Showing papers by "Long Island University published in 2012"
TL;DR: This work discusses important varieties of boson stars, their dynamic properties, and some of their uses, concentrating on recent efforts.
Abstract: The idea of stable, localized bundles of energy has strong appeal as a model for particles. In the 1950s, John Wheeler envisioned such bundles as smooth configurations of electromagnetic energy that he called geons, but none were found. Instead, particle-like solutions were found in the late 1960s with the addition of a scalar field, and these were given the name boson stars. Since then, boson stars find use in a wide variety of models as sources of dark matter, as black hole mimickers, in simple models of binary systems, and as a tool in finding black holes in higher dimensions with only a single Killing vector. We discuss important varieties of boson stars, their dynamic properties, and some of their uses, concentrating on recent efforts.
459 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors trace the market reaction to corporate entry and exit from the Domini 400 Social Index, recognized as a CSR benchmark, between 1990 and 2004, revealing a significant negative effect on abnormal returns after exit announcements from theDomini index.
254 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) on Corporate Financial Performance (CFP) measured by ROA and Tobin's Q was assessed and the relationship between firms' return on assets (ROA) and ECSR, strengths and concerns, is negative and statistically significant.
234 citations
TL;DR: This work discusses important varieties of boson stars, their dynamic properties, and some of their uses, concentrating on recent efforts.
Abstract: The idea of stable, localized bundles of energy has strong appeal as a model for particles. In the 1950s John Wheeler envisioned such bundles as smooth configurations of electromagnetic energy that he called {\em geons}, but none were found. Instead, particle-like solutions were found in the late 1960s with the addition of a scalar field, and these were given the name {\em boson stars}. Since then, boson stars find use in a wide variety of models as sources of dark matter, as black hole mimickers, in simple models of binary systems, and as a tool in finding black holes in higher dimensions with only a single killing vector. We discuss important varieties of boson stars, their dynamic properties, and some of their uses, concentrating on recent efforts.
201 citations
TL;DR: The results show that the NO nanoparticles (NO-np) significantly accelerated wound healing and have the ability to modulate and accelerate wound healing in a pleiotropic manner.
Abstract: Wound healing is a complex process that involves coordinated interactions between diverse immunological and biological systems. Long-term wounds remain a challenging clinical problem, affecting approximately 6 million patients per year, with a high economic impact. To exacerbate the problem, these wounds render the individual susceptible to life-threatening microbial infections. Because current therapeutic strategies have proved suboptimal, it is imperative to focus on new therapeutic approaches and the development of technologies for both short- and long-term wound management. In recent years, nitric oxide (NO) has emerged as a critical molecule in wound healing, with NO levels increasing rapidly after skin damage and gradually decreasing as the healing process progresses. In this study, we examined the effects of a novel NO-releasing nanoparticle technology on wound healing in mice. The results show that the NO nanoparticles (NO-np) significantly accelerated wound healing. NO-np modified leukocyte migration and increased tumor growth factor-β production in the wound area, which subsequently promoted angiogenesis to enhance the healing process. By using human dermal fibroblasts, we demonstrate that NO-np increased fibroblast migration and collagen deposition in wounded tissue. Together, these data show that NO-releasing nanoparticles have the ability to modulate and accelerate wound healing in a pleiotropic manner.
166 citations
TL;DR: Preliminary findings were taken to suggest that use of the vocal fry register may be common in some adult SAE speakers.
136 citations
TL;DR: The promising results of this study suggest that further studies are warranted to validate the potential benefits of a low-cost commercially available gaming system as a treatment strategy to supplement rehabilitation of children with disabilities.
129 citations
TL;DR: The complex roles of macrophage autophagy in restricting intracellular parasitism by fungi are demonstrated and connections with nonlytic exocytosis, humoral immunity, and cytokine signaling are revealed.
Abstract: Autophagy is used by eukaryotes in bulk cellular material recycling and in immunity to intracellular pathogens. We evaluated the role of macrophage autophagy in the response to Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans, two important opportunistic fungal pathogens. The autophagosome marker LC3 (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 alpha) was present in most macrophage vacuoles containing C. albicans. In contrast, LC3 was found in only a few vacuoles containing C. neoformans previously opsonized with antibody but never after complement-mediated phagocytosis. Disruption of host autophagy in vitro by RNA interference against ATG5 (autophagy-related 5) decreased the phagocytosis of C. albicans and the fungistatic activity of J774.16 macrophage-like cells against both fungi, independent of the opsonin used. ATG5-knockout bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) also had decreased fungistatic activity against C. neoformans when activated. In contrast, nonactivated ATG5-knockout BMMs actually restricted C. neoformans growth more efficiently, suggesting that macrophage autophagy plays different roles against C. neoformans, depending on the macrophage type and activation. Interference with autophagy in J774.16 cells also decreased nonlytic exocytosis of C. neoformans, increased interleukin-6 secretion, and decreased gamma interferon-induced protein 10 secretion. Mice with a conditionally knocked out ATG5 gene in myeloid cells showed increased susceptibility to intravenous C. albicans infection. In contrast, these mice manifested no increased susceptibility to C. neoformans, as measured by survival, but had fewer alternatively activated macrophages and less inflammation in the lungs after intratracheal infection than control mice. These results demonstrate the complex roles of macrophage autophagy in restricting intracellular parasitism by fungi and reveal connections with nonlytic exocytosis, humoral immunity, and cytokine signaling.
110 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the pathologic mechanisms that may link diet and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome related-pain, concentrating upon specific comestibles such as acidic foods, foods high in potassium, caffeine, and alcohol.
Abstract: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?
Nearly 90% of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) report sensitivities to a wide variety of dietary comestibles. Current questionnaire-based literature suggests that citrus fruits, tomatoes, vitamin C, artificial sweeteners, coffee, tea, carbonated and alcoholic beverages, and spicy foods tend to exacerbate symptoms, while calcium glycerophosphate and sodium bicarbonate tend to improve symptoms. At present we recommend employing a controlled method to determine dietary sensitivities, such as an elimination diet, in order to identify sensitivities while at the same time maintain optimal nutritional intake.
We review current literature with regard to diet's effect upon IC/BPS and common comorbidities (irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, neuropathic pain, vulvodynia, and headache) with a focus upon questionnaire-based investigations. We discuss the pathologic mechanisms that may link diet and IC/BPS related-pain, concentrating upon specific comestibles such as acidic foods, foods high in potassium, caffeine, and alcohol.
• Up to 90% of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) report sensitivities to a wide variety of comestibles.
• Pathological mechanisms suggested to be responsible for the relationship between dietary intake and symptom exacerbation include peripheral and/or central neural upregulation, bladder epithelial dysfunction, and organ ‘cross-talk’, amongst others.
• Current questionnaire-based data suggests that citrus fruits, tomatoes, vitamin C, artificial sweeteners, coffee, tea, carbonated and alcoholic beverages, and spicy foods tend to exacerbate symptoms, while calcium glycerophosphate and sodium bicarbonate tend to improve symptoms.
• Specific comestible sensitivities varied between patients and may have been influenced by comorbid conditions.
• This suggests that a controlled method to determine dietary sensitivities, such as an elimination diet, may play an important role in patient management.
108 citations
TL;DR: These findings support the relevance of interpersonal pathoplasticity in depressive course and that this heterogeneity has clinical significance, and are the first to use LPA and circular profiles to examine interpersonal heterogeneity within a diagnostic group.
Abstract: Objective: The identification of reliable predictors of course in major depressive disorder (MDD) has been difficult. Evidence suggests that the co-occurrence of personality pathology is associated with longer time to MDD remission. Interpersonal pathoplasticity, the mutually influencing nonetiological relationship between psychopathology and interpersonal traits, offers an avenue for examining specific personality vulnerabilities that may be associated with depressive course. Method: This study examined 312 participants with and without a co-occurring personality disorder diagnosis who met criteria for a current MDD episode at baseline and who were followed for 10 years in the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. Results: Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified 6 interpersonal groups (extraverted, dominant, arrogant, cold, submissive, and unassuming), and circular statistical profile analysis confirmed group interpersonal distinctiveness. No significant differences between groups were found in comorbid Axis I disorders or baseline MDD severity. Chronicity and functioning analyses found significantly greater chronicity and poorer functioning in individuals with a submissive interpersonal style over 10 years. Conclusions: These findings support the relevance of interpersonal pathoplasticity in depressive course and that this heterogeneity has clinical significance. This study is the first to use LPA and circular profiles to examine interpersonal heterogeneity within a diagnostic group. The implications of these findings for therapeutic intervention, interpersonal functioning, and psychopathological course are discussed.
99 citations
TL;DR: Evidence in the literature demonstrated that bath salts are highly abused, and common adverse effects include hypertension, tachycardia, and psychiatric symptoms, clearly demonstrating that baths contain dangerous substances that should be permanently controlled.
Abstract: Objective:To review the current legal status and patterns of abuse of bath salts.Data Sources:A literature search was conducted through MEDLINE (1950-December 2011), PubMed (1966–December 2011), EMBASE (1966-December 2011), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-December 2011) using the search terms bath salts, mephedrone, and methylenedioxypyrovalerone to identify articles on the legal status of bath salts and on studies focusing on patterns of abuse of bath salts. The GovTrack.us Web site was searched to determine the status of federal bills regarding bath salts. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and Drug Enforcement Administration Web sites and the Federal Registerwere also examined to identify legislation on bath salts.Study Selection and Data Extraction:Case reports and studies regarding bath salts were examined. Federal laws involving bath salts were also evaluated.Data Synthesis:The Department of Justice issued a final order in the Federal Register, temporarily placing the 3 ...
TL;DR: This work demonstrates in a murine model that in these settings NO releasing nanoparticles significantly enhance wound healing, suggesting that NO-NPs may serve as a novel wound-healing therapy in the setting of immunocompromised states associated with impaired wound healing.
TL;DR: Female athletes exhibited greater frontal plane knee and ankle kinematic asymmetry than males during forward landings which may be related to the higher rate of ACL injury.
TL;DR: In this paper, a relativistic magnetohydrodynamics implementation was proposed to model the collapse of a star and provide appropriate boundary conditions to a force-free model which describes the stellar exterior.
Abstract: We study the gravitational collapse of a magnetized neutron star using a novel numerical approach able to capture both the dynamics of the star and the behavior of the surrounding plasma. In this approach, a fully general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics implementation models the collapse of the star and provides appropriate boundary conditions to a force-free model which describes the stellar exterior. We validate this strategy by comparing with known results for the rotating monopole and aligned rotator solutions and then apply it to study both rotating and nonrotating stellar collapse scenarios and contrast the behavior with what is obtained when employing the electrovacuum approximation outside the star. The nonrotating electrovacuum collapse is shown to agree qualitatively with a Newtonian model of the electromagnetic field outside a collapsing star. We illustrate and discuss a fundamental difference between the force-free and electrovacuum solutions, involving the appearance of large zones of electric-dominated field in the vacuum case. This provides a clear demonstration of how dissipative singularities appear generically in the nonlinear time evolution of force-free fluids. In both the rotating and nonrotating cases, our simulations indicate that the collapse induces a strong electromagnetic transient, which leaves behind an uncharged, unmagnetized Kerr black hole. In the case of submillisecond rotation, the magnetic field experiences strong winding, and the transient carries much more energy. This result has important implications for models of gamma-ray bursts. Even when the neutron star is surrounded by an accretion torus (as in binary merger and collapsar scenarios), a magnetosphere may emerge through a dynamo process operating in a surface shear layer. When this rapidly rotating magnetar collapses to a black hole, the electromagnetic energy released can compete with the later output in a Blandford-Znajek jet. Much less electromagnetic energy is released by a massive magnetar that is (initially) gravitationally stable: its rotational energy is dissipated mainly by internal torques. A distinct plasmoid structure is seen in our nonrotating simulations, which will generate a radio transient with subluminal expansion and greater synchrotron efficiency than is expected in shock models. Closely related phenomena appear to be at work in the giant flares of Galactic magnetars.
TL;DR: The authors' expression data confirm some aspects of bilaterian-wide conservation of spatial partitioning within anterior neurogenic domains and also suggest a common origin for central otp-positive cell types within the larval apical organs of spiralians.
Abstract: Larval features such as the apical organ, apical ciliary tuft, and ciliated bands often complicate the evaluation of hypotheses regarding the origin of the adult bilaterian nervous system. Understanding how neurogenic domains form within the bilaterian head and larval apical organ requires expression data from animals that exhibit aspects of both centralized and diffuse nervous systems at different life history stages. Here, we describe the expression of eight neural-related genes during the larval development of the brachiopod, Terebratalia transversa. Radially symmetric gastrulae broadly express Tt-Six3/6 and Tt-hbn in the animal cap ectoderm. Tt-NK2.1 and Tt-otp are restricted to a central subset of these cells, and Tt-fez and Tt-FoxQ2 expression domains are already asymmetric at this stage. As gastrulation proceeds, the spatial expression of these genes is split between two anterior ectodermal domains, a more dorsal region comprised of Tt-Six3/6, Tt-fez, Tt-FoxQ2, and Tt-otp expression domains, and an anterior ventral domain demarcated by Tt-hbn and Tt-NK2.1 expression. More posteriorly, the latter domains are bordered by Tt-FoxG expression in the region of the transverse ciliated band. Tt-synaptotagmin 1 is expressed throughout the anterior neural ectoderm. All genes are expressed late into larval development. The basiepithelial larval nervous system includes three neurogenic domains comprised of the more dorsal apical organ and a ventral cell cluster in the apical lobe as well as a mid-ventral band of neurons in the mantle lobe. Tt-otp is the only gene expressed in numerous flask-shaped cells of the apical organ and in a subset of neurons in the mantle lobe. Our expression data for Tt-Six3/6, Tt-FoxQ2, and Tt-otp confirm some aspects of bilaterian-wide conservation of spatial partitioning within anterior neurogenic domains and also suggest a common origin for central otp-positive cell types within the larval apical organs of spiralians. However, the field of sensory neurons within the larval apical organ of Terebratalia is broader and composed of more cells relative to those of other spiralian larvae. These cellular differences are mirrored in the broader spatial and temporal expression patterns of Tt-FoxQ2 and Tt-otp. Corresponding differences in the expression of Tt-hbn, Tt-NK2.1, and Tt-FoxG are also observed relative to their respective domains within the cerebral ganglia of spiralians. Based on these data we argue that the anterior region of the bilaterian stem species included Six3/6, NK2.1, otp, hbn, fez, and FoxQ2 expression domains that were subsequently modified within larval and adult neural tissues of protostome and deuterostome animals.
TL;DR: It appears that anthropometric variables are not associated with PFPS, while knee extension strength deficits appear to be predictors of PFPS.
Abstract: Context: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common overuse injuries.Objective: To assess the collective evidence of predisposing factors to PFPS.Data Sources: MEDLINE (1960–June 2010), EMBASE (1980–June 2010), and CINAHL (1982–June 2010).Study Selection: Studies were included if patients were asymptomatic at baseline testing (free of PFPS) and were prospectively followed for the development of the disorder. Only studies that assessed at least 1 variable that can be measured at a typical clinic were included. After duplicates were removed, 973 studies were assessed from their titles or abstracts, 20 from the full text, and from these, 7 met the inclusion criteria.Data Extraction: Data were extracted for age, weight, height, sample size, patient type (military vs civilian), follow-up periods, diagnostic methods, and diagnostic criteria. Means and standard deviations were extracted for all outcome variables.Results: Meta-analyses were performed for height, weight, leanness, Q angle, numbe...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a game-theoretic model in which only the national brand (NB) is offered through a traditional retailer and the private label (PL) is introduced by the traditional retailer.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on the relationship between institutional investors, large investors' ownership and investors' portfolio characteristics on firm corporate political activity (CPA) and found that institutional ownership is associated with reduced CPA among S&P 500 firms across five election cycles.
TL;DR: Pharmacists can play a key role in reducing poisoning and overdose injuries and deaths by assisting in the early recognition of toxic exposures and guiding emergency personnel on the proper storage, selection, and use of antidotal therapies.
Abstract: Purpose Appropriate therapies for commonly encountered poisonings, medication overdoses, and other toxicological emergencies are reviewed, with discussion of pharmacists’ role in ensuring their ready availability and proper use.
Summary Poisoning is the second leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in the United States, with more than 2.4 million toxic exposures reported each year. Recently published national consensus guidelines recommend that hospitals providing emergency care routinely stock 24 antidotes for a wide range of toxicities, including toxic-alcohol poisoning, exposure to cyanide and other industrial agents, and intentional or unintentional overdoses of prescription medications (e.g., calcium-channel blockers, β-blockers, digoxin, isoniazid). Pharmacists can help reduce morbidity and mortality due to poisonings and overdoses by (1) recognizing the signs and symptoms of various types of toxic exposure, (2) guiding emergency room staff on the appropriate use of antidotes and supportive therapies, (3) helping to ensure appropriate monitoring of patients for antidote response and adverse effects, and (4) managing the procurement and stocking of antidotes to ensure their timely availability.
Conclusion Pharmacists can play a key role in reducing poisoning and overdose injuries and deaths by assisting in the early recognition of toxic exposures and guiding emergency personnel on the proper storage, selection, and use of antidotal therapies.
TL;DR: Preliminary evidence is offered that use of research-specific procedures does not contribute in a negative manner to posttreatment outcomes in psychodynamic psychotherapy, and their use contributes to positive differences that emerge with time.
Abstract: The aim of this research was to examine the extent to which the use of research-specific procedures in psychodynamic psychotherapy impacts upon treatment effectiveness and which variables moderate this potential relationship. Effects of audio/video recording of sessions, use of treatment manuals, and checks of treatment fidelity were examined. A meta-analysis was conducted on randomized controlled trials of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Forty-six independent treatment samples totaling 1615 patients were included. The magnitude of change between pretreatment and posttreatment aggregated across all studies (45 treatment samples) for overall outcome was large (d 1.01), and further improvement was observed between posttreatment and an average 12.8-month follow-up (d 0.18). Subgroup analyses comparing studies that used research-specific procedures and those that did not revealed that for posttreatment data no differences in treatment effects were found. However, the use of treatment manuals and fidelity checks were significantly associated with improvement between the end of treatment and follow-up assessment. Within the limitations of analyses, this data offered preliminary evidence that use of research-specific procedures does not contribute in a negative manner to posttreatment outcomes in psychodynamic psychotherapy, and their use contributes to positive differences that emerge with time. These findings, although observational in nature, make a case for reconsidering how dimensions of clinical utility and experimental control may be integrated in psychodynamic psychotherapy to enable further elucidation of principles that evidently work.
TL;DR: MR performed by pharmacists versus physicians was more comprehensive and was followed by lower odds ofADEs from admission prescribing errors but with similar odds of all types of ADEs.
Abstract: Background Medication reconciliation (MR) has proven to be a problematic task for many hospitals to accomplish. It is important to know the clinical impact of physician- versus pharmacist-initiated MR in the resource-limited hospital environment. Methods This quasi-experimental study took place from December 2005 to February 2006 at an urban US Veterans Affairs hospital. MR was implemented on 2 similar general medical units: one received physician-initiated MR and the other received pharmacist-initiated MR. Adverse drug events (ADEs) and a 72-hour medication-prescribing risk score were ascertained by research pharmacists for all admitted patients by structured record review. Multivariable models were tested for intervention effect, accounting for quasi-experimental design and clustered observations, and were adjusted for patient and encounter covariates. Results Pharmacists completed the MR process in 102 admissions and physicians completed the process in 116 admissions. In completing the MR process, pharmacists documented statistically more admission medication changes than physicians (3.6 vs 0.8; P Conclusion MR performed by pharmacists versus physicians was more comprehensive and was followed by lower odds of ADEs from admission prescribing errors but with similar odds of all types of ADEs. Further research is warranted to examine how MR tasks may be optimally divided among clinicians and the mechanisms by which MR affects the likelihood of subsequent ADEs. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00370916 .
TL;DR: By focusing on dialect-neutral elements of narratives--creating links across sentences and providing mental state interpretations--this study adds to the knowledge of development and impairment in narrative production among both AAE- and GAE-background children.
Abstract: Purpose This study compared the development of essential elements of narrative skill in children from African American English (AAE)- and general American English (GAE)-speaking communities using a...
TL;DR: NO-np has the potential to serve as a novel topical antifungal which can be used for the treatment of cutaneous burn infections and wounds, and histological evaluation of the affected tissue revealed that NO-np treatment modified leukocyte infiltration, minimized the fungal burden, and reduced collagen degradation, thus providing potential mechanisms for the therapeutics’ biological activity.
Abstract: Candida albicans is a leading fungal cause of burn infections in hospital settings, and sepsis is one of the principle causes of death after a severe burn. The prevalence of invasive candidiasis in burn cases varies widely, but it accounts for 3-23% of severe infection with a mortality rate ranging from 14% to 70%. Therefore, it is imperative that we develop innovative therapeutics to which this fungus is unlikely to evolve resistance, thus curtailing the associated morbidity and mortality and ultimately improving our capacity to treat these infections. An inexpensive and stable nitric oxide (NO)-releasing nanoparticle (NO-np) platform has been recently developed. NO is known to have direct antifungal activity, modulates host immune responses and is a significant regulator of wound healing. In this study, we hypothesized that NO-np would be an effective therapy in the treatment of C. albicans burn infections. Using a murine burn model, NO-np demonstrated antifungal activity against C. albicans in vivo, most likely by arresting its growth and morphogenesis as was demonstrated in vitro. Moreover, we showed that NO-np significantly accelerated the rate of wound healing in cutaneous burn infections when compared to controls. The histological evaluation of the affected tissue revealed that NO-np treatment modified leukocyte infiltration, minimized the fungal burden, and reduced collagen degradation, thus providing potential mechanisms for the therapeutics’ biological activity. Together, these data suggest that NO-np have the potential to serve as a novel topical antifungal which can be used for the treatment of cutaneous burn infections and wounds.
TL;DR: Education interventions to women about the benefits of hormonal therapy may decrease negative beliefs and increase hormone therapy initiation, and factors influencing non-initiation of adjuvant hormonal therapy are complex and influenced by patient beliefs regarding treatment efficacy and side effects.
Abstract: Adjuvant hormonal therapy for non-metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer decreases risk of breast cancer recurrence and increases survival. However, some women do not initiate this life-saving treatment. We used a prospective cohort design to investigate factors related to non-initiation of hormonal therapy among women with newly diagnosed, non-metastatic HR-positive breast cancer recruited from three U.S. sites. Serial interviews were conducted at baseline and during treatment to examine sociodemographic factors, tumor characteristics, and treatment decision-making factors. Multivariate modeling assessed associations between variables of interest and hormonal therapy initiation. Of 1,050 breast cancer patients recruited, 725 (69 %) had HR-positive breast cancer, of whom 87 (12.0 %) based on self-report and 122 (16.8 %) based on medical record/pharmacy fill rates did not initiate hormonal therapy. In a multivariable analysis, non-initiation of hormonal therapy, defined by medical record/pharmacy, was associated with having greater negative beliefs about efficacy of treatment (OR 1.42, 95 % CI 1.18–1.70). Non-initiation was less likely in those who found the quality of patient/physician communication to be higher (OR 0.96, 95 % CI 0.93–0.99), the hormonal therapy treatment decision an easy one to make (OR 0.45, 95 % CI 0.23–0.90) or neither easy nor difficult (OR 0.34, 95 % CI 0.20–0.58); and had more positive beliefs about hormonal therapy efficacy (OR 0.40, 95 % CI 0.34–0.62). Factors influencing non-initiation of adjuvant hormonal therapy are complex and influenced by patient beliefs regarding treatment efficacy and side effects. Educational interventions to women about the benefits of hormonal therapy may decrease negative beliefs and increase hormone therapy initiation.
TL;DR: In this paper, an experiment involving polymers has been used to teach fabrication of polymer films and to investigate the structure-property relationships of polymers using a multi-instrumental approach.
Abstract: Polymer science represents an important area in industrial and research laboratories for chemists and material scientists. However, experiments involving polymers are uncommon in chemistry and material science curricula; therefore, an experiment involving polymers has been developed. This experiment has been used to teach fabrication of polymer films and to investigate the structure–property relationships of polymers using a multi-instrumental approach. It also introduces principles of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and how it can be utilized for polymer characterization. This experiment has been introduced successfully in a graduate-level instrumental analysis course in the chemistry department, but is also appropriate for an upper-level undergraduate course. It is simple to conduct in a teaching laboratory and utilizes commonly used instrumentation. Students gain hands-on experience in using multiple instruments. The experiment is designed to be completed in two to three weeks.
TL;DR: It was found that quaternary ammonium salt prepared with the dimethyldodecyl amine exhibits antimicrobial efficacy against Staphalococus and E.coli bacteria.
TL;DR: UPA seems to be a reasonably tolerable and effective method of EC when used within 120 hours of intercourse, and may be more effective than LNG when used between 72 to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse, extending the window of opportunity for EC.
TL;DR: The competitive nature of the RMP impresses on applicants the need to thoroughly prepare for pharmacy residency training, as the number of applicants participating in the ASHP Resident Matching Program exceeds the numberof positions.
Abstract: Obtaining a pharmacy residency training position is becoming competitive as the number of applicants participating in the ASHP Resident Matching Program (RMP) exceeds the number of positions.[1][1]–[3][2] The competitive nature of the RMP impresses on applicants the need to thoroughly prepare for
TL;DR: In this article, the results show that drawing has a significant effect on the crystallinity, molecular orientation, and enzymatic degradation of drawn PLLA films in the presence of proteinase K at 37 °C.
Abstract: Poly(lactic acid) (PLLA) melt-pressed films with low crystallinity were crystallized by stretching at a constant strain rate. The strain-induced crystallization and enzymatic degradation of drawn PLLA films in the presence of proteinase K at 37 °C was investigated using weight loss measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results show that drawing has a significant effect on the crystallinity, molecular orientation, and enzymatic degradation. The absorbance ratio of the bands at 921 and 956 cm–1 (A921/A956) was chosen to determine the structural changes during strain-induced crystallization and hydrolysis. The DSC crystallinity and A921/A956 showed an increase with the draw ratio. Since we were unable to obtain the transition moment angle for the bands at 921 and 956 cm–1, the dichroic ratios were compared. It was found that the crystalline orientation develops rapidly at lower draw ratios whereas the amorphous orientation develops much...
TL;DR: Hip hop dancers report injury rates that are higher than other dance forms but similar to gymnastics, and these dancers should be educated concerning injury prevention, biomechanics, and use of protective equipment.
Abstract: Hip hop dance has rapidly become a popular international art form. There is limited information on injury patterns in this population. The purpose of this study was to determine injury incidence and patterns among three groups of hip hop dancers. Three hundred and twelve intermediate, advanced, and expert hip hop dancers were recruited at battles, dance conferences, clubs, and on dance related web sites within the United States and internationally. A Web-based survey was conducted over a 6-month period. Inclusion criteria included intermediate and advanced level dancers over the age of 13. Dancers were divided into three main categories: Breakers, Popper/Lockers, and New Schoolers. Separate analysis of variances were used to compare injury pattern differences between groups. Two hundred and thirty-two dancers reported a total of 738 injuries. Five hundred and six of these (sustained by 205 dancers) were time-loss (TL) injuries. Annual injury incidence was 237% (162% involving TL). Lower extremity injuries were 52% and upper extremity injuries 32% of total injuries. Breakers had a higher injury incidence compared with Popper/Lockers, and New Schoolers. Hip hop dancers report injury rates that are higher than other dance forms but similar to gymnastics. These dancers should be educated concerning injury prevention, biomechanics, and use of protective equipment.