Three-dimensional soliton-like distortions in flexoelectric nematic liquid crystals: modeling and linear analysis

This article models experimentally observed three dimensional particle-like waves that develop in nematic liquid crystals, with negative dielectric and conductive anisotropy, when subject to an applied alternating electric field. The liquid crystal is confined in a thin region between two plates, perpendicular to the applied field. The horizontal, uniformly aligned director field is at equilibrium due to the negative anisotropy of the media. However, such a state is unstable to perturbations that manifest themselves as confined, bullet-like, director distortions traveling up and down the sample at a speed of several hundred microns per second. It is experimentally predicted that flexoelectricity plays a key role in generating the soliton-like behavior. We develop a variational model that accounts for ansiostropic dielectric, conductive, flexolectric, elastic and viscous forces. We perform a stability analysis of the uniformly aligned equilibrium state to determine the threshold wave numbers, size, phase-shift and speed of the soliton-like disturbance. We show that the model predictions are in very good agreement with the experimentally measured values. The work models and analyzes a three-dimensional soliton-like instability reported, for the first time in flexoelectric liquid crystals, pointing towards a potential application as a new type of nanotransport device

Experience with Ada on the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle Flight Test Program

Considerable experience was acquired with Ada at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility during the on-going High Alpha Technology Program. In this program, an F-18 aircraft was highly modified by the addition of thrust-vectoring vanes to the airframe. In addition, substantial alteration was made in the original quadruplex flight control system. The result is the High Alpha Research Vehicle. An additional research flight control computer was incorporated in each of the four channels. Software for the research flight control computer was written in Ada. To date, six releases of this software have been flown. This paper provides a detailed description of the modifications to the research flight control system. Efficient ground-testing of the software was accomplished by using simulations that used the Ada for portions of their software. These simulations are also described. Modifying and transferring the Ada for flight software to the software simulation configuration has allowed evaluation of this language. This paper also discusses such significant issues in using Ada as portability, modifiability, and testability as well as documentation requirements

Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health in the Age of Bioterrorism, 2004

Examines ten key indicators to evaluate state preparedness to respond to bioterrorist attacks and other public health emergencies. Evaluates the federal government's role and performance, and offers recommendations for improving readiness

F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2005

Examines national and state obesity rates and government policies. Challenges the research community to focus on major research questions to inform policy decisions, and policymakers to pursue actions to combat the obesity crisis

F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2004

Examines national and state obesity rates and government policies. Focuses on setting a baseline of current policies and programs, and offers a comprehensive look at their range and quality

Comparison of Man-Days of Fishing and Fish Harvest Above and Below a Flood Control Hydrolectric Impoundment Bisecting an Oklahoma Scenic River

Zoolog

Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health in the Age of Bioterrorism, 2005

Examines ten key indicators to evaluate state preparedness to respond to bioterrorist attacks and other public health emergencies. Evaluates the federal government's role and performance, and offers recommendations for improving readiness

Experience with Ada on the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle flight test program

Considerable experience has been acquired with Ada at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility during the on-going High Alpha Technology Program. In this program, an F-18 aircraft has been highly modified by the addition of thrust-vectoring vanes to the airframe. In addition, substantial alteration was made in the original quadruplex flight control system. The result is the High Alpha Research Vehicle. An additional research flight control computer was incorporated in each of the four channels. Software for the research flight control computer was written Ada. To date, six releases of this software have been flown. This paper provides a detailed description of the modifications to the research flight control system. Efficient ground-testing of the software was accomplished by using simulations that used the Ada for portions of their software. These simulations are also described. Modifying and transferring the Ada flight software to the software simulation configuration has allowed evaluation of this language. This paper also discusses such significant issues in using Ada as portability, modifiability, and testability as well as documentation requirements

Can scribes boost FPs\u27 efficiency and job satisfaction

Purpose: Research in other medical specialties has shown that the addition of medical scribes to the clinical team enhances physicians\u27 practice experience and increases productivity. To date, literature on the implementation of scribes in primary care is limited. To determine the feasibility and benefits of implementing scribes in family medicine, we undertook a pilot mixed- method quality improvement (QI) study. Methods: In 2014, we incorporated 4 part-time scribes into an academic family medicine practice consisting of 7 physicians. We then measured, via survey and time-tracking data, the impact the scribes had on physician office hours and productivity, time spent on documentation, perceptions of work-life balance, and physician and patient satisfaction. Results: Six of the 7 faculty physicians participated. This study demonstrated that the use of scribes in a busy academic primary care practice substantially reduced the amount of time that family physicians spent on charting, improved work-life balance, and had good patient acceptance. Specifically, the physicians spent an average of 5.1 fewer hours/week (hrs/wk) on documentation, while various measures of productivity revealed increases ranging from 9.2% to 28.8%. Perhaps most important of all, when the results of the pilot study were annualized, they were projected to generate $168,600 per year--more than twice the$79,500 annual cost of 2 full-time equivalent scribes. Surveys assessing work-life balance demonstrated improvement in the physicians\u27 perception of the administrative burden/paperwork related to practice and a decrease in their perception of the extent to which work encroached on their personal lives. In addition, survey data from 313 patients at the time of their ambulatory visit with a scribe present revealed a high level of comfort. Likewise, surveys completed by physicians after 55 clinical sessions (ie, blocks of consecutive, uninterrupted patient appointments; there are usually 2 sessions per day) revealed good to excellent ratings more than 90% of the time. Conclusion: In an outpatient family medicine clinic, the use of scribes substantially improved physicians\u27 efficiency, job satisfaction, and productivity without negatively impacting the patient experience

Identifying Personalized Metabolic Signatures in Breast Cancer.

Cancer cells are adept at reprogramming energy metabolism, and the precise manifestation of this metabolic reprogramming exhibits heterogeneity across individuals (and from cell to cell). In this study, we analyzed the metabolic differences between interpersonal heterogeneous cancer phenotypes. We used divergence analysis on gene expression data of 1156 breast normal and tumor samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and integrated this information with a genome-scale reconstruction of human metabolism to generate personalized, context-specific metabolic networks. Using this approach, we classified the samples into four distinct groups based on their metabolic profiles. Enrichment analysis of the subsystems indicated that amino acid metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, citric acid cycle, androgen and estrogen metabolism, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification distinguished these four groups. Additionally, we developed a workflow to identify potential drugs that can selectively target genes associated with the reactions of interest. MG-132 (a proteasome inhibitor) and OSU-03012 (a celecoxib derivative) were the top-ranking drugs identified from our analysis and known to have anti-tumor activity. Our approach has the potential to provide mechanistic insights into cancer-specific metabolic dependencies, ultimately enabling the identification of potential drug targets for each patient independently, contributing to a rational personalized medicine approach