Creating Renewable Tunable Polymers from Hydroxymethylfurfural

The research here deals with the conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into a tunable polymer. HMF is a known derivative that can be acquired from biomass via hydrolysis of cellulose followed by isomerization and finally selective dehydration. The process considered here is being developed to create tunable polymers from HMF and involves several different steps, three of which are covered here. The first step, an etherification, is the reaction of HMF with an alcohol. This step is significant because in this step the R-group from the alcohol is added to HMF and the branching portion formed is carried over to the final polymer giving the polymer unique properties. Thus, by changing the reacting alcohol in the first reaction the final polymer is changed. Upon evaluation of this step various catalysts were tested to see what active site was needed as well as how the structure of different catalysts with the previously determined site would affect the reactivity. In addition, R-group identity was evaluated to determine if the alcohol used effects the reactivity of the catalyst. For this reaction, it was found that a Brønsted acid active site was needed and that the pore structure of β-Zeolite (BEA) aided the production of an ether product giving both a high production rate and high selectivity for this product. Another important finding was that the identity of the R-group did not greatly affect the amount of ether product produced suggesting a role of the catalyst in the stabilization of HMF. The second step, not investigated here, is then to oxidize the ketone creating a carboxyl group in its place. The other two reactions investigated were the third and fourth reactions. These steps involve the hydrogenation of the furan ring followed by a ring rearrangement which causes the ring to grow to a six-membered lactone, still maintaining the ether branch from the first step. These two processes were first combined to determine if a bifunctional acid-metal catalyst could perform both steps under the same conditions. After it was determined that the conditions would need to be changed between reactions they were performed separately. For both reactions, it was found that an acid metal catalyst of palladium substituted β-Zeolite (Pd /BEA) was effective and from there separate reaction conditions were developed for each step. The final step, not examined here, is severing a key bond between the ketone and the oxygen within the expanded ring to create a monomer and then linking these monomers together to form the final polymer product. All three reactions evaluated here were performed individually to evaluate catalysts and reaction conditions. The products of each reaction were analyzed using GC-MS, GC-FID and HPLC

Simple Sprinkler Performance Testing for Utah County

This fact sheet describes how to perform a site inspection and a sprinkler test so you can irrigate your landscape more efficiently, and provides an irigation schedule for Utah County

Finalist essays from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security's First Annual Essay Competition, 2008

The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) announces the winner and finalists of its first annual essay contest. CHDS launched the contest last year to provide people from around the country the opportunity to express their opinions on homeland security issues and to suggest new ideas. The winner and four finalists were selected from eighty contest submissions by a committee comprised of CHDS staff, faculty, and alumni. The variety of the essay topics submitted, as well as the backgrounds of the authors, highlights the vast scope of the impact that homeland security policies, programs, and challenges have on our communities and professions. This year’s contestants were asked to answer the question “What single aspect of Homeland Security has been most successful, and what single aspect will be most critical to Homeland Security success?”Naval Posgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Securit

Examining the Effects of Including the Public in Emergency Preparedness Drills in Building Trust in Local Emergency Plans

This dissertation examined the effects of participation in a local preparedness drill in Bucks County, Pennsylvania (The Drill) on participants’ level of trust and confidence in government preparedness activities. Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman’s (1995) model of trust provides the study’s theoretical framework. In addition, in response to the Department of Homeland Security’s call to include vulnerable populations (e.g., racial minorities) in emergency preparedness planning, this dissertation examined the emergency preparedness needs of African American and Latino communities in Bucks County through individual interviews with community leaders from African American and Latino communities. A secondary analysis of a telephone survey of 316 Drill participants and 17 individual interviews with members of African American and Latino communities was conducted. This dissertation tested whether Drill participants who reported that government had the ability to run it properly were more likely to become confident in government planning activities than those who did not. A secondary aim of this dissertation was designed to help identify those Bucks County subpopulations not participating in preparedness activities. This dissertation also aimed to incorporate information reported by local community leaders who did not find that current outreach and advertisement methods are reaching their communities. Results suggested that those who reported that the government had the ability to run the mass clinic during The Drill were more likely to become confident in the role of the publicsector than those who did not think the clinic was run properly. In addition, results showed the importance of relationship building between local government and community members as a means of adequately preparing for an emergency.Dr.P.H., Community Health and Prevention -- Drexel University, 200

Diagnosis and Initial Management of Blunt Pancreatic Trauma: Guidelines From a Multiinstitutional Review

OBJECTIVE: The authors' objective was to resolve the current controversies surrounding the diagnosis and management of blunt pancreatic trauma (BPT). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The diagnosis of BPT is notoriously difficult: serum amylase has been claimed to be neither sensitive nor specific, and recent anecdotal reports have suggested a role for computed tomography. The therapy of BPT has been controversial, with some suggesting selective observation and others advocating immediate exploration to prevent a delay-induced escalation in morbidity and death. METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of documented BPT from six institutions, using a standardized binary data form composed of 187 items and 237 data fields. RESULTS: A significant correlation between pancreas-specific morbidity and injury to the main pancreatic duct (MPD) was noted. Patients requiring delayed surgical intervention after an unsuccessful period of observation demonstrated notably higher pancreas-specific mortality and morbidity rates, principally because of the incidence of unrecognized injuries to the MPD. Although detection of MPD injuries by computed tomography was no better than flipping a coin, endoscopic pancreatography was accurate in each of the five cases in which it was used. CONCLUSIONS: The principal cause of pancreas-specific morbidity after BPT is injury to the MPD. Parenchymal pancreatic injuries not involving the ductal system rarely result in pancreas-specific morbidity or death. Delay in recognizing MPD injury leads to increased mortality and morbidity rates. CT is unreliable in diagnosing MPD injury and should not be used to guide therapy. Initial selection of patients with isolated BPT for observation or surgery can be based on the determination of MPD integrity

Observations of Radiation Belt Losses Due to Cyclotron Wave-Particle Interactions

Electron loss to the atmosphere plays a critical role in driving dynamics of the Earths Van Allen radiation belts and slot region. This is a review of atmospheric loss of radiation belt electrons caused by plasma wave scattering via Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance. In particular, the focus is on observational signatures of electron loss, which include direct measurements of precipitating electrons, measured properties of waves that drive precipitation, and variations in the trapped population resulting from loss. We discuss wave and precipitation measurements from recent missions, including simultaneous multi-payload observations, which have provided new insight into the dynamic nature of the radiation belts

Can incarcerated felons be (re)integrated into the political system? Results from a field experiment

How does America’s high rate of incarceration shape political participation? Few studies have examined the direct effects of incarceration on patterns of political engagement. Answering this question is particularly relevant for the 93% of formerly incarcerated individuals who are eligible to vote. Drawing on new administrative data from Connecticut, we present evidence from a field experiment showing that a simple informational outreach campaign to released felons can recover a large proportion of the reduction in participation observed following incarceration. The treatment effect estimates imply that efforts to reintegrate released felons into the political process can substantially reduce the participatory consequences of incarceration

Microstructural differences in the thalamus and thalamic radiations in the congenitally deaf

There is evidence of both crossmodal and intermodal plasticity in the deaf brain. Here, we investigated whether sub-cortical plasticity, specifically of the thalamus, contributed to this reorganisation. We contrasted diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging data from 13 congenitally deaf and 13 hearing participants, all of whom had learnt British Sign Language after 10 years of age. Connectivity based segmentation of the thalamus revealed changes to mean and radial diffusivity in occipital and frontal regions, which may be linked to enhanced peripheral visual acuity, and differences in how visual attention is deployed in the deaf group. Using probabilistic tractography, tracts were traced between the thalamus and its cortical targets, and microstructural measurements were extracted from these tracts. Group differences were found in microstructural measurements of occipital, frontal, somatosensory, motor and parietal thalamo-cortical tracts. Our findings suggest there is sub-cortical plasticity in the deaf brain, and that white matter alterations can be found throughout the deaf brain, rather than being restricted to, or focussed in auditory cortex