Nonlinear viscoelastic characterization of polycarbonate

Uniaxial tensile creep and recovery data from polycarbonate at six temperatures and six stress levels are analyzed for nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive modeling. A theory to account for combined effects of two or more accelerating factors is presented

Reducing Disparities by way of a Cancer Disparities Research Training Program

Background: For minority populations, there is a continuing disparity in the burden of death and illness from cancer. Research to address this disparity should be conducted by investigators who can best understand and address the needs of culturally diverse communities. However, minorities are under-represented in health-related research. The goal of this project was to develop and evaluate an approach to motivating and preparing master’s degree students for careers dedicated to cancer disparities research. Method: A Cancer Disparities Research Training Program (CDRTP) was initiated in 2010. The program consists of coursework, practicum experiences, and research opportunities. Assessment of the curriculum is based on monitoring achievement of evaluation indicators and includes a quantitative assessment and qualitative approach. Results: In its first three years, the program graduated 20 trainees, all of whom were minorities (18 African Americans and two Asians). When asked about career goals, two-thirds of the trainees indicated interest in pursuing careers in research on cancer prevention and control. The trainees expressed high satisfaction with the courses, instructor, materials, and curriculum. Although trainees had suggestions about course details, evaluations overall were positive. Across focus groups, three recurrent themes emerged regarding activities to enhance the student experience: having a wider variety of topics, more guest speakers, and field trips. Conclusion: The CDRTP was intended to recruit students – primarily African Americans – into research on prevention and control of cancer disparities. Although final evaluation of the program’s overall outcome will not be available for several years, a preliminary evaluation indicates the program is being successful

Clinically insignificant association between anterior knee pain and patellofemoral lesions which are found incidentally.

Patellofemoral chondral lesions are frequently identified incidentally during the arthroscopic treatment of other knee pathologies. A role has been described for arthroscopic debridement of such lesions when symptoms are known to originate from pathology of the patellofemoral joint. However, it remains unclear how to manage lesions which are found incidentally whilst tackling other pathologies. The purpose of this study was to establish the strength of association between anterior knee pain and patellofemoral lesions identified incidentally in a typical arthroscopic population. A consecutive series of patients undergoing arthroscopy for a range of standard indications formed the basis of this cross section study. We excluded those with patellofemoral conditions in order to identify patellofemoral lesions which were solely incidental. Pre-operative assessments were performed on 64 patients, where anterior knee pain was sought by three methods: an annotated photographic knee pain map (PKPM), patient indication with one finger and by palpated tenderness. A single surgeon, who was blinded to previous recordings, performed standard arthroscopies and recorded patellofemoral lesions. Statistical correlations were performed to identify the association magnitude. Associations were identified between incidental patellofemoral lesions and tenderness palpated on the medial patella (P=0.007, χ2=0.32) and the quadriceps tendon (P=0.029, χ2=0.26), but these associations were at best fair, which could be interpreted as clinically insignificant. In which case incidental patellofemoral lesions are not necessarily associated with anterior knee pain, we suggest that they could be left alone. This recommendation is only applicable to patellofemoral lesions which are found incidentally whilst addressing other pathology