Addressing Racial Disparities in Stroke: The Wide Spectrum Investigation of Stroke Outcome Disparities on Multiple Levels (WISSDOM )

<p class="Default">Racial-ethnic disparities in stroke recovery are well-established in the United States but the underlying causes are not well-understood. The typical assumption that racial-ethnic disparities in stroke recov­ery are explained by health care access inequities may be simplistic as access to stroke-related rehabilitation, for example, does not adequately explain the observed disparities. To approach the problem in a more comprehensive fashion, the Wide Spectrum Investigation of Stroke Outcome Disparities on Multiple Levels (WISSDOM) was developed to bring together scientists from Regenerative Medicine, Neurology, Rehabilitation, and Nursing to examine disparities in stroke “recovery.” As a result, three related projects (basic science, clinical science and population science) were de­signed utilizing animal modeling, mapping of brain connections, and community-based interventions. In this article we describe: 1) the goals and objectives of the individual projects; and 2) how these projects could provide critical evidence to explain why racial-ethnic minorities traditionally experi­ence recovery trajectories that are worse than Whites.</p><p class="Default"><em>Ethn Dis. </em>2018;28(1):61-68; doi:10.18865/ed.28.1.61.</p>

FTIR Spectrum Investigation of Thionine-Graphene Nanocomposite

Graphene is a material that has been heavily investigated in many researches due to its beneficial characteristics such as large surface area, low manufacturing cost, high electro conductivity and incredible mechanical strength. Applying the graphene in water-based solvents however can cause agglomeration due to its hydrophobic properties. Researchers have composited the graphene with other materials in overcoming its hydrophobicity. In this research, graphene was nanocomposited with thionine to make it disperse well in water-based solvents while preserving its intrinsic properties. The nanocomposition process involves mixing of both graphene oxide with thionine and were reduced by hydrazine hydrate while reflux heating. The produced mixture was then filtered to obtain the Thionine-Graphene nanocomposite. The obtained sample was then characterized to confirm the composition of both graphene and thionine. Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy was operated to investigate the chemical bonds and hence concluding the presence of both graphene and thionine in the sample. The preservation of the intrinsic properties of graphene was also investigated through observing the absence of functionalized graphene bonds. Post-investigation reports that the chemical bonds from both of the materials, graphene and thionine were detected confirming the successfulness of the nanocomposition.