The Use of Cationic Agents to Increase the Efficiency of Titanium Dioxide in Paper

Handsheets were made with a bleached sulfite pulp, titanium dioxide and cationic agents. The optical properties of these sheets were studied in order to determine and compare the efficiency of the titanium dioxide retained. The cationic agents used in this study were a quaternary ammonium salt, a polyamide, cationic starches made with these two chemicals, and a commercial cationic starch. When the optical properties of handsheets made from these substances were compared, it was found that the quaternary ammonium salt gave the highest opacity but the lowest retention. The polyamide gave lower opacities but higher retentions. The cationic starches made from these cationic chemicals showed slightly lower opacities than the cationic chemicals by themselves but they gave much higher retentions. The commercial cationic starch gave intermediate retention but lower opacity. It was concluded that the quaternary ammonium salt gave the best dispersion of the titanium dioxide but gave the lowest cationic charge to the pigment. The polymide gave a slightly poorer dispersion but gave a much higher charge to the pigment. The cationic starches gave the best retention through a combination of mechanical and physio-chemical retention, but did not disperse the pigment too well

Implementing Quality into Practice: Nurse Driven Protocol to Reduce Unnecessary Telemetry Use

Abstract Background: As part of the American Board of Internal Medicine\u27s Choosing Wisely initiative, the Society of Hospital Medicine issued the recommendation to reduce unnecessary use of continuous telemetry monitoring in the inpatient setting. Outside of its primary purpose continuous telemetry monitoring rarely positively impacts clinical decision making and overuse can lead to unnecessary and costly diagnostic work-ups, cause alarm fatigue, lead to emergency department congestion, and increase institutional financial burden. Objective: Pilot an evidenced based nurse driven protocol for discontinuation of continuous telemetry monitoring to reduce unnecessary telemetry use among adult patients hospitalized outside of the intensive care unit. Methods: The project setting was 19-bed medical/surgical acute care unit. Inclusion criteria included adult patients admitted to the project site with a provider order for continuous telemetry monitoring. A nurse driven telemetry discontinuation protocol was developed using the AHA Monitoring Practice Standards and existing hospital policy. Charge nurses used the protocol to determine patient eligibility for discontinuation of continuous telemetry without requiring provider consultation. The primary outcomes measure was total number of telemetry monitors discontinued during the 92-day project period. Results: In the 90-day project period, 45 telemetry monitors were discontinued using the nurse driven protocol. Based on the estimated average cost of $82.44 per day and average dedicated nurse time of 20 minutes per patient per shift, the net savings was$3,709.80 and 30 hours of nurse time. Conclusion: A nurse driven telemetry discontinuation protocol was effective in decreasing unnecessary telemetry use

Hooking Mortality of Smallmouth Bass Caught on Live Minnows and Artificial Spinners

The success of no‐kill regulations for salmonid fisheries has led to increased interest in applying them to warmwater fisheries. Hooking mortality often makes gear restrictions critical to the success of these regulations. The objective of this study was to determine the probability of death (hooking mortality) for smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui caught on live minnows and artificial spinners. We collected 55 wild smallmouth bass from 6.3 to 12.6 in long and tagged them for individual recognition. We divided them into approximately equal groups and released them into artificial stream channels. During four 2‐week test periods, we hooked and released fish in one channel using live minnows on a single hook and in the other channel using a spinner with a treble hook. Some fish in each channel were not hooked during the study. Mortality was 11% for smallmouth bass hooked on minnows, 0% for those hooked on spinners, and 4% for those not hooked. Mortality of fish hooked with minnows was significantly greater than mortality of either spinner‐hooked or unhooked fish (P < 0.05); the latter two mortalities did not differ significantly. Some fish were caught numerous times, and others were never caught. If other types of natural baits and artificial lures also give similar results, it may be necessary to restrict fishing gear to artificial lures to ensure success of no‐kill fishing regulations for smallmouth bass.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141867/1/nafm0081.pd

Industrial Carcinogens: A Need For Action

Presented at President's Cancer Panel meeting. Environmental Factors in Cancer: Industrial and Manufacturing Exposures September 16, 2008 East Brunswick, N

Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances

Perfluorinated alkyl substances have been in use for over sixty years, and these highly stable substances were at first thought to be virtually inert and of low toxicity. Toxicity information slowly emerged on perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). More than 30 years ago, early studies reported immunotoxicity and carcinogenicity effects. The substances were discovered in blood samples from exposed workers, then also in the general population and in community water supplies near U.S. manufacturing plants. Only recently has research publication on PFOA and PFOS intensified. While the toxicology data base is still far from complete, carcinogenicity and immunotoxicity now appear to be relevant risks at prevalent exposure levels. Existing drinking water limits are based on less complete evidence that was available before 2008 and may be more than 100-fold too high. As risk evaluations assume that untested effects do not require regulatory attention, the greatly underestimated health risks from PFOA and PFOS illustrate the public health implications of assuming safety of incompletely tested industrial chemicals