234 research outputs found
Determination of Global Extractives in Polyethylene Terephthalate by Heating the Solvent in a Microwave Oven
No full textDETERMINATION OF GLOBAL EXTRACTIVES IN POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE BY HEATING THE SOLVENT IN A MICROWAVE OVEN By Anuj Vinodchandra Parikh The purpose of this research is to evaluate a method of determining extractives. Instead of a conventional oven, a microwave oven is used to heat the solvent. Attempts are made to duplicate the extraction methodology proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a way that it can be used to determine extractives for microwave-only packages. A test package consisting of crystalline polyethylene terephthalate and paper was selected for the test. A product consisting of a dehydrated mix of pasta and cheese sauce was evaluated to determine the test parameters including the solvent, time, and temperature. Distilled deionized water was selected as a solvent. It was exposed in two different package shapes to counter any microwave heating irregularities. The solvent was heated in packages for 10 minutes in a 700 watt microwave oven at maximum power. The extractives, in each case, were obtained by evaporating the solution under reduced temperature of 60°F (15.5°C) and in vacuum, a method commonly referred to as vacuo. A Rotavapor machine was used for this purpose. The extractives were then dried and weighed. They were further dissolved in chloroform. Chloroform-insoluble extractives were filtered out and further extraction was performed on the solution. The temperature was maintained at 35°F (1.7°C). It was found that the amount of extractives obtained by the conventional FDA method were comparable to the ones obtained by this procedure. In both cases the amount of total extractives for this package fell within the specified limits set by the FDA in milligrams per square inch of contact surface
Parikh Automata over Infinite Words
No full textParikh automata extend finite automata by counters that can be tested for
membership in a semilinear set, but only at the end of a run, thereby
preserving many of the desirable algorithmic properties of finite automata.
Here, we study the extension of the classical framework onto infinite inputs:
We introduce reachability, safety, B\"uchi, and co-B\"uchi Parikh automata on
infinite words and study expressiveness, closure properties, and the complexity
of verification problems.
We show that almost all classes of automata have pairwise incomparable
expressiveness, both in the deterministic and the nondeterministic case; a
result that sharply contrasts with the well-known hierarchy in the
-regular setting. Furthermore, emptiness is shown decidable for Parikh
automata with reachability or B\"uchi acceptance, but undecidable for safety
and co-B\"uchi acceptance. Most importantly, we show decidability of model
checking with specifications given by deterministic Parikh automata with safety
or co-B\"uchi acceptance, but also undecidability for all other types of
automata. Finally, solving games is undecidable for all types
Ovarian steroid cell tumor in pregnancy-a rare occurrence: Report of a case and review of the literature
No full textBackground: Steroid-cell tumors of the ovary are very rare, especially during pregnancy, and they must be distinguished from luteoma of pregnancy.
Case: An 18-year-old female, gravida 3, para 1-0-1-1, at 38 weeks' of gestation, had an adnexal mass that was discovered incidentally during a Caesarean section. The tumor was excised and her male infant was normal.
Results: Histologic workup revealed the tumor to be a steroid-cell tumor, which is exceedingly rare in pregnancy.
Conclusions: Ovarian steroid-cell tumors, which are malignant one-third of the time, are difficult to distinguish from luteoma of pregnancy.Peer reviewe
Gender and climate change framework for analysis, policy & action
No full text"This paper by Jyoti Parikh provides a framework to anlayse gender and climate change concerns keeping in view the strengths and vulnerability of poor ‐ women in particular. The author also provides policy recommendations for policies and actions.
The Neuropeptide VGF is Reduced in Human Bipolar Postmortem Brain and Contributes to Some of the Behavioral and Molecular Effects of Lithium
No full textRecent studies demonstrate that the neuropeptide VGF (non-acronymic) is regulated in the hippocampus by antidepressant therapies and animal models of depression and that acute VGF treatment has antidepressant-like activity in animal paradigms. However, the role of VGF in human psychiatric disorders is unknown. We now demonstrate using in situ hybridization that VGF is downregulated in bipolar disorder in the CA region of the hippocampus and Brodmann’s Area 9 (BA9) of the prefrontal cortex. The mechanism of VGF in relation to LiCl was explored. Both LiCl intraperitoneally (IP) and VGF intracerebroventricularly (ICV) reduced latency to drink in novelty-induced hypophagia and LiCl was not effective in VGF+/- mice suggesting that VGF may contribute to the effects of LiCl in this behavioral procedure that responds to chronic antidepressant treatment. VGF by intrahippocampal injection also had novel activity in an amphetamineinduced hyperlocomotion assay thus mimicking the actions of LiCl injected IP in a system that phenocopies manic-like behavior. Moreover, VGF+/- mice exhibited increased locomotion following amphetamine and did not respond to LiCl, suggesting that VGF is required for the effects of LiCl in curbing the response to amphetamine. Finally, VGF by ICV in vivo activated the same signaling pathways as LiCl and is necessary for the induction of MAPK and AKT by LiCl thus lending insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the actions of VGF. The dysregulation of VGF in bipolar disorder as well as the behavioral effects of the neuropeptide similar to LiCl suggests that VGF may underlie the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.Peer reviewe
Sex‐Associated Disparities in Industry Payments to US Authors in High‐Impact Rheumatology Journals: Correlation with Author Impact
No full textObjective The aim of this study was to assess sex‐associated disparities in the frequency and magnitude of industry payments to US physician authors in high‐impact rheumatology journals and their correlation with author impact. Methods US authors of publications in four high‐impact rheumatology journals were vetted on Open Payments Database (OPD) for industry payments. The h‐index (an accepted metric of author impact), physician type, and dollar amounts for each OPD category were recorded. Differences in the percentages of male versus female US authors with or without OPD entries, differences in research‐associated and non–research‐associated payments, and differences in h‐indexes were determined. Two hematology, two surgery, and two obstetrics/gynecology high‐impact journals were similarly vetted. Results The h‐indexes of, and industry payments to, US male physician authors were greater than those of and to US female physician authors across all four vetted journal disciplines, with the male‐to‐female ratio of median dollar payments being greatest for rheumatology. Whereas payments to male US physician authors tended to be larger than those to female US physician authors at low h‐indexes, payments to female US physician authors, especially for rheumatology, tended to match and surpass those to male US physician authors as the h‐indexes rose. Conclusion Significant differences exist in industry payments and h‐indexes between male and female US physician authors of publications in high‐impact journals, especially high‐impact rheumatology journals. Sex‐associated differences in industry payments can be attributed, at least in part, to sex‐associated differences in author impact
The unreasonable effectiveness of experiments in constraining nova nucleosynthesis
No full textClassical nova explosions arise from thermonuclear ignition in the envelopes of accreting white dwarfs in close binary star systems. Detailed observations of novae have stimulated numerous studies in theoretical astrophysics and experimental nuclear physics. These phenomena are unusual in nuclear astrophysics because most of the thermonuclear reaction rates thought to be involved are constrained by experimental measurements. This situation allows for rather precise statements to be made about which measurements are still necessary to improve the nuclear physics input to astrophysical models. We briefly discuss desired measurements in these environments with an emphasis on recent experimental progress made to better determine key rates
Assessing the effect of exercise on dial-task cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease
No full textThis work was produced while the author was an undergraduate student in the Summer Research Institute of the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Degree Achievement Program at Rutgers University
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