Vibration-Based Nondestructive Estimation of Neutral Temperature in Continuous Welded Rails

The longitudinal stress in continuous welded rails (CWRs) is a key parameter to guarantee safe operations and avoid rail buckles (sun kink) and pull-aparts occurring at extreme warm and cold temperatures, respectively. To mitigate the effect of longitudinal stress due to temperature variation, any CWR is typically pretensioned to a certain value of the rail neutral temperature (RNT) that is the temperature at which the net longitudinal stress in the rail is zero. However, over the years the RNT decreases to unknown values due to multiple factors, increasing the risk of thermal buckling. Therefore, rail owners and transportation agencies require inspection methods to evaluate the RNT in CWR. In this study, a novel nondestructive testing (NDT) technique based on finite element analysis, rail vibrations, and machine learning is investigated to infer the RNT in rails. The overarching approach consists of triggering and measuring rail vibrations. The lateral and torsional frequency components of the few lowest modes (< 1 kHz) of vibrations are extracted and fed to a machine learning algorithm (MLA) previously trained with finite element data or benchmark experimental data. This method is expected to predict the longitudinal stress and the RNT with very few experimental data to be collected anytime anywhere. In the long-term, the key advantages of the proposed technique are the: (1) simplicity of the setup to be carried in the field; (2) low-cost of the instrumentation; (3) short duration of the needed measurements. This dissertation presents the principal results of the study including the implementation of a finite element model of CWR, and the setup and results of one laboratory experiment and two field tests conducted at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo (CO) on rails on concrete and wood ties. The results of the experiments demonstrate that the success of the technique is dependent on the accuracy of the numerical model and the ability to properly identify the dynamic characteristics of the rail. The results also show that this methodology is able to predict successfully the neutral temperature of the tested rail, specifically when the MLA is trained on benchmark experimental data

Glycosaminoglycan binding of strain-specific polymorphisms in the chikungunya virus E2 glycoprotein

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthritogenic alphavirus that displays broad cell tropism, interacting with a variety of cell-surface molecules to enter cells and mediate infection. Like many pathogenic viruses, CHIKV uses negatively-charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) as attachment factors to enhance binding to cells. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that CHIKV depends on GAGs for efficient infection of mammalian cells and displays strain-specific differences in GAG binding. However, the specific polymorphisms that dictate strain-specific differences in GAG binding have not been identified. We engineered SINV-CHIKV chimeric viruses to contain five basic amino acid polymorphisms at residues in the E2 viral attachment protein that either have putative roles in GAG binding or are present in strains displaying phenotypic differences (K140R, K149R, K221R, K234N, and K252Q). ELISA assays were conducted to determine whether the E2 polymorphic mutants were altered in direct binding to GAGs while cell-binding assays were conducted using human muscle cells (RH30) to determine whether these mutants depend on GAGs for efficient cell attachment. In addition, mutant viruses were also tested in infectivity assays to investigate their dependence on GAGs for infection of biologically-relevant cell lines (RH30, pHDF, tel-HFF) and dependence on GAGs for efficient infection in the presence and absence of a CHIKV entry receptor (Mxra8). Collectively, these studies provide a foundational understanding of the functional consequences of CHIKV E2 basic amino acid polymorphisms in binding to GAGs and cell attachment

The Impact of Maternal Care Deserts on Racial Disparities in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Examining racial disparities in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy within maternal care deserts is crucial for addressing systemic inequities in maternal healthcare. Maternal care deserts refer to geographic areas with limited access to prenatal and obstetric services, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. Racial and ethnic minorities often face higher rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy which can lead to severe complications for both the mother and baby. By focusing on these disparities within care deserts, we can identify the intersecting factors that contribute to adverse outcomes including socioeconomic challenges, inadequate healthcare infrastructures, and systematic racism. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing targeted interventions that improve access to quality maternal care, reduce health disparities, and enhance maternal and infant outcomes

Optimizing Patient Outcomes in Diabetes through Pharmacy and Population Health Strategies: A Comprehensive Review of Medication Adherence and Patient Education in UPMC Health Plan

Diabetes, an escalating global health challenge, commands public attention constantly due to its multifaceted impact on individuals and communities. The prevalence of diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes (T2DM), has reached epidemic proportions, affecting approximately 463 million adults globally in 2019, and is projected to rise to 700 million by 2045. The complex nature of these complications not only compromises the quality of life for individuals with diabetes but also places a substantial burden on our healthcare systems. This essay delves into the intricate interplay between pharmacy and population health strategies within the UPMC Health Plan, offering a comprehensive analysis focused on the various methods for enhancing patient outcomes in diabetes management. Within the UPMC Health Plan, the pharmacy and population health teams aimed to start from multiple angles to optimize patient outcomes in diabetes management. The Pharmacy Team employs various tactics to enhance medication adherence, including IVR/SMS/live calls, analytic capabilities, and CMS STARS diabetes-related strategies. Additionally, interventions focus on planning all-cause readmissions with meticulous post-discharge medication reconciliation and outreach initiatives. Conversely, the Population Health Team's approach incorporates technology-driven interventions like Targeted Automatic eConsults (TACos), CDCES referral services, and Optimization target populations. While pharmacy interventions emphasize metrics aligning with patient compliance and prescribed medication regimens, the Population Health Team adopts a holistic approach to improve clinical outcomes and quality of life through self-management education. This essay comprehensively explores differences between the pharmacy and population health strategies, providing insights into the dynamic synergy required to address the multifaceted challenges of diabetes within the UPMC Health Plan. In addition, the essay will provide recommendations to refine these integrated strategies further and include more perspectives on population health management to form a comprehensive framework for healthcare executives to consider

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Investigating Adolescent Body Hair Attitudes, Satisfaction, and Removal Practices

Introduction: For girls and women living in Eurocentric cultures, body hair removal is a pervasive standard of beauty. However, there is a dearth of research on body hair attitudes and removal practices, particularly among adolescents. Grounded in objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) and intersectionality theory (Crenshaw, 1989), this thesis examines attitudes and behaviors regarding body hair among an ethnically and racially diverse sample of adolescent girls and boys. Method: Data for this study were collected from large, suburban and urban schools in the United States during the Fall of 2021 (n = 1,023, aged 11-18). Three separate two-way ANCOVAs determined if there was an interaction effect between gender and race/ethnicity on attitudes towards girls’ body hair, body hair satisfaction, and body hair removal frequency. Among the subsample of adolescent girls, a linear regression assessed if body hair satisfaction mediated the relationship between self-objectification and body hair removal frequency. Two moderated mediation models were explored based on this model. Race/ethnicity was investigated as a moderator of the association between self-objectification and both body hair satisfaction and body hair removal frequency. Among the subsample of girls of color, ethnic and racial identity (ERI) commitment was investigated as a moderator of these associations. Results: Compared to boys, girls were more likely to approve of body hair on girls, were less likely to feel satisfied with their body hair, and reported more frequent body hair removal. The interaction between gender and race on body hair removal was significant. Among girls, self-objectification was negatively associated with body hair satisfaction, which, in turn, was negatively associated with body hair removal; the indirect effect of the linear regression mediation analysis was not significant. This relationship remained consistent across different racial/ethnic groups. ERI commitment did not significantly buffer the relationship between self-objectification and body hair satisfaction among girls of color. Discussion: These findings highlight that body hair growth is not simply an outcome of pubertal development. While a quintessential adolescent experience, body hair growth is associated with attitudes and behaviors which reflect societal beauty standards

Scaffolding or interference: how do parent behaviors shape infants’ object exploration skills

Reaching skills allow infants to explore their environment actively from birth. These skills progress from simple touches to more complex actions like grasping and manipulating objects. Reaching skills not only enable exploration, but they also contribute to the development of other motor skills. Therefore, nurturing reaching skills during infancy is critical. Parental scaffolding, which involves providing or removing support during tasks, is examined in the context of infant object exploration. While some argue that scaffolding may hinder development by interrupting infants' exploration, others suggest it may enhance learning opportunities. The current study aims to investigate the impact of parental resetting on infants' reaching skill development during a reaching task. Data from 84 parent-infant dyads were analyzed, and parental resetting behavior was categorized into low or high resetting groups. We found that infants in the high parental resetting group showed a shorter latency to first contact objects, increased maturity of manual object exploration, and higher scores on the Early Motor Questionnaire (EMQ). The current study’s results shed light on whether parental resetting scaffold or disrupt the development of independent reaching skills during infancy

Patterns of Ethnic and Religious Discrimination in the Legal Systems of the Middle East States

Legal systems in the Middle East states include provisions that openly and expressly create and formalize inequalities between different ethnic and religious groups. They form persistent patterns and such patterns of discrimination are not accidental, de facto, nor sudden, rather, they are systematic and intentional. The legal systems of the region states did not only fail to develop an inclusive identity of self, these systems are fundamentally deficient. Built and designed to preserve and expand on certain orders and status quo that clearly provide which are the dominant groups, and which are the second-class citizens in the state

Perceptions of the value of higher education among undergraduate students

A rising tide of reports, commentaries, surveys, and studies seems to herald a crisis in higher education – a crisis frequently framed as a question of value. There are many variations of the question: What benefits does postsecondary education yield? What is the purpose of attending a postsecondary institution? Do such institutions deliver on this purpose? Does the value of a degree lie in its purported utility value on the job market? Does it hold intrinsic value or offer a path to self-development? Is college “worth it”? The skyrocketing cost of higher education in recent years is perhaps the most influential factor driving such questioning and is both a reflection of a neoliberal framing of education and a source of the many conflicts prompting questions of its value. The present study examines to what extent questions of value enter into the way students think about their own educational experiences. It draws on nine in-depth interviews with undergraduate students at the University of Pittsburgh to investigate how students themselves think about the complex concept of value. It probes the tensions and conflicts that exist within multifarious perceptions, seeking to understand how students themselves define value and how they subsequently reflect on that value based on their lived experiences. The present study’s methodology reflects this aim through the deliberate selection of a sample of students representing a wide range of backgrounds, including year in school, major, amount of debt, and generation status. The study finds that students primarily view the purpose of college as getting a desirable job and building a network, yet place considerable value on other, less instrumental benefits. This results in a tension between conflicting conceptions, appearing to be largely due to cost, which complicates how students consider value. This thesis strives to illuminate the ways students view their college educations, highlighting what they consider beneficial and important as well as challenging and problematic, in the hopes of adding clarification to the often confusing and contradictory nature of such abstract notions as value

Undergraduate Writing Pedagogy in an Era of Digital Ubiquity

In academia, there remains a broad cultural divide between STEM and the humanities that was identified over half a century ago by C.P. Snow. However, the nature of this divide has changed in recent years as a scientific tool, the digital computer, has become ubiquitous in daily life. The humanities must now contend with how to account for this specialized-yet-ubiquitous technology within its various disciplines, and it is in this contention that I believe composition pedagogy is well-situated to support undergraduate education and bridge the cultural divide. The use of digital technology can be taught via concepts from composition pedagogy to undergraduates at sufficient levels of generality to support their use of the technology in their home disciplines and post-college work. This approach is an extension of how composition studies has dealt with the incorporation of writing technology into the classroom. In doing so, it attempts to account for perspectives from both STEM and humanities cultures, considering not only what composition pedagogy and humanities perspectives might bring to the teaching of computing, but also how to effectively engage students in technical learning as they familiarize themselves with how to make use of a specialist technology in their lives and work

Beyond Human Limits: The Introduction of Artificial Intelligence Into Screening Mammography to Improve Breast Cancer Detection

Radiologists can greatly improve their ability to detect breast cancer, with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the breast cancer screening process. The use of AI within screening mammography can help minimize the frequency of false negative diagnoses of breast cancer, by calling out areas of concern that may otherwise be overlooked. By maximizing the ability to detect breast cancer at an earlier stage, the patient can maximize their ability to receive treatment at a time to control if not eradicate the breast cancer. The early detection of breast cancer can potentially reduce healthcare costs by treating patients at an early stage and avoiding the costs for treatment of cancer that has metastasized. In the United States, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women and is estimated to kill 42,250 women in just 2024 alone (Breast Cancer Statistics, n.d.). Breast cancer can be treated effectively when detected early on, which is why the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that women receive a screening mammogram each year. This recommendation has helped to reduce the breast cancer death rate 43% since 1989 (Breast Cancer Statistics, n.d.). Although this is a drastic improvement, not all women are able to receive the intended benefit of a yearly screening due to an epidemic of misdiagnosis. Upwards of 30% of mammograms are misdiagnosed, causing women to forego treatment that may ultimately save their lives. 85% of the misdiagnoses can be attributed directly to human error, and could have been avoided (Ganesan, Karthikeyan, et al., 2013). In order to reduce human error, we need to provide greater support to radiologists and improve screening mammography. AI has the ability to diagnose patients and provide explanations simple enough for both physicians and patients to understand. While this technology is new and currently still being tested, integration is imperative to ensure that women receive treatment for breast cancer as soon as it’s detectable