1,093 research outputs found
Characterization of Adsorption Processes in High-Temperature CO2 Sorbents
The proposed work aims to develop novel membrane technology for efficient, high selective high-temperature carbon dioxide and simultaneous carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide capture. Realization of high-performance membranes for such applications is widely recognized as a potentially revolutionary technology for continuous carbon capture. The research focuses on two materials: sodium oxide promoted alumina and silicalite-1. The main objectives involve synthesizing and characterizing the materials. Membranes will then be modeled, synthesized, and characterized. Success of this program should lead to novel practical and fundamental insight and, potentially, the establishment of a new paradigm for membrane based carbon sequestration.https://preserve.lehigh.edu/undergrad-scholarship-freed-posters/1021/thumbnail.jp
Toxicity of materials in fire situations: Laboratory data obtained at the University of San Francisco
Approximately 300 materials were evaluated using a specific set of test conditions. Materials tested included wood, fibers, fabrics and synthetic polymers. Data obtained using 10 different sets of test conditions are presented
ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY USE IMPLICATIONS OF SHORT-SEASON COTTON PRODUCTION: TEXAS LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Crop Production/Industries,
Pulmonary tuberculosis in a South African regional emergency centre: Can infection control be improved to lower the risk of nosocomial transmission?
Background. George Regional Hospital (GRH) is a 272-bed regional referral hospital for the Eden and Central Karoo districts, Western Cape Province, South Africa. The perception among emergency centre (EC) staff is that a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) is being diagnosed and that infection control procedures are currently lacking, leading to a high risk of nosocomial transmission.Objectives. To establish the burden of pulmonary TB (PTB) presenting to GRH via the EC and audit current infection prevention and control practices, to quantify the risk of transmission of PTB in the EC and to establish whether infection control measures are inadequate.Methods. An audit of infection control based on the Centers for Disease Control audit tool for TB, analysis of results, and implementation of new infection control measures including a new standard operating procedure based on a set of triage criteria.Results. Implementation of new triage criteria and a standard operating procedure led to the longest length of stay of a patient with suspected TB in the EC being reduced by 40% (from 142 hours to 84 hours). The average time between seeing a doctor and leaving the EC for patients with suspected TB was reduced by 20% (from 20 hours 40 minutes to 16 hours 45 minutes).Conclusion. Simple measures implemented in the EC led to a significant reduction in the time patients with suspected or confirmed TB spent in the EC. This should lead to a reduced risk of nosocomial transmission of TB to both staff and patients
Social media and teacher professional learning communities
peer-reviewed.Background: An extensive and international evidence base positions professional learning communities (PLCs) as an effective continued professional development (CPD) mechanism that can impact on teachers’ practices and, in turn, students’ learning. The landscape of teacher PLCs is continuously developing; notably through teachers’ uses of social media. Yet, there is limited robust evidence identifying the characteristics of social media PLCs that impact on teachers’ learning and practice.
Purpose: This exploratory study examined the characteristics of a specific Twitter-based professional learning community – #pechat. The research questions were: (i) what is the nature of a Twitter-based professional learning community? and (ii) what characteristics of a Twitter-based professional learning community develop learning and practice?
Methods: Data were generated from 901 tweets between 100 participants; and 18 in-depth semi-structured elicitation interviews with participants and moderators of the Twitter-based professional learning community. Data were analysed through a process of deliberation, and a relativist approach informed quality.
Findings: Two themes are reported to explain the nature of the Twitter-based professional learning community and the different types of characteristics of #pechat that developed learning and practice. The first theme engagement shows how different participants of #pechat engaged with discussions and how moderators played a key role in facilitating discussions between participants. The second theme shared practices shows how discussions between participants of #pechat led to the development of new practices that some teachers were able to use to accomplish particular objectives in their physical education lessons.
Conclusion: The analysis of the data provided evidence to suggest that #pechat is a PLC and is representative of an established group of practitioners. These characteristics should be considered in the design of future online professional development experiences. Facilitator or moderator training could support the development of social media based PLCs that subsequently and positively impact on teachers’ practices.ACCEPTEDpeer-reviewe
Testing the universality of star formation - II. Comparing separation distributions of nearby star-forming regions and the field
We have measured the multiplicity fractions and separation distributions of
seven young star-forming regions using a uniform sample of young binaries. Both
the multiplicity fractions and separation distributions are similar in the
different regions. A tentative decline in the multiplicity fraction with
increasing stellar density is apparent, even for binary systems with
separations too close (19-100au) to have been dynamically processed. The
separation distributions in the different regions are statistically
indistinguishable over most separation ranges, and the regions with higher
densities do not exhibit a lower proportion of wide (300-620au) relative to
close (62-300au) binaries as might be expected from the preferential
destruction of wider pairs. Only the closest (19-100au) separation range, which
would be unaffected by dynamical processing, shows a possible difference in
separation distributions between different regions. The combined set of young
binaries, however, shows a distinct difference when compared to field binaries,
with a significant excess of close (19-100au) systems among the younger
binaries. Based on both the similarities and differences between individual
regions, and between all seven young regions and the field, especially over
separation ranges too close to be modified by dynamical processing, we conclude
that multiple star formation is not universal and, by extension, the star
formation process is not universal.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRA
Cohort Analysis of the Association of Delirium Severity With Cerebrospinal Fluid Amyloid-Tau-Neurodegeneration Pathologies
Delirium is associated with cognitive decline and subsequent dementia, and rises in plasma total Tau (tTau) and neurofilament light (NfL), providing links to Amyloid-Tau-Neurodegeneration (ATN) pathophysiology. We investigated whether changes in delirium severity after surgery correlated with changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ATN biomarkers. Thirty-two thoracic vascular surgical patients were recruited into a prospective biomarker cohort study with assessment of delirium severity and incidence (NCT02926417). CSF (n = 54) and plasma (n = 118) samples were sent for biomarker analysis for tTau, phosphorylated tau-181 (pTau) (plasma n = 53), NfL, and amyloid-β 42/40 ratio (Ab42/40-ratio). The primary outcome was the correlation of preoperative to postoperative change in ATN biomarkers with the highest postoperative Delirium Rating Scale-98 score. CSF and plasma biomarkers all increased postoperatively (all P < .05, n = 13 paired preoperative-postoperative samples). Delirium severity was associated with peak changes in CSF tTau (P = .007, r = 0.710) and pTau (P = .01, r = 0.667) but not NfL (P = .09, rho = 0.491) or Ab42/40-ratio (P = 0.18, rho = 0.394). Sensitivity analysis with exclusion of subjects with putative spinal cord ischaemia shifted the NfL result to significance (P < .001, rho = .847). Our data show that changes in tau and biomarkers of neurodegeneration in the CSF are associated with delirium severity. These data should be considered hypothesis generating and future studies should identify if these changes are robust to confounding
Pulmonary tuberculosis in a South African regional emergency centre: Can infection control be improved to lower the risk of nosocomial transmission?
Background. George Regional Hospital (GRH) is a 272-bed regional referral hospital for the Eden and Central Karoo districts, Western Cape Province, South Africa. The perception among emergency centre (EC) staff is that a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) is being diagnosed and that infection control procedures are currently lacking, leading to a high risk of nosocomial transmission.Objectives. To establish the burden of pulmonary TB (PTB) presenting to GRH via the EC and audit current infection prevention and control practices, to quantify the risk of transmission of PTB in the EC and to establish whether infection control measures are inadequate.Methods. An audit of infection control based on the Centers for Disease Control audit tool for TB, analysis of results, and implementation of new infection control measures including a new standard operating procedure based on a set of triage criteria.Results. Implementation of new triage criteria and a standard operating procedure led to the longest length of stay of a patient with suspected TB in the EC being reduced by 40% (from 142 hours to 84 hours). The average time between seeing a doctor and leaving the EC for patients with suspected TB was reduced by 20% (from 20 hours 40 minutes to 16 hours 45 minutes).Conclusion. Simple measures implemented in the EC led to a significant reduction in the time patients with suspected or confirmed TB spent in the EC. This should lead to a reduced risk of nosocomial transmission of TB to both staff and patients
Apocynin Exerts Dose-Dependent Cardioprotective Effects by Attenuating Reactive Oxygen Species in Ischemia/Reperfusion
Ischemia/reperfusion results in cardiac contractile dysfunction and cell death partly due to increased reactive oxygen species and decreased endothelial-derived nitric oxide bioavailability. NADPH oxidase normally produces reactive oxygen species to faci
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