Light pollution in USA and Europe: The good, the bad and the ugly.

Light pollution is a worldwide problem that has a range of adverse effects on human health and natural ecosystems. Using data from the New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, VIIRS-recorded radiance and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data, we compared light pollution levels, and the light flux to the population size and GDP at the State and County levels in the USA and at Regional (NUTS2) and Province (NUTS3) levels in Europe. We found 6800-fold differences between the most and least polluted regions in Europe, 120-fold differences in their light flux per capita, and 267-fold differences in flux per GDP unit. Yet, we found even greater differences between US counties: 200,000-fold differences in sky pollution, 16,000-fold differences in light flux per capita, and 40,000-fold differences in light flux per GDP unit. These findings may inform policy-makers, helping to reduce energy waste and adverse environmental, cultural and health consequences associated with light pollution.

Rapid assessment of postural instability in Parkinson's disease (RAPID): a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The Fahn's pull (or retropulsion) test is an item in the motor section of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, which is used almost exclusively to classify postural instability in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the test is hard to standardize and is often performed incorrectly, making it hard to interpret. Moreover, it may not be safe to administer in patients who experience pain in the shoulders, neck, trunk and/or lower extremities. Identifying and grading postural instability in PD without requiring a physical challenge would not only be useful for the clinician but would assist patients and caregivers in its recognition. We propose the use of the rapid assessment of postural instability in Parkinson's disease (RAPID) questionnaire as a non-physical assessment tool. METHODS: We determined the associations between the pull test and items on a risk-assessment questionnaire that consisted of three parts: activities of daily living, fear of falling, and frequency of falling. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between the pull test and the predictor variables, which ranged between 0.51 and 0.56 whilst the correlations amongst the predictor variables ranged between 0.58 and 0.70. The three parts of the questionnaire, when used in combination, produced a 96% sensitivity in the classification of postural instability. CONCLUSIONS: The RAPID questionnaire can be used as an adjunct to the pull test or solely if the pull test is contraindicated. It may also be possible to administer the questionnaire via the telephone or Internet. It is hoped that the rapid identification of postural instability would lead to fewer falls.

Proving that less is more: linking resources to outcomes.

Advocates of inpatient managed care employing clinical pathways are confident that this patient management strategy reduces cost while promoting optimal patient outcomes. Other health care professionals are concerned that cost reductions place patients at higher risk for adverse health events. Research is needed to demonstrate the true impact of cost-containment strategies on clinical outcomes. The article describes a study in progress comparing patients conventionally managed by their physicians with similar patients whose overall management involved a nurse case manager. This study explores the issue of resource costs that can be linked to clinical and financial outcome measures.

Thermochemical pretreatment of lignocellulose to enhance methane fermentation: I. Monosaccharide and furfurals hydrothermal decomposition and product formation rates.

Over a pH range 1-4 and temperatures from 170 to 230 degrees C, the decomposition rates of xylose, galactose, mannose, glucose, 2-furfural, and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (5-HMF) were pseudo first order. The effect of temperature and pH on the pseudo first-order decomposition rate constants was modeled using the Arrhenius equation and acid-base catalysis, respectively. Decomposition rates of the monosaccharides were minimum at a pH 2-2.5. Above pH 2.5, the monosaccharide decomposition was base catalyzed, with acid catalysis occurring at a pH of less than 2 for glucose. The furfurals were subject to acid catalysis at below ca. pH 3.5. The hydrothermal conversion of glucose to its decomposition products during thermochemical Pretreatment can be modeled as a combination of series and parallel reactions. The formation rates of identified soluble products from glucose decomposition, 5-HMF and levulinic acid, were also functions of temperature and pH. The rate of 5-HMF formation relative to glucose decomposition decreased as the pH increased from 2.0 to 4.0, with levulinic acid formation only detected when the pH was 2.5 or less. For glucose decomposition, humic solids accounted for ca. 20% of the decomposition products.

Thermochemical pretreatment of lignocellulose to enhance methane fermentation: II. Evaluation and application of pretreatment model.

A model was developed and evaluated as a tool for predicting the formation of soluble products from staged thermochemical treatment of lignocellulosic materials under acidic conditions typical of autohydrolysis. The model was used to predict the general trend of hemi-cellulose and cellulose hydrolysis between pH 2 and 4 and temperatures of 170-230 degrees C, and results were compared with experimental data. When the model was evaluated for this range of temperatures and pH values, results indicated: (1) a relatively low temperature (175 degrees C) during the first stage allows hydrolysis of the hemi-cellulose polysaccharides without significant mono-saccharide decomposition, (2) subsequent stages at higher temperatures (equal or greater than 200 degrees C) are needed for significant cellulose hydrolysis, but glucose decomposition will also occur, and, (3) a pH in the range of 2-2.5 will enhance polysaccharide hydrolysis while limiting monosaccharide decomposition. The model's predictions, indicating that the formation of biodegradable products could be optimized using Pretreatments at pH 2-2.5 for the pH range evaluated, were confirmed in experiments with white fir as a representative lig nocellulose.