Vaccinating Vulnerable Populations

Influenza vaccination rates for all minority groups in Minnesota are lower than rates for Caucasians of all age groups. Since 2006, a collaborative partnership called Minnesota Immunization Networking Initiative (MINI) has provided free influenza vaccinations in convenient and trusted community settings throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota in an attempt to address this health disparity. The literature highlights a number of barriers that negatively influence individuals\u27 choices regarding acceptance of influenza vaccination but also highlights motivators, facilitators and processes that positively impact these decisions. Thirteen focus group interviews were conducted with individuals from the Ethiopian, Latino, Native American and Somali communities in 2013 to understand reasons for their continued lack of participation at MINI clinics. Utilizing themes identified from these focus groups, MINI partners and community site contacts proposed to co-cre ate aculturally sensitive and language appropriate educational and communication toolkit to improve knowledge about influenza and influenza vaccination. The ultimate goal is to influence individuals\u27 decisions to obtain annual influenza vaccinations as a means of maintaining health and wellness. If successful, this collaborative educational approach would improve influenza vaccination rates and reduce or eliminate this health disparity in some of the state\u27s most vulnerable populations

Improving wear performance of wind turbine gearboxes using ionic liquids as additives of lubricants

Wind resources are a proven source of clean, affordable and sustainable energy. Wind energy does not produce harmful pollution gases such carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, or other gases that have contributed to global warming. The wind energy industry has seen rapid growth within the last decade; however the cost of maintaining the turbines is a major drawback. Wind turbine gearboxes present one of the more challenging current practical tribological problems. Contact failures in gear and bearing components have been the source of costly repairs and downtime of the turbine’s drivetrain and actuator. A potential solution to reduce contact failures in wind turbines and increase their lifespan, is the use of ionic liquids (IL) as lubricant or additives of lubricants. ILs have the ability to form stable ordered layers on the contact area between the materials, reducing friction and wear. In this work, the wear behavior of trihexyltetradecylphosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) amide used as additive in two oils is studied and compared to commercially available, fully formulated lubricant. Lubricated disks of steel AISI 52100 mated with AISI 440C stainless steel balls are studied using a ballon- flat reciprocating configuration under variable conditions of normal applied load and sliding frequency. The use of the IL as additive in a base oil reduce wear, particularly under the lowest frequency studied.The authors acknowledge financial support from New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I 2013)-Increasing the Reliability and Efficiency of Wind Turbines by Reducing Gearbox Friction and Wear

Disease and Insect Resistance: A Key to Successful Short Rotation Woody Crops Systems

Research on short rotation woody crops (SRWC) systems has been conducted in the North Central states since the early 1970\u27s. Poplars have been the major tree genus used in these studies. This research has paid dividends as poplars now are being used in the establishment of demonstration and operational plantations for the production of biomass energy for on-farm use, institutional heating, and small industry power. Populus is also playing a key role in the development of new systems for temperate zone agroforestry that will supply wood energy while providing environmental benefits

Optical extinction due to intrinsic structural variations of photonic crystals

Unavoidable variations in size and position of the building blocks of photonic crystals cause light scattering and extinction of coherent beams. We present a new model for both 2 and 3-dimensional photonic crystals that relates the extinction length to the magnitude of the variations. The predicted lengths agree well with our new experiments on high-quality opals and inverse opals, and with literature data analyzed by us. As a result, control over photons is limited to distances up to 50 lattice parameters ($\sim 15 \mu$m) in state-of-the-art structures, thereby impeding large-scale applications such as integrated circuits. Conversely, scattering in photonic crystals may lead to novel physics such as Anderson localization and non-classical diffusion.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. Changes include: added Lagendijk as author; simplified and generalized the tex

Handheld dynamometry: validity and reliability of measuring hip joint rate of torque development and peak torque

INTRODUCTION: Measuring rate of torque development (RTD) and peak torque (PT) for hip muscle performance presents challenges in clinical practice. This study investigated the construct validity of a handheld dynamometer (HHD) versus an isokinetic dynamometer (IKD), and intra-rater repeated reliability for RTD and PT and their relationship in hip joint movements. METHODS: Thirty healthy individuals (mean age = 30 ± 8 years, 13 males) underwent two test sessions in a single day. RTD (0-50, 0-100, 0-150, 0-200ms) and PT normalised to body mass in maximal voluntary isometric contractions were measured using a HHD and an IKD in hip flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal and external rotation. RESULTS: For validity between the devices, RTD0-50 exhibited the largest significant systematic bias in all hip movements (3.41-11.99 Nm·s-1 kg-1) and widest limits-of-agreement, while RTD0-200 had the lowest bias (-1.33-3.99 Nm·s-1 kg-1) and narrowest limits-of-agreement. For PT, agreement between dynamometers was observed for hip flexion (0.08 Nm·kg-1), abduction (-0.09 Nm·kg-1), internal (-0.01 Nm·kg-1), and external rotation (0.05 Nm·kg-1). For reliability, intra-rater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) ranged from moderate to good in RTD0-50 and RTD0-100 (0.5-0.88), and good to excellent in RTD0-150 and RTD0-200 (0.87-0.95) in all movements. The HHD displayed excellent intra-rater, relative reliability values (ICC2,1) in all movements (0.85-0.95). Pearson's correlation revealed good linear correlation between PT and RTD0-150 and RTD0-200 in all movements (r = .7 to .87, p = < .001). CONCLUSION: Validity analysis demonstrated significant systematic bias and lack of agreement in RTD measures between the HHD and IKD. However, the HHD displays excellent to moderate intra-rater, relative reliability for RTD and PT measures in hip movements. Clinicians may use the HHD for hip muscle PT assessment but note, late phase RTD measures are more reliable, valid, and relate to PT than early phase RTD. Additionally, the correlation between RTD and PT at various time epochs was examined to better understand the relationship between these measures

Ninja data analysis with a detection pipeline based on the Hilbert-Huang Transform

The Ninja data analysis challenge allowed the study of the sensitivity of data analysis pipelines to binary black hole numerical relativity waveforms in simulated Gaussian noise at the design level of the LIGO observatory and the VIRGO observatory. We analyzed NINJA data with a pipeline based on the Hilbert Huang Transform, utilizing a detection stage and a characterization stage: detection is performed by triggering on excess instantaneous power, characterization is performed by displaying the kernel density enhanced (KD) time-frequency trace of the signal. Using the simulated data based on the two LIGO detectors, we were able to detect 77 signals out of 126 above SNR 5 in coincidence, with 43 missed events characterized by signal to noise ratio SNR less than 10. Characterization of the detected signals revealed the merger part of the waveform in high time and frequency resolution, free from time-frequency uncertainty. We estimated the timelag of the signals between the detectors based on the optimal overlap of the individual KD time-frequency maps, yielding estimates accurate within a fraction of a millisecond for half of the events. A coherent addition of the data sets according to the estimated timelag eventually was used in a characterization of the event.Comment: Accepted for publication in CQG, special issue NRDA proceedings 200

Dynamical coupled-channel study of K+ Lambda photoproduction

Results for the reaction gamma p --> K+ Lambda, studied within a constituent quark model and a dynamical coupled-channel approach, are presented and compared with recent data. Issues related to the search for missing baryon resonances are briefly discussed and the role played by a third S_{11} resonance is underlined.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of BARYONS 2004, Palaiseau, France, 25-29 Oct 200

Animal waste management

"71/1M""Livestock producers have asked for guidelines on animal waste management that will be feasible and enduring. The Missouri Water Pollution Board has been aware of the need for improvements in methods of handling waste from confined feeding operations and for guidelines for producers. Chapter 204 of Missouri Statutes, as amended, gives the Water Pollution Board the responsibility and authority to correct and/or prevent "pollution" of "waters of the state." These terms are defined in the law and discussed briefly in the first section. With these facts in mind, staff engineers of the Water Pollution Board held a series of meetings with staff members of the Extension Division and Department of Agricultural Engineering of the University of Missouri-Columbia to develop guidelines for disposing of waste from confinement feeding operations. This report is a result of their combined efforts. Others assisting with various phases of development of these guidelines included: School of Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia; State Department of Health, and the Soil Conservation Service. Research data and experience in handling livestock wastes have been used to develop the guidelines for planning, design, construction, and management of alternative systems of livestock waste management. The information and design guidelines herein are intended primarily for the use of personnel in agencies concerned with animal waste management problems." --PrefaceMissouri Water Pollution Board and Extension Division, University of Missouri - Columbia