62588 research outputs found
Sort by
Implementing a Resident Block Scheduling Tool for use by Resident Schedulers
No full textGraduates from medical school must complete a residency program to be medically licensed in the United States. These residency programs commonly create the year-long schedules for the residents using a manual process. This paper describes a scheduling tool created to automate the schedule creation process. The tool allows chief residents to input their requirements for a schedule into the tool and receive an output in the form of a resident block schedule and resident vacation schedule. </p
The Influence of Perceived Social Norms and Goal-Related Constructs on Pro-Environmental Intentions and Behavior
No full textThis research examines the relationships among perceived norms, intentions, and behavior in the context of pro-environmental goal pursuit. According to the Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit (Ajzen & Kruglanski, 2019), investigation of the norm-behavior relationship is limited when researchers do not test the motivational mechanisms that may explain when norms will influence intentions and when they may not. A series of three studies address this gap by examining how the relationship between perceived norms and behavioral intentions is influenced by, and mediated through, goal-related constructs. Study 1 demonstrates that general object norms function similarly to general attitude objects and are indirectly associated with behavior through goal strength. By considering how the general object norm-behavior relationship may vary as a function of the associations between goals and behavioral means, this work further extends prior work incorporating goal-related constructs into the attitude-behavior relationship. Existing research on the subjective norm-intention relationship focuses on the direct effects of subjective norms, but Studies 2 and 3 are particularly novel due to their identification of mediators of the norm-intention relationship. Results highlight that when people perceive that significant others expect them to engage in a behavior, they view this behavior as more instrumental to achieving their primary goal and perceive a higher degree of multifinality, which in turn are associated with greater intentions to engage in the behavior. Collectively, these studies advance our understanding of the mechanisms through which perceived norms influence pro-environmental behavioral outcomes.</p
Degradation Behavior of Polyolefins in Tropical Marine Conditions and Influence on Sinking Behavior
No full textPolyolefins are the most widely manufactured and utilized plastics globally, leading to their accumulation in natural ecosystems. Long praised for their durability during service lifetimes, little is known about the fate and transport of these buoyant plastics once released into the ocean and influenced by environmental parameters. This study simulated a tropical marine system to investigate the processes of photo-oxidative degradation and the influence on sinking behavior of three common polyolefins: low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP). Particles of LDPE, HDPE, and PP in three sizes (S, M, L) and shapes (films, rods, cubes) were subject to a biotic and abiotic treatment in a continuous flow seawater tank over a one-year period. Chemical and structural particle characterizations were monitored periodically using attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The goals of this study were to 1) validate optimal spectral indicators for monitoring natural weathering processes, 2) use the spectral indicators to understand degradation mechanisms and rates of particles of different size, shape, and polymer type, and 3) relate these weathering processes to the particles sinking behavior. The carbonyl index was determined to be the most optimal spectral indicator to monitor natural weathering of all three polyolefins. Significant increases were observed in the carbonyl index across time, particularly for the large films of all polymer types. Macromolecular structural transformations of all polymer types were observed, with a significant decrease in crystallinity and melting temperature. However, % crystallinity did not correlate with sinking behavior as expected. The rate of weathering across polymer type increases in the order of HDPE < LDPE < PP. These results provide environmentally relevant empirical data on the degradation and sinking behavior of polyolefins exposed to tropical marine conditions, which can be utilized to better understand the fate, transport, and mass balance of floating plastic debris in the ocean
Unraveling the Early Universe: an exploration of science and theology
No full textCosmology is the scientific study and examination of the origin of the universe and its nature. Current astronomy is dominated by the Big Band theory, the idea that the universe was initially a small, infinitely hot and dense point that stretched out over the course of 13.7 billion years to become the current, still expanding collection of galaxies. Most Christian creationists reject this theory. The foundation of Christian teaching is the doctrine of Creatio ex nihilo, the idea that a divine being brought about all matter from nothing in a single creation event, or series of events. Philosophical cosmology is a branch of philosophy that deals specifically with universal structure and origins. It is the examination of the universe under the lens of deductive and inductive reasoning and arguments. For this project, I aimed to bridge the gaps between these ideologies on a small scale. Throughout the project, I interviewed several experts in theology, science, and philosophy in Bethlehem. I filmed interviews with an astrophysicist, a string theorist, a biochemist who doesn\u27t believe in evolution, a pastor, a metaphysician, and a philosopher with a specialization in mathematics. I asked each participant to explain to me their beliefs about the early universe. I also asked them how they approach opposition, and on their ideas about the intersection between theology and science. I then went through all of the footage and assembled it into a narrative that presented different ideologies voices and how they interact with each other. At the end of this project I had a better understanding of the relationship between science and theology. I also gained a better understanding of what different groups believe and the thinking behind their beliefs
Analogs of α-conotoxin PnIC selectively inhibit α7β2- over α7-only subtype nicotinic acetylcholine receptors via a novel allosteric mechanismtylcholine receptors via a novel allosteric mechanism
No full textThis study was undertaken to identify and characterize the first ligands capable of selectively identifying nicotinic acetylcholine receptors containing α7 and β2 subunits (α7β2‐nAChR subtype). Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons express α7β2‐nAChR. Here, they appear to mediate neuronal dysfunction induced by the elevated levels of oligomeric amyloid‐β associated with early Alzheimer\u27s disease. Additional work indicates that α7β2‐nAChR are expressed across several further critically important cholinergic and GABAergic neuronal circuits within the central nervous system. Further studies, however, are significantly hindered by the inability of currently available ligands to distinguish heteromeric α7β2‐nAChR from the closely related and more widespread homomeric α7‐only‐nAChR subtype. Functional screening using two‐electrode voltage‐clamp electrophysiology identified a family of α7β2‐nAChR‐selective analogs of α‐conotoxin PnIC (α‐CtxPnIC). A combined electrophysiology, functional kinetics, site‐directed mutagenesis, and molecular dynamics approach was used to further characterize the α7β2‐nAChR selectivity and site of action of these α‐CtxPnIC analogs. We determined that α7β2‐nAChR selectivity of α‐CtxPnIC analogs arises from interactions at a site distinct from the orthosteric agonist‐binding site shared between α7β2‐ and α7‐only‐nAChR. As numerous previously identified α‐Ctx ligands are competitive antagonists of orthosteric agonist‐binding sites, this study profoundly expands the scope of use of α‐Ctx ligands (which have already provided important nAChR research and translational breakthroughs). More immediately, analogs of α‐CtxPnIC promise to enable, for the first time, both comprehensive mapping of the distribution of α7β2‐nAChR and detailed investigations of their physiological roles
Surface analysis insight note
No full textAdventitious carbon contaminations are not only omnipresent and used for charge referencing of XPS spectra but also can alter the apparent presence of the element peaks that span over the large spectral window of binding energies. This Insight note describes the effect of an adventitious contamination layer on Pt and presents, in brief, the approach whereby the component spectra are derived for ion beam cleaned Pt samples that can then utilize linear mathematics to peak fit said spectra thus quantifying the amount of each component including that assigned to the contamination itself of Pt metal
Patterns in pro‐gun beliefs and weapon carrying behaviors in rural White adolescent
No full textWeapon carrying among White rural populations is understudied although evidence suggests that rural White boys have high rates of carriage. This study delineated patterns of weapon use and pro‐gun beliefs using a latent class analysis on a sample of 32,916 White rural adolescents. Five groups were identified (i.e., Low Gun Risk, Naïve, Social Contagion, Independent, Unsupervised) using pro‐gun beliefs, peer risk factors, and weapon carrying items. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that identifying as male, age, housing instability, and victimization consistently differentiated group membership between different classes. These results suggest that rural White adolescents vary in their belief systems about guns and weapon carrying behavior and that this heterogeneity can be differentiated by lived experiences of these adolescents
Surface science insight note
No full textStandard materials are often used to obtain spectra that can be compared to those from unknown samples. Spectra measured from these known substances are also used as a means of computing sensitivity factors to allow quantification by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of less well‐defined materials. Spectra from known materials also provide line shapes suitable for inclusion in spectral models which, when fitted to spectra, permit the chemical state for a sample to be assessed. Both types of information depend on isolating photoemission signals from the inelastically scattered signal. In this Insight note, technical issues associated with the use of XPS of as received Fe 3 O 4 powder sample surface are discussed. The Insight note is designed to show how linear algebraic techniques applied to data collected from a sample marketed as pure Fe 3 O 4 powder are used to verify that XPS has been performed on chemistry representative of the sample. The methods described in this Insight note can further be utilized in elucidating complex XPS data obtained from thin films formed or evolved during cyclic/non‐steady use of complex (electro)catalyst surfaces, especially in the presence of contaminants