Using the precaution adoption process model and the health belief model to understand radon testing and mitigation: a pre-post quasi-experimental study.

Background: Despite being the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers, few Canadians take action to test for and mitigate radon. This study's aim was twofold: (1) to investigate predictors of radon testing and mitigation using the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) and Health Belief Model (HBM); and (2) to assess the impact on beliefs of receiving radon results above health guidelines.

Methods: A convenience sample within Southeastern Ontario households was recruited to test their homes for radon (N = 1,566) for a pre-post quasi-experimental study.

3-Phonon Scattering Pathways for Vibrational Energy Transfer in Crystalline RDX.

A long-held belief is that shock energy induces initiation of an energetic material through an energy up-pumping mechanism involving phonon scattering through doorway modes. In this paper, a Fermi's golden rule-based 3-phonon theoretical analysis of energy up-pumping in RDX is presented that considers possible doorway pathways through which energy transfer occurs. On average, modes with frequencies up to 102 cm scatter quickly and transfer over 99% of the vibrational energy to other low-frequency modes up to 102 cm within 0.

Simulations of high-pressure phases in RDX.

Using a fully flexible molecular potential in equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, we study the α- and γ-polymorphs of the energetic molecular crystal hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-s-triazine (RDX), their respective properties, and the conditions that contribute to the stress-induced γ → α solid-solid phase transition mechanisms. We find the pressure-dependent atomic structure, mechanical properties, and transition behavior to be described reasonably well. Uniaxial deformation of α-RDX along the crystal axes is shown to result in three different crystal responses where compression of the c-axis results in the α → γ transition, compression of the b-axis causes a transition with resulting structure similar to stacking faults observed by Cawkwell et al.

The effect of oral folic acid upon plasma homocysteine, endothelial function and oxidative stress in patients with type 1 diabetes and microalbuminuria.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oral folic acid supplementation upon plasma homocysteine (HCY), endothelial function and oxidative stress on patients with type 1 diabetes and microalbuminuria to test the hypothesis that oral folic acid would lower plasma HCY and thereby improve endothelial function and reduce oxidant stress in this high-risk group of patients.

Methods: We measured plasma HCY, forearm blood flow, total antioxidant status and whole blood glutathione at baseline and after 2 months treatment with oral folic acid or placebo in 16 patients with type 1 diabetes and microalbuminuria.

Results: Plasma HCY fell by 25% in the folic acid group but there was no difference in endothelial function or markers of oxidant stress in the treatment group.