Effects of Structurally Different Tertiary Amines on the Properties of Quaternized Anionic Exchange Membranes Potentially Applicable for Water Electrolysis.

In this work, two structurally different monoamines (trimethylamine [TMA] and N-methylpiperidine [N-MPip]) are used for the amination of a g-VBC-15 graft copolymer, obtained by the functionalization of a mechanically robust, commercially available styrene-butadiene block copolymer (SB) with vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) via solution free-radical polymerization. Results demonstrate that g-VBC-15-based membranes quaternized with TMA have superior electrochemical performance than N-MPip counterparts; while, the mechanical properties are good and only slightly inferior to those of N-MPip. Therefore, TMA is the selected monoamine to be alternatively mixed with two polyamines (tetramethyl-1,3-propanediamine [TMPDA] and N,N,N',N'',N''-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine [PMDETA]) into different proportions, in order to modulate the average functionality of the amination mixture in terms of number of amine functional groups available for the quaternization reaction of the membranes. g-VBC-15-based membranes derived therefrom are extensively characterized to assess their thermal, mechanical, and ex situ electrochemical properties. Results indicate that membranes quaternized with a TMA/PMDETA mixture (90:10 in mole) display the highest conductivity among all the investigated membranes aminated with polyamine-based mixtures. Moreover, they have comparable mechanical and electrochemical properties to those quaternized with TMA, while exhibiting a reduced water uptake.

Vinylbenzyl Chloride/Styrene-Grafted SBS Copolymers via TEMPO-Mediated Polymerization for the Fabrication of Anion Exchange Membranes for Water Electrolysis.

In this work, a commercial SBS was functionalized with the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-N-oxyl stable radical (TEMPO) via free-radical activation initiated with benzoyl peroxide (BPO). The obtained macroinitiator was used to graft both vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) and styrene/VBC random copolymer chains from SBS to create g-VBC-x and g-VBC-x-co-Sty-z graft copolymers, respectively. The controlled nature of the polymerization as well as the use of a solvent allowed us to reduce the extent of the formation of the unwanted, non-grafted (co)polymer, thereby facilitating the graft copolymer's purification. The obtained graft copolymers were used to prepare films via solution casting using chloroform. The -CH2Cl functional groups of the VBC grafts were then quantitatively converted to -CH2(CH3)3N+ quaternary ammonium groups via reaction with trimethylamine directly on the films, and the films, therefore, were investigated as anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for potential application in a water electrolyzer (WE). The membranes were extensively characterized to assess their thermal, mechanical, and ex situ electrochemical properties. They generally presented ionic conductivity comparable to or higher than that of a commercial benchmark as well as higher water uptake and hydrogen permeability. Interestingly, the styrene/VBC-grafted copolymer was found to be more mechanically resistant than the corresponding graft copolymer not containing the styrene component. For this reason, the copolymer g-VBC-5-co-Sty-16-Q with the best balance of mechanical, water uptake, and electrochemical properties was selected for a single-cell test in an AEM-WE.

Adaptation of a cognitive-behavioral protocol for generalized anxiety disorder patientswith low educational attainment / Adaptação de um protocolo cognitivo comportamental para pacientes com transtorno de ansiedade generalizada com baixo nível educacional / Adaptación de un protocolo cognitivo-conductual de trastornos de ansiedad generalizada para pacientes con bajo nivel educativo

This article reports the experience of treating low-income patients with a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the start of the project for outpatient treatment, which included the application of a cognitive model for GAD treatment, we observed that the majority of patients presented low educational level, which made it hard for them to understand key aspects of the cognitive-behavioral based treatment offered. Therefore, important adaptations to the treatment protocol were made necessary, including the way techniques were presented and applied, the therapeutic approach used, and even the duration of sessions. Since variations of cognitive therapy are increasingly being applied in hospital outpatient clinics in countries worldwide, the objective of this article is to present the adaptations performed and promote a discussion on the possible solutions for the difficulties faced in applying clinical psychology practice among patients with low educational and socioeconomic levels. This is a clinical study presenting an illustrative case, where adaptations to the treatment protocol were essential for the positive outcome of the case. It is concluded that, with the scope of treatment in mind, the therapist must be attentive to the client's demands and particularities in order to achieve therapeutic success.

Este artigo relata a experiência de tratamento de pacientes de baixa renda com diagnóstico primário de transtorno de ansiedade generalizada (TAG) em hospital público no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. A ideia inicial do projeto era tratamento ambulatorial, com aplicação de um modelo cognitivo para o tratamento de TAG; porém, observamos que a maioria dos pacientes apresentou baixo nível educacional, o que tornava difícil sua compreensão dos principais aspectos do tratamento cognitivo-comportamental oferecido. Assim, foram feitas adaptações no protocolo de tratamento, incluindo a forma como as técnicas foram apresentadas e aplicadas, a abordagem terapêutica utilizada e a duração das sessões. Considerando que variações de terapias cognitivas são cada vez mais aplicadas em ambulatórios hospitalares em todo o mundo, o objetivo deste artigo é apresentar as adaptações realizadas e discutir possíveis soluções para as dificuldades enfrentadas na prática clínica com pacientes com baixo nível educacional e socioeconômico. Trata-se de um estudo clínico, com apresentação de um caso ilustrativo. Os resultados obtidos foram positivos e mostraram que as adaptações no protocolo foram essenciais para o sucesso terapêutico. Conclui-se que, tendo em mente o escopo do tratamento, o terapeuta deve estar atento às demandas e particularidades do cliente a fim de obter sucesso terapêutico.

Este artículo reporta la experiencia del tratamiento de pacientes de bajos recursos con diagnóstico primario de Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada (TAG) en hospitales públicos de Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. La idea original era el tratamiento ambulatorio con aplicación de un modelo cognitivo para el TAG. No obstante, el bajo nivel educativo presentado por la mayoría de los pacientes hace que les resulte difícil la comprensión de los principales aspectos del tratamiento cognitivo-conductual ofrecido. Adaptaciones fueron entonces realizadas en el protocolo de tratamiento, incluyendo cómo las técnicas fueron introducidas y aplicadas, el enfoque terapéutico utilizado y la duración de las sesiones. Dado que variantes de la terapia cognitiva son cada vez más aplicadas en la atención ambulatoria hospitalaria de todo el mundo, el objetivo de este artículo es presentar las adaptaciones realizadas y analizar posibles soluciones a las dificultades encontradas en la práctica de la psicología clínica con pacientes con bajo nivel educativo y socioeconómico, a partir de un caso ilustrativo. Los resultados obtenidos, positivos, indican que las adaptaciones realizadas fueron fundamentales para el éxito de la terapia. Podemos concluir que el terapeuta debe estar atento a las demandas y particularidad del cliente a fin de que la terapia sea exitosa.