Advancements In Bio-based Novel (co)Monomers for Polymeric Materials

Most current research in the area of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials relate to the use of renewable sources for the fabrication of bio-based polymers and composites. Using plant-based derivatives is a common strategy. Pine sap can be distilled into turpentines (light fraction) and pine rosin (heavy fraction). Pine rosin is obtained as a brittle solid and its major component is abietic acid. This project aims at investigating a synthetic approach for the synthesis of a pine rosin-based polymer that can be potentially used for manufacturing a collection device for pine sap. The synthetic strategy consisted in the preparation of tung oil abietate in two steps. The first step leads to tung oil diglyceride from the transesterification of tung oil with glycerol. Confirmation of the formulated tung oil diglyceride was given by analyzing the compound with Fourier Transmission Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analysis, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry analysis. The second step converts tung oil diglyceride into tung oil abietate via an acid-catalyzed esterification with pine rosin. Confirmation of the tung oil abietate went through Fourier Transmission Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analysis, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry analysis. By developing a monomer that combined the two compounds, it was believed that pine rosin could be developed into a functional polymer. The approach investigated involves the bulk free radical co-polymerization of pine rosin with n-butyl methacrylate and divinylbenzene. Di-tert-butyl peroxide was used as the free radical initiator. Through observation alone the tung oil abietate polymer appeared almost black and hard to the touch. Using a thermal analysis to confirm formation of the polymer, the Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer and Differential Scanning Calorimetry instrument were used. Both instruments gave positive results that the polymer was cured completely using 140 ℃ at an 18hr interval

A qualitative study examining the benefits and challenges of incorporating patient-reported outcome substance use and mental health questionnaires into clinical practice to improve outcomes on the HIV care continuum.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate identification and treatment of substance use (SU) and mental health (MH) disorders hinders retention in HIV care. The objective of this study was to elicit stakeholder input on integration of SU/MH screening using computer-assisted patient-reported outcomes (PROs) into clinical practice. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with HIV-positive patients who self-reported SU/MH symptoms on a computer-assisted PROs (n = 19) and HIV primary care providers (n = 11) recruited from an urban academic HIV clinic. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. We iteratively developed codes and organized key themes using editing style analysis. RESULTS: Two themes emerged: (1) Honest Disclosure: Some providers felt PROs might improve SU/MH disclosure; more were concerned that patients would not respond honestly if their provider saw the results. Patients were also divided, stating PROs could help overcome stigma but that it could be harder to disclose SU/MH to a computer versus a live person. (2) Added Value in the Clinical Encounter: Most providers felt PROs would fill a practice gap. Patients had concerns regarding confidentiality but indicated PROs would help providers take better care of them. CONCLUSIONS: Both patients and providers indicated that PROs are potentially useful clinical tools to improve detection of SU/MH. However, patients and providers expressed conflicting viewpoints about disclosure of SU/MH using computerized PROs. Future studies implementing PROs screening interventions must assess concerns over confidentiality and honest disclosure of SU/MH to understand the effectiveness of PROs as a clinical tool. More research is also needed on patient-centered integration of the results of PROs in HIV care

«ЩОБ ХОЧ НЕ СИДЯЧОГО ТАТАРИ БРАЛИ…»

Одним із вагомих (не в останню чергу з точки зору суспільної ваги) напрямків в колі наукових зацікавлень Ганни Кирилівни є краєзнавство, до якого не завжди «прихильно» ставиться академічна наука. Саме з краєзнавчої актуальності виводить Автор у передмові потребу у написанні роботи, присвяченої досить знаковій постаті на загальноукраїнському тлі і абсолютно виключній особистості на регіональному рівні – Михайлові Федоровичу Комарову (1844-1913) (с.4-5

A review of the discovery reach of directional Dark Matter detection

Cosmological observations indicate that most of the matter in the Universe is Dark Matter. Dark Matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) can be detected directly, via its elastic scattering off target nuclei. Most current direct detection experiments only measure the energy of the recoiling nuclei. However, directional detection experiments are sensitive to the direction of the nuclear recoil as well. Due to the Sun’s motion with respect to the Galactic rest frame, the directional recoil rate has a dipole feature, peaking around the direction of the Solar motion. This provides a powerful tool for demonstrating the Galactic origin of nuclear recoils and hence unambiguously detecting Dark Matter. Furthermore, the directional recoil distribution depends on the WIMP mass, scattering cross section and local velocity distribution. Therefore, with a large number of recoil events it will be possible to study the physics of Dark Matter in terms of particle and astrophysical properties. We review the potential of directional detectors for detecting and characterizing WIMPs

Heavy Alcohol Use Is Associated With Worse Retention in HIV Care

Poor retention in HIV care is associated with worse clinical outcomes and increased HIV transmission. We examined the relationship between self-reported alcohol use, a potentially modifiable behavior, and retention