field and produced numerous improvements in various equipments, how this technological development has affected the sports products market and a small analysis of the global sports equipment market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sports betting is the oldest form of gambling in the world. In the beginning, it was simply a leisure activity. We are currently talking about a multi-billion-euro deal. The sports betting industry has changed more in 15 years than in the last 50 years. In the 1950s, sports betting began to enter the world and almost nothing changed until the beginning of the 21st century. However, with the onset of the new millennium, online betting has changed the landscape dramatically, and is now developing at a fast pace than ever before. The future is always unpredictable, but we will try to imagine it based on current trends in sports betting. The paper "The impact of the betting industry on sports" aims to present a series of aspects regarding the history of sports games, the types of sports games existing today, a brief highlight of the Romanian sports games market and a short presentation of the positive and negative effects on sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated in which way a linear probe, a transvaginal probe and a 3D probe will perform in the investigation of the fetal spine. The targets of the examination were the same as for the 2D convex probe: longitudinal image of the spine and position of the cord in the neural canal. [Extracted from the article]

In our days building a brand means that you start getting visitors to the site who have no reason to be there, except that part of the brain is connected with the company name. In the long run, this situation becomes paramount to expanding the brand. Because it is a first choice, people think about the name of the business and will tell or recommend the services / product to their peers. In the paper " Building the brand of Romanian sports teams from handball" we initially sought to present the theoretical aspects of the brand term, an introduction to the history of Romanian handball, presentation of the results and medals won by the Romanian teams and the strategy used so far that led to the transformation of Romanian handball into a brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic combined test (CRL+NT+blood test) and NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing) do not have the ability to identify morphological anomalies. New ultrasound machines with improved resolution that provide a good 2D image allow the visualization of the smallest details and together with experienced sonographers increase the detection rate of first trimester anomalies. The 11-13+6-week scan is an accessible investigation that allows preventive and therapeutic measures in certain cases. A normal scan is important for reassurance, especially for patients having an increased risk. We analyzed cases from 2016 to 2019 that had an NIPT performed followed by an ultrasound scan at 11-13+6 weeks. A special attention was given to cases with negative NIPT and chromosomal anomalies diagnosed invasively/ postaborum after ultrasound. Between 2016 and 2019, we had 323 patients who had a NIPT screening at 10 weeks and presented for an anomaly scan at 11-13+6 weeks. Among these, we encountered three cases of chromosomal anomalies diagnosed after termination of pregnancy – due to multiple anomalies, one case of spina bifida, and four cases of single umbilical artery. NIPT has become a widely used tool in both high- and low-risk pregnancies and it is obvious that parents expect an honest and complete answer regarding their fetus. Studies available so far show that about 50% of major fetal anomalies can be detected at the 11-13+6-week scan and a complete anatomy scan – for this gestational age – is possible in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]