Pulsed processing by cold plasma, applied to industrial emission control.

A promising pollution control technology is cold plasma driven chemical processing. The plasma is a pulsed electric gas discharge inside a near atmospheric-pressure-temperature reactor. The system is energized by a continuous stream of very short high-voltage pulses. The exhaust gas to be treated flows through the reactor. The methods applied involve the development of robust cold plasma systems, industrial applications and measuring technologies. Tests of the systems were performed at many industrial sites and involved control of airborne VOC (volatile organic compound) and odor. Electrical, chemical and odor measuring data were collected with state-of-the-art methods. To explain the test data an approximate solution of global reaction kinetics of pulsed plasma chemistry was developed. It involves the Lambert function and, for convenience, a simple approximation of it. The latter shows that the amount of removal, in good approximation, is a function of a single variable. This variable is electric plasma power divided by gas flow divided by input concentration. In the results sections we show that in some cases up to 99% of volatile pollution can be removed at an acceptable energy requirement. In the final sections we look into future efficiency enhancements by implementation of (sub)nanosecond pulsed plasma and solid state high-voltage technology and by integration with catalyst technology.

Elevated preoperative serum interleukin-6 level is predictive for worse postoperative outcome after soft tissue sarcoma surgery.

BACKGROUND: The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a role in cancer development and progression, but research into the predictive value of IL-6 on postoperative outcome in soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is scarce. The purpose of this study is to investigate the predictive value of serum IL-6 level for the achievement of assumed (post)operative outcome after STS surgery, the so-called textbook outcome. METHODS: Preoperative IL-6 serum levels were collected in all patients with a STS at first presentation between February 2020 and November 2021. Textbook outcome was defined as a R0 resection, no complications, no blood transfusions, no reoperation within the postoperative period, no prolonged hospital stay, no hospital readmission within 90-days, and no mortality within 90-days. Factors associated with textbook outcome were determined by multivariable analysis. RESULTS: Among 118 patients with primary, non-metastatic STS, 35.6% achieved a textbook outcome. Univariate analysis showed that smaller tumor size (p = 0.026), lower tumor grade (p = 0.006), normal hemoglobin (Hb, p = 0.044), normal white blood cell (WBC) count (p = 0.018), normal C-reactive protein (CRP) serum level (p = 0.002) and normal IL-6 serum level (p = 1.5 × 10-5) were associated with achieving textbook outcome after surgery. Multivariable analysis showed that elevated IL-6 serum level (p = 0.012) was significantly associated with not achieving a textbook outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Increased IL-6 serum level is predictive for not achieving a textbook outcome after surgery for primary, non-metastatic STS.

Neurocognitive predictors of treatment completion and daytime activities at follow-up in multiproblem young adults.

Previous research has shown an association between cognitive control deficits and problematic behavior such as antisocial behavior and substance use, but little is known about the predictive value of cognitive control for treatment outcome. The current study tests whether selected markers of baseline cognitive control predict (1) treatment completion of a day treatment program involving a combination of approaches for multiproblem young adults and (2) daytime activities a year after the start of treatment, over and above psychological, social, and criminal characteristics. We assessed individual, neurobiological, and neurobehavioral measures, including functional brain activity during an inhibition task and two electroencephalographic measures of error processing in 127 male multiproblem young adults (age 18-27 years). We performed two hierarchical regression models to test the predictive power of cognitive control for treatment completion and daytime activities at follow-up. The overall models did not significantly predict treatment completion or daytime activities at follow-up. However, activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during response inhibition, years of regular alcohol use, internalizing problems, and ethnicity were all significant individual predictors of daytime activity at follow-up. In conclusion, cognitive control could not predict treatment completion or daytime activities a year after the start of treatment over and above individual characteristics. However, results indicate a direct association between brain activity during response inhibition and participation in daytime activities, such as work or school, after treatment. As adequate baseline inhibitory control is associated with a positive outcome at follow-up, this suggests interventions targeting cognitive control might result in better outcomes at follow-up.

Short-term general recidivism risk of juvenile sex offenders: validation of the Washington State Juvenile Court Prescreen Assessment.

It is important to examine whether general risk-assessment instruments developed for nonsex offenders can also be applied to sex offenders, because juvenile sex offenders are much more likely to reoffend with a nonsexual offense than a sexual offense. This study examined to what extent the Washington State Juvenile Court Prescreen Assessment (WSJCPA) can be used to assess the risk for general recidivism among different types of juvenile sex offenders. The predictive validity of the WSJCPA was examined separately for the following subgroups: boys convicted for a misdemeanor sexual offense against a peer (n = 381), boys convicted for a felony sexual offense against a peer (n = 282), boys convicted for a sexual offense against a younger child (n = 521), and girls convicted for a sexual offense (n = 71) and two comparison groups of male (n = 15,155) and female (n = 5,811) juvenile nonsex offenders. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve scores for general recidivism ranged between .64 and .73. The WSJCPA proved to be at least equally predictive of general offending among juvenile sex and nonsex offenders groups.

Changes in the relative importance of dynamic risk factors for recidivism during adolescence.

This study examined which dynamic risk factors for recidivism play an important role during adolescence. The sample consisted of 13,613 American juveniles who had committed a criminal offense. The results showed that the importance of almost all dynamic risk factors, both in the social environment domain (school, family, relationships) and in the individual domain (attitude, skills, aggressiveness), decreased as juveniles grew older. Therefore, the potential effect of an intervention aimed at these factors will also decrease as juveniles grow older. The relative importance of the risk factors also changed: In early adolescence, risk factors in the family domain showed the strongest association with recidivism, whereas in late adolescence risk factors in the attitude, relationships, and school domain were more strongly related to recidivism. These results suggest that the focus of an intervention needs to be attuned to the age of the juvenile to achieve the maximum potential effect on recidivism.

Group climate and empathy in a sample of incarcerated boys.

This study examined the influence of group climate on empathy in a Dutch youth correctional facility in a sample of 59 incarcerated delinquent boys. Higher levels of empathy have been shown to be associated with less delinquent and more prosocial behaviour and may therefore be vital for successful rehabilitation and recidivism reduction. Although empathy was originally considered to be a trait, recent neurobiological research has shown that empathy has state-like properties in that levels of empathy change in response to the social environment. This study showed that differences in group climate were associated with cognitive empathy in juvenile delinquents but not with affective empathy. It is speculated that inmates' state-depressive feelings and anxiety could diminish the effects of prison group climate on affective empathy. The discussion focuses on group dynamics in youth correctional facilities. A positive prison group climate in a youth correctional facility could turn out to be a major factor contributing to effectiveness of secure institutional treatment.