STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES): A NASA/TSGC/UTCSR High School Internship Program (Active, Experiential, and Collaborative Learning)

NASA, the Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC), and The University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research (CSR) support the STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) program which provides selected high school students with exposure to Earth and space research. Interns learn how to interpret NASA satellite data while working with scientists and engineers in their chosen topic area. This project addresses the national need to increase the number of high school students, particularly underrepresented minorities and those from under-served areas, that will pursue STEM college degrees.Cockrell School of Engineerin

A Tightrope over an Abyss: Humanity and the Lords of Life

The American thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson is a precursor to the thought of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche\u27s writings have often admitted to the profound influence Emerson had on the latter\u27s own philosophy. Both thinkers shared common ground in viewing philosophy and language as an active process, always in a state of becoming, where the subject is the sole creator of meaning. This paper argues that Emerson and Nietzsche recognized the liberating quality of language in the creation of one\u27s subjectivity. Emerson and Nietzsche dismissed notions of objective knowledge by looking at how language is arbitrary, and, as such, it is up to the individual to transform chaos into order through his/her own use of language. The argument for this paper utilizes Emerson\u27s essay, Experience, and Nietzsche\u27s essay, On Truth, to show how each thinker complements the other in his depiction of language as being ever evolving and transformative in its ability to allow the subject to create meaning to build his/her own worldview

The GLAS Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document for Laser Footprint Location (Geolocation) and Surface Profiles

This ATBD summarizes (and links with other ATBDs) the elements used to obtain the geolocated GLAS laser spot location, with respect to the Earth Center of Mass. Because of the approach used, the reference frame used to express the geolocation is linked to the reference frame used for POD and PAD, which are related to the ITRF. The geolocated spot coordinates (which includes the elevation or height, with respect to an adopted reference ellipsoid) is the inferred position of the laser spot, since the spot location is not directly measured. This document also summarizes the GLAS operation time periods

Modeling Correlation in Vehicle Routing Problems with Makespan Objectives and Stochastic Travel Times

The majority of stochastic vehicle routing models consider travel times to be independent. However, in reality, travel times are often stochastic and correlated, such as in urban areas. We examine a vehicle routing problem with a makespan objective incorporating both stochastic and correlated travel times. We develop an approach based on extreme-value theory to estimate the expected makespan (and standard deviation) and embed this within a routing heuristic. We present results that demonstrate the impact of different correlation patterns and levels of correlation on route planning

Patient Safety Case Review: Inpatient Use of Recreational Opiates

Background of Case Patient with active substance use (reported snorting 8-10 bags of fentanyl/day) not initially interested in MOUD admitted to TJUH for severe sepsis due to empyema Placed on hydromorphone PCA with scheduled oxycodone for pain control and withdrawal, found to have diverted prescribed opiates and used recreational fentanyl while inpatient Project Aim Perform root cause analysis of safety event Develop solutions to prevent similar instances in future given growing opiate epidemic in Philadelphi

Relationship between employment and quality of life and self-perceived health in people with spinal cord injury:an international comparative study based on the InSCI Community Survey

Study design: Cross-sectional study. Objectives: Work-related disability is common in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). The aims of this study are to examine the associations of employment with self-perceived health (SPH) and quality of life (QoL) across 22 countries and to explore the covariates around employment and SPH and QoL. Setting: Community. Methods: We analyzed 9494 community-dwelling persons with SCI aged 18–65. We performed an adjusted regression and path analysis. The independent variable was ‘employment’ and the dependent variables were two single items: QoL (very poor to very good) and SPH (excellent to poor). Covariates included the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), education, time since SCI, age, gender, years of employment after SCI, SCI level (paraplegia, tetraplegia), and completeness of SCI. Results: Participants’ mean age was 47, 74% were male, and 63% had paraplegia. We found an association between employment and QoL and SPH. While the magnitude of the effect of employment on QoL did not differ across GDP quartiles, its perceived effect on QoL was found to be significant in the highest GDP quartile. Employment was predictive of good SPH in two GDP quartiles (Q1 and Q4), but significant across all quartiles when predicting poor perceptions, with the magnitude of effect varying significantly. Conclusions: Employment is closely related to QoL and SPH depending on the GDP. We may positively influence the QoL and SPH in the SCI population to promote better employment outcomes by considering the infrastructure and economy.</p

Real-time 100 Gbps/λ/core NRZ and EDB IM/DD transmission over 10 km multicore fiber

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HIV-exposed uninfected infants show robust memory B cell responses in spite of a delayed accumulation of memory B cells: An observational study in the first two years of life.

Background Improved HIV care has led to an increase in the number of HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants born to HIV infected women. Although uninfected, these infants experience increased morbidity and mortality. One explanation may be that their developing immune system is altered by HIV-exposure predisposing them to increased post-natal infections. Methods We explored the impact of HIV-exposure on the B-cell compartment by determining the B-cell subset distribution, the frequency of common vaccine antigen-specific memory B cells (MBCs) and their respective antibody levels in HEU and HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) infants born to uninfected mothers, using flow cytometry, B-cell ELISPOT and ELISA, respectively, during the first two years of life. Results For the majority of the B-cell subsets there were no differences between HEU and HUU infants. However, HIV exposure was associated with a lower proportion of B cells in general and specifically MBCs, largely due to a lower proportion of unswitched memory B cells. This reduction was maintained even after correcting for age. These phenotypic differences in the MBC compartment did not affect the ability of HEU infants to generate recall responses to previously encountered antigens, or reduce the antigen-specific antibody levels at 18 months of life. Conclusions Although HIV-exposure was associated with a transient reduction in the proportion of MBCs, we found that the ability of HEUs to mount robust MBC and serological responses was unaffected