University of Rochester

About: University of Rochester is a education organization based out in Rochester, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Laser. The organization has 63915 authors who have published 112762 publications receiving 5484122 citations. The organization is also known as: Rochester University.

Our plastic age

Abstract: Within the last few decades, plastics have revolutionized our daily lives. Globally we use in excess of 260 million tonnes of plastic per annum, accounting for approximately 8 per cent of world oil production. In this Theme Issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, we describe current and future trends in usage, together with the many benefits that plastics bring to society. At the same time, we examine the environmental consequences resulting from the accumulation of waste plastic, the effects of plastic debris on wildlife and concerns for human health that arise from the production, usage and disposal of plastics. Finally, we consider some possible solutions to these problems together with the research and policy priorities necessary for their implementation.

Safety assessment for nanotechnology and nanomedicine: concepts of nanotoxicology.

Abstract: Nanotechnology, nanomedicine and nanotoxicology are complementary disciplines aimed at the betterment of human life. However, concerns have been expressed about risks posed by engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), their potential to cause undesirable effects, contaminate the environment and adversely affect susceptible parts of the population. Information about toxicity and biokinetics of nano-enabled products combined with the knowledge of unintentional human and environmental exposure or intentional delivery for medicinal purposes will be necessary to determine real or perceived risks of nanomaterials. Yet, results of toxicological studies using only extraordinarily high experimental doses have to be interpreted with caution. Key concepts of nanotoxicology are addressed, including significance of dose, dose rate, and biokinetics, which are exemplified by specific findings of ENM toxicity, and by discussing the importance of detailed physico-chemical characterization of nanoparticles, specifically surface properties. Thorough evaluation of desirable versus adverse effects is required for safe applications of ENMs, and major challenges lie ahead to answer key questions of nanotoxicology. Foremost are assessment of human and environmental exposure, and biokinetics or pharmacokinetics, identification of potential hazards, and biopersistence in cells and subcellular structures to perform meaningful risk assessments. A specific example of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) illustrates the difficulty of extrapolating toxicological results. MWCNT were found to cause asbestos-like effects of the mesothelium following intracavitary injection of high doses in rodents. The important question of whether inhaled MWCNT will translocate to sensitive mesothelial sites has not been answered yet. Even without being able to perform a quantitative risk assessment for ENMs, due to the lack of sufficient data on exposure, biokinetics and organ toxicity, until we know better it should be made mandatory to prevent exposure by appropriate precautionary measures/regulations and practicing best industrial hygiene to avoid future horror scenarios from environmental or occupational exposures. Similarly, safety assessment for medical applications as key contribution of nanotoxicology to nanomedicine relies heavily on nano-specific toxicological concepts and findings and on a multidisciplinary collaborative approach involving material scientists, physicians and toxicologists.

What Makes for a Good Day? Competence and Autonomy in the Day and in the Person

Abstract: This diary study examined the proposal that satisfaction of two psychological needs, competence and autonomy, leads to daily well-being. Between-subjects analyses indicated that participants higher in trait competence and trait autonomy tended to have "better" days on average. Independently, within-subject analyses showed that good days were those in which participants felt more competent and autonomous in their daily activities, relative to their own baselines. Other predictors of daily well-being included gender, whether the day fell on a weekend, and the amount of negative affect and physical symptomatology felt the day before. Although past diary studies have tended to focus on threats to daily well-being, the authors suggest that psychological need concepts offer promise for understanding its positive sources.

Equations-of-Motion Method and the Extended Shell Model

Abstract: This paper presents the equations-of-motion method as a useful and flexible tool in the study of nuclear spectroscopy. It is partly a review, but also it introduces a new and much more powerful equations-of-motion technique which supercedes the older linearization methods. The older methods worked with operator equations. To obtain closed expressions they had to be linearized in a rather arbitrary manner. The present approach works with the ground-state expectation of operator equations and thereby avoids all problems of linearization. Thus, like the Green's function method, the equations-of-motion method becomes potentially exact. It has many advantages over Green's function methods, however, among which are its greater compactness, simplicity, and the physical insight it yields.The method is first applied to rederive the random phase approximation (RPA) and the quasi-particle RPA (QRPA) and to show precisely what terms they neglect. It is demonstrated that some of these terms have coherent phases. A higher RPA and QRPA are then derived to include these terms. The corrections have some interesting effects: notably, there is a reduction of the effective interaction strength and a stabilization of the nucleus against sudden phase transitions. The equations-of-motion method is also used to generalize, in a very simple and natural way, the Hartree-Fock (HF) and Hartree-Bogolyubov (HB) concepts of independent particles and quasi-particles to nonsimple ground states.The equations-of-motion method is presented as a simple extension of the shell model to the treatment of excitationg of a correlated ground state. By concentrating on the quantities of direct physical interest, the complexity of workins with correlated wavefunctions is avoided.

Adalimumab for the treatment of patients with moderately to severely active psoriatic arthritis: Results of a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial

Abstract: Objective Adalimumab, a fully human, anti–tumor necrosis factor monoclonal antibody, was evaluated for its safety and efficacy compared with placebo in the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods Patients with moderately to severely active PsA and a history of inadequate response to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs were randomized to receive 40 mg adalimumab or placebo subcutaneously every other week for 24 weeks. Study visits were at baseline, weeks 2 and 4, and every 4 weeks thereafter. The primary efficacy end points were the American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement (ACR20) response at week 12 and the change in the modified total Sharp score of structural damage at week 24. Secondary end points were measures of joint disease, disability, and quality of life in all patients, as well as the severity of skin disease in those patients with psoriasis involving at least 3% of body surface area. Results At week 12, 58% of the adalimumab-treated patients (87 of 151) achieved an ACR20 response, compared with 14% of the placebo-treated patients (23 of 162) (P < 0.001). At week 24, similar ACR20 response rates were maintained and the mean change in the modified total Sharp score was −0.2 in patients receiving adalimumab and 1.0 in those receiving placebo (P < 0.001). Among the 69 adalimumab-treated patients evaluated with the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), 59% achieved a 75% PASI improvement response at 24 weeks, compared with 1% of the 69 placebo-treated patients evaluated (P < 0.001). Disability and quality of life measures were also significantly improved with adalimumab treatment compared with placebo. Adalimumab was generally safe and well-tolerated. Conclusion Adalimumab significantly improved joint and skin manifestations, inhibited structural changes on radiographs, lessened disability due to joint damage, and improved quality of life in patients with moderately to severely active PsA.