Predicting microwave-induced relative volatility change by a novel dimensionless number

Microwave (MW) can selectively interact with polar molecules in homogeneous mixture liquid solution and therefore change their relative volatility, which has been previously observed in experimental results for various binary mixtures. However, the lack of theoretical analysis and quantitative modeling hinders the further development of novel MW-assisted separation techniques. Hence, this study derived a novel dimensionless number ZMW based on the assumption of molecular irradiation to explore the effect of the dielectric and thermodynamic properties of materials as well as MW field intensity on the microwave-induced relative volatility change (MIRVC). Furthermore, a quantitative correlation between MIRVC and ZMW was established, whose model parameters were determined by fitting experimental data under MW irradiation. The correlation was also utilized to predict MIRVC in the previously published literature and the error range between predictive values and experimental values was within ± 6%, indicating great validity of the proposed quantitative correlation.

The Vanishing Procyclicality of Labour Productivity

We document two changes in post-war US macroeconomic dynamics: the procyclicality of labour productivity vanished, and the relative volatility of employment rose. We propose an explanation for these changes that is based on reduced hiring frictions due to improvements in information about the quality of job matches and the resulting decline in turnover. We develop a simple model with hiring frictions and variable effort to illustrate the mechanisms underlying our explanation. We show that our model qualitatively and quantitatively matches the observed changes in business cycle dynamics.

P009 FINANCIAL VOLATILITY OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES VS OTHER CHRONIC GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASES - USING THE BETA COEFFICIENT TO CATEGORIZE GI DISORDERS

Symptomatic chronic diseases differ in their propensity for serious costly morbidity. Reliable and predictable deterioration presentations can be associated with very narrow margins between symptoms and the onset of serious complications. The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD): Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are examples of this. As a result, they have high cost per capita with significant variation in that cost. Reliable metrics for assessing the relative volatility of chronic diseases are lacking. In finance, the volatility of a stock is measured using the beta coefficient, a measure of the relative volatility of an individual stock in relation to the that of an index.[i] By definition, the specific index has a beta of 1.0, and individual stocks are ranked according to how much they deviate from the market based on their beta coefficient. A stock that demonstrates more volatility than the market over time has a beta above 1.0. We postulated that chronic gastrointestinal diseases can be profiled using a similar measurement of volatility based on cost. Using a data set of 40,523 members obtained from Health Care Service Corporation, which included professional, facility and pharmacy claims for calendar year 2017, we calculated an index and beta rating for the major gastrointestinal disorders: gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Peptic Ulcer disease (PUD), Gastritis, Celiac disease, Pancreatitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease (CD), Ulcerative colitis (UC), Colon Polyps and Diverticulitis: Method: The Total Disease Specific Cost (TDSC) was calculated from claims data for each condition using ICD - Codes.A GI Disease index (GIDI) was created by calculating the TDSC of all of the above conditions. The GIDI TDSC was then segregated into deciles.The cost/decile was then analyzed for each condition and compared against the GI IndexA beta rating (Beta) was calculated using Standard Deviations of the relative cost/decile (SDCD) as follows: Beta = SDCD (Illness)/SDCD (Index) Results: Using this methodology, the GI Index and individual beta ratings are numerically and graphically shown in the figures. Whereas CD and UC have strongly positive Beta scores, the remainder of the GI illnesses do not as compared to the GI Index. Figure 1. Major Gastrointestinal illnesses’ Beta Rating with respect to GI Index Table 1. Summary of major Gastrointestinal illnesses’ cost by decile and Beta Rating Conclusions: Gastrointestinal disorders can be categorized, based on their volatility, into a beta rating[ii]. Disorders associated with high cost and high variability in cost have a high-beta rating compared to the GI disorder index. This is a critical finding as high-beta conditions are those toward which management payments should be focused as they benefit most from patient engagement, care coordination and care managment programs to improve outcomes and control costs. [i] Sharpe W. Portfolio theory and capital markets. New York: McGraw Hill, 1970.[ii] Kosinski L, Brill J; Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology Vol. 14, No. 12, P1751-1752

FRACTIONATION OF FATTY ACID ESTERS AND ACYLGLYCERIDES WITH PRESSURIZED CO2

Fatty mono- and di-glycerides are products highly used in the food, cleaning and cosmetic industries because of their emulsifying properties. These products can be obtained through different synthesis routes, namely, glycerolysis of vegetable oils, direct esterification of fatty acids with glycerol or partial transesterification of vegetable oils with alcohols. The last two chemical pathways produce fatty acid esters besides mono/diglycerides, which are difficult to split and purify at industrial scale because of its low vapor pressure, low relative volatility, and high viscosity. In this work, we evaluate the fractionation of fatty acid esters and acylglycerides by supercritical CO2 technology. High pressure experimental extractions were carried out at different operating conditions to validate the technology and a rigorous thermodynamic model was used to evaluate the fractionation process.