Obtained results showed that silica layers of the MMT in these PPCNC were intercalated, partially exfoliated, CCI-779 and uniformly dispersed in
the polypropylene matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis showed good thermal stability for the prepared PPCNC. Differential scanning calorimetric was used to investigate both melting and crystallization temperatures, as well as the crystallinity of the PPCNC samples. Results of permeability analysis showed significant increase in barrier properties of PPCNC films. Effective parameters on molecular weight and flow ability of produced samples such as Al/Ti molar ratio and H(2) concentration were also investigated. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 115: 308-314, 2010″
“Retrospective insurance claims from the United States were analyzed to assess nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and the association between AED nonadherence, seizures, and health care costs in elderly persons with epilepsy. Inclusion criteria were: age >= P505-15 in vivo 65, epilepsy diagnosis between I January 2000 and 31 June 2006, >= 2 AED prescriptions, and insurance enrollment for >= 6 months pre- and >= 12 months post-AED initiation. Adherence was evaluated using the medication possession ratio (MPR), with MPR < 0.8 defining nonadherence. Per-patient
outcomes were evaluated over 12 months post-AED initiation. Of 1278 patients identified, 41% were nonadherent. Seizure, defined by epilepsy-related inpatient or emergency department
admission, occurred in 12.1% of nonadherers versus 8.2% of adherers selleck chemicals (P = 0.0212). Nonadherers had higher inpatient (+$872, P = 0.001), emergency department (+$143, P = 0.0008), other outpatient ancillary (+$1741, P = 0.0081), and total health care (+$2674, P = 0.0059) costs. AED adherence among elderly patients with epilepsy is suboptimal and associated with increased seizures and health care costs. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“In situ optical emission spectroscopy was used to study the temporal and spatial behavior of laser induced plasmas in the laser-furnace synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). A graphite composite target located within a sealed quartz tube with a chemical stoichiometric composition of 95:4:1 at. wt % of carbon, yttrium, and nickel, respectively, was ablated by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser delivering colinear, focused laser pulses of 1064 and 532 nm temporarily separated by 20 ns. The ablation process was done at a furnace temperature of 1273 K in a flow of argon gas at either 150 or 200 SCCM (SCCM denotes cubic centimeter per minute at STP). The pressure was varied (100, 400, and 600 Torr) for each gas flow setting. The temporal and spatial behavior of the emission intensity associated with C-2 Swan bands (d (3)Pi(g)-a (3)Pi(u)) was investigated and found to be influenced by the pressure and flow rate of the argon gas.