Casting copper to tungsten for high-power arc lamp cathodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Will, H. A.

1974-01-01

Voids forming at interface when copper is cast onto tungsten can be eliminated by adding wetting agent during casting process. Small amount of copper and nickel are cast onto thoriated tungsten insert, insert is recast with more copper to form electrode. Good thermal conductance results in long-lived cathode.

The Mortality Divide in India: The Differential Contributions of Gender, Caste, and Standard of Living Across the Life Course

PubMed Central

Subramanian, S.V.; Nandy, Shailen; Irving, Michelle; Gordon, Dave; Lambert, Helen; Davey Smith, George

2006-01-01

Objectives. We investigated the contributions of gender, caste, and standard of living to inequalities in mortality across the life course in India. Methods. We conducted a multilevel cross-sectional analysis of individual mortality, using the 1998–1999 Indian National Family Health Survey data for 529321 individuals from 26 states. Results. Substantial mortality differentials were observed between the lowest and highest standard-of-living quintiles across all age groups, ranging from an odds ratio (OR) of 4.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.98, 7.13) in the age group 2 to 5 years to an OR of 1.97 (95% CI=1.68, 2.32) in the age group 45 to 64 years. Excess mortality for girls was evident only for the age group 2 to 5 years (OR=1.33, 95% CI=1.13, 1.58). Substantial caste differentials were observed at the beginning and end stages of life. Area variation in mortality is partially a result of the compositional effects of household standard of living and caste. Conclusions. The mortality burden, across the life course in India, falls disproportionately on economically disadvantaged and lower-caste groups. Residual state-level variation in mortality suggests an underlying ecology to the mortality divide in India. PMID:16571702

The mortality divide in India: the differential contributions of gender, caste, and standard of living across the life course.

PubMed

Subramanian, S V; Nandy, Shailen; Irving, Michelle; Gordon, Dave; Lambert, Helen; Davey Smith, George

2006-05-01

We investigated the contributions of gender, caste, and standard of living to inequalities in mortality across the life course in India. We conducted a multilevel cross-sectional analysis of individual mortality, using the 1998-1999 Indian National Family Health Survey data for 529321 individuals from 26 states. Substantial mortality differentials were observed between the lowest and highest standard-of-living quintiles across all age groups, ranging from an odds ratio (OR) of 4.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.98, 7.13) in the age group 2 to 5 years to an OR of 1.97 (95% CI=1.68, 2.32) in the age group 45 to 64 years. Excess mortality for girls was evident only for the age group 2 to 5 years (OR=1.33, 95% CI=1.13, 1.58). Substantial caste differentials were observed at the beginning and end stages of life. Area variation in mortality is partially a result of the compositional effects of household standard of living and caste. The mortality burden, across the life course in India, falls disproportionately on economically disadvantaged and lower-caste groups. Residual state-level variation in mortality suggests an underlying ecology to the mortality divide in India.

Effect of casting geometry on mechanical properties of two nickel-base superalloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, J. R.; Dreshfield, R. L.; Collins, H. E.

1976-01-01

An investigation was performed to determine mechanical properties of two rhenium-free modifications of alloy TRW, and to evaluate the suitability of the alloy for use in a small integrally cast turbine rotor. The two alloys were initially developed using stress rupture properties of specimens machined from solid gas turbine blades. Properties in this investigation were determined from cast to size bars and bars cut from 3.8 by 7.6 by 17.8 cm blocks. Specimens machined from blocks had inferior tensile strength and always had markedly poorer rupture lives than cast to size bars. At 1,000 C the cast to size bars had shorter rupture lives than those machined from blades. Alloy R generally had better properties than alloy S in the conditions evaluated. The results show the importance of casting geometry on mechanical properties of nickel base superalloys and suggest that the geometry of a component can be simulated when developing alloys for that component.

Using Remote Sensing Technology, Web Casts, and Participation in a Valuable Research Project to Jazz Teachers and Excite Students About Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benko, T. M.; Czajkowski, K. P.; Struble, J.; Zhao, L.

2002-12-01

Scientific education of primary and secondary school children has become a topic of concern in Ohio and throughout the United States. So with that in mind, how do you get students excited about learning science? One route is to inform and jazz teachers about current technology! The University of Toledo has hosted three one-week, NASA and OhioView sponsored professional development institutes entitled, Observing Earth from Space, for teachers from grades K-12 during July 2000, 2001, and 2002. Sixty-seven teachers from the Upper Midwest and Kansas with Earth Science, Social Studies, and Physics backgrounds attended. Each participant acquired new ideas, plenty of educational materials, and posters of satellite imagery. The teachers received basic training in remote sensing, global positioning systems, digital elevation models, and weather observing techniques and learned about useful remote sensing applications. This instruction was conducted through: 1) presentations given by research scientists, 2) integration of the learned content into authentic, hands-on lesson plans, and 3) participation in a learning adventure, where their students collected real-time earth science data at their respective schools while university research scientists gathered corresponding satellite imagery. The students observations were submitted via a simple Web interface: www.remotesensing.utoledo.edu. One of the very exciting platforms used to communicate with the teachers and students throughout the school year were live Web Casts sponsored by NASA Glenn Research Center. The students data have successfully assisted in the validation of cloud/snow remote sensing algorithms, and next year the students observations will include various surface temperature readings. The participation in a cutting-edge technology workshop and in an important global climate change research project, applicable in the classroom, has added another worthwhile dimension to the learning process and career awareness for both the teachers and their students.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paviet-Hartmann, P.; Akbarzadeh, M.; Griggs, J.

The U.S. Department of Energy originally created the National Analytical Management Program (NAMP) to help coordinate its analytical capabilities and to address national needs in technology and resources. In support of this mission, the NAMP established a subcommittee to promote training and education in radiochemistry to avert the predicted loss in expertise. In cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and university partners, the NAMP developed a series of two-hour webinar presentations by experts on different topics relevant to radiochemistry. These webinars are intended to be of interest to those already in the workforce who may need a refresher coursemore » or a better understanding of specific radiochemistry topics. The live webinars include slides presentation, and engage the attendees by giving them the opportunity to ask questions during the live event through the web-cast interface. Certificates may be given for attendance during the live webinar. The success of these webinars relies not only on the presenters who are internationally recognized experts but also on how we promote them: we advertised them through a dedicated web site, social networks or flyers. Another important point is that they are free are accessible online in 2 formats: audio-video recording and pdf files. Recorded and archived versions comprise a library vital to future generations of radio-chemists and scientists interested in radiochemistry. The first webinar, An Overview of Actinide Chemistry, was presented on April 20, 2012. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants clearly demonstrates that the NAMP webinars are making a difference by providing unique educational opportunities in radiochemistry.« less

ToxRefDB - Release user-friendly web-based tool for mining ToxRefDB

EPA Science Inventory

The updated URL link is for a table of NCCT ToxCast public datasets. The next to last row of the table has the link for the US EPA ToxCast ToxRefDB Data Release October 2014. ToxRefDB provides detailed chemical toxicity data in a publically accessible searchable format. ToxRefD...

The Physiology Constant Database of Teen-Agers in Beijing

PubMed Central

Wei-Qi, Wei; Guang-Jin, Zhu; Cheng-Li, Xu; Shao-Mei, Han; Bao-Shen, Qi; Li, Chen; Shu-Yu, Zu; Xiao-Mei, Zhou; Wen-Feng, Hu; Zheng-Guo, Zhang

2004-01-01

Physiology constants of adolescents are important to understand growing living systems and are a useful reference in clinical and epidemiological research. Until recently, physiology constants were not available in China and therefore most physiologists, physicians, and nutritionists had to use data from abroad for reference. However, the very difference between the Eastern and Western races casts doubt on the usefulness of overseas data. We have therefore created a database system to provide a repository for the storage of physiology constants of teen-agers in Beijing. The several thousands of pieces of data are now divided into hematological biochemistry, lung function, and cardiac function with all data manually checked before being transferred into the database. The database was accomplished through the development of a web interface, scripts, and a relational database. The physiology data were integrated into the relational database system to provide flexible facilities by using combinations of various terms and parameters. A web browser interface was designed for the users to facilitate their searching. The database is available on the web. The statistical table, scatter diagram, and histogram of the data are available for both anonym and user according to queries, while only the user can achieve detail, including download data and advanced search. PMID:15258669

Geophysical Event Casting: Assembling & Broadcasting Data Relevant to Events and Disasters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manipon, G. M.; Wilson, B. D.

2012-12-01

Broadcast Atom feeds are already being used to publish metadata and support discovery of data collections, granules, and web services. Such data and service casting advertises the existence of new granules in a dataset and available services to access or transform data. Similarly, data and services relevant to studying topical geophysical events (earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.) or periodic/regional structures (El Nino, deep convection) can be broadcast by publishing new entries and links in a feed for that topic. By using the geoRSS conventions, the time and space location of the event (e.g. a moving hurricane track) is specified in the feed, along with science description, images, relevant data granules, and links to useful web services (e.g. OGC/WMS). The topic cast is used to assemble all of the relevant data/images as they come in, and publish the metadata (images, links, services) to a broad group of subscribers. All of the information in the feed is structured using standardized XML tags (e.g. georss for space & time, and tags to point to external data & services), and is thus machine-readable, which is an improvement over collecting ad hoc links on a wiki. We have created a software suite in python to generate such "event casts" when a geophysical event first happens, then update them with more information as it becomes available, and display them as an event album in a web browser. Figure 1 shows a snapshot of our Event Cast Browser displaying information from a set of casts about the hurricanes in the Western Pacific during the year 2011. The 19th cyclone is selected in the left panel, so the top right panels display the entries in that feed with metadata such as maximum wind speed, while the bottom right panel displays the hurricane track (positions every 12 hours) as KML in the Google Earth plug-in, where additional data/image layers from the feed can be turned on or off by the user. The software automatically converts (georss) space & time information to KML placemarks, and can also generate various KML visualizations for other data layers that are pointed to in the feed. The user can replay all of the data images as an animation over the several days as the cyclone develops. The goal of "event casting" is to standardize several metadata micro-formats and use them within Atom feeds to create a rich ecosystem of topical event data that can be automatically manipulated by scripts and many interfaces. For our event cast browser, the same code can display all kinds of casts, whether about hurricanes, fire, earthquakes, or even El Nino. The presentation will describe: the event cast format and its standard micro-formats, software to generate and augment casts, and the browser GUI with KML visualizations.;

Casting evaluation of U-Zr alloy system fuel slug for SFR prepared by injection casting method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Song, Hoon; Kim, Jong-Hwan; Kim, Ki-Hwan

2013-07-01

Metal fuel slugs of U-Pu-Zr alloys for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) have conventionally been fabricated by a vacuum injection casting method. Recently, management of minor actinides (MA) became an important issue because direct disposal of the long-lived MA can be a long-term burden for a tentative repository up to several hundreds of thousand years. In order to recycle transuranic elements (TRU) retained in spent nuclear fuel, remote fabrication capability in a shielded hot cell should be prepared. Moreover, generation of long-lived radioactive wastes and loss of volatile species should be minimized during the recycled fuel fabrication step. In order tomore » prevent the evaporation of volatile elements such as Am, alternative fabrication methods of metal fuel slugs have been studied applying gravity casting, and improved injection casting in KAERI, including melting under inert atmosphere. And then, metal fuel slugs were examined with casting soundness, density, chemical analysis, particle size distribution and microstructural characteristics. Based on these results there is a high level of confidence that Am losses will also be effectively controlled by application of a modest amount of overpressure. A surrogate fuel slug was generally soundly cast by improved injection casting method, melted fuel material under inert atmosphere.« less

Knowledge Maps for E-Literacy in ICT-Rich Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taha, Ahmed

2005-01-01

The Web-based information and communication technology (w-ICT) has become a powerful means for delivery and dissemination of digitised information among the emerging virtual learning and business communities. The w-ICT has engendered a growing cybersphere paradigm to accommodate a huge mass of e-resources cast over the Web. Such abundance of…

Legal Bans on Pro-Suicide Web Sites: An Early Retrospective from Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pirkis, Jane; Neal, Luke; Dare, Andrew; Blood, R. Warwick; Studdert, David

2009-01-01

There are worldwide concerns that pro-suicide web sites may trigger suicidal behaviors among vulnerable individuals. In 2006, Australia became the first country to criminalize such sites, sparking heated debate. Concerns were expressed that the law casts the criminal net too widely; inappropriately interferes with the autonomy of those who wish to…

The 2004 Transit of Venus as a Space Science Education Opportunity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odenwald, S.; Mayo, L.; Vondrak, R.; Thieman, J.; Hawkins, I.; Schultz, G.

2003-12-01

We will present some of the programs and activities that NASA and its missions are preparing in order to support public and K12 education in space science and astronomy using the 2004 transit of Venus as a focal event. The upcoming transit of Venus on June 8 offers a unique opportunity to educate students and the general public about the scale of the solar system and the universe, as well as basic issues in comparative planetology. NASA's Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum is offering a number of programs to take advantage of this rare event. Among these are a live web cast from Spain of the entire transit, a series of radio and TV programs directed at students and the general public, a web cast describing extra-solar planet searches using the transit geometry, and archived observations produced by public observatories and student-operated solar viewers. The NASA/OSS Education Forums will also partner with science museums, planetaria and teachers across the country to bring the transit of Venus 'down to Earth'. In addition to offering enrichment activities in mathematics and space science, we also describe collaborations that have yielded unique historical resources including online archives of newspaper articles from the 1874 and 1882 transits. In addition, in collaboration with the Library of Congress Music Division, we have supported a modern re-orchestration of John Philip Sousa's Transit of Venus March which has not been performed since 1883. We anticipate that the transit of Venus will be a significant event of considerable public interest and curiosity, if the newspaper headlines from the transit seen in 1882 are any indication.

Engendering care: HIV, humanitarian assistance in Africa, and the reproduction of gender stereotypes

PubMed Central

Mindry, Deborah

2012-01-01

This paper takes as starting point research conducted in Durban, South Africa to unravel the complexities of care ethics in the context of humanitarian aid. It investigates how the gendering of care shapes humanitarian aid in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemics in Africa constructing an image of “virile” and “violent” African masculinity. Humanitarian organizations construct imagined relations of caring invoking notions of a shared humanity as informing the imperative to facilitate change. This paper draws on varied examples of research and NGO activity to illustrate how these relations of care are gendered. Humanitarian interventions which invoke universalizing conceptions of need could instead draw on feminist care ethics that seeks to balance rights, justice and care in ways that attend to the webs of relationships through which specific lived realities are shaped. Essentialising, feminized discourses on care result in a skewed analysis of international crises that invariably invoke women (and children) as victims in need of care and, at best, ignore the lived experiences of men, and at worst, cast men as virile and violent vectors of disease and social disorder. PMID:20432080

Living with diabetes: lay narratives as idioms of distress among the low-caste Dalit of Nepal.

PubMed

Thapa, Tirtha B

2014-01-01

Among the Dalit community in Nepal, people consistently describe their diabetes in relation to stress caused by social inequality and social marginalization. Drawing on the illness narratives of 30 people from this community, I argue that through linking diabetes with stress as a result of caste-based discrimination, respondents use diabetes as an 'idiom of distress.' Respondents report that discrimination based on caste creates and aggravates their dire financial circumstances, resulting in the prolonged stress that causes and interacts with diabetes. Suffering with diabetes, and its ensuing financial struggles and accompanying stress, has for some led to suicidal thoughts and the preference of death to living with diabetes.

Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes (CFRD): Daily Management

MedlinePlus

Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes (CFRD): Daily Management September 20, 2011 This Web cast is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Genentech, Inc. Antoinette, Moran, MD Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology ...

U.S. Geological Survey's ShakeCast: A cloud-based future

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wald, David J.; Lin, Kuo-Wan; Turner, Loren; Bekiri, Nebi

2014-01-01

When an earthquake occurs, the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap portrays the extent of potentially damaging shaking. In turn, the ShakeCast system, a freely-available, post-earthquake situational awareness application, automatically retrieves earthquake shaking data from ShakeMap, compares intensity measures against users’ facilities, sends notifications of potential damage to responsible parties, and generates facility damage assessment maps and other web-based products for emergency managers and responders. ShakeCast is particularly suitable for earthquake planning and response purposes by Departments of Transportation (DOTs), critical facility and lifeline utilities, large businesses, engineering and financial services, and loss and risk modelers. Recent important developments to the ShakeCast system and its user base are described. The newly-released Version 3 of the ShakeCast system encompasses advancements in seismology, earthquake engineering, and information technology applicable to the legacy ShakeCast installation (Version 2). In particular, this upgrade includes a full statistical fragility analysis framework for general assessment of structures as part of the near real-time system, direct access to additional earthquake-specific USGS products besides ShakeMap (PAGER, DYFI?, tectonic summary, etc.), significant improvements in the graphical user interface, including a console view for operations centers, and custom, user-defined hazard and loss modules. The release also introduces a new adaption option to port ShakeCast to the "cloud". Employing Amazon Web Services (AWS), users now have a low-cost alternative to local hosting, by fully offloading hardware, software, and communication obligations to the cloud. Other advantages of the "ShakeCast Cloud" strategy include (1) Reliability and robustness of offsite operations, (2) Scalability naturally accommodated, (3), Serviceability, problems reduced due to software and hardware uniformity, (4) Testability, freely available for new users, (5) Remotely supported, allowing expert-facilitated maintenance, (6) Adoptability, simplified with disk images, and (7) Security, built in at the very high level associated with AWS. The ShakeCast user base continues to expand and broaden. For example, Caltrans, the prototypical ShakeCast user and development supporter, has been providing guidance to other DOTs on the use of the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database to implement fully-functional ShakeCast systems in their states. A long-term goal underway is to further "connect the DOTs" via a Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) with participating state DOTs. We also review some of the many other users and uses of ShakeCast. Lastly, on the hazard input front, we detail related ShakeMap improvements and ongoing advancements in estimating the likelihood of shaking-induced secondary hazards at structures, facilities, bridges, and along roadways due to landslides and liquefaction, and implemented within the ShakeCast framework.

Metal casts showing the three-dimensional structure of the human inner ear were converted into jewelry.

PubMed

Heywood, Peter

2015-06-01

This article describes a straightforward method for making metal casts of the human inner ear developed in 1937 by M. Wharton Young of Howard University College of Medicine. These casts were used to study anatomy, but there do not appear to be any published photographs of the casts. Inner ear casts converted into jewelry provide the only known images of this work. Later, Young studied the inner ear in living rhesus monkeys by injecting mercury into their membranous labyrinths. Young's investigations indicated a blind-ending perilymphatic sac that was not in continuity with the subarachnoid space.

Developing ShakeCast statistical fragility analysis framework for rapid post-earthquake assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lin, K.-W.; Wald, D.J.

2012-01-01

When an earthquake occurs, the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap estimates the extent of potentially damaging shaking and provides overall information regarding the affected areas. The USGS ShakeCast system is a freely-available, post-earthquake situational awareness application that automatically retrieves earthquake shaking data from ShakeMap, compares intensity measures against users’ facilities, sends notifications of potential damage to responsible parties, and generates facility damage assessment maps and other web-based products for emergency managers and responders. We describe notable improvements of the ShakeMap and the ShakeCast applications. We present a design for comprehensive fragility implementation, integrating spatially-varying ground-motion uncertainties into fragility curves for ShakeCast operations. For each facility, an overall inspection priority (or damage assessment) is assigned on the basis of combined component-based fragility curves using pre-defined logic. While regular ShakeCast users receive overall inspection priority designations for each facility, engineers can access the full fragility analyses for further evaluation.

77 FR 17086 - U.S. Customs and Border Protection 2012 West Coast Trade Symposium: “Transforming Trade for a...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-23

...U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a document in the Federal Register on March 19, 2012, announcing that it will be holding two trade symposia this year. One trade symposium will be held on the West Coast on May 10, 2012, and the other will be on the East Coast later in the year. This document corrects that March 19 document to note that the theme of this year's symposia has been changed to ``Transforming Trade for a Stronger Economy''; and to inform the public that the fees have changed for both attendance at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and for access to the live web- casting of the event; that the trade symposium will now be one hour longer, running from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.; and that registration will open to the public on or about March 20, 2012.

Live and Web-based orientations are comparable for a required rotation.

PubMed

Prunuske, Jacob

2010-03-01

Studies show equivalency in knowledge when measured following Web-based learning and live lecture. However, the effectiveness of a Web-based orientation for a required clinical rotation is unknown. Medical students viewed a Web-based orientation and completed a 13-item evaluation before beginning a required 6-week community medicine rotation. Evaluation data from 2007-2008 live orientation sessions were compared to responses from 2008-2009 Web-based orientation sessions. Data were analyzed by two-sample tests of proportion. A total of 169 students completed surveys during the study period--78 following the live and 91 following the Web-based orientation. Response rates were equal in the two groups. The survey tool had a high level of reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.96). There was no statistical difference in student evaluations for 12 of 13 orientation evaluation items. Live and Web-based formats are comparable for presenting orientation materials to a required clinical rotation. Students felt the purpose of the rotation, educational goals, course structure, and requirements were clearly presented regardless of format. Transition from a live to Web-based format reduced faculty time required to present at rotation orientations.

Math: Objectives Guide. Project CAST.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charles County Board of Education, La Plata, MD. Office of Special Education.

The guide lists math objectives needed for independent living by secondary special education students. One of a series of Project CAST (Community and School Together) life skills manuals, the guide outlines basic competencies in terms of goal statements, behavioral objectives, and specialized vocabulary for the following areas: money, making…

Adaptive significance of the Indian caste system: an ecological perspective.

PubMed

Gadgil, M; Malhotra, K C

1983-01-01

Indian society is an agglomeration of several thousand endogamous groups or castes each with a restricted geographical range and a hereditarily determined mode of subsistence. These reproductively isolated castes may be compared to biological species, and the society thought of as a biological community with each caste having its specific ecological niche. In this paper we examine the ecological-niche relationships of castes which are directly dependent on natural resources. Evidence is presented to show that castes living together in the same region had so organized their pattern of resource use as to avoid excessive intercaste competition for limiting resources. Furthermore, territorial division of the total range of the caste regulated intra-caste competition. Hence, a particular plant or animal resource in a given locality was used almost exclusively by a given lineage within a caste generation after generation. This favoured the cultural evolution of traditions ensuring sustainable use of natural resources. This must have contributed significantly to the stability of Indian caste society over several thousand years. The collapse of the base of natural resources and increasing monetarization of the economy has, however, destroyed the earlier complementarity between the different castes and led to increasing conflicts between them in recent years.

Legal bans on pro-suicide web sites: an early retrospective from Australia.

PubMed

Pirkis, Jane; Neal, Luke; Dare, Andrew; Blood, R Warwick; Studdert, David

2009-04-01

There are worldwide concerns that pro-suicide web sites may trigger suicidal behaviors among vulnerable individuals. In 2006, Australia became the first country to criminalize such sites, sparking heated debate. Concerns were expressed that the law casts the criminal net too widely; inappropriately interferes with the autonomy of those who wish to die; and has jurisdictional limitations, with off-shore web sites remaining largely immune. Conversely, proponents point out that the law may limit access to domestic pro-suicide web sites, raise awareness of Internet-related suicide, mobilize community efforts to combat it, and serve as a powerful expression of societal norms about the promotion of suicidal behavior.

Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water

EPA Science Inventory

Web cast presentation covered six topics: 1), Arsenic Chemistry, 2), Technology Selection/Arsenic Demonstration Program, 3), Case Study 1, 4), Case Study 2,5), Case Study 3, and 6), Media Regeneration Project. The presentation consists of material presented at other training sess...

76 FR 23341 - Sunshine Federal Register Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-26

...-415-1711) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http://www.nrc.gov . Week of May 2... Meeting); (Contact: Robert Kahler, 301-415-7528) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address... Meeting); (Contact: Nathan Sanfilippo, 301-415-3951) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address...

75 FR 6413 - Sunshine Act Meeting Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-09

... Barkley, 610-337- 5065.) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http://www.nrc.gov . Week..., 301-251-7982.) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http://www.nrc.gov . Week of... (Public Meeting). (Contact: Thomas Fredrichs, 301-415-5971.) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web...

ShakeCast: Automating and Improving the Use of ShakeMap for Post-Earthquake Decision- Making and Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, K.; Wald, D. J.

2007-12-01

ShakeCast is a freely available, post-earthquake situational awareness application that automatically retrieves earthquake shaking data from ShakeMap, compares intensity measures against users" facilities, sends notifications of potential damage to responsible parties, and generates facility damage maps and other Web-based products for emergency managers and responders. ShakeMap, a tool used to portray the extent of potentially damaging shaking following an earthquake, provides overall information regarding the affected areas. When a potentially damaging earthquake occurs, utility and other lifeline managers, emergency responders, and other critical users have an urgent need for information about the impact on their particular facilities so they can make appropriate decisions and take quick actions to ensure safety and restore system functionality. To this end, ShakeCast estimates the potential damage to a user's widely distributed facilities by comparing the complex shaking distribution with the potentially highly variable damageability of their inventory to provide a simple, hierarchical list and maps showing structures or facilities most likely impacted. All ShakeMap and ShakeCast files and products are non-propriety to simplify interfacing with existing users" response tools and to encourage user-made enhancement to the software. ShakeCast uses standard RSS and HTTP requests to communicate with the USGS Web servers that host ShakeMaps, which are widely-distributed and heavily mirrored. The RSS approach allows ShakeCast users to initiate and receive selected ShakeMap products and information on software updates. To assess facility damage estimates, ShakeCast users can combine measured or estimated ground motion parameters with damage relationships that can be pre-computed, use one of these ground motion parameters as input, and produce a multi-state discrete output of damage likelihood. Presently three common approaches are being used to provide users with an indication of damage: HAZUS-based, intensity-based, and customized damage functions. Intensity-based thresholds are for locations with poorly established damage relationships; custom damage levels are for advanced ShakeCast users such as Caltrans which produces its own set of damage functions that correspond to the specific details of each California bridge or overpass in its jurisdiction. For users whose portfolio of structures is comprised of common, standard designs, ShakeCast offers a simplified structural damage-state estimation capability adapted from the HAZUS-MH earthquake module (NIBS and FEMA, 2003). Currently the simplified fragility settings consist of 128 combinations of HAZUS model building types, construction materials, building heights, and building-code eras.

Structural Engineering. Loads. Design Manual 2.2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

cast, rolled 534 Locust 46 Bronze, 7.9 to 14% Sn 509 Maple, hard 43 Bronze, aluminum 481 Maple, white 33 Copper , cast, rolled 556 Oak, chestnut 54... Copper ore, pyrites 262 Oak, live 59 Gold, cast, hammered 1205 Oak, red, black 41 Gold, bars, stacked 1133 Oak, white 46 Gold, coin in bags 1084 Pine...Phosphate rock, apatite 200 Glass, crystal 184 Porphyry 172 Hay and straw - bales 20 Pumice, natural 40 Leather 59 Quartz, flint 165 Paper 58 Sandstone

Open reduction and internal fixation versus casting for highly comminuted and intra-articular fractures of the distal radius (ORCHID): protocol for a randomized clinical multi-center trial.

PubMed

Bartl, Christoph; Stengel, Dirk; Bruckner, Thomas; Rossion, Inga; Luntz, Steffen; Seiler, Christoph; Gebhard, Florian

2011-03-22

Fractures of the distal radius represent the most common fracture in elderly patients, and often indicate the onset of symptomatic osteoporosis. A variety of treatment options is available, including closed reduction and plaster casting, K-wire-stabilization, external fixation and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with volar locked plating. The latter is widely promoted by clinicians and hardware manufacturers. Closed reduction and cast stabilization for six weeks is a simple, convenient, and ubiquitously available intervention. In contrast, ORIF requires hospitalization, but allows for functional rehabilitation.Given the lack of randomized controlled trials, it remains unclear whether ORIF leads to better functional outcomes one year after injury than closed reduction and casting. ORCHID (Open reduction and internal fixation versus casting for highly comminuted intra-articular fractures of the distal radius) is a pragmatic, randomized, multi-center, clinical trial with two parallel treatment arms. It is planned to include 504 patients in 15 participating centers throughout Germany over a three-year period. Patients are allocated by a central web-based randomization tool.The primary objective is to determine differences in the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Physical Component Score (PCS) between volar locked plating and closed reduction and casting of intraarticular, comminuted distal radius fractures in patients > 65 years of age one year after the fracture. Secondary outcomes include differences in other SF-36 dimensions, the EuroQol-5D questionnaire, the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) instrument. Also, the range of motion in the affected wrist, activities of daily living, complications (including secondary ORIF and revision surgery), as well as serious adverse events will be assessed. Data obtained during the trial will be used for later health-economic evaluations. The trial architecture involves a central statistical unit, an independent monitoring institute, and a data safety monitoring board. Following approval by the institutional review boards of all participating centers, conduct and reporting will strictly adhere to national and international rules, regulations, and recommendations (e.g., Good Clinical Practice, data safety laws, and EQUATOR/CONSORT proposals). To our knowledge, ORCHID is the first multicenter RCT designed to assess quality of life and functional outcomes following operative treatment compared to conservative treatment of complex, intra-articular fractures of the distal radius in elderly patients. The results are expected to influence future treatment recommendations and policies on an international level. ISRCTN: ISRCTN76120052 Registration date: 31.07.2008; Randomization of first patient: 15.09.2008.

Cast Iron in The 19th Century Building Equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwasek, Michał; Piwek, Aleksander

2017-10-01

Cast iron is a material, characteristics of which enable to receive extremely artistic elements. It maintains good strength properties at the same time. That combination of these seemingly contrary traits makes it a commodity that was widely used in the 19th century industry and architecture. These usages were not only as decorative elements, technical and structural ones. The production of new household utilities started, which made people’s lives more comfortable. Cast iron allowed for fast and cheap production while maintaining high aesthetic qualities. Useful elements, which often were ornamental parts of buildings were created. The aim of the article is to characterise elements of interior equipment of the 19th century building that are made of cast iron. As it appears from performed bibliography, archival and field studies, the ways of exploitation are very broad. Some were mounted into the building; the others were a mobile equipment. As it occurred they were most commonly used as functional items. Cast iron was used to produce the minor elements, which were only parts of the bigger wooden or stone items. Notwithstanding, there were also bigger ones casted as a whole, and frequently ones that were assembled from many elements. Nowadays, elements of an interior feature are one of the subjects of study during the restoration work of the buildings. They can provide important information about the building and the way people lived and are considered as the essential part of historical objects.

U.S. Centennial of Flight Commision: Born of Dreams - Inspired by Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission developed and maintained a public web site that included activities related to the centennial of flight celebration and the history of aviation. The web site, www.centennialofflight.gov, was continually updated with educational and historical information, events, sights and sounds, and Commission information from its inception to June 2004. This DVD contains a 'snap shot' of the web site as of April 2004. The Web site on this DVD can be enjoyed without an Internet connection although in some places, you will be given links to online content. DVD content includes: 1) About the Commission - Information on the legislation, the Commissioners and Advisory Board members, news, the National Plans, meeting minutes and status reports; 2) Calendar of Events - A comprehensive list of activities, symposiums, exhibits, air shows, educational activities and more that took place through March 2004; 3) Wright Brothers History - The Library of Congress bibliography of Wright-related resources as well as the Chronology and Flight Log; the Brunsman articles; interactive learning modules from The Wright Experience; short informative essays and a series of links to other Wright brothers information sources. 4) History of Flight - Essays and images on the history of flight; 5) Sights and Sounds - Images, movies and special collections that capture the accomplishments of the Wright brothers and others who made significant contributions throughout the history of aviation and aerospace. As part of the NASA Art Program, a centennial song, 'Way Up There,' was commissioned; 6) Licensed Products - View collections of souvenirs and gift items to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight; 7) Education - Resources that will help educators and their students celebrate 100 years of flight. Teachers can download Wright brothers posters and a Centennial of Flight bookmark, view live Web casts, and access an Educational Resources Center Matrix representing more than 50 government, industry and labor organizations promoting aviation and aerospace education.

Casualties Produced by Impact and Related Topics of People Survivability in a Direct Effects Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-08-01

COPY Reinforced concrete members ( beams and columns ): sizes, spans, support conditions, reinforcement ratios Steel members (open web joists, beams ...order of 30 to 50 percent of gross wall area are expected in upper portions butnt i n areas ’housing EOC’s. Open web joists and precast concrete units...are expected to dominate roof systems. Floors over the EOC’s are expected to be of rein- forced concrete . Cast-in-place flat plates and precast

Explosion resistant insulator and method of making same

DOEpatents

Meyer, Jeffry R.; Billings, Jr., John S.; Spindle, Harvey E.; Hofmann, Charles F.

1983-01-01

An electrical insulator assembly and method of manufacturing same, having a generally cylindrical or conical body portion formed of a breakable cast solid insulation system and a reinforcing member having a corrugated configuration and formed of a web or mesh type reinforcing fabric. When the breakable body member has been broken, the corrugated configured reinforcing web member provides a path of escape for pressurized insulating fluid while limiting the movement of body member fragments in the direction of escape of the pressurized fluid.

Web life: Planet SciCast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2009-08-01

So what is the site about? Planet SciCast is an online repository for short films about science - a bit like a science-specific, moderated version of YouTube. As of July 2009, the site hosts over 150 films on topics ranging from CERN's Large Hadron Collider to fun things to do with treacle. New content appears on the site every few weeks, and some films include links to information about related experiments, demos and activities. The site also runs an annual competition aimed at getting more people involved in making science films, with prizes in categories like "best original score" and "best presenter".

Live load testing and load rating of five reinforced concrete bridges.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

Five cast-in-place concrete T-beam bridges Eustis #5341, Whitefield #3831, Cambridge #3291, Eddington #5107, : and Albion #2832 were live load tested. Revised load ratings were computed either using test data or detailed : analysis when possi...

Mortality Burden and Socioeconomic Status in India

PubMed Central

Po, June Y. T.; Subramanian, S. V.

2011-01-01

Background The dimensions along which mortality is patterned in India remains unclear. We examined the specific contribution of social castes, household income, assets, and monthly per capita consumption to mortality differentials in India. Methods and Findings Cross-sectional data on 217 363 individuals from 41 554 households from the 2004–2005 India Human Development Survey was analyzed using multiple logistic regressions. Mortality differentials across social castes were attenuated after adjusting for household economic factors such as income and assets. Individuals living in the lowest income and assets quintiles had an increased risk of mortality with odds ratio (OR) of 1.66 (95% CI  = 1.23–2.24) in the bottom income quintile and OR of 2.94 (95% CI  = 1.66–5.22) in the bottom asset quintile. Counter-intuitively, individuals living in households with lowest monthly consumption per capita had significantly lower probability of death (OR  = 0.27, 95% CI  = 0.20–0.38). Conclusions Mortality burden in India is largely patterned on economic dimensions as opposed to caste dimensions, though caste may play an important role in predicting economic opportunities. PMID:21347373

Socio-environmental and endocrine influences on developmental and caste-regulatory gene expression in the eusocial termite Reticulitermes flavipes

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Strict regulation of caste differentiation, at the molecular level, is thought to be important to maintain social structure in insect societies. Previously, a number of extrinsic and intrinsic factors have been shown to influence caste composition in termite colonies. One important factor is the influence of nestmates; in particular, soldier termites are known to inhibit hormone-dependent worker-to-soldier differentiation. However, soldier influences on nestmates at the molecular level are virtually unknown. Here, to test the hypothesis that soldiers can influence nestmate gene expression, we investigated the impact of four treatments on whole-body gene expression in totipotent Reticulitermes flavipes workers: (i) juvenile hormone III (JHIII; a morphogenetic hormone), (ii) soldier head extracts (SHE), (iii) JHIII+SHE, and (iv) live soldiers. Results Using quantitative-real-time PCR we determined the expression patterns of 49 previously identified candidate genes in response to the four treatments at assay days 1, 5, and 10. Thirty-eight total genes from three categories (chemical production/degradation, hemolymph protein, and developmental) showed significant differential expression among treatments. Most importantly, SHE and live soldier treatments had a significant impact on a number of genes from families known to play roles in insect development, supporting previous findings and hypotheses that soldiers regulate nestmate caste differentiation via terpene primer pheromones contained in their heads. Conclusions This research provides new insights into the impacts that socio-environmental factors (JH, soldiers, primer pheromones) can have on termite gene expression and caste differentiation, and reveals a number of socially-relevant genes for investigation in subsequent caste differentiation research. PMID:20416061

Socio-environmental and endocrine influences on developmental and caste-regulatory gene expression in the eusocial termite Reticulitermes flavipes.

PubMed

Tarver, Matthew R; Zhou, Xuguo; Scharf, Michael E

2010-04-23

Strict regulation of caste differentiation, at the molecular level, is thought to be important to maintain social structure in insect societies. Previously, a number of extrinsic and intrinsic factors have been shown to influence caste composition in termite colonies. One important factor is the influence of nestmates; in particular, soldier termites are known to inhibit hormone-dependent worker-to-soldier differentiation. However, soldier influences on nestmates at the molecular level are virtually unknown. Here, to test the hypothesis that soldiers can influence nestmate gene expression, we investigated the impact of four treatments on whole-body gene expression in totipotent Reticulitermes flavipes workers: (i) juvenile hormone III (JHIII; a morphogenetic hormone), (ii) soldier head extracts (SHE), (iii) JHIII+SHE, and (iv) live soldiers. Using quantitative-real-time PCR we determined the expression patterns of 49 previously identified candidate genes in response to the four treatments at assay days 1, 5, and 10. Thirty-eight total genes from three categories (chemical production/degradation, hemolymph protein, and developmental) showed significant differential expression among treatments. Most importantly, SHE and live soldier treatments had a significant impact on a number of genes from families known to play roles in insect development, supporting previous findings and hypotheses that soldiers regulate nestmate caste differentiation via terpene primer pheromones contained in their heads. This research provides new insights into the impacts that socio-environmental factors (JH, soldiers, primer pheromones) can have on termite gene expression and caste differentiation, and reveals a number of socially-relevant genes for investigation in subsequent caste differentiation research.

INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM: HISTORICAL AND PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEWS.

PubMed

Vallabhaneni, Madhusudana Rao

2015-12-01

This paper elucidates the historical origins and transformations of India's caste system. Surveying the complex developments over many centuries, it points out that three positions have been taken in this regard. One suggests that the caste one is born into can be transcended within one's lifetime by performing good deeds. The other declares caste to be immutable forever. And, the third says that one can be reborn into a higher caste if one lives a virtuous life. Moving on to the sociopolitical realm, the paper notes how these positions have been used and exploited. The paper then attempts to anchor the existence and purpose of the Hindu caste system in Freud's ideas about group psychology and Klein's proposals of splitting and projective identification. The paper also deploys the large group psychology concepts of Volkan and the culturally nuanced psychoanalytic anthropology of Roland and Kakar. It concludes with delineating some ameliorative strategies for this tragic problem in the otherwise robust democratic society of India.

Contact angle control of sessile drops on a tensioned web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Janghoon; Kim, Dongguk; Lee, Changwoo

2018-04-01

In this study, the influence of the change of tension applied to flexible and thin web substrate on the contact angle of sessile drop in roll-to-roll system was investigated. Graphene oxide and deionized water solutions were used in the experiments. Tension was changed to 29, 49, and 69 N, and the casting distance of the micropipette and the material was set to 10, 20, and 40 mm, and the droplet volume was set to 10, 20, and 30 μL, respectively. Statistical analysis of three variables and analysis of the variance methodology showed that the casting distance was most significant for the contact angle change, and the most interesting tension variable was also affected. The change in tension caused the maximum contact angle to change by 5.5°. The tension was not uniform in the width direction. When the droplet was applied in the same direction in the width direction, it was confirmed that the tension unevenness had great influence on the contact angle up to 11°. Finally, the casting distance, which has a large effect on the contact angle, was calibrated in the width direction to reduce the width direction contact angle deviation to 1%. This study can be applied to fine patterning research using continuous inkjet printing and aerosol jet printing, which are roll-to-roll processes based on droplet handling.

Strainrange partitioning behavior of the nickel-base superalloys, Rene' 80 and in 100

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halford, G. R.; Nachtigall, A. J.

1978-01-01

A study was made to assess the ability of the method of Strainrange Partitioning (SRP) to both correlate and predict high-temperature, low cycle fatigue lives of nickel base superalloys for gas turbine applications. The partitioned strainrange versus life relationships for uncoated Rene' 80 and cast IN 100 were also determined from the ductility normalized-Strainrange Partitioning equations. These were used to predict the cyclic lives of the baseline tests. The life predictability of the method was verified for cast IN 100 by applying the baseline results to the cyclic life prediction of a series of complex strain cycling tests with multiple hold periods at constant strain. It was concluded that the method of SRP can correlate and predict the cyclic lives of laboratory specimens of the nickel base superalloys evaluated in this program.

Engineering Laboratory Instruction in Virtual Environment--"eLIVE"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaturvedi, Sushil; Prabhakaran, Ramamurthy; Yoon, Jaewan; Abdel-Salam, Tarek

2011-01-01

A novel application of web-based virtual laboratories to prepare students for physical experiments is explored in some detail. The pedagogy of supplementing physical laboratory with web-based virtual laboratories is implemented by developing a web-based tool, designated in this work as "eLIVE", an acronym for Engineering Laboratory…

Synchronous Distance Education: Using Web-Conferencing in an MBA Accounting Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellingson, Dee Ann; Notbohm, Matthew

2012-01-01

Online distance education can take many forms, from a correspondence course with materials online to fully synchronous, live instruction. This paper describes a fully synchronous, live format using web-conferencing. Some useful features of web-conferencing and the way they are employed in this course are described. Instructor observations and…

Women's health in a rural community in Kerala, India: do caste and socioeconomic position matter?

PubMed Central

Mohindra, K S; Haddad, Slim; Narayana, D

2006-01-01

Objectives To examine the social patterning of women's self‐reported health status in India and the validity of the two hypotheses: (1) low caste and lower socioeconomic position is associated with worse reported health status, and (2) associations between socioeconomic position and reported health status vary across castes. Design Cross‐sectional household survey, age‐adjusted percentages and odds ratios, and multilevel multinomial logistic regression models were used for analysis. Setting A panchayat (territorial decentralised unit) in Kerala, India, in 2003. Participants 4196 non‐elderly women. Outcome measures Self‐perceived health status and reported limitations in activities in daily living. Results Women from lower castes (scheduled castes/scheduled tribes (SC/ST) and other backward castes (OBC) reported a higher prevalence of poor health than women from forward castes. Socioeconomic inequalities were observed in health regardless of the indicators, education, women's employment status or household landholdings. The multilevel multinomial models indicate that the associations between socioeconomic indicators and health vary across caste. Among SC/ST and OBC women, the influence of socioeconomic variables led to a “magnifying” effect, whereas among forward caste women, a “buffering” effect was found. Among lower caste women, the associations between socioeconomic factors and self‐assessed health are graded; the associations are strongest when comparing the lowest and highest ratings of health. Conclusions Even in a relatively egalitarian state in India, there are caste and socioeconomic inequalities in women's health. Implementing interventions that concomitantly deal with caste and socioeconomic disparities will likely produce more equitable results than targeting either type of inequality in isolation. PMID:17108296

An exploratory study of live vs. web-based delivery of a phlebotomy program.

PubMed

Fydryszewski, Nadine A; Scanlan, Craig; Guiles, H Jesse; Tucker, Ann

2010-01-01

Changes in student population and increased Web-based education offerings provided the impetus to assess pedagogy, cognitive outcomes and perceptions of course quality. This study explored cognitive outcomes and students' perception of course quality related to the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education between live classroom delivery, compared to a Web-based delivery of a phlebotomy program. Quasi-experimental; students self-selected to enroll in live or Web-based program. For cognitive outcomes, no significant difference was found between the groups. Student perception of course quality differed only for Principle One (student-instructor contact). Students in the live classroom rated Principle One higher for the Part I course compared to the Web-based group. For the Part II course, there was no significant difference in perception of course quality related to any of the Seven Principles. The more constructivist pedagogy in the Part II course did not improve cognitive outcomes however, it may have contributed to knowledge retention. The live group rated Principle One in the Part II course evaluation relatively the same as they did for the Part I course evaluation. However, the Web-based group rated Principle One considerable higher for the Part II course than for Part I course. Future studies with a larger sample could explore improved course quality assessment instruments.

Creation of a web-based lecture series for psychiatry clerkship students: initial findings.

PubMed

Martin, Vicki L; Bennett, David S

2004-01-01

In recent years, the trend in medical education has been to utilize clerkship settings outside the medical school. Subsequently, students rotate at distant sites from the main campus and have lectures of varying quantity and quality. The objective of the present study was to standardize the core didactic experience for students in the Psychiatry clerkship by using web-based lectures and to assess student satisfaction with such lectures. Students completed a brief satisfaction questionnaire after viewing both web-based and live lectures. Students rated both web-based and live lectures positively, although overall satisfaction ratings were higher for live lectures. Shelf-exam scores improved for the current year, suggesting that learning was not negatively affected by the use of web-based lectures. Web-based lectures appear to be a feasible and satisfactory way to ensure didactic comparability across clinical sites.

Intention toward optimal breastfeeding among expecting mothers in Angul district of Odisha, India.

PubMed

Behera, Deepanjali; Pillai, Anil Kumar Kuttappan

2016-01-01

This paper aims to assess the prenatal breastfeeding intention and its predictors in Odisha, a state in India. Data were collected from 218 rural pregnant women of Angul district of Odisha, India in 2012. About 33% of the women lacked the intention to exclusively breastfeed their babies for 6 months. Prelacteal feeding was intended by one-third of the women while 61.5% of the women intended to feed water during the first 6 months of birth. Women of an older age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09-1.55], with more education (OR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.08-1.32), belonging to lower castes [other backward caste (OBC)-OR = 21.33; 95% CI = 4.29-106.0, scheduled caste (SC)-OR = 22.77; 95% CI = 2.47-199.1, scheduled tribe (ST)-OR = 26.16; 95% CI = 4.10-174.8), and lesser number of living sons (OR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.22-0.94) were more likely to have a higher intention for optimal breastfeeding than those of a lower age, with less education, belonging to a higher caste, and with more number of living sons. Awareness generation programs need to be strengthened to educate pregnant women with appropriate and recommended breastfeeding guidelines to establish optimal breastfeeding practices.

The Effects of Fracture Origin Size on Fatigue Properties of Ductile Cast Iron with Small Chill Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sameshima, Daigo; Nakamura, Takashi; Horikawa, Noritaka; Oguma, Hiroyuki; Endo, Takeshi

Reducing the weight of a machine structure is an increasingly important consideration both for the conservation of resources during production and for the energy saving during operation. With these objectives in mind, thin-walled ductile cast iron has recently been developed. Because rapid cooling could result in brittle microstructure of cementite (chill) in this cast iron, it is necessary to investigate the effect of cementite on the fatigue properties. Therefore, fatigue tests were carried out on a ductile cast iron of block castings which contained a relatively small amount of cementite. Fracture surface observation indicated that the fracture origins were located at graphite clusters and cast shrinkage porosity, not at cementite. It appears that when the size of the cementite is smaller than that of the graphite, the cementite does not affect the fatigue properties of ductile cast iron. Not surprisingly, the fatigue lives were found to increase with decrease in the size of the fatigue fracture origin. The threshold initial stress intensity factor range ΔKini,th for fatigue failure was found to be about 3-4MPa√m, independent of microstructure.

77 FR 27099 - Sunshine Federal Register Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-08

... Actions, (Public Meeting), (Contact: Jessie Quichocho, 301-415-0209). This meeting will be webcast live at... meeting will be webcast live at the Web address: www.nrc.gov . Week of June 4, 2012--Tentative Thursday...) (Contact: Tanny Santos, 301-415-7270). This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address: www.nrc.gov...

75 FR 8155 - Sunshine Act; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-23

... meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http:// www.nrc.gov 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Decommissioning Funding (Public Meeting) (Contact: Thomas Fredrichs, 301-415-5971). This meeting will be webcast live at... meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http://www.nrc.gov . Week of March 8, 2010--Tentative...

A molecular phylogeny of the Australian huntsman spiders (Sparassidae, Deleninae): implications for taxonomy and social behaviour.

PubMed

Agnarsson, Ingi; Rayor, Linda S

2013-12-01

Huntsman spiders (Sparassidae) are a diverse group with a worldwide distribution, yet are poorly known both taxonomically and phylogenetically. They are particularly diverse in Australia where an endemic lineage, Deleninae, has diversified to form nearly 100 species. One unusual species, Delena cancerides, has been believed to be the sole group-living sparassid. Unlike all of the other subsocial and social spiders which are capture-web based or live in silken tunnels, D. cancerides are non-web building spiders that live in large matrilineal colonies of a single adult female and her offspring from multiple clutches of under the bark of dead trees. Here we report the discovery of two additional prolonged subsocial sparassid species, currently in Eodelena but here formally proposed as a synonomy of Delena (new synonoymy), Delena (Eodelena) lapidicola and D. (E.) melanochelis. We briefly describe their social demographics, behavior, and habitat use. In order to understand the evolutionary relationships among these species, and thus origin of sociality and other traits in this group, we also offer the first molecular phylogeny of Deleninae and relatives. We employ model based phylogenetic analyses on two mtDNA and three nuDNA loci using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, including both 'classical' concatenation approach as well as coalescent-based analysis of species trees from gene trees. Our results support the hypothesis that the delenine huntsman spiders are a monophyletic Australian radiation, approximately 23 million year old, and indicate that the current ten genera should be merged to six genera in four clades. Our findings are inconsistent with some relatively recent changes in the taxonomy of Deleninae. The three known group-living delenine species are related and likely represent a single origin of sociality with a single reversal to solitary life-styles. Our results provide strong support for the classical Isopeda, but not for the recent splitting of that taxon into Isopeda, Isopedella, and Holconia. Another moderately supported clade within Deleninae unites three genera (Pediana, Beregama, Typostola) that, while morphologically diverse, all share extraordinary locomotory speed. A fourth clade is comprised of the speciose Neosparassus, containing Zachria. In sum, our study results in a robust phylogeny of Deleninae, casting light on the origin of sociality in the group, and facilitating future work on these unusual spiders. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Considerations for conducting Web-based survey research with people living with human immunodeficiency virus using a community-based participatory approach.

PubMed

O'Brien, Kelly K; Solomon, Patricia; Worthington, Catherine; Ibáñez-Carrasco, Francisco; Baxter, Larry; Nixon, Stephanie A; Baltzer-Turje, Rosalind; Robinson, Greg; Zack, Elisse

2014-03-13

Web or Internet-based surveys are increasingly popular in health survey research. However, the strengths and challenges of Web-based surveys with people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are unclear. The aim of this article is to describe our experience piloting a cross-sectional, Web-based, self-administered survey with adults living with HIV using a community-based participatory research approach. We piloted a Web-based survey that investigated disability and rehabilitation services use with a sample of adults living with HIV in Canada. Community organizations in five provinces emailed invitations to clients, followed by a thank you/reminder one week later. We obtained survey feedback in a structured phone interview with respondents. Participant responses were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using directed content analysis. Of 30 people living with HIV who accessed the survey link, 24/30 (80%) initiated and 16/30 (53%) completed the survey instrument. A total of 17 respondents participated in post-survey interviews. Participants described the survey instrument as comprehensive, suggesting content validity. The majority (13/17, 76%) felt instruction and item wording were clear and easy to understand, and found the software easy to navigate. Participants felt having a pop-up reminder directing them to missed items would be useful. Strengths of implementing the Web-based survey included: our community-based participatory approach, ease of software use, ability for respondents to complete the questionnaire on one's own time at one's own pace, opportunity to obtain geographic variation, and potential for respondent anonymity. Considerations for future survey implementation included: respondent burden and fatigue, the potentially sensitive nature of HIV Web-based research, data management and storage, challenges verifying informed consent, varying computer skills among respondents, and the burden on community organizations. Overall, results provide considerations for researchers conducting community-based participatory Web-based survey research with people living with HIV.

Considerations for Conducting Web-Based Survey Research With People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Using a Community-Based Participatory Approach

PubMed Central

Solomon, Patricia; Worthington, Catherine; Ibáñez-Carrasco, Francisco; Baxter, Larry; Nixon, Stephanie A; Baltzer-Turje, Rosalind; Robinson, Greg; Zack, Elisse

2014-01-01

Background Web or Internet-based surveys are increasingly popular in health survey research. However, the strengths and challenges of Web-based surveys with people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are unclear. Objective The aim of this article is to describe our experience piloting a cross-sectional, Web-based, self-administered survey with adults living with HIV using a community-based participatory research approach. Methods We piloted a Web-based survey that investigated disability and rehabilitation services use with a sample of adults living with HIV in Canada. Community organizations in five provinces emailed invitations to clients, followed by a thank you/reminder one week later. We obtained survey feedback in a structured phone interview with respondents. Participant responses were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using directed content analysis. Results Of 30 people living with HIV who accessed the survey link, 24/30 (80%) initiated and 16/30 (53%) completed the survey instrument. A total of 17 respondents participated in post-survey interviews. Participants described the survey instrument as comprehensive, suggesting content validity. The majority (13/17, 76%) felt instruction and item wording were clear and easy to understand, and found the software easy to navigate. Participants felt having a pop-up reminder directing them to missed items would be useful. Conclusions Strengths of implementing the Web-based survey included: our community-based participatory approach, ease of software use, ability for respondents to complete the questionnaire on one’s own time at one’s own pace, opportunity to obtain geographic variation, and potential for respondent anonymity. Considerations for future survey implementation included: respondent burden and fatigue, the potentially sensitive nature of HIV Web-based research, data management and storage, challenges verifying informed consent, varying computer skills among respondents, and the burden on community organizations. Overall, results provide considerations for researchers conducting community-based participatory Web-based survey research with people living with HIV. PMID:24642066

Gender-specific effects of caste and salt on hypertension in poverty: a population-based study.

PubMed

Thrift, Amanda G; Evans, Roger G; Kalyanram, Kartik; Kartik, Kamakshi; Fitzgerald, Sharyn M; Srikanth, Velandai

2011-03-01

Little is known about the risk of developing hypertension in those living in poverty in rural India. We examined gender and caste influences on risk factors for hypertension in a disadvantaged rural community. In 1479 adults living in 12 hamlets in rural Andhra Pradesh, we measured blood pressure, height, weight, waist and hip girth, and used point-of-care devices to measure blood glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride and haemoglobin levels. Information about lifestyle habits was obtained by questionnaire. Multivariable backward stepwise logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with hypertension (blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg). The mean age was 39.7 years; 46.2% were men, 11.4% were hypertensive, 0.8% were obese and 44.4% were underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m). Dietary salt intake was more than 40 g/day. Belonging to a forward caste was associated with a greater risk of hypertension in both men and women. The association of caste was eliminated after adjustment for BMI in women [odds ratio (OR) 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61-2.06], but not in men (OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.77-4.86). Similar results were found for educational status. High salt intake was not associated with hypertension in women (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.44-1.65), but was in men (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.27-4.02). In this disadvantaged rural community, men are particularly prone to the effects of relative socioeconomic advantage and salt intake on the risk of hypertension. Traditional risk factors may play a greater role in the development of hypertension in men living in poverty than in women.

Social support and its correlation with loneliness: a cross-cultural study of Nepalese older adults.

PubMed

Chalise, Hom Nath; Kai, Ichiro; Saito, Tami

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the situation of social support exchange among elderly men and women and to study the cross-cultural validity of predictors of loneliness in two Nepalese castes/ethnicities of older adults. Data for this study were taken from a cross-sectional study of the elderly at least 60 years old living in one ward of Kathmandu City, conducted in 2005. Loneliness was measured using a three-item loneliness scale based on the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. Sources of social support were classified as spouse, children living with their elders, children living apart, and friends/neighbors. Study findings indicate that the main social support exchange for the elderly was with adult children living together, spouse, and friends/neighbors. Results also show gender difference in social support. Significant variables of loneliness were social support received from spouse, social support provided to spouse, and children living together with both elderly parents. This finding shows there is a high degree of cross-cultural invariance in the predictor sources of social support on loneliness among two Nepalese castes/ethnicities older adults.

ShakeCast: Automating and improving the use of shakemap for post-earthquake deeision-making and response

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wald, D.; Lin, K.-W.; Porter, K.; Turner, Loren

2008-01-01

When a potentially damaging earthquake occurs, utility and other lifeline managers, emergency responders, and other critical users have an urgent need for information about the impact on their particular facilities so they can make appropriate decisions and take quick actions to ensure safety and restore system functionality. ShakeMap, a tool used to portray the extent of potentially damaging shaking following an earthquake, on its own can be useful for emergency response, loss estimation, and public information. However, to take full advantage of the potential of ShakeMap, we introduce ShakeCast. ShakeCast facilitates the complicated assessment of potential damage to a user's widely distributed facilities by comparing the complex shaking distribution with the potentially highly variable damageability of their inventory to provide a simple, hierarchical list and maps of structures or facilities most likely impacted. ShakeCast is a freely available, post-earthquake situational awareness application that automatically retrieves earthquake shaking data from ShakeMap, compares intensity measures against users' facilities, sends notifications of potential damage to responsible parties, and generates facility damage maps and other Web-based products for both public and private emergency managers and responders. ?? 2008, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.

Method of fabricating a prestressed cast iron vessel

DOEpatents

Lampe, Robert F.

1982-01-01

A method of fabricating a prestressed cast iron vessel wherein double wall cast iron body segments each have an arcuate inner wall and a spaced apart substantially parallel outer wall with a plurality of radially extending webs interconnecting the inner wall and the outer wall, the bottom surface and the two exposed radial side surfaces of each body segment are machined and eight body segments are formed into a ring. The top surfaces and outer surfaces of the outer walls are machined and keyways are provided across the juncture of adjacent end walls of the body segments. A liner segment complementary in shape to a selected inner wall of one of the body segments is mounted to each of the body segments and again formed into a ring. The liner segments of each ring are welded to form unitary liner rings and thereafter the cast iron body segments are prestressed to complete the ring assembly. Ring assemblies are stacked to form the vessel and adjacent unitary liner rings are welded. A top head covers the top ring assembly to close the vessel and axially extending tendons retain the top and bottom heads in place under pressure.

Casting the Net: The Development of a Resource Collection for an Internet Database.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKiernan, Gerry

CyberStacks(sm), a demonstration prototype World Wide Web information service, was established on the home page server at Iowa State University with the intent of facilitating identification and use of significant Internet resources in science and technology. CyberStacks(sm) was created in response to perceived deficiencies in early efforts to…

"A Dance with the Butterflies:" A Metamorphosis of Teaching and Learning through Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McPherson, Sarah

2009-01-01

This paper describes a web-based collaborative project called "A Dance with the Butterflies" that applied the brain-based research of the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) and principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to Pre-K-4 science curriculum. Learning experiences were designed for students to invoke the Recognition,…

Fibreglass Total Contact Casting, Removable Cast Walkers, and Irremovable Cast Walkers to Treat Diabetic Neuropathic Foot Ulcers: A Health Technology Assessment

PubMed Central

Costa, Vania; Tu, Hong Anh; Wells, David; Weir, Mark; Holubowich, Corinne; Walter, Melissa

2017-01-01

Background Diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers are a risk factor for lower leg amputation. Many experts recommend offloading with fibreglass total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers as a way to treat these ulcers. Methods We completed a health technology assessment, which included an evaluation of clinical benefits and harms, value for money, and patient preferences for offloading devices. We performed a systematic literature search on August 17, 2016, to identify randomized controlled trials that compared fibreglass total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers with other treatments (offloading or non-offloading) in patients with diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers. We developed a decision-analytic model to assess the cost-effectiveness of fibreglass total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers, and we conducted a 5-year budget impact analysis. Finally, we interviewed people with diabetes who had lived experience with foot ulcers, asking them about the different offloading devices and the factors that influenced their treatment choices. Results We identified 13 randomized controlled trials. The evidence suggests that total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers are beneficial in the treatment of neuropathic, noninfected foot ulcers in patients with diabetes but without severe peripheral arterial disease. Compared to removable cast walkers, ulcer healing was improved with total contact casting (moderate quality evidence; risk difference 0.17 [95% confidence interval 0.00–0.33]) and irremovable cast walkers (low quality evidence; risk difference 0.21 [95% confidence interval 0.01–0.40]). We found no difference in ulcer healing between total contact casting and irremovable cast walkers (low quality evidence; risk difference 0.02 [95% confidence interval −0.11–0.14]). The economic analysis showed that total contact casting and irremovable cast walkers were less expensive and led to more health outcome gains (e.g., ulcers healed and quality-adjusted life-years) than removable cast walkers. Irremovable cast walkers were as effective as total contact casting and were associated with lower costs. The 5-year budget impact of funding total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers (device costs only at 100% access) would be $17 to $20 million per year. The patients we interviewed felt that wound healing was improved with total contact casting than with removable cast walkers, but that removable cast walkers were more convenient and came with a lower cost burden. They reported no experience or familiarity with irremovable cast walkers. Conclusions Ulcer healing improved with total contact casting, irremovable cast walkers, and removable cast walkers, but total contact casting and irremovable cast walkers had higher rates of ulcer healing than removable cast walkers. Increased access to offloading devices could result in cost savings for the health system because of fewer amputations. Patients with diabetic foot ulcers reported a preference for total contact casting over removable cast walkers, largely because they perceived wound healing to be improved with total contact casting. However, cost, comfort, and convenience are concerns for patients. PMID:28989556

Fibreglass Total Contact Casting, Removable Cast Walkers, and Irremovable Cast Walkers to Treat Diabetic Neuropathic Foot Ulcers: A Health Technology Assessment.

PubMed

2017-01-01

Diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers are a risk factor for lower leg amputation. Many experts recommend offloading with fibreglass total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers as a way to treat these ulcers. We completed a health technology assessment, which included an evaluation of clinical benefits and harms, value for money, and patient preferences for offloading devices. We performed a systematic literature search on August 17, 2016, to identify randomized controlled trials that compared fibreglass total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers with other treatments (offloading or non-offloading) in patients with diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers. We developed a decision-analytic model to assess the cost-effectiveness of fibreglass total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers, and we conducted a 5-year budget impact analysis. Finally, we interviewed people with diabetes who had lived experience with foot ulcers, asking them about the different offloading devices and the factors that influenced their treatment choices. We identified 13 randomized controlled trials. The evidence suggests that total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers are beneficial in the treatment of neuropathic, noninfected foot ulcers in patients with diabetes but without severe peripheral arterial disease. Compared to removable cast walkers, ulcer healing was improved with total contact casting (moderate quality evidence; risk difference 0.17 [95% confidence interval 0.00-0.33]) and irremovable cast walkers (low quality evidence; risk difference 0.21 [95% confidence interval 0.01-0.40]). We found no difference in ulcer healing between total contact casting and irremovable cast walkers (low quality evidence; risk difference 0.02 [95% confidence interval -0.11-0.14]). The economic analysis showed that total contact casting and irremovable cast walkers were less expensive and led to more health outcome gains (e.g., ulcers healed and quality-adjusted life-years) than removable cast walkers. Irremovable cast walkers were as effective as total contact casting and were associated with lower costs. The 5-year budget impact of funding total contact casting, removable cast walkers, and irremovable cast walkers (device costs only at 100% access) would be $17 to $20 million per year. The patients we interviewed felt that wound healing was improved with total contact casting than with removable cast walkers, but that removable cast walkers were more convenient and came with a lower cost burden. They reported no experience or familiarity with irremovable cast walkers. Ulcer healing improved with total contact casting, irremovable cast walkers, and removable cast walkers, but total contact casting and irremovable cast walkers had higher rates of ulcer healing than removable cast walkers. Increased access to offloading devices could result in cost savings for the health system because of fewer amputations. Patients with diabetic foot ulcers reported a preference for total contact casting over removable cast walkers, largely because they perceived wound healing to be improved with total contact casting. However, cost, comfort, and convenience are concerns for patients.

Microstructural and mechanical evolutions during the forging step of the COBAPRESS, a casting/forging process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perrier, Frédéric; Desrayaud, Christophe; Bouvier, Véronique

Aluminum casting/forging processes are used to produce parts for the automotive industry. In this study, we examined the influence of the forging step on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of an A356 aluminum alloy modified with strontium. Firstly, a design of samples which allows us to test mechanically the alloy before and after forging was created. A finite element analysis with the ABAQUS software predicts a maximum of strain in the core of the specimens. Observations with the EBSD technique confirm a more intense sub-structuration of the dendrite cells in this zone. Yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, elongation and fatigue lives were then improved for the casting/forging samples compared to the only cast specimens. The closure of the porosities and the improvement of the surface quality during the forging step enhance also the fatigue resistance of the samples.

Absentee Voting among Privately-Employed U.S. Citizens Living Overseas: Findings from the 1978 Post-Election Voting Survey (Form B).

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-06-01

citizens who live overseas. The questions concerned absentee voting experiences in the 1978 general election, interest in the election, sources of...cast ballots in the 1978 election. The most frequently cited reason for not voting was lack of information on absentee voting procedures. (Author)

Going, going, still there: using the WebCite service to permanently archive cited Web pages.

PubMed

Eysenbach, Gunther

2006-01-01

Scholars are increasingly citing electronic "web references" which are not preserved in libraries or full text archives. WebCite is a new standard for citing web references. To "webcite" a document involves archiving the cited Web page through www.webcitation.org and citing the WebCite permalink instead of (or in addition to) the unstable live Web page.

Biodiversity loss decreases parasite diversity: theory and patterns

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lafferty, Kevin D.

2012-01-01

Past models have suggested host–parasite coextinction could lead to linear, or concave down relationships between free-living species richness and parasite richness. I explored several models for the relationship between parasite richness and biodiversity loss. Life cycle complexity, low generality of parasites and sensitivity of hosts reduced the robustness of parasite species to the loss of free-living species diversity. Food-web complexity and the ordering of extinctions altered these relationships in unpredictable ways. Each disassembly of a food web resulted in a unique relationship between parasite richness and the richness of free-living species, because the extinction trajectory of parasites was sensitive to the order of extinctions of free-living species. However, the average of many disassemblies tended to approximate an analytical model. Parasites of specialist hosts and hosts higher on food chains were more likely to go extinct in food-web models. Furthermore, correlated extinctions between hosts and parasites (e.g. if parasites share a host with a specialist predator) led to steeper declines in parasite richness with biodiversity loss. In empirical food webs with random removals of free-living species, the relationship between free-living species richness and parasite richness was, on average, quasi-linear, suggesting biodiversity loss reduces parasite diversity more than previously thought.

Genetic evidence on the origins of Indian caste populations.

PubMed

Bamshad, M; Kivisild, T; Watkins, W S; Dixon, M E; Ricker, C E; Rao, B B; Naidu, J M; Prasad, B V; Reddy, P G; Rasanayagam, A; Papiha, S S; Villems, R; Redd, A J; Hammer, M F; Nguyen, S V; Carroll, M L; Batzer, M A; Jorde, L B

2001-06-01

The origins and affinities of the approximately 1 billion people living on the subcontinent of India have long been contested. This is owing, in part, to the many different waves of immigrants that have influenced the genetic structure of India. In the most recent of these waves, Indo-European-speaking people from West Eurasia entered India from the Northwest and diffused throughout the subcontinent. They purportedly admixed with or displaced indigenous Dravidic-speaking populations. Subsequently they may have established the Hindu caste system and placed themselves primarily in castes of higher rank. To explore the impact of West Eurasians on contemporary Indian caste populations, we compared mtDNA (400 bp of hypervariable region 1 and 14 restriction site polymorphisms) and Y-chromosome (20 biallelic polymorphisms and 5 short tandem repeats) variation in approximately 265 males from eight castes of different rank to approximately 750 Africans, Asians, Europeans, and other Indians. For maternally inherited mtDNA, each caste is most similar to Asians. However, 20%-30% of Indian mtDNA haplotypes belong to West Eurasian haplogroups, and the frequency of these haplotypes is proportional to caste rank, the highest frequency of West Eurasian haplotypes being found in the upper castes. In contrast, for paternally inherited Y-chromosome variation each caste is more similar to Europeans than to Asians. Moreover, the affinity to Europeans is proportionate to caste rank, the upper castes being most similar to Europeans, particularly East Europeans. These findings are consistent with greater West Eurasian male admixture with castes of higher rank. Nevertheless, the mitochondrial genome and the Y chromosome each represents only a single haploid locus and is more susceptible to large stochastic variation, bottlenecks, and selective sweeps. Thus, to increase the power of our analysis, we assayed 40 independent, biparentally inherited autosomal loci (1 LINE-1 and 39 Alu elements) in all of the caste and continental populations (approximately 600 individuals). Analysis of these data demonstrated that the upper castes have a higher affinity to Europeans than to Asians, and the upper castes are significantly more similar to Europeans than are the lower castes. Collectively, all five datasets show a trend toward upper castes being more similar to Europeans, whereas lower castes are more similar to Asians. We conclude that Indian castes are most likely to be of proto-Asian origin with West Eurasian admixture resulting in rank-related and sex-specific differences in the genetic affinities of castes to Asians and Europeans.

Genetic Evidence on the Origins of Indian Caste Populations

PubMed Central

Bamshad, Michael; Kivisild, Toomas; Watkins, W. Scott; Dixon, Mary E.; Ricker, Chris E.; Rao, Baskara B.; Naidu, J. Mastan; Prasad, B.V. Ravi; Reddy, P. Govinda; Rasanayagam, Arani; Papiha, Surinder S.; Villems, Richard; Redd, Alan J.; Hammer, Michael F.; Nguyen, Son V.; Carroll, Marion L.; Batzer, Mark A.; Jorde, Lynn B.

2001-01-01

The origins and affinities of the ∼1 billion people living on the subcontinent of India have long been contested. This is owing, in part, to the many different waves of immigrants that have influenced the genetic structure of India. In the most recent of these waves, Indo-European-speaking people from West Eurasia entered India from the Northwest and diffused throughout the subcontinent. They purportedly admixed with or displaced indigenous Dravidic-speaking populations. Subsequently they may have established the Hindu caste system and placed themselves primarily in castes of higher rank. To explore the impact of West Eurasians on contemporary Indian caste populations, we compared mtDNA (400 bp of hypervariable region 1 and 14 restriction site polymorphisms) and Y-chromosome (20 biallelic polymorphisms and 5 short tandem repeats) variation in ∼265 males from eight castes of different rank to ∼750 Africans, Asians, Europeans, and other Indians. For maternally inherited mtDNA, each caste is most similar to Asians. However, 20%–30% of Indian mtDNA haplotypes belong to West Eurasian haplogroups, and the frequency of these haplotypes is proportional to caste rank, the highest frequency of West Eurasian haplotypes being found in the upper castes. In contrast, for paternally inherited Y-chromosome variation each caste is more similar to Europeans than to Asians. Moreover, the affinity to Europeans is proportionate to caste rank, the upper castes being most similar to Europeans, particularly East Europeans. These findings are consistent with greater West Eurasian male admixture with castes of higher rank. Nevertheless, the mitochondrial genome and the Y chromosome each represents only a single haploid locus and is more susceptible to large stochastic variation, bottlenecks, and selective sweeps. Thus, to increase the power of our analysis, we assayed 40 independent, biparentally inherited autosomal loci (1 LINE-1 and 39 Alu elements) in all of the caste and continental populations (∼600 individuals). Analysis of these data demonstrated that the upper castes have a higher affinity to Europeans than to Asians, and the upper castes are significantly more similar to Europeans than are the lower castes. Collectively, all five datasets show a trend toward upper castes being more similar to Europeans, whereas lower castes are more similar to Asians. We conclude that Indian castes are most likely to be of proto-Asian origin with West Eurasian admixture resulting in rank-related and sex-specific differences in the genetic affinities of castes to Asians and Europeans. PMID:11381027

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hagen Schempf; Daphne D'Zurko

Under funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Northeast Gas Association (NGA), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) developed an untethered, wireless remote controlled inspection robot dubbed Explorer. The project entailed the design and prototyping of a wireless self-powered video-inspection robot capable of accessing live 6- and 8-inch diameter cast-iron and steel mains, while traversing turns and Ts and elbows under real-time control with live video feedback to an operator. The design is that of a segmented actively articulated and wheel-leg powered robot design, with fisheye imaging capability and self-powered battery storage and wireless real-time communication link. The prototype wasmore » functionally tested in an above ground pipe-network, in order to debug all mechanical, electrical and software subsystems, and develop the necessary deployment and retrieval, as well as obstacle-handling scripts. A pressurized natural gas test-section was used to certify it for operation in natural gas at up to 60 psig. Two subsequent live-main field-trials in both cast-iron and steel pipe, demonstrated its ability to be safely launched, operated and retrieved under real-world conditions. The system's ability to safely and repeatably exidrecover from angled and vertical launchers, traverse multi-thousand foot long pipe-sections, make T and varied-angle elbow-turns while wirelessly sending live video and handling command and control messages, was clearly demonstrated. Video-inspection was clearly shown to be a viable tool to understand the state of this critical buried infrastructure, irrespective of low- (cast-iron) or high-pressure (steel) conditions. This report covers the different aspects of specifications, requirements, design, prototyping, integration and testing and field-trialing of the Explorer platform.« less

77 FR 28638 - Sunshine Act Meeting Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-15

... Meeting), (Contact: Rani Franovich, 301-415-1868). This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address...). This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--www.nrc.gov. Week of June 11, 2012--Tentative... Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Grid Reliability (Public Meeting) To be held at FERC Headquarters...

75 FR 9451 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-02

..., 301-415-6749.) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http://www.nrc.gov , Week of... Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Grid Reliability (Public Meeting). (Contact: Kenn Miller, 301-415-3152.) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http://www.nrc.gov . Week of...

75 FR 12583 - Sunshine Act; Meeting Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-16

... Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Grid Reliability (Public Meeting). (Contact: Kenn Miller, 301-415-3152). This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http://www.nrc.gov . Week of...) (Contact: Jose Ibarra, 301-415-2581). This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address-- http://www.nrc...

Estimating search engine index size variability: a 9-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

van den Bosch, Antal; Bogers, Toine; de Kunder, Maurice

One of the determining factors of the quality of Web search engines is the size of their index. In addition to its influence on search result quality, the size of the indexed Web can also tell us something about which parts of the WWW are directly accessible to the everyday user. We propose a novel method of estimating the size of a Web search engine's index by extrapolating from document frequencies of words observed in a large static corpus of Web pages. In addition, we provide a unique longitudinal perspective on the size of Google and Bing's indices over a nine-year period, from March 2006 until January 2015. We find that index size estimates of these two search engines tend to vary dramatically over time, with Google generally possessing a larger index than Bing. This result raises doubts about the reliability of previous one-off estimates of the size of the indexed Web. We find that much, if not all of this variability can be explained by changes in the indexing and ranking infrastructure of Google and Bing. This casts further doubt on whether Web search engines can be used reliably for cross-sectional webometric studies.

Do scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women legislators mean lower gender-caste gaps in primary schooling in India?

PubMed

Halim, Nafisa; Yount, Kathryn M; Cunningham, Solveig

2016-07-01

Despite India's substantial investments in primary schooling, gaps in schooling persist across gender and caste-with scheduled caste and scheduled tribe (SC/ST) girls being particularly disadvantaged. The representation of SC/ST women in state legislatures may help to mitigate this disadvantage. Specifically, because of her intersecting gender and caste/tribe identities, a SC/ST woman legislator might maintain a strong sense of solidarity especially with SC/ST girls and women, and support legislative policies benefitting SC/ST girls. Consequently, for this reason, we expect that living in a district where SC/ST women represent in state legislatures in a higher proportion may increase SC/ST girls' primary school completion, progression and performance. We tested this hypothesis using district-level data between 2000 and 2004 from the Indian Election Commission, the 2004/5 India Human Development Survey, and the Indian Census of 2001. As expected, the representation of SC/ST women in state legislatures was positively associated with SC/ST girls' grade completion and age-appropriate grade progression but was apparent not SC/ST girls' primary-school performance. SC/ST women's representation in state legislatures may reduce gender-caste gaps in primary-school attainment in India. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Mississippi State University Center for Air Sea Technology FY95 Research Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeske, Lanny; Corbin, James H.

1995-01-01

The Mississippi State University (MSU) Center for Air Sea Technology (CAST) evolved from the Institute for Naval Oceanography's (INO) Experimental Center for Mesoscale Ocean Prediction (ECMOP) which was started in 1989. MSU CAST subsequently began operation on 1 October 1992 under an Office of Naval Research (ONR) two-year grant which ended on 30 September 1994. In FY95 MSU CAST was successful in obtaining five additional research grants from ONR, as well as several other research contracts from the Naval Oceanographic Office via NASA, the Naval Research Laboratory, the Army Corps of Engineers, and private industry. In the past, MSU CAST technical research and development has produced tools, systems, techniques, and procedures that improve efficiency and overcome deficiency for both the operational and research communities residing with the Department of Defense, private industry, and university ocean modeling community. We continued this effort with the following thrust areas: to develop advanced methodologies and tools for model evaluation, validation and visualization, both oceanographic and atmospheric; to develop a system-level capability for conducting temporally and ; spatially scaled ocean simulations driven by or are responsive to ocean models, and take into consideration coupling to atmospheric models; to continue the existing oceanographic/atmospheric data management task with emphasis on distributed databases in a network environment, with database optimization and standardization, including use of Mosaic and World Wide Web (WWW) access; and to implement a high performance parallel computing technology for CAST ocean models

A web-based application for initial screening of living kidney donors: development, implementation and evaluation.

PubMed

Moore, D R; Feurer, I D; Zavala, E Y; Shaffer, D; Karp, S; Hoy, H; Moore, D E

2013-02-01

Most centers utilize phone or written surveys to screen candidates who self-refer to be living kidney donors. To increase efficiency and reduce resource utilization, we developed a web-based application to screen kidney donor candidates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of this web-based application. Method and time of referral were tabulated and descriptive statistics summarized demographic characteristics. Time series analyses evaluated use over time. Between January 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012, 1200 candidates self-referred to be living kidney donors at our center. Eight hundred one candidates (67%) completed the web-based survey and 399 (33%) completed a phone survey. Thirty-nine percent of donors accessed the application on nights and weekends. Postimplementation of the web-based application, there was a statistically significant increase (p < 0.001) in the number of self-referrals via the web-based application as opposed to telephone contact. Also, there was a significant increase (p = 0.025) in the total number of self-referrals post-implementation from 61 to 116 per month. An interactive web-based application is an effective strategy for the initial screening of donor candidates. The web-based application increased the ability to interface with donors, process them efficiently and ultimately increased donor self-referral at our center. © Copyright 2012 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Web-streamed didactic instruction on substance use disorders compares favorably with live-lecture format.

PubMed

Karam-Hage, M; Maher, Karam-Hage; Brower, Kirk J; Mullan, Patricia B; Gay, Tamara; Gruppen, Larry D

2013-05-01

Education about substance use disorders in medical schools and, subsequently, physicians' identification of and intervention in these diagnoses lag behind that of most other disabling disorders. To reduce barriers and improve access to education about this major public health concern, medical schools are increasingly adopting web-based instruction on substance use and other psychiatric disorders as part of their curricula; however, it is not well known how a web-streamed lecture compares with a traditional one. The authors hypothesized that both these formats would be equally efficacious in terms of knowledge acquisition and student satisfaction. Authors conducted a prospective study to test this hypothesis among third-year medical students who received web-streamed lecture on substance use/addiction versus those who received a traditional live lecture. Of the 243 students, significantly more students completed the on-line lecture series. Of the 216 students in the final study sample, 130 (60%) were assigned to the web-streamed lecture and 86 (40%) to the live lecture. Within-subject comparisons of pre- and post-lecture scores for the entire cohort indicated a significant improvement in the percentage of correct answers (21.0% difference). Although no differences in improved scores between the two groups were found, students in the live-lecture group reported small, but significantly higher levels of satisfaction. This preliminary work supports the hypothesis that a web-streamed lecture can be at least equally efficacious as a traditional lecture in terms of knowledge acquisition. However, attention needs to be paid to the lower satisfaction levels associated with using the web-streamed format.

78 FR 19051 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-28

... that is in test mode in excess of one. (c)-(f) No change. (g) Other Port Fees Remote Multi-cast ITCH... environment to test upcoming NASDAQ releases and product enhancements, as well as test software prior to... public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and...

Project Leadership Lived Experiences with Web-Based Social Networking: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scroggins, Charles W.

2010-01-01

This study explores the lived experiences of project leaders adopting and using Web-2.0 social networking collaboration applications for their project leadership activities. The experiences of 20 project leaders in a Fortune 500 aerospace and defense enterprise in the northeastern United States of America were explored using a qualitative…

Using Video Conferencing in Lecture Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Bill; Larson, Erik

2007-01-01

Duquesne University's department of journalism and multimedia arts supports many of its classes with Mediasite Live, a video conferencing system that captures the output of presentation devices and streams it live to the Web, as well as recording presentations for Web streaming or recording to CD or DVD. Bill Gibbs and Erik Larson examine the…

77 FR 69591 - President's Export Council: Meeting of the President's Export Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-20

... posted in advance of the meeting on the President's Export Council Web site at http://trade.gov/pec... broadcast via live webcast on the Internet at http://whitehouse.gov/live . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT...: Electronic Submissions Submit statements electronically via the President's Export Council Web site at http...

77 FR 30331 - Sunshine Act Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-22

...) (Contact: Rani Franovich, 301-415-1868). This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--www.nrc.gov... will be webcast live at the Web address--www.nrc.gov. Week of June 11, 2012--Tentative Friday, June 15... Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Grid Reliability (Public Meeting) To be held at FERC Headquarters, 888 First...

77 FR 35081 - Sunshine Act Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-12

... Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Grid Reliability (Public Meeting). To be held at FERC Headquarters... meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--www.ferc.gov. Week of June 18, 2012--Tentative There are... Wertz, 301-415-1568.) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--www.nrc.gov. Week of July 16...

The Living Textbook of Nuclear Chemistry: A Peer-Reviewed, Web-Based, Education Resource

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loveland, W.; Gallant, A.; Joiner, C.

2004-01-01

The recent developments in nuclear chemistry education are presented and an attempt is made to collect supplemental materials relating to the study and practice of nuclear chemistry. The Living Textbook of Nuclear Chemistry functions as an authoritative Web site with supplemental material for teaching nuclear and radiochemistry.

77 FR 13181 - American Red Cross Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-06

... deliver not only lifesaving care and supplies, but also hope for a brighter tomorrow. During American Red... American Red Cross continue to play a vital role in responding to disasters that cast countless lives and...

Manufacturing Processes for Long-Life Gas Turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoppin, G. S.; Danesi, W. P.

1986-07-01

Dual-alloy turbine wheels produced by solid-state diffusion bonding of vacuum investment cast blade rings of one superalloy to preconsolidated powder metal hubs of a second superalloy have the long cyclic lives characteristic of wrought or powder superalloys combined with the high creep strength and net-shape blades characteristic of cast superalloys. A wide variety of superalloys and turbine configurations are compatible with this technology. Improved temperature capability turbine blades and vanes of the MAR-M 247 alloy made by directional solidification casting processes are now in volume production for Garrett gas turbines. Single-crystal alloys derivative to MAR-M 247 further extend the temperature capability of turbine blades and have been successfully engine tested. These blades are produced by a relatively simple modification of the processes used to manufacture directionally solidified blades.

Provider training to screen and initiate evidence-based pediatric obesity treatment in routine practice settings: A randomized pilot trial

PubMed Central

Kolko, Rachel P.; Kass, Andrea E.; Hayes, Jacqueline F.; Levine, Michele D.; Garbutt, Jane M.; Proctor, Enola K.; Wilfley, Denise E.

2016-01-01

Introduction This randomized pilot trial evaluated two training modalities for first-line, evidence-based pediatric obesity services (screening and goal-setting) among nursing students. Method Participants (N=63) were randomized to Live Interactive Training (Live) or Web-facilitated Self-study Training (Web). Pre-training, post-training, and one-month follow-up assessments evaluated training feasibility, acceptability, and impact (knowledge, and skill via simulation). Moderator (previous experience) and predictor (content engagement) analyses were conducted. Results Nearly-all (98%) participants completed assessments. Both trainings were acceptable, with higher ratings for Live and participants with previous experience (p’s<.05). Knowledge and skill improved from pre-training to post-training and follow-up in both conditions (p’s<.001). Live demonstrated greater content engagement (p’s<.01). Conclusions The training package was feasible, acceptable, and efficacious among nursing students. Given that Live had higher acceptability and engagement, and online training offers greater scalability, integrating interactive Live components within Web-based training may optimize outcomes, which may enhance practitioners’ delivery of pediatric obesity services. PMID:26873293

Assessment of "YouTube" Content for Distal Radius Fracture Immobilization.

PubMed

Addar, Abdullah; Marwan, Yousef; Algarni, Nizar; Berry, Gregory

Distal radius fractures (DRFs) are the most common orthopedic fractures, with >70% of cases treated by closed immobilization using a short arm cast or a sugar tong splint. However, inadequate immobilization is a risk factor for loss of reduction requiring repeat reduction or surgical treatment. Therefore, education of clinical skills for appropriate immobilization of DRFs is important. With the increasing use of web-based information by medical learners, our aim was to assess the quality and quantity of videos regarding closed immobilization of DRFs on YouTube. Retrospective review of YouTube videos on distal radius fracture immobilization using specific search terms. Identified videos were analyzed for their educational value, quality of the technical skill demonstrated, and overall metrics. Educational value was scored on a 5-point scale, with "1" indicative of low quality and "5" of high quality. Not applicable. Among the 68,366 videos identified, 16 met our inclusion criteria of being in English; performed by a health care professional or institution; and with casting being the major theme of the educational information provided. Of these 16 videos, 6 had an educational value score of 4 or 5, with the remaining 10 having a score ≤3. Although immobilization was demonstrated by cast technician specialized in orthopedics, skills were also performed by orthopedic attendants, urgent care physicians, orthopedic residents, and nurse practitioners. The credentials of the performer in 3 videos were not identified. There is a need to promote high-quality educational videos produced by established medical school faculty members on open, web-based, portals. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of mussel casts from archaeological sites as paleoecological indicators: An example from CA-MRN-254, Marin County, Alta California

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGann, Mary; Starratt, Scott W.; Powell, Charles L.; Bieling, David G

2016-01-01

Archaeological investigations at prehistoric site CA-MRN-254 at the Dominican University of California in Marin County, California, revealed evidence of Native American occupation spanning the past 1,800 years. A dominant source of food for the inhabitants in the San Francisco Bay area was the intertidal, quiet-water dwelling blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus), although rare occurrences of the open coast-dwelling California mussel (Mytilus californianus) suggest that this species was also utilized sporadically. On rare occasions, cultural horizons at this site contain abundant sediment-filled casts of the smaller mussel Modiolus sp. These casts were formed soon after death when the shells filled with sediment and were roasted along with living bivalve shellfish for consumption. Thin sections of these mussel casts display sedimentological and microbiological constituents that shed light on the paleoenvironmental conditions when they were alive. Fine-grained sediment and pelletal muds comprising these casts suggest that the mussels were collected in a low energy, inner bay environment. The rare presence of the diatoms Triceratium dubium and Thalassionema nitzschioides indicate more normal marine (35 psu) and possibly warmer conditions than presently exist in San Francisco Bay. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal associated with the mussel casts containing these diatoms correlates with a 600-year period of warming from ca. A.D. 700–1300, known as the Medieval Climatic Anomaly. Results of this mussel cast study demonstrate that they have great potential for providing paleoenvironmental information at this and other archaeological sites.

Advanced single crystal for SSME turbopumps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fritzemeier, L. G.

1989-01-01

The objective of this program was to evaluate the influence of high thermal gradient casting, hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and alternate heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a single crystal nickel base superalloy. The alloy chosen for the study was PWA 1480, a well characterized, commercial alloy which had previously been chosen as a candidate for the Space Shuttle Main Engine high pressure turbopump turbine blades. Microstructural characterization evaluated the influence of casting thermal gradient on dendrite arm spacing, casting porosity distribution and alloy homogeneity. Hot isostatic pressing was evaluated as a means of eliminating porosity as a preferred fatigue crack initiation site. The alternate heat treatment was chosen to improve hydrogen environment embrittlement resistance and for potential fatigue life improvement. Mechanical property evaluation was aimed primarily at determining improvements in low cycle and high cycle fatigue life due to the advanced processing methods. Statistically significant numbers of tests were conducted to quantitatively demonstrate life differences. High thermal gradient casting improves as-cast homogeneity, which facilitates solution heat treatment of PWA 1480 and provides a decrease in internal pore size, leading to increases in low cycle and high cycle fatigue lives.

76 FR 1137 - Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database: Notice of Public Web Conferences

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-07

...: Notice of Public Web Conferences AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission,'' ``CPSC,'' or ``we'') is announcing two Web conferences... database (``Database''). The Web conferences will be webcast live from the Commission's headquarters in...

Stroke education for nurses through a technology-enabled program.

PubMed

Carter, Lorraine; Rukholm, Ellen; Kelloway, Linda

2009-12-01

Today's nurse faces many challenges in the workplace. Required to keep up in a constantly changing knowledge-based environment, he or she must balance complex professional responsibilities, staffing shortages, and increased acuity among the patient population. Continuing education must, therefore, be highly flexible and responsive to the personal and professional needs of the nurse learner. Technology-supported continuing education is suggested to be an appropriate way of meeting the learning needs of busy working nurses. The Stroke Best Practices for Nursing project used three complementary and integrated educational technologies-a-Web-based learning site, Web casting (live and archived), and two-way interactive videoconferencing--to deliver a minicourse focused on best practice stroke care to nurses working in northeastern and northwestern Ontario, a geographical area of approximately 600 km. In total, 96 nurses participated in the educational part of the program; 46 of the 96 (47%) took part in the assessment of the program. On the basis of this assessment strategy and the nurses' requests for other programs that do not use traditional face-to-face classrooms and lecture, the value of using educational technologies in health-based continuing education was strongly identified. This article describes key components of the project and celebrates the partnership among the organizing stakeholders: faculty in the school of nursing at the Laurentian University, the West Greater Toronto Area Stroke Network, and the Ontario Telemedicine Network. The article further describes findings related to the program's impact on participants' perceptions of competence as caregivers for stroke patients, participants' confidence using technology for educational purposes, and participants' satisfaction with the overall program.

Playing with data at EPA—ToxCast, ExpoCast, HTTK, and the ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This is a lecture for the Emory Exposome Summer Course in Atlanta, Georgia. The focus will be on how CSS research and tools inform research on exposomics, particularly with identifying relevant chemicals and chemicals pathways from non-targeted monitoring data. This is an opportunity to reach a broad audience of researchers. There will be a live demo of the CSS Chemistry dashboard and CPcat at the end of the presentation. This is a lecture for the Emory Exposome Summer Course in Atlanta, Georgia. The focus will be on how CSS research and tools inform research on exposomics, particularly with identifying relevant chemicals and chemicals pathways from non-targeted monitoring data. This is an opportunity to reach a broad audience of researchers. There will be a live demo of the CSS Chemistry dashboard and CPcat at the end of the presentation.

Caste-, sex-, and age-dependent expression of immune-related genes in a Japanese subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Kazuya; Matsuura, Kenji

2017-01-01

Insects protect themselves from microbial infections through innate immune responses, including pathogen recognition, phagocytosis, the activation of proteolytic cascades, and the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides. Termites, eusocial insects inhabiting microbe-rich wood, live in closely-related family groups that are susceptible to shared pathogen infections. To resist pathogenic infection, termite families have evolved diverse immune adaptations at both individual and societal levels, and a strategy of trade-offs between reproduction and immunity has been suggested. Although termite immune-inducible genes have been identified, few studies have investigated the differential expression of these genes between reproductive and neuter castes, and between sexes in each caste. In this study, we compared the expression levels of immune-related genes among castes, sexes, and ages in a Japanese subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus. Using RNA-seq, we found 197 immune-related genes, including 40 pattern recognition proteins, 97 signalling proteins, 60 effectors. Among these genes, 174 showed differential expression among castes. Comparing expression levels between males and females in each caste, we found sexually dimorphic expression of immune-related genes not only in reproductive castes, but also in neuter castes. Moreover, we identified age-related differential expression of 162 genes in male and/or female reproductives. In addition, although R. speratus is known to use the antibacterial peptide C-type lysozyme as an egg recognition pheromone, we determined that R. speratus has not only C-type, but also P-type and I-type lysozymes, as well as other termite species. Our transcriptomic analyses revealed immune response plasticity among all castes, and sex-biased expression of immune genes even in neuter castes, suggesting a sexual division of labor in the immune system of R. speratus. This study heightens the understanding of the evolution of antimicrobial strategies in eusocial insects, and of sexual roles in insect societies as a whole. PMID:28410430

Caste-, sex-, and age-dependent expression of immune-related genes in a Japanese subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus.

PubMed

Mitaka, Yuki; Kobayashi, Kazuya; Matsuura, Kenji

2017-01-01

Insects protect themselves from microbial infections through innate immune responses, including pathogen recognition, phagocytosis, the activation of proteolytic cascades, and the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides. Termites, eusocial insects inhabiting microbe-rich wood, live in closely-related family groups that are susceptible to shared pathogen infections. To resist pathogenic infection, termite families have evolved diverse immune adaptations at both individual and societal levels, and a strategy of trade-offs between reproduction and immunity has been suggested. Although termite immune-inducible genes have been identified, few studies have investigated the differential expression of these genes between reproductive and neuter castes, and between sexes in each caste. In this study, we compared the expression levels of immune-related genes among castes, sexes, and ages in a Japanese subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus. Using RNA-seq, we found 197 immune-related genes, including 40 pattern recognition proteins, 97 signalling proteins, 60 effectors. Among these genes, 174 showed differential expression among castes. Comparing expression levels between males and females in each caste, we found sexually dimorphic expression of immune-related genes not only in reproductive castes, but also in neuter castes. Moreover, we identified age-related differential expression of 162 genes in male and/or female reproductives. In addition, although R. speratus is known to use the antibacterial peptide C-type lysozyme as an egg recognition pheromone, we determined that R. speratus has not only C-type, but also P-type and I-type lysozymes, as well as other termite species. Our transcriptomic analyses revealed immune response plasticity among all castes, and sex-biased expression of immune genes even in neuter castes, suggesting a sexual division of labor in the immune system of R. speratus. This study heightens the understanding of the evolution of antimicrobial strategies in eusocial insects, and of sexual roles in insect societies as a whole.

The Weather Guys - Discussing Science via regular Radio and Newspaper Appearances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ackerman, S. A.; Martin, J. E.

2013-12-01

The University of Wisconsin has described the value of outreach through its Wisconsin Idea. Simply put it states that the boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state. In addition to their research, teaching, and administration duties, they have routinely reached out to share their science with various public groups. Since 1998, Profs Jon Martin and Steve Ackerman, have be regular quests on the Larry Meiller show on Wisconsin Public Radio IDEAS Network. The format of the show is a live call-in show. They air as guests the last Monday of every month. The show is also web-cast live (http://www.wpr.org/), enabling questions to be called in on phone or sent via email. Archives can be found at http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=mlr In 2008 they were asked to do a Q&A column for the regional Madison paper: The Wisconsin State Journal (WSJ). This is a weekly column that addresses readers questions in about 250 words. Example columns can be found in the WSJ e-book: http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Weather-Guys-2010-ebook/dp/B00AY4VMZE These two activities have earned them the nickname The Weather Guys, resulting in various speaking invitations including master gardener clubs and a Science Pub sponsored by Nova. Overall, these activities have been beneficial to our careers, earning name recognition across the University and throughout the state. They also provide learning opportunities for us through experiences described by the public. We will discuss our motivation and experiences in doing this live show and the weekly column, presenting personal stories of successful and less-successful communication attempts. A nearly complete archive exists or the live radio show and we will present an analysis of the type of questions asked and the more common, and less common, topics. The Weather Guys, an image developed by and for the Why?Files (http://whyfiles.org

Teaching Students about Plagiarism Using a Web-Based Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stetter, Maria Earman

2013-01-01

The following research delivered a web-based module about plagiarism and paraphrasing to avoid plagiarism in both a blended method, with live instruction paired with web presentation for 105 students, and a separate web-only method for 22 other students. Participants were graduates and undergraduates preparing to become teachers, the majority of…

Information Diversity in Web Search

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Jiahui

2009-01-01

The web is a rich and diverse information source with incredible amounts of information about all kinds of subjects in various forms. This information source affords great opportunity to build systems that support users in their work and everyday lives. To help users explore information on the web, web search systems should find information that…

Making a Healthier Home: Cast Toxins From Your Living Space

MedlinePlus

... can make a chemical harmful. The amount that’s “safe” varies for each substance. NIH-funded researchers are working to learn more about how chemicals in the environment can affect our health, so we can better ...

What do I need in my first aid kit?

MedlinePlus

... Wellness Staying Healthy Healthy Living Travel Occupational Health First Aid and Injury Prevention Crisis Situations Pets and Animals ... SprainsCast Care Home Prevention and Wellness Staying Healthy First Aid and Injury Prevention What do I need in ...

Introduction to the world wide web.

PubMed

Downes, P K

2007-05-12

The World Wide Web used to be nicknamed the 'World Wide Wait'. Now, thanks to high speed broadband connections, browsing the web has become a much more enjoyable and productive activity. Computers need to know where web pages are stored on the Internet, in just the same way as we need to know where someone lives in order to post them a letter. This section explains how the World Wide Web works and how web pages can be viewed using a web browser.

Feasibility testing of a web-based symptom self-management system for persons living with HIV.

PubMed

Schnall, Rebecca; Wantland, Dean; Velez, Olivia; Cato, Kenrick; Jia, Haomiao

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of using a Web-based tool to provide tailored symptom management strategies for persons living with HIV (PLWH) and to estimate the effect size of the tool for future studies. Testing the components of the Web-based system was done by incorporating a repeated-measures design measuring the outcomes of symptom frequency and intensity, use of symptom management strategies, and engagement with health care providers. We recruited 42 PLWH; participants were enrolled in the study for 12 weeks and were asked to use the system and complete the questionnaires every 2 weeks. Our results showed that participants who used the strategies were more likely to have a decrease in symptom frequency and intensity. Findings from this feasibility study provide preliminary evidence for the use of a Web-based HIV symptom management tool with self-management strategies for individuals living with HIV infection. Copyright © 2014 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Messy interviews: changing conditions for politicians' visibility on the web.

PubMed

Kroon, Åsa; Eriksson, Göran

2016-10-01

This article provides an updated analysis relating to John B. Thompson's argument about political visibility and fragility. It does so in light of recent years' development of communication technologies and the proliferation of nonbroadcasting media organizations producing TV. Instances of a new mediated encounter for politicians is analyzed in detail - the live web interview - produced and streamed by two Swedish tabloids during election campaigning 2014. It is argued that the live web interview is not yet a recognizable 'communicative activity type' with an obvious set of norms, rules, and routines. This fact makes politicians more intensely exposed to moments of mediated fragility which may be difficult to control. The most crucial condition that changes how politicians are able to manage their visibility is the constantly rolling 'non-exclusive' live camera which does not give the politician any room for error. The tabloids do not seem to mind 'things going a bit wrong' while airing; rather, interactional flaws are argued to be part and parcel of the overall web TV performance.

Oh What a Tangled Biofilm Web Bacteria Weave

MedlinePlus

... What a Tangled Biofilm Web Bacteria Weave Inside Life Science View All Articles | Inside Life Science Home Page Oh What a Tangled Biofilm Web ... Cellular Conversations Learning from Bacterial Chatter This Inside Life Science article also appears on LiveScience . Learn about related ...

Role of socioeconomic markers and state prohibition policy in predicting alcohol consumption among men and women in India: a multilevel statistical analysis.

PubMed

Subramanian, S V; Nandy, Shailen; Irving, Michelle; Gordon, David; Davey Smith, George

2005-11-01

To investigate the independent contribution of individual socioeconomic markers and state prohibition policy on alcohol consumption among men and women in India. The study used a multilevel cross-sectional analysis of alcohol consumption from the 1998-1999 Indian national family health survey of 301 984 adult individuals in 92 447 households in 3215 villages in 440 districts in 26 states, stratified by sex. Men with no education were more likely to consume alcohol that those with a post graduate education (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 2.08-2.50). Unlike men, women showed a U-shaped association between education and alcohol consumption. Men and women living in households at the lowest standard-of-living quintile were more likely to consume alcohol (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.81-2.03, and OR, 2.72, 95% CI, 2.18-3.39), respectively, than those classified as living in the top quintile. Members of scheduled tribes and castes and other backward classes were more likely to consume alcohol than members of other caste groups. There was no difference in alcohol consumption between men from states that were not under prohibition (OR, 1.36; 95% CI 0.69-2.03) and those that were. By contrast, states not under prohibition has higher alcohol use by women (OR, 3.04, 95% CI, 1.59-4.48) than those under partial or complete prohibition. Caste, education and standard of living independently influence alcohol use in India. Prohibition policies appear to have little effect on alcohol use by men, but may reduce the proportion of women who consume alcohol. The socioeconomic patterning of health behaviours is likely to feed substantially into inequalities in health outcomes. Further investigation is required to understand how social and cultural factors in more localized contexts (e.g. districts) influence alcohol consumption.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Americo, Jeffrey L.; Sood, Cindy L.; Cotter, Catherine A.

Classical inbred mice are extensively used for virus research. However, we recently found that some wild-derived inbred mouse strains are more susceptible than classical strains to monkeypox virus. Experiments described here indicated that the 50% lethal dose of vaccinia virus (VACV) and cowpox virus (CPXV) were two logs lower in wild-derived inbred CAST/Ei mice than classical inbred BALB/c mice, whereas there was little difference in the susceptibility of the mouse strains to herpes simplex virus. Live bioluminescence imaging was used to follow spread of pathogenic and attenuated VACV strains and CPXV virus from nasal passages to organs in the chestmore » and abdomen of CAST/Ei mice. Luminescence increased first in the head and then simultaneously in the chest and abdomen in a dose-dependent manner. The spreading kinetics was more rapid with VACV than CPXV although the peak photon flux was similar. These data suggest advantages of CAST/Ei mice for orthopoxvirus studies. - Highlights: • Wild-derived inbred CAST/Ei mice are susceptible to vaccinia virus and cowpox virus. • Morbidity and mortality from orthopoxviruses are greater in CAST/Ei than BALB/c mice. • Morbidity and mortality from herpes simplex virus type 1 are similar in both mice. • Imaging shows virus spread from nose to lungs, abdominal organs and brain. • Vaccinia virus spreads more rapidly than cowpox virus.« less

Do scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women legislators mean lower gender-caste gaps in primary schooling in India?

PubMed Central

Halim, Nafisa; Yount, Kathryn M.; Cunningham, Solveig

2017-01-01

Despite India’s substantial investments in primary schooling, gaps in schooling persist across gender and caste—with scheduled caste and scheduled tribe (SC/ST) girls being particularly disadvantaged. The representation of SC/ST women in state legislatures may help to mitigate this disadvantage. Specifically, because of her intersecting gender and caste/tribe identities, a SC/ST woman legislator might maintain a strong sense of solidarity especially with SC/ST girls and women, and support legislative policies benefitting SC/ST girls. Consequently, for this reason, we expect that living in a district where SC/ST women represent in state legislatures in a higher proportion may increase SC/ST girls’ primary school completion, progression and performance. We tested this hypothesis using district-level data between 2000 and 2004 from the Indian Election Commission, the 2004/5 India Human Development Survey, and the Indian Census of 2001. As expected, the representation of SC/ST women in state legislatures was positively associated with SC/ST girls’ grade completion and age-appropriate grade progression but was apparent not SC/ST girls’ primary-school performance. SC/ST women’s representation in state legislatures may reduce gender-caste gaps in primary-school attainment in India. PMID:27194655

A Proxy Design to Leverage the Interconnection of CoAP Wireless Sensor Networks with Web Applications

PubMed Central

Ludovici, Alessandro; Calveras, Anna

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present the design of a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) proxy able to interconnect Web applications based on Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and WebSocket with CoAP based Wireless Sensor Networks. Sensor networks are commonly used to monitor and control physical objects or environments. Smart Cities represent applications of such a nature. Wireless Sensor Networks gather data from their surroundings and send them to a remote application. This data flow may be short or long lived. The traditional HTTP long-polling used by Web applications may not be adequate in long-term communications. To overcome this problem, we include the WebSocket protocol in the design of the CoAP proxy. We evaluate the performance of the CoAP proxy in terms of latency and memory consumption. The tests consider long and short-lived communications. In both cases, we evaluate the performance obtained by the CoAP proxy according to the use of WebSocket and HTTP long-polling. PMID:25585107

Can differential nutrient extraction explain property variations in a predatory trap?

PubMed Central

Blamires, Sean J.; Piorkowski, Dakota; Chuang, Angela; Tseng, Yi-Hsuan; Toft, Søren; Tso, I-Min

2015-01-01

Predators exhibit flexible foraging to facilitate taking prey that offer important nutrients. Because trap-building predators have limited control over the prey they encounter, differential nutrient extraction and trap architectural flexibility may be used as a means of prey selection. Here, we tested whether differential nutrient extraction induces flexibility in architecture and stickiness of a spider's web by feeding Nephila pilipes live crickets (CC), live flies (FF), dead crickets with the web stimulated by flies (CD) or dead flies with the web stimulated by crickets (FD). Spiders in the CD group consumed less protein per mass of lipid or carbohydrate, and spiders in the FF group consumed less carbohydrates per mass of protein. Spiders from the CD group built stickier webs that used less silk, whereas spiders in the FF group built webs with more radii, greater catching areas and more silk, compared with other treatments. Our results suggest that differential nutrient extraction is a likely explanation for prey-induced spider web architecture and stickiness variations. PMID:26064618

Corrosion resistance of cast irons and titanium alloys as reference engineered metal barriers for use in basalt geologic storage: a literature assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Charlot, L.A.; Westerman, R.E.

A survey and assessment of the literature on the corrosion resistance of cast irons and low-alloy titanium are presented. Selected engineering properties of cast iron and titanium are briefly described; however, the corrosion resistance of cast iron and titanium in aqueous solutions or in soils and their use in a basalt repository are emphasized. In evaluating the potential use of cast iron and titanium as structural barrier materials for long-lived nuclear waste packages, it is assumed that titanium has the general corrosion resistance to be used in relatively thin cross sections whereas the cost and availability of cast iron allowsmore » its use even in very thick cross sections. Based on this assumption, the survey showed that: The uniform corrosion of low-alloy titanium in a basalt environment is expected to be extremely low. A linear extrapolation of general corrosion rates with an added corrosion allowance suggests that a 3.2- to 6.4-mm-thick wall may have a life of 1000 yr. Pitting and crevice corrosion are not likely corrosion modes in basalt ground waters. It is also unlikely that stress corrosion cracking (SCC) will occur in the commercially pure (CP) titanium alloy or in palladiumor molybdenum-alloyed titanium materials. Low-alloy cast irons may be used as barrier metals if the environment surrounding the metal keeps the alloy in the passive range. The solubility of the corrosion product and the semipermeable nature of the oxide film allow significant uniform corrosion over long time periods. A linear extrapolation of high-temperature corrosion rates on carbon steels and corrosion rates of cast irons in soils gives an estimated metal penetration of 51 to 64 mm after 1000 yr. A corrosion allowance of 3 to 5 times that suggests that an acceptable cast iron wall may be from 178 to 305 mm thick. Although they cannot be fully assessed, pitting and crevice corrosion should not affect cast iron due to the ground-water chemistry of basalt.« less

European Space Software Repository ESSR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livschitz, Jakob; Blommestijn, Robert

2016-08-01

The paper and presentation will present the status of the ESSR (European Space Software Repository), see [1]. It will describe the development phases, outline the web portal functionality and explain the process steps behind. Not only the front-end but also the back-end will be discussed.The ESSR web portal went live ESA internal on May 15th, 2015 and live world-wide September 19th, 2015. Currently the ESSR is in operations.

Addressing the systems-based practice requirement with health policy content and educational technology.

PubMed

Nagler, Alisa; Andolsek, Kathryn; Dossary, Kristin; Schlueter, Joanne; Schulman, Kevin

2010-01-01

Duke University Hospital Office of Graduate Medical Education and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business collaborated to offer a Health Policy lecture series to residents and fellows across the institution, addressing the "Systems-based Practice" competency.During the first year, content was offered in two formats: live lecture and web/podcast. Participants could elect the modality which was most convenient for them. In Year Two, the format was changed so that all content was web/podcast and a quarterly live panel discussion was led by module presenters or content experts. Lecture evaluations, qualitative focus group feedback, and post-test data were analyzed.A total of 77 residents and fellows from 8 (of 12) Duke Graduate Medical Education departments participated. In the first year, post-test results were the same for those who attended the live lectures and those who participated via web/podcast. A greater number of individuals participated in Year Two. Participants from both years expressed the need for health policy content in their training programs. Participants in both years valued a hybrid format for content delivery, recognizing a desire for live interaction with the convenience of accessing web/podcasts at times and locations convenient for them. A positive unintended consequence of the project was participant networking with residents and fellows from other specialties.

Teaching Basic Science Environmentally.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busch, Phyllis S.

1986-01-01

Explains why earthworms are fascinating and important animals whose study should be expanded. Describes how to collect earthworms and their castings and how to demonstrate their tunneling activity. Stresses animal's uniqueness and how it is interrelated with other animals, plants, and non-living parts of the world. (NEC)

Messy interviews: changing conditions for politicians’ visibility on the web

PubMed Central

Kroon, Åsa; Eriksson, Göran

2016-01-01

This article provides an updated analysis relating to John B. Thompson’s argument about political visibility and fragility. It does so in light of recent years’ development of communication technologies and the proliferation of nonbroadcasting media organizations producing TV. Instances of a new mediated encounter for politicians is analyzed in detail – the live web interview – produced and streamed by two Swedish tabloids during election campaigning 2014. It is argued that the live web interview is not yet a recognizable ‘communicative activity type’ with an obvious set of norms, rules, and routines. This fact makes politicians more intensely exposed to moments of mediated fragility which may be difficult to control. The most crucial condition that changes how politicians are able to manage their visibility is the constantly rolling ‘non-exclusive’ live camera which does not give the politician any room for error. The tabloids do not seem to mind ‘things going a bit wrong’ while airing; rather, interactional flaws are argued to be part and parcel of the overall web TV performance. PMID:29708105

EasyFRAP-web: a web-based tool for the analysis of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching data.

PubMed

Koulouras, Grigorios; Panagopoulos, Andreas; Rapsomaniki, Maria A; Giakoumakis, Nickolaos N; Taraviras, Stavros; Lygerou, Zoi

2018-06-13

Understanding protein dynamics is crucial in order to elucidate protein function and interactions. Advances in modern microscopy facilitate the exploration of the mobility of fluorescently tagged proteins within living cells. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is an increasingly popular functional live-cell imaging technique which enables the study of the dynamic properties of proteins at a single-cell level. As an increasing number of labs generate FRAP datasets, there is a need for fast, interactive and user-friendly applications that analyze the resulting data. Here we present easyFRAP-web, a web application that simplifies the qualitative and quantitative analysis of FRAP datasets. EasyFRAP-web permits quick analysis of FRAP datasets through an intuitive web interface with interconnected analysis steps (experimental data assessment, different types of normalization and estimation of curve-derived quantitative parameters). In addition, easyFRAP-web provides dynamic and interactive data visualization and data and figure export for further analysis after every step. We test easyFRAP-web by analyzing FRAP datasets capturing the mobility of the cell cycle regulator Cdt2 in the presence and absence of DNA damage in cultured cells. We show that easyFRAP-web yields results consistent with previous studies and highlights cell-to-cell heterogeneity in the estimated kinetic parameters. EasyFRAP-web is platform-independent and is freely accessible at: https://easyfrap.vmnet.upatras.gr/.

Asymmetric threat data mining and knowledge discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilmore, John F.; Pagels, Michael A.; Palk, Justin

2001-03-01

Asymmetric threats differ from the conventional force-on- force military encounters that the Defense Department has historically been trained to engage. Terrorism by its nature is now an operational activity that is neither easily detected or countered as its very existence depends on small covert attacks exploiting the element of surprise. But terrorism does have defined forms, motivations, tactics and organizational structure. Exploiting a terrorism taxonomy provides the opportunity to discover and assess knowledge of terrorist operations. This paper describes the Asymmetric Threat Terrorist Assessment, Countering, and Knowledge (ATTACK) system. ATTACK has been developed to (a) data mine open source intelligence (OSINT) information from web-based newspaper sources, video news web casts, and actual terrorist web sites, (b) evaluate this information against a terrorism taxonomy, (c) exploit country/region specific social, economic, political, and religious knowledge, and (d) discover and predict potential terrorist activities and association links. Details of the asymmetric threat structure and the ATTACK system architecture are presented with results of an actual terrorist data mining and knowledge discovery test case shown.

A Framework for Evaluating Common Operating Environments: Piloting, Lessons Learned, and Opportunities

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

run a Microsoft OS. Apple iTunes Online sales and distribution of streaming and stored entertain- ment content www.itunes.com Apple provides the...Apple iTunes Online sales and distribu- tion of streaming and stored entertainment con- tent PodCast Creator Podcast Creator provides integrated...Commercial examples of software system COEs include Cisco WebEx, Microsoft NetMeet- CMU/SEI-2010-SR-025 | 16 ing, and Apple iTunes . Example Problem Space

Validation of a model for the cast-film process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chambon, F.; Ohlsson, S.; Silagy, D.

1996-12-31

We have developed a model of the cast-film process and compared theoretical predictions against experiments on a pilot line. Three polyethylenes with a markedly different level of melt elasticity were used in this evaluation; namely, a high pressure low density polyethylene, LDPE, and two linear low density polyethylenes, LLDPE-1 and LLDPE-2. The final film dimensions of the LDPE were found to be in good agreement with 1-D viscoelastic stationary predictions. Flow field visualization experiments indicate, however, a 2-D velocity field in the airgap between the extrusion die and the chill roll. Taking this observation into account, evolutions of the freemore » surface of the web along the airgap were recorded with LLDPE-2, our least elastic melt. An excellent agreement is found between these measurements and predictions of neck-in and edge bead with 2-D Newtonian stationary simulations. The time-dependent solution, which is based on a linear stability analysis, allows to identify a zone of draw resonance within the working space of the process, defined by the draw ratio, the Deborah number, and the web aspect ratio. It is predicted that increasing this latter parameter stabilizes the process until an optimum value is reached. Experiments with LLDPE-1 are shown to validate this unique theoretical result, thus allowing to increase the draw ratio by about 75%.« less

Cellularized Cellular Solids via Freeze-Casting.

PubMed

Christoph, Sarah; Kwiatoszynski, Julien; Coradin, Thibaud; Fernandes, Francisco M

2016-02-01

The elaboration of metabolically active cell-containing materials is a decisive step toward the successful application of cell based technologies. The present work unveils a new process allowing to simultaneously encapsulate living cells and shaping cell-containing materials into solid-state macroporous foams with precisely controlled morphology. Our strategy is based on freeze casting, an ice templating materials processing technique that has recently emerged for the structuration of colloids into macroporous materials. Our results indicate that it is possible to combine the precise structuration of the materials with cellular metabolic activity for the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The draft genome of a termite illuminates alternative social organization

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Termites have substantial economic and ecological impact worldwide. They are also the oldest organisms living in complex societies, having evolved a caste system independent of that of eusocial Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps). Here we provide the first genome sequence for a termite, Zootermopsis ...

Instructors' Experiences of Web Based Synchronous Communication using Two Way Audio and Direct Messaging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Elizabeth; Ciszewska-Carr, Justyna

2007-01-01

This paper reports on an exploratory case study designed to gain insight into instructors' experiences with web based synchronous communication using two way audio and direct messaging. We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight instructors who used "Elluminate Live" in their web based, asynchronous courses in Education, Nursing,…

The impact of caste on the growth of male Sikhs in Punjab, India.

PubMed

Singh, L P; Harrison, G A

1997-01-01

This study is based on a cross-sectional sample of 442 Sikh boys and young male adults who were born in and around the town of Phagwara, in the state of Punjab, India, and stayed there all their lives. The sample comprised Sikh boys at three crucial phases of growth, at 5-6, 10-11 and 15-16 years, and young adults around 18 years of age. The sample comprised three distinct caste groups, viz. Jats, Ramgarhias and Ravidassias, belonging respectively to upper, middle and lower socioeconomic strata of the Sikh community. Differences in stature and body weight are particularly marked around early adolescence, and there is some indication of caste differences reappearing in young adults. In the case of body mass index, however, the differences seem most marked in late adolescence. There is no clear directional pattern to the way skinfolds change, but inter-caste differences become more marked with age. There is a suggestion of continuing growth beyond 16 years of age, and indications that the well-off groups grow more, as compared to the poor groups, during this period. Comparisons of young adults with older groups of the same caste indicate an increase in body weight with age, but smaller stature in the older groups. There is thus evidence for a secular stature increase among present-day Punjabi Sikhs.

Genetically Engineered, Live Attenuated Vaccines Protect Nonhuman Primates Against Aerosol Challenge with a Virulent IE Strain of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-21

integrated moving average ( ARIMA ) model [15,19]. Fore- casted values for the postexposure time periods were based on the training model extrapolated...Smith JF. Genetically engineered, live attenuated vaccines or Venezuelan equine encephalitis: testing in animal models . Vaccine 2003;21(25–26):3854–62...encephalitis: testing in animal models . Vaccine 2003;21(25-26):3854-62] and IE strains of VEE viruses. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Venezuelan equine

Influence of friction stir processing on the room temperature fatigue cracking mechanisms of A356 aluminum alloy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nelaturu, Phalgun; Jana, Saumyadeep; Mishra, Rajiv S.

Here, failure by fatigue is a common problem associated with cast aluminum alloys due to defects like shrinkage porosities, non-metallic inclusions, etc. Friction stir processing (FSP) has recently emerged as an effective technique for local modification of microstructure. This study investigates the fatigue crack initiation and growth mechanisms in cast and FSPed A356 aluminum alloy. Two sets of parameters were used to friction stir the cast alloy resulting in the complete modification the cast microstructure to a wrought microstructure. Both the FSPed microstructures exhibited severe abnormal grain growth (AGG) after heat treatment leading to a multimodal grain size distribution –more » the grain sizes ranging from a few microns to a few millimeters. One of the FSP conditions displayed an excellent improvement in fatigue life by an order of magnitude, while the other condition displayed an unexpectedly large scatter in fatigue lives. Detailed study of the fractured fatigue specimens by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) revealed that both, fatigue crack initiation and propagation, were intimately tied to the grain size as well as the grain misorientations in the microstructure.« less

Influence of friction stir processing on the room temperature fatigue cracking mechanisms of A356 aluminum alloy

DOE PAGES

Nelaturu, Phalgun; Jana, Saumyadeep; Mishra, Rajiv S.; ...

2018-01-11

Here, failure by fatigue is a common problem associated with cast aluminum alloys due to defects like shrinkage porosities, non-metallic inclusions, etc. Friction stir processing (FSP) has recently emerged as an effective technique for local modification of microstructure. This study investigates the fatigue crack initiation and growth mechanisms in cast and FSPed A356 aluminum alloy. Two sets of parameters were used to friction stir the cast alloy resulting in the complete modification the cast microstructure to a wrought microstructure. Both the FSPed microstructures exhibited severe abnormal grain growth (AGG) after heat treatment leading to a multimodal grain size distribution –more » the grain sizes ranging from a few microns to a few millimeters. One of the FSP conditions displayed an excellent improvement in fatigue life by an order of magnitude, while the other condition displayed an unexpectedly large scatter in fatigue lives. Detailed study of the fractured fatigue specimens by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) revealed that both, fatigue crack initiation and propagation, were intimately tied to the grain size as well as the grain misorientations in the microstructure.« less

Differential impacts of juvenile hormone, soldier head extract and alternate caste phenotypes on host and symbiont transcriptome composition in the gut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes.

PubMed

Sen, Ruchira; Raychoudhury, Rhitoban; Cai, Yunpeng; Sun, Yijun; Lietze, Verena-Ulrike; Boucias, Drion G; Scharf, Michael E

2013-07-19

Termites are highly eusocial insects and show a division of labor whereby morphologically distinct individuals specialize in distinct tasks. In the lower termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae), non-reproducing individuals form the worker and soldier castes, which specialize in helping (e.g., brood care, cleaning, foraging) and defense behaviors, respectively. Workers are totipotent juveniles that can either undergo status quo molts or develop into soldiers or neotenic reproductives. This caste differentiation can be regulated by juvenile hormone (JH) and primer pheromones contained in soldier head extracts (SHE). Here we offered worker termites a cellulose diet treated with JH or SHE for 24-hr, or held them with live soldiers (LS) or live neotenic reproductives (LR). We then determined gene expression profiles of the host termite gut and protozoan symbionts concurrently using custom cDNA oligo-microarrays containing 10,990 individual ESTs. JH was the most influential treatment (501 total ESTs affected), followed by LS (24 ESTs), LR (12 ESTs) and SHE treatments (6 ESTs). The majority of JH up- and downregulated ESTs were of host and symbiont origin, respectively; in contrast, SHE, LR and LS treatments had more uniform impacts on host and symbiont gene expression. Repeat "follow-up" bioassays investigating combined JH + SHE impacts in relation to individual JH and SHE treatments on a subset of array-positive genes revealed (i) JH and SHE treatments had opposite impacts on gene expression and (ii) JH + SHE impacts on gene expression were generally intermediate between JH and SHE. Our results show that JH impacts hundreds of termite and symbiont genes within 24-hr, strongly suggesting a role for the termite gut in JH-dependent caste determination. Additionally, differential impacts of SHE and LS treatments were observed that are in strong agreement with previous studies that specifically investigated soldier caste regulation. However, it is likely that gene expression outside the gut may be of equal or greater importance than gut gene expression.

Differential impacts of juvenile hormone, soldier head extract and alternate caste phenotypes on host and symbiont transcriptome composition in the gut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Termites are highly eusocial insects and show a division of labor whereby morphologically distinct individuals specialize in distinct tasks. In the lower termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae), non-reproducing individuals form the worker and soldier castes, which specialize in helping (e.g., brood care, cleaning, foraging) and defense behaviors, respectively. Workers are totipotent juveniles that can either undergo status quo molts or develop into soldiers or neotenic reproductives. This caste differentiation can be regulated by juvenile hormone (JH) and primer pheromones contained in soldier head extracts (SHE). Here we offered worker termites a cellulose diet treated with JH or SHE for 24-hr, or held them with live soldiers (LS) or live neotenic reproductives (LR). We then determined gene expression profiles of the host termite gut and protozoan symbionts concurrently using custom cDNA oligo-microarrays containing 10,990 individual ESTs. Results JH was the most influential treatment (501 total ESTs affected), followed by LS (24 ESTs), LR (12 ESTs) and SHE treatments (6 ESTs). The majority of JH up- and downregulated ESTs were of host and symbiont origin, respectively; in contrast, SHE, LR and LS treatments had more uniform impacts on host and symbiont gene expression. Repeat “follow-up” bioassays investigating combined JH + SHE impacts in relation to individual JH and SHE treatments on a subset of array-positive genes revealed (i) JH and SHE treatments had opposite impacts on gene expression and (ii) JH + SHE impacts on gene expression were generally intermediate between JH and SHE. Conclusions Our results show that JH impacts hundreds of termite and symbiont genes within 24-hr, strongly suggesting a role for the termite gut in JH-dependent caste determination. Additionally, differential impacts of SHE and LS treatments were observed that are in strong agreement with previous studies that specifically investigated soldier caste regulation. However, it is likely that gene expression outside the gut may be of equal or greater importance than gut gene expression. PMID:23870282

Surgical Anatomy of the Left Lateral Segment as Applied to Living-Donor and Split-Liver Transplantation

PubMed Central

Reichert, Paulo R.; Renz, John F.; D’Albuquerque, Luiz A. C.; Rosenthal, Philip; Lim, Robert C.; Roberts, John P.; Ascher, Nancy L.; Emond, Jean C.

2000-01-01

Objective To evaluate intrahepatic vascular and biliary anatomy of the left lateral segment (LLS) as applied to living-donor and split-liver transplantation. Summary Background Data Living-donor and split-liver transplantation are innovative surgical techniques that have expanded the donor pool. Fundamental to the application of these techniques is an understanding of intrahepatic vascular and biliary anatomy. Methods Pathologic data obtained from cadaveric liver corrosion casts and liver dissections were clinically correlated with the anatomical findings obtained during split-liver, living-donor, and reduced-liver transplants. Results The anatomical relation of the left bile duct system with respect to the left portal venous system was constant, with the left bile duct superior to the extrahepatic transverse portion of the left portal vein. Four specific patterns of left biliary anatomy and three patterns of left hepatic venous drainage were identified and described. Conclusions Although highly variable, the biliary and hepatic venous anatomy of the LLS can be broadly categorized into distinct patterns. The identification of the LLS duct origin lateral to the umbilical fissure in segment 4 in 50% of cast specimens is significant in the performance of split-liver and living-donor transplantation, because dissection of the graft pedicle at the level of the round ligament will result in separate ducts from segments 2 and 3 in most patients, with the further possibility of an anterior segment 4 duct. A connective tissue bile duct plate, which can be clinically identified, is described to guide dissection of the segment 2 and 3 biliary radicles. PMID:11066137

Postcards from India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahni, Urvashi

1999-01-01

Interviews children and adults living in rural areas in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India regarding education, revealing individuals' hopes and dreams against a backdrop of severe class, caste, and gender stratification. Examines the promise of schooling and literacy in India, the relationship of schooling and literacy to work, and of…

An Effective Exercise for Teaching Cognitive Heuristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swinkels, Alan

2003-01-01

This article describes a brief heuristics demonstration and offers suggestions for personalizing examples of heuristics by making them relevant to students. Students complete a handout asking for 4 judgments illustrative of such heuristics. The decisions are cast in the context of students' daily lives at their particular university. After the…

Has the Web really empowered health care consumers? The truth is customers may not have changed as much as we think.

PubMed

Wilkins, S T; Navarro, F H

2001-01-01

The experts tell us that fueled by unprecedented access to health information online, today's new health care consumer will revolutionize the way health care services are organized and delivered. An examination of consumers from a health value-graphic perspective, however, casts some doubt on these predictions. Patterns emerging online are simply making us more aware of existing consumer segments that have always been actively involved in their own health.

New teaching methods in use at UC Irvine's optical engineering and instrument design programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silberman, Donn M.; Rowe, T. Scott; Jo, Joshua; Dimas, David

2012-10-01

New teaching methods reach geographically dispersed students with advances in Distance Education. Capabilities include a new "Hybrid" teaching method with an instructor in a classroom and a live WebEx simulcast for remote students. Our Distance Education Geometric and Physical Optics courses include Hands-On Optics experiments. Low cost laboratory kits have been developed and YouTube type video recordings of the instructor using these tools guide the students through their labs. A weekly "Office Hour" has been developed using WebEx and a Live Webcam the instructor uses to display his live writings from his notebook for answering students' questions.

Functional and surface-active membranes from poly(vinylidene fluoride)-graft-poly(acrylic acid) prepared via RAFT-mediated graft copolymerization.

PubMed

Ying, L; Yu, W H; Kang, E T; Neoh, K G

2004-07-06

Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with "living" poly (acrylic acid) (PAAc) side chains (PVDF-g-PAAc) was prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-mediated graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AAc) with the ozone-pretreated PVDF. The chemical composition and structure of the copolymers were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The copolymer could be readily cast into pH-sensitive microfiltration (MF) membranes with enriched living PAAc graft chains on the surface (including the pore surfaces) by phase inversion in an aqueous medium. The surface composition of the membranes was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphology of the membranes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The pore size distribution of the membranes was found to be much more uniform than that of the corresponding membranes cast from PVDF-g-PAAc prepared by the "conventional" free-radical graft copolymerization process. Most important of all, the MF membranes with surface-tethered PAAc macro chain transfer agents, or the living membrane surfaces, could be further functionalized via surface-initiated block copolymerization with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) to obtain the PVDF-g-PAAc-b-PNIPAAM MF membranes, which exhibited both pH- and temperature-dependent permeability to aqueous media.

Web-Conferencing: An Analysis of Course Delivery Systems on Student Achievement at a Technical College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanford, Roger John

2012-01-01

Web-conferencing software was chosen for course delivery to provide flexible options for students at a two-year technical college. Students used technology to access a live, synchronous microeconomics course over the internet instead of a traditional face-to-face lecture. This investigation studied the impact of implementing web-conferencing…

Live Specimens More Effective than World Wide Web for Learning Plant Material

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taraban, Roman; McKenney, Cynthia; Peffley, Ellen; Applegarth, Ashley

2004-01-01

The World Wide Web and other computer-based media are new teaching resources for plant identification. The purpose of the experiments reported here was to test whether learning plant identification for woody and herbaceous plant material over the web was as effective, more effective, or preferred by undergraduate students when compared with…

Embodying Our Values in Our Teaching Practices: Building Open and Critical Discourse through Computer Mediated Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geelan, David R.; Taylor, Peter C.

2004-01-01

Computer mediated communication--including web pages, email and web-based bulletin boards--was used to support the development of a cooperative learning community among students in a web-based distance education unit for practicing science and mathematics educators. The students lived in several Australian states and a number of Pacific Rim…

Earth's Earliest Ecosystems in the Classroom: The Use of Microbial Mats to Teach General Principles in Microbial Ecology, and Scientific Inquiry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beboutl, Brad M.; Bucaria, Robin

2004-01-01

Microbial mats are living examples of the most ancient biological communities on earth, and may also be useful models for the search for life elsewhere. They are centrally important to Astrobiology. In this lecture, we will present an introduction to microbial mats, as well as an introduction to our web-based educational module on the subject of microbial ecology, featuring living mats maintained in a mini "Web Lab" complete with remotely-operable instrumentation. We have partnered with a number of outreach specialists in order to produce an informative and educational web-based presentation, aspects of which will be exported to museum exhibits reaching a wide audience. On our web site, we will conduct regularly scheduled experimental manipulations, linking the experiments to our research activities, and demonstrating fundamental principles of scientific research.

Parasites reduce food web robustness because they are sensitive to secondary extinction as illustrated by an invasive estuarine snail

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lafferty, Kevin D.; Kuris, Armand M.

2009-01-01

A robust food web is one in which few secondary extinctions occur after removing species. We investigated how parasites affected the robustness of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh food web by conducting random species removals and a hypothetical, but plausible, species invasion. Parasites were much more likely than free-living species to suffer secondary extinctions following the removal of a free-living species from the food web. For this reason, the food web was less robust with the inclusion of parasites. Removal of the horn snail, Cerithidea californica, resulted in a disproportionate number of secondary parasite extinctions. The exotic Japanese mud snail, Batillaria attramentaria, is the ecological analogue of the native California horn snail and can completely replace it following invasion. Owing to the similarities between the two snail species, the invasion had no effect on predator–prey interactions. However, because the native snail is host for 17 host-specific parasites, and the invader is host to only one, comparison of a food web that includes parasites showed significant effects of invasion on the native community. The hypothetical invasion also significantly reduced the connectance of the web because the loss of 17 native trematode species eliminated many links.

The Adventures of Miranda in the Brave New World: Learning in a Web 2.0 Millennium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Cameron; Tynan, Belinda

2007-01-01

This paper looks at the implications of Web 2.0 technologies for university teaching and learning. The latest generation of undergraduates already live in a Web 2.0 world. They have new service expectations and are increasingly dissatisfied with teacher-centred pedagogies. To attract and retain these students, universities will need to rethink…

Annotating Atomic Components of Papers in Digital Libraries: The Semantic and Social Web Heading towards a Living Document Supporting eSciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García Castro, Alexander; García-Castro, Leyla Jael; Labarga, Alberto; Giraldo, Olga; Montaña, César; O'Neil, Kieran; Bateman, John A.

Rather than a document that is being constantly re-written as in the wiki approach, the Living Document (LD) is one that acts as a document router, operating by means of structured and organized social tagging and existing ontologies. It offers an environment where users can manage papers and related information, share their knowledge with their peers and discover hidden associations among the shared knowledge. The LD builds upon both the Semantic Web, which values the integration of well-structured data, and the Social Web, which aims to facilitate interaction amongst people by means of user-generated content. In this vein, the LD is similar to a social networking system, with users as central nodes in the network, with the difference that interaction is focused on papers rather than people. Papers, with their ability to represent research interests, expertise, affiliations, and links to web based tools and databanks, represent a central axis for interaction amongst users. To begin to show the potential of this vision, we have implemented a novel web prototype that enables researchers to accomplish three activities central to the Semantic Web vision: organizing, sharing and discovering. Availability: http://www.scientifik.info/

Adding a Visualization Feature to Web Search Engines: It’s Time

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wong, Pak C.

Since the first world wide web (WWW) search engine quietly entered our lives in 1994, the “information need” behind web searching has rapidly grown into a multi-billion dollar business that dominates the internet landscape, drives e-commerce traffic, propels global economy, and affects the lives of the whole human race. Today’s search engines are faster, smarter, and more powerful than those released just a few years ago. With the vast investment pouring into research and development by leading web technology providers and the intense emotion behind corporate slogans such as “win the web” or “take back the web,” I can’t helpmore » but ask why are we still using the very same “text-only” interface that was used 13 years ago to browse our search engine results pages (SERPs)? Why has the SERP interface technology lagged so far behind in the web evolution when the corresponding search technology has advanced so rapidly? In this article I explore some current SERP interface issues, suggest a simple but practical visual-based interface design approach, and argue why a visual approach can be a strong candidate for tomorrow’s SERP interface.« less

New parasites and predators follow the introduction of two fish species to a subarctic lake: implications for food-web structure and functioning.

PubMed

Amundsen, Per-Arne; Lafferty, Kevin D; Knudsen, Rune; Primicerio, Raul; Kristoffersen, Roar; Klemetsen, Anders; Kuris, Armand M

2013-04-01

Introduced species can alter the topology of food webs. For instance, an introduction can aid the arrival of free-living consumers using the new species as a resource, while new parasites may also arrive with the introduced species. Food-web responses to species additions can thus be far more complex than anticipated. In a subarctic pelagic food web with free-living and parasitic species, two fish species (arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus and three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus) have known histories as deliberate introductions. The effects of these introductions on the food web were explored by comparing the current pelagic web with a heuristic reconstruction of the pre-introduction web. Extinctions caused by these introductions could not be evaluated by this approach. The introduced fish species have become important hubs in the trophic network, interacting with numerous parasites, predators and prey. In particular, five parasite species and four predatory bird species depend on the two introduced species as obligate trophic resources in the pelagic web and could therefore not have been present in the pre-introduction network. The presence of the two introduced fish species and the arrival of their associated parasites and predators increased biodiversity, mean trophic level, linkage density, and nestedness; altering both the network structure and functioning of the pelagic web. Parasites, in particular trophically transmitted species, had a prominent role in the network alterations that followed the introductions.

New parasites and predators follow the introduction of two fish species to a subarctic lake: implications for food-web structure and functioning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Amundsen, Per-Arne; Lafferty, Kevin D.; Knudsen, Rune; Primicerio, Raul; Kristoffersen, Roar; Klemetsen, Anders; Kuris, Armand M.

2012-01-01

Introduced species can alter the topology of food webs. For instance, an introduction can aid the arrival of free-living consumers using the new species as a resource, while new parasites may also arrive with the introduced species. Food-web responses to species additions can thus be far more complex than anticipated. In a subarctic pelagic food web with free-living and parasitic species, two fish species (arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus and three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus) have known histories as deliberate introductions. The effects of these introductions on the food web were explored by comparing the current pelagic web with a heuristic reconstruction of the pre-introduction web. Extinctions caused by these introductions could not be evaluated by this approach. The introduced fish species have become important hubs in the trophic network, interacting with numerous parasites, predators and prey. In particular, five parasite species and four predatory bird species depend on the two introduced species as obligate trophic resources in the pelagic web and could therefore not have been present in the pre-introduction network. The presence of the two introduced fish species and the arrival of their associated parasites and predators increased biodiversity, mean trophic level, linkage density, and nestedness; altering both the network structure and functioning of the pelagic web. Parasites, in particular trophically transmitted species, had a prominent role in the network alterations that followed the introductions.

Freeze Casting for Assembling Bioinspired Structural Materials.

PubMed

Cheng, Qunfeng; Huang, Chuanjin; Tomsia, Antoni P

2017-12-01

Nature is very successful in designing strong and tough, lightweight materials. Examples include seashells, bone, teeth, fish scales, wood, bamboo, silk, and many others. A distinctive feature of all these materials is that their properties are far superior to those of their constituent phases. Many of these natural materials are lamellar or layered in nature. With its "brick and mortar" structure, nacre is an example of a layered material that exhibits extraordinary physical properties. Finding inspiration in living organisms to create bioinspired materials is the subject of intensive research. Several processing techniques have been proposed to design materials mimicking natural materials, such as layer-by-layer deposition, self-assembly, electrophoretic deposition, hydrogel casting, doctor blading, and many others. Freeze casting, also known as ice-templating, is a technique that has received considerable attention in recent years to produce bioinspired bulk materials. Here, recent advances in the freeze-casting technique are reviewed for fabricating lamellar scaffolds by assembling different dimensional building blocks, including nanoparticles, polymer chains, nanofibers, and nanosheets. These lamellar scaffolds are often infiltrated by a second phase, typically a soft polymer matrix, a hard ceramic matrix, or a metal matrix. The unique architecture of the resultant bioinspired structural materials displays excellent mechanical properties. The challenges of the current research in using the freeze-casting technique to create materials large enough to be useful are also discussed, and the technique's promise for fabricating high-performance nacre-inspired structural materials in the future is reviewed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

76 FR 61478 - Open Meeting of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (PCJC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-04

.... Eastern Time. The meeting will be open to the public via live Webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live... Web site ( http://www.whitehouse.gov ) without change, including any business or personal information... meeting will be broadcast on the internet via live Webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live . The purpose...

75 FR 57107 - Open Meeting of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (the PERAB)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-17

... live webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live . DATES: The meeting will be held on October 4, 2010 at... Web site ( http://www.whitehouse.gov ) without change, including any business or personal information... via live webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live . The purpose of this meeting is to continue...

VIG Monthly Meeting 04/05/2017 3 - 4 pm Bldg. 50/2328 | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

VIG meetings are held the first Thursday of every month from 3- 4 pm Bldg. 50 Room 2328. Video cast live to NCI-F 549 conf room B. May 4 - Gustavo Palacios, Ph.D., National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Disease, George Mason University

How Parental HIV Affects Children. Research Highlights

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

RAND Corporation, 2009

2009-01-01

The shadow cast by HIV reaches beyond individuals diagnosed with the condition. It touches the lives of family members, friends, coworkers, and many others. One group in particular that feels these effects keenly is the children of HIV-positive parents. With improved treatments that have extended the life expectancies of HIV-infected people and…

The Civil Classroom in the Age of the Net

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forni, P. M.

2008-01-01

This article discusses a growing problem with civility and relationships between college professors and students. There is a recognition that these relationships are fraught with tension, and it is becoming clear that the massive presence of the "Net" in college students' lives is contributing to that tension. By casting a glance at why…

Evaluation of lunar regolith geopolymer binder as a radioactive shielding material for space exploration applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montes, Carlos; Broussard, Kaylin; Gongre, Matthew; Simicevic, Neven; Mejia, Johanna; Tham, Jessica; Allouche, Erez; Davis, Gabrielle

2015-09-01

Future manned missions to the moon will require the ability to build structures using the moon's natural resources. The geopolymer binder described in this paper (Lunamer) is a construction material that consists of up to 98% lunar regolith, drastically reducing the amount of material that must be carried from Earth in the event of lunar construction. This material could be used to fabricate structural panels and interlocking blocks that have radiation shielding and thermal insulation characteristics. These panels and blocks could be used to construct living quarters and storage facilities on the lunar surface, or as shielding panels to be installed on crafts launched from the moon surface to deep-space destinations. Lunamer specimens were manufactured in the laboratory and compressive strength results of up to 16 MPa when cast with conventional methods and 37 MPa when cast using uniaxial pressing were obtained. Simulation results have shown that the mechanical and chemical properties of Lunamer allow for adequate radiation shielding for a crew inside the lunar living quarters without additional requirements.

Metallurgical Design and Development of NASA Crawler/Transporter Tread Belt Shoe Castings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Donald S.

2006-01-01

The NASA Crawler/Transporters (CT-1 and CT-2) used to transport the Space Shuffles are one of the largest tracked vehicles in existence today. Two of these machines have been used to move space flight vehicles at Kennedy Space Center since the Apollo missions of the 1960's and relatively few modifications have been made to keep them operational. In September of 2003 during normal Crawler/Transporter operations cracks were observed along the roller pad surfaces of several tread belt shoes. Further examination showed 20 cracked shoes on CT-1 and 40 cracked shoes on CT-2 and a formal failure analysis investigation was undertaken while the cracked shoes were replaced. Six shoes were cross-sectioned with the fracture surfaces exposed and it was determined that the cracks were due to fatigue that initiated on the internal casting web channels at pre-existing casting defects and propagated through thickness both transgranularly and intergranularly between internal shrinkage cavities, porosity, and along austenitic and ferritic grain boundaries. The original shoes were cast during the 1960's using a modified 861330 steel with slightly higher levels of chromium, nickel and molybdenum followed by heat treatment to achieve a minimum tensile strength of 11 Oksi. Subsequent metallurgical analysis of the tread belt shoes after multiple failures showed excessive internal defects, alloy segregation, a nonuniform ferritic/ bainitic/martensitic microstructure, and low average tensile properties indicative of poor casting and poor heat-treatment. As a result, NASA funded an initiative to replace all of the tread belt shoes on both crawler/transporters along with a redesign of the alloy, manufacturing, and heat-treatment to create a homogeneous cast structure with uniform mechanical and metallurgical properties. ME Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of ME Elecmetal based in Minneapolis, MN was selected as manufacturing and design partner to develop the new shoes and this paper describes the research, development, and manufacturing that resulted in the successful delivery of 1044 new Crawler/Transporter tread belt shoes all meeting rigid metallurgical and mechanical design criteria derived from finite element modeling of the stress loads required for safe space shuttle transport.

[Assessment of community health care services delivery during operation "Cast Lead"--a cross sectional survey].

PubMed

Savyon, Michal; Keinan-Boker, Lital; Enav, Teena; Rozentraub, Tammy; Laor, Danny; Shohat, Tamy

2010-12-01

On December 27th, 2008, the Israeli Defense Forces initiated operation "Cast Lead", aiming to strike the infrastructure of the terror organizations in the Gaza Strip. An emergency situation was declared on the home front, allowing the security forces special jurisdiction over the area. The Home Front Command's Medical Operation Center, in cooperation with the Superior National Health Authority of the Ministry of Health, coordinated the delivery of community health services. The objective of this study was to evaluate the delivery of community health services to the Israeli civilian population living in proximity to the Gaza Strip during operation "Cast Lead". A telephone household survey was initiated on the 20th day of the operation until two days after a cease-fire was declared. The sample was drawn from the Jewish population living within a radius of 40 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. Questions included the need and use of health care services, satisfaction with health care services and demographic variables. Overall, 901 interviews were conducted. Findings revealed that: 91.3%, 76.2% and 89.6% of those who needed primary physician, a specialist or a renewal of a drug prescription received these services, respectively; 87.1% of those who needed medical emergency services received them. The reported satisfaction with health care services during the combat period was very high; 91% reported high or very high satisfaction with their HMO's function during that period. The delivery of community health care services during operation "Cast Lead" efficiently addressed the needs of the population in the area. The delivery of medical emergency services and the access to medical specialists should be reassessed. It is important to plan ahead surveys such as the survey described above, and to cooperate with the HMO's and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in order to improve emergency preparedness.

Web-based versus traditional lecture: are they equally effective as a flexible bronchoscopy teaching method?

PubMed

Mata, Caio Augusto Sterse; Ota, Luiz Hirotoshi; Suzuki, Iunis; Telles, Adriana; Miotto, Andre; Leão, Luiz Eduardo Vilaça

2012-01-01

This study compares the traditional live lecture to a web-based approach in the teaching of bronchoscopy and evaluates the positive and negative aspects of both methods. We developed a web-based bronchoscopy curriculum, which integrates texts, images and animations. It was applied to first-year interns, who were later administered a multiple-choice test. Another group of eight first-year interns received the traditional teaching method and the same test. The two groups were compared using the Student's t-test. The mean scores (± SD) of students who used the website were 14.63 ± 1.41 (range 13-17). The test scores of the other group had the same range, with a mean score of 14.75 ± 1. The Student's t-test showed no difference between the test results. The common positive point noted was the presence of multimedia content. The web group cited as positive the ability to review the pages, and the other one the role of the teacher. Web-based bronchoscopy education showed results similar to the traditional live lecture in effectiveness.

Developing Web-Oriented Homework System to Assess Students' Introductory Physics Course Performance and Compare to Paper-Based Peer Homework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirci, Neset

2006-01-01

The World Wide Web influences education and our lives in many ways. Nowadays, Web-based homework has been becoming widespread practice in physics courses and some other courses as well. Although are some disputes whether this is an encouraging or risky development for student learning, there is limited research assessing the pedagogical effect of…

Abutment misfit in implant-supported prostheses manufactured by casting technique: An integrative review

PubMed Central

Pereira, Lorena M. S.; Sordi, Mariane B.; Magini, Ricardo S.; Calazans Duarte, Antônio R.; M. Souza, Júlio C.

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to perform an integrative review of the literature on the clinically usual prosthesis-abutment misfit over implant-supported structures manufactured by conventional casting technique. The present integrative review used the PRISMA methodology. A bibliographical search was conducted on the following electronic databases: MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Scopus (Elsevier), ScienceDirect (Elsevier), Web of Science (Thomson Reuters Scientific), Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME), and Virtual Health Library (BVS). A total of 11 relevant studies were selected for qualitative analysis. The prosthetic-abutment vertical misfit considered clinically usual ranged from 50 to 160 μm. The vertical misfit depends on several steps during technical manufacturing techniques, which includes the materials and technical procedures. Lower values in misfit are recorded when precious metal or titanium alloys are utilized. Although a vertical misfit mean value of 100 μm has been considered clinically usual, most of the previous studies included in this revision showed lower mean values. PMID:29279686

Context-based user grouping for multi-casting in heterogeneous radio networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mannweiler, C.; Klein, A.; Schneider, J.; Schotten, H. D.

2011-08-01

Along with the rise of sophisticated smartphones and smart spaces, the availability of both static and dynamic context information has steadily been increasing in recent years. Due to the popularity of social networks, these data are complemented by profile information about individual users. Making use of this information by classifying users in wireless networks enables targeted content and advertisement delivery as well as optimizing network resources, in particular bandwidth utilization, by facilitating group-based multi-casting. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a web service for advanced user classification based on user, network, and environmental context information. The service employs simple and advanced clustering algorithms for forming classes of users. Available service functionalities include group formation, context-aware adaptation, and deletion as well as the exposure of group characteristics. Moreover, the results of a performance evaluation, where the service has been integrated in a simulator modeling user behavior in heterogeneous wireless systems, are presented.

Hierarchical Markov blankets and adaptive active inference. Comment on "Answering Schrödinger's question: A free-energy formulation" by Maxwell James Désormeau Ramstead et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirchhoff, Michael

2018-03-01

Ramstead MJD, Badcock PB, Friston KJ. Answering Schrödinger's question: A free-energy formulation. Phys Life Rev 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2017.09.001 [this issue] motivate a multiscale characterisation of living systems in terms of hierarchically structured Markov blankets - a view of living systems as comprised of Markov blankets of Markov blankets [1-4]. It is effectively a treatment of what life is and how it is realised, cast in terms of how Markov blankets of living systems self-organise via active inference - a corollary of the free energy principle [5-7].

The Longue Durée of Black Lives Matter.

PubMed

Nelson, Alondra

2016-10-01

Black Lives Matter was first articulated just a few years ago, but it has been the leitmotif of antiracist struggles for generations. The Movement for Black Lives extends the work of previous movements that challenged forms of oppression that act on Black bodies with impunity. It should be understood in the context of Ida B. Wells' anti-lynching campaign, Fannie Lou Hamer's reproductive justice demands, and the Black Panther Party's health activism. The 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party is an occasion to recall that its work confronted the callous neglect and the corporeal surveillance and abuse of poor Black communities. Similar demands have been the centrifugal force of social movements that for centuries have refused to have Black lives cast beyond the human boundary.

The Longue Durée of Black Lives Matter

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Black Lives Matter was first articulated just a few years ago, but it has been the leitmotif of antiracist struggles for generations. The Movement for Black Lives extends the work of previous movements that challenged forms of oppression that act on Black bodies with impunity. It should be understood in the context of Ida B. Wells’ anti-lynching campaign, Fannie Lou Hamer’s reproductive justice demands, and the Black Panther Party’s health activism. The 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party is an occasion to recall that its work confronted the callous neglect and the corporeal surveillance and abuse of poor Black communities. Similar demands have been the centrifugal force of social movements that for centuries have refused to have Black lives cast beyond the human boundary. PMID:27626337

Distributing Congestion Management System Information Using the World Wide Web

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

The Internet is a unique medium for the distribution of information, and it provides a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of peoples innate interest in transportation issues as they relate to their own lives. In particular, the World Wide Web (...

Talkoot Portals: Discover, Tag, Share, and Reuse Collaborative Science Workflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, B. D.; Ramachandran, R.; Lynnes, C.

2009-05-01

A small but growing number of scientists are beginning to harness Web 2.0 technologies, such as wikis, blogs, and social tagging, as a transformative way of doing science. These technologies provide researchers easy mechanisms to critique, suggest and share ideas, data and algorithms. At the same time, large suites of algorithms for science analysis are being made available as remotely-invokable Web Services, which can be chained together to create analysis workflows. This provides the research community an unprecedented opportunity to collaborate by sharing their workflows with one another, reproducing and analyzing research results, and leveraging colleagues' expertise to expedite the process of scientific discovery. However, wikis and similar technologies are limited to text, static images and hyperlinks, providing little support for collaborative data analysis. A team of information technology and Earth science researchers from multiple institutions have come together to improve community collaboration in science analysis by developing a customizable "software appliance" to build collaborative portals for Earth Science services and analysis workflows. The critical requirement is that researchers (not just information technologists) be able to build collaborative sites around service workflows within a few hours. We envision online communities coming together, much like Finnish "talkoot" (a barn raising), to build a shared research space. Talkoot extends a freely available, open source content management framework with a series of modules specific to Earth Science for registering, creating, managing, discovering, tagging and sharing Earth Science web services and workflows for science data processing, analysis and visualization. Users will be able to author a "science story" in shareable web notebooks, including plots or animations, backed up by an executable workflow that directly reproduces the science analysis. New services and workflows of interest will be discoverable using tag search, and advertised using "service casts" and "interest casts" (Atom feeds). Multiple science workflow systems will be plugged into the system, with initial support for UAH's Mining Workflow Composer and the open-source Active BPEL engine, and JPL's SciFlo engine and the VizFlow visual programming interface. With the ability to share and execute analysis workflows, Talkoot portals can be used to do collaborative science in addition to communicate ideas and results. It will be useful for different science domains, mission teams, research projects and organizations. Thus, it will help to solve the "sociological" problem of bringing together disparate groups of researchers, and the technical problem of advertising, discovering, developing, documenting, and maintaining inter-agency science workflows. The presentation will discuss the goals of and barriers to Science 2.0, the social web technologies employed in the Talkoot software appliance (e.g. CMS, social tagging, personal presence, advertising by feeds, etc.), illustrate the resulting collaborative capabilities, and show early prototypes of the web interfaces (e.g. embedded workflows).

In Search of a New Curriculum Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Dennis Kevin

2017-01-01

In my view, because of the astounding growth and power of neoliberalism, time is rapidly running out before a "permanent" global caste system is in place. Peeking inside this future, we can see the elites and upper class living a life of unbounded luxury while the shrinking middle class is so frightened of joining the lower ranks, where…

Toward Publicly Responsive Sociology Curricula: The Role of Introductory Sociology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenwood, Nancy A.

2013-01-01

Introductory sociology casts a wide net with regard to its audience and plays an important role in capturing the public eye as well as helping students to make more informed choices in their lives and communities. I ask six questions that help us as sociologists to think about how introductory sociology can better serve our discipline, our…

Physics Teacher Candidates' Opinions on Fiber Optics and New Technologies in This Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çildir, Sema

2016-01-01

Factors such as innovations brought in by the developing technology, also rapidly changing social structures casted various roles to both the student and the teacher. Therefore, it is necessary to associate such knowledge acquired in courses with implications of the knowledge in our real lives and to constantly enrich course contents, namely to…

Illusions of Immortality: The Confrontation of Adolescence and AIDS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Dept. of Health, Albany.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a potent and a present danger for teenagers, casting a dark shadow over their lives now and in the future. A small, but significant, number of teenagers will develop Human Immune Virus (HIV)-related illness before they turn 20; a far greater number will become infected with the virus during…

From Metaphorically Speaking to Acting Boldly: A Commentary on the Special Issue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rock, Marcia L.; Billingsley, Bonnie

2014-01-01

Casting special education teacher development as an avatar living in a virtual and changing landscape is a creative way to consider the current state of the field and project possible futures. In this commentary, the authors consider areas that may help strengthen the Avatar, including conceptualizing and identifying the outcomes of teacher…

Parasites Affect Food Web Structure Primarily through Increased Diversity and Complexity

PubMed Central

Dunne, Jennifer A.; Lafferty, Kevin D.; Dobson, Andrew P.; Hechinger, Ryan F.; Kuris, Armand M.; Martinez, Neo D.; McLaughlin, John P.; Mouritsen, Kim N.; Poulin, Robert; Reise, Karsten; Stouffer, Daniel B.; Thieltges, David W.; Williams, Richard J.; Zander, Claus Dieter

2013-01-01

Comparative research on food web structure has revealed generalities in trophic organization, produced simple models, and allowed assessment of robustness to species loss. These studies have mostly focused on free-living species. Recent research has suggested that inclusion of parasites alters structure. We assess whether such changes in network structure result from unique roles and traits of parasites or from changes to diversity and complexity. We analyzed seven highly resolved food webs that include metazoan parasite data. Our analyses show that adding parasites usually increases link density and connectance (simple measures of complexity), particularly when including concomitant links (links from predators to parasites of their prey). However, we clarify prior claims that parasites “dominate” food web links. Although parasites can be involved in a majority of links, in most cases classic predation links outnumber classic parasitism links. Regarding network structure, observed changes in degree distributions, 14 commonly studied metrics, and link probabilities are consistent with scale-dependent changes in structure associated with changes in diversity and complexity. Parasite and free-living species thus have similar effects on these aspects of structure. However, two changes point to unique roles of parasites. First, adding parasites and concomitant links strongly alters the frequency of most motifs of interactions among three taxa, reflecting parasites' roles as resources for predators of their hosts, driven by trophic intimacy with their hosts. Second, compared to free-living consumers, many parasites' feeding niches appear broader and less contiguous, which may reflect complex life cycles and small body sizes. This study provides new insights about generic versus unique impacts of parasites on food web structure, extends the generality of food web theory, gives a more rigorous framework for assessing the impact of any species on trophic organization, identifies limitations of current food web models, and provides direction for future structural and dynamical models. PMID:23776404

Parasites affect food web structure primarily through increased diversity and complexity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dunne, Jennifer A.; Lafferty, Kevin D.; Dobson, Andrew P.; Hechinger, Ryan F.; Kuris, Armand M.; Martinez, Neo D.; McLaughlin, John P.; Mouritsen, Kim N.; Poulin, Robert; Reise, Karsten; Stouffer, Daniel B.; Thieltges, David W.; Williams, Richard J.; Zander, Claus Dieter

2013-01-01

Comparative research on food web structure has revealed generalities in trophic organization, produced simple models, and allowed assessment of robustness to species loss. These studies have mostly focused on free-living species. Recent research has suggested that inclusion of parasites alters structure. We assess whether such changes in network structure result from unique roles and traits of parasites or from changes to diversity and complexity. We analyzed seven highly resolved food webs that include metazoan parasite data. Our analyses show that adding parasites usually increases link density and connectance (simple measures of complexity), particularly when including concomitant links (links from predators to parasites of their prey). However, we clarify prior claims that parasites ‘‘dominate’’ food web links. Although parasites can be involved in a majority of links, in most cases classic predation links outnumber classic parasitism links. Regarding network structure, observed changes in degree distributions, 14 commonly studied metrics, and link probabilities are consistent with scale-dependent changes in structure associated with changes in diversity and complexity. Parasite and free-living species thus have similar effects on these aspects of structure. However, two changes point to unique roles of parasites. First, adding parasites and concomitant links strongly alters the frequency of most motifs of interactions among three taxa, reflecting parasites’ roles as resources for predators of their hosts, driven by trophic intimacy with their hosts. Second, compared to free-living consumers, many parasites’ feeding niches appear broader and less contiguous, which may reflect complex life cycles and small body sizes. This study provides new insights about generic versus unique impacts of parasites on food web structure, extends the generality of food web theory, gives a more rigorous framework for assessing the impact of any species on trophic organization, identifies limitations of current food web models, and provides direction for future structural and dynamical models.

Parasites affect food web structure primarily through increased diversity and complexity.

PubMed

Dunne, Jennifer A; Lafferty, Kevin D; Dobson, Andrew P; Hechinger, Ryan F; Kuris, Armand M; Martinez, Neo D; McLaughlin, John P; Mouritsen, Kim N; Poulin, Robert; Reise, Karsten; Stouffer, Daniel B; Thieltges, David W; Williams, Richard J; Zander, Claus Dieter

2013-01-01

Comparative research on food web structure has revealed generalities in trophic organization, produced simple models, and allowed assessment of robustness to species loss. These studies have mostly focused on free-living species. Recent research has suggested that inclusion of parasites alters structure. We assess whether such changes in network structure result from unique roles and traits of parasites or from changes to diversity and complexity. We analyzed seven highly resolved food webs that include metazoan parasite data. Our analyses show that adding parasites usually increases link density and connectance (simple measures of complexity), particularly when including concomitant links (links from predators to parasites of their prey). However, we clarify prior claims that parasites "dominate" food web links. Although parasites can be involved in a majority of links, in most cases classic predation links outnumber classic parasitism links. Regarding network structure, observed changes in degree distributions, 14 commonly studied metrics, and link probabilities are consistent with scale-dependent changes in structure associated with changes in diversity and complexity. Parasite and free-living species thus have similar effects on these aspects of structure. However, two changes point to unique roles of parasites. First, adding parasites and concomitant links strongly alters the frequency of most motifs of interactions among three taxa, reflecting parasites' roles as resources for predators of their hosts, driven by trophic intimacy with their hosts. Second, compared to free-living consumers, many parasites' feeding niches appear broader and less contiguous, which may reflect complex life cycles and small body sizes. This study provides new insights about generic versus unique impacts of parasites on food web structure, extends the generality of food web theory, gives a more rigorous framework for assessing the impact of any species on trophic organization, identifies limitations of current food web models, and provides direction for future structural and dynamical models.

Monitoring activities of satellite data processing services in real-time with SDDS Live Monitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duc Nguyen, Minh

2017-10-01

This work describes Live Monitor, the monitoring subsystem of SDDS - an automated system for space experiment data processing, storage, and distribution created at SINP MSU. Live Monitor allows operators and developers of satellite data centers to identify errors occurred in data processing quickly and to prevent further consequences caused by the errors. All activities of the whole data processing cycle are illustrated via a web interface in real-time. Notification messages are delivered to responsible people via emails and Telegram messenger service. The flexible monitoring mechanism implemented in Live Monitor allows us to dynamically change and control events being shown on the web interface on our demands. Physicists, whose space weather analysis models are functioning upon satellite data provided by SDDS, can use the developed RESTful API to monitor their own events and deliver customized notification messages by their needs.

Self-Care Activation, Social Support, and Self-Care Behaviors among Women Living with Heart Failure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckie, Theresa M.; Campbell, Susan M.; Schneider, Yukari Takata; Macario, Everly

2017-01-01

Background: Three million U.S. women live with heart failure (HF). Purpose: This study investigated relationships among self-care activation, social support, and self-care behaviors of women living with HF. Methods: A 52-item web-based survey was completed by 246 women living with HF. Results: Women reported a mean body mass index (BMI) of 30.8 ±…

Digital casts in orthodontics: a comparison of 4 software systems.

PubMed

Westerlund, Anna; Tancredi, Weronika; Ransjö, Maria; Bresin, Andrea; Psonis, Spyros; Torgersson, Olof

2015-04-01

The introduction of digital cast models is inevitable in the otherwise digitized everyday life of orthodontics. The introduction of this new technology, however, is not straightforward, and selecting an appropriate system can be difficult. The aim of the study was to compare 4 orthodontic digital software systems regarding service, features, and usability. Information regarding service offered by the companies was obtained from questionnaires and Web sites. The features of each software system were collected by exploring the user manuals and the software programs. Replicas of pretreatment casts were sent to Cadent (OrthoCAD; Cadent, Carlstadt, NJ), OthoLab (O3DM; OrthoLab, Poznan, Poland), OrthoProof (DigiModel; OrthoProof, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands), and 3Shape (OrthoAnalyzer; 3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark). The usability of the programs was assessed by experts in interaction design and usability using the "enhanced cognitive walkthrough" method: 4 tasks were defined and performed by a group of domain experts while they were observed by usability experts. The services provided by the companies were similar. Regarding the features, all 4 systems were able to perform basic measurements; however, not all provided the peer assessment rating index or the American Board of Orthodontics analysis, simulation of the treatment with braces, or digital articulation of the casts. All systems demonstrated weaknesses in usability. However, OrthoCAD and 03DM were considered to be easier to learn for first-time users. In general, the usability of these programs was poor and needs to be further developed. Hands-on training supervised by the program experts is recommended for beginners. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Caste on the Expression of Genes Associated with Septic Injury and Xenobiotic Exposure in the Formosan Subterranean Termite

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

As social insects, termites live in densely populated colonies with specialized castes under conditions conducive to microbial growth and transmission. Furthermore, termites are exposed to xenobiotics in soil and their lignocellulose diet. Therefore, termites are valuable models for studying gene expression involved in response to septic injury, immunity and detoxification in relation to caste membership. In this study, workers and soldiers of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, were challenged by bacterial injection or by no-choice feeding with a sublethal concentration (0.5%) of phenobarbital. Constitutive and induced expression of six putative immune response genes (two encoding for lectin-like proteins, one for a ficolin-precursor, one for the Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule, one for a chitin binding protein, and one for the gram-negative binding protein 2) and four putative detoxification genes (two encoding for cytochrome P450s, one for glutathione S-transferase, and one for the multi antimicrobial extrusion protein), were measured via quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and compared within and among 1) colonies, 2) treatment types and 3) castes via ANOVA. Eight genes were inducible by septic injury, feeding with phenobarbital or both. Colony origin had no effect on inducibility or differential gene expression. However, treatment type showed significant effects on the expression of the eight inducible genes. Caste effects on expression levels were significant in five of the eight inducible genes with constitutive and induced expression of most target genes being higher in workers than in soldiers. PMID:25141339

Intrahepatic venous anastomoses with a focus on the middle hepatic vein anastomoses in normal human livers: anatomical study on liver corrosion casts.

PubMed

Hribernik, Marija; Trotovšek, Blaž

2014-04-01

The aim of this study is to present the anatomical data about intrahepatic venous anastomoses found in normal human livers. The focus is on the middle hepatic vein (MHV) anastomoses, because their existence or non-existence could be of crucial importance in tumour resections as well as in split or living donor liver transplantations. The frequency of livers with intrahepatic venous anastomoses was determined on 164 corrosion casts and the diameter of each anastomosis was measured. Additionally, the type of connection and the position within the liver (liver segment) was determined for each MHV anastomosis. Intrahepatic venous anastomoses were found in 46 % (75/164), whereas MHV anastomoses were found in 28 % (44/164) of liver casts. Most commonly (39/44), MHV had anastomotic connections with the right hepatic vein (RHV), and also with the inferior RHV, the left hepatic vein and the short subhepatic vein. In more than three quarters of liver casts, MHV-RHV anastomoses were found in liver segment 8; in 45 % of cases, there was more than one anastomosis in this liver segment. The diameter of MHV-RHV anastomoses found in segment 8 was ≥1 mm in 90.6 % of cases. As MHV anastomoses were present in more than a quarter of all examined liver casts, we believe that detailed anatomical data presented in this article, together with up to date radiologic technics which enable even 3D reconstruction of venous anastomoses in the liver, could contribute to the clinician's decisions when planning surgical procedures.

Accessible Collaborative Learning Using Mobile Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wald, Mike; Li, Yunjia; Draffan, E. A.

2014-01-01

This paper describes accessible collaborative learning using mobile devices with mobile enhancements to Synote, the freely available, award winning, open source, web based application that makes web hosted recordings easier to access, search, manage, and exploit for all learners, teachers and other users. Notes taken live during lectures using…

Computer-Aided Instruction: College Algebra Students' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aichele, Douglas B.; Tree, D. Rae; Utley, Juliana; Wescoatt, Benjamin

2012-01-01

Technology permeates our daily lives; education has not been untouched. Liaw (2002) points out that "teachers, trainers, and instructional designers of computer-based or Web-based instruction would benefit by being more attentive to learners' perceptions toward Web-based environments." Reviewing the earlier research into student perceptions toward…

Presenting Science in a Video-Delivered, Web-based Format: Comparing Learning Settings To Get the Most Out of Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urven, Lance E.; Yin, L. Roger; Eshelman, Bruce D.; Bak, John D.

2000-01-01

Describes a high school course entitled "Science Technology in Society". High school students use live video presentations and world wide web courseware. Concludes that distance learning students performed as well as traditionally instructed students. (SAH)

ELF-MF Occupational Exposure in Die-casting and Electroplating Workers in Korea.

PubMed

Rajitha Kawshalya, Mailan Arachchige Don; Jung, Joon-Sig; Lee, Yun-Jin; Hong, Seung-Cheol

2018-04-26

A 24-h exposure assessment was performed in two groups of blue-collar workers from a die-casting and an electroplating plant to investigate levels of exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF), using EMDEX Lite. ELF-MF exposure of workers from the die-casting plant AM±SD (AM=arithmetic mean, SD=standard deviation) (0.649±1.343µT)] is higher than in electroplating workers (0.138±0.045µT). Higher ELF-MF exposure was found among workers living in same building as their workplace compared to that among other workers. This study suggests that ELF-MF exposure levels should be taken into consideration when providing dormitories for workers to minimize the levels of residential ELF-MF exposure due to emission from plants. The study recommends that blue-collar workers should be made aware of measures to minimize their exposure to environmental agents such as ELF-MF and electromagnetic field (EMF) during work, such as maintaining a safe distance between machines and avoiding undesirable behavior with equipment.

A web-based system for home monitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease using wearable sensors.

PubMed

Chen, Bor-Rong; Patel, Shyamal; Buckley, Thomas; Rednic, Ramona; McClure, Douglas J; Shih, Ludy; Tarsy, Daniel; Welsh, Matt; Bonato, Paolo

2011-03-01

This letter introduces MercuryLive, a platform to enable home monitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using wearable sensors. MercuryLive contains three tiers: a resource-aware data collection engine that relies upon wearable sensors, web services for live streaming and storage of sensor data, and a web-based graphical user interface client with video conferencing capability. Besides, the platform has the capability of analyzing sensor (i.e., accelerometer) data to reliably estimate clinical scores capturing the severity of tremor, bradykinesia, and dyskinesia. Testing results showed an average data latency of less than 400 ms and video latency of about 200 ms with video frame rate of about 13 frames/s when 800 kb/s of bandwidth were available and we used a 40% video compression, and data feature upload requiring 1 min of extra time following a 10 min interactive session. These results indicate that the proposed platform is suitable to monitor patients with PD to facilitate the titration of medications in the late stages of the disease.

Web of Objects Based Ambient Assisted Living Framework for Emergency Psychiatric State Prediction

PubMed Central

Alam, Md Golam Rabiul; Abedin, Sarder Fakhrul; Al Ameen, Moshaddique; Hong, Choong Seon

2016-01-01

Ambient assisted living can facilitate optimum health and wellness by aiding physical, mental and social well-being. In this paper, patients’ psychiatric symptoms are collected through lightweight biosensors and web-based psychiatric screening scales in a smart home environment and then analyzed through machine learning algorithms to provide ambient intelligence in a psychiatric emergency. The psychiatric states are modeled through a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), and the model parameters are estimated using a Viterbi path counting and scalable Stochastic Variational Inference (SVI)-based training algorithm. The most likely psychiatric state sequence of the corresponding observation sequence is determined, and an emergency psychiatric state is predicted through the proposed algorithm. Moreover, to enable personalized psychiatric emergency care, a service a web of objects-based framework is proposed for a smart-home environment. In this framework, the biosensor observations and the psychiatric rating scales are objectified and virtualized in the web space. Then, the web of objects of sensor observations and psychiatric rating scores are used to assess the dweller’s mental health status and to predict an emergency psychiatric state. The proposed psychiatric state prediction algorithm reported 83.03 percent prediction accuracy in an empirical performance study. PMID:27608023

Web-based live telesurgery for minimally invasive procedures in children as an educational tool.

PubMed

Rothenberg, Steven; Holcomb, George; Georgeson, Keith; Irish, Mike; Lucas, Eugene; Blinman, Thane

2007-04-01

Three surgeries--a laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, a thoracoscopic left lower lobectomy, and a laparoscopically assisted pull-through for imperforate anus--were broadcast live over the internet. Pediatric surgeons and appropriate societies were notified of the broadcasts by e-mail. Viewers registered on-line at no cost. The procedures could be viewed from any computer connected to the internet. There was a surgeon and on-site moderator for each procedure and viewers could ask questions in real time via e-mail. The three surgeries were archived on the web for later viewing. The broadcasts were transmitted without problem. There were over 8500 preliminary hits at the web site, from 49 countries. By report, many sites had multiple viewers. As of April 2006 there have been over 19,000 hits and 5600 viewers have registered to watch the archived video. Web-based broadcasts appear to be an efficient way for sharing surgical experience and may be a way to expand surgeon education in select cases, especially in an era of dispersal of index cases, work hour restrictions, and evolving technologies. A network of pediatric programs linked via the web might provide an important educational tool.

Phylowood: interactive web-based animations of biogeographic and phylogeographic histories.

PubMed

Landis, Michael J; Bedford, Trevor

2014-01-01

Phylowood is a web service that uses JavaScript to generate in-browser animations of biogeographic and phylogeographic histories from annotated phylogenetic input. The animations are interactive, allowing the user to adjust spatial and temporal resolution, and highlight phylogenetic lineages of interest. All documentation and source code for Phylowood is freely available at https://github.com/mlandis/phylowood, and a live web application is available at https://mlandis.github.io/phylowood.

Dumbing Down the Net

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamison, Mark A.; Hauge, Janice A.

It is commonplace for sellers of goods and services to enhance the value of their products by paying extra for premium delivery service. For example, package delivery services such as Federal Express and the US Postal Service offer shippers a variety of delivery speeds and insurance programs. Web content providers such as Yahoo! and MSN Live Earth can purchase web-enhancing services from companies such as Akamai to speed the delivery of their web content to customers.1

Pragmatists, positive communicators, and shy enthusiasts: three viewpoints on Web conferencing in health sciences education.

PubMed

Valaitis, Ruta; Akhtar-Danesh, Noori; Eva, Kevin; Levinson, Anthony; Wainman, Bruce

2007-12-31

Web conferencing is a synchronous technology that allows coordinated online audio and visual interactions with learners logged in to a central server. Recently, its use has grown rapidly in academia, while research on its use has not kept up. Conferencing systems typically facilitate communication and support for multiple presenters in different locations. A paucity of research has evaluated synchronous Web conferencing in health sciences education. McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences trialed Wimba's Live Classroom Web conferencing technology to support education and curriculum activities with students and faculty. The purpose of this study was to explore faculty, staff, and student perceptions of Web conferencing as a support for teaching and learning in health sciences. The Live Classroom technology provided features including real-time VoIP audio, an interactive whiteboard, text chat, PowerPoint slide sharing, application sharing, and archiving of live conferences to support student education and curriculum activities. Q-methodology was used to identify unique and common viewpoints of participants who had exposure to Web conferencing to support educational applications during the trial evaluation period. This methodology is particularly useful for research on human perceptions and interpersonal relationships to identify groups of participants with different perceptions. It mixes qualitative and quantitative methods. In a Q-methodology study, the goal is to uncover different patterns of thought rather than their numerical distribution among the larger population. A total of 36 people participated in the study, including medical residents (14), nursing graduate students (11), health sciences faculty (9), and health sciences staff (2). Three unique viewpoints were identified: pragmatists (factor 1), positive communicators (factor 2A), and shy enthusiasts (factor 2B). These factors explained 28% (factor 1) and 11% (factor 2) of the total variance, respectively. The majority of respondents were pragmatists (n = 26), who endorsed the value of Web conferencing yet identified that technical and ease-of-use problems could jeopardize its use. Positive communicators (N = 4) enjoyed technology and felt that Web conferencing could facilitate communication in a variety of contexts. Shy enthusiasts (N = 4) were also positive and comfortable with the technology but differed in that they preferred communicating from a distance rather than face-to-face. Common viewpoints were held by all groups: they found Web conferencing to be superior to audio conferencing alone, felt more training would be useful, and had no concerns that Web conferencing would hamper their interactivity with remote participants or that students accustomed to face-to-face learning would not enjoy Web conferencing. Overall, all participants, including pragmatists who were more cautious about the technology, viewed Web conferencing as an enabler, especially when face-to-face meetings were not possible. Adequate technical support and training need to be provided for successful ongoing implementation of Web conferencing.

76 FR 44979 - Section 5309 Discretionary Bus and Bus Facilities Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-27

.... The Department of Labor (DOL) will make social communication technologies and training available to... veterans and military service families. This announcement is available on the FTA's Web site, on the Veterans Transportation and Community Living initiative Web page at: http://www.fta.dot.gov/veterans . FTA...

Creating Biography Webs to Investigate Individuals' Historical Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fertig, Gary; Silverman, Rick

2009-01-01

Biographies, which are popular among young people, can stimulate interest in the past when students investigate the historical contexts in which individuals lived. Creating biography webs offers students structured opportunities to investigate how other people and groups influenced the personal development of specific individuals (NCSS Strands II,…

Virtual Models of Long-Term Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phenice, Lillian A.; Griffore, Robert J.

2012-01-01

Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home-care organizations, use web sites to describe their services to potential consumers. This virtual ethnographic study developed models representing how potential consumers may understand this information using data from web sites of 69 long-term-care providers. The content of long-term-care web…

76 FR 31680 - Open Meeting of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (PCJC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-01

... p.m. Eastern Time. The meeting will be open to the public via live webcast at http://www.whitehouse... Web site ( http://www.whitehouse.gov ) without change, including any business or personal information.... The meeting will be broadcast on the internet via live webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live . The...

Coming out of the woods: do termites need a specialized worker caste to search for new food sources?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rupf, Thomas; Roisin, Yves

2008-09-01

Most small-colony termites live confined within a single piece of wood on which they feed and do not possess permanent workers: Tasks are done by developmentally flexible immatures (pseudergates). By contrast, large-colony termites possess a specialized (true) worker caste and forage outside their nest for food. To shed light on possible transitional steps between these contrasting patterns of social organization, we studied an atypical Rhinotermitidae, Prorhinotermes inopinatus. In this species, despite the absence of a true worker caste, soldiers, pseudergates, and neotenic reproductives may leave the nest and explore their surroundings. Although evidence presented in this study indicates that termites recognize unknown areas, there is no directional recruitment toward them. The discovery of a food source, i.e., a piece of wood, is followed by the establishment of a long-lasting trail between the nest and the food source. A large fraction of the colony, including neotenic reproductives, ultimately migrates into the piece of wood. Our results thus demonstrate that multiple features of external foraging behavior can evolve independently of the existence of a true worker caste in termites. We suggest that large colonies with true workers, like those of most Rhinotermitidae, may easily have evolved from a Prorhinotermes-like pattern if submitted to increasing selective pressures for worker efficiency in a stable environment.

Identification of a pheromone regulating caste differentiation in termites.

PubMed

Matsuura, Kenji; Himuro, Chihiro; Yokoi, Tomoyuki; Yamamoto, Yuuka; Vargo, Edward L; Keller, Laurent

2010-07-20

The hallmark of social insects is their caste system: reproduction is primarily monopolized by queens, whereas workers specialize in the other tasks required for colony growth and survival. Pheromones produced by reigning queens have long been believed to be the prime factor inhibiting the differentiation of new reproductive individuals. However, there has been very little progress in the chemical identification of such inhibitory pheromones. Here we report the identification of a volatile inhibitory pheromone produced by female neotenics (secondary queens) that acts directly on target individuals to suppress the differentiation of new female neotenics and identify n-butyl-n-butyrate and 2-methyl-1-butanol as the active components of the inhibitory pheromone. An artificial pheromone blend consisting of these two compounds had a strong inhibitory effect similar to live neotenics. Surprisingly, the same two volatiles are also emitted by eggs, playing a role both as an attractant to workers and an inhibitor of reproductive differentiation. This dual production of an inhibitory pheromone by female reproductives and eggs probably reflects the recruitment of an attractant pheromone as an inhibitory pheromone and may provide a mechanism ensuring honest signaling of reproductive status with a tight coupling between fertility and inhibitory power. Identification of a volatile pheromone regulating caste differentiation in a termite provides insights into the functioning of social insect colonies and opens important avenues for elucidating the developmental pathways leading to reproductive and nonreproductive castes.

Identification of a pheromone regulating caste differentiation in termites

PubMed Central

Matsuura, Kenji; Himuro, Chihiro; Yokoi, Tomoyuki; Yamamoto, Yuuka; Vargo, Edward L.; Keller, Laurent

2010-01-01

The hallmark of social insects is their caste system: reproduction is primarily monopolized by queens, whereas workers specialize in the other tasks required for colony growth and survival. Pheromones produced by reining queens have long been believed to be the prime factor inhibiting the differentiation of new reproductive individuals. However, there has been very little progress in the chemical identification of such inhibitory pheromones. Here we report the identification of a volatile inhibitory pheromone produced by female neotenics (secondary queens) that acts directly on target individuals to suppress the differentiation of new female neotenics and identify n-butyl-n-butyrate and 2-methyl-1-butanol as the active components of the inhibitory pheromone. An artificial pheromone blend consisting of these two compounds had a strong inhibitory effect similar to live neotenics. Surprisingly, the same two volatiles are also emitted by eggs, playing a role both as an attractant to workers and an inhibitor of reproductive differentiation. This dual production of an inhibitory pheromone by female reproductives and eggs probably reflects the recruitment of an attractant pheromone as an inhibitory pheromone and may provide a mechanism ensuring honest signaling of reproductive status with a tight coupling between fertility and inhibitory power. Identification of a volatile pheromone regulating caste differentiation in a termite provides insights into the functioning of social insect colonies and opens important avenues for elucidating the developmental pathways leading to reproductive and nonreproductive castes. PMID:20615972

Computation Modeling of Limb-bud Dysmorphogenesis: Predicting Cellular Dynamics and Key Events in Developmental Toxicity with a Multicellular Systems Model (FutureToxII)

EPA Science Inventory

Congenital limb malformations are among the most frequent malformation occurs in humans, with a frequency of about 1 in 500 to 1 in 1000 human live births. ToxCast is profiling the bioactivity of thousands of chemicals based on high-throughput (HTS) and computational methods that...

Transferences of Teacher-Casting and Projections of Redemption: Teacher Education, Young Adult Literature and the Psychic Life of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewkowich, David

2015-01-01

As the psychic life of reading is imbued with desire, transferences and other forms of emotional turbulence, readers invariably and often unconsciously project their anxieties, hopes and worries onto the lives of fictional characters. Using the lens of psychoanalytic theory, this article explores the meanings produced in the convergence of teacher…

The ``Adopt A Microbe'' project: Web-based interactive education connected with scientific ocean drilling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orcutt, B. N.; Bowman, D.; Turner, A.; Inderbitzen, K. E.; Fisher, A. T.; Peart, L. W.; Iodp Expedition 327 Shipboard Party

2010-12-01

We launched the "Adopt a Microbe" project as part of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 327 in Summer 2010. This eight-week-long education and outreach effort was run by shipboard scientists and educators from the research vessel JOIDES Resolution, using a web site (https://sites.google.com/site/adoptamicrobe) to engage students of all ages in an exploration of the deep biosphere inhabiting the upper ocean crust. Participants were initially introduced to a cast of microbes (residing within an ‘Adoption Center’ on the project website) that live in the dark ocean and asked to select and virtually ‘adopt’ a microbe. A new educational activity was offered each week to encourage learning about microbiology, using the adopted microbe as a focal point. Activities included reading information and asking questions about the adopted microbes (with subsequent responses from shipboard scientists), writing haiku about the adopted microbes, making balloon and fabric models of the adopted microbes, answering math questions related to the study of microbes in the ocean, growing cultures of microbes, and examining the gases produced by microbes. In addition, the website featured regular text, photo and video updates about the science of the expedition using a toy microbe as narrator, as well as stories written by shipboard scientists from the perspective of deep ocean microbes accompanied by watercolor illustrations prepared by a shipboard artist. Assessment methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the Adopt a Microbe project included participant feedback via email and online surveys, website traffic monitoring, and online video viewing rates. Quantitative metrics suggest that the “Adope A Microbe” project was successful in reaching target audiences and helping to encourage and maintain interest in topics related to IODP Expedition 327. The “Adopt A Microbe” project mdel can be adapted for future oceanographic expeditions to help connect the public at large to cutting-edge, exploratory research and for engaging students in active learning.

Design and Delivery of Online Courses in YCMOU

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamlaskar, Chetana H.; Killedar, Manoj

2015-01-01

The School of Science and Technology of "Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU)" has proposed to offer "Web Based Live Teaching Learning Support" from "real" teacher, with "Live Virtual Online Class (LVOC)" integrated with "Learning Management System (LMS)" for all courses of all…

Food webs in the human body: linking ecological theory to viral dynamics.

PubMed

Murall, Carmen Lía; McCann, Kevin S; Bauch, Chris T

2012-01-01

The dynamics of in-host infections are central to predicting the progression of natural infections and the effectiveness of drugs or vaccines, however, they are not well understood. Here, we apply food web theory to in-host disease networks of the human body that are structured similarly to food web models that treat both predation and competition simultaneously. We show that in-host trade-offs, an under-studied aspect of disease ecology, are fundamental to understanding the outcomes of competing viral strains under differential immune responses. Further, and importantly, our analysis shows that the outcome of competition between virulent and non-virulent strains can be highly contingent on the abiotic conditions prevailing in the human body. These results suggest the alarming idea that even subtle behavioral changes that alter the human body (e.g. weight gain, smoking) may switch the environmental conditions in a manner that suddenly allows a virulent strain to dominate and replace less virulent strains. These ecological results therefore cast new light on the control of disease in the human body, and highlight the importance of longitudinal empirical studies across host variation gradients, as well as, of studies focused on delineating life history trade-offs within hosts.

Food Webs in the Human Body: Linking Ecological Theory to Viral Dynamics

PubMed Central

Murall, Carmen Lía; McCann, Kevin S.; Bauch, Chris T.

2012-01-01

The dynamics of in-host infections are central to predicting the progression of natural infections and the effectiveness of drugs or vaccines, however, they are not well understood. Here, we apply food web theory to in-host disease networks of the human body that are structured similarly to food web models that treat both predation and competition simultaneously. We show that in-host trade-offs, an under-studied aspect of disease ecology, are fundamental to understanding the outcomes of competing viral strains under differential immune responses. Further, and importantly, our analysis shows that the outcome of competition between virulent and non-virulent strains can be highly contingent on the abiotic conditions prevailing in the human body. These results suggest the alarming idea that even subtle behavioral changes that alter the human body (e.g. weight gain, smoking) may switch the environmental conditions in a manner that suddenly allows a virulent strain to dominate and replace less virulent strains. These ecological results therefore cast new light on the control of disease in the human body, and highlight the importance of longitudinal empirical studies across host variation gradients, as well as, of studies focused on delineating life history trade-offs within hosts. PMID:23155409

75 FR 16575 - Open Meeting of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (the PERAB)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-01

... meeting will be open to the public via live Webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live . DATES: The meeting... will be posted on the White House Web site ( http://www.whitehouse.gov ) without change, including any...:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The meeting will be broadcast on the Internet via live Webcast at http://www...

77 FR 1127 - Open Meeting of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (PCJC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-09

... live webcast at http:[sol][sol]www.whitehouse.gov/live. DATES: The meeting will be held on January 17..., DC 20220. In general, all statements will be posted on the White House Web site (http:[sol][sol]www... 2 p.m. Eastern Time. The meeting will be broadcast on the internet via live webcast at http:[sol...

Does Interface Matter? A Study of Web Authoring and Editing by Inexperienced Web Writers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dick, Rodney F.

2006-01-01

This study explores the complicated nature of the interface as a mediational tool for inexperienced writers as they composed hypertext documents. Because technology can become so quickly and inextricably connected to people's everyday lives, it is essential to explore the effects on these technologies before they become invisible. Because…

75 FR 52552 - Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement-Curriculum Development: Implementing and Sustaining an...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-26

... Corrections (NIC) is seeking applications for the development of a competency-based, blended modality training..., handouts, exercises, etc.). The use of blended learning tools such as a live web-based training environment (e.g., WebEx), DVDs, satellite/Internet broadcasts, e-learning, or supplemental online training...

Web-Streamed Didactic Instruction on Substance Use Disorders Compares Favorably with Live-Lecture Format

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maher, Karam-Hage; Brower, Kirk J.; Mullan, Patricia B.; Gay, Tamara; Gruppen, Larry D.

2013-01-01

Objective: Education about substance use disorders in medical schools and, subsequently, physicians' identification of and intervention in these diagnoses lag behind that of most other disabling disorders. To reduce barriers and improve access to education about this major public health concern, medical schools are increasingly adopting web-based…

MalWebID-Autodetection and Identification of Malicious Web Hosts Through Live Traffic Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

blogs, video services, and popular social media sites. In December 2000, there were near 361 million Internet users and by the end of December 2012...site (i.e., Porn , Rx/Pharmaceutical, illegal activity, etc.) – propagate or contain viruses, spyware, or other harmful programs, participate in spamming

Are we effectively informing patients? A quantitative analysis of on-line patient education resources from the American Society of Neuroradiology.

PubMed

Hansberry, D R; Agarwal, N; Gonzales, S F; Baker, S R

2014-07-01

The ubiquitous use of the Internet by the public in an attempt to better understand their health care requires the on-line resources written at an appropriate level to maximize comprehension for the average user. The National Institutes of Health and the American Medical Association recommend on-line patient education resources written at a third-to-seventh grade level. We evaluated the readability of the patient education resources provided on the Web site of the American Society of Neuroradiology (http://www.asnr.org/patientinfo/). All patient education material from the ASNR Web site and the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery Web site were downloaded and evaluated with the computer software, Readability Studio Professional Edition, by using 10 quantitative readability scales: the Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, Coleman-Liau Index, Gunning Fog Index, New Dale-Chall, FORCAST Formula, Fry Graph, Raygor Reading Estimate, and New Fog Count. An unpaired t test was used to compare the readability level of resources available on the American Society of Neuroradiology and the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery Web sites. The 20 individual patient education articles were written at a 13.9 ± 1.4 grade level with only 5% written at <11th grade level. There was no statistical difference between the level of readability of the resources on the American Society of Neuroradiology and Society of Neurointerventional Surgery Web sites. The patient education resources on these Web sites fail to meet the guidelines of the National Institutes of Health and American Medical Association. Members of the public may fail to fully understand these resources and would benefit from revisions that result in more comprehensible information cast in simpler language. © 2014 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Sun-Earth Day, 2001

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, Mitzi L.; Mortfield, P.; Hathaway, D. H.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

To promote awareness of the Sun-Earth connection, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in collaboration with the Stanford SOLAR Center, sponsored a one-day Sun-Earth Day event on April 27, 2001. Although "celebrated" on only one day, teachers and students from across the nation, prepared for over a month in advance. Workshops were held in March to train teachers. Students performed experiments, results of which were shared through video clips and an internet web cast. Our poster includes highlights from student experiments (grades 2 - 12), lessons learned from the teacher workshops and the event itself, and plans for Sun-Earth Day 2002.

Web-Based Information Management System for the Investigation, Reporting, and Analysis of Human Error in Naval Aviation Maintenance

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-09-01

groupwork # table (rd int identity primary key,agrp varchar(150),bgrp varchar(150),ard int,brd int) -- declare @trans# table (rd int identity,agg varchar(300...8217 */ -- Store field and associated fields within it. insert @ groupwork #(agrp,bgrp,ard,brd) select a.grp,b.grp,a.rd,b.rd --select a.rd as a_rd,cast(a.grp as...8217 end +’#rac.’+bgrp, @str1=agrp from @ groupwork # where ard<@k /* don’t want last field */ order by rd -- Fields set @mgrpsupdate5= ’ case when #rac.cgrps

Esophageal stenosis with sloughing esophagitis: A curious manifestation of graft-vs-host disease.

PubMed

Trabulo, Daniel; Ferreira, Sara; Lage, Pedro; Rego, Rafaela Lima; Teixeira, Gilda; Pereira, A Dias

2015-08-14

We report a case of a 56-year-old woman with a history of allogenic bone marrow transplantation for two years, complaining with dysphagia and weight loss. Upper endoscopy revealed esophageal stenosis and extensive mucosa sloughing. Biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). Balloon dilation, corticosteroids and cyclosporin resulted in marked clinical improvement. Gastrointestinal tract is involved in the majority of patients with chronic GVHD. Esophageal manifestations are rare and include vesiculobullous disease, ulceration, esophageal webs, casts or strictures. Sloughing esophagitis along with severe stenosis requiring endoscopic dilation has never been reported in this context.

Interoperability Using Lightweight Metadata Standards: Service & Data Casting, OpenSearch, OPM Provenance, and Shared SciFlo Workflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, B. D.; Manipon, G.; Hua, H.; Fetzer, E.

2011-12-01

Under several NASA grants, we are generating multi-sensor merged atmospheric datasets to enable the detection of instrument biases and studies of climate trends over decades of data. For example, under a NASA MEASURES grant we are producing a water vapor climatology from the A-Train instruments, stratified by the Cloudsat cloud classification for each geophysical scene. The generation and proper use of such multi-sensor climate data records (CDR's) requires a high level of openness, transparency, and traceability. To make the datasets self-documenting and provide access to full metadata and traceability, we have implemented a set of capabilities and services using known, interoperable protocols. These protocols include OpenSearch, OPeNDAP, Open Provenance Model, service & data casting technologies using Atom feeds, and REST-callable analysis workflows implemented as SciFlo (XML) documents. We advocate that our approach can serve as a blueprint for how to openly "document and serve" complex, multi-sensor CDR's with full traceability. The capabilities and services provided include: - Discovery of the collections by keyword search, exposed using OpenSearch protocol; - Space/time query across the CDR's granules and all of the input datasets via OpenSearch; - User-level configuration of the production workflows so that scientists can select additional physical variables from the A-Train to add to the next iteration of the merged datasets; - Efficient data merging using on-the-fly OPeNDAP variable slicing & spatial subsetting of data out of input netCDF and HDF files (without moving the entire files); - Self-documenting CDR's published in a highly usable netCDF4 format with groups used to organize the variables, CF-style attributes for each variable, numeric array compression, & links to OPM provenance; - Recording of processing provenance and data lineage into a query-able provenance trail in Open Provenance Model (OPM) format, auto-captured by the workflow engine; - Open Publishing of all of the workflows used to generate products as machine-callable REST web services, using the capabilities of the SciFlo workflow engine; - Advertising of the metadata (e.g. physical variables provided, space/time bounding box, etc.) for our prepared datasets as "datacasts" using the Atom feed format; - Publishing of all datasets via our "DataDrop" service, which exploits the WebDAV protocol to enable scientists to access remote data directories as local files on their laptops; - Rich "web browse" of the CDR's with full metadata and the provenance trail one click away; - Advertising of all services as Google-discoverable "service casts" using the Atom format. The presentation will describe our use of the interoperable protocols and demonstrate the capabilities and service GUI's.

Experiences of teens living in the shadow of Huntington Disease

PubMed Central

Sparbel, Kathleen J. H.; Driessnack, Martha; Williams, Janet K.; Schutte, Debra L.; Tripp-Reimer, Toni; McGonigal-Kenney, Meghan; Jarmon, Lori; Paulsen, Jane S.

2010-01-01

Research on families with Huntington Disease (HD) has primarily focused on adult decision-making surrounding predictive genetic testing and caregiver stress. Little is known about the experiences of teens living in these families. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 32 teens living in families with HD. Six focus groups were conducted across the U.S. and Canada. Data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis. HD appeared to cast a shadow over the experiences described by teens. Four themes were identified: Watching and waiting; Alone in the midst of others; Family life is kind of hard; and Having to be like an adult. These experiences highlight the need for genetic counselors, health care providers, and school personnel to be aware of issues facing teens living in families with HD. Recognizing patterns of teen experiences may help health care providers develop strategies to support coping by teens in HD families. PMID:18347962

FACILITATING PUBLIC ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DATA: THE LIVING EVERGLADES WEB SITE

EPA Science Inventory

The Technology Transfer and Support Division of the USEPA, Office of Research and Development's (ORD) National Risk Management Research Laboratory has developed this handbook, in conjunction with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), to document The Living Everglad...

First Virtual Live Conference in Healthcare.

PubMed

Parthasarathi, Ramakrishnan; Gomes, Rachel M; Palanivelu, Praveen Raj; Senthilnathan, Palanisamy; Rajapandian, Subbiah; Venkatachalam, Ramasamy; Palanivelu, Chinnusamy

2017-07-01

Conferences and meetings bring together thousands of doctors from diverse locations. However, the traveling, accommodation, and arrangement of venues for conferences and meetings are expensive and a lot of time needs to be devoted to these logistics. The purpose of this article was to present our own virtual live conference experience using web conferencing and to briefly outline the basics and advantages of this technology in organization of healthcare conferences. Web conferencing technology was used to organize an international bariatric surgery conference, allowing a large number of attendees to participate and interact from wherever they were, using merely an Internet connection with a video player on their personal computers, laptops, or smartphones. A virtual live conference saves a lot of time and cost and simplifies the logistics needed to organize a learning conference with worldwide participation. As far as we know, this is the first report of a virtual live conference in healthcare. We see it as the future of organizing experts as well as medical teaching conferences.

Climate change could drive marine food web collapse through altered trophic flows and cyanobacterial proliferation

PubMed Central

Ullah, Hadayet; Goldenberg, Silvan U.; Fordham, Damien A.

2018-01-01

Global warming and ocean acidification are forecast to exert significant impacts on marine ecosystems worldwide. However, most of these projections are based on ecological proxies or experiments on single species or simplified food webs. How energy fluxes are likely to change in marine food webs in response to future climates remains unclear, hampering forecasts of ecosystem functioning. Using a sophisticated mesocosm experiment, we model energy flows through a species-rich multilevel food web, with live habitats, natural abiotic variability, and the potential for intra- and intergenerational adaptation. We show experimentally that the combined stress of acidification and warming reduced energy flows from the first trophic level (primary producers and detritus) to the second (herbivores), and from the second to the third trophic level (carnivores). Warming in isolation also reduced the energy flow from herbivores to carnivores, the efficiency of energy transfer from primary producers and detritus to herbivores and detritivores, and the living biomass of detritivores, herbivores, and carnivores. Whilst warming and acidification jointly boosted primary producer biomass through an expansion of cyanobacteria, this biomass was converted to detritus rather than to biomass at higher trophic levels—i.e., production was constrained to the base of the food web. In contrast, ocean acidification affected the food web positively by enhancing trophic flow from detritus and primary producers to herbivores, and by increasing the biomass of carnivores. Our results show how future climate change can potentially weaken marine food webs through reduced energy flow to higher trophic levels and a shift towards a more detritus-based system, leading to food web simplification and altered producer–consumer dynamics, both of which have important implications for the structuring of benthic communities. PMID:29315309

Pastoral hermeneutics and the challenge of a global economy: care to the living human Web.

PubMed

Louw, D J

2002-01-01

The author discusses the relationship between a pastoral hermeneutics and the current social context as determined by international communication and globalization. He explores the influence of telecommunications on the human quest for meaning and the implication of this for pastoral care and counseling. A paradigm shift is proposed in terms of care to the living human web. A pastoral assessment which interprets the undergirding philosophy and belief system of globalization and its influence on human dignity is suggested; and a pastoral ministry which takes up its prophetic task and voices the needs of people in terms of a "globalization from below" is explicated.

Live imaging of prions reveals nascent PrPSc in cell-surface, raft-associated amyloid strings and webs

PubMed Central

Rouvinski, Alexander; Karniely, Sharon; Kounin, Maria; Moussa, Sanaa; Goldberg, Miri D.; Warburg, Gabriela; Lyakhovetsky, Roman; Papy-Garcia, Dulce; Kutzsche, Janine; Korth, Carsten; Carlson, George A.; Godsave, Susan F.; Peters, Peter J.; Luhr, Katarina; Kristensson, Krister

2014-01-01

Mammalian prions refold host glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored PrPC into β-sheet–rich PrPSc. PrPSc is rapidly truncated into a C-terminal PrP27-30 core that is stable for days in endolysosomes. The nature of cell-associated prions, their attachment to membranes and rafts, and their subcellular locations are poorly understood; live prion visualization has not previously been achieved. A key obstacle has been the inaccessibility of PrP27-30 epitopes. We overcame this hurdle by focusing on nascent full-length PrPSc rather than on its truncated PrP27-30 product. We show that N-terminal PrPSc epitopes are exposed in their physiological context and visualize, for the first time, PrPSc in living cells. PrPSc resides for hours in unexpected cell-surface, slow moving strings and webs, sheltered from endocytosis. Prion strings observed by light and scanning electron microscopy were thin, micrometer-long structures. They were firmly cell associated, resisted phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, aligned with raft markers, fluoresced with thioflavin, and were rapidly abolished by anti-prion glycans. Prion strings and webs are the first demonstration of membrane-anchored PrPSc amyloids. PMID:24493590

'Making the best you can of it': living with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Macrae, Hazel

2008-04-01

Drawing upon data from a qualitative study of persons who are in the early stage of the condition, this paper examines the meaning of Alzheimer's disease. It contrasts the meaning of the disease as portrayed in popular culture with its meaning as interpreted by persons living with it. Findings show that persons with the illness do not necessarily accept the negative cultural meaning of the disease, nor the helpless 'victim' role in which they are generally cast. With a determination to 'make the best of it', strategies such as humour, normalisation, present-time orientation, and life review are employed to create a meaningful life.

Invitations to Interdependence: Caught in the Web. Teacher-Friendly Science Activities with Reproducible Handouts in English and Spanish. Grades 3-5. Living Things Science Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camp, Carole Ann, Ed.

This booklet, one of six in the Living Things Science series, presents activities about ecosystems which address basic "Benchmarks" suggested by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for the Living Environment for grades 3-5. Contents include background information, vocabulary (in English and Spanish), materials,…

Make That to Go: Re-Engineering a Web Portal for Mobile Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spitzer, Stephan

2012-01-01

The fact that people now live in a world of abundant portable electronic devices is important to any organization that maintains a web presence, including libraries. No longer tied to a desktop, the patrons' netbooks, tablets, ebook readers, and, of course, cellphones all become potential tools for remote access to library content. About a year…

Web-Based Virtual Environments for Facilitating Assessment of L2 Oral Communication Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ockey, Gary J.; Gu, Lin; Keehner, Madeleine

2017-01-01

A growing number of stakeholders argue for the use of second language (L2) speaking assessments that measure the ability to orally communicate in real time. A Web-based virtual environment (VE) that allows live voice communication among individuals may have potential for aiding in delivering such assessments. While off-the-shelf voice…

Web Connects K-12 Students with Scientists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanagh, Sean

2009-01-01

This article reports that Derek Cummings and Justin Lessler, Johns Hopkins University epidemiologists, have come to the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) to give a live webinar on the spread of swine flu. This web-based audio and video presentation is one of many efforts by universities and science organizations to put K-12 students in…

How to Combat a Campus-Gossip Web Site (And Why You Shouldn't)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jeffrey R.

2008-01-01

The author discusses the gossip Web site Juicy Campus. Although many students express concern that potential employers who see the cite may decline to hire individuals after reading gossip-filled allegations, or that their social lives are in tatters over the mean-spirited, anonymous messages posted about them, because the site has no affiliation…

General Studies Writing (GSW) Digital Communication at Bowling Green State University: To Web 2.0 or Not To Web 2.0?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauk, Brianna

2017-01-01

First-year composition pedagogy and course communication (especially as implicitly endorsed by institutionally presented means) is often limiting in modes and modalities, which juxtaposes vibrant composing practices in the daily lives of students. Additionally, writing program requirements tend to value primarily alphabetic texts despite…

Web-Based Lecture Technologies and Learning and Teaching: A Study of Change in Four Australian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gosper, Maree; McNeill, Margot; Woo, Karen; Phillips, Rob; Preston, Greg; Green, David

2011-01-01

The uptake of web-based lecture technologies for recording and delivering live lectures has increased markedly in recent years. Students have responded positively, and for many their use has transformed learning--freeing them up from rigid timetables by providing choice in lecture attendance and supporting learning by extending the lecture…

Web-Based Lecture Technologies and Learning and Teaching: A Study of Change in Four Australian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gosper, M.; McNeill, M.; Phillips, R.; Preston, G.; Woo, K.; Green, D.

2010-01-01

The uptake of web-based lecture technologies for recording and delivering live lectures has increased markedly in recent years. Students have responded positively, and for many their use has transformed learning--freeing them up from rigid timetables by providing choice in lecture attendance and supporting learning by extending the lecture…

Undergraduate Financial Aid Estimates by Type of Institution in 2011-12. Web Tables. NCES 2014-169

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ifill, Nicole; Shaw, Stacy

2013-01-01

These Web Tables present estimates of tuition and fees, the total price of attendance (tuition and fees plus living expenses), and several types and combinations of financial aid packages that undergraduates received in 2011-12. The price of an undergraduate education varies widely depending on a number of characteristics, including institution…

Tech Talk for Social Studies Teachers Lest We Forget: Remembering Pearl Harbor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Tim

2001-01-01

Presents an annotated bibliography that provides Web sites about Pearl Harbor (Hawaii). Includes Web sites that cover Pearl Harbor history, a live view of Pearl Harbor, stories from people who remember where they were during the attack, information on the naval station at Pearl Harbor, and a virtual tour of the USS Arizona. (CMK)

Anatomical variations of the right hepatic veins and their relevance to surgery.

PubMed

Hribernik, Marija; de Cecchis, Lucio; Trotovsek, Blaz; Gadzijev, Eldar M; Ravnik, Dean

2003-01-01

In a morphological study of the right hepatic veins anatomical characteristics of surgical importance were looked for. 110 cadaveric human livers were prepared by the corrosion casts method. The confluence patterns of the superior right hepatic vein, the hepatocaval confluence, the accessory right hepatic veins and the anastomoses between hepatic veins in the right hemiliver were examined. Four types of the superior right hepatic vein, based on the length of its trunk and the confluence pattern of its main tributaries were determined and their frequency was calculated. Type I was found in 20%, type II in 40%, type III in 25% and type IV in 15%. Accessory right hepatic veins with a minimal caliber of 0.4 cm, which were always present in type IV, were also found in other types, all together in 27% of the casts. The tributary-free part of the superior right hepatic vein at hepatocaval confluence was longer than 1 cm in 77%. In the right hemiliver 109 anastomoses were found in 29/110 liver casts. Knowing the characteristics of different superior right hepatic vein types and of the accessory right hepatic veins may be useful in segment-oriented liver resections and in right side living donor resections.

Morphologically Specialized Termite Castes and Advanced Sociality in the Early Cretaceous.

PubMed

Engel, Michael S; Barden, Phillip; Riccio, Mark L; Grimaldi, David A

2016-02-22

A hallmark of animals that are eusocial, or those with advanced sociality, is reproductive specialization into worker and queen castes. In the most derived societies, these divisions are essentially fixed and in some arthropods, include further specialization--a tripartite system with a soldier caste that defends the colony. Eusociality has originated numerous times among insects but is believed to have appeared first in the termites (Isoptera), in the Early Cretaceous. However, all termites known from the Cretaceous have, until now, only been winged reproductives (alates and dealates); the earliest soldiers and definitive workers were known from just the Miocene (ca. 17-20 million years ago [mya]). Here, we report six termite species preserved in Early Cretaceous (ca. 100 mya) amber from Myanmar, one described as Krishnatermes yoddha gen. et sp. nov., comprising the worker/pseudergate, winged reproductive, and soldier, and a second species, Gigantotermes rex gen. et sp. nov., based on one of the largest soldier termites yet known. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Krishnatermes are in the basal "Meiatermes-grade" of Cretaceous termites. Workers/pseudergates of another four species are briefly described, but not named. One of these workers/pseudergates reveals that ants--the most serious enemies of modern termites--lived in close proximity to termites in the Burmese paleofauna. These discoveries demonstrate the Mesozoic antiquity of specialized termite caste systems and corroborate that among all social species, termites probably had the original societies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

First in vivo assessment of "Outwalk": a novel protocol for clinical gait analysis based on inertial and magnetic sensors.

PubMed

Ferrari, Alberto; Cutti, Andrea Giovanni; Garofalo, Pietro; Raggi, Michele; Heijboer, Monique; Cappello, Angelo; Davalli, Angelo

2010-01-01

A protocol named "Outwalk" was recently proposed to measure the thorax-pelvis and lower-limb kinematics during gait in free-living conditions, by means of an inertial and magnetic measurement system (IMMS). The aim of this study was to validate Outwalk on four healthy subjects when it is used in combination with a specific IMMS (Xsens Technologies, NL), against a reference protocol (CAST) and measurement system (optoelectronic system; Vicon, Oxford Metrics Group, UK). For this purpose, we developed an original approach based on three tests, which allowed to separately investigate: (1) the consequences on joint kinematics of the differences between protocols (Outwalk vs. CAST), (2) the accuracy of the hardware (Xsens vs. Vicon), and (3) the summation of protocols' differences and hardware accuracy (Outwalk + Xsens vs. CAST + Vicon). In order to assess joint-angles similarity, the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC) was used. For test 3, the CMC showed that Outwalk + Xsens and CAST + Vicon kinematics can be interchanged, offset included, for hip, knee and ankle flexion-extension, and hip ab-adduction (CMC > 0.88). The other joint-angles can be interchanged offset excluded (CMC > 0.85). Tests 1 and 2 also showed that differences in offset between joint-angles were predominantly induced by differences in the protocols; differences in correlation by both hardware and protocols; differences in range of motion by the Xsens accuracy. Results thus support the commencement of a clinical trial of Outwalk on transtibial amputees.

Nosocomial Infection Reduction in VLBW Infants With a Statewide Quality-Improvement Model

PubMed Central

Powers, Richard J.; Pettit, Janet S.; Lee, Henry C.; Boscardin, W. John; Ahmad Subeh, Mohammad; Gould, Jeffrey B.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative quality-improvement model using a toolkit supplemented by workshops and Web casts in decreasing nosocomial infections in very low birth weight infants. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of continuous California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative members' data during the years 2002–2006. The primary dependent variable was nosocomial infection, defined as a late bacterial or coagulase-negative staphylococcal infection diagnosed after the age of 3 days by positive blood/cerebro-spinal fluid culture(s) and clinical criteria. The primary independent variable of interest was voluntary attendance at the toolkit's introductory event, a direct indicator that at least 1 member of an NICU team had been personally exposed to the toolkit's features rather than being only notified of its availability. The intervention's effects were assessed using a multivariable logistic regression model that risk adjusted for selected demographic and clinical factors. RESULTS: During the study period, 7733 eligible very low birth weight infants were born in 27 quality-improvement participant hospitals and 4512 very low birth weight infants were born in 27 non–quality-improvement participant hospitals. For the entire cohort, the rate of nosocomial infection decreased from 16.9% in 2002 to 14.5% in 2006. For infants admitted to NICUs participating in at least 1 quality-improvement event, there was an associated decreased risk of nosocomial infection (odds ratio: 0.81 [95% confidence interval: 0.68–0.96]) compared with those admitted to nonparticipating hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The structured intervention approach to quality improvement in the NICU setting, using a toolkit along with attendance at a workshop and/or Web cast, is an effective means by which to improve care outcomes. PMID:21339273

Community-Based Decision-Making: Application of Web-Based Near-Road Modeling System to Newport News, Virginia

EPA Science Inventory

Living, working, and going to school near roadways has been associated with a number of adverse health effects, including asthma exacerbation, cardiovascular impairment, and respiratory symptoms. In the United States, 30% - 45% of urban populations live or work in the near-road e...

Enhancing efficiency and quality of statistical estimation of immunogenicity assay cut points through standardization and automation.

PubMed

Su, Cheng; Zhou, Lei; Hu, Zheng; Weng, Winnie; Subramani, Jayanthi; Tadkod, Vineet; Hamilton, Kortney; Bautista, Ami; Wu, Yu; Chirmule, Narendra; Zhong, Zhandong Don

2015-10-01

Biotherapeutics can elicit immune responses, which can alter the exposure, safety, and efficacy of the therapeutics. A well-designed and robust bioanalytical method is critical for the detection and characterization of relevant anti-drug antibody (ADA) and the success of an immunogenicity study. As a fundamental criterion in immunogenicity testing, assay cut points need to be statistically established with a risk-based approach to reduce subjectivity. This manuscript describes the development of a validated, web-based, multi-tier customized assay statistical tool (CAST) for assessing cut points of ADA assays. The tool provides an intuitive web interface that allows users to import experimental data generated from a standardized experimental design, select the assay factors, run the standardized analysis algorithms, and generate tables, figures, and listings (TFL). It allows bioanalytical scientists to perform complex statistical analysis at a click of the button to produce reliable assay parameters in support of immunogenicity studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and Librarian 2.0:Preparing for the 2.0 World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abram, S.

2007-10-01

There is a global conversation going on right now about the next generation of the web. It's happening under the name of Web 2.0. It's the McLuhanesque hot web where true human interaction takes precedence over merely `cool' information delivery and e-mail. It's about putting information into the real context of our users' lives, research, work and play. Concurrently, a group of information professionals are having a conversation about the vision for what Library 2.0 will look like in this Web 2.0 ecosystem. Some are even going so far as to talk about Web 3.0! Web 2.0 is coming fast and it's BIG! What are the skills and competencies that Librarian 2.0 will need? Come and hear an overview of Web 2.0 and a draft vision for Library 2.0 and an opinion about what adaptations we'll need to make to thrive in this future scenario. Let's talk about the Librarian 2.0 in our users' future!

Euros, Pounds and Albion at Arms: European Monetary Policy and British Defence in the 21st Century

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-09-01

Shakespeare , Hamlet , Prince of Denmark, act 1, scene 2. 2 William Shakespeare , Richard the Second, act 2, scene 1. 3 Hugo Young, This Blessed Plot: Britain...THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 1 I. INTRODUCTION Queen: Good Hamlet , cast thy nighted colour...tis common. All that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. Hamlet : Ay, madam, it is common. Queen: If it

No Mickey Mouse Operation: Despite Cutting-Edge Technology, Free Book Delivery, and Bilingual Programming, Luring Users Is the Orange County Library's Greatest Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Michael

2004-01-01

Living in the vast shadow cast by the spires of the Magic Kingdom presents special challenges for Orlando's Orange County Library System (OCLS), the most formidable of which is increasing its relatively small user base. The library additionally faces tension between the administration and staff, political strife on the board, and looming contract…

Activities and impairments in the early stage of rehabilitation after Colles' fracture.

PubMed

Dekkers, Merete; Søballe, Kjeld

2004-06-03

The purpose of this study was to investigate problems in performing activities after Colles' fracture, and to correlate activity limitations with impairments in the early stage of rehabilitation. Assessments were performed 1 and 5 weeks after removing plaster casts. A client-specific instrument, The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, and a disease-specific dichotomous scale of 10 activities of daily living were used. Range of motion, grip strength, pain and dexterity were also assessed according to standardized methods. Thirty-three women, aged 51-87 years, with Colles' fracture treated with closed reduction and a plaster cast participated. Highly significant statistical and clinical improvements were found in the capacity, number and performance of activities. Problems were mainly classified as self-care activities at 1 week, and as productivity activities at 5 weeks, while problems in leisure activities were practically the same. However, one-third of the patients were not able to perform all basic activities of daily living at 5 weeks. Improvements in pain frequency, range of motion, grip strength and dexterity did not correlate very well with improvements in performance or the patients' satisfaction with the performance of their activities. The importance of assessing both impairments and activities in patients with Colles' fracture must be stressed.

Provider Training to Screen and Initiate Evidence-Based Pediatric Obesity Treatment in Routine Practice Settings: A Randomized Pilot Trial.

PubMed

Kolko, Rachel P; Kass, Andrea E; Hayes, Jacqueline F; Levine, Michele D; Garbutt, Jane M; Proctor, Enola K; Wilfley, Denise E

This randomized pilot trial evaluated two training modalities for first-line, evidence-based pediatric obesity services (screening and goal setting) among nursing students. Participants (N = 63) were randomized to live interactive training or Web-facilitated self-study training. Pretraining, post-training, and 1-month follow-up assessments evaluated training feasibility, acceptability, and impact (knowledge and skill via simulation). Moderator (previous experience) and predictor (content engagement) analyses were conducted. Nearly all participants (98%) completed assessments. Both types of training were acceptable, with higher ratings for live training and participants with previous experience (ps < .05). Knowledge and skill improved from pretraining to post-training and follow-up in both conditions (ps < .001). Live training demonstrated greater content engagement (p < .01). The training package was feasible, acceptable, and efficacious among nursing students. Given that live training had higher acceptability and engagement and online training offers greater scalability, integrating interactive live training components within Web-based training may optimize outcomes, which may enhance practitioners' delivery of pediatric obesity services. Copyright © 2016 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Online Expectations of College-Bound Juniors and Seniors. E-Expectations Report, 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noel-Levitz, Inc, 2012

2012-01-01

Noel-Levitz, OmniUpdate, CollegeWeekLive, and NRCCUA[R] (National Research Center for College & University Admissions) conducted a survey of 2,000 college-bound juniors and seniors about their expectations for college Web sites, mobile usage, e-mail, and social media. Among the findings: (1) More than 50 percent of students said the Web played a…

Role Socialization: Designing a Web-Based Program to Orient New School Nurses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Tia B.

2009-01-01

Traditional orientation programs for school nurses may not meet the needs of nurses new to the specialty. In this era where technology is a major aspect of our daily lives, the Internet offers new school nurses an avenue where information can be accessed at anytime and from anyplace. This article explores a Web-based orientation program that has…

Adolescents' Engagement with Web 2.0 and Social Media: Research, Theory, and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvermann, Donna E.; Hutchins, Rhett J.; McDevitt, Rena

2012-01-01

Young people's interests in 21st century texts and the literacy practices that play out in Web 2.0 spaces have implications for classroom teachers and teacher educators. In the digitally mediated world in which we live, boundaries between formal and informal learning from an earlier time are breaking down, thus making room for new ways of…

Contemporary Approaches to Critical Thinking and the World Wide Web

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buffington, Melanie L.

2007-01-01

Teaching critical thinking skills is often endorsed as a means to help students develop their abilities to navigate the complex world in which people live and, in addition, as a way to help students succeed in school. Over the past few years, this author explored the idea of teaching critical thinking using the World Wide Web (WWW). She began…

Marketing nets out. Spending--and expecting--more than ever, hospitals and systems take their message to the Web.

PubMed

Hudson, T

1999-05-01

Live on the Web, it's open-heart surgery--a showroom window on sweeping new marketing plans. Along with perennial promos like radio and TV ads, health systems have tapped the power of the Internet to hard-wire their organizations for growth. But marketing must be linked to operations as never before.

Moving Real Exergaming Engines on the Web: The webFitForAll Case Study in an Active and Healthy Ageing Living Lab Environment.

PubMed

Konstantinidis, Evdokimos I; Bamparopoulos, Giorgos; Bamidis, Panagiotis D

2017-05-01

Exergames have been the subject of research and technology innovations for a number of years. Different devices and technologies have been utilized to train the body and the mind of senior people or different patient groups. In the past, we presented FitForAll, the protocol efficacy of which was proven through widely taken (controlled) pilots with more than 116 seniors for a period of two months. The current piece of work expands this and presents the first truly web exergaming platform, which is solely based on HTML5 and JavaScript without any browser plugin requirements. The adopted architecture (controller application communication framework) combines a unified solution for input devices such as MS Kinect and Wii Balance Βoard which may seamlessly be exploited through standard physical exercise protocols (American College of Sports Medicine guidelines) and accommodate high detail logging; this allows for proper pilot testing and usability evaluations in ecologically valid Living Lab environments. The latter type of setups is also used herein for evaluating the web application with more than a dozen of real elderly users following quantitative approaches.

Lymphoma InterVEntion (LIVE) - patient-reported outcome feedback and a web-based self-management intervention for patients with lymphoma: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Arts, Lindy P J; van de Poll-Franse, Lonneke V; van den Berg, Sanne W; Prins, Judith B; Husson, Olga; Mols, Floortje; Brands-Nijenhuis, Angelique V M; Tick, Lidwine; Oerlemans, Simone

2017-04-28

Patients with lymphoma are at risk of experiencing adverse physical and psychosocial problems from their cancer and its treatment. Regular screening of these symptoms by the use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) could increase timely recognition and adequate symptom management. Moreover, self-management interventions intend to enhance knowledge and skills and empower patients to better manage their disease and related problems. The objective of the Lymphoma InterVEntion (LIVE) trial is to examine whether feedback to patients on their PROs and access to a web-based, self-management intervention named Living with lymphoma will increase self-management skills and satisfaction with information, and reduce psychological distress. The LIVE randomised controlled trial consists of three arms: (1) standard care, (2) PRO feedback, and (3) PRO feedback and the Living with lymphoma intervention. Patients who have been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, as registered in the Netherlands Cancer Registry in various hospitals will be selected for participation. Patients are invited via their haemato-oncologist 6 to 15 months after diagnosis. The PRO feedback includes a graphical overview of patients' own symptom and functioning scores and an option to compare their scores with those of other patients with lymphoma and a normative population of the same age and sex. The Living with lymphoma intervention is based on cognitive behavioural therapy components and includes information, assignments, assessments, and videos. Changes in outcomes from baseline to 16 weeks, 12, and 24 months post intervention will be measured. Primary outcomes are self-management skills, satisfaction with information, and psychological distress. Secondary outcomes are health-related quality of life, illness perceptions, fatigue, and health care use. The results of the LIVE trial will provide novel insights into whether access to PRO feedback and the Living with lymphoma intervention will be effective in increasing self-management skills and satisfaction with information, and reducing distress. The LIVE trial is embedded in a population-based registry, which provides a unique setting to ascertain information on response, uptake, and characteristics of patients with lymphoma in web-based intervention(s). When effective, PRO feedback and Living with lymphoma could serve as easily and widely accessible interventions for coping with lymphoma. Netherlands Trial Register, identifier NTR5953 . Registered on 14 July 2016.

Spider web and silk performance landscapes across nutrient space

PubMed Central

Blamires, Sean J.; Tseng, Yi-Hsuan; Wu, Chung-Lin; Toft, Søren; Raubenheimer, David; Tso, I.-Min

2016-01-01

Predators have been shown to alter their foraging as a regulatory response to recent feeding history, but it remains unknown whether trap building predators modulate their traps similarly as a regulatory strategy. Here we fed the orb web spider Nephila pilipes either live crickets, dead crickets with webs stimulated by flies, or dead crickets without web stimulation, over 21 days to enforce spiders to differentially extract nutrients from a single prey source. In addition to the nutrients extracted we measured web architectures, silk tensile properties, silk amino acid compositions, and web tension after each feeding round. We then plotted web and silk “performance landscapes” across nutrient space. The landscapes had multiple peaks and troughs for each web and silk performance parameter. The findings suggest that N. pilipes plastically adjusts the chemical and physical properties of their web and silk in accordance with its nutritional history. Our study expands the application of the geometric framework foraging model to include a type of predatory trap. Whether it can be applied to other predatory traps requires further testing. PMID:27216252

Adsorbent for metal ions and method of making and using

DOEpatents

White, Lloyd R.; Lundquist, Susan H.

1999-01-01

A method comprises the step of spray-drying a solution or slurry comprising (alkali metal or ammonium) (metal) hexacyanoferrate particles in a liquid, to provide monodisperse, substantially spherical particles in a yield of at least 70 percent of theoretical yield and having a particle size in the range of 1 to 500 micrometers, said particles being active towards Cs ions. The particles, which can be of a single salt or a combination of salts, can be used free flowing, in columns or beds, or entrapped in a nonwoven, fibrous web or matrix or a cast porous membrane, to selectively remove Cs ions from aqueous solutions.

Adsorbent for metal ions and method of making and using

DOEpatents

White, L.R.; Lundquist, S.H.

1999-08-10

A method comprises the step of spray-drying a solution or slurry comprising (alkali metal or ammonium) (metal) hexacyanoferrate particles in a liquid, to provide monodisperse, substantially spherical particles in a yield of at least 70 percent of theoretical yield and having a particle size in the range of 1 to 500 micrometers, said particles being active towards Cs ions. The particles, which can be of a single salt or a combination of salts, can be used free flowing, in columns or beds, or entrapped in a nonwoven, fibrous web or matrix or a cast porous membrane, to selectively remove Cs ions from aqueous solutions. 2 figs.

Adsorbent for metal ions and method of making and using

DOEpatents

White, Lloyd R.; Lundquist, Susan H.

2000-01-01

A method comprises the step of spray-drying a solution or slurry comprising (alkali metal or ammonium) (metal) hexacyanoferrate particles in a liquid, to provide monodisperse, substantially spherical particles in a yield of at least 70 percent of theoretical yield and having a particle size in the range of 1 to 500 micrometers, said particles being active towards Cs ions. The particles, which can be of a single salt or a combination of salts, can be used free flowing, in columns or beds, or entrapped in a nonwoven, fibrous web or matrix or a cast porous membrane, to selectively remove Cs ions from aqueous solutions.

76 FR 14009 - Federal Advisory Committee Act; Technological Advisory Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-15

... are also broadcast live with open captioning over the internet from the FCC Live Web page at http... accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] or by calling the Office of Engineering and... impossible to fill. Federal Communications Commission Julius P. Knapp, Chief, Office of Engineering and...

77 FR 31895 - Notice of Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-30

... (AARM) (Public Meeting) (Contact: Rani Franovich, 301-415-1868). This meeting will be webcast live at...-415-7270). This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--www.nrc.gov. Week of June 11, 2012...) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Grid Reliability (Public Meeting). To be held at FERC...

DBpedia and the Live Extraction of Structured Data from Wikipedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morsey, Mohamed; Lehmann, Jens; Auer, Soren; Stadler, Claus; Hellmann, Sebastian

2012-01-01

Purpose: DBpedia extracts structured information from Wikipedia, interlinks it with other knowledge bases and freely publishes the results on the web using Linked Data and SPARQL. However, the DBpedia release process is heavyweight and releases are sometimes based on several months old data. DBpedia-Live solves this problem by providing a live…

75 FR 70905 - President's Export Council: Meeting of the President's Export Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-19

... Council will convene its next meeting via live webcast on the Internet at http:[sol][sol]whitehouse.gov[sol]live. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: J. Marc Chittum, President's Export Council, Room 4043...'s Export Council Web site at http:[sol][sol]trade.gov[sol]pec[sol]peccomments.asp; or Paper...

Using Interactive Broadband Multicasting in a Museum Lifelong Learning Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinbach, Leonard

The Cleveland Museum of Art has embarked on an innovative approach for delivering high quality video-on-demand and live interactive cultural programming, along with Web-based complementary material, to seniors in assisted living residence facilities, community-based centers, and disabled persons in their homes. The project is made possible in part…

Improving Maternal Health in Pakistan: Toward a Deeper Understanding of the Social Determinants of Poor Women’s Access to Maternal Health Services

PubMed Central

Salway, Sarah; Bhatti, Afshan; Shanner, Laura; Zaman, Shakila; Laing, Lory; Ellison, George T. H.

2014-01-01

Evidence suggests national- and community-level interventions are not reaching women living at the economic and social margins of society in Pakistan. We conducted a 10-month qualitative study (May 2010–February 2011) in a village in Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected using 94 in-depth interviews, 11 focus group discussions, 134 observational sessions, and 5 maternal death case studies. Despite awareness of birth complications and treatment options, poverty and dependence on richer, higher-caste people for cash transfers or loans prevented women from accessing required care. There is a need to end the invisibility of low-caste groups in Pakistani health care policy. Technical improvements in maternal health care services should be supported to counter social and economic marginalization so progress can be made toward Millennium Development Goal 5 in Pakistan. PMID:24354817

Improving maternal health in Pakistan: toward a deeper understanding of the social determinants of poor women's access to maternal health services.

PubMed

Mumtaz, Zubia; Salway, Sarah; Bhatti, Afshan; Shanner, Laura; Zaman, Shakila; Laing, Lory; Ellison, George T H

2014-02-01

Evidence suggests national- and community-level interventions are not reaching women living at the economic and social margins of society in Pakistan. We conducted a 10-month qualitative study (May 2010-February 2011) in a village in Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected using 94 in-depth interviews, 11 focus group discussions, 134 observational sessions, and 5 maternal death case studies. Despite awareness of birth complications and treatment options, poverty and dependence on richer, higher-caste people for cash transfers or loans prevented women from accessing required care. There is a need to end the invisibility of low-caste groups in Pakistani health care policy. Technical improvements in maternal health care services should be supported to counter social and economic marginalization so progress can be made toward Millennium Development Goal 5 in Pakistan.

Development of exothermically cast single-crystal Mar-M 247 and derivative alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strangman, T. E.; Hoppin, G. S., III; Phipps, C. M.; Harris, K.; Schwer, R. E.

1980-01-01

A low-cost, exothermic directional-solidification (DS) process was developed to produce single-crystal (SC) Mar-M 247 high-pressure turbine blades. Stress-rupture data indicated that SC Mar-M 247 provides only marginal improvements in longitudinal strength relative to the columnar grained DS material. Removal of grain boundary strengthening elements (B, C, Zr, Hf) from the Mar-M 247 composition (which are also melting point depressants) permitted the alloy to be solutioned at significantly higher temperatures. An order of magnitude improvement in rupture life relative to SC Mar-M 247 was observed for several derivative alloys at 103.5 MPa (15 KSI) and 1093 C. Rupture lives of the modified SC alloys were significantly affected by both alloy purity and heat treatment. Critical aspects of vacuum induction refining, exothermic casting technology, alloy development and heat treatment, which contributed to this new class of turbine blades, are reviewed

Prominent November Coldwaves in the North Central United States Since 1901.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendland, Wayne M.

1987-06-01

The frequency and intensity of early winter (November) coldwaves were investigated for the north central United States. Twenty-two such storms occurred from 1901 to 1985, and were most frequent in the 1950s and early 1960s, and again from the mid 1970s to the present.November coldwaves are most often the result of Colorado cyclones moving to the cast northeast. On average, temperature declines of 22°C or more within 24 hours, falling to at least 0°C, impacted about 40 percent of the 12-state region. The storms were most often accompanied by strong winds, wind chill, heavy snow to the west, and thunderstorms to the cast, i.e., the trappings of a severe winter storm. Many of these storms inflicted severe damage on land and on the Great Lakes, sometimes taking lives of those not anticipating such a severe "winter" storm in November.

Automating Visualization Service Generation with the WATT Compiler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bollig, E. F.; Lyness, M. D.; Erlebacher, G.; Yuen, D. A.

2007-12-01

As tasks and workflows become increasingly complex, software developers are devoting increasing attention to automation tools. Among many examples, the Automator tool from Apple collects components of a workflow into a single script, with very little effort on the part of the user. Tasks are most often described as a series of instructions. The granularity of the tasks dictates the tools to use. Compilers translate fine-grained instructions to assembler code, while scripting languages (ruby, perl) are used to describe a series of tasks at a higher level. Compilers can also be viewed as transformational tools: a cross-compiler can translate executable code written on one computer to assembler code understood on another, while transformational tools can translate from one high-level language to another. We are interested in creating visualization web services automatically, starting from stand-alone VTK (Visualization Toolkit) code written in Tcl. To this end, using the OCaml programming language, we have developed a compiler that translates Tcl into C++, including all the stubs, classes and methods to interface with gSOAP, a C++ implementation of the Soap 1.1/1.2 protocols. This compiler, referred to as the Web Automation and Translation Toolkit (WATT), is the first step towards automated creation of specialized visualization web services without input from the user. The WATT compiler seeks to automate all aspects of web service generation, including the transport layer, the division of labor and the details related to interface generation. The WATT compiler is part of ongoing efforts within the NSF funded VLab consortium [1] to facilitate and automate time-consuming tasks for the science related to understanding planetary materials. Through examples of services produced by WATT for the VLab portal, we will illustrate features, limitations and the improvements necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of complete and transparent automation in the generation of web services. In particular, we will detail the generation of a charge density visualization service applicable to output from the quantum calculations of the VLab computation workflows, plus another service for mantle convection visualization. We also discuss WATT-LIVE [2], a web-based interface that allows users to interact with WATT. With WATT-LIVE users submit Tcl code, retrieve its C++ translation with various files and scripts necessary to locally install the tailor-made web service, or launch the service for a limited session on our test server. This work is supported by NSF through the ITR grant NSF-0426867. [1] Virtual Laboratory for Earth and Planetary Materials, http://vlab.msi.umn.edu, September 2007. [2] WATT-LIVE website, http://vlab2.scs.fsu.edu/watt-live, September 2007.

MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) Education And Public Outreach program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulick, V. C.; Davatzes, A.; McEwen, A.

2006-12-01

HiRISE provides an innovative education and public outreach program with a variety of formal and informal educational activities. The centerpiece of HiRISE's E/PO program is it's interactive website called HiWeb (http://marsoweb.nasa.nasa.gov/hirise and http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu). HiWeb provides an image suggestion facility where the public can submit suggestions for HiRISE images and view HiRISE images in context with other available Mars data. HiRISE EPO has developed K-14 educational materials including activity, coloring and comic books that focus on Mars geology, the image suggestion process, understanding the HiRISE camera and working with digital image data. In addition, we have developed interactive educational games including Mars crosswords, jigsaws, word searches, and flash cards to provide fun ways for students to learn more about Mars. All educational materials and games are aligned with the National Science Standards. HiRISE Clickworkers will provide online opportunities for the public to assist the team in creating geologic feature databases (gullies, boulders, craters, wind streaks, etc.) present in the HiRISE images in addition to other innovative opportunities. Web events (including web chats, casts and forums) with HiRISE team members, will help guide students and educators of HiRISE capabilities and science goals and provide support for submitting good image suggestions. Educator workshops will be held each year at or near the institution of HiRISE team members. Workshop support materials and instructions for all hands-on activities will be placed on HiWeb to facilitate sharing of information with other educators and the general public. Large-scale displays of HiRISE images will be available at several at museums and planetariums.

Advancing Collaboration through Hydrologic Data and Model Sharing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarboton, D. G.; Idaszak, R.; Horsburgh, J. S.; Ames, D. P.; Goodall, J. L.; Band, L. E.; Merwade, V.; Couch, A.; Hooper, R. P.; Maidment, D. R.; Dash, P. K.; Stealey, M.; Yi, H.; Gan, T.; Castronova, A. M.; Miles, B.; Li, Z.; Morsy, M. M.

2015-12-01

HydroShare is an online, collaborative system for open sharing of hydrologic data, analytical tools, and models. It supports the sharing of and collaboration around "resources" which are defined primarily by standardized metadata, content data models for each resource type, and an overarching resource data model based on the Open Archives Initiative's Object Reuse and Exchange (OAI-ORE) standard and a hierarchical file packaging system called "BagIt". HydroShare expands the data sharing capability of the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System by broadening the classes of data accommodated to include geospatial and multidimensional space-time datasets commonly used in hydrology. HydroShare also includes new capability for sharing models, model components, and analytical tools and will take advantage of emerging social media functionality to enhance information about and collaboration around hydrologic data and models. It also supports web services and server/cloud based computation operating on resources for the execution of hydrologic models and analysis and visualization of hydrologic data. HydroShare uses iRODS as a network file system for underlying storage of datasets and models. Collaboration is enabled by casting datasets and models as "social objects". Social functions include both private and public sharing, formation of collaborative groups of users, and value-added annotation of shared datasets and models. The HydroShare web interface and social media functions were developed using the Django web application framework coupled to iRODS. Data visualization and analysis is supported through the Tethys Platform web GIS software stack. Links to external systems are supported by RESTful web service interfaces to HydroShare's content. This presentation will introduce the HydroShare functionality developed to date and describe ongoing development of functionality to support collaboration and integration of data and models.

Information and Communication Technologies in Enhancing Learning Ability in Secondary Schools in Edo State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osagie, Roseline O.

2012-01-01

The dismal results of 2011, 2010, 2009, and previous years WAEC and NECO Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) show the pitiable state of education in secondary schools in Nigeria. The youths of today live in a digital age. Web technologies and sites have become an integral part of the youth culture. Today's youths use the web tools to…

Measuring Libraries' Use of YouTube as a Promotional Tool: An Exploratory Study and Proposed Best Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colburn, Selene; Haines, Laura

2012-01-01

With the emergence of social networking and Web 2.0 applications, libraries have the means to reach users through interactive Web-based tools patrons already use in their personal lives, such as Facebook and YouTube. In this study the authors aim to understand the ways that libraries are using YouTube for outreach purposes. Using a methodology…

America Plans for Space

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-01-01

facility. Another use of lunar soil on the lunar surface would be in site preparation. Inorganic polymers based on silicon could be added to stabilize...for space construction.1 3 LIVING OFF THE LAND 63 Another lunar material that may be useful with a minimum of processing is basalt . Processed basalt is...already manufac- tured in Europe and the United States. Cast basalt can be used to fabricate pipes, tiles, plates, and fittings. Sintered basalt can

Method of improving fatigue life of cast nickel based superalloys and composition

DOEpatents

Denzine, Allen F.; Kolakowski, Thomas A.; Wallace, John F.

1978-03-14

The invention consists of a method of producing a fine equiaxed grain structure (ASTM 2-4) in cast nickel-base superalloys which increases low cycle fatigue lives without detrimental effects on stress rupture properties to temperatures as high as 1800.degree. F. These superalloys are variations of the basic nickel-chromium matrix, hardened by gamma prime [Ni.sub.3 (Al, Ti)] but with optional additions of cobalt, tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, columbium, tantalum, boron, zirconium, carbon and hafnium. The invention grain refines these alloys to ASTM 2 to 4 increasing low cycle fatigue life by a factor of 2 to 5 (i.e. life of 700 hours would be increased to 1400 to 3500 hours for a given stress) as a result of the addition of 0.01% to 0.2% of a member of the group consisting of boron, zirconium and mixtures thereof to aid heterogeneous nucleation. The alloy is vacuum melted and heated to 250.degree.-400.degree. F. above the melting temperature, cooled to partial solidification, thus resulting in said heterogeneous nucleation and fine grains, then reheated and cast at about 50.degree.-100.degree. F. of superheat. Additions of 0.1% boron and 0.1% zirconium (optional) are the preferred nucleating agents.

Impact of the Food and Drug Administration approval of flecainide and encainide on coronary artery disease mortality: putting "Deadly Medicine" to the test.

PubMed

Anderson, J L; Pratt, C M; Waldo, A L; Karagounis, L A

1997-01-01

In his book Deadly Medicine and on television, Thomas Moore impugns the process of antiarrhythmic drug approval in the 1980s, alleging that the new generation of drugs had flooded the marketplace and had caused deaths in numbers comparable to lives lost during war. To assess these important public health allegations, we evaluated annual coronary artery disease death rates in relation to antiarrhythmic drug sales (2 independent marketing surveys). Predicted mortality rates were modeled using linear regression analysis for 1982 through 1991. Deviations from predicted linearity were sought in relation to rising and falling class IC and overall class I antiarrhythmic drug use. Flecainide came to market in 1986 and encainide in 1987. Combined class IC sales peaked in 1987 and 1988 (maximum market penetration, 20%, first quarter 1989). Results of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) were disclosed in April 1989. Overall annual class I antiarrhythmic prescription sales actually fell slightly (-3% to -4%/yr) in the 2 years before CAST and then more abruptly (- 12%) in the year after CAST (1990). Sales of class IC drugs fell dramatically after CAST (by 75%). Coronary death rates (age adjusted) fell in a linear fashion during the decade of 1982 through 1991. No deviation from predicted rates was observed during the introduction, rise, and fall in class IC (and other class I) sales: rates were 126/100,000 in 1985 (before flecainide), 114 and 110 in 1987 and 1988 (maximum sales), and 103 in 1990 (after CAST). Deviations in death rates in the postulated range of 6,000 to 25,000 per year were shown to be excluded easily by the 95% confidence intervals about the predicted rates. Entry of new antiarrhythmic drugs in the 1980s did not lead to overall market expansion and had no adverse impact on coronary artery disease death rates, which fell progressively. Thus, the allegations in Deadly Medicine could not be confirmed.

Who is excluded and how? An analysis of community spaces for maternal and child health in Pakistan.

PubMed

Aziz, Ayesha; Khan, Fazal Ali; Wood, Geof

2015-11-25

The maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) indicators of Pakistan depict the deplorable state of the poor and rural women and children. Many MNCH programmes stress the need to engage the poor in community spaces. However, caste and class based hierarchies and gendered social norms exclude the lower caste poor women from accessing healthcare. To find pathways for improving the lives of the excluded, this study considers the social system as a whole and describes the mechanisms of exclusion in the externally created formal community spaces and their interaction with the indigenous informal spaces. The study used a qualitative case study design to identify the formal and informal community spaces in three purposively selected villages of Thatta, Rajanpur, and Ghizer districts. Community perspectives were gathered by conducting 37 focus group discussions, based on participatory rural appraisal tools, with separate groups of women and men. Relevant documents of six MNCH programmes were reviewed and 25 key informant interviews were conducted with programme staff. We found that lower caste poor tenants and nomadic peasants were excluded from formal and informal spaces. The formal community spaces formed by MNCH programmes across Pakistan included fixed, small transitory, large transitory, and emerging institutional spaces. Programme guidelines mandated selection of community notables in groups/committees and used criteria that prevented registration of nomadic groups as eligible clients. The selection criteria and adverse attitude of healthcare workers, along with inadequacy of programmatic resources to sustain outreach activities also contributed to exclusion of the lower caste poor women from formal spaces. The informal community spaces were mostly gender segregated. Infrequently, MNCH information trickled down from the better-off to the lower caste poor women through transitory interactions in the informal domestic sphere. A revision of the purpose and implementation mechanisms for MNCH programmes is mandated to transform formal health spaces into sites of equitable healthcare.

W. E. B. Du Bois at the center: from science, civil rights movement, to Black Lives Matter.

PubMed

Morris, Aldon

2017-03-01

I am honoured to present the 2016 British Journal of Sociology Annual Lecture at the London School of Economics. My lecture is based on ideas derived from my new book, The Scholar Denied: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Birth of Modern Sociology. In this essay I make three arguments. First, W.E.B. Du Bois and his Atlanta School of Sociology pioneered scientific sociology in the United States. Second, Du Bois pioneered a public sociology that creatively combined sociology and activism. Finally, Du Bois pioneered a politically engaged social science relevant for contemporary political struggles including the contemporary Black Lives Matter movement. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

Transforming Pedagogies: Integrating 21st Century Skills and Web 2.0 Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Shelia Y.

2014-01-01

According to (P21), Partnership for 21st Century Skills (n.d.), unless the gap is bridged between how students learn and how they live, today's education system will face irrelevance. The way people work and live has been transformed by demographic, economic, political, technological, and informational forces. Schools must adapt to these…

A Field Trip without Buses: Connecting Your Students to Scientists through a Virtual Visit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adedokun, Omolola; Parker, Loran Carleton; Loizzo, Jamie; Burgess, Wilella; Robinson, J. Paul

2011-01-01

One school offers zipTrips as an alternative to actual field trips taken outside of school. ZipTrips are web- and broadcast-delivered electronic field trips that include online videos, lesson plans, and a live, 45-minute interactive program consisting of four core components: an in-studio audience, live interaction with scientists, prerecorded…

Adult Siblings of Individuals with Down Syndrome versus with Autism: Findings from a Large-Scale US Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodapp, R. M.; Urbano, R. C.

2007-01-01

Background: As adults with Down syndrome live increasingly longer lives, their adult siblings will most likely assume caregiving responsibilities. Yet little is known about either the sibling relationship or the general functioning of these adult siblings. Using a national, web-based survey, this study compared adult siblings of individuals with…

Math, Science, and Web-Based Activities to Raise Awareness about Nutrition and Obesity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuercher, Deborah K.

2011-01-01

The incidence of child obesity in the United States is increasing at an alarming rate. This article provides information about nutrition, obesity, and related health conditions and suggests some classroom activities to raise awareness about these issues and empower students to live healthier, more active lives. A list of recommended health-related…

The emergence of longevous populations

PubMed Central

Colchero, Fernando; Rau, Roland; Barthold, Julia A.; Conde, Dalia A.; Lenart, Adam; Nemeth, Laszlo; Scheuerlein, Alexander; Schoeley, Jonas; Torres, Catalina; Zarulli, Virginia; Altmann, Jeanne; Brockman, Diane K.; Bronikowski, Anne M.; Fedigan, Linda M.; Pusey, Anne E.; Stoinski, Tara S.; Strier, Karen B.; Baudisch, Annette; Alberts, Susan C.; Vaupel, James W.

2016-01-01

The human lifespan has traversed a long evolutionary and historical path, from short-lived primate ancestors to contemporary Japan, Sweden, and other longevity frontrunners. Analyzing this trajectory is crucial for understanding biological and sociocultural processes that determine the span of life. Here we reveal a fundamental regularity. Two straight lines describe the joint rise of life expectancy and lifespan equality: one for primates and the second one over the full range of human experience from average lifespans as low as 2 y during mortality crises to more than 87 y for Japanese women today. Across the primate order and across human populations, the lives of females tend to be longer and less variable than the lives of males, suggesting deep evolutionary roots to the male disadvantage. Our findings cast fresh light on primate evolution and human history, opening directions for research on inequality, sociality, and aging. PMID:27872299

A Predictive Framework for Thermomechanical Fatigue Life of High Silicon Molybdenum Ductile Cast Iron Based on Considerations of Strain Energy Dissipation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avery, Katherine R.

Isothermal low cycle fatigue (LCF) and anisothermal thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) tests were conducted on a high silicon molybdenum (HiSiMo) cast iron for temperatures up to 1073K. LCF and out-of-phase (OP) TMF lives were significantly reduced when the temperature was near 673K due to an embrittlement phenomenon which decreases the ductility of HiSiMo at this temperature. In this case, intergranular fracture was predominant, and magnesium was observed at the fracture surface. When the thermal cycle did not include 673K, the failure mode was predominantly transgranular, and magnesium was not present on the fracture surface. The in-phase (IP) TMF lives were unaffected when the thermal cycle included 673K, and the predominant failure mode was found to be transgranular fracture, regardless of the temperature. No magnesium was present on the IP TMF fracture surfaces. Thus, the embrittlement phenomenon was found to contribute to fatigue damage only when the temperature was near 673K and a tensile stress was present. To account for the temperature- and stress-dependence of the embrittlement phenomenon on the TMF life of HiSiMo cast iron, an original model based on the cyclic inelastic energy dissipation is proposed which accounts for temperature-dependent differences in the rate of fatigue damage accumulation in tension and compression. The proposed model has few empirical parameters. Despite the simplicity of the model, the predicted fatigue life shows good agreement with more than 130 uniaxial low cycle and thermomechanical fatigue tests, cyclic creep tests, and tests conducted at slow strain rates and with hold times. The proposed model was implemented in a multiaxial formulation and applied to the fatigue life prediction of an exhaust manifold subjected to severe thermal cycles. The simulation results show good agreement with the failure locations and number of cycles to failure observed in a component-level experiment.

Integrating Facebook in Upper Secondary Biology Instruction: A Case Study of Students' Situational Interest and Participation in Learning Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dohn, Niels Bonderup; Dohn, Nina Bonderup

2017-01-01

The sciences are often perceived by students as irrelevant as they do not see the content of science as related to their daily lives. Web 2.0-mediated activities are characterized by user-driven content production, collaboration, and multi-way communication. It has been proposed that employing Web 2.0 in educational activities will promote richer…

When the Americans with Disabilities Act Goes Online: Application of the ADA to the Internet and the Worldwide Web. Position Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Council on Disability, Washington, DC.

This paper addresses the issue of how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to commercial and other private sector Web sites. Beginning with a brief discussion of the role electronic communication plays in our lives, the paper then considers the placement of the ADA in the context of current technology and of computer usage in the…

Implementing Virtual Reality Technology as an Effective WEB Based KIOSK: Darulaman's Teacher Training College Tour (IPDA VR Tour)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azman, Fadzil

2004-01-01

At present the development of Virtual Reality (VR) technology is expanding due to the importance and needs to use the 3D elements and 360 degrees panorama. In expressing a clearer picture to consumers in various fields such as education, military, medicine, entertainment and so on. In live with the development the web based VR kiosk project in…

A web-based programme for person-centred learning and support designed for preschool children with long-term illness: a pilot study of a new intervention.

PubMed

Hellström, Anna-Lena; Simeonsdotter Svensson, Agneta; Pramling Samuelsson, Ingrid; Jenholt Nolbris, Margaretha

2012-01-01

For children living with long-term illness, school age is a risk period with regard to psychosocial ill health and poor compliance with treatment. There is a need for methods to promote health, well-being, and self-esteem. This study describes a new concept for supporting children, person-centred web-based learning and support, which has been tested in 12 preschool children and incorporates learning about feelings, relationships, and the right to integrity. SKYPE was used for conversations between the child and the web teacher. Methods. The programme was developed and tested in two steps. The conversations were tape-recorded and analysed using phenomenography. The questions addressed concerned the quality of the intervention process: accessibility of intervention, learning content and support, and identification of measurable items and patterns. Findings. The children found it interesting to communicate with their web teacher using SKYPE. The story about Max and Sara served as a good basis for discussion, and development was found in the learning process. The children were able to talk about relations and feelings and developed an understanding for use in new situations in their daily lives. Items and patterns that are useful for research and documentation were identified, for example, well-being, resources, needs, and wishes.

Ecosystem consequences of fish parasites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lafferty, Kevin D.

2008-01-01

In most aquatic ecosystems, fishes are hosts to parasites and, sometimes, these parasites can affect fish biology. Some of the most dramatic cases occur when fishes are intermediate hosts for larval parasites. For example, fishes in southern California estuaries are host to many parasites. The most common of these parasites, Euhaplorchis californiensis, infects the brain of the killifish Fundulus parvipinnis and alters its behaviour, making the fish 10–30 times more susceptible to predation by the birds that serve as its definitive host. Parasites like E. californiensis are embedded in food webs because they require trophic transmission. In the Carpinteria Salt Marsh estuarine food web, parasites dominate the links and comprise substantial amount of biomass. Adding parasites to food webs alters important network statistics such as connectance and nestedness. Furthermore, some free-living stages of parasites are food items for free-living species. For instance, fishes feed on trematode cercariae. Being embedded in food webs makes parasites sensitive to changes in the environment. In particular, fishing and environmental disturbance, by reducing fish populations, may reduce parasite populations. Indirect evidence suggests a decrease in parasites in commercially fished species over the past three decades. In addition, environmental degradation can affect fish parasites. For these reasons, parasites in fishes may serve as indicators of environmental impacts.

Managing fatigue after cancer treatment: development of RESTORE, a web-based resource to support self-management.

PubMed

Foster, C; Calman, L; Grimmett, C; Breckons, M; Cotterell, P; Yardley, L; Joseph, J; Hughes, S; Jones, R; Leonidou, C; Armes, J; Batehup, L; Corner, J; Fenlon, D; Lennan, E; Morris, C; Neylon, A; Ream, E; Turner, L; Richardson, A

2015-08-01

The aim of this study is to co-create an evidence-based and theoretically informed web-based intervention (RESTORE) designed to enhance self-efficacy to live with cancer-related fatigue (CRF) following primary cancer treatment. A nine-step process informed the development of the intervention: (1) review of empirical literature; (2) review of existing patient resources; (3) establish theoretical framework; (4) establish design team with expertise in web-based interventions, CRF and people affected by cancer; (5) develop prototype intervention; (6) user testing phase 1; (7) refinement of prototype; (8) user testing phase 2; and (9) develop final intervention. Key stakeholders made a critical contribution at every step of intervention development, and user testing, which involved an iterative process and resulted in the final intervention. The RESTORE intervention has five sessions; sessions 1 and 2 include an introduction to CRF and goal setting. Sessions 3-5 can be tailored to user preference and are designed to cover areas of life where CRF may have an impact: home and work life, personal relationships and emotional adjustment. It is feasible to systematically 'co-create' an evidence-based and theory-driven web-based self-management intervention to support cancer survivors living with the consequences of cancer and its treatment. This is the first account of the development of a web-based intervention to support self-efficacy to manage CRF. An exploratory trial to test the feasibility and acceptability of RESTORE is now warranted. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Expert Coaching in Weight Loss: Retrospective Analysis

PubMed Central

Kushner, Robert F; Hill, James O; Lindquist, Richard; Brunning, Scott; Margulies, Amy

2018-01-01

Background Providing coaches as part of a weight management program is a common practice to increase participant engagement and weight loss success. Understanding coach and participant interactions and how these interactions impact weight loss success needs to be further explored for coaching best practices. Objective The purpose of this study was to analyze the coach and participant interaction in a 6-month weight loss intervention administered by Retrofit, a personalized weight management and Web-based disease prevention solution. The study specifically examined the association between different methods of coach-participant interaction and weight loss and tried to understand the level of coaching impact on weight loss outcome. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed using 1432 participants enrolled from 2011 to 2016 in the Retrofit weight loss program. Participants were males and females aged 18 years or older with a baseline body mass index of ≥25 kg/m², who also provided at least one weight measurement beyond baseline. First, a detailed analysis of different coach-participant interaction was performed using both intent-to-treat and completer populations. Next, a multiple regression analysis was performed using all measures associated with coach-participant interactions involving expert coaching sessions, live weekly expert-led Web-based classes, and electronic messaging and feedback. Finally, 3 significant predictors (P<.001) were analyzed in depth to reveal the impact on weight loss outcome. Results Participants in the Retrofit weight loss program lost a mean 5.14% (SE 0.14) of their baseline weight, with 44% (SE 0.01) of participants losing at least 5% of their baseline weight. Multiple regression model (R2=.158, P<.001) identified the following top 3 measures as significant predictors of weight loss at 6 months: expert coaching session attendance (P<.001), live weekly Web-based class attendance (P<.001), and food log feedback days per week (P<.001). Attending 80% of expert coaching sessions, attending 60% of live weekly Web-based classes, and receiving a minimum of 1 food log feedback day per week were associated with clinically significant weight loss. Conclusions Participant’s one-on-one expert coaching session attendance, live weekly expert-led interactive Web-based class attendance, and the number of food log feedback days per week from expert coach were significant predictors of weight loss in a 6-month intervention. PMID:29535082

Test-bed for the remote health monitoring system for bridge structures using FBG sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chin-Hyung; Park, Ki-Tae; Joo, Bong-Chul; Hwang, Yoon-Koog

2009-05-01

This paper reports on test-bed for the long-term health monitoring system for bridge structures employing fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, which is remotely accessible via the web, to provide real-time quantitative information on a bridge's response to live loading and environmental changes, and fast prediction of the structure's integrity. The sensors are attached on several locations of the structure and connected to a data acquisition system permanently installed onsite. The system can be accessed through remote communication using an optical cable network, through which the evaluation of the bridge behavior under live loading can be allowed at place far away from the field. Live structural data are transmitted continuously to the server computer at the central office. The server computer is connected securely to the internet, where data can be retrieved, processed and stored for the remote web-based health monitoring. Test-bed revealed that the remote health monitoring technology will enable practical, cost-effective, and reliable condition assessment and maintenance of bridge structures.

Parasites in food webs: the ultimate missing links

PubMed Central

Lafferty, Kevin D; Allesina, Stefano; Arim, Matias; Briggs, Cherie J; De Leo, Giulio; Dobson, Andrew P; Dunne, Jennifer A; Johnson, Pieter T J; Kuris, Armand M; Marcogliese, David J; Martinez, Neo D; Memmott, Jane; Marquet, Pablo A; McLaughlin, John P; Mordecai, Erin A; Pascual, Mercedes; Poulin, Robert; Thieltges, David W

2008-01-01

Parasitism is the most common consumer strategy among organisms, yet only recently has there been a call for the inclusion of infectious disease agents in food webs. The value of this effort hinges on whether parasites affect food-web properties. Increasing evidence suggests that parasites have the potential to uniquely alter food-web topology in terms of chain length, connectance and robustness. In addition, parasites might affect food-web stability, interaction strength and energy flow. Food-web structure also affects infectious disease dynamics because parasites depend on the ecological networks in which they live. Empirically, incorporating parasites into food webs is straightforward. We may start with existing food webs and add parasites as nodes, or we may try to build food webs around systems for which we already have a good understanding of infectious processes. In the future, perhaps researchers will add parasites while they construct food webs. Less clear is how food-web theory can accommodate parasites. This is a deep and central problem in theoretical biology and applied mathematics. For instance, is representing parasites with complex life cycles as a single node equivalent to representing other species with ontogenetic niche shifts as a single node? Can parasitism fit into fundamental frameworks such as the niche model? Can we integrate infectious disease models into the emerging field of dynamic food-web modelling? Future progress will benefit from interdisciplinary collaborations between ecologists and infectious disease biologists. PMID:18462196

Parasites in food webs: the ultimate missing links.

PubMed

Lafferty, Kevin D; Allesina, Stefano; Arim, Matias; Briggs, Cherie J; De Leo, Giulio; Dobson, Andrew P; Dunne, Jennifer A; Johnson, Pieter T J; Kuris, Armand M; Marcogliese, David J; Martinez, Neo D; Memmott, Jane; Marquet, Pablo A; McLaughlin, John P; Mordecai, Erin A; Pascual, Mercedes; Poulin, Robert; Thieltges, David W

2008-06-01

Parasitism is the most common consumer strategy among organisms, yet only recently has there been a call for the inclusion of infectious disease agents in food webs. The value of this effort hinges on whether parasites affect food-web properties. Increasing evidence suggests that parasites have the potential to uniquely alter food-web topology in terms of chain length, connectance and robustness. In addition, parasites might affect food-web stability, interaction strength and energy flow. Food-web structure also affects infectious disease dynamics because parasites depend on the ecological networks in which they live. Empirically, incorporating parasites into food webs is straightforward. We may start with existing food webs and add parasites as nodes, or we may try to build food webs around systems for which we already have a good understanding of infectious processes. In the future, perhaps researchers will add parasites while they construct food webs. Less clear is how food-web theory can accommodate parasites. This is a deep and central problem in theoretical biology and applied mathematics. For instance, is representing parasites with complex life cycles as a single node equivalent to representing other species with ontogenetic niche shifts as a single node? Can parasitism fit into fundamental frameworks such as the niche model? Can we integrate infectious disease models into the emerging field of dynamic food-web modelling? Future progress will benefit from interdisciplinary collaborations between ecologists and infectious disease biologists.

Parasites in food webs: the ultimate missing links

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lafferty, Kevin D.; Allesina, Stefano; Arim, Matias; Briggs, Cherie J.; De Leo, Giulio A.; Dobson, Andrew P.; Dunne, Jennifer A.; Johnson, Pieter T.J.; Kuris, Armand M.; Marcogliese, David J.; Martinez, Neo D.; Memmott, Jane; Marquet, Pablo A.; McLaughlin, John P.; Mordecai, Eerin A.; Pascual, Mercedes; Poulin, Robert; Thieltges, David W.

2008-01-01

Parasitism is the most common consumer strategy among organisms, yet only recently has there been a call for the inclusion of infectious disease agents in food webs. The value of this effort hinges on whether parasites affect food-web properties. Increasing evidence suggests that parasites have the potential to uniquely alter food-web topology in terms of chain length, connectance and robustness. In addition, parasites might affect food-web stability, interaction strength and energy flow. Food-web structure also affects infectious disease dynamics because parasites depend on the ecological networks in which they live. Empirically, incorporating parasites into food webs is straightforward. We may start with existing food webs and add parasites as nodes, or we may try to build food webs around systems for which we already have a good understanding of infectious processes. In the future, perhaps researchers will add parasites while they construct food webs. Less clear is how food-web theory can accommodate parasites. This is a deep and central problem in theoretical biology and applied mathematics. For instance, is representing parasites with complex life cycles as a single node equivalent to representing other species with ontogenetic niche shifts as a single node? Can parasitism fit into fundamental frameworks such as the niche model? Can we integrate infectious disease models into the emerging field of dynamic food-web modelling? Future progress will benefit from interdisciplinary collaborations between ecologists and infectious disease biologists.

CMU OAQA at TREC 2015 LiveQA: Discovering the Right Answer with Clues

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

QA) system that was evaluated in the TREC 2015 LiveQA Challenge. This system answers real-user questions freshly submitted to the Yahoo ! Answers...questions on the Yahoo ! Answers site 1, which have not yet received a human answer. As per the requirements for this track, participants must deploy their... Yahoo ! Answers. We also designed and im- plemented a new data model and novel relevance ranking methods for LiveQA. During the official run, our QA web

Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives

MedlinePlus

... A Family Activity Handwashing: A Corporate Activity Improving Child Development Podcasts Posters Social Media Social Media Library Stickers Health E-Cards Videos Web Features Training & Education Newsroom, Features, Observances, & Announcements ...

Automated Detection and Analysis of Interplanetary Shocks Running Real-Time on the Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vorotnikov, V.; Smith, C. W.; Hu, Q.; Szabo, A.; Skoug, R. M.; Cohen, C. M.; Davis, A. J.

2008-05-01

The ACE real-time data stream provides web-based now-casting capabilities for solar wind conditions upstream of Earth. We have built a fully automated code that finds and analyzes interplanetary shocks as they occur and posts their solutions on the Web for possible real-time application to space weather nowcasting. Shock analysis algorithms based on the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions exist and are in wide-spread use today for the interactive analysis of interplanetary shocks yielding parameters such as shock speed and propagation direction and shock strength in the form of compression ratios. At a previous meeting we reported on efforts to develop a fully automated code that used ACE Level-2 (science quality) data to prove the applicability and correctness of the code and the associated shock-finder. We have since adapted the code to run ACE RTSW data provided by NOAA. This data lacks the full 3-dimensional velocity vector for the solar wind and contains only a single component wind speed. We show that by assuming the wind velocity to be radial strong shock solutions remain essentially unchanged and the analysis performs as well as it would if 3-D velocity components were available. This is due, at least in part, to the fact that strong shocks tend to have nearly radial shock normals and it is the strong shocks that are most effective in space weather applications. Strong shocks are the only shocks that concern us in this application. The code is now running on the Web and the results are available to all.

A Study of African American Males and Their Response to Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCoy, Kecia L.

2012-01-01

This was a phenomenological study. There were 6 co-researchers used for this study. Two LiveLesson interviews were used for the data collection. LiveLesson is an interactive web environment which allows the researchers to conduct real-time discussions in an online setting. The participants can type, speaking into a microphone, and/or use a webcam…

A Web-Accessible Protein Structure Prediction Pipeline

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

Abstract Proteins are the molecular basis of nearly all structural, catalytic, sensory, and regulatory functions in living organisms. The biological...sensory, and regulatory functions in living organisms. The structure of a protein is essential in understanding its function at the molecular level...Characterizing sequence-structure and structure-function relationships have been the goals of molecular biology for more than three decades

The Mechanical Properties of Candidate Superalloys for a Hybrid Turbine Disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabb, Timothy P.; MacKay, Rebecca A.; Draper, Susan L.; Sudbrack, Chantal K.; Nathal, Michael V.

2013-01-01

The mechanical properties of several cast blade superalloys and one powder metallurgy disk superalloy were assessed for potential use in a dual alloy hybrid disk concept of joined dissimilar bore and web materials. Grain size was varied for each superalloy class. Tensile, creep, fatigue, and notch fatigue tests were performed at 704 to 815 degC. Typical microstructures and failure modes were determined. Preferred materials were then selected for future study as the bore and rim alloys in this hybrid disk concept. Powder metallurgy superalloy LSHR at 15 micron grain size and single crystal superalloy LDS-1101+Hf were selected for further study, and future work is recommended to develop the hybrid disk concept.

Live video monitoring robot controlled by web over internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lokanath, M.; Akhil Sai, Guruju

2017-11-01

Future is all about robots, robot can perform tasks where humans cannot, Robots have huge applications in military and industrial area for lifting heavy weights, for accurate placements, for repeating the same task number of times, where human are not efficient. Generally robot is a mix of electronic, electrical and mechanical engineering and can do the tasks automatically on its own or under the supervision of humans. The camera is the eye for robot, call as robovision helps in monitoring security system and also can reach into the places where the human eye cannot reach. This paper presents about developing a live video streaming robot controlled from the website. We designed the web, controlling for the robot to move left, right, front and back while streaming video. As we move to the smart environment or IoT (Internet of Things) by smart devices the system we developed here connects over the internet and can be operated with smart mobile phone using a web browser. The Raspberry Pi model B chip acts as heart for this system robot, the sufficient motors, surveillance camera R pi 2 are connected to Raspberry pi.

Living in the electronic age: musings on nearly two decades in Cyberspace.

PubMed

Gavrin, Jonathan R

2009-01-01

My journey through Cyberspace began about 20 years ago with an introduction to e-mail. A few years later, I had the good fortune of working with artificial intelligence engineers who were developing information retrieval techniques and expert systems. By serendipity this led to an early introduction to the World Wide Web (www) and the use of Web browsers as tools for gathering information, long before the Internet became commercialized. Internet content and form are now so omnipresent that they have affected our language in both amusing and utilitarian ways. We are entering an era where social networking, from personal to professional lives, is potentially a vibrant new direction for the Internet. Future articles for this feature will explore how to maximize the utility of the Internet.

"Ask a slave" and interpreting race on public history's front line: interview with Azie Mira Dungey.

PubMed

Dungey, Azie Mira; Tyson, Amy M

2014-02-01

In this interview, Azie Mira Dungey (creator of the web series, "Ask a Slave") and Amy M. Tyson (Associate Professor of History at DePaul University and author of The Wages of History: Emotional Labor on Public History's Front Lines) discuss Dungey's web series, as well as her experiences as a living history interpreter at both the Smithsonian Museum of American History and at Mount Vernon.

Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Proactive Web-Based Versus Telephone-Based Information and Support: Can Electronic Platforms Deliver Effective Care for Lung Cancer Patients?

PubMed

Paul, Christine L; Boyes, Allison W; O'Brien, Lorna; Baker, Amanda L; Henskens, Frans A; Roos, Ian; Clinton-McHarg, Tara; Bellamy, Douglas; Colburn, Glenda; Rose, Shiho; Cox, Martine E; Fradgley, Elizabeth A; Baird, Hannah; Barker, Daniel

2016-10-26

Community-based services such as telephone support lines can provide valuable informational, emotional, and practical support for cancer patients via telephone- or Web-based (live chat or email) platforms. However, very little rigorous research has examined the efficacy of such services in improving patient outcomes. This study will determine whether: proactive telephone or Web-delivered support produces outcomes superior to printed information; and Web-delivered support produces outcomes comparable to telephone support. A consecutive sample of 501 lung cancer outpatients will be recruited from 50 Australian health services to participate in a patient-randomized controlled trial (RCT). Eligible individuals must: be 18 years or older; have received a lung cancer diagnosis (including mesothelioma) within the previous 4 months; have an approximate life expectancy of at least 6 months; and have Internet access. Participants will be randomly allocated to receive: (1) an information booklet, (2) proactive telephone support, or (3) proactive Web support, chat, and/or email. The primary patient outcomes will be measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Health Education and Impact Questionnaire (heiQ) at 3 and 6 months post recruitment. The acceptability of proactive recruitment strategies will also be assessed. It is hypothesized that participants receiving telephone or Web support will report reduced distress (GHQ-12 scores that are 0.3 standard deviations (SD) lower) and greater self-efficacy (heiQ scores that are 0.3 SDs higher) than participants receiving booklets. Individuals receiving Web support will report heiQ scores within 0.29 SDs of individuals receiving telephone support. If proven effective, electronic approaches such as live-chat and email have the potential to increase the accessibility and continuity of supportive care delivered by community-based services. This evidence may also inform the redesigning of helpline-style services to be effective and responsive to patient needs.

Do Tetranychus urticae males avoid mating with familiar females?

PubMed

Yoshioka, T; Yano, S

2014-07-01

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, usually lives in kin groups under common webs. Because only the first mating results in fertilisation in female T. urticae, adult males guard quiescent deutonymph females, those at the stage immediately before maturation, to ensure paternity. Therefore, the cost of precopulatory guarding time seems considerable for males. Moreover, the fitness indices of daughters from intra-population crosses were significantly lower than those of daughters from inter-population crosses, indicating that inbreeding depression exists in T. urticae. Therefore, we hypothesised that T. urticae males should be choosy in guarding familiar females to avoid inbreeding depression. Furthermore, webs should be a key element of the environment shared by familiar individuals. In this study, we demonstrated the inbreeding avoidance mechanism of T. urticae males in relation to webs produced by familiar females (known webs) or unfamiliar females (unknown webs). Regardless of surrounding webs (known or unknown), males preferred unfamiliar to familiar females. We further examined whether males detect unfamiliar females by their webs. When males had experienced a female's web without encountering that female, they subsequently preferred females that did not produce the surrounding webs in which the choice experiment was conducted. Results suggest that putative kin recognition for inbreeding avoidance in T. urticae males is based on the relationship between webs and females, and not on the discrimination of webs in shared environments. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

The tail of the Ordovician fish Sacabambaspis.

PubMed

Pradel, Alan; Sansom, Ivan J; Gagnier, Pierre-Yves; Cespedes, Ricardo; Janvier, Philippe

2007-02-22

The tail of the earliest known articulated fully skeletonized vertebrate, the arandaspid Sacabambaspis from the Ordovician of Bolivia, is redescribed on the basis of further preparation of the only specimen in which it is most extensively preserved. The first, but soon discarded, reconstruction, which assumed the presence of a long horizontal notochordal lobe separating equal sized dorsal and ventral fin webs, appears to have considerable merit. Although the ventral web is significantly smaller than the dorsal one, the presence of a very long notochordal lobe bearing a small terminal web is confirmed. The discrepancy in the size of the ventral and dorsal webs rather suggests that the tail was hypocercal, a condition that would better accord with the caudal morphology of the living agnathans and the other jawless stem gnathostomes.

Individualized Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

IntelliWeb and IntelliPrint, products from MicroMass Communications, utilize C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS), a development and delivery expert systems tool developed at Johnson Space Center. IntelliWeb delivers personalized messages by dynamically creating single web pages or entire web sites based on information provided by each website visitor. IntelliPrint is a product designed to create tailored, individualized messages via printed media. The software uses proprietary technology to generate printed messages that are personally relevant and tailored to meet each individual's needs. Intelliprint is in use in many operations including Brystol-Myers Squibb's personalized newsletter, "Living at Your Best," geared to each recipient based on a health and lifestyle survey taken earlier; and SmithKline Beecham's "Nicorette Committed Quitters Program," in which customized motivational materials support participants in their attempt to quit smoking.

NASA GSFC Space Weather Center - Innovative Space Weather Dissemination: Web-Interfaces, Mobile Applications, and More

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maddox, Marlo; Zheng, Yihua; Rastaetter, Lutz; Taktakishvili, A.; Mays, M. L.; Kuznetsova, M.; Lee, Hyesook; Chulaki, Anna; Hesse, Michael; Mullinix, Richard;

ARC-1996-AC96-0345-11

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-10-10

Martian Meteorite (ALH84001): This high resolution transmission electron microscope image is of a cast, or replica, from a chip of a Martian meteorite, labeled ALH84001, that shows the outline of what are believed to be possible microscopic fossils of bacteria-like organisms that may have lived on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. The tubular features in this image are less than a micrometer in size, or about 1/500th the diameter of a human hair. (JSC ref: S96-12637)

International Security. Volume 32, Number 4, Spring 2008. No Sign until the Burst of Fire. Understanding the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

spontaneous jihads led by illiterate charismatic mullahs that the British frontier administrators of the Victorian era dubbed them “mad mullah movements...International Peace, 1981). 15. David Gilmour, The Ruling Caste: Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj (London: Pimlico, 2007), p. 171. 16. Coalition to Stop the...consider veiled, or in purdah, conquered.17 (Considered good but unreliable ªghters by the British during the colonial era , the Waziris and several other

Effect of Casting Material on the Cast Pressure After Sequential Cast Splitting.

PubMed

Roberts, Aaron; Shaw, K Aaron; Boomsma, Shawn E; Cameron, Craig D

2017-01-01

Circumferential casting is a vital component of nonoperative fracture management. These casts are commonly valved to release pressure and decrease the risk of complications from swelling. However, little information exists regarding the effect of different casting supplies on the pressure within the cast. Seventy-five long-arm casts were performed on human volunteers, divided between 5 experimental groups with 15 casts in each groups. Testing groups consisted of 2 groups with a plaster short-arm cast overwrapped with fiberglass to a long arm with either cotton or synthetic cast padding. The 3 remaining groups included fiberglass long-arm casts with cotton, synthetic, or waterproof cast padding. A pediatric blood pressure cuff bladder was placed within the cast and inflated to 100 mm Hg. After inflation, the cast was sequentially released with pressure reading preformed after each stage. Order of release consisted of cast bivalve, cast padding release, and cotton stockinet release. After release, the cast was overwrapped with a loose elastic bandage. Difference in pressure readings were compared based upon the cast material. Pressures within the cast were found to decrease with sequential release of cast. The cast type had no effect of change in pressure. Post hoc testing demonstrated that the type of cast padding significantly affected the cast pressures with waterproof padding demonstrating the highest pressure readings at all time-points in the study, followed by synthetic padding. Cotton padding had the lowest pressure readings at all time-points. Type of cast padding significantly influences the amount of pressure within a long-arm cast, even after bivalving the cast and cutting the cast padding. Cotton cast padding allows for the greatest change in pressure. Cotton padding demonstrates the greatest change in pressure within a long-arm cast after undergoing bivalve. Synthetic and waterproof cast padding should not be used in the setting of an acute fracture to accommodate swelling.

Going, going, still there: using the WebCite service to permanently archive cited web pages.

PubMed

Eysenbach, Gunther; Trudel, Mathieu

2005-12-30

Scholars are increasingly citing electronic "web references" which are not preserved in libraries or full text archives. WebCite is a new standard for citing web references. To "webcite" a document involves archiving the cited Web page through www.webcitation.org and citing the WebCite permalink instead of (or in addition to) the unstable live Web page. This journal has amended its "instructions for authors" accordingly, asking authors to archive cited Web pages before submitting a manuscript. Almost 200 other journals are already using the system. We discuss the rationale for WebCite, its technology, and how scholars, editors, and publishers can benefit from the service. Citing scholars initiate an archiving process of all cited Web references, ideally before they submit a manuscript. Authors of online documents and websites which are expected to be cited by others can ensure that their work is permanently available by creating an archived copy using WebCite and providing the citation information including the WebCite link on their Web document(s). Editors should ask their authors to cache all cited Web addresses (Uniform Resource Locators, or URLs) "prospectively" before submitting their manuscripts to their journal. Editors and publishers should also instruct their copyeditors to cache cited Web material if the author has not done so already. Finally, WebCite can process publisher submitted "citing articles" (submitted for example as eXtensible Markup Language [XML] documents) to automatically archive all cited Web pages shortly before or on publication. Finally, WebCite can act as a focussed crawler, caching retrospectively references of already published articles. Copyright issues are addressed by honouring respective Internet standards (robot exclusion files, no-cache and no-archive tags). Long-term preservation is ensured by agreements with libraries and digital preservation organizations. The resulting WebCite Index may also have applications for research assessment exercises, being able to measure the impact of Web services and published Web documents through access and Web citation metrics.

Comparison of marginal accuracy of castings fabricated by conventional casting technique and accelerated casting technique: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Reddy, S Srikanth; Revathi, Kakkirala; Reddy, S Kranthikumar

2013-01-01

Conventional casting technique is time consuming when compared to accelerated casting technique. In this study, marginal accuracy of castings fabricated using accelerated and conventional casting technique was compared. 20 wax patterns were fabricated and the marginal discrepancy between the die and patterns were measured using Optical stereomicroscope. Ten wax patterns were used for Conventional casting and the rest for Accelerated casting. A Nickel-Chromium alloy was used for the casting. The castings were measured for marginal discrepancies and compared. Castings fabricated using Conventional casting technique showed less vertical marginal discrepancy than the castings fabricated by Accelerated casting technique. The values were statistically highly significant. Conventional casting technique produced better marginal accuracy when compared to Accelerated casting. The vertical marginal discrepancy produced by the Accelerated casting technique was well within the maximum clinical tolerance limits. Accelerated casting technique can be used to save lab time to fabricate clinical crowns with acceptable vertical marginal discrepancy.

Seismograms live from around the world

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodward, Robert L.; Shedlock, Kaye M.; Bolton, Harold F.

1999-01-01

You can view earthquakes as they happen! Seismograms from seismic stations around the world are broadcast live, via the Internet, and are updated every 30 minutes, With an Internet connection and a web browser, you can view current seismograms and earthquake locations on your own computer. With special software also available via the Internet, you can obtain seismic data as it arrives from a global network of seismograph stations.

Weaving Whole Cloth: The Nurture of a Highly Intelligent Child. What Is It Like To Live with a Highly Intelligent Child?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sargeant, Hope

2000-01-01

The parent of an extremely intelligent child discusses what it is like to live with a child who exhibits a different web of cognition, perception, intuition, and mental processing; the necessity of educational acceleration for learning to achieve and develop self-esteem; and the importance of challenging material in learning the satisfaction of…

Integration of Live Video and WWW Delivery Systems To Teach University Level Science, Technology, and Society in High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urven, Lance E.; Yin, L. Roger; Bak, John D.

In fall 1997, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) provided Science and Technology in Society, a university general studies science literacy course, to advanced placement high school students at three local high schools, using a combination of live video presentations and World Wide Web (WWW) courseware. A total of 26 high school students…

HIV testing and prevention among foreign-born Men Who have Sex with Men: an online survey from Sweden.

PubMed

Strömdahl, Susanne; Liljeros, Fredrik; Thorson, Anna Ekéus; Persson, Kristina Ingemarsdotter; Forsberg, Birger C

2017-01-31

There is an increasing trend toward international migration worldwide. With it comes a challenge for public health and public funded health care systems to meet the migrating population's health needs. Men who have sex with men are a key population for HIV, contributing an estimated 42% of new HIV cases in Europe in 2013. HIV monitoring data suggest that foreign-born MSM are not only exposed to a high risk of HIV before migration but also while living in Sweden. The aim of this study is to examine HIV testing prevalence and uptake of HIV prevention interventions among foreign-born MSM living in Sweden. A web survey available in English and Swedish was conducted from October 1 to October 30, 2013 via a Scandinavian Web community for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intergender people. The web survey included modules on sociodemographics, condom use, sexual risk behaviour and HIV/STI testing experience. 244 eligible MSM participants born abroad and living in Sweden participated in the study. Descriptive and inferential analysis was performed. Half of the foreign-born MSM participants in this study had been tested for HIV during the last 12 months. Participants who had lived in Sweden less than or equal to 5 years were more likely to have been tested for HIV during the last 12 months. Having talked about HIV/STI with a prevention worker during the past year was associated with having been tested for HIV. Requested services among the majority of participants were HIV rapid test, anonymous HIV testing, HIV/STI testing outside of the health care setting and MSM-friendly clinics. Efforts are needed to promote HIV testing among foreign-born MSM. Peer outreach, individual and group counselling may be preferred interventions to do so. In addition, it is critically important to increase HIV testing among foreign-born MSM who have lived in Sweden for more than five years. Further research should explore if scale up of implementation of requested services may increase frequency of HIV testing and detection of new cases linked to treatment among foreign-born MSM living in Sweden.

Fighting female infanticide by working with midwives: an Indian case study.

PubMed

Murthy, R K

1996-06-01

In many cultures throughout history, parents have preferred to conceive and bear sons rather than daughters. In May 1995, Adithi, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) working in parts of Bihar with resource-poor women, and Bal Mahila Kalyan (BMK), an NGO working with poor people in general, organized a workshop with traditional midwives on the issue of female infanticide. A prior study found that traditional midwives are often called upon to kill female infants. These women mainly belong to the dalit community, are mostly illiterate, typically live in poverty, and have little power in the community. The workshop goals were to explore gender discrimination in different caste and religious groups; to understand the history and extent of female infanticide in the area, and to examine whether the incidence varies with caste, class, religion, and birth order; and to identify strategies to combat female infanticide. 28 traditional midwives participated. This paper describes the proceedings of the workshop and examines strategies for combatting female infanticide.

Microplastic fibers in the intertidal ecosystem surrounding Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia.

PubMed

Mathalon, Alysse; Hill, Paul

2014-04-15

Humans continue to increase the use and disposal of plastics by producing over 240 million tonnes per year, polluting the oceans with persistent waste. The majority of plastic in the oceans are microplastics (<5 mm). In this study, the contamination of microplastic fibers was quantified in sediments from the intertidal zones of one exposed beach and two protected beaches along Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. From the two protected beaches, polychaete worm fecal casts and live blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) were analyzed for microplastic content. Store-bought mussels from an aquaculture site were also analyzed. The average microplastic abundance observed from 10 g sediment subsamples was between 20 and 80 fibers, with higher concentrations at the high tide line from the exposed beach and at the low tide line from the protected beaches. Microplastic concentrations from polychaete fecal casts resembled concentrations quantified from low tide sediments. In two separate mussel analyses, significantly more microplastics were enumerated in farmed mussels compared to wild ones. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of web sharing, species recognition and host-plant defence in interspecific competition between two herbivorous mite species.

PubMed

Sato, Yukie; Alba, Juan M; Egas, Martijn; Sabelis, Maurice W

2016-11-01

When competing with indigenous species, invasive species face a problem, because they typically start with a few colonizers. Evidently, some species succeeded, begging an answer to the question how they invade. Here, we investigate how the invasive spider mite Tetranychus evansi interacts with the indigenous species T. urticae when sharing the solanaceous host plant tomato: do they choose to live together or to avoid each other's colonies? Both species spin protective, silken webs on the leaf surfaces, under which they live in groups of con- and possibly heterospecifics. In Spain, T. evansi invaded the non-crop field where native Tetranychus species including T. urticae dominated. Moreover, T. evansi outcompetes T. urticae when released together on a tomato plant. However, molecular plant studies suggest that T. urticae benefits from the local down-regulation of tomato plant defences by T. evansi, whereas T. evansi suffers from the induction of these defences by T. urticae. Therefore, we hypothesize that T. evansi avoids leaves infested with T. urticae whereas T. urticae prefers leaves infested by T. evansi. Using wild-type tomato and a mutant lacking jasmonate-mediated anti-herbivore defences, we tested the hypothesis and found that T. evansi avoided sharing webs with T. urticae in favour of a web with conspecifics, whereas T. urticae more frequently chose to share webs with T. evansi than with conspecifics. Also, T. evansi shows higher aggregation on a tomato plant than T. urticae, irrespective of whether the mites occur on the plant together or not.

Living males of the ‘ancient asexual’ Darwinulidae (Ostracoda: Crustacea)

PubMed Central

Smith, Robin J; Kamiya, Takahiro; Horne, David J

2006-01-01

Three living male darwinulid ostracods of a new species of the genus Vestalenula have been found in Yakushima, Japan. This is the first report of living darwinulid males for over 100 years and their morphology casts doubt on the two previous records from the late 1800s. The presence of male darwinulids also calls into question the hypothesis that the family Darwinulidae is an exclusively ancient asexual group, reproducing without sex for over 200 million years (Myr). Male carapaces are of similar size and shape to A-1 juvenile females of the same species, suggesting that males may have been dismissed as A-1 juveniles in other living and fossil species. The antennae and fifth limbs are sexually dimorphic: the male antennae have six segments compared with five in the female and a series of putative chemical receptors originating at the extra segment boundary, while the male fifth limbs have well-developed grasping hooks, as in males of many ostracod groups. The lack of Zenker's Organ and of complex internal structures within the hemipenis contradicts previous hypotheses of the phylogenetic position of darwinulids. PMID:16777754

A Web-Based Programme for Person-Centred Learning and Support Designed for Preschool Children with Long-Term Illness: A Pilot Study of a New Intervention

PubMed Central

Hellström, Anna-Lena; Simeonsdotter Svensson, Agneta; Pramling Samuelsson, Ingrid; Jenholt Nolbris, Margaretha

2012-01-01

For children living with long-term illness, school age is a risk period with regard to psychosocial ill health and poor compliance with treatment. There is a need for methods to promote health, well-being, and self-esteem. This study describes a new concept for supporting children, person-centred web-based learning and support, which has been tested in 12 preschool children and incorporates learning about feelings, relationships, and the right to integrity. SKYPE was used for conversations between the child and the web teacher. Methods. The programme was developed and tested in two steps. The conversations were tape-recorded and analysed using phenomenography. The questions addressed concerned the quality of the intervention process: accessibility of intervention, learning content and support, and identification of measurable items and patterns. Findings. The children found it interesting to communicate with their web teacher using SKYPE. The story about Max and Sara served as a good basis for discussion, and development was found in the learning process. The children were able to talk about relations and feelings and developed an understanding for use in new situations in their daily lives. Items and patterns that are useful for research and documentation were identified, for example, well-being, resources, needs, and wishes. PMID:23326654

Web-Based Interventions to Improve Mental Health, General Caregiving Outcomes, and General Health for Informal Caregivers of Adults With Chronic Conditions Living in the Community: Rapid Evidence Review.

PubMed

Ploeg, Jenny; Markle-Reid, Maureen; Valaitis, Ruta; McAiney, Carrie; Duggleby, Wendy; Bartholomew, Amy; Sherifali, Diana

2017-07-28

Most adults with chronic conditions live at home and rely on informal caregivers to provide support. Caregiving can result in negative impacts such as poor mental and physical health. eHealth interventions may offer effective and accessible ways to provide education and support to informal caregivers. However, we know little about the impact of Web-based interventions for informal caregivers of community-dwelling adults with chronic conditions. The purpose of this rapid evidence review was to assess the impact of Web-based interventions on mental health, general caregiving outcomes, and general health for informal caregivers of persons with chronic conditions living in the community. A rapid evidence review of the current literature was employed to address the study purpose. EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Ageline were searched covering all studies published from January 1995 to July 2016. Papers were included if they (1) included a Web-based modality to deliver an intervention; (2) included informal, unpaid adult caregivers of community-living adults with a chronic condition; (3) were either a randomized controlled trial (RCT) or controlled clinical trial (CCT); and (4) reported on any caregiver outcome as a result of use or exposure to the intervention. A total of 20 papers (17 studies) were included in this review. Study findings were mixed with both statistically significant and nonsignificant findings on various caregiver outcomes. Of the 17 included studies, 10 had at least one significant outcome. The most commonly assessed outcome was mental health, which included depressive symptoms, stress or distress, and anxiety. Twelve papers examined the impact of interventions on the outcome of depressive symptoms; 4 found a significant decrease in depressive symptoms. Eight studies examined the outcome of stress or distress; 4 of these found a significant reduction in stress or distress as a result of the intervention. Three studies examined the outcome of anxiety; 2 of these found significant reductions in anxiety. Other significant results of the interventions were seen in the outcomes of caregiver gain (ie, positive aspects of caregiving), knowledge, bonding, reduction of anger-hostility, and negative mood. Based on this review, it is not possible to determine which interventions were most effective since studies differed in their design, sample, and intervention. Study results suggest that Web-based interventions may result in reduced depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress or distress among informal caregivers of adults with chronic conditions in the community. This is the first review assessing the impact of Web-based technologies on mental health, general caregiving outcomes, and general health for caregivers of adults with chronic conditions living in the community. Further rigorous research is needed that includes adequately powered studies examining the critical components of the intervention and the dosage needed to have an effect. ©Jenny Ploeg, Maureen Markle-Reid, Ruta Valaitis, Carrie McAiney, Wendy Duggleby, Amy Bartholomew, Diana Sherifali. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 28.07.2017.

76 FR 10916 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-28

... agenda for the board meeting includes annual ethics training, a demonstration of the agency's Web site redesign, a possible speaker from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the ``Living'' regional...

First-Aid Kits: Stock Supplies That Can Save Lives

MedlinePlus

... of Privacy Practices Notice of Nondiscrimination Manage Cookies Advertising Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. Mayo Clinic does not ...

Variation in active and passive resource inputs to experimental pools: mechanisms and possible consequences for food webs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kraus, Johanna M.; Pletcher, Leanna T.; Vonesh, James R.

2010-01-01

1. Cross-ecosystem movements of resources, including detritus, nutrients and living prey, can strongly influence food web dynamics in recipient habitats. Variation in resource inputs is thought to be driven by factors external to the recipient habitat (e.g. donor habitat productivity and boundary conditions). However, inputs of or by ‘active’ living resources may be strongly influenced by recipient habitat quality when organisms exhibit behavioural habitat selection when crossing ecosystem boundaries. 2. To examine whether behavioural responses to recipient habitat quality alter the relative inputs of ‘active’ living and ‘passive’ detrital resources to recipient food webs, we manipulated the presence of caged predatory fish and measured biomass, energy and organic content of inputs to outdoor experimental pools of adult aquatic insects, frog eggs, terrestrial plant matter and terrestrial arthropods. 3. Caged fish reduced the biomass, energy and organic matter donated to pools by tree frog eggs by ∼70%, but did not alter insect colonisation or passive allochthonous inputs of terrestrial arthropods and plant material. Terrestrial plant matter and adult aquatic insects provided the most energy and organic matter inputs to the pools (40–50%), while terrestrial arthropods provided the least (7%). Inputs of frog egg were relatively small but varied considerably among pools and over time (3%, range = 0–20%). Absolute and proportional amounts varied by input type. 4. Aquatic predators can strongly affect the magnitude of active, but not passive, inputs and that the effect of recipient habitat quality on active inputs is variable. Furthermore, some active inputs (i.e. aquatic insect colonists) can provide similar amounts of energy and organic matter as passive inputs of terrestrial plant matter, which are well known to be important. Because inputs differ in quality and the trophic level they subsidise, proportional changes in input type could have strong effects on recipient food webs. 5. Cross-ecosystem resource inputs have previously been characterised as donor-controlled. However, control by the recipient food web could lead to greater feedback between resource flow and consumer dynamics than has been appreciated so far.

FRS REST Services

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

FRS exposes several REST services that allows developers to utilize a live feed of data from the FRS database. This web page is intended for a technical audience and describes the content and purpose of each service available.

Collaboration systems for classroom instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, C. Y. Roger; Meliksetian, Dikran S.; Chang, Martin C.

1996-01-01

In this paper we discuss how classroom instruction can benefit from state-of-the-art technologies in networks, worldwide web access through Internet, multimedia, databases, and computing. Functional requirements for establishing such a high-tech classroom are identified, followed by descriptions of our current experimental implementations. The focus of the paper is on the capabilities of distributed collaboration, which supports both synchronous multimedia information sharing as well as a shared work environment for distributed teamwork and group decision making. Our ultimate goal is to achieve the concept of 'living world in a classroom' such that live and dynamic up-to-date information and material from all over the world can be integrated into classroom instruction on a real-time basis. We describe how we incorporate application developments in a geography study tool, worldwide web information retrievals, databases, and programming environments into the collaborative system.

Field evidence for transfer of plastic debris along a terrestrial food chain.

PubMed

Huerta Lwanga, Esperanza; Mendoza Vega, Jorge; Ku Quej, Victor; Chi, Jesus de Los Angeles; Sanchez Del Cid, Lucero; Chi, Cesar; Escalona Segura, Griselda; Gertsen, Henny; Salánki, Tamás; van der Ploeg, Martine; Koelmans, Albert A; Geissen, Violette

2017-10-26

Although plastic pollution happens globally, the micro- (<5 mm) and macroplastic (5-150 mm) transfer of plastic to terrestrial species relevant to human consumption has not been examined. We provide first-time evidence for micro- and macroplastic transfer from soil to chickens in traditional Mayan home gardens in Southeast Mexico where waste mismanagement is common. We assessed micro- and macroplastic in soil, earthworm casts, chicken feces, crops and gizzards (used for human consumption). Microplastic concentrations increased from soil (0.87 ± 1.9 particles g -1 ), to earthworm casts (14.8 ± 28.8 particles g -1 ), to chicken feces (129.8 ± 82.3 particles g -1 ). Chicken gizzards contained 10.2 ± 13.8 microplastic particles, while no microplastic was found in crops. An average of 45.82 ± 42.6 macroplastic particles were found per gizzard and 11 ± 15.3 macroplastic particles per crop, with 1-10 mm particles being significantly more abundant per gizzard (31.8 ± 27.27 particles) compared to the crop (1 ± 2.2 particles). The data show that micro- and macroplastic are capable of entering terrestrial food webs.

When parasites become prey: ecological and epidemiological significance of eating parasites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Pieter T.J.; Dobson, Andrew P.; Lafferty, Kevin D.; Marcogliese, David J.; Memmott, Jane; Orlofske, Sarah A.; Poulin, Robert; Thieltges, David W.

2010-01-01

Recent efforts to include parasites in food webs have drawn attention to a previously ignored facet of foraging ecology: parasites commonly function as prey within ecosystems. Because of the high productivity of parasites, their unique nutritional composition and their pathogenicity in hosts, their consumption affects both food-web topology and disease risk in humans and wildlife. Here, we evaluate the ecological, evolutionary and epidemiological significance of feeding on parasites, including concomitant predation, grooming, predation on free-living stages and intraguild predation. Combining empirical data and theoretical models, we show that consumption of parasites is neither rare nor accidental, and that it can sharply affect parasite transmission and food web properties. Broader consideration of predation on parasites will enhance our understanding of disease control, food web structure and energy transfer, and the evolution of complex life cycles.

Effectiveness and Usability of a Web-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Families Living with Mental Illness.

PubMed

Stjernswärd, Sigrid; Hansson, Lars

2017-01-01

Families living with mental illness express needs of support and experiences of burden that may affect their own health detrimentally and hence also their ability to support the patient. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown beneficial health effects in both clinical and healthy populations. The aim of the current study was to explore the effectiveness and usability of a web-based mindfulness program for families living with mental illness, which was first tested in a feasibility study. The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial with an experiment group and a wait-list control group with assessments on primary and secondary outcomes at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Significant positive improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion, and significant decreases in perceived stress and in certain dimensions of caregiver burden were found, with good program usability. Easily accessible mindfulness-based interventions may be useful in addressing caregivers' needs of support and in preventing further ill health in caregivers. Further studies are needed, among others, to further customize interventions and to investigate the cost-effectiveness of such programs.

Soft cast versus rigid cast for treatment of distal radius buckle fractures in children.

PubMed

Witney-Lagen, Caroline; Smith, Christine; Walsh, Graham

2013-04-01

Buckle fractures are extremely common and their optimum management is still under debate. This study aimed to ascertain whether buckle fractures of the distal radius can be safely and effectively treated in soft cast with only a single orthopaedic outpatient clinic appointment. A total of 232 children with buckle fractures of the distal radius were included in the study. 111 children with 112 distal radius fractures were treated in full rigid cast and 121 children with 123 fractures were treated with soft cast. The rigid cast children attended outpatient clinic for removal of cast at 3 weeks. Soft casts were removed by parents unwinding the cast at home after 3 weeks. Follow-up was conducted prospectively by telephone questionnaire at an average of 6 weeks post-injury. Outcome data were available for 117 children treated in soft cast and for 102 children treated in rigid cast. The most common mechanism of injury was a fall sustained from standing or running, followed by falls from bikes and then trampoline accidents. Overall, both groups recovered well. Overall satisfaction with the outcome of treatment was 97.4% in soft cast and 95.2% in rigid cast. Casts were reported as comfortable by 95.7% in soft cast and 93.3% in rigid cast. Cast changes were required for 6.8% of soft casts and 11.5% of rigid casts. The most frequent cause for changing rigid casts was getting the cast wet. None of the improved scores seen in the soft cast group were statistically significant. No re-fractures were seen in either group. Nearly all (94.9%) children in soft cast did bathe, shower or swim in their cast. Parents of both groups preferred treatment with soft cast (p < 0.001). Reasons given for preferring the soft cast included the ability to get the cast wet, avoidance of the plaster saw and not having to take time off work to attend a follow-up visit for cast removal. Buckle fractures of the distal radius can be safely and effectively treated in soft cast with only a single orthopaedic outpatient clinic appointment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expert Coaching in Weight Loss: Retrospective Analysis.

PubMed

Painter, Stefanie Lynn; Ahmed, Rezwan; Kushner, Robert F; Hill, James O; Lindquist, Richard; Brunning, Scott; Margulies, Amy

2018-03-13

Providing coaches as part of a weight management program is a common practice to increase participant engagement and weight loss success. Understanding coach and participant interactions and how these interactions impact weight loss success needs to be further explored for coaching best practices. The purpose of this study was to analyze the coach and participant interaction in a 6-month weight loss intervention administered by Retrofit, a personalized weight management and Web-based disease prevention solution. The study specifically examined the association between different methods of coach-participant interaction and weight loss and tried to understand the level of coaching impact on weight loss outcome. A retrospective analysis was performed using 1432 participants enrolled from 2011 to 2016 in the Retrofit weight loss program. Participants were males and females aged 18 years or older with a baseline body mass index of ≥25 kg/m², who also provided at least one weight measurement beyond baseline. First, a detailed analysis of different coach-participant interaction was performed using both intent-to-treat and completer populations. Next, a multiple regression analysis was performed using all measures associated with coach-participant interactions involving expert coaching sessions, live weekly expert-led Web-based classes, and electronic messaging and feedback. Finally, 3 significant predictors (P<.001) were analyzed in depth to reveal the impact on weight loss outcome. Participants in the Retrofit weight loss program lost a mean 5.14% (SE 0.14) of their baseline weight, with 44% (SE 0.01) of participants losing at least 5% of their baseline weight. Multiple regression model (R 2 =.158, P<.001) identified the following top 3 measures as significant predictors of weight loss at 6 months: expert coaching session attendance (P<.001), live weekly Web-based class attendance (P<.001), and food log feedback days per week (P<.001). Attending 80% of expert coaching sessions, attending 60% of live weekly Web-based classes, and receiving a minimum of 1 food log feedback day per week were associated with clinically significant weight loss. Participant's one-on-one expert coaching session attendance, live weekly expert-led interactive Web-based class attendance, and the number of food log feedback days per week from expert coach were significant predictors of weight loss in a 6-month intervention. ©Stefanie Lynn Painter, Rezwan Ahmed, Robert F Kushner, James O Hill, Richard Lindquist, Scott Brunning, Amy Margulies. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 13.03.2018.

Where are the parasites in food webs?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

This review explores some of the reasons why food webs seem to contain relatively few parasite species when compared to the full diversity of free living species in the system. At present, there are few coherent food web theories to guide scientific studies on parasites, and this review posits that the methods, directions and questions in the field of food web ecology are not always congruent with parasitological inquiry. For example, topological analysis (the primary tool in food web studies) focuses on only one of six important steps in trematode life cycles, each of which requires a stable community dynamic to evolve. In addition, these transmission strategies may also utilize pathways within the food web that are not considered in traditional food web investigations. It is asserted that more effort must be focused on parasite-centric models, and a central theme is that many different approaches will be required. One promising approach is the old energetic perspective, which considers energy as the critical resource for all organisms, and the currency of all food web interactions. From the parasitological point of view, energy can be used to characterize the roles of parasites at all levels in the food web, from individuals to populations to community. The literature on parasite energetics in food webs is very sparse, but the evidence suggests that parasite species richness is low in food webs because parasites are limited by the quantity of energy available to their unique lifestyles. PMID:23092160

The inverse niche model for food webs with parasites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warren, Christopher P.; Pascual, Mercedes; Lafferty, Kevin D.; Kuris, Armand M.

2010-01-01

Although parasites represent an important component of ecosystems, few field and theoretical studies have addressed the structure of parasites in food webs. We evaluate the structure of parasitic links in an extensive salt marsh food web, with a new model distinguishing parasitic links from non-parasitic links among free-living species. The proposed model is an extension of the niche model for food web structure, motivated by the potential role of size (and related metabolic rates) in structuring food webs. The proposed extension captures several properties observed in the data, including patterns of clustering and nestedness, better than does a random model. By relaxing specific assumptions, we demonstrate that two essential elements of the proposed model are the similarity of a parasite's hosts and the increasing degree of parasite specialization, along a one-dimensional niche axis. Thus, inverting one of the basic rules of the original model, the one determining consumers' generality appears critical. Our results support the role of size as one of the organizing principles underlying niche space and food web topology. They also strengthen the evidence for the non-random structure of parasitic links in food webs and open the door to addressing questions concerning the consequences and origins of this structure.

Incidence and etiology of unplanned cast changes for fractures in the pediatric population.

PubMed

DiPaola, Matthew J; Abzug, Joshua M; Pizzutillo, Peter D; Herman, Martin J

2014-09-01

The majority of pediatric fractures are treated in casts due to the child's ability to heal rapidly and remodel. Unplanned cast changes are a time and economic burden with potentially adverse effects on fracture management. The purpose of this study is to document the incidence, etiology, and complications related to unplanned cast changes. A prospective study was conducted over a 6-month period to determine the incidence of unplanned cast changes. All casts applied were nonwaterproof. Data collected include the reason for cast placement, type of cast placed, duration of wear before the unplanned change, reason for the unplanned change, experience level of the original cast applicator, and cast-related complications. A total of 1135 casts were placed with 58% placed by a resident, 38% by a cast technician, 2% by a physician's assistant, and 2% by an attending physician. Sixty casts (5.3%) required an unplanned change including 19 short-arm casts, 18 short-leg casts, 17 long-arm casts, 4 thumb spica casts, and 2 long-leg casts. The average duration from cast application until the unplanned change was 13 days. Twenty-eight (47%) were changed for wetness, 20 (33%) for wear/breakage, 2 (3%) for skin irritation, and 10 (17%) for other reasons including objects in the cast and patient self-removal. Two patients had superficial skin infections requiring oral antibiotics. No fracture reductions were lost secondary to an unplanned cast change. The need for an unplanned cast change did not correlate with the level of experience of the applicator. Most unplanned cast changes were the result of patient nonadherence to instructions and not related to cast application technique. Improved patient and family education regarding cast care may reduce the frequency of unplanned cast changes, thus reducing an economic and time burden on the health care system. Level II--prognostic study.

Teaching And Learning Tectonics With Web-GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasio, D. J.; Sahagian, D. L.; Bodzin, A.; Teletzke, A. L.; Rutzmoser, S.; Cirucci, L.; Bressler, D.; Burrows, J. E.

2012-12-01

Tectonics is a new curriculum enhancement consisting of six Web GIS investigations designed to augment a traditional middle school Earth science curriculum. The investigations are aligned to Disciplinary Core Ideas: Earth and Space Science from the National Research Council's (2012) Framework for K-12 Science Education and to tectonics benchmark ideas articulated in the AAAS Project 2061 (2007) Atlas of Science Literacy. The curriculum emphasizes geospatial thinking and scientific inquiry and consists of the following modules: Geohazards, which plate boundary is closest to me? How do we recognize plate boundaries? How does thermal energy move around the Earth? What happens when plates diverge? What happens when plate move sideways past each other? What happens when plates collide? The Web GIS interface uses JavaScript for simplicity, intuition, and convenience for implementation on a variety of platforms making it easier for diverse middle school learners and their teachers to conduct authentic Earth science investigations, including multidisciplinary visualization, analysis, and synthesis of data. Instructional adaptations allow students who are English language learners, have disabilities, or are reluctant readers to perform advanced desktop GIS functions including spatial analysis, map visualization and query. The Web GIS interface integrates graphics, multimedia, and animation in addition to newly developed features, which allow users to explore and discover geospatial patterns that would not be easily visible using typical classroom instructional materials. The Tectonics curriculum uses a spatial learning design model that incorporates a related set of frameworks and design principles. The framework builds on the work of other successful technology-integrated curriculum projects and includes, alignment of materials and assessments with learning goals, casting key ideas in real-world problems, engaging students in scientific practices that foster the use of key ideas, uses geospatial technology, and supports for teachers in adopting and implementing GIS and inquiry-based activities.

Data and Models as Social Objects in the HydroShare System for Collaboration in the Hydrology Community and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarboton, D. G.; Idaszak, R.; Horsburgh, J. S.; Ames, D. P.; Goodall, J. L.; Band, L. E.; Merwade, V.; Couch, A.; Hooper, R. P.; Maidment, D. R.; Dash, P. K.; Stealey, M.; Yi, H.; Gan, T.; Castronova, A. M.; Miles, B.; Li, Z.; Morsy, M. M.; Crawley, S.; Ramirez, M.; Sadler, J.; Xue, Z.; Bandaragoda, C.

2016-12-01

How do you share and publish hydrologic data and models for a large collaborative project? HydroShare is a new, web-based system for sharing hydrologic data and models with specific functionality aimed at making collaboration easier. HydroShare has been developed with U.S. National Science Foundation support under the auspices of the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) to support the collaboration and community cyberinfrastructure needs of the hydrology research community. Within HydroShare, we have developed new functionality for creating datasets, describing them with metadata, and sharing them with collaborators. We cast hydrologic datasets and models as "social objects" that can be shared, collaborated around, annotated, published and discovered. In addition to data and model sharing, HydroShare supports web application programs (apps) that can act on data stored in HydroShare, just as software programs on your PC act on your data locally. This can free you from some of the limitations of local computing capacity and challenges in installing and maintaining software on your own PC. HydroShare's web-based cyberinfrastructure can take work off your desk or laptop computer and onto infrastructure or "cloud" based data and processing servers. This presentation will describe HydroShare's collaboration functionality that enables both public and private sharing with individual users and collaborative user groups, and makes it easier for collaborators to iterate on shared datasets and models, creating multiple versions along the way, and publishing them with a permanent landing page, metadata description, and citable Digital Object Identifier (DOI) when the work is complete. This presentation will also describe the web app architecture that supports interoperability with third party servers functioning as application engines for analysis and processing of big hydrologic datasets. While developed to support the cyberinfrastructure needs of the hydrology community, the informatics infrastructure for programmatic interoperability of web resources has a generality beyond the solution of hydrology problems that will be discussed.

Development of a Web-Based Self-management Intervention for Intermittent Urinary Catheter Users With Spinal Cord Injury.

PubMed

Wilde, Mary H; Fairbanks, Eileen; Parshall, Robert; Zhang, Feng; Miner, Sarah; Thayer, Deborah; Harrington, Brian; Brasch, Judith; McMAHON, James M

2015-11-01

While Web-based interventions have proliferated recently, information in the literature is often lacking about how the intervention was developed. In response to that gap, this is a report of the development of a Web-based self-management intervention for intermittent urinary catheter users and pretesting with four adults with spinal cord injury living in the community. Two Web sites were created, one for recruitment and the other for the intervention itself. The intervention involved developing new Web-based technology, including an interactive urinary diary (with fluid intake/urine output and a journal), extensive catheter products information, three intervention nurse phone call consultations, and user-community discussion forums. Study participants completed an online survey and were interviewed twice about the enrollment process and their perceptions of their involvement in the intervention. Suggestions from the pretesting participants were used to revise the Web site applications prior to the next stage of research (a feasibility study). Numerous recommendations and comments were received related to content, interactivity of components, and usability. This article provides a description of how the Web sites were developed (including the technology and software programs used), issues encountered and what was done to address them, and how the Web-based intervention was modified for improvements.

Science as a Web of Trails: Redesigning Science Education with the Tools of the Present to Meet the Needs of the Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karno, Donna; Glassman, Michael

2013-12-01

Science education has experienced significant changes since the mid-20th century, most recently with the creation of STEM curricula (DeBoer 1991; Yager 2000). The emergence of the World Wide Web as a tool in research and discovery offers Pre-K-12 science education an opportunity to share information and perspectives which engage students with the scientific community (Zoller 2011). Students are able to access open, transparent sites creating common resources pools and autonomous working groups which can be used for shared problem solving. Science teachers should carefully build web 2.0 technology into their practice based on a changing pedagogy. Instead of focusing on teaching rule-based concepts and processes in which the teacher's role is that of expert, education should be focusing on possibilities of the web both in scientific research and understanding. In addition, web-focused education can also help remake scientific product as a public good in the lives of both science researchers and science consumers.

The Web of Inclusion in Command and Control: The Standing Joint Force Headquarters and Military Transformation

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

14. ABSTRACT Toffler, Bell and Drucker argued that society was being redefined by a major new shift in technology, "The Information Age," which...Toffler, Bell and Drucker argued that society was being redefined by a major new shift in technology, “The Information Age,” which required organizational...threats and an adaptive, determined enemy. The Web of Inclusion The technologies that enable people to do their work and manage their lives

A New United Nations for a New Era: Security, Development, and the ’Regional Solution’ (The Case of Latin America)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Deal describe political organizations not as mindless, robotic entities, but as “living, screaming political arenas that host a complex web of...Peace, The Failed State Index, http://www.fundforpeace.org/ web /index.php?option=com_content&task=view& id=391&Itemid=549, accessed October 22, 2009 2:10...of the South American peoples. SICA - Sistema de Integracion Centroamericana, or Central American Integration System (Est. 1991) The Central

Vehicle Dynamics Monitoring and Tracking System (VDMTS): Monitoring Mission Impacts in Support of Installation Land Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

transfer This report will be made accessible through the World Wide Web (WWW) at URLs: http://www.cecer.army.mil http://libweb.erdc.usace.army.mil...conditions (e.g., wetter or dryer conditions). Using the same live event tracking data, predictions can be made for vegetation loss in wet soils, even...WWW World Wide Web ERDC/CERL TR-12-11 107 References Ahlvin, R. B., and P. W. Haley. 1992. NATO reference mobility model edition II, NRMM II

Dynamic NETosis is Carried Out by Live Neutrophils in Human and Mouse Bacterial Abscesses and During Severe Gram-Positive Infection

PubMed Central

Yipp, Bryan G.; Petri, Björn; Salina, Davide; Jenne, Craig N.; Scott, Brittney N. V.; Zbytnuik, Lori D.; Pittman, Keir; Asaduzzaman, Muhammad; Wu, Kaiyu; Meijndert, H. Christopher; Malawista, Stephen E.; de Boisfleury Chevance, Anne; Zhang, Kunyan; Conly, John; Kubes, Paul

2013-01-01

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are released, as neutrophils die in vitro, in a process requiring hours, leaving a temporal gap for invasive microbes to exploit. Functional neutrophils undergoing NETosis have not been documented. During Gram-positive skin infections, we directly visualized live PMN in vivo rapidly releasing NETs, which prevented bacterial dissemination. NETosis occurred during crawling thereby casting large areas of NETs. NET-releasing PMN developed diffuse decondensed nuclei ultimately becoming devoid of DNA. Cells with abnormal nuclei displayed unusual crawling behavior highlighted by erratic pseudopods and hyperpolarization consistent with the nucleus being a fulcrum for crawling. A combined requirement of Tlr2 and complement mediated opsonization tightly regulated NET release. Additionally live human PMN developed decondensed nuclei and formed NETS in vivo and intact anuclear neutrophils were abundant in Gram-positive human abscesses. Therefore early in infection, non-cell death NETosis occurs in vivo during Gram-positive infection in mice and humans. PMID:22922410

Reducing the Incidence of Cast-related Skin Complications in Children Treated With Cast Immobilization.

PubMed

Difazio, Rachel L; Harris, Marie; Feldman, Lanna; Mahan, Susan T

2017-12-01

Cast immobilization remains the mainstay of pediatric orthopaedic care, yet little is known about the incidence of cast-related skin complications in children treated with cast immobilization. The purposes of this quality improvement project were to: (1) establish a baseline rate of cast-related skin complications in children treated with cast immobilization, (2) identify trends in children who experienced cast-related skin complications, (3) design an intervention aimed at decreasing the rate of cast-related skin complications, and (4) determine the effectiveness of the intervention. A prospective interrupted time-series design was used to determine the incidence of cast-related skin complications overtime and compare the rates of skin complications before and after an intervention designed to decrease the incidence of cast-related heel complications. All consecutive patients who were treated with cast immobilization from September 2012 to September 2014 were included. A cast-related skin complications data collection tool was used to capture all cast-related skin complications. A high rate of heel events was noted in our preliminary analysis and an intervention was designed to decrease the rate of cast-related skin complications, including the addition of padding during casting and respective provider education. The estimated cast-related skin events rate for all patients was 8.9 per 1000 casts applied. The rate for the total preintervention sample was 13.6 per 1000 casts which decreased to 6.6 in the postintervention sample. When examining the heel-only group, the rate was 17.1 per 1000 lower extremity casts applied in the preintervention group and 6.8 in the postintervention group. Incorporating padding to the heel of lower extremity cast was an effective intervention in decreasing the incidence of cast-related skin complications in patients treated with cast immobilization. Level II.

Spondylitis Web Info for Teens

MedlinePlus

... Special Accommodations Transition to College Friends & family Friends & Family Relationships Stay Positive! Join Us Connect with us Your ... yourself? How does living with spondylitis affect your relationships with your family and friends? Does it affect your school life? ...

Ecosystem functioning and maximum entropy production: a quantitative test of hypotheses.

PubMed

Meysman, Filip J R; Bruers, Stijn

2010-05-12

The idea that entropy production puts a constraint on ecosystem functioning is quite popular in ecological thermodynamics. Yet, until now, such claims have received little quantitative verification. Here, we examine three 'entropy production' hypotheses that have been forwarded in the past. The first states that increased entropy production serves as a fingerprint of living systems. The other two hypotheses invoke stronger constraints. The state selection hypothesis states that when a system can attain multiple steady states, the stable state will show the highest entropy production rate. The gradient response principle requires that when the thermodynamic gradient increases, the system's new stable state should always be accompanied by a higher entropy production rate. We test these three hypotheses by applying them to a set of conventional food web models. Each time, we calculate the entropy production rate associated with the stable state of the ecosystem. This analysis shows that the first hypothesis holds for all the food webs tested: the living state shows always an increased entropy production over the abiotic state. In contrast, the state selection and gradient response hypotheses break down when the food web incorporates more than one trophic level, indicating that they are not generally valid.

Web-based therapist training on cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety disorders: a pilot study.

PubMed

Kobak, Kenneth A; Craske, Michelle G; Rose, Raphael D; Wolitsky-Taylor, Kate

2013-06-01

The need for clinicians to use evidence-based practices (such as cognitive behavior therapy [CBT]) is now well recognized. However, a gap exists between the need for empirically based treatments and their availability. This is due, in part, to a shortage of clinicians formally trained on CBT. To address this problem, we developed a Web-based therapist CBT training program, to increase accessibility to this training. The program uses a two-step approach: an interactive multimedia online tutorial for didactic training on CBT concepts, followed by live remote observation through a videoconference of trainees conducting CBT, with immediate feedback in real time during critical moments to enhance learning through iterative guidance and practice. Thirty-nine clinicians from around the county completed the online didactic training and 22 completed the live remote training. Results found a significant increase in knowledge of CBT concepts and a significant increase in clinical skills, as judged by a blind rater. User satisfaction was high for both the online tutorial and the videoconference training. Utilization of CBT by trainees increased after training. Results support the acceptability and effectiveness of this Web-based approach to training.

Determining casting defects in near-net shape casting aluminum parts by computed tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiehua; Oberdorfer, Bernd; Habe, Daniel; Schumacher, Peter

2018-03-01

Three types of near-net shape casting aluminum parts were investigated by computed tomography to determine casting defects and evaluate quality. The first, second, and third parts were produced by low-pressure die casting (Al-12Si-0.8Cu-0.5Fe-0.9Mg-0.7Ni-0.2Zn alloy), die casting (A356, Al-7Si-0.3Mg), and semi-solid casting (A356, Al-7Si-0.3Mg), respectively. Unlike die casting (second part), low-pressure die casting (first part) significantly reduced the formation of casting defects (i.e., porosity) due to its smooth filling and solidification under pressure. No significant casting defect was observed in the third part, and this absence of defects indicates that semi-solid casting could produce high-quality near-net shape casting aluminum parts. Moreover, casting defects were mostly distributed along the eutectic grain boundaries. This finding reveals that refinement of eutectic grains is necessary to optimize the distribution of casting defects and reduce their size. This investigation demonstrated that computed tomography is an efficient method to determine casting defects in near-net shape casting aluminum parts.

Humans Strengthen Bottom-Up Effects and Weaken Trophic Cascades in a Terrestrial Food Web

PubMed Central

Muhly, Tyler B.; Hebblewhite, Mark; Paton, Dale; Pitt, Justin A.; Boyce, Mark S.; Musiani, Marco

2013-01-01

Ongoing debate about whether food webs are primarily regulated by predators or by primary plant productivity, cast as top-down and bottom-up effects, respectively, may becoming superfluous. Given that most of the world's ecosystems are human dominated we broadened this dichotomy by considering human effects in a terrestrial food-web. We studied a multiple human-use landscape in southwest Alberta, Canada, as opposed to protected areas where previous terrestrial food-web studies have been conducted. We used structural equation models (SEMs) to assess the strength and direction of relationships between the density and distribution of: (1) humans, measured using a density index; (2) wolves (Canis lupus), elk (Cervus elpahus) and domestic cattle (Bos taurus), measured using resource selection functions, and; (3) forage quality, quantity and utilization (measured at vegetation sampling plots). Relationships were evaluated by taking advantage of temporal and spatial variation in human density, including day versus night, and two landscapes with the highest and lowest human density in the study area. Here we show that forage-mediated effects of humans had primacy over predator-mediated effects in the food web. In our parsimonious SEM, occurrence of humans was most correlated with occurrence of forage (β = 0.637, p<0.0001). Elk and cattle distribution were correlated with forage (elk day: β = 0.400, p<0.0001; elk night: β = 0.369, p<0.0001; cattle day: β = 0.403, p<0.0001; cattle, night: β = 0.436, p<0.0001), and the distribution of elk or cattle and wolves were positively correlated during daytime (elk: β = 0.293, p <0.0001, cattle: β = 0.303, p<0.0001) and nighttime (elk: β = 0.460, p<0.0001, cattle: β = 0.482, p<0.0001). Our results contrast with research conducted in protected areas that suggested human effects in the food web are primarily predator-mediated. Instead, human influence on vegetation may strengthen bottom-up predominance and weaken top-down trophic cascades in ecosystems. We suggest that human influences on ecosystems may usurp top-down and bottom-up effects. PMID:23667705

Bad on the net, or bipolars' lives on the web: analyzing discussion web pages for individuals with bipolar affective disorder.

PubMed

Latalova, Klara; Prasko, Jan; Kamaradova, Dana; Ivanova, Katerina; Jurickova, Lubica

2014-01-01

The main therapeutic approach in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder is the administration of drugs. The effectiveness of this approach can be increased by specific psychotherapeutic interventions. There is not much knowledge about self-help initiatives in this field. Anonymous internet communication may be beneficial, regardless of the fact that it is non-professional. It offers a chance to confide and share symptoms with other patients, to open up for persons with feelings of shame, and to obtain relevant information without having a direct contact with an expert. Qualitative analysis of web discussions used by patients with bipolar disorder in Czech language was performed. Using key words "diskuze" (discussion), "maniodeprese" (manic depression) and "bipolární porucha" (bipolar disorder), 8 discussions were found, but only 3 of them were anonymous and non-professional. Individual discussion entries were analyzed for basic categories or subcategories, and these were subsequently assessed so that their relationships could be better understood. A total of 436 entries from 3 discussion web pages were analyzed. Subsequently, six categories were identified (participant, diagnosis, relationships, communication, topic and treatment), each having 5-12 subcategories. These were analyzed in terms of relationships and patterns. Czech discussion web pages for people suffering from bipolar disorder are a lively community of users supporting each other, that may be characterized as a compact body open to newcomers. They seem to fulfill patients' needs that are not fully met by health care services. It also has a "self-cleaning" ability, effectively dealing with posts that are inappropriate, provocative, criticizing, aggressive or meaningless.

Going, Going, Still There: Using the WebCite Service to Permanently Archive Cited Web Pages

PubMed Central

Trudel, Mathieu

2005-01-01

Scholars are increasingly citing electronic “web references” which are not preserved in libraries or full text archives. WebCite is a new standard for citing web references. To “webcite” a document involves archiving the cited Web page through www.webcitation.org and citing the WebCite permalink instead of (or in addition to) the unstable live Web page. This journal has amended its “instructions for authors” accordingly, asking authors to archive cited Web pages before submitting a manuscript. Almost 200 other journals are already using the system. We discuss the rationale for WebCite, its technology, and how scholars, editors, and publishers can benefit from the service. Citing scholars initiate an archiving process of all cited Web references, ideally before they submit a manuscript. Authors of online documents and websites which are expected to be cited by others can ensure that their work is permanently available by creating an archived copy using WebCite and providing the citation information including the WebCite link on their Web document(s). Editors should ask their authors to cache all cited Web addresses (Uniform Resource Locators, or URLs) “prospectively” before submitting their manuscripts to their journal. Editors and publishers should also instruct their copyeditors to cache cited Web material if the author has not done so already. Finally, WebCite can process publisher submitted “citing articles” (submitted for example as eXtensible Markup Language [XML] documents) to automatically archive all cited Web pages shortly before or on publication. Finally, WebCite can act as a focussed crawler, caching retrospectively references of already published articles. Copyright issues are addressed by honouring respective Internet standards (robot exclusion files, no-cache and no-archive tags). Long-term preservation is ensured by agreements with libraries and digital preservation organizations. The resulting WebCite Index may also have applications for research assessment exercises, being able to measure the impact of Web services and published Web documents through access and Web citation metrics. PMID:16403724

Parasites as prey in aquatic food webs: implications for predator infection and parasite transmission

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thieltges, David W.; Amundsen, Per-Arne; Hechinger, Ryan F.; Johnson, Pieter T.J.; Lafferty, Levin D.; Mouritsen, Kim N.; Preston, Daniel L.; Reise, Karsten; Zander, C. Dieter; Poulin, Robert

2013-01-01

While the recent inclusion of parasites into food-web studies has highlighted the role of parasites as consumers, there is accumulating evidence that parasites can also serve as prey for predators. Here we investigated empirical patterns of predation on parasites and their relationships with parasite transmission in eight topological food webs representing marine and freshwater ecosystems. Within each food web, we examined links in the typical predator–prey sub web as well as the predator–parasite sub web, i.e. the quadrant of the food web indicating which predators eat parasites. Most predator– parasite links represented ‘concomitant predation’ (consumption and death of a parasite along with the prey/host; 58–72%), followed by ‘trophic transmission’ (predator feeds on infected prey and becomes infected; 8–32%) and predation on free-living parasite life-cycle stages (4–30%). Parasite life-cycle stages had, on average, between 4.2 and 14.2 predators. Among the food webs, as predator richness increased, the number of links exploited by trophically transmitted parasites increased at about the same rate as did the number of links where these stages serve as prey. On the whole, our analyses suggest that predation on parasites has important consequences for both predators and parasites, and food web structure. Because our analysis is solely based on topological webs, determining the strength of these interactions is a promising avenue for future research.

Teleconsultation in school settings: linking classroom teachers and behavior analysts through web-based technology.

PubMed

Frieder, Jessica E; Peterson, Stephanie M; Woodward, Judy; Crane, Jaelee; Garner, Marlane

2009-01-01

This paper describes a technically driven, collaborative approach to assessing the function of problem behavior using web-based technology. A case example is provided to illustrate the process used in this pilot project. A school team conducted a functional analysis with a child who demonstrated challenging behaviors in a preschool setting. Behavior analysts at a university setting provided the school team with initial workshop trainings, on-site visits, e-mail and phone communication, as well as live web-based feedback on functional analysis sessions. The school personnel implemented the functional analysis with high fidelity and scored the data reliably. Outcomes of the project suggest that there is great potential for collaboration via the use of web-based technologies for ongoing assessment and development of effective interventions. However, an empirical evaluation of this model should be conducted before wide-scale adoption is recommended.

Lessons learned from the implementation of a Web-based nursing intervention.

PubMed

Bond, Gail E

2006-01-01

The emergence of the World Wide Web in the last decade has introduced the belief that the Internet has the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery and empower consumers. Given the power of technology to change the way we live, the healthcare community has begun to explore the feasibility of delivering interventions via the Web, including personalized care with chronic disease management. The purpose of this article is to describe this researcher's experience with the development and implementation of a Web-based intervention to enhance diabetes self-management for older adults. Challenges faced by the project involved inadequate funding to cover technology issues (programming, graphics design, etc),decisions regarding the appropriate environment/framework, and questions on how to merge the practice and theory of a given discipline with the limitations of Internet technology. This article will examine and discuss these issues and make recommendations on possible methods of improving the process.

Happiness and the Family 2.0 Paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mocan, Rodica; Racorean, Stefana

Does new media technology have the potential to make us happier? This paper explores the influence of new information communication technologies on family life satisfaction while analyzing some of the factors that determine changes in the way we live our lives in the information age. Family 2.0 is the new paradigm of family life and the emergence of Web 2.0 type of applications is at the very core of its existence.

Soil biota in an ungrazed grassland: Response to annual grass (Bromus tectorum) invasion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belnap, Jayne; Phillips, Susan L.

2001-01-01

Bromus tectorum is an exotic annual grass that currently dominates many western U.S. semi-arid ecosystems, and the effects of this grass on ecosystems in general, and soil biota specifically, are unknown. Bromus recently invaded two ungrazed and unburned perennial bunchgrass communities in southeastern Utah. This study compared the soil food-web structure of the two native grassland associations (Stipa [S] and Hilaria [H]), with and without the presence of Bromus. Perennial grass and total vascular-plant cover were higher in S than in H plots, while quantities of ground litter were similar. Distribution of live and dead plant material was highly clumped in S and fairly homogenous in H. Soil food-web structure was different between H and S, with lower trophic levels more abundant in H and higher trophic levels more abundant in S. In Bromus-invaded plots, the quantity of ground litter was 2.2 times higher in Hilaria–Bromus (HB) than in H plots, and 2.8 times higher in Stipa–Bromus (SB) than in S plots. Soil biota in HB generally responded to the Bromus invasion in an opposite manner than in SB, e.g., if a given component of the food web increased in one community, it generally decreased in the other. Active bacteria decreased in H vs. HB, while increasing in S vs. SB. Soil and live plant-infecting fungi were the exception, as they increased in both types of invaded plots relative to uninvaded plots. Dead-plant-infecting fungi decreased in H vs. HB and increased in S vs. SB. Most higher-trophic-level organisms increased in HB relative to H, while decreasing in SB relative to S. Given the mixed response to invasion, the structure of these soil food webs appears to be controlled by both plant inputs and internal dynamics between trophic levels. When compared to non-invaded sites, soil and soil food-web characterisitics of the newly invaded sites included: (1) lower species richness and lower absolute numbers of fungi and invertebrates; (2) greater abundance of active bacteria; (3) similar species of bacteria and fungi as those found in soils invaded over 50 yr ago; (4) higher levels of silt (thus greater fertility and soil water-holding capacity); and (5) a more continuous cover of living and dead plant material (thus facilitating germination of the large-seeded Bromus). These results illustrate that (1) soil food-web structure can vary widely within what would generally be considered one vegetation type (semi-arid grassland), depending on plant species composition within that type, and (2) addition of a common resource can evoke disparate responses from individual food-web compartments, depending on their original structure.

ATLAS Live: Collaborative Information Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldfarb, Steven; ATLAS Collaboration

2011-12-01

I report on a pilot project launched in 2010 focusing on facilitating communication and information exchange within the ATLAS Collaboration, through the combination of digital signage software and webcasting. The project, called ATLAS Live, implements video streams of information, ranging from detailed detector and data status to educational and outreach material. The content, including text, images, video and audio, is collected, visualised and scheduled using digital signage software. The system is robust and flexible, utilizing scripts to input data from remote sources, such as the CERN Document Server, Indico, or any available URL, and to integrate these sources into professional-quality streams, including text scrolling, transition effects, inter and intra-screen divisibility. Information is published via the encoding and webcasting of standard video streams, viewable on all common platforms, using a web browser or other common video tool. Authorisation is enforced at the level of the streaming and at the web portals, using the CERN SSO system.

Breast volumetric analysis for aesthetic planning in breast reconstruction: a literature review of techniques

PubMed Central

Rozen, Warren Matthew; Spychal, Robert T.; Hunter-Smith, David J.

2016-01-01

Background Accurate volumetric analysis is an essential component of preoperative planning in both reconstructive and aesthetic breast procedures towards achieving symmetrization and patient-satisfactory outcome. Numerous comparative studies and reviews of individual techniques have been reported. However, a unifying review of all techniques comparing their accuracy, reliability, and practicality has been lacking. Methods A review of the published English literature dating from 1950 to 2015 using databases, such as PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and EMBASE, was undertaken. Results Since Bouman’s first description of water displacement method, a range of volumetric assessment techniques have been described: thermoplastic casting, direct anthropomorphic measurement, two-dimensional (2D) imaging, and computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. However, most have been unreliable, difficult to execute and demonstrate limited practicability. Introduction of 3D surface imaging has revolutionized the field due to its ease of use, fast speed, accuracy, and reliability. However, its widespread use has been limited by its high cost and lack of high level of evidence. Recent developments have unveiled the first web-based 3D surface imaging program, 4D imaging, and 3D printing. Conclusions Despite its importance, an accurate, reliable, and simple breast volumetric analysis tool has been elusive until the introduction of 3D surface imaging technology. However, its high cost has limited its wide usage. Novel adjunct technologies, such as web-based 3D surface imaging program, 4D imaging, and 3D printing, appear promising. PMID:27047788

Effect of web-supported health education on knowledge of health and healthy-living behaviour of female staff in a Turkish university.

PubMed

Nurgul, Keser; Nursan, Cinar; Dilek, Kose; Over, Ozcelik Tijen; Sevin, Altinkaynak

2015-01-01

Once limited with face-to face courses, health education has now moved into the web environment after new developments in information technology This study was carried out in order to give training to the university academic and administrative female staff who have difficulty in attending health education planned for specific times and places. The web-supported training focuses on healthy diet, the importance of physical activity, damage of smoking and stress management. The study was carried out in Sakarya University between the years 2012-2013 as a descriptive and quasi experimental study. The sample consisted of 30 participants who agreed to take part in the survey, filled in the forms and completed the whole training. The data were collected via a "Personel Information Form", "Health Promotion Life-Style Profile (HPLSP)", and "Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ). There was a statistically significant difference between the total points from "Health Promotion Life-Style Profile" and the total points from the sub-scale after and before the training (t=3.63, p=0.001). When the points from the multiple choice questionnaire after and before training were compared, it was seen that the average points were higher after the training (t=8.57, p<0.001). It was found that web-supported health training has a positive effect on the healthy living behaviour of female staff working at a Turkish university and on their knowledge of health promotion.

Urinary casts

MedlinePlus

... tubular epithelial casts; Waxy casts; Casts in the urine; Fatty casts; Red blood cell casts; White blood ... The urine sample you provide may need to be from your first morning urine. The sample needs to be ...

Casting Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Michael D.; And Others

1992-01-01

Three articles discuss (1) casting technology as it relates to industry, with comparisons of shell casting, shell molding, and die casting; (2) evaporative pattern casting for metals; and (3) high technological casting with silicone rubber. (JOW)

Scholarly context not found: One in five articles suffers from reference rot

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klein, Martin; Van de Sompel, Herbert; Sanderson, Robert

The emergence of the web has fundamentally affected most aspects of information communication, including scholarly communication. The immediacy that characterizes publishing information to the web, as well as accessing it, allows for a dramatic increase in the speed of dissemination of scholarly knowledge. But, the transition from a paper-based to a web-based scholarly communication system also poses challenges. In this paper, we focus on reference rot, the combination of link rot and content drift to which references to web resources included in Science, Technology, and Medicine (STM) articles are subject. We investigate the extent to which reference rot impacts themore » ability to revisit the web context that surrounds STM articles some time after their publication. We do so on the basis of a vast collection of articles from three corpora that span publication years 1997 to 2012. For over one million references to web resources extracted from over 3.5 million articles, we determine whether the HTTP URI is still responsive on the live web and whether web archives contain an archived snapshot representative of the state the referenced resource had at the time it was referenced. We observe that the fraction of articles containing references to web resources is growing steadily over time. We find one out of five STM articles suffering from reference rot, meaning it is impossible to revisit the web context that surrounds them some time after their publication. When only considering STM articles that contain references to web resources, this fraction increases to seven out of ten.« less

Scholarly context not found: One in five articles suffers from reference rot

DOE PAGES

Klein, Martin; Van de Sompel, Herbert; Sanderson, Robert; ...

2014-12-26

The emergence of the web has fundamentally affected most aspects of information communication, including scholarly communication. The immediacy that characterizes publishing information to the web, as well as accessing it, allows for a dramatic increase in the speed of dissemination of scholarly knowledge. But, the transition from a paper-based to a web-based scholarly communication system also poses challenges. In this paper, we focus on reference rot, the combination of link rot and content drift to which references to web resources included in Science, Technology, and Medicine (STM) articles are subject. We investigate the extent to which reference rot impacts themore » ability to revisit the web context that surrounds STM articles some time after their publication. We do so on the basis of a vast collection of articles from three corpora that span publication years 1997 to 2012. For over one million references to web resources extracted from over 3.5 million articles, we determine whether the HTTP URI is still responsive on the live web and whether web archives contain an archived snapshot representative of the state the referenced resource had at the time it was referenced. We observe that the fraction of articles containing references to web resources is growing steadily over time. We find one out of five STM articles suffering from reference rot, meaning it is impossible to revisit the web context that surrounds them some time after their publication. When only considering STM articles that contain references to web resources, this fraction increases to seven out of ten.« less

FRAT-up, a Web-based fall-risk assessment tool for elderly people living in the community.

PubMed

Cattelani, Luca; Palumbo, Pierpaolo; Palmerini, Luca; Bandinelli, Stefania; Becker, Clemens; Chesani, Federico; Chiari, Lorenzo

2015-02-18

About 30% of people over 65 are subject to at least one unintentional fall a year. Fall prevention protocols and interventions can decrease the number of falls. To be effective, a prevention strategy requires a prior step to evaluate the fall risk of the subjects. Despite extensive research, existing assessment tools for fall risk have been insufficient for predicting falls. The goal of this study is to present a novel web-based fall-risk assessment tool (FRAT-up) and to evaluate its accuracy in predicting falls, within a context of community-dwelling persons aged 65 and up. FRAT-up is based on the assumption that a subject's fall risk is given by the contribution of their exposure to each of the known fall-risk factors. Many scientific studies have investigated the relationship between falls and risk factors. The majority of these studies adopted statistical approaches, usually providing quantitative information such as odds ratios. FRAT-up exploits these numerical results to compute how each single factor contributes to the overall fall risk. FRAT-up is based on a formal ontology that enlists a number of known risk factors, together with quantitative findings in terms of odds ratios. From such information, an automatic algorithm generates a rule-based probabilistic logic program, that is, a set of rules for each risk factor. The rule-based program takes the health profile of the subject (in terms of exposure to the risk factors) and computes the fall risk. A Web-based interface allows users to input health profiles and to visualize the risk assessment for the given subject. FRAT-up has been evaluated on the InCHIANTI Study dataset, a representative population-based study of older persons living in the Chianti area (Tuscany, Italy). We compared reported falls with predicted ones and computed performance indicators. The obtained area under curve of the receiver operating characteristic was 0.642 (95% CI 0.614-0.669), while the Brier score was 0.174. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test indicated statistical significance of miscalibration. FRAT-up is a web-based tool for evaluating the fall risk of people aged 65 or up living in the community. Validation results of fall risks computed by FRAT-up show that its performance is comparable to externally validated state-of-the-art tools. A prototype is freely available through a web-based interface. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01331512 (The InChianti Follow-Up Study); http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01331512 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6UDrrRuaR).

Comparing Two Web-Based Smoking Cessation Programs: Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

McKay, H Garth; Seeley, John R; Lichtenstein, Edward; Gau, Jeff M

2008-01-01

Background Smoking cessation remains a significant public health problem. Innovative interventions that use the Internet have begun to emerge that offer great promise in reaching large numbers of participants and encouraging widespread behavior change. To date, the relatively few controlled trials of Web-based smoking cessation programs have been limited by short follow-up intervals. Objective We describe the 6-month follow-up results of a randomized controlled trial in which participants recruited online were randomly assigned to either a Web-based smoking cessation program (Quit Smoking Network; QSN) or a Web-based exercise enhancement program (Active Lives) adapted somewhat to encourage smoking cessation. Methods The study was a two-arm randomized controlled trial that compared two Web-based smoking cessation programs: (1) the QSN intervention condition presented cognitive-behavioral strategies, and (2) the Active Lives control condition provided participants with guidance in developing a physical activity program to assist them with quitting. The QSN condition provided smoking cessation information and behavior change strategies while the Active Lives condition provided participants with physical activity recommendations and goal setting. The QSN condition was designed to be more engaging (eg, it included multimedia components) and to present much greater content than is typically found in smoking cessation programs. Results Contrary to our hypotheses, no between-condition differences in smoking abstinence were found at 3- and 6-month follow-up assessments. While participants in the QSN intervention condition spent more time than controls visiting the online program, the median number of 1.0 visit in each condition and the substantial attrition (60.8% at the 6-month follow-up) indicate that participants were not as engaged as we had expected. Conclusions Contrary to our hypothesis, our test of two Web-based smoking cessation conditions, an intervention and an attention placebo control, failed to show differences at 3- and 6-month assessments. We explored possible reasons for this finding, including limited engagement of participants and simplifying program content and architecture. Future research needs to address methods to improve participant engagement in online smoking cessation programs. Possible approaches in this regard can include new informed consent procedures that better explain the roles and responsibilities of being a research participant, new program designs that add more vitality (changing content from visit to visit), and new types of reminders pushed out to participants to encourage return visits. Simplifying program content through a combination of enhanced tailoring and information architecture also merits further research attention. PMID:19017582

A health information technology glossary for novices.

PubMed

Cravens, Gary D; Dixon, Brian E; Zafar, Atif; McGowan, Julie J

2008-11-06

To deliver information to providers across the U.S., the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's National Resource Center for Health IT (NRC) created a public domain Web site containing a number of tools and resources. Specifically lacking from this Web site is a glossary of health IT terminology. To address this omission and respond to requests from Web site users,the Regenstrief Institute created the Health IT Glossary. This glossary is designed to provide novices, providers and others new to health IT, with a single source to find basic definitions for a broad range of terms, consistent with the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) effort. The glossary is a living document, and feedback is welcomed from the health informatics community.

EZStream: Distributing Live ISS Experiment Telemetry via Internet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Gerry; Welch, Clara L. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This paper will present the high-level architecture and components of the current version of EZStream as well as the product direction & enhancements to be incorporated through a Phase II grant. Security will be addressed such as data encryption and user login. Remote user devices will be discussed including web browsers on PC's and displays on PDA's and smart cell phones. The interaction between EZStream and TReK will be covered as well as the eventuality of EZStream to receive and parse binary data streams directly. This makes EZStream beneficial to both the International Partners and non-NASA applications. The options of developing client-side display web pages will be addressed and the development of new tools to allow creation of display web pages by non-programmers.

A comparative study of American football helmet removal techniques using a cadaveric model of cervical spine injury.

PubMed

Anderson, Andrew; Tollefson, Brian; Cohen, Rob; Johnson, Jeremy; Summers, Richard L

2011-04-01

American football is the source of a significant number of cervical spine injuries. Removal of the helmets from these individuals is often problematic and presents a potential for exacerbation of the injury. There are two widely recognized helmet removal techniques that are currently in practice. In this study, the two methods are compared for cervical movement and potential for cord injury to determine their relative efficiency and clinical utility. A single cadaver with a simulated cervical injury was used to compare the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and cast saw techniques of helmet removal. Directed lateral fluoroscopy was used to measure the relative changes in angulation, translation, distraction, and space available to the spinal cord during helmet removal using the two techniques as performed by medical personnel with limited training in the methods. By radiologists' reports, there were no detectable changes in disc height, translation or space available for the spinal cord during helmet removal with either of the studied techniques. Operators noted that the noise of the cast saw would probably be significantly uncomfortable for any live subject inside of a helmet. Both the NATA and cast saw methods appear effective for the safe removal of a football helmet and with little risk of further injury to the cervical spine. Considering the simplicity and efficiency of the NATA helmet removal technique, the authors conclude that the NATA technique should be the preferred helmet removal method.

Development of leadership self-efficacy and collective efficacy: adolescent girls across castes as peer educators in Nepal.

PubMed

Posner, J; Kayastha, P; Davis, D; Limoges, J; O'Donnell, C; Yue, K

2009-01-01

Adolescent girls in Nepal face enormous social barriers to accessing education and health services due to exclusionary socio-religious traditions and years of conflict. The programme and study reported here address two issues that a national assembly of in-school and out-of-school adolescent girls, who had completed a basic life skills class, and, in the case of unschooled girls, an intensive literacy course, identified as important to their well-being - menstrual restrictions and HIV awareness and prevention. Local non-governmental organizations developed a peer education programme in three districts of Nepal that paired girls from different castes and different educational levels. The programme sought to increase peer educators' (PE) leadership and collective efficacy for informing peers and adults in their communities about the effects that these issues have on women and girls. In total, 504 girls were selected and trained as PEs. They conducted targeted discussion sessions with other girls and organised mass awareness events, reaching 20,000 people. Examination of the effects of participating in the programme on key outcome measures showed that leadership self-efficacy, which was a central theoretical construct for the programme, provided a strong predictor of both increased HIV knowledge and of practicing fewer menstrual restrictions at endline. The project demonstrated that girls from different caste and educational backgrounds are able to work together to change individual behaviour and to address socio-cultural norms that affect their lives and well-being within their communities.

Cold resistance depends on acclimation and behavioral caste in a temperate ant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modlmeier, Andreas P.; Pamminger, Tobias; Foitzik, Susanne; Scharf, Inon

2012-10-01

Adjusting to low temperatures is important for animals living in cold environments. We studied the chill-coma recovery time in temperate ant workers ( Temnothorax nylanderi) from colonies collected in autumn and spring in Germany. We experimentally acclimated these ant colonies to cold temperatures followed by warm temperatures. As expected, cold-acclimated workers recovered faster from freezing temperatures, but subsequent heat acclimation did not change the short recovery times observed after cold acclimation. Hence, either heat acclimation improves cold tolerance, possibly as a general response to stress, or at least it does not negate enhanced cold tolerance following cold acclimation. Colonies collected in spring showed similar cold tolerance levels to cold-acclimated colonies in the laboratory. Next, we compared the chill-coma recovery time of different worker castes and found that exterior workers recovered faster than interior workers. This difference may be related to their more frequent exposure to cold, higher activity level, or distinct physiology. Interior workers were also heavier and showed a higher gaster-to-head ratio and thorax ratio compared to exterior workers. An obvious difference between exterior and interior workers is activity level, but we found no link between activity and cold tolerance. This suggests that physiology rather than behavioral differences could cause the increased cold tolerance of exterior workers. Our study reveals the importance of acclimation for cold tolerance under natural and standardized conditions and demonstrates differences in cold tolerance and body dimensions in monomorphic behavioral castes of an ant.

Reemergence of the bedbug Cimex lectularius in Seoul, Korea

PubMed Central

Lee, In-Yong; Ree, Han-Il; An, Song-Jun; Linton, John Alderman

2008-01-01

A healthy 30-yr-old woman carrying an insect that had been caught in her living room visited the International Clinic at Severance Hospital, Seoul, in December 2007. The insect she brought was identified to be a nymph of a bedbug, Cimex lectularius, and her skin rashes looked typical bedbug's bites. Her apartment was investigated, and a dead body of a bedbug, cast skins, and hatched eggs were found in her rooms and neighbors' rooms in the same building. She was living in that apartment in Seoul for 9 months since she had moved from New Jersey, USA. We assume that the bedbugs were introduced from abroad, since there had been no report on bedbugs in Seoul for more than 2 decades at least. This is a report of a reemergence of the common bedbug, C. lectularius in Seoul, Korea. PMID:19127335

Food webs including parasites, biomass, body sizes, and life stages for three California/Baja California estuaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hechinger, Ryan F.; Lafferty, Kevin D.; McLaughlin, John P.; Fredensborg, Brian L.; Huspeni, Todd C.; Lorda, Julio; Sandhu, Parwant K.; Shaw, Jenny C.; Torchin, Mark E.; Whitney, Kathleen L.; Kuris, Armand M.

2001-01-01

This data set presents food webs for three North American Pacific coast estuaries and a “Metaweb” composed of the species/stages compiled from all three estuaries. The webs have four noteworthy attributes: (1) parasites (infectious agents), (2) body-size information, (3) biomass information, and (4) ontogenetic stages of many animals with complex life cycles. The estuaries are Carpinteria Salt Marsh, California (CSM); Estero de Punta Banda, Baja California (EPB); and Bahía Falsa in Bahía San Quintín, Baja California (BSQ). Most data on species assemblages and parasitism were gathered via consistent sampling that acquired body size and biomass information for plants and animals larger than ∼1 mm, and for many infectious agents (mostly metazoan parasites, but also some microbes). We augmented this with information from additional published sources and by sampling unrepresented groups (e.g., plankton). We estimated free-living consumer–resource links primarily by extending a previously published version of the CSM web (which the current CSM web supplants) and determined most parasite consumer–resource links from direct observation. We recognize 21 possible link types including four general interactions: predators consuming prey, parasites consuming hosts, predators consuming parasites, and parasites consuming parasites. While generally resolved to the species level, we report stage-specific nodes for many animals with complex life cycles. We include additional biological information for each node, such as taxonomy, lifestyle (free-living, infectious, commensal, mutualist), mobility, and residency. The Metaweb includes 500 nodes, 314 species, and 11 270 links projected to be present given appropriate species' co-occurrences. Of these, 9247 links were present in one or more of the estuarine webs. The remaining 2023 links were not present in the estuaries but are included here because they may occur in other places or times. Initial analyses have examined and are examining the interrelationships among consumer strategy, body size, abundance, biomass, trophic level, life stages, and food-web structure and dynamics. Further use of these data may enable a more general exploration how infectious processes and parasites impact communities and ecosystems. Additionally, we present the data and metadata in a standardized format, attempting to provide a system-neutral template for future food-web assembly and publication.

Development of a multichemical food web model: application to PBDEs in Lake Ellasjoen, Bear Island, Norway.

PubMed

Gandhi, Nilima; Bhavsar, Satyendra P; Gewurtz, Sarah B; Diamond, Miriam L; Evenset, Anita; Christensen, Guttorm N; Gregor, Dennis

2006-08-01

A multichemical food web model has been developed to estimate the biomagnification of interconverting chemicals in aquatic food webs. We extended a fugacity-based food web model for single chemicals to account for reversible and irreversible biotransformation among a parent chemical and transformation products, by simultaneously solving mass balance equations of the chemicals using a matrix solution. The model can be applied to any number of chemicals and organisms or taxonomic groups in a food web. The model was illustratively applied to four PBDE congeners, BDE-47, -99, -100, and -153, in the food web of Lake Ellasjøen, Bear Island, Norway. In Ellasjøen arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), the multichemical model estimated PBDE biotransformation from higher to lower brominated congeners and improved the correspondence between estimated and measured concentrations in comparison to estimates from the single-chemical food web model. The underestimation of BDE-47, even after considering bioformation due to biotransformation of the otherthree congeners, suggests its formation from additional biotransformation pathways not considered in this application. The model estimates approximate values for congener-specific biotransformation half-lives of 5.7,0.8,1.14, and 0.45 years for BDE-47, -99, -100, and -153, respectively, in large arctic char (S. alpinus) of Lake Ellasjøen.

Food web topology and parasites in the pelagic zone of a subarctic lake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Amundsen, Per-Arne; Lafferty, K.D.; Knudsen, R.; Primicerio, R.; Klemetsen, A.; Kuris, A.M.

2009-01-01

Parasites permeate trophic webs with their often complex life cycles, but few studies have included parasitism in food web analyses. Here we provide a highly resolved food web from the pelagic zone of a subarctic lake and explore how the incorporation of parasites alters the topology of the web. 2. Parasites used hosts at all trophic levels and increased both food-chain lengths and the total number of trophic levels. Their inclusion in the network analyses more than doubled the number of links and resulted in an increase in important food-web characteristics such as linkage density and connectance. 3. More than half of the parasite taxa were trophically transmitted, exploiting hosts at multiple trophic levels and thus increasing the degree of omnivory in the trophic web. 4. For trophically transmitted parasites, the number of parasite-host links exhibited a positive correlation with the linkage density of the host species, whereas no such relationship was seen for nontrophically transmitted parasites. Our findings suggest that the linkage density of free-living species affects their exposure to trophically transmitted parasites, which may be more likely to adopt highly connected species as hosts during the evolution of complex life cycles. 5. The study supports a prominent role for parasites in ecological networks and demonstrates that their incorporation may substantially alter considerations of food-web structure and functioning. ?? 2009 British Ecological Society.

Electronic gap sensor and method

DOEpatents

Williams, R.S.; King, E.L.; Campbell, S.L.

1991-08-06

Disclosed are an apparatus and method for regulating the gap between a casting nozzle and a casting wheel in which the gap between the casting nozzle and the casting wheel is monitored by means of at least one sensing element protruding from the face of the casting nozzle. The sensing element is preferably connected to a voltage source and the casting wheel grounded. When the sensing element contacts the casting wheel, an electric circuit is completed. The completion of the circuit can be registered by an indicator, and the presence or absence of a completed circuit indicates the relative position of the casting nozzle to the casting wheel. The relative positions of the casting nozzle and casting wheel can thereby be selectively adjusted to continually maintain a predetermined distance between their adjacent surfaces. 5 figures.

Electronic gap sensor and method

DOEpatents

Williams, Robert S.; King, Edward L.; Campbell, Steven L.

1991-01-01

An apparatus and method for regulating the gap between a casting nozzle and a casting wheel in which the gap between the casting nozzle and the casting wheel is monitored by means of at least one sensing element protruding from the face of the casting nozzle. The sensing element is preferably connected to a voltage source and the casting wheel grounded. When the sensing element contacts the casting wheel, an electric circuit is completed. The completion of the circuit can be registered by an indicator, and the presence or absence of a completed circuit indicates the relative position of the casting nozzle to the casting wheel. The relative positions of the casting nozzle and casting wheel can thereby be selectively adjusted to continually maintain a predetermined distance between their adjacent surfaces.

Method of casting articles of a bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy

DOEpatents

Lin, X.; Johnson, W.L.; Peker, A.

1998-08-25

A casting charge of a bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy is cast into a mold from a temperature greater than its crystallized melting temperature, and permitted to solidify to form an article. The oxygen content of the casting charge is limited to an operable level, as excessively high oxygen contents produce premature crystallization during the casting operation. During melting, the casting charge is preferably heated to a temperature above a threshold temperature to eliminate heterogeneous crystallization nucleation sites within the casting charge. The casting charge may be cast from above the threshold temperature, or it may be cooled to the casting temperature of more than the crystallized melting point but not more than the threshold temperature, optionally held at this temperature for a period of time, and thereafter cast. 8 figs.

Method of casting articles of a bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy

DOEpatents

Lin, Xianghong; Johnson, William L.; Peker, Atakan

1998-01-01

A casting charge of a bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy is cast into a mold from a temperature greater than its crystallized melting temperature, and permitted to solidify to form an article. The oxygen content of the casting charge is limited to an operable level, as excessively high oxygen contents produce premature crystallization during the casting operation. During melting, the casting charge is preferably heated to a temperature above a threshold temperature to eliminate heterogeneous crystallization nucleation sites within the casting charge. The casting charge may be cast from above the threshold temperature, or it may be cooled to the casting temperature of more than the crystallized melting point but not more than the threshold temperature, optionally held at this temperature for a period of time, and thereafter cast.

Exploring unobserved household living conditions in multilevel choice modeling: An application to contraceptive adoption by Indian women.

PubMed

Dias, José G; de Oliveira, Isabel Tiago

2018-01-01

This research analyzes the effect of the poverty-wealth dimension on contraceptive adoption by Indian women when no direct measures of income/expenditures are available to use as covariates. The index-Household Living Conditions (HLC)-is based on household assets and dwelling characteristics and is computed by an item response model simultaneously with the choice model in a new single-step approach. That is, the HLC indicator is treated as a latent covariate measured by a set of items, it depends on a set of concomitant variables, and explains contraceptive choices in a probit regression. Additionally, the model accounts for complex survey design and sample weights in a multilevel framework. Regarding our case study on contraceptive adoption by Indian women, results show that women with better household living conditions tend to adopt contraception more often than their counterparts. This effect is significant after controlling other factors such as education, caste, and religion. The external validation of the indicator shows that it can also be used at aggregate levels of analysis (e.g., county or state) whenever no other indicators of household living conditions are available.

Exploring unobserved household living conditions in multilevel choice modeling: An application to contraceptive adoption by Indian women

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This research analyzes the effect of the poverty-wealth dimension on contraceptive adoption by Indian women when no direct measures of income/expenditures are available to use as covariates. The index–Household Living Conditions (HLC)–is based on household assets and dwelling characteristics and is computed by an item response model simultaneously with the choice model in a new single-step approach. That is, the HLC indicator is treated as a latent covariate measured by a set of items, it depends on a set of concomitant variables, and explains contraceptive choices in a probit regression. Additionally, the model accounts for complex survey design and sample weights in a multilevel framework. Regarding our case study on contraceptive adoption by Indian women, results show that women with better household living conditions tend to adopt contraception more often than their counterparts. This effect is significant after controlling other factors such as education, caste, and religion. The external validation of the indicator shows that it can also be used at aggregate levels of analysis (e.g., county or state) whenever no other indicators of household living conditions are available. PMID:29385187

Free-Living Nematodes in the Freshwater Food Web: A Review

PubMed Central

Majdi, Nabil; Traunspurger, Walter

2015-01-01

Free-living nematodes are well-recognized as an abundant and ubiquitous component of benthic communities in inland waters. Compelling evidence from soil and marine ecosystems has highlighted the importance of nematodes as trophic intermediaries between microbial production and higher trophic levels. However, the paucity of empirical evidence of their role in freshwater ecosystems has hampered their inclusion in our understanding of freshwater food web functioning. This literature survey provides an overview of research efforts in the field of freshwater nematode ecology and of the complex trophic interactions between free-living nematodes and microbes, other meiofauna, macro-invertebrates, and fishes. Based on an analysis of the relevant literature and an appreciation of the potential of emerging approaches for the evaluation of nematode trophic ecology, we point out research gaps and recommend relevant directions for further research. The latter include (i) interactions of nematodes with protozoans and fungi; (ii) nonconsumptive effects of nematodes on microbial activity and the effects of nematodes on associated key ecosystem processes (decomposition, primary production); and (iii) the feeding selectivity and intraspecific feeding variability of nematodes and their potential impacts on the structure of benthic communities. PMID:25861114

Sociality in Parasitic Flatworms: When Do Soldiers Matter?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Vedrenne, A. E.

2016-02-01

Although not traditionally recognized as such, trematode infections in molluscan first intermediate hosts comprise colonies. When two trematode species simultaneously infect a snail host, one generally kills the other. Thus, there can be strong selective pressure for established trematode colonies to protect and defend against new infections. Recent findings demonstrate that some trematode species have a reproductive division of labor involving a reproductive and a soldier caste. Reproductives are larger and filled with offspring, while soldiers lack developing embryos, and are specialized for inter-trematode antagonism. This reproductive division of labor has now been documented for intramolluscan stages of fourteen trematode species from different geographic regions and host species. Further, literature descriptions of the life history of several species suggest that this phenomenon is widespread, although there are important intra- and inter-specific differences in colony structure. It has been predicted that trematode soldier castes would most likely evolve in taxa that are typically dominant in interspecific hierarchies, in situations of invasion risk, and among trematodes that infect longer lived hosts. Here I address these hypotheses and present the extent of evidence for trematode social organization.

Location, morphology and function of nephrocytes in termites.

PubMed

Costa-Leonardo, Ana Maria; Janei, Vanelize; Laranjo, Lara Teixeira; Haifig, Ives

2015-07-01

Insect nephrocytes are cells bathed in hemolymph and considered to have an excretory function. These cells have ambiguous nomenclature and are understudied in termites. This study is the first report on the occurrence, morphology and function of nephrocytes in different termite castes. Cytological characteristics in specific developmental stages and castes enable physiological functions to be inferred. Perforate diaphragms indicate a role in filtration, while the extensive peripheral invaginations of the cell membrane suggest active endocytosis. A sequence of morphologies in putative digestive vacuoles infers a lysosomal system and the occurrence of phosphatases suggests a function involving detoxification of substances sequestered from hemolymph. Pericardical nephrocytes took up the dye trypan blue injected in live termites, suggesting their activity connected to the filtration of the hemolymph. Additionally, histochemical tests showed the existence of stored proteins in their cytoplasm. These cells present a well-developed Golgi apparatus and abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum, consistent with protein synthesis. This study highlights the importance of nephrocytes in Isoptera and opens perspectives for further research of these cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fungi species and red flour beetle in stored wheat flour under Jazan region conditions.

PubMed

Bosly, Hanan AbuAlQasem; Kawanna, Maha Adel

2014-05-01

Infection of stored wheat flour with insects and toxic fungi can be an extremely serious problem. This study was conducted to isolate and identify the fungal species and insects in different stages, which infested and contaminated the stored flour under Jazan region conditions and changed its color and flavor. The obtained results revealed that the isolated insect was the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Live adult, larvae and cast skin were isolated. Four Aspergillus species were isolated from stored wheat flour; the isolated species prevalence being A. flavus > A. niveus > A. terreus > A. niger by rate 44.5%, 37.8%, 10.9% and 6.7%, respectively. The same fungal species isolated from flour were also isolated from different insect stages. A. flavus was the most common fungus and A. niger was isolated with a lower rate. The results about the isolated fungi either from the suspension of adult insects, larvae or cast skins may confirm the role of T. castaneum to carry and distribute fungi in different parts of the stored flour.

How to Avoid Cast Saw Complications.

PubMed

Halanski, Matthew A

2016-06-01

As casts are routinely used in pediatric orthopaedics, casts saws are commonly used to remove such casts. Despite being a viewed as the "conservative" and therefore often assumed safest treatment modality, complications associated with the use of casts and cast saws occur. In this manuscript, we review the risk factors associated with cast saw injuries. Cast saw injuries are thermal or abrasive (or both) in nature. Thermal risk factors include: cast saw specifications (including a lack of attached vacuum), use of a dull blade, cutting in a concavity, too thin padding, and overly thick casting materials. Risk factors associated with abrasive injuries include: sharp blades, thin padding, and cutting over boney prominences. Because nearly all clinicians contact the skin with the blade during cast removal, appropriate "in-out technique" is critical. Such technique prevents a hot blade from remaining in contact with the skin for any significant time, diminishing the risk of burn. Similarly, using such technique prevents "dragging the blade" that may pull the skin taught, cutting it. It may be useful to teach proper technique as perforating a cast rather than cutting a cast.

[Manufacture and clinical application of 215 IPS-Empress casting ceramic restorations].

PubMed

Zhao, Na; Zhou, Jian

2008-08-01

To explore the manufacture and clinical application of IPS-Empress casting ceramic restorations. The problems in manufacture and clinical operation of 215 casting ceramic restorations were analyzed. In 215 casting ceramic restorations, 12 (5.58%) casting ceramic restorations were affected by clinical design or application, 15 (6.98%) casting ceramic restorations were affected by some manufacture problems, and 14 (6.51%) casting ceramic restorations were affected by clinical try-in. Through 2-3 years' follow-up, the achievement ratio of 215 IPS-Empress casting ceramic restorations was 94.88%, and 11 casting ceramic restorations were affected by some problems. Beauty and simultaneous enamel wear are the characteristics of casting ceramic restorations. But because of its brittle, the indications should be strictly selected.

Web-Based Assessment of Visual and Visuospatial Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease

PubMed Central

Amick, Melissa M.; Miller, Ivy N.; Neargarder, Sandy; Cronin-Golomb, Alice

2012-01-01

Visual and visuospatial dysfunction is prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD). To promote assessment of these often overlooked symptoms, we adapted the PD Vision Questionnaire for Internet administration. The questionnaire evaluates visual and visuospatial symptoms, impairments in activities of daily living (ADLs), and motor symptoms. PD participants of mild to moderate motor severity (n = 24) and healthy control participants (HC, n = 23) completed the questionnaire in paper and web-based formats. Reliability was assessed by comparing responses across formats. Construct validity was evaluated by reference to performance on measures of vision, visuospatial cognition, ADLs, and motor symptoms. The web-based format showed excellent reliability with respect to the paper format for both groups (all P′s < 0.001; HC completing the visual and visuospatial section only). Demonstrating the construct validity of the web-based questionnaire, self-rated ADL and visual and visuospatial functioning were significantly associated with performance on objective measures of these abilities (all P′s < 0.01). The findings indicate that web-based administration may be a reliable and valid method of assessing visual and visuospatial and ADL functioning in PD. PMID:22530162

A Semantic Sensor Web for Environmental Decision Support Applications

PubMed Central

Gray, Alasdair J. G.; Sadler, Jason; Kit, Oles; Kyzirakos, Kostis; Karpathiotakis, Manos; Calbimonte, Jean-Paul; Page, Kevin; García-Castro, Raúl; Frazer, Alex; Galpin, Ixent; Fernandes, Alvaro A. A.; Paton, Norman W.; Corcho, Oscar; Koubarakis, Manolis; De Roure, David; Martinez, Kirk; Gómez-Pérez, Asunción

2011-01-01

Sensing devices are increasingly being deployed to monitor the physical world around us. One class of application for which sensor data is pertinent is environmental decision support systems, e.g., flood emergency response. For these applications, the sensor readings need to be put in context by integrating them with other sources of data about the surrounding environment. Traditional systems for predicting and detecting floods rely on methods that need significant human resources. In this paper we describe a semantic sensor web architecture for integrating multiple heterogeneous datasets, including live and historic sensor data, databases, and map layers. The architecture provides mechanisms for discovering datasets, defining integrated views over them, continuously receiving data in real-time, and visualising on screen and interacting with the data. Our approach makes extensive use of web service standards for querying and accessing data, and semantic technologies to discover and integrate datasets. We demonstrate the use of our semantic sensor web architecture in the context of a flood response planning web application that uses data from sensor networks monitoring the sea-state around the coast of England. PMID:22164110

Using Interactive Web-Based Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment in an Urban, Safety-Net HIV Clinic.

PubMed

Dawson Rose, Carol; Cuca, Yvette P; Kamitani, Emiko; Eng, Shannon; Zepf, Roland; Draughon, Jessica; Lum, Paula

2015-06-01

Substance use among people living with HIV is high, and screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based approach to addressing the issue. We examined whether patients would participate in a technology-based SBIRT program in an urban HIV clinic. An SBIRT intervention was programmed into the clinic's web-based patient portal linked to their personal health record. We examined: demographic, health, HIV, and substance use characteristics of participants who completed the web-based intervention compared to those who did not. Fewer than half of the 96 participants assigned to the web-based SBIRT completed it (n = 39; 41 %). Participants who completed the web-based intervention had significantly higher amphetamine SSIS scores than those who did not complete the intervention. Participants whose substance use is more harmful may be more motivated to seek help from a variety of sources. In addition, it is important that technology-based approaches to behavioral interventions in clinics take into consideration feasibility, client knowledge, and comfort using technology.

Analysis of four dental alloys following torch/centrifugal and induction/ vacuum-pressure casting procedures.

PubMed

Thompson, Geoffrey A; Luo, Qing; Hefti, Arthur

2013-12-01

Previous studies have shown casting methodology to influence the as-cast properties of dental casting alloys. It is important to consider clinically important mechanical properties so that the influence of casting can be clarified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how torch/centrifugal and inductively cast and vacuum-pressure casting machines may affect the castability, microhardness, chemical composition, and microstructure of 2 high noble, 1 noble, and 1 base metal dental casting alloys. Two commonly used methods for casting were selected for comparison: torch/centrifugal casting and inductively heated/ vacuum-pressure casting. One hundred and twenty castability patterns were fabricated and divided into 8 groups. Four groups were torch/centrifugally cast in Olympia (O), Jelenko O (JO), Genesis II (G), and Liberty (L) alloys. Similarly, 4 groups were cast in O, JO, G, and L by an inductively induction/vacuum-pressure casting machine. Each specimen was evaluated for casting completeness to determine a castability value, while porosity was determined by standard x-ray techniques. Each group was metallographically prepared for further evaluation that included chemical composition, Vickers microhardness, and grain analysis of microstructure. Two-way ANOVA was used to determine significant differences among the main effects. Statistically significant effects were examined further with the Tukey HSD procedure for multiple comparisons. Data obtained from the castability experiments were non-normal and the variances were unequal. They were analyzed statistically with the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test. Significant results were further investigated statistically with the Steel-Dwass method for multiple comparisons (α=.05). The alloy type had a significant effect on surface microhardness (P<.001). In contrast, the technique used for casting did not affect the microhardness of the test specimen (P=.465). Similarly, the interaction between the alloy and casting technique was not significant (P=.119). A high level of castability (98.5% on average) was achieved overall. The frequency of casting failures as a function of alloy type and casting method was determined. Failure was defined as a castability index score of <100%. Three of 28 possible comparisons between alloy and casting combinations were statistically significant. The results suggested that casting technique affects the castability index of alloys. Radiographic analysis detected large porosities in regions near the edge of the castability pattern and infrequently adjacent to noncast segments. All castings acquired traces of elements found in the casting crucibles. The grain size for each dental casting alloy was generally finer for specimens produced by the induction/vacuum-pressure method. The difference was substantial for JO and L. This study demonstrated a relation between casting techniques and some physical properties of metal ceramic casting alloys. Copyright © 2013 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Google Analytics: Single Page Traffic Reports

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

These are pages that live outside of Google Analytics (GA) but allow you to view GA data for any individual page on either the public EPA web or EPA intranet. You do need to log in to Google Analytics to view them.

Salvaged castings and methods of salvaging castings with defective cast cooling bumps

DOEpatents

Johnson, Robert Alan; Schaeffer, Jon Conrad; Lee, Ching-Pang; Abuaf, Nesim; Hasz, Wayne Charles

2002-01-01

Castings for gas turbine parts exposed on one side to a high-temperature fluid medium have cast-in bumps on an opposite cooling surface side to enhance heat transfer. Areas on the cooling surface having defectively cast bumps, i.e., missing or partially formed bumps during casting, are coated with a braze alloy and cooling enhancement material to salvage the part.

Method for removing metal ions from solution with titanate sorbents

DOEpatents

Lundquist, Susan H.; White, Lloyd R.

1999-01-01

A method for removing metal ions from solution comprises the steps of providing titanate particles by spray-drying a solution or slurry comprising sorbent titanates having a particle size up to 20 micrometers, optionally in the presence of polymer free of cellulose functionality as binder, said sorbent being active towards heavy metals from Periodic Table (CAS version) Groups IA, IIA, IB, IIB, IIIB, and VIII, to provide monodisperse, substantially spherical particles in a yield of at least 70 percent of theoretical yield and having a particle size distribution in the range of 1 to 500 micrometers. The particles can be used free flowing in columns or beds, or entrapped in a nonwoven, fibrous web or matrix or a cast porous membrane, to selectively remove metal ions from aqueous or organic liquid.

Applying network analysis and Nebula (neighbor-edges based and unbiased leverage algorithm) to ToxCast data.

PubMed

Ye, Hao; Luo, Heng; Ng, Hui Wen; Meehan, Joe; Ge, Weigong; Tong, Weida; Hong, Huixiao

2016-01-01

ToxCast data have been used to develop models for predicting in vivo toxicity. To predict the in vivo toxicity of a new chemical using a ToxCast data based model, its ToxCast bioactivity data are needed but not normally available. The capability of predicting ToxCast bioactivity data is necessary to fully utilize ToxCast data in the risk assessment of chemicals. We aimed to understand and elucidate the relationships between the chemicals and bioactivity data of the assays in ToxCast and to develop a network analysis based method for predicting ToxCast bioactivity data. We conducted modularity analysis on a quantitative network constructed from ToxCast data to explore the relationships between the assays and chemicals. We further developed Nebula (neighbor-edges based and unbiased leverage algorithm) for predicting ToxCast bioactivity data. Modularity analysis on the network constructed from ToxCast data yielded seven modules. Assays and chemicals in the seven modules were distinct. Leave-one-out cross-validation yielded a Q(2) of 0.5416, indicating ToxCast bioactivity data can be predicted by Nebula. Prediction domain analysis showed some types of ToxCast assay data could be more reliably predicted by Nebula than others. Network analysis is a promising approach to understand ToxCast data. Nebula is an effective algorithm for predicting ToxCast bioactivity data, helping fully utilize ToxCast data in the risk assessment of chemicals. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

ACToR Chemical Structure processing using Open Source ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

ACToR (Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource) is a centralized database repository developed by the National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Free and open source tools were used to compile toxicity data from over 1,950 public sources. ACToR contains chemical structure information and toxicological data for over 558,000 unique chemicals. The database primarily includes data from NCCT research programs, in vivo toxicity data from ToxRef, human exposure data from ExpoCast, high-throughput screening data from ToxCast and high quality chemical structure information from the EPA DSSTox program. The DSSTox database is a chemical structure inventory for the NCCT programs and currently has about 16,000 unique structures. Included are also data from PubChem, ChemSpider, USDA, FDA, NIH and several other public data sources. ACToR has been a resource to various international and national research groups. Most of our recent efforts on ACToR are focused on improving the structural identifiers and Physico-Chemical properties of the chemicals in the database. Organizing this huge collection of data and improving the chemical structure quality of the database has posed some major challenges. Workflows have been developed to process structures, calculate chemical properties and identify relationships between CAS numbers. The Structure processing workflow integrates web services (PubChem and NIH NCI Cactus) to d

ISS Live!

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, Jennifer; Harris, Philip; Hochstetler, Bruce; Guerra, Mark; Mendez, Israel; Healy, Matthew; Khan, Ahmed

2013-01-01

International Space Station Live! (ISSLive!) is a Web application that uses a proprietary commercial technology called Lightstreamer to push data across the Internet using the standard http port (port 80). ISSLive! uses the push technology to display real-time telemetry and mission timeline data from the space station in any common Web browser or Internet- enabled mobile device. ISSLive! is designed to fill a unique niche in the education and outreach areas by providing access to real-time space station data without a physical presence in the mission control center. The technology conforms to Internet standards, supports the throughput needed for real-time space station data, and is flexible enough to work on a large number of Internet-enabled devices. ISSLive! consists of two custom components: (1) a series of data adapters that resides server-side in the mission control center at Johnson Space Center, and (2) a set of public html that renders the data pushed from the data adapters. A third component, the Lightstreamer server, is commercially available from a third party and acts as an intermediary between custom components (1) and (2). Lightstreamer also provides proprietary software libraries that are required to use the custom components. At the time of this reporting, this is the first usage of Web-based, push streaming technology in the aerospace industry.

Dimensional control of die castings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karve, Aniruddha Ajit

The demand for net shape die castings, which require little or no machining, is steadily increasing. Stringent customer requirements are forcing die casters to deliver high quality castings in increasingly short lead times. Dimensional conformance to customer specifications is an inherent part of die casting quality. The dimensional attributes of a die casting are essentially dependent upon many factors--the quality of the die and the degree of control over the process variables being the two major sources of dimensional error in die castings. This study focused on investigating the nature and the causes of dimensional error in die castings. The two major components of dimensional error i.e., dimensional variability and die allowance were studied. The major effort of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively study the effects of casting geometry and process variables on die casting dimensional variability and die allowance. This was accomplished by detailed dimensional data collection at production die casting sites. Robust feature characterization schemes were developed to describe complex casting geometry in quantitative terms. Empirical modeling was utilized to quantify the effects of the casting variables on dimensional variability and die allowance for die casting features. A number of casting geometry and process variables were found to affect dimensional variability in die castings. The dimensional variability was evaluated by comparisons with current published dimensional tolerance standards. The casting geometry was found to play a significant role in influencing the die allowance of the features measured. The predictive models developed for dimensional variability and die allowance were evaluated to test their effectiveness. Finally, the relative impact of all the components of dimensional error in die castings was put into perspective, and general guidelines for effective dimensional control in the die casting plant were laid out. The results of this study will contribute to enhancement of dimensional quality and lead time compression in the die casting industry, thus making it competitive with other net shape manufacturing processes.

Tethys: A Platform for Water Resources Modeling and Decision Support Apps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, J.; Swain, N. R.

2015-12-01

The interactive nature of web applications or "web apps" makes it an excellent medium for conveying complex scientific concepts to lay audiences and creating decision support tools that harness cutting edge modeling techniques. However, the technical expertise required to develop web apps represents a barrier for would-be developers. This barrier can be characterized by the following hurdles that developers must overcome: (1) identify, select, and install software that meet the spatial and computational capabilities commonly required for water resources modeling; (2) orchestrate the use of multiple free and open source (FOSS) projects and navigate their differing application programming interfaces; (3) learn the multi-language programming skills required for modern web development; and (4) develop a web-secure and fully featured web portal to host the app. Tethys Platform has been developed to lower the technical barrier and minimize the initial development investment that prohibits many scientists and engineers from making use of the web app medium. It includes (1) a suite of FOSS that address the unique data and computational needs common to water resources web app development, (2) a Python software development kit that streamlines development, and (3) a customizable web portal that is used to deploy the completed web apps. Tethys synthesizes several software projects including PostGIS, 52°North WPS, GeoServer, Google Maps™, OpenLayers, and Highcharts. It has been used to develop a broad array of web apps for water resources modeling and decision support for several projects including CI-WATER, HydroShare, and the National Flood Interoperability Experiment. The presentation will include live demos of some of the apps that have been developed using Tethys to demonstrate its capabilities.

Lower limb intracast pressures generated by different types of immobilisation casts.

PubMed

Chaudhury, Salma; Hazlerigg, Alexandra; Vusirikala, Anuhya; Nguyen, Joseph; Matthews, Stuart

2017-02-18

To determine if complete, split casts and backslabs [plaster of Paris (POP) and fiberglass] generate different intracast pressures and pain. Increased swelling within casts was modeled by a closed water system attached to an expandable bag placed directly under different types of casts applied to a healthy lower limb. Complete fiberglass and POP casts, split casts and backslabs were applied. Twenty-five milliliter aliquots of saline were injected into the system and the generated intracast pressures were measured using a sphygmomanometer. The subject was blinded to the pressure scores to avoid bias. All casts were applied to the same right limb on the same subject to avoid the effects of variations in anatomy or physiology on intracast pressures. Pain levels were evaluated using the Visual Analogue Score after each sequential saline injection. Each type of cast was reapplied four times and the measurements were repeated on four separate occasions. Sample sizes were determined by a pre-study 90% power calculation to detect a 20% difference in intracast pressures between cast groups. A significant difference between the various types of casts was noted when the saline volume was greater than 100 mL ( P = 0.009). The greatest intracast pressure was generated by complete fiberglass casts, which were significantly higher than complete POP casts or backslabs ( P = 0.018 and P = 0.008 respectively) at intracast saline volumes of 100 mL and higher. Backslabs produced a significantly lower intracast pressure compared to complete POP only once the saline volume within casts exceeded 225 mL ( P = 0.009). Intracast pressures were significantly lower in split casts ( P = 0.003). Split POP and fiberglass casts produced the lowest intracast pressures, even compared to backslabs ( P = 0.009). Complete fiberglass casts generated the highest pain levels at manometer pressures of 75 mmHg and greater ( P = 0.001). Split fiberglass casts had significantly reduced pain levels ( P = 0.001). In contrast, a split complete POP cast did not produce significantly reduced pain levels at pressures between 25-150 mmHg. There was no difference in pain generated by complete POP and backslabs at manometer pressures of 200 mmHg and lower. Fibreglass casts generate significantly higher intracast pressures and pain than POP casts. Split casts cause lower intracast pressures regardless of material, than complete casts and backslabs.

Riser Feeding Evaluation Method for Metal Castings Using Numerical Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Nadiah

One of the design aspects that continues to create a challenge for casting designers is the optimum design of casting feeders (risers). As liquid metal solidifies, the metal shrinks and forms cavities inside the casting. In order to avoid shrinkage cavities, risers are added to the casting shape to supply additional molten metal when shrinkage occurs during solidification. The shrinkage cavities in the casting are compensated by controlling the cooling rate to promote directional solidification. This control can be achieved by designing the casting such that the cooling begins at the sections that are farthest away from the risers and ends at the risers. Therefore, the risers will solidify last and feed the casting with the molten metal. As a result, the shrinkage cavities formed during solidification are in the risers which are later removed from the casting. Since casting designers have to usually go through iterative processes of validating the casting designs which are very costly due to expensive simulation processes or manual trials and errors on actual casting processes, this study investigates more efficient methods that will help casting designers utilize their casting experiences systematically to develop good initial casting designs. The objective is to reduce the casting design method iterations; therefore, reducing the cost involved in that design processes. The aim of this research aims at finding a method that can help casting designers design effective risers used in sand casting process of aluminum-silicon alloys by utilizing the analysis of solidification simulation. The analysis focuses on studying the significance of pressure distribution of the liquid metal at the early stage of casting solidification, when heat transfer and convective fluid flow are taken into account in the solidification simulation. The mathematical model of casting solidification was solved using the finite volume method (FVM). This study focuses to improve our understanding of the feeding behavior in aluminum-silicon alloys and the effective feeding by considering the pressure gradient distribution of the molten metal at casting dendrite coherency point. For this study, we will identify the relationship between feeding efficiency, shrinkage behavior and how the change in riser size affects the pressure gradient in the casting. This understanding will be used to help in the design of effective risers.

A population-based study on health and living conditions in areas with mixed Sami and Norwegian settlements - the SAMINOR 2 questionnaire study.

PubMed

Brustad, Magritt; Hansen, Ketil Lenert; Broderstad, Ann Ragnhild; Hansen, Solrunn; Melhus, Marita

2014-01-01

To describe the method, data collection procedure and participation in The Population-based Study on Health and Living Conditions in Areas with both Sami and Norwegian Settlements - the SAMINOR 2 questionnaire study. Cross-sectional and semi-longitudinal. In 2012, all inhabitants aged 18-69 and living in selected municipalities with both Sami and Norwegian settlements in Mid and Northern Norway were posted an invitation to participate in a questionnaire survey covering several topics related to health and living conditions. The geographical area was similar to the area where the SAMINOR 1 study was conducted in 2003/2004 with the exception of one additional municipality. Participants could alternatively use a web-based questionnaire with identical question and answer categories as the posted paper version. In total, 11,600 (27%) participated (16% used the web-based questionnaire), with a higher participation rate among those over 50 (37% for women and 32% for men). Some geographical variation in participation rates was found. In addition, for those invited who also participated in the SAMINOR 1 study, we found that the participation rates increased with the level of education and income, while there was little difference in participation rates across ethnic groups. The knowledge generated from future theme-specific research utilizing the SAMINOR 2 database has the potential to benefit the general population in this geographical area of Norway, and the Sami people in particular, by providing knowledge-based insight into the health and living conditions of the multi-ethnic population in these parts of Norway.

The Role of Indian Caste Identity and Caste Inconsistent Norms on Status Representation

PubMed Central

Sankaran, Sindhuja; Sekerdej, Maciek; von Hecker, Ulrich

2017-01-01

The Indian caste system is a complex social structure wherein social roles like one’s profession became ‘hereditary,’ resulting in restricted social mobility and fixed status hierarchies. Furthermore, we argue that the inherent property of caste heightens group identification with one’s caste. Highly identified group members would protect the identity of the group in situations when group norms are violated. In this paper, we were interested in examining the consequence of caste norm violation and how an individual’s status is mentally represented. High caste norms are associated with moral values while the lower caste norms are associated with immorality. We predicted a ‘black sheep effect,’ that is, when high caste individuals’ group identity (caste norm violation condition) is threatened their salient high caste identity would increase, thereby resulting in devaluing the status of their fellow in-group member if the latter is perceived as perpetrator. We presented participants with a social conflict situation of a victim and a perpetrator that is ‘Caste norm consistent’ (Lower caste individual as a perpetrator and higher caste individual as a victim) and vice versa ‘Caste norm inconsistent’ condition (higher caste individual as perpetrator and lower caste individual as a victim). Then, participants had to choose from nine pictorial depictions representing the protagonists in the story on a vertical line, with varying degrees of status distance. Results showed evidence for the black sheep effect and, furthermore, revealed that no other identity (religious, national, and regional) resulted in devaluing the status of fellow in-group member. These results help us understand the ‘black sheep’ effect in the context of moral norms and status representation and are discussed in the framework of the Indian society. PMID:28408896

The Role of Indian Caste Identity and Caste Inconsistent Norms on Status Representation.

PubMed

Sankaran, Sindhuja; Sekerdej, Maciek; von Hecker, Ulrich

2017-01-01

The Indian caste system is a complex social structure wherein social roles like one's profession became 'hereditary,' resulting in restricted social mobility and fixed status hierarchies. Furthermore, we argue that the inherent property of caste heightens group identification with one's caste. Highly identified group members would protect the identity of the group in situations when group norms are violated. In this paper, we were interested in examining the consequence of caste norm violation and how an individual's status is mentally represented. High caste norms are associated with moral values while the lower caste norms are associated with immorality. We predicted a 'black sheep effect,' that is, when high caste individuals' group identity (caste norm violation condition) is threatened their salient high caste identity would increase, thereby resulting in devaluing the status of their fellow in-group member if the latter is perceived as perpetrator. We presented participants with a social conflict situation of a victim and a perpetrator that is ' Caste norm consistent' (Lower caste individual as a perpetrator and higher caste individual as a victim) and vice versa 'Caste norm inconsistent' condition (higher caste individual as perpetrator and lower caste individual as a victim). Then, participants had to choose from nine pictorial depictions representing the protagonists in the story on a vertical line, with varying degrees of status distance. Results showed evidence for the black sheep effect and, furthermore, revealed that no other identity (religious, national, and regional) resulted in devaluing the status of fellow in-group member. These results help us understand the 'black sheep' effect in the context of moral norms and status representation and are discussed in the framework of the Indian society.

How to predict community responses to perturbations in the face of imperfect knowledge and network complexity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aufderheide, Helge; Rudolf, Lars; Gross, Thilo; Lafferty, Kevin D.

2013-01-01

Recent attempts to predict the response of large food webs to perturbations have revealed that in larger systems increasingly precise information on the elements of the system is required. Thus, the effort needed for good predictions grows quickly with the system's complexity. Here, we show that not all elements need to be measured equally well, suggesting that a more efficient allocation of effort is possible. We develop an iterative technique for determining an efficient measurement strategy. In model food webs, we find that it is most important to precisely measure the mortality and predation rates of long-lived, generalist, top predators. Prioritizing the study of such species will make it easier to understand the response of complex food webs to perturbations.

Casting fine grained, fully dense, strong inorganic materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Sam W.; Spencer, Larry S.; Phillips, Michael R.

2015-11-24

Methods and apparatuses for casting inorganic materials are provided. The inorganic materials include metals, metal alloys, metal hydrides and other materials. Thermal control zones may be established to control the propagation of a freeze front through the casting. Agitation from a mechanical blade or ultrasonic energy may be used to reduce porosity and shrinkage in the casting. After solidification of the casting, the casting apparatus may be used to anneal the cast part.

a Preliminary Study of Web-Based Spatial Data Analysis Feasibility - One of Possible Solutions for Disaster Response and Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, C. C.; Chang, K.-C.

2012-07-01

As the massive tsunami that struck northeast Japan in 11 March 2011 after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, it reveals that people are living in a critical environment. Although great improvement has been achieved in disaster prevention technologies, many natural disasters are still unpredictable. In addition to the prevention, rapid and effective responses to such disasters are also crucial. One of the key elements to success is the information dissemination of disaster, including both area and people living within that region. In the past decade, web-based spatial information system has become the major platform for both data sharing and displaying. What is coming next is the development of web-based spatial data analysis. A web-based service allows people to implement spatial analysis immediately as long as the internet connection among database and application servers is available. This useful and helpful spatial information is able to be accessed by all users around the world almost simultaneously. The main goal of this paper is to implement a spatial data analysis module based on service oriented architecture (SOA) concept. The main interest and focus of our study is based on the knowledge regularization processes of spatial data analysis to achieve the automated land cover change detection (LCCD) over internet. The proposed automated model is tested and verified by FORMOSAT-2 imageries taken in 2005 and in 2008. It will be published online for users around the world to maximize the add-on value and minimize the cost of the spatial data, moreover, to reveal the situations of disaster rapidly.

Using Web 2.0 tools to connect shore-based users to live science from the wide blue ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, S. K.; Peart, L.; Collins, J.

2009-12-01

The fast-expanding use of social networking tools, combined with improved connectivity available through satellite-provided internet on board the scientific ocean drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution (the JR), has allowed for a whole new kind of interaction. Unlike in the not-so-distant past, when non-participants were forced to wait for months to read about the results of ongoing research, web tools allow almost instantaneous participation in ship-based ocean science. Utilizing a brand new portal, joidesresolution.org, scientists and educators at sea can post daily blogs about their work and respond to questions and comments on those blogs, update the JR’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and post videos and photos to YouTube and Flickr regularly. Live video conferencing tools also allow for direct interaction with scientists and a view into the work being done on board in real time. These tools have allowed students, teachers and families, groups and individuals on shore to follow along with the expeditions of the ship and its exciting scientific explorations -- and become a part of them. Building this community provides a whole range of rich interactions and brings seafloor research and the real process of science to those who would never before have had access to it. This presentation will include an overview of the web portal and its associated social networking sites, as well as a discussion of the challenges and lessons learned over nearly a year of utilizing these new tools. The web portal joidesresolution.org home page.

Earth's Earliest Ecosystems in the C: The Use of Microbial Mats to Demonstrate General Principles of Scientific Inquiry and Microbial Ecology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bebout, Brad M.; Bucaria, Robin

2006-01-01

Microbial mats are living examples of the most ancient biological communities on Earth. As Earth's earliest ecosystems, they are centrally important to understanding the history of life on our planet and are useful models for the search for life elsewhere. As relatively compact (but complete) ecosystems, microbial mats are also extremely useful for educational activities. Mats may be used to demonstrate a wide variety of concepts in general and microbial ecology, including the biogeochemical cycling of elements, photosynthesis and respiration, and the origin of the Earth's present oxygen containing atmosphere. Microbial mats can be found in a number of common environments accessible to teachers, and laboratory microbial mats can be constructed using materials purchased from biological supply houses. With funding from NASA's Exobiology program, we have developed curriculum and web-based activities centered on the use of microbial mats as tools for demonstrating general principles in ecology, and the scientific process. Our web site (http://microbes.arc.nasa.gov) includes reference materials, lesson plans, and a "Web Lab", featuring living mats maintained in a mini-aquarium. The site also provides information as to how research on microbial mats supports NASA's goals, and various NASA missions. A photo gallery contains images of mats, microscopic views of the organisms that form them, and our own research activities. An animated educational video on the web site uses computer graphic and video microscopy to take students on a journey into a microbial mat. These activities are targeted to a middle school audience and are aligned with the National Science Standards.

ADAPT.DCU at TREC LiveQA: A Sentence Retrieval based Approach to Live Question Answering

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

list of conceptually similar questions from an index of previously asked on “ Yahoo ! An- swers”. We then extract the best matching sentences from the...answer Japanese why questions. The work in Surdeanu et al. (2011) address the problem of ranking answers to non-factoid how questions from Yahoo ...answering real questions from Yahoo ! Answers in real time. each participant needed to submit a web service application that on receiving a question responds

[The surface roughness analysis of the titanium casting founding by a new titanium casting investment material].

PubMed

Liang, Qin-ye; Wu, Xia-yi; Lin, Xue-feng

2012-04-01

To investigate the surface roughness property of the titanium castings cast in a new investment for titanium casting. Six wax patterns (20 mm × 20 mm × 0.5 mm) were invested using two investments: three in a new titanium investment material and three in the control material (Rematitan Plus). Six titanium specimens were obtained by conventional casting. After casting, surface roughness of the specimens were evaluated with a surface profilometer. The surface roughness of the specimens cast in new titanium investment material was (1.72 ± 0.08) µm, which was much smaller than that from Rematitan Plus [(1.91 ± 0.15) µm, P < 0.05]. The surfaces of titanium cast using these two investment materials are both smooth enough to fulfill the demand of the titanium precision-casting for prosthodontic clinical use.

77 FR 64835 - Sunshine Act Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-23

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Sunshine Act Meeting AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETINGS: Nuclear Regulatory... webcast live at the Web address--www.nrc.gov. 9:30 a.m. Strategic Programmatic Overview of the Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation and Fuel Facilities Business Lines (Public Meeting) (Contact: Kevin Mattern...

Adults Living with OI

MedlinePlus

... Click the logo below to download this free software. Go to the Resources Page to view all our online resources Miscellaneous: Web Communities Connect to others affected by OI through to the chat room or an instant messaging service, or leave your thoughts, ideas or solutions on ...

Marginal accuracy of nickel chromium copings fabricated by conventional and accelerated casting procedures, produced with ringless and metal ring investment procedures: A comparative in vitro study.

PubMed

Alex, Deepa; Shetty, Y Bharath; Miranda, Glynis Anita; Prabhu, M Bharath; Karkera, Reshma

2015-01-01

Conventional investing and casting techniques are time-consuming and usually requires 2-4 h for completion. Accelerated nonstandard, casting techniques have been reported to achieve similar quality results in significantly less time, namely, in 30-40 min. During casting, it is essential to achieve compensation for the shrinkage of solidifying alloy by investment expansion. The metal casting ring restricts the thermal expansion of investment because the thermal expansion of the ring is lesser than that of the investment. The use of casting ring was challenged with the introduction of the ringless technique. A total of 40 test samples of nickel chromium (Ni-Cr) cast copings were obtained from the patterns fabricated using inlay casting wax. The 20 wax patterns were invested using metal ring and 20 wax patterns were invested using the ringless investment system. Of both the groups, 10 samples underwent conventional casting, and the other 10 underwent accelerated casting. The patterns were casted using the induction casting technique. All the test samples of cast copings were evaluated for vertical marginal gaps at four points on the die employing a stereo optical microscope. The vertical marginal discrepancy data obtained were tabulated. Mean and standard deviations were obtained. Vertical discrepancies were analyzed using analysis of variance and Tukey honestly significantly different. The data obtained were found to be very highly significant (P < 0.001). Mean vertical gap was the maximum for Group II (53.64 μm) followed by Group IV (47.62 μm), Group I (44.83 μm) and Group III (35.35 μm). The Ni-Cr cast copings fabricated with the conventional casting using ringless investment system showed significantly better marginal fit than that of cast copings fabricated from conventional and accelerated casting with metal ring investment and accelerated casting using ringless investment since those copings had shown the least vertical marginal discrepancies among the four methods evaluated in this study.

Venous haemodynamics of Jet Impulse Technology within a lower limb fibreglass cast: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Braithwaite, Irene; Mackintosh, Stephen; Buchanan, Samantha; Schwarzenlander, Kerstin; De Ruyter, Bernadette

2017-02-01

We investigated popliteal venous haemodynamics of the VenaJet Jet Impulse Technology system within a below-knee fibreglass cast. Randomized controlled trial. Twenty-four healthy participants aged 18-54 had both feet placed within the Jet Impulse Technology system and were randomised for one or other leg to be within a below-knee fibreglass cast. Pacific Radiology, Lower Hutt, Wellington. The primary outcome variable was peak systolic velocity (cm/s) compared between legs with and without the cast at 60 min (after 10 min Jet Impulse Technology activation), using a mixed linear model and a non-inferiority bound of 4.8 cm/s. Secondary outcome variables were the difference in peak systolic velocity between the casted limb and the non-casted limb at baseline and 40 min after casting, and the difference in mean flow velocity (cm/s), vein diameter (mm), and total volume flow (L/min) between the casted limb and the non-casted limb at baseline, 40 and 60 min. The mean (standard deviation) peak systolic velocity was 4.6(1.5), 4.8(1.1), 28.8(16.1), and 4.3(1.2), 4.8(1.4) and 29.3(19.0) cm/s at baseline, 40 and 60 min in the casted and non-casted leg, respectively. The difference (95% confidence interval) between cast and no-cast at 60 min was -0.8 (-6.5 to 4.9) cm/s, P  = 0.78. The peak systolic velocity, flow velocity and total volume flow at 40 min were not statistically significantly different from baseline for both casted and non-casted limb. In healthy volunteers, the popliteal venous haemodynamics of the Jet Impulse Technology system was similar between the legs with and without a below-knee fibreglass cast. In-cast Jet Impulse Technology may provide a non-pharmacological option for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis for lower-limb cast-immobility.

Edge-on View of Saturn's Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

TOP - This is a NASA Hubble Space Telescope snapshot of Saturn with its rings barely visible. Normally, astronomers see Saturn with its rings tilted. Earth was almost in the plane of Saturn's rings, thus the rings appear edge-on.

In this view, Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is casting a shadow on Saturn. Titan's atmosphere is a dark brown haze. The other moons appear white because of their bright, icy surfaces. Four moons - from left to right, Mimas, Tethys, Janus, and Enceladus - are clustered around the edge of Saturn's rings on the right. Two other moons appear in front of the ring plane. Prometheus is on the right edge; Pandora, on the left. The rings also are casting a shadow on Saturn because the Sun was above the ring plane.

BOTTOM - This photograph shows Saturn with its rings slightly tilted. The moon called Dione, on the lower right, is casting a long, thin shadow across the whole ring system due to the setting Sun on the ring plane. The moon on the upper left of Saturn is Tethys.

Astronomers also are studying the unusual appearance of Saturn's rings. The bottom image displays a faint, narrow ring, the F-ring just outside the main ring, which normally is invisible from Earth. Close to the edge of Saturn's disk, the front section of rings seem brighter and more yellow than the back due to the additional lumination by yellowish Saturn.

The color images were assembled from separate exposures taken August 6 (top) and November 17 (bottom), 1995 with the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2.

The Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and managed by the Goddard Spaced Flight Center for NASA's Office of Space Science.

This image and other images and data received from the Hubble Space Telescope are posted on the World Wide Web on the Space Telescope Science Institute home page at URL http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/

Initial Mechanical Testing of Superalloy Lattice Block Structures Conducted

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krause, David L.; Whittenberger, J. Daniel

2002-01-01

The first mechanical tests of superalloy lattice block structures produced promising results for this exciting new lightweight material system. The testing was performed in-house at NASA Glenn Research Center's Structural Benchmark Test Facility, where small subelement-sized compression and beam specimens were loaded to observe elastic and plastic behavior, component strength levels, and fatigue resistance for hundreds of thousands of load cycles. Current lattice block construction produces a flat panel composed of thin ligaments arranged in a three-dimensional triangulated trusslike structure. Investment casting of lattice block panels has been developed and greatly expands opportunities for using this unique architecture in today's high-performance structures. In addition, advances made in NASA's Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology Program have extended the lattice block concept to superalloy materials. After a series of casting iterations, the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 (IN 718, Inco Alloys International, Inc., Huntington, WV) was successfully cast into lattice block panels; this combination offers light weight combined with high strength, high stiffness, and elevated-temperature durability. For tests to evaluate casting quality and configuration merit, small structural compression and bend test specimens were machined from the 5- by 12- by 0.5-in. panels. Linear elastic finite element analyses were completed for several specimen layouts to predict material stresses and deflections under proposed test conditions. The structural specimens were then subjected to room-temperature static and cyclic loads in Glenn's Life Prediction Branch's material test machine. Surprisingly, the test results exceeded analytical predictions: plastic strains greater than 5 percent were obtained, and fatigue lives did not depreciate relative to the base material. These assets were due to the formation of plastic hinges and the redundancies inherent in lattice block construction, which were not considered in the simplified computer models. The fatigue testing proved the value of redundancies since specimen strength was maintained even after the fracture of one or two ligaments. This ongoing test program is planned to continue through high-temperature testing. Also scheduled for testing are IN 718 lattice block panels with integral face sheets, as well as specimens cast from a higher temperature alloy. The initial testing suggests the value of this technology for large panels under low and moderate pressure loadings and for high-risk, damage-tolerant structures. Potential aeropropulsion uses for lattice blocks include turbine-engine actuated panels, exhaust nozzle flaps, and side panel structures.

Supporting adolescent girls to stay in school, reduce child marriage and reduce entry into sex work as HIV risk prevention in north Karnataka, India: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Beattie, Tara S; Bhattacharjee, Parinita; Isac, Shajy; Davey, Calum; Javalkar, Prakash; Nair, Sapna; Thalinja, Raghavendra; Sudhakar, Gautam; Collumbien, Martine; Blanchard, James F; Watts, Charlotte; Moses, Stephen; Heise, Lori

2015-03-25

Low caste adolescent girls living in rural northern Karnataka are at increased risk of school drop-out, child marriage, and entry into sex-work, which enhances their vulnerability to HIV, early pregnancy and adverse maternal and child health outcomes. This protocol describes the evaluation of Samata, a comprehensive, multi-level intervention designed to address these structural drivers of HIV risk and vulnerability. The Samata study is a cluster randomised controlled trial that will be conducted in eighty village clusters (40 intervention; 40 control) in Bijapur and Bagalkot districts in northern Karnataka. The intervention seeks to reach low caste girls and their families; adolescent boys; village communities; high school teachers and school governing committees; and local government officials. All low caste (scheduled caste/tribe) adolescent girls attending 7th standard (final year of primary school) will be recruited into the study in two consecutive waves, one year apart. Girls (n = 2100), their families (n = 2100) and school teachers (n = 650) will be interviewed at baseline and at endline. The study is designed to assess the impact of the intervention on four primary outcomes: the proportion of low caste girls who (i) enter into secondary school; (ii) complete secondary school; (iii) marry before age 15; and (iv) engage in sex before age 15. Observers assessing the outcomes will be blinded to group assignment. The primary outcome will be an adjusted, cluster-level intention to treat analysis, comparing outcomes in intervention and control villages at follow-up. We will also conduct survival analyses for the following secondary outcomes: marriage, sexual debut, pregnancy and entry into sex work. Complementary monitoring and evaluation, qualitative and economic research will be used to explore and describe intervention implementation, the pathways through which change occurs, and the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. This is an innovative trial of a comprehensive intervention to improve the quality of life and reduce HIV vulnerability among marginalised girls in northern Karnataka. The findings will be of interest to programme implementers, policy makers and evaluation researchers working in the development, education, and sexual and reproductive health fields. ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT01996241 . 16th November 2013.

Improved Foundry Castings Utilizing CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/ Computer Aided Manufacture). Volume 1. Overview

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-30

casting. 68 Figure 1-9: Line printer representation of roll solidification. 69 Figure I1-1: Test casting model. 76 Figure 11-2: Division of test casting...writing new casting analysis and design routines. The new routines would take advantage of advanced criteria for predicting casting soundness and cast...properties and technical advances in computer hardware and software. 11 2. CONCLUSIONS UPCAST, a comprehensive software package, has been developed for

Method and apparatus for in-situ drying investigation and optimization of slurry drying methodology

DOEpatents

Armstrong, Beth L.; Daniel, Claus; Howe, Jane Y.; Kiggans, Jr, James O.; Sabau, Adrian S.; Wood, III, David L.; Kalnaus, Sergiy

2016-05-10

A method of drying casted slurries that includes calculating drying conditions from an experimental model for a cast slurry and forming a cast film. An infrared heating probe is positioned on one side of the casted slurry and a thermal probe is positioned on an opposing side of the casted slurry. The infrared heating probe may control the temperature of the casted slurry during drying. The casted slurry may be observed with an optical microscope, while applying the drying conditions from the experimental model. Observing the casted slurry includes detecting the incidence of micro-structural changes in the casted slurry during drying to determine if the drying conditions from the experimental model are optimal.

Influence of SaOS-2 cells on corrosion behavior of cast Mg-2.0Zn0.98Mn magnesium alloy.

PubMed

Witecka, Agnieszka; Yamamoto, Akiko; Święszkowski, Wojciech

2017-02-01

In this research, the effect of the presence of living cells (SaOS-2) on in vitro degradation of Mg-2.0Zn-0.98Mn (ZM21) magnesium alloy was examined by two methods simple immersion/cell culture tests and electrochemical measurements (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization) under cell culture conditions. In immersion/cell culture tests, when SaOS-2 cells were cultured on ZM21 samples, pH of cell culture medium decreased, therefore weight loss and Mg 2+ ion release from the samples increased. Electrochemical measurements revealed the presence of living cells increased corrosion rate (I corr ) and decreased polarization resistance (R p ) after 48h of incubation. This acceleration of ZM21 corrosion can mainly be attributed to the decrease of medium pH due to cellular metabolic activities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dementia and detectives: Alzheimer's disease in crime fiction.

PubMed

Orr, David Mr

2018-01-01

Fictional representations of dementia have burgeoned in recent years, and scholars have amply explored their double-edged capacity to promote tragic perspectives or normalising images of 'living well' with the condition. Yet to date, there has been only sparse consideration of the treatment afforded dementia within the genre of crime fiction. Focusing on two novels, Emma Healey's Elizabeth is Missing and Alice LaPlante's Turn of Mind, this article considers what it means in relation to the ethics of representation that these authors choose to cast as their amateur detective narrators women who have dementia. Analysing how their narrative portrayals frame the experience of living with dementia, it becomes apparent that features of the crime genre inflect the meanings conveyed. While aspects of the novels may reinforce problem-based discourses around dementia, in other respects they may spur meaningful reflection about it among the large readership of this genre.

Heavy metal accumulation in lizards living near a phosphate treatment plant: possible transfer of contaminants from aquatic to terrestrial food webs.

PubMed

Nasri, Intissar; Hammouda, Abdessalam; Hamza, Foued; Zrig, Ahlem; Selmi, Slaheddine

2017-05-01

We investigated the accumulation of heavy metals in Bosk's fringe-toed lizards (Acanthodactylus boskianus) living in Gabès region (southeastern Tunisia), in relation to habitat, diet, and distance from the Gabès-Ghannouche factory complex of phosphate treatment. More specifically, we compared the concentrations of cadmium, lead, and zinc in the stomach contents and samples of the liver, kidney, and tail from lizards living in four sites corresponding to different combinations of habitat (coastal dunes vs backshore) and distance from the factory complex (<500 vs 20 km). Examination of stomach contents showed that lizards living on the coastal dunes mainly feed on littoral amphipods, while those living in the backshore feed exclusively on terrestrial invertebrates. The concentrations of heavy metals in lizard tissues were overall positively correlated with those in the preys they ingested. Moreover, there was a general tendency towards increased concentrations of cadmium, lead, and zinc in the samples from lizards living on coastal dunes compared to those from the other sites, although some differences still lacked statistical significance. These results suggest that the highest contamination of lizards living on coastal dunes was probably related to the ingestion of contaminated amphipods. Thus, amphipods and Bosk's fringe-toed lizards seem to provide an important link between the marine and terrestrial food webs, with higher concentrations appearing to accumulate from materials released into the sea rather than the terrestrial environment. With regard to metal distribution among tissues, our results were overall in agreement with previous findings in other reptiles. In particular, cadmium was most concentrated in the liver samples, stressing once more the role of the liver as a storage organ of Cd. Moreover, high concentrations of the three assessed metals were found in the kidney samples, showing the role of the kidney as an active site of heavy metal accumulation.

eWaterCycle visualisation. combining the strength of NetCDF and Web Map Service: ncWMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hut, R.; van Meersbergen, M.; Drost, N.; Van De Giesen, N.

2016-12-01

As a result of the eWatercycle global hydrological forecast we have created Cesium-ncWMS, a web application based on ncWMS and Cesium. ncWMS is a server side application capable of reading any NetCDF file written using the Climate and Forecasting (CF) conventions, and making the data available as a Web Map Service(WMS). ncWMS automatically determines available variables in a file, and creates maps colored according to map data and a user selected color scale. Cesium is a Javascript 3D virtual Globe library. It uses WebGL for rendering, which makes it very fast, and it is capable of displaying a wide variety of data types such as vectors, 3D models, and 2D maps. The forecast results are automatically uploaded to our web server running ncWMS. In turn, the web application can be used to change the settings for color maps and displayed data. The server uses the settings provided by the web application, together with the data in NetCDF to provide WMS image tiles, time series data and legend graphics to the Cesium-NcWMS web application. The user can simultaneously zoom in to the very high resolution forecast results anywhere on the world, and get time series data for any point on the globe. The Cesium-ncWMS visualisation combines a global overview with local relevant information in any browser. See the visualisation live at forecast.ewatercycle.org

Genetic variation in South Indian castes: evidence from Y-chromosome, mitochondrial, and autosomal polymorphisms

PubMed Central

Watkins, WS; Thara, R; Mowry, BJ; Zhang, Y; Witherspoon, DJ; Tolpinrud, W; Bamshad, MJ; Tirupati, S; Padmavati, R; Smith, H; Nancarrow, D; Filippich, C; Jorde, LB

2008-01-01

Background Major population movements, social structure, and caste endogamy have influenced the genetic structure of Indian populations. An understanding of these influences is increasingly important as gene mapping and case-control studies are initiated in South Indian populations. Results We report new data on 155 individuals from four Tamil caste populations of South India and perform comparative analyses with caste populations from the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh. Genetic differentiation among Tamil castes is low (RST = 0.96% for 45 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) markers), reflecting a largely common origin. Nonetheless, caste- and continent-specific patterns are evident. For 32 lineage-defining Y-chromosome SNPs, Tamil castes show higher affinity to Europeans than to eastern Asians, and genetic distance estimates to the Europeans are ordered by caste rank. For 32 lineage-defining mitochondrial SNPs and hypervariable sequence (HVS) 1, Tamil castes have higher affinity to eastern Asians than to Europeans. For 45 autosomal STRs, upper and middle rank castes show higher affinity to Europeans than do lower rank castes from either Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh. Local between-caste variation (Tamil Nadu RST = 0.96%, Andhra Pradesh RST = 0.77%) exceeds the estimate of variation between these geographically separated groups (RST = 0.12%). Low, but statistically significant, correlations between caste rank distance and genetic distance are demonstrated for Tamil castes using Y-chromosome, mtDNA, and autosomal data. Conclusion Genetic data from Y-chromosome, mtDNA, and autosomal STRs are in accord with historical accounts of northwest to southeast population movements in India. The influence of ancient and historical population movements and caste social structure can be detected and replicated in South Indian caste populations from two different geographic regions. PMID:19077280

Twin-belt continuous caster with containment and cooling of the exiting cast product for enabling high-speed casting of molten-center product

DOEpatents

Dykes, Charles D.; Daniel, Sabah S.; Wood, J. F. Barry

1990-02-20

In continuously casting molten metal into cast product by a twin-belt machine, it is desirable to achieve dramatic increases in speed (linear feet per minute) at which cast product exits the machine, particularly in installations where steel cast product is intended to feed a downstream regular rolling mill (as distinct from a planetary mill) operating in tandem with the twin-belt caster. Such high-speed casting produces product with a relatively thin shell and molten interior, and the shell tends to bulge outwardly due to metallostatic head pressure of the molten center. A number of cooperative features enable high-speed, twin-belt casting: (1) Each casting belt is slidably supported adjacent to the caster exit pulley for bulge control and enhanced cooling of cast product. (2) Lateral skew steering of each belt provides an effective increase in moving mold length plus a continuity of heat transfer not obtained with prior art belt steering apparatus. (3) The exiting slab is contained and supported downstream from the casting machine to prevent bulging of the shell of the cast product, and (4) spray cooling is incorporated in the exit containment apparatus for secondary cooling of cast product.

Research, Collaboration, and Open Science Using Web 2.0

PubMed Central

Shee, Kevin; Strong, Michael; Guido, Nicholas J.; Lue, Robert A.; Church, George M.; Viel, Alain

2010-01-01

There is little doubt that the Internet has transformed the world in which we live. Information that was once archived in bricks and mortar libraries is now only a click away, and people across the globe have become connected in a manner inconceivable only 20 years ago. Although many scientists and educators have embraced the Internet as an invaluable tool for research, education and data sharing, some have been somewhat slower to take full advantage of emerging Web 2.0 technologies. Here we discuss the benefits and challenges of integrating Web 2.0 applications into undergraduate research and education programs, based on our experience utilizing these technologies in a summer undergraduate research program in synthetic biology at Harvard University. We discuss the use of applications including wiki-based documentation, digital brainstorming, and open data sharing via the Web, to facilitate the educational aspects and collaborative progress of undergraduate research projects. We hope to inspire others to integrate these technologies into their own coursework or research projects. PMID:23653712

Real-time WebRTC-based design for a telepresence wheelchair.

PubMed

Van Kha Ly Ha; Rifai Chai; Nguyen, Hung T

2017-07-01

This paper presents a novel approach to the telepresence wheelchair system which is capable of real-time video communication and remote interaction. The investigation of this emerging technology aims at providing a low-cost and efficient way for assisted-living of people with disabilities. The proposed system has been designed and developed by deploying the JavaScript with Hyper Text Markup Language 5 (HTML5) and Web Real-time Communication (WebRTC) in which the adaptive rate control algorithm for video transmission is invoked. We conducted experiments in real-world environments, and the wheelchair was controlled from a distance using the Internet browser to compare with existing methods. The results show that the adaptively encoded video streaming rate matches the available bandwidth. The video streaming is high-quality with approximately 30 frames per second (fps) and round trip time less than 20 milliseconds (ms). These performance results confirm that the WebRTC approach is a potential method for developing a telepresence wheelchair system.

Complex life cycles in a pond food web: effects of life stage structure and parasites on network properties, trophic positions and the fit of a probabilistic niche model.

PubMed

Preston, Daniel L; Jacobs, Abigail Z; Orlofske, Sarah A; Johnson, Pieter T J

2014-03-01

Most food webs use taxonomic or trophic species as building blocks, thereby collapsing variability in feeding linkages that occurs during the growth and development of individuals. This issue is particularly relevant to integrating parasites into food webs because parasites often undergo extreme ontogenetic niche shifts. Here, we used three versions of a freshwater pond food web with varying levels of node resolution (from taxonomic species to life stages) to examine how complex life cycles and parasites alter web properties, the perceived trophic position of organisms, and the fit of a probabilistic niche model. Consistent with prior studies, parasites increased most measures of web complexity in the taxonomic species web; however, when nodes were disaggregated into life stages, the effects of parasites on several network properties (e.g., connectance and nestedness) were reversed, due in part to the lower trophic generality of parasite life stages relative to free-living life stages. Disaggregation also reduced the trophic level of organisms with either complex or direct life cycles and was particularly useful when including predation on parasites, which can inflate trophic positions when life stages are collapsed. Contrary to predictions, disaggregation decreased network intervality and did not enhance the fit of a probabilistic niche model to the food webs with parasites. Although the most useful level of biological organization in food webs will vary with the questions of interest, our results suggest that disaggregating species-level nodes may refine our perception of how parasites and other complex life cycle organisms influence ecological networks.

Marginal Accuracy of Castings Fabricated with Ringless Casting Investment System and Metal Ring Casting Investment System: A Comparative Study.

PubMed

Kalavathi, M; Sachin, Bhuvana; Prasanna, B G; Shreeharsha, T V; Praveen, B; Ragher, Mallikarjuna

2016-02-01

The thermal expansion of the investment can be restricted by the metal casting ring because the thermal expansion of the ring is less than that of the investment. The ringless casting procedure is in use in clinical dentistry, though there is little scientific data to support its use in fixed partial dentures. In this study, marginal discrepancy of castings produced with the ringless casting technique and the conventional technique using the metal rings were compared. A total of 30 wax patterns were fabricated directly on a metal die. Optical stereomicroscope was used to measure the marginal discrepancy between the metal die and wax patterns. A total of 15 castings were invested using Bellavest T phosphate-bonded investment with the ringless technique and 15 were invested with the same investment with a metal ring; 30 castings were produced using a nickel-chromium ceramo-metal alloy. The internal surface of the castings was not modified and seated with finger pressure. The vertical marginal discrepancy was measured using an optical stereomicroscope at a magnification of 100x. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using students t-test (paired t-test and unpaired t-test). The castings of the ringless technique provided less vertical marginal discrepancy (240.56 ± 45.81 μ) than the castings produced with the conventional metal ring technique (281.98± 53.05 μ). The difference was statistically significant. The ringless casting technique had produced better marginal accuracy compared with conventional casting technique. Ringless casting system can be used routinely for clinical purpose.

Distribution of Asellus aquaticus and microinvertebrates in a non-chlorinated drinking water supply system--effects of pipe material and sedimentation.

PubMed

Christensen, Sarah C B; Nissen, Erling; Arvin, Erik; Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen

2011-05-01

Danish drinking water supplies based on ground water without chlorination were investigated for the presence of the water louse, Asellus aquaticus, microinvertebrates (<2 mm) and annelida. In total, 52 water samples were collected from fire hydrants at 31 locations, and two elevated tanks (6000 and 36,000 m(3)) as well as one clean water tank at a waterworks (700 m(3)) were inspected. Several types of invertebrates from the phyla: arthropoda, annelida (worms), plathyhelminthes (flatworms) and mollusca (snails) were found. Invertebrates were found at 94% of the sampling sites in the piped system with A. aquaticus present at 55% of the sampling sites. Populations of A. aquaticus were present in the two investigated elevated tanks but not in the clean water tank at a waterworks. Both adult and juvenile A. aquaticus (length of 2-10 mm) were found in tanks as well as in pipes. A. aquaticus was found only in samples collected from two of seven investigated distribution zones (zone 1 and 2), each supplied directly by one of the two investigated elevated tanks containing A. aquaticus. Microinvertebrates were distributed throughout all zones. The distribution pattern of A. aquaticus had not changed considerably over 20 years when compared to data from samples collected in 1988-89. Centrifugal pumps have separated the distribution zones during the whole period and may have functioned as physical barriers in the distribution systems, preventing large invertebrates such as A. aquaticus to pass alive. Another factor characterising zone 1 and 2 was the presence of cast iron pipes. The frequency of A. aquaticus was significantly higher in cast iron pipes than in plastic pipes. A. aquaticus caught from plastic pipes were mainly single living specimens or dead specimens, which may have been transported passively trough by the water flow, while cast iron pipes provided an environment suitable for relatively large populations of A. aquaticus. Sediment volume for each sample was measured and our study described for the first time a clear connection between sediment volume and living A. aquaticus since living A. aquaticus were nearly only found in samples with sediment contents higher than 100 ml/m(3) sample. Presence of A. aquaticus was not correlated to turbidity of the water. Measurements by ATP, heterotrophic plate counting and Colilert(®) showed that the microbial quality of the water was high at all locations with or without animals. Four other large Danish drinking water supplies were additionally sampled (nine pipe samples and one elevated tank), and invertebrates were found in all systems, three of four containing A. aquaticus, indicating a nationwide occurrence. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

46 CFR 56.60-10 - Cast iron and malleable iron.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cast iron and malleable iron. 56.60-10 Section 56.60-10... APPURTENANCES Materials § 56.60-10 Cast iron and malleable iron. (a) The low ductility of cast iron and... avoided. Cast iron and malleable iron components shall not be used at temperatures above 450 °F. Cast iron...

Noise Reduction to Reduce Patient Anxiety During Cast Removal: Can We Decrease Patient Anxiety With Cast Removal by Wearing Noise Reduction Headphones During Cast Saw Use?

PubMed

Mahan, Susan T; Harris, Marie S; Lierhaus, Anneliese M; Miller, Patricia E; DiFazio, Rachel L

Noise reduction headphones decrease the sound during cast removal. Their effectiveness in decreasing anxiety has not been studied. Compare pediatric patients' anxiety levels during cast removal with and without utilization of noise reduction headphones combined with use of a personal electronic device. Quality improvement project. Patients randomly assigned to noise reduction headphone group or standard care group during cast removal. Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability Scale and heart rate were evaluated prior to, during, and after cast removal. Data were compared across groups. Fifty patients were included; 25 per group. No difference detected between the 2 groups in Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability Scale score prior to (p = .05) or after cast removal (p = .30). During cast removal, the headphone group had lower FLACC Scale scores (p = .03). Baseline heart rate was lower in the headphone group prior to (p = .02) and after (p = .005) cast removal with no difference during cast removal (p = .24). Utilizing noise reduction headphones and a personal electronic device during the cast removal process decreases patient anxiety.

[Variables effecting casting accuracy of quick heating casting investments].

PubMed

Takahashi, H; Nakamura, H; Iwasaki, N; Morita, N; Habu, N; Nishimura, F

1994-06-01

Recently, several new products of investments for "quick heating" have been put on the Japanese market. The total casting procedure time for this quick heating method involves only one hour; 30-minutes waiting after the start of mixing before placing the mold directly into the 700 degrees C furnace and 30-minutes heating in the furnace. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two variables effecting casting accuracy using these new investments. The effect of thickness of the casting liner inside the casting ring and the effect of waiting time before placing the mold into the 700 degrees C furnace were evaluated. A stainless-steel die with a convergence angle of 8 degrees was employed. Marginal discrepancies of the crown between the wax patterns and castings were measured. The size of the cast crown became larger when the thickness of the ring liner was thick and when the waiting time before placing the mold into the furnace was long. These results suggest that these new investments have the advantage of providing sound castings using short-time casting procedures. However, it is necessary to pay careful attention to the casting conditions for obtaining reproducible castings.

WebDB Component Builder - Lessons Learned

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Macedo, C.

2000-02-15

Oracle WebDB is the easiest way to produce web enabled lightweight and enterprise-centric applications. This concept from Oracle has tantalized our taste for simplistic web development by using a purely web based tool that lives nowhere else but in the database. The use of online wizards, templates, and query builders, which produces PL/SQL behind the curtains, can be used straight ''out of the box'' by both novice and seasoned developers. The topic of this presentation will introduce lessons learned by developing and deploying applications built using the WebDB Component Builder in conjunction with custom PL/SQL code to empower a hybridmore » application. There are two kinds of WebDB components: those that display data to end users via reporting, and those that let end users update data in the database via entry forms. The presentation will also discuss various methods within the Component Builder to enhance the applications pushed to the desktop. The demonstrated example is an application entitled HOME (Helping Other's More Effectively) that was built to manage a yearly United Way Campaign effort. Our task was to build an end to end application which could manage approximately 900 non-profit agencies, an average of 4,100 individual contributions, and $1.2 million dollars. Using WebDB, the shell of the application was put together in a matter of a few weeks. However, we did encounter some hurdles that WebDB, in it's stage of infancy (v2.0), could not solve for us directly. Together with custom PL/SQL, WebDB's Component Builder became a powerful tool that enabled us to produce a very flexible hybrid application.« less

Web-based Health Information Seeking and eHealth Literacy among Patients Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

PubMed

Stellefson, Michael L; Shuster, Jonathan J; Chaney, Beth H; Paige, Samantha R; Alber, Julia M; Chaney, J Don; Sriram, P S

2017-09-05

Many people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) have low general health literacy; however, there is little information available on these patients' eHealth literacy, or their ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise online health information and apply this knowledge to address or solve disease-related health concerns. A nationally representative sample of patients registered in the COPD Foundation's National Research Registry (N = 1,270) was invited to complete a web-based survey to assess socio-demographic (age, gender, marital status, education), health status (generic and lung-specific health-related quality of life), and socio-cognitive (social support, self-efficacy, COPD knowledge) predictors of eHealth literacy, measured using the 8-item eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS). Over 50% of the respondents (n = 176) were female (n = 89), with a mean age of 66.19 (SD = 9.47). Overall, participants reported moderate levels of eHealth literacy, with more than 70% feeling confident in their ability to find helpful health resources on the Internet. However, respondents were much less confident in their ability to distinguish between high- and low-quality sources of web-based health information. Very severe versus less severe COPD (β = 4.15), lower lung-specific health-related quality of life (β = -0.19), and greater COPD knowledge (β = 0.62) were significantly associated with higher eHealth literacy. Higher COPD knowledge was also significantly associated with greater knowledge (ρ = 0.24, p = .001) and use (ρ = 0.24, p = .001) of web-based health resources. Findings emphasize the importance of integrating skill-building activities into comprehensive patient education programs that enable patients with severe cases of COPD to identify high-quality sources of web-based health information. Additional research is needed to understand how new social technologies can be used to help medically underserved COPD patients benefit from web-based self-management support resources.

Distal limb cast sores in horses: risk factors and early detection using thermography.

PubMed

Levet, T; Martens, A; Devisscher, L; Duchateau, L; Bogaert, L; Vlaminck, L

2009-01-01

There is a lack of evidence-based data on the prevalence, outcome and risk factors of distal limb cast sores, and no objective tool has been described for the early detection of cast sores. To investigate the prevalence, location, outcome and risk factors of cast sores after application of a distal limb cast and to determine whether static thermography of the cast is a valuable tool for the assessment of sores. A prospective study was conducted on horses treated with a distal limb cast. At each cast removal, cast sores were graded as superficial sores (SS), deep dermal sores (DS) or full thickness skin ulcerations (FS). In several cases, a thermographic evaluation of the cast was performed immediately prior to removal and differences in temperature (AT) between the coolest point of the cast and 2 cast regions predisposed for sore development (dorsoproximal mc/mtIII and palmar/plantar fetlock) were calculated. Mean +/- s.d. total casting time of 70 horses was 31 +/- 18 days. Overall, 57 legs (81%) developed at least SS. Twenty-four legs (34%) ultimately developed DS and one horse had an FS. Multivariable analysis showed that the severity of sores was positively associated with increasing age (OR: 1.111, P = 0.028), a normal (vs. swollen) limb (OR: 3387, P = 0.023) and an increase in total casting time (OR per week: 1.363, P = 0.002). The thermographic evaluation (35 casts) revealed that the severity of sores was positively associated with increasing deltaT (OR: 2.100, P = 0.0005). The optimal cut-off values for the presence of SS and DS were set at, respectively, deltaT = 23 and 43 degrees C. Distal limb cast is a safe coaptation technique with increasing risk of developing sores with time. Thermography is a valuable and rapid clinical tool to monitor the development of cast sores.

[Improving vaccination social marketing by monitoring the web].

PubMed

Ferro, A; Bonanni, P; Castiglia, P; Montante, A; Colucci, M; Miotto, S; Siddu, A; Murrone, L; Baldo, V

2014-01-01

Immunisation is one of the most important and cost- effective interventions in Public Health because of their significant positive impact on population health.However, since Jenner's discovery there always been a lively debate between supporters and opponents of vaccination; Today the antivaccination movement spreads its message mostly on the web, disseminating inaccurate data through blogs and forums, increasing vaccine rejection.In this context, the Società Italiana di Igiene (SItI) created a web project in order to fight the misinformation on the web regarding vaccinations, through a series of information tools, including scientific articles, educational information, video and multimedia presentations The web portal (http://www.vaccinarsi.org) was published in May 2013 and now is already available over one hundred web pages related to vaccinations Recently a Forum, a periodic newsletter and a Twitter page have been created. There has been an average of 10,000 hits per month. Currently our users are mostly healthcare professionals. The visibility of the site is very good and it currently ranks first in the Google's search engine, taping the word "vaccinarsi" The results of the first four months of activity are extremely encouraging and show the importance of this project; furthermore the application for quality certification by independent international Organizations has been submitted.

Reconstruction of the first web space in symbrachydactyly using the reverse radial forearm flap.

PubMed

Gülgönen, Ayan; Güdemez, Eftal

2007-02-01

To present a new approach for the reconstruction of severe first web contractures using a distally based reverse radial forearm flap in symbrachydactyly patients. This study included 6 hands in 5 patients. Subjective evaluation included appearance, parent satisfaction (and patient satisfaction when appropriate), and ability to perform daily activities such as thumb-index grasp and pinch at follow-up evaluations. We measured the angle between the first and second rays using a goniometer at maximum radial abduction, and pinch and grasp strengths were evaluated as an objective assessment. The average follow-up period was 2 years. All parents and patients were happy with the aesthetic appearance. They were completely satisfied in their daily living activities. The average first web angle measurement was 56 degrees . An average of 39 degrees of improvement of web measurement was achieved. For the unilateral 4 patients, the average pinch strength measurement was 80% of the normal contralateral hand and the grip strength was 75% of the normal contralateral hand. The reverse radial forearm flap was found to be a safe and simple method in the reconstruction of severe first web contractures in symbrachydactyly patients. This method provided good coverage of appropriate thickness and skin quality, and supple soft tissue that filled the first web space. Therapeutic IV.

Development and Implementation of the Casting of Rods Made of Refractory Cast Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabanov, I. V.; Urin, S. L.; Ivanyuk, A. S.; Nesterov, A. N.; Bogdanov, S. V.

2017-12-01

The problems of the production of a so-called casting rod blank made of a refractory casting alloy in the vacuum induction furnaces of AO Metallurgical Plant Electrostal are considered. A unique technology of casting and subsequent treatment of as-cast rod blanks made of refractory alloys is developed, tested, and optimized. As a result of the developed and performed measures for the production of metal products in the Consarc furnace, the ingot-to-product yield increases by 15% as compared to metal casting in an ISV-1.0 furnace. As a result, we have widened the range of cast alloy grades and are going to cast metals for the manufacture of blanks of other sizes and ranges of alloy an steel grades.

Books in Children's Lives: Convincing Portraits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrahamson, Richard F.; Carter, Betty

1998-01-01

Provides a descriptive bibliography of titles that show the significant role books play in a young person's existence. Includes a letter excerpted from "Dear Author" magazine, from a 14-year old to "Charlotte's Web" author E.B. White telling how the book changed her life. (AEF)

Education for Development: A Worthwhile Investment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agnew, David; Fincham, Kathleen

2004-01-01

People live in an increasingly interdependent world with fluid borders. With advances in transportation and communications technologies, increased migration, and the profound influence of global business and international organizations, all parts of the planet are linked in a complex web of relationships, including economic, political, social and…

Energy Consumption of Die Casting Operations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jerald Brevick; clark Mount-Campbell; Carroll Mobley

2004-03-15

Molten metal processing is inherently energy intensive and roughly 25% of the cost of die-cast products can be traced to some form of energy consumption [1]. The obvious major energy requirements are for melting and holding molten alloy in preparation for casting. The proper selection and maintenance of melting and holding equipment are clearly important factors in minimizing energy consumption in die-casting operations [2]. In addition to energy consumption, furnace selection also influences metal loss due to oxidation, metal quality, and maintenance requirements. Other important factors influencing energy consumption in a die-casting facility include geographic location, alloy(s) cast, starting formmore » of alloy (solid or liquid), overall process flow, casting yield, scrap rate, cycle times, number of shifts per day, days of operation per month, type and size of die-casting form of alloy (solid or liquid), overall process flow, casting yield, scrap rate, cycle times, number of shifts per day, days of operation per month, type and size of die-casting machine, related equipment (robots, trim presses), and downstream processing (machining, plating, assembly, etc.). Each of these factors also may influence the casting quality and productivity of a die-casting enterprise. In a die-casting enterprise, decisions regarding these issues are made frequently and are based on a large number of factors. Therefore, it is not surprising that energy consumption can vary significantly from one die-casting enterprise to the next, and within a single enterprise as function of time.« less

Cortical actin nanodynamics determines nitric oxide release in vascular endothelium.

PubMed

Fels, Johannes; Jeggle, Pia; Kusche-Vihrog, Kristina; Oberleithner, Hans

2012-01-01

The release of the main vasodilator nitric oxide (NO) by the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) is a hallmark of endothelial function. We aim at elucidating the underlying mechanism how eNOS activity depends on cortical stiffness (К(cortex)) of living endothelial cells. It is hypothesized that cortical actin dynamics determines К(cortex) and directly influences eNOS activity. By combined atomic force microscopy and fluorescence imaging we generated mechanical and optical sections of single living cells. This approach allows the discrimination between К(cortex) and bulk cell stiffness (К(bulk)) and, additionally, the simultaneous analysis of submembranous actin web dynamics. We show that К(cortex) softens when cortical F-actin depolymerizes and that this shift from a gel-like stiff cortex to a soft G-actin rich layer, triggers the stiffness-sensitive eNOS activity. The results implicate that stiffness changes in the ∼100 nm phase of the submembranous actin web, without affecting К(bulk), regulate NO release and thus determines endothelial function.

FRAT-up, a Web-based Fall-Risk Assessment Tool for Elderly People Living in the Community

PubMed Central

Cattelani, Luca; Palumbo, Pierpaolo; Palmerini, Luca; Bandinelli, Stefania; Becker, Clemens; Chiari, Lorenzo

2015-01-01

Background About 30% of people over 65 are subject to at least one unintentional fall a year. Fall prevention protocols and interventions can decrease the number of falls. To be effective, a prevention strategy requires a prior step to evaluate the fall risk of the subjects. Despite extensive research, existing assessment tools for fall risk have been insufficient for predicting falls. Objective The goal of this study is to present a novel web-based fall-risk assessment tool (FRAT-up) and to evaluate its accuracy in predicting falls, within a context of community-dwelling persons aged 65 and up. Methods FRAT-up is based on the assumption that a subject’s fall risk is given by the contribution of their exposure to each of the known fall-risk factors. Many scientific studies have investigated the relationship between falls and risk factors. The majority of these studies adopted statistical approaches, usually providing quantitative information such as odds ratios. FRAT-up exploits these numerical results to compute how each single factor contributes to the overall fall risk. FRAT-up is based on a formal ontology that enlists a number of known risk factors, together with quantitative findings in terms of odds ratios. From such information, an automatic algorithm generates a rule-based probabilistic logic program, that is, a set of rules for each risk factor. The rule-based program takes the health profile of the subject (in terms of exposure to the risk factors) and computes the fall risk. A Web-based interface allows users to input health profiles and to visualize the risk assessment for the given subject. FRAT-up has been evaluated on the InCHIANTI Study dataset, a representative population-based study of older persons living in the Chianti area (Tuscany, Italy). We compared reported falls with predicted ones and computed performance indicators. Results The obtained area under curve of the receiver operating characteristic was 0.642 (95% CI 0.614-0.669), while the Brier score was 0.174. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test indicated statistical significance of miscalibration. Conclusions FRAT-up is a web-based tool for evaluating the fall risk of people aged 65 or up living in the community. Validation results of fall risks computed by FRAT-up show that its performance is comparable to externally validated state-of-the-art tools. A prototype is freely available through a web-based interface. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01331512 (The InChianti Follow-Up Study); http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01331512 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6UDrrRuaR). PMID:25693419

Warring arthropod societies: Social spider colonies can delay annihilation by predatory ants via reduced apparency and increased group size.

PubMed

Keiser, Carl N; Wright, Colin M; Pruitt, Jonathan N

2015-10-01

Sociality provides individuals with benefits via collective foraging and anti-predator defense. One of the costs of living in large groups, however, is increased apparency to natural enemies. Here, we test how the individual-level and collective traits of spider societies can increase the risk of discovery and death by predatory ants. We transplanted colonies of the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola into a habitat dense with one of their top predators, the pugnacious ant Anoplolepis custodiens. With three different experiments, we test how colony-wide survivorship in a predator-dense habitat can be altered by colony apparency (i.e., the presence of a capture web), group size, and group composition (i.e., the proportion of bold and shy personality types present). We also test how spiders' social context (i.e., living solitarily vs. among conspecifics) modifies their behaviour toward ants in their capture web. Colonies with capture webs intact were discovered by predatory ants on average 25% faster than colonies with the capture web removed, and all discovered colonies eventually collapsed and succumbed to predation. However, the lag time from discovery by ants to colony collapse was greater for colonies containing more individuals. The composition of individual personality types in the group had no influence on survivorship. Spiders in a social group were more likely to approach ants caught in their web than were isolated spiders. Isolated spiders were more likely to attack a safe prey item (a moth) than they were to attack ants and were more likely to retreat from ants after contact than they were after contact with moths. Together, our data suggest that the physical structures produced by large animal societies can increase their apparency to natural enemies, though larger groups can facilitate a longer lag time between discovery and demise. Lastly, the interaction between spiders and predatory ants seems to depend on the social context in which spiders reside. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Venous haemodynamics of Jet Impulse Technology within a lower limb fibreglass cast: a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Mackintosh, Stephen; Buchanan, Samantha; Schwarzenlander, Kerstin; De Ruyter, Bernadette

2017-01-01

Objectives We investigated popliteal venous haemodynamics of the VenaJet Jet Impulse Technology system within a below-knee fibreglass cast. Design Randomized controlled trial. Participants Twenty-four healthy participants aged 18–54 had both feet placed within the Jet Impulse Technology system and were randomised for one or other leg to be within a below-knee fibreglass cast. Setting Pacific Radiology, Lower Hutt, Wellington Main outcome measures The primary outcome variable was peak systolic velocity (cm/s) compared between legs with and without the cast at 60 min (after 10 min Jet Impulse Technology activation), using a mixed linear model and a non-inferiority bound of 4.8 cm/s. Secondary outcome variables were the difference in peak systolic velocity between the casted limb and the non-casted limb at baseline and 40 min after casting, and the difference in mean flow velocity (cm/s), vein diameter (mm), and total volume flow (L/min) between the casted limb and the non-casted limb at baseline, 40 and 60 min. Results The mean (standard deviation) peak systolic velocity was 4.6(1.5), 4.8(1.1), 28.8(16.1), and 4.3(1.2), 4.8(1.4) and 29.3(19.0) cm/s at baseline, 40 and 60 min in the casted and non-casted leg, respectively. The difference (95% confidence interval) between cast and no-cast at 60 min was −0.8 (−6.5 to 4.9) cm/s, P = 0.78. The peak systolic velocity, flow velocity and total volume flow at 40 min were not statistically significantly different from baseline for both casted and non-casted limb. Conclusion In healthy volunteers, the popliteal venous haemodynamics of the Jet Impulse Technology system was similar between the legs with and without a below-knee fibreglass cast. In-cast Jet Impulse Technology may provide a non-pharmacological option for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis for lower-limb cast-immobility. PMID:28203384

Marginal accuracy of nickel chromium copings fabricated by conventional and accelerated casting procedures, produced with ringless and metal ring investment procedures: A comparative in vitro study

PubMed Central

Alex, Deepa; Shetty, Y. Bharath; Miranda, Glynis Anita; Prabhu, M. Bharath; Karkera, Reshma

2015-01-01

Background: Conventional investing and casting techniques are time-consuming and usually requires 2–4 h for completion. Accelerated nonstandard, casting techniques have been reported to achieve similar quality results in significantly less time, namely, in 30–40 min. During casting, it is essential to achieve compensation for the shrinkage of solidifying alloy by investment expansion. The metal casting ring restricts the thermal expansion of investment because the thermal expansion of the ring is lesser than that of the investment. The use of casting ring was challenged with the introduction of the ringless technique. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 test samples of nickel chromium (Ni-Cr) cast copings were obtained from the patterns fabricated using inlay casting wax. The 20 wax patterns were invested using metal ring and 20 wax patterns were invested using the ringless investment system. Of both the groups, 10 samples underwent conventional casting, and the other 10 underwent accelerated casting. The patterns were casted using the induction casting technique. All the test samples of cast copings were evaluated for vertical marginal gaps at four points on the die employing a stereo optical microscope. Results: The vertical marginal discrepancy data obtained were tabulated. Mean and standard deviations were obtained. Vertical discrepancies were analyzed using analysis of variance and Tukey honestly significantly different. The data obtained were found to be very highly significant (P < 0.001). Mean vertical gap was the maximum for Group II (53.64 μm) followed by Group IV (47.62 μm), Group I (44.83 μm) and Group III (35.35 μm). Conclusion: The Ni-Cr cast copings fabricated with the conventional casting using ringless investment system showed significantly better marginal fit than that of cast copings fabricated from conventional and accelerated casting with metal ring investment and accelerated casting using ringless investment since those copings had shown the least vertical marginal discrepancies among the four methods evaluated in this study. PMID:26929488

Factors contributing to the temperature beneath plaster or fiberglass cast material

PubMed Central

Hutchinson, Michael J; Hutchinson, Mark R

2008-01-01

Background Most cast materials mature and harden via an exothermic reaction. Although rare, thermal injuries secondary to casting can occur. The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors that contribute to the elevated temperature beneath a cast and, more specifically, evaluate the differences of modern casting materials including fiberglass and prefabricated splints. Methods The temperature beneath various types (plaster, fiberglass, and fiberglass splints), brands, and thickness of cast material were measured after they were applied over thermometer which was on the surface of a single diameter and thickness PVC tube. A single layer of cotton stockinette with variable layers and types of cast padding were placed prior to application of the cast. Serial temperature measurements were made as the cast matured and reached peak temperature. Time to peak, duration of peak, and peak temperature were noted. Additional tests included varying the dip water temperature and assessing external insulating factors. Ambient temperature, ambient humidity and dip water freshness were controlled. Results Outcomes revealed that material type, cast thickness, and dip water temperature played key roles regarding the temperature beneath the cast. Faster setting plasters achieved peak temperature quicker and at a higher level than slower setting plasters. Thicker fiberglass and plaster casts led to greater peak temperature levels. Likewise increasing dip-water temperature led to elevated temperatures. The thickness and type of cast padding had less of an effect for all materials. With a definition of thermal injury risk of skin injury being greater than 49 degrees Celsius, we found that thick casts of extra fast setting plaster consistently approached dangerous levels (greater than 49 degrees for an extended period). Indeed a cast of extra-fast setting plaster, 20 layers thick, placed on a pillow during maturation maintained temperatures over 50 degrees of Celsius for over 20 minutes. Conclusion Clinicians should be cautious when applying thick casts with warm dip water. Fast setting plasters have increased risk of thermal injury while brand does not appear to play a significant role. Prefabricated fiberglass splints appear to be safer than circumferential casts. The greatest risk of thermal injury occurs when thick casts are allowed to mature while resting on pillow. PMID:18298851

Non-rigid Reconstruction of Casting Process with Temperature Feature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jinhua; Wang, Yanjie; Li, Xin; Wang, Ying; Wang, Lu

2017-09-01

Off-line reconstruction of rigid scene has made a great progress in the past decade. However, the on-line reconstruction of non-rigid scene is still a very challenging task. The casting process is a non-rigid reconstruction problem, it is a high-dynamic molding process lacking of geometric features. In order to reconstruct the casting process robustly, an on-line fusion strategy is proposed for dynamic reconstruction of casting process. Firstly, the geometric and flowing feature of casting are parameterized in manner of TSDF (truncated signed distance field) which is a volumetric block, parameterized casting guarantees real-time tracking and optimal deformation of casting process. Secondly, data structure of the volume grid is extended to have temperature value, the temperature interpolation function is build to generate the temperature of each voxel. This data structure allows for dynamic tracking of temperature of casting during deformation stages. Then, the sparse RGB features is extracted from casting scene to search correspondence between geometric representation and depth constraint. The extracted color data guarantees robust tracking of flowing motion of casting. Finally, the optimal deformation of the target space is transformed into a nonlinear regular variational optimization problem. This optimization step achieves smooth and optimal deformation of casting process. The experimental results show that the proposed method can reconstruct the casting process robustly and reduce drift in the process of non-rigid reconstruction of casting.

Characterization of Ni-Cr alloys using different casting techniques and molds.

PubMed

Chen, Wen-Cheng; Teng, Fu-Yuan; Hung, Chun-Cheng

2014-02-01

This study differentiated the mechanical properties of nickel-chromium (Ni-Cr) alloys under various casting techniques (different casting molds and casting atmospheres). These techniques were sampled by a sand mold using a centrifugal machine in ambient air (group I) and electromagnetic induction in an automatic argon castimatic casting machine (group II). The specimen casting used a graphite mold by a castimatic casting machine (group III). The characteristics of the Ni-Cr alloys, yield and ultimate tensile strength, bending modulus, microhardness, diffraction phase, grindability, ability to spring back, as well as ground microstructure and pattern under different casting conditions were evaluated. The group III specimens exhibited the highest values in terms of strength, modulus, hardness, and grindability at a grind rate of 500 rpm. Moreover, group III alloys exhibited smaller grain sizes, higher ability to spring back, and greater ductility than those casted by sand investment (groups I and II). The main factor, "casting mold," significantly influenced all mechanical properties. The graphite mold casting of the Ni-Cr dental alloys in a controlled atmosphere argon casting system provided an excellent combination of high mechanical properties and good ability to spring back, and preserved the ductile properties for application in Ni-Cr porcelain-fused system. The results can offer recommendations to assist a prosthetic technician in selecting the appropriate casting techniques to obtain the desired alloy properties. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 464.30 - Applicability; description of the ferrous casting subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ferrous casting subcategory. 464.30 Section 464.30 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS METAL MOLDING AND CASTING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Ferrous Casting Subcategory § 464.30 Applicability; description of the ferrous casting subcategory. The...

Microstructural Evolution in Intensively Melt Sheared Direct Chill Cast Al-Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, S.; Rao, A. K. Prasada; Patel, J. B.; Scamans, G. M.; Fan, Z.

The work presented here introduces the novel melt conditioned direct chill casting (MC-DC) technology, where intensive melt shearing is applied to the conventional direct-chill casting process. MC-DC casting can successfully produce high quality Al-alloy billets. The results obtained from 80 mm diameter billets cast at speed of 200 mm/min show that MC-DC casting of Al-alloys, substantially refines the microstructure and reduces macro-segregation. In this paper, we present the preliminary results and discuss microstructural evolution during MC-DC casting of Al-alloys.

Driving with a short arm cast in a simulator.

PubMed

Mansour, Damian; Mansour, Kristin Gotaas; Kenny, Benjamin William; Attia, John; Meads, Bryce

2015-12-01

To test the ability to steer in a driving simulator in subjects with a short arm cast. 17 men and 13 women aged 23 to 67 (mean, 37) years who had a valid driver's licence were randomised to the cast-first group (n=16; 7 had the cast on the dominant arm) or the cast-second group (n=14; 8 had the cast on the dominant arm) and drove in a simulator. A short arm plaster-of-Paris cast was applied in a neutral position, allowing free movement of the metacarpophalangeal joints, thumb, and elbow joint. Outcome measures included the number of driving off track instances, the number of crashes, the lap time, and the effect of hand dominance on these parameters. Subjects were asked whether the cast had impeded their steering ability. Subjects with or without a cast were comparable in terms of the number of driving off track instances, number of crashes, and lap time. Compared with no cast, the odds ratio (OR) of a subject in a cast driving off the track was 1.02 (p=0.921) and having a crash was 0.79 (p=0.047). All subjects were 1.23 times more likely to drive off the track in their first lap (OR=2.66, p=0.019). The mean lap time decreased for each consecutive lap from the 2nd to 5th laps. Subjects driving with a cast on the dominant or non-dominant arm were comparable. 26 out of the 30 participants considered that the plaster cast impeded their steering ability. Compared with no cast, driving with a short arm cast did not significantly decrease steering ability in a driving simulator.

Quiet breathing in hindlimb casted mice.

PubMed

Receno, Candace N; Roffo, Katelynn E; Mickey, Marisa C; DeRuisseau, Keith C; DeRuisseau, Lara R

2018-06-07

The hindlimb casting model was developed to study skeletal muscle reloading following a period of unloading. It is unknown if ventilation parameters of mice are affected by the casting model. We tested the hypothesis that hindlimb casted mice have similar ventilatory patterns compared to mice with the casts removed. Male CD-1 mice underwent 14 days of hindlimb immobilization via plaster casting. Breathing parameters were obtained utilizing unrestrained barometric plethysmography (UBP). Breathing traces were analyzed with Ponemah software for breathing frequency, tidal volume (TV), and minute ventilation (MV). Frequency, TV and MV did not show any differences in quiet breathing patterns during or post-casting in mice. Thus, the hindlimb casting model does not complicate breathing during and after casting and should not interfere with the unloading and reloading of skeletal muscle. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 464.10 - Applicability; description of the aluminum casting subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... aluminum casting subcategory. 464.10 Section 464.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Aluminum Casting Subcategory § 464.10 Applicability; description of the aluminum casting subcategory. The... introduction of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works resulting from aluminum casting operations as...

40 CFR 464.20 - Applicability; description of the copper casting subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... copper casting subcategory. 464.20 Section 464.20 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Copper Casting Subcategory § 464.20 Applicability; description of the copper casting subcategory. The... introduction of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works resulting from copper casting operations as...

40 CFR 464.20 - Applicability; description of the copper casting subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... copper casting subcategory. 464.20 Section 464.20 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Copper Casting Subcategory § 464.20 Applicability; description of the copper casting subcategory. The... introduction of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works resulting from copper casting operations as...

Method of reducing the green density of a slip cast article

DOEpatents

Mangels, John A.; Dickie, Ray A.

1985-01-01

The method disclosed in this specification is one of reducing the green density of an article cast in a slip casting operation. The article is cast from a casting slip containing silicon metal particles, yttrium containing particles, and a small amount of a fluoride salt which is effective to suppress flocculation of the silicon metal particles by y.sup.+3 ions derived from the yttrium containing particles. The method is characterized by the following step. A small amount of compound which produces a cation which will partly flocculate the particles of silicon metal is added to the casting slip. The small amount of this compound is added so that when the casting slip is slip cast into a casting mold, the partly flocculated particles of silicon will interrupt an otherwise orderly packing of the particles of silicon and particles of yttrium. In this manner, the green density of the slip cast article is reduced and the article may be more easily nitrided.

Scholarly Context Not Found: One in Five Articles Suffers from Reference Rot

PubMed Central

Klein, Martin; Van de Sompel, Herbert; Sanderson, Robert; Shankar, Harihar; Balakireva, Lyudmila; Zhou, Ke; Tobin, Richard

2014-01-01

The emergence of the web has fundamentally affected most aspects of information communication, including scholarly communication. The immediacy that characterizes publishing information to the web, as well as accessing it, allows for a dramatic increase in the speed of dissemination of scholarly knowledge. But, the transition from a paper-based to a web-based scholarly communication system also poses challenges. In this paper, we focus on reference rot, the combination of link rot and content drift to which references to web resources included in Science, Technology, and Medicine (STM) articles are subject. We investigate the extent to which reference rot impacts the ability to revisit the web context that surrounds STM articles some time after their publication. We do so on the basis of a vast collection of articles from three corpora that span publication years 1997 to 2012. For over one million references to web resources extracted from over 3.5 million articles, we determine whether the HTTP URI is still responsive on the live web and whether web archives contain an archived snapshot representative of the state the referenced resource had at the time it was referenced. We observe that the fraction of articles containing references to web resources is growing steadily over time. We find one out of five STM articles suffering from reference rot, meaning it is impossible to revisit the web context that surrounds them some time after their publication. When only considering STM articles that contain references to web resources, this fraction increases to seven out of ten. We suggest that, in order to safeguard the long-term integrity of the web-based scholarly record, robust solutions to combat the reference rot problem are required. In conclusion, we provide a brief insight into the directions that are explored with this regard in the context of the Hiberlink project. PMID:25541969

Management of Intolerance to Casting the Upper Extremities in Claustrophobic Patients

PubMed Central

Nagura, Issei; Kanatani, Takako; Sumi, Masatoshi; Inui, Atsuyuki; Mifune, Yutaka; Kokubu, Takeshi; Kurosaka, Masahiro

2014-01-01

Introduction. Some patients showed unusual responses to the immobilization without any objective findings with casts in upper extremities. We hypothesized their that intolerance with excessive anxiety to casts is due to claustrophobia triggered by cast immobilization. The aim of this study is to analyze the relevance of cast immobilization to the feeling of claustrophobia and discover how to handle them. Methods. There were nine patients who showed the caustrophobic symptoms with their casts. They were assesed whether they were aware of their claustrophobis themselves. Further we investigated the alternative immobilization to casts. Results. Seven out of nine cases that were aware of their claustrophobic tendencies either were given removable splints initially or had the casts converted to removable splints when they exhibited symptoms. The two patients who were unaware of their latent claustrophobic tendencies were identified when they showed similar claustrophobic symptoms to the previous patients soon after short arm cast application. We replaced the casts with removable splints. This resolved the issue in all cases. Conclusions. We should be aware of the claustrophobia if patients showed unusual responses to the immobilization without any objective findings with casts in upper extremities, where removal splint is practical alternative to cast to continue the treatment successfully. PMID:25379544

AMCC casting development, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

PCC successfully cast and performed nondestructive testing, FPI and x-ray, on seventeen AMCC castings. Destructive testing, lab analysis and chemical milling, was performed on eleven of the castings and the remaining six castings were shipped to NASA or Aerojet. Two of the six castings shipped, lots 015 and 016, were fully processed per blueprint requirements. PCC has fully developed the gating and processing parameters of this part and feels the part could be implemented into production, after four more castings have been completed to ensure the repeatability of the process. The AMCC casting has been a technically challenging part due to its size, configuration, and alloy type. The height and weight of the wax pattern assembly necessitated the development of a hollow gating system to ensure structural integrity of the shell throughout the investment process. The complexity in the jacket area of the casting required the development of an innovative casting technology that PCC has termed 'TGC' or thermal gradient control. This method of setting up thermal gradients in the casting during solidification represents a significant process improvement for PCC and has been successfully implemented on other programs. The alloy, JBK75, is a relatively new alloy in the investment casting arena and required our engineering staff to learn the gating, processing, and dimensional characteristics of the material.

Optimization to Develop Multiple Response Microstructure and Hardness of Ductile Iron Casting by using GRA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabnure, Bahubali Bhupal; Shinde, Vasudev Dhondiram; Kolhapure, Rakesh Ramchandra

2018-05-01

Ductile irons are important engineering materials because of its high strength to weight ratio and castability. The ductile iron castings are used widely for automobile applications due to their wide spectrum of property range. Weight reduction is important in automobile to improve its fuel efficiency which can be achieved by thinning down the casting sections without altering its functionality. Generally, automobile castings are having varying section thickness. Varying thickness castings offers different cooling rates while solidification of the casting. The solidification cooling rate decides the final microstructure of the cast components. Cooling rate was found to affect directly the amount of pearlite and ultimately the as cast properties in varying thickness ductile iron castings. In view of this, the automobile impeller casting is selected for study in the present work as it consists of varying section thickness in which small sections are connected to central hub. The casting solidification simulations were performed and analyzed. The solidification cooling rates were analyzed further to correlate the experimental processing parameters. The samples from poured castings were analyzed for microstructure and hardness at different section thickness. Multiple response optimization of microstructure and hardness was carried out by combined Taguchi and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). Contribution of input variables on the output variables is attained using ANOVA.

NASA/MSFC/NSSTC Science Communication Roundtable

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, Mitzi L.; Gallagher, D. L.; Koczor, R. J.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

For the last several years the Science Directorate at Marshall Space Flight Center has carried out a diverse program of Internet-based science communication. The Directorate's Science Roundtable includes active researchers, NASA public relations, educators, and administrators. The Science@NASA award-winning family of Web sites features science, mathematics, and space news. The program includes extended stories about NASA science, a curriculum resource for teachers tied to national education standards, on-line activities for students, and webcasts of real-time events. Science stories cover a variety of space-related subjects and are expressed in simple terms everyone can understand. The sites address such questions as: what is space weather, what's in the heart of a hurricane, can humans live on Mars, and what is it like to live aboard the International Space Station? Along with a new look, the new format now offers articles organized by subject matter, such as astronomy, living in space, earth science or biology. The focus of sharing real-time science related events has been to involve and excite students and the public about science. Events have involved meteor showers, solar eclipses, natural very low frequency radio emissions, and amateur balloon flights. In some cases broadcasts accommodate active feedback and questions from Internet participants. Information will be provided about each member of the Science@NASA web sites.

The EPA Comptox Chemistry Dashboard: A Web-Based Data ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Computational Toxicology Program integrates advances in biology, chemistry, and computer science to help prioritize chemicals for further research based on potential human health risks. This work involves computational and data driven approaches that integrate chemistry, exposure and biological data. As an outcome of these efforts the National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT) has measured, assembled and delivered an enormous quantity and diversity of data for the environmental sciences including high-throughput in vitro screening data, in vivo and functional use data, exposure models and chemical databases with associated properties. A series of software applications and databases have been produced over the past decade to deliver these data but recent developments have focused on the development of a new software architecture that assembles the resources into a single platform. A new web application, the CompTox Chemistry Dashboard provides access to data associated with ~720,000 chemical substances. These data include experimental and predicted physicochemical property data, bioassay screening data associated with the ToxCast program, product and functional use information and a myriad of related data of value to environmental scientists. The dashboard provides chemical-based searching based on chemical names, synonyms and CAS Registry Numbers. Flexible search capabilities allow for chemical identificati

The EPA CompTox Chemistry Dashboard - an online resource ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Computational Toxicology Program integrates advances in biology, chemistry, and computer science to help prioritize chemicals for further research based on potential human health risks. This work involves computational and data driven approaches that integrate chemistry, exposure and biological data. As an outcome of these efforts the National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT) has measured, assembled and delivered an enormous quantity and diversity of data for the environmental sciences including high-throughput in vitro screening data, in vivo and functional use data, exposure models and chemical databases with associated properties. A series of software applications and databases have been produced over the past decade to deliver these data. Recent work has focused on the development of a new architecture that assembles the resources into a single platform. With a focus on delivering access to Open Data streams, web service integration accessibility and a user-friendly web application the CompTox Dashboard provides access to data associated with ~720,000 chemical substances. These data include research data in the form of bioassay screening data associated with the ToxCast program, experimental and predicted physicochemical properties, product and functional use information and related data of value to environmental scientists. This presentation will provide an overview of the CompTox Dashboard and its va

Modelling the Cast Component Weight in Hot Chamber Die Casting using Combined Taguchi and Buckingham's π Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Rupinder

2018-02-01

Hot chamber (HC) die casting process is one of the most widely used commercial processes for the casting of low temperature metals and alloys. This process gives near-net shape product with high dimensional accuracy. However in actual field environment the best settings of input parameters is often conflicting as the shape and size of the casting changes and one have to trade off among various output parameters like hardness, dimensional accuracy, casting defects, microstructure etc. So for online inspection of the cast components properties (without affecting the production line) the weight measurement has been established as one of the cost effective method (as the difference in weight of sound and unsound casting reflects the possible casting defects) in field environment. In the present work at first stage the effect of three input process parameters (namely: pressure at 2nd phase in HC die casting; metal pouring temperature and die opening time) has been studied for optimizing the cast component weight `W' as output parameter in form of macro model based upon Taguchi L9 OA. After this Buckingham's π approach has been applied on Taguchi based macro model for the development of micro model. This study highlights the Taguchi-Buckingham based combined approach as a case study (for conversion of macro model into micro model) by identification of optimum levels of input parameters (based on Taguchi approach) and development of mathematical model (based on Buckingham's π approach). Finally developed mathematical model can be used for predicting W in HC die casting process with more flexibility. The results of study highlights second degree polynomial equation for predicting cast component weight in HC die casting and suggest that pressure at 2nd stage is one of the most contributing factors for controlling the casting defect/weight of casting.

Green Web or megabiased clock? Plant fossils from Gondwanan Patagonia speak on evolutionary radiations.

PubMed

Wilf, Peter; Escapa, Ignacio H

2015-07-01

Evolutionary divergence-age estimates derived from molecular 'clocks' are frequently correlated with paleogeographic, paleoclimatic and extinction events. One prominent hypothesis based on molecular data states that the dominant pattern of Southern Hemisphere biogeography is post-Gondwanan clade origins and subsequent dispersal across the oceans in a metaphoric 'Green Web'. We tested this idea against well-dated Patagonian fossils of 19 plant lineages, representing organisms that actually lived on Gondwana. Most of these occurrences are substantially older than their respective, often post-Gondwanan molecular dates. The Green Web interpretation probably results from directional bias in molecular results. Gondwanan history remains fundamental to understanding Southern Hemisphere plant radiations, and we urge significantly greater caution when using molecular dating to interpret the biological impacts of geological events. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

The web of life: Natural science information on the Internet

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clement, Gail

2000-01-01

As society has come to equate economic prosperity with the health of our living resources, national science policy has called for the development of a comprehensive digital knowledge base to support informed decision making and wise resource management. The Internet and World Wide Web demonstrate the earliest stages of this evolving virtual library of the natural world, offering an increasing array of high-quality, innovative resources and services in the natural science arena. This article discusses the leading providers of natural science information on the Internet and highlights some of the exemplary resources they are delivering online. The discussion concludes with a brief discussion of the role of the librarian in developing the Web of natural science knowledge online and provides a short Webliography of starting points for further exploration of this subject area. PDF

Illinois hospital using Web to build database for relationship marketing.

PubMed

Rees, T

2000-01-01

Silver Cross Hospital and Medical Centers, Joliet, Ill., is promoting its Web site as a tool for gathering health information about patients and prospective patients in order to build a relationship marketing database. The database will enable the hospital to identify health care needs of consumers in Joliet, Will County and many southwestern suburbs of Chicago. The Web site is promoted in a multimedia advertising campaign that invites residents to participate in a Healthy Living Quiz that rewards respondents with free health screenings. The effort is part of a growing planning and marketing strategy in the health care industry called customer relationship management (CRM). Not only does a total CRM plan offer health care organizations the chance to discover the potential for meeting consumers' needs; it also helps find any marketplace gaps that may exist.

41. PHOTOGRAPHY OF BLUE PRINT (MINNEAPOLIS CITY ENGINEER) END AND ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

41. PHOTOGRAPHY OF BLUE PRINT (MINNEAPOLIS CITY ENGINEER) END AND CENTRE CASTING OF CAST STEEL, MASONRY CASTING OF CAST IRON CASTING, FOR MINNEAPOLIS STEEL ARCH (4 x 5 negative) - Steel Arch Bridge, Hennepin Avenue spanning west channel of Mississippi River, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN

Basic Casting from A to Z. Student's Instruction Booklet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zebco, Tulsa, OK.

A profusely illustrated student instruction booklet contains step-by-step directions and diagrams for learning four basic casting techniques. Separate sections cover basic spin-casting, spinning, bait-casting, and fly-casting. Each section details recommended equipment (reel, rod, line, plug, tackle, lures, leaders, flies), describes specific…

NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT AND FISHERIES EXPLOITATION: INTERACTIVE EFFECTS ON ESTUARINE LIVING RESOURCES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Fisheries exploitation and increased nutrient loadings affect fish and shellfish abudance and production in estuaries. These stressors do not act independently; instead they jointly influence food webs, and each affects the sensitivity of species and ecosystems to the other. Nu...

77 FR 46444 - Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-03

... meeting by accessing the SAMHSA Committee Web site, http://nac.samhsa.gov/ , or by contacting Crystal C... Services National Advisory Council. Date/Time/Type: August 16, 2012, 8:30-5:00 (OPEN). Place: Live meeting webcast. Contact: Crystal C. Saunders, Acting Designated Federal Official, SAMHSA, Center for Mental...

Integrating web 2.0 in clinical research education in a developing country.

PubMed

Amgad, Mohamed; AlFaar, Ahmad Samir

2014-09-01

The use of Web 2.0 tools in education and health care has received heavy attention over the past years. Over two consecutive years, Children's Cancer Hospital - Egypt 57357 (CCHE 57357), in collaboration with Egyptian universities, student bodies, and NGOs, conducted a summer course that supports undergraduate medical students to cross the gap between clinical practice and clinical research. This time, there was a greater emphasis on reaching out to the students using social media and other Web 2.0 tools, which were heavily used in the course, including Google Drive, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Mendeley, Google Hangout, Live Streaming, Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), and Dropbox. We wanted to investigate the usefulness of integrating Web 2.0 technologies into formal educational courses and modules. The evaluation survey was filled in by 156 respondents, 134 of whom were course candidates (response rate = 94.4 %) and 22 of whom were course coordinators (response rate = 81.5 %). The course participants came from 14 different universities throughout Egypt. Students' feedback was positive and supported the integration of Web 2.0 tools in academic courses and modules. Google Drive, Facebook, and Dropbox were found to be most useful.

Access and completion of a Web-based treatment in a population-based sample of tornado-affected adolescents.

PubMed

Price, Matthew; Yuen, Erica K; Davidson, Tatiana M; Hubel, Grace; Ruggiero, Kenneth J

2015-08-01

Although Web-based treatments have significant potential to assess and treat difficult-to-reach populations, such as trauma-exposed adolescents, the extent that such treatments are accessed and used is unclear. The present study evaluated the proportion of adolescents who accessed and completed a Web-based treatment for postdisaster mental health symptoms. Correlates of access and completion were examined. A sample of 2,000 adolescents living in tornado-affected communities was assessed via structured telephone interview and invited to a Web-based treatment. The modular treatment addressed symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and alcohol and tobacco use. Participants were randomized to experimental or control conditions after accessing the site. Overall access for the intervention was 35.8%. Module completion for those who accessed ranged from 52.8% to 85.6%. Adolescents with parents who used the Internet to obtain health-related information were more likely to access the treatment. Adolescent males were less likely to access the treatment. Future work is needed to identify strategies to further increase the reach of Web-based treatments to provide clinical services in a postdisaster context. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Access and Completion of a Web-Based Treatment in a Population-Based Sample of Tornado-Affected Adolescents

PubMed Central

Price, Matthew; Yuen, Erica; Davidson, Tatiana M.; Hubel, Grace; Ruggiero, Kenneth J.

2015-01-01

Although web-based treatments have significant potential to assess and treat difficult to reach populations, such as trauma-exposed adolescents, the extent that such treatments are accessed and used is unclear. The present study evaluated the proportion of adolescents who accessed and completed a web-based treatment for post-disaster mental health symptoms. Correlates of access and completion were examined. A sample of 2,000 adolescents living in tornado-affected communities was assessed via structured telephone interview and invited to a web-based treatment. The modular treatment addressed symptoms of PTSD, depression, and alcohol and tobacco use. Participants were randomized to experimental or control conditions after accessing the site. Overall access for the intervention was 35.8%. Module completion for those who accessed ranged from 52.8% to 85.6%. Adolescents with parents who used the Internet to obtain health-related information were more likely to access the treatment. Adolescent males were less likely to access the treatment. Future work is needed to identify strategies to further increase the reach of web-based treatments to provide clinical services in a post-disaster context. PMID:25622071

Evaluation of a Web-based tailored intervention (TAVIE en santé) to support people living with HIV in the adoption of health promoting behaviours: an online randomized controlled trial protocol.

PubMed

Côté, José; Cossette, Sylvie; Ramirez-Garcia, Pilar; De Pokomandy, Alexandra; Worthington, Catherine; Gagnon, Marie-Pierre; Auger, Patricia; Boudreau, François; Miranda, Joyal; Guéhéneuc, Yann-Gaël; Tremblay, Cécile

2015-10-12

Long-term use of antiretroviral therapy, normal aging, and presence of certain risk factors are associated with metabolic disorders that predispose persons living with HIV to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The emergence and progression of these disorders can be prevented by adopting healthy behaviours. Based on the theory of planned behaviour, the Web-based tailored intervention TAVIE en santé was developed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of TAVIE en santé in order to support people living with HIV in the adoption of health promoting behaviours. An online randomized controlled trial with parallel-groups will be conducted across Canada. To participate in this study, people living with HIV must be: ≥ 18 years, able to read/understand French or English, have access to the Internet. A convenience sample of 750 participants will be randomly assigned either to an experimental group (TAVIE en santé, n = 375) or to a control group (websites, n = 375) (1:1 allocation ratio). The TAVIE en santé intervention is composed of seven interactive computer sessions, lasting between 5 and 10 min. The sessions, hosted by a virtual nurse, aim to develop and strengthen skills required for behaviour change. The control group will receive a validated list of five predetermined conventional health-related Websites. The adoption of health behaviour (smoking cessation or physical activity or healthy eating) is the principal outcome. Cognitions (intention, attitude, perceived behavioral control) are the secondary outcomes. Health indicators will also be assessed. All outcomes will be measured with a self-administered online questionnaire and collected three times: at baseline, 3 and 6 months after. The principal analyses will focus on differences between the two trial groups using Intention-to-Treat analysis. This study will yield new results about the efficacy of Web-based tailored health behaviours change interventions in the context of chronic disease. The TAVIE en santé intervention could constitute an accessible complementary service in support of existing specialized services to support people living with HIV adopt health behaviors. NCT02378766 , assigned on March 3th 2015.

Unravelling the role of allochthonous aquatic resources to food web structure in a tropical riparian forest.

PubMed

Recalde, Fátima C; Postali, Thaís C; Romero, Gustavo Q

2016-03-01

The role of matter and energy flow across ecosystem boundaries for the subsidized consumer populations is well known. However, little is known on the effects of allochthonous subsidies on food web structure and trophic niche dimensions of consumers in the tropics. We excluded allochthonous aquatic insects from tropical streams using greenhouse-type exclosures to test the influence of aquatic allochthonous subsidies on the trophic structure and niche dimensions of terrestrial predators using stable isotope methods. In exclosure treatments, abundance and biomass of terrestrial predators, and biomass of phytophages decreased and increased, respectively. Vegetation-living predators were more responsive to allochthonous inputs than those living on the ground. Overall, lower availability of allochthonous inputs did not affect community-wide metrics and niche width of predators. However, the niche width of some spider families had very low overlap between treatments, and others had wider isotopic niches in the control than in the exclusion treatment. Most of the C and N in predators living in control stretches came from aquatic subsidies, and those predators living in the exclusion treatments switched their diets to terrestrial sources, showing a preference of predators for allochthonous subsidies. Our results suggest that allochthonous subsidies are also relevant to tropical fauna living upon vegetation. Moreover, allochthonous resources may amplify the niche dimension of certain predators or considerably change the trophic niche of others. Our study highlights the importance of including modern isotopic tools in elucidating the role of allochthonous resources on the patterns of trophic structure and niche dimensions of consumers from donor ecosystems. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2015 British Ecological Society.

A population-based study on health and living conditions in areas with mixed Sami and Norwegian settlements – the SAMINOR 2 questionnaire study

PubMed Central

Brustad, Magritt; Hansen, Ketil Lenert; Broderstad, Ann Ragnhild; Hansen, Solrunn; Melhus, Marita

2014-01-01

Objectives To describe the method, data collection procedure and participation in The Population-based Study on Health and Living Conditions in Areas with both Sami and Norwegian Settlements – the SAMINOR 2 questionnaire study. Study design Cross-sectional and semi-longitudinal. Methods In 2012, all inhabitants aged 18–69 and living in selected municipalities with both Sami and Norwegian settlements in Mid and Northern Norway were posted an invitation to participate in a questionnaire survey covering several topics related to health and living conditions. The geographical area was similar to the area where the SAMINOR 1 study was conducted in 2003/2004 with the exception of one additional municipality. Participants could alternatively use a web-based questionnaire with identical question and answer categories as the posted paper version. Results In total, 11,600 (27%) participated (16% used the web-based questionnaire), with a higher participation rate among those over 50 (37% for women and 32% for men). Some geographical variation in participation rates was found. In addition, for those invited who also participated in the SAMINOR 1 study, we found that the participation rates increased with the level of education and income, while there was little difference in participation rates across ethnic groups. Conclusion The knowledge generated from future theme-specific research utilizing the SAMINOR 2 database has the potential to benefit the general population in this geographical area of Norway, and the Sami people in particular, by providing knowledge-based insight into the health and living conditions of the multi-ethnic population in these parts of Norway. PMID:24971230

Integration of RFID and web service for assisted living.

PubMed

Unluturk, Mehmet S; Kurtel, Kaan

2012-08-01

The number of people over 65 years old throughout most stable and prosperous countries in the world is increasing. Availability of their care in their own homes is imperative because of the economic reasons and their choices where to live (World Health Organization, Definition of an older or elderly person. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/survey/ageingdefnolder/en/ ; EQUIP-European Framework for Qualifications in Home Care Services for Older People, http://www.equip-project.com ; Salonen, 2009). "Recent advancement in wireless communications and electronics has enabled the development of low-cost sensor networks. The sensor networks can be utilized in various application areas." (Akyildiz, et al. 2002) These two statements show that there is a great promise in wireless technology and utilizing it in assisted living might be very beneficial to the elderly people. In this paper, we propose software architecture called Location Windows Service (LWS) which integrates the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and the web service to build an assisted living system for elderly people at home. This architecture monitors the location of elderly people without interfering in their daily activities. Location information messages that are generated as the elderly move from room to room indicate that the elderly person is fit and healthy and going about their normal life. The communication must be timely enough to follow elderly people as they move from room to room without missing a location. Unacknowledged publishing, subscription filtering and short location change messages are also included in this software model to reduce the network traffic in large homes. We propose some defense schemes being applied to the network environment of the assisted living system to prevent any external attacks.

Designsafe-Ci a Cyberinfrastructure for Natural Hazard Simulation and Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, C.; Rathje, E.; Stanzione, D.; Padgett, J.; Pinelli, J. P.

2017-12-01

DesignSafe is the web-based research platform of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) network that provides the computational tools needed to manage and analyze critical data for natural hazards research, with wind and storm surge related hazards being a primary focus. One of the simulation tools under DesignSafe is the Advanced Circulation (ADCIRC) model, a coastal ocean model used in storm surge analysis. ADCIRC is an unstructured, finite element model with high resolution capabilities for studying storm surge impacts, and has long been used in storm surge hind-casting and forecasting. In this talk, we will demonstrate the use of ADCIRC within the DesignSafe platform and its use for forecasting Hurricane Harvey. We will also demonstrate how to analyze, visualize and archive critical storm surge related data within DesignSafe.

Caste, Class and the Love-Marriage: Social Change in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corwin, Lauren A.

1977-01-01

The present study of a small town in rural West Bengal, India, reveals a number of "love-marriages" involving individuals from castes of distinctly different ranks in the local caste hierarchy. Despite the prevailing rule of caste endogamy, inter-caste couples appear to face little difficulty. (Author)

Release of ToxCastDB and ExpoCastDB databases

EPA Science Inventory

EPA has released two databases - the Toxicity Forecaster database (ToxCastDB) and a database of chemical exposure studies (ExpoCastDB) - that scientists and the public can use to access chemical toxicity and exposure data. ToxCastDB users can search and download data from over 50...

Adhesion Casting In Low Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noever, David A.; Cronise, Raymond J.

1996-01-01

Adhesion casting in low gravity proposed as technique for making new and improved materials. Advantages of low-gravity adhesion casting, in comparison with adhesion casting in normal Earth gravity, comes from better control over, and greater uniformity of, thicknesses of liquid films that form on and adhere to solid surfaces during casting.

21 CFR 888.5960 - Cast removal instrument.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cast removal instrument. 888.5960 Section 888.5960...) MEDICAL DEVICES ORTHOPEDIC DEVICES Surgical Devices § 888.5960 Cast removal instrument. (a) Identification. A cast removal instrument is an AC-powered, hand-held device intended to remove a cast from a...

40 CFR 466.20 - Applicability; description of the cast iron basis material subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Applicability; description of the cast... Cast Iron Basis Material Subcategory § 466.20 Applicability; description of the cast iron basis... of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works from porcelain enameling of cast iron basis...

CAST FLOOR WITH VIEW OF TORPEDO LADLE (BENEATH CAST FLOOR) ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

CAST FLOOR WITH VIEW OF TORPEDO LADLE (BENEATH CAST FLOOR) AND KEEPERS OF THE CAST HOUSE FLOOR, S.L. KIMBROUGH AND DAVID HOLMES. - U.S. Steel, Fairfield Works, Blast Furnace No. 8, North of Valley Road, West of Ensley-Pleasant Grove Road, Fairfield, Jefferson County, AL

Microstructure and mechanical properties of zirconium doped NiAl/Cr(Mo) hypoeutectic alloy prepared by injection casting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, L. Y.; Du, B. N.; Guo, J. T.

2017-01-01

NiAl based materials has been considered as most potential candidate of turbine blade, due to its excellent high-temperature properties. However the bad room-temperature properties handicap its application. In the present paper, the zirconium doped NiAl/Cr(Mo) hypoeutectic alloy is fabricated by conventional casting and injection casting technology to improve its room-temperature properties. The microstructure and compressive properties at different temperatures of the conventionally-cast and injection-cast were investigated. The results exhibit that the conventionally-cast alloy comprises coarse primary NiAl phase and eutectic cell, which is dotted with irregular Ni2AlZr Heusler phase. Compared with the conventionally-cast alloy, the injection-cast alloy possesses refined the primary NiAl, eutectic cell and eutectic lamella. In addition, the Ni2AlZr Heusler phase become smaller and distribute uniformly. Moreover, the injection casting decrease the area fraction of primary NiAl phase at the cell interior or cell boundaries. The compressive ductility and yield strength of the injection-cast alloy at room temperature increase by about 100% and 35% over those of conventionally-cast alloy, which should be ascribed to the microstructure optimization.

The Soldiers in Societies: Defense, Regulation, and Evolution

PubMed Central

Tian, Li; Zhou, Xuguo

2014-01-01

The presence of reproductively altruistic castes is one of the primary traits of the eusocial societies. Adaptation and regulation of the sterile caste, to a certain extent, drives the evolution of eusociality. Depending on adaptive functions of the first evolved sterile caste, eusocial societies can be categorized into the worker-first and soldier-first lineages, respectively. The former is marked by a worker caste as the first evolved altruistic caste, whose primary function is housekeeping, and the latter is highlighted by a sterile soldier caste as the first evolved altruistic caste, whose task is predominantly colony defense. The apparent functional differences between these two fundamentally important castes suggest worker-first and soldier-first eusociality are potentially driven by a suite of distinctively different factors. Current studies of eusocial evolution have been focused largely on the worker-first Hymenoptera, whereas understanding of soldier-first lineages including termites, eusocial aphids, gall-dwelling thrips, and snapping shrimp, is greatly lacking. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on biology, morphology, adaptive functions, and caste regulation of the soldier caste. In addition, we discuss the biological, ecological and genetic factors that might contribute to the evolution of distinct caste systems within eusocial lineages. PMID:24644427

Analysis of Mold Friction in a Continuous Casting Using Wavelet Transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yong; Fang, Bohan; Ding, Qiqi; Wang, Fangyin

2018-04-01

Mold friction (MDF) is an important parameter reflecting the lubrication condition between the initial shell and the mold during continuous casting. In this article, based on practical MDF from the slab continuous casting driven by a mechanical vibration device, the characteristics of friction were analyzed by continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) in different casting conditions, such as normal casting, level fluctuation, and alarming of the temperature measurement system. The results show that the CWT of friction accurately captures the subtle changes in friction force, such as the periodic characteristic of MDF during normal casting and the disordered feature of MDF during level fluctuation. Most important, the results capture the occurrence of abnormal casting and display the friction frequency characteristics at this abnormal time. In addition, in this article, there are some abnormal casting conditions, and the friction signal is stable until there is a sudden large change when abnormal casting, such as split breakout and submerged entry nozzle breakage, occurs. The DWT has a good ability to capture the friction characteristics for such abnormal situations. In particular, the potential abnormal features of MDF were presented in advance, which provides strong support for identifying abnormal casting and even preventing abnormal casting.