Milled carbon fiber reinforced polymer composition

A milled carbon fiber reinforced polymer having increased abrasion resistive characteristics. The reinforced polymer comprises a base resin selected from the group consisting of polyolefins and polyamides. The base resin is combined with an amount of milled carbon fibers and further may be combined with polytetrafluoroethylene. The resulting composite materials have excellent friction and wear characteristics and are useful in the production of injection molded parts. The molded parts have a high impact strength, exhibit dimensional stability, are abrasion resistive, and are static dissipative, with the composite materials having particular utility as support fixtures for semiconductors during certain processing operations

EARLY RESULTS OF ECOPOESIS EXPERIMENTS IN THE SHOT MARTIAN ENVIRONMENT SIMULATOR

ABSTRACT Humanity is on the verge of having the capability of constructively directing environmental changes on a planetary scale. One could argue that we are making these changes on Earth today, but in a negative manner. Within the foreseeable future, we will have the technology to modify Mars' environment, and make it a habitable planet. However, we do not have enough information to determine the course of such an event. SHOT has designed and built a test-bed apparatus that can replicate most of Mars' environment conditions (with the notable exceptions of gravity and cosmic radiation) within a 5.6 liter chamber. Here, we present the results of initial experiments to determine the suitability of specific microorganisms as pioneering life-forms for Mars. Included among the potential pioneers were five genera of cyanobacteria (Anabaena, Chroococcidiopsis, Plectonema, Synechococcus and Syenechocystis), and three partially-characterized eubacterial strains that were isolated from Chile's Atacama Desert (two species of Bacillus and Klebsiella oxytoca). During these initial trials, we used a present-day mix of martian atmsospheric gases, but at a pressure of 100 mbar (10 times Mars's current atmospheric pressure). Organisms were inoculated into samples of JSC Mars-1 soil stimulant and exposed to full-spectrum simulated martian sunlight. Day/night temperature cycled from 26°C to -80°C and back. Experiments included a 24-hour, brief-exposure trial, a 7-day trial, a14-day trial and a 5-week trial to determine the survival and growth of our potential martian pioneers

Effects of a Nurse-Managed Program on Hepatitis A and B Vaccine Completion Among Homeless Adults

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection constitutes a major health problem for homeless persons. Ability to complete an HBV vaccination series is complicated by the need to prioritize competing needs, such as addiction issues, safe places to sleep, and food, over health concerns. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-case-managed intervention compared with that of two standard programs on completion of the combined hepatitis A virus (HAV) and HBV vaccine series among homeless adults and to assess sociodemographic factors and risk behaviors related to the vaccine completion. Methods: A randomized, three-group, prospective, quasiexperimental design was conducted with 865 homeless adults residing in homeless shelters, drug rehabilitation sites, and outdoor areas in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. The programs included (a) nurse-case-managed sessions plus targeted hepatitis education, incentives, and tracking (NCMIT); (b) standard targeted hepatitis education plus incentives and tracking (SIT); and (c) standard targeted hepatitis education and incentives only (SI). Results: Sixty-eight percent of the NCMIT participants completed the three-series vaccine at 6 months, compared with 61% of SIT participants and 54% of SI participants. NCMIT participants had almost 2 times greater odds of completing vaccination than those of participants in the SI program. Completers were more likely to be older, to be female, to report fair or poor health, and not to have participated in a self-help drug treatment program. Newly homeless White adults were significantly less likely than were African Americans to complete the vaccine series. Discussion: The use of vaccination programs incorporating nurse case management and tracking is critical in supporting adherence to completion of a 6-month HAV/HBV vaccine. The finding that White homeless persons were the least likely to complete the vaccine series suggests that programs tailored to address their unique cultural issues are needed

Demographic Determinants and Geographical Variability of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Underserved Communities

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths disproportionately affect underserved and minority populations, emphasizing that vaccine hesitancy can be an especially important public health risk factor in these populations. OBJECTIVE: To characterize COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in underserved diverse populations. METHODS: The Minority and Rural Coronavirus Insights Study recruited a convenience sample of adults (ages ≥18, n=3,735) from Federally Qualified Health Centers in California, Midwest (Illinois/Ohio), Florida and Louisiana and collected baseline data in November 2020-April 2021. Vaccine hesitancy status was defined as responses no or undecided to the question Would you get a coronavirus vaccine, if it was available? ( yes categorized as not hesitant). The cross-sectional descriptive analyses and logistic regression models examined vaccine hesitancy prevalence by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and geography. The expected vaccine hesitancy estimates for the general population were calculated for the study counties using published county-level data. Crude associations with demographic characteristics within each region were assessed by the chi-squared test. The main effect model included age, gender, race/ethnicity, and geographical region to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Interactions between geography and each demographic characteristic were evaluated in separate models. RESULTS: The strongest vaccine hesitancy variability was by geographic region: in California 28.3% (26.5-31.1), the Midwest 36.1 % (32.1-40.2), Louisiana 59.1% (56.0-62.1), Florida 67.9% (65.0-70.8). The expected estimates for the general population were lower: 9.7% (California), 15.2 % (Midwest), 18.2% (Florida), and 27.0% (Louisiana). The demographic patterns also varied by geography. An inverted U-shape age pattern was found, with the highest prevalence among ages 25-34 in the Midwest (39.3%), Florida (79.5%,) and Louisiana (79.4%) (p \u3c0.05). Females were more hesitant than males in the Midwest (36.5% vs 23.9%), Florida (71.6% vs 59.4%), and Louisiana (66.5% vs. 46.4%) (p\u3c0.05). Racial/ethnic differences were found in California with the highest prevalence among non-Hispanic Black (45.8%) and in Florida with the highest among Hispanic (69.3%) participants (p\u3c0.05) but not in the Midwest and Louisiana. The main effect model confirmed the U-shape association with age: strongest association with age 25-34, OR=2.28 (1.74, 2.99). Statistical interactions of gender and race/ethnicity with the region were significant, following the pattern found by the crude analysis. The associations with the female gender were strongest in Florida and Louisiana: ORs were 7.83 (5.94, 10.33) and 6.04 (4.52, 8.06) compared to males in California, respectively. Compared to non-Hispanic White participants in California, the strongest associations were found with being Hispanic in Florida and Black in Louisiana: ORs were 11.18 (7.01, 17.85) and 8.94 (5.53, 14.47), respectively. However, the strongest race/ethnicity variability was observed within California and Florida: ORs varied 4.7- and 2-fold between racial/ethnic groups in these regions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the role of local contextual factors in driving vaccine hesitancy and its demographic patterns