Structural properties of optically clear bacterial cellulose produced by Komagataeibacter hansenii using arabitol.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) exhibits beneficial properties for use in biomedical applications but is limited by its lack of tunable transparency capabilities. To overcome this deficiency, a novel method to synthesize transparent BC materials using an alternative carbon source, namely arabitol, was developed. Characterization of the BC pellicles was performed for yield, transparency, surface morphology, and molecular assembly.

ZSM-5 decrystallization and dealumination in hot liquid water.

Zeolites have recently attracted attention for upgrading renewable resources in the presence of liquid water phases; however, the stability of zeolites in the presence of liquid-phase water is not completely understood. Accordingly, the stability of the ZSM-5 framework and its acid sites was studied in the presence of water at temperatures ranging from 250 to 450 °C and at pressures sufficient to maintain a liquid or liquid-like state (25 MPa). Treated samples were analyzed for framework degradation and Al content and coordination using a variety of complementary techniques, including X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, N sorption, Al and Si NMR spectroscopy, and several different types of infrared spectroscopy.

Rapid Microwave-Assisted Grafting of Layered Perovskites with n-Alcohols.

Dion-Jacobson layered niobates have been extensively researched in recent years because of a variety of useful properties such as dielectric behavior, proton conduction, and solid acid catalysis. The behavior of these materials is strongly dependent on the elemental composition and, more specifically, the interlayer surface environment. A novel method of partial grafting of n-alcohols into the interlayer of HSr2Nb3O10 with approximately 40% conversion has been developed using microwave irradiation to generate high temperatures.

The validity of clinic-based samples in approximating out-of-care HIV-infected populations.

Tremendous strides have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); perhaps now the largest barrier to controlling HIV is retaining those diagnosed in care. Data on out-of-care populations are needed to develop effective retention methods, yet obtaining these remains methodologically challenging due to inherent difficulties in sampling. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether individuals identified by two sampling methods commonly used to approximate out-of-care populations were significantly different from a sample of newly identified out-of-care persons.

Improved HIV-related outcomes associated with implementation of a novel public health information exchange.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate HIV-related outcomes associated with use of a novel public health information exchange that was designed to identify out of care HIV-infected individuals seen within a large, integrated delivery network (IDN).

Methods: A novel, secure, bidirectional health care delivery-public health information exchange, the Louisiana Public Health Information Exchange (LaPHIE) was developed between a multi-geographical IDN and the Louisiana public health authority in response to the high proportion of out of care HIV-infected persons. The system provides real-time provider alerts when any HIV-infected person who has not had CD4 or HIV viral load (VL) monitoring in >1 year receives non-HIV care within the IDN, allowing immediate linkage to HIV specialty care.

Implementation of an innovative, integrated electronic medical record (EMR) and public health information exchange for HIV/AIDS.

Louisiana is severely affected by HIV/AIDS, ranking fifth in AIDS rates in the USA. The Louisiana Public Health Information Exchange (LaPHIE) is a novel, secure bi-directional public health information exchange, linking statewide public health surveillance data with electronic medical record data. LaPHIE alerts medical providers when individuals with HIV/AIDS who have not received HIV care for >12 months are seen at any ambulatory or inpatient facility in an integrated delivery network.

Incomplete double frequency sweeps to select small quadrupolar coupling static powder patterns.

Difference spectra based on the magnitude of the quadrupolar coupling of a site has been observed under static conditions utilizing a double frequency sweep pulse sequence to enhance the central transition of a small electric field gradient (EFG) environment. Through the use of convergent sweeps that only cover the inner satellite transitions of the smaller EFG site, an echo spectrum results that favors the smaller site, which can then be used in conjunction with normal echo spectra to create a difference spectrum that consists primarily of the smaller site. The simplification of the static lineshape data permits simulation for the extraction of chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) information for the site.

Substrate and field dependence of the SPINOE transfer to surface 13C from hyperpolarized 129Xe.

The substrate and field dependencies of surface SPINOE enhancements using optical pumping and magic angle spinning NMR were monitored. Relaxation rates and enhancements were examined to gain an understanding of the parameters that determine the SPINOE enhancement. (13)C-labeled deuterated methanol was adsorbed on three different substrates (SnO(2), TiO(2), Ti/SiO(2)) with heats of adsorption for xenon ranging from 14.

Building a results review system: a critical first step in transitioning from paper medical records.

Electronic health records (EHRs) are valuable tools for efficiently delivering safe and effective care, yet the majority of providers continue to rely on paper based systems. Cost is a significant barrier to adoption. Providers unable to afford a comprehensive EHR may still be capable of taking a less costly first step toward improving quality and safety with less aggressive yet effective clinical information system strategies.

Site-selective QPASS for the isolation of large quadrupolar coupling environments.

Spectral editing of high spinning rate quadrupolar powder patterns observed using the QPASS experiment was achieved through the coupling of QPASS with the selective pi/2-RAPT enhancement sequence. The resulting pi/2-RAPT-QPASS sequence yields spectra that are dominated by the powder patterns form sites with large quadrupolar couplings thus reducing the overlap of patterns from multiple sites of different symmetry in a material. The 93Nb isotropic chemical shifts and quadrupolar coupling parameters were determined for the two niobium crystallographic sites in the layered KCa2Nb3O10.

Analysis of porosity in porous silicon using hyperpolarized 129Xe two-dimensional exchange experiments.

The porosity in porous silicon was characterized using hyperpolarized (HP) xenon as a probe. HP xenon under conditions of continuous flow allows for the rapid acquisition of xenon NMR spectra that can be used to characterize a variety of materials. Two-dimensional exchange spectroscopy (EXSY) (129)Xe NMR experiments using HP xenon were performed to obtain exchange pathways and rates of xenon mobility between pores of different dimensions within the structure of porous silicon and to the gas phase above the sample.

Molecular dynamics of glucose in solution: a quasielastic neutron scattering study.

The molecular dynamics of glucose dissolved in heavy water have been investigated at 280 K by the technique of quasielastic neutron scattering. The scattering was described by a dynamic structure factor that accounts for decoupled diffusive jumps and free rotational motions of the glucose molecules. With increasing glucose concentration, the diffusion constant decreases by a factor five and the time between jumps increases considerably.

Frozen-solution conformational analysis by REDOR spectroscopy.

Frozen-solution conformational analysis (FrSCA) can be performed on organic compounds using REDOR spectroscopy. REDOR measurements on frozen aqueous solutions of 13C-methyl beta-15N-aminoglucoside indicate a bimodal distribution of conformations in a 68:32 ratio, with 13C-15N distances of 4.31 and 3.