Rotating Backing Brush

In the final steps of GAF’s shingle production process, small asphalt particles called fines are applied. Some fines adhere well to the shingle sheet, while others temporarily stick only to fall off the sheet further down the manufacturing line. As a result, the shingle plant floor is covered in fines that have fallen due to vibrations and gravity. The technicians and engineers at GAF want a cleaner working environment and to potentially reuse the loose fines. We are a senior project team that solved this problem by designing a system to remove and collect loose fines. In this document, the Senior Project Report, we fully describe our design process, final design, and results. After extensive research and consultation with GAF, we defined the scope of the project and set specifications for our design. With these specifications, we used ideation methods to generate several possible solutions, which were narrowed down to our final concept. The final design consists of a rotating brush that spins against the motion of the shingle sheet to remove the loose asphalt fines into a collection system which then captures the removed fines. After testing a variety of bristles, we narrowed our selection to brushes made of Nylon 6-6. The final three bristle types we compared were 0.028” crimped, 0.028” level, and 0.022” level. With our system parameters of 4.5” long bristles, brush speed of 450 rpm, and overlap of approximately 0.07 inches, we recommend 0.022” level to GAF, but note that our testing was insufficient to conclude that the 0.022” level was definitively better. Furthermore, results from our testing suggests that any of the three types may satisfy our specifications. Longevity, overlap, and brush speed are all additional parameters that we recommend testing further

The Role of Language Concordant Care on Increasing Parental Engagement in Shared Decision Making

BACKGROUND: Shared decision making (SDM) allows patients and physicians to make decisions together by incorporating clinical expertise and patient preference. While SDM can improve patient satisfaction, preferences on the extent of involvement in SDM vary, particularly among different cultures and languages. We sought to describe preferences in decision making and degree of SDM among Spanish-speaking caregivers receiving pediatric Otolaryngology care. We hypothesized that language-concordant encounters would have higher SDM scores. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of Spanish-speaking caregivers undergoing consultation with pediatric otolaryngology was performed (May-August 2022). Care was provided in a language-concordant (LC) setting in which the physician and caregiver communicate in Spanish, or a language–discordant (LD) setting in which the physician communicates with interpreter support. Following their appointment, caregivers were invited to complete the Spanish Control Preferences Scale (CPS, select 2 of 5 options) to determine their two most preferred roles in medical decision making, and the Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9; scored 0-100) to assess perceived SDM. Descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact and the Mann-Whitney U test were used for analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-one caregivers were enrolled. CPS scores revealed the passive-collaborative medical decision making role was the most favored (59%), followed by an active-collaborative role (26%), and passive role (13%). Median SDM-Q-9 score for all caregivers was 100.00 (mean=93.70). The median SDMQ-9 score was 100 in LC visits, and 97.78 in LD visits (p = 0.428). No differences in SDM-Q-9 scores were detected for CPS categories between LC and LD visits. CONCLUSION: High levels of SDM were observed among Spanish-speaking caregivers using both LC and LD care. Most caregivers preferred a passive-collaborative role in medical decision making. Results may be influenced by positive response bias given the high scores observed. Further studies with larger sample sizes can further our understanding of the impact of LC care in SDM

Herbaceous production lost to tree encroachment in United States rangelands

1. Rangelands of the United States provide ecosystem services that benefit society and rural economies. Native tree encroachment is often overlooked as a primary threat to rangelands due to the slow pace of tree cover expansion and the positive public perception of trees. Still, tree encroachment fragments these landscapes and reduces herbaceous production, thereby threatening habitat quality for grassland wildlife and the economic sustainability of animal agriculture. 2. Recent innovations in satellite remote sensing permit the tracking of tree encroachment and the corresponding impact on herbaceous production. We analysed tree cover change and herbaceous production across the western United States from 1990 to 2019. 3. We show that tree encroachment is widespread in US rangelands; absolute tree cover has increased by 50% (77,323 km2) over 30 years, with more than 25% (684,852 km2) of US rangeland area experiencing tree cover expansion. Since 1990, 302 ± 30 Tg of herbaceous biomass have been lost. Accounting for variability in livestock biomass utilization and forage value reveals that this lost production is valued at between $4.1–$ 5.6 billion US dollars. 4. Synthesis and applications. The magnitude of impact of tree encroachment on rangeland loss is similar to conversion to cropland, another well-known and primary mechanism of rangeland loss in the US Prioritizing conservation efforts to prevent tree encroachment can bolster ecosystem and economic sustainability, particularly among privately-owned lands threatened by land-use conversion

Tracking spatial regimes in animal communities: Implications for resilience-based management

Spatial regimes (the spatial extents of ecological states) exhibit strong spatiotemporal order as they expand or contract in response to retreating or encroaching adjacent spatial regimes (e.g., woody plant invasion of grasslands) and human management (e.g., fire treatments). New methods enable tracking spatial regime boundaries via vegetation landcover data, and this approach is being used for strategic management across biomes. A clear advancement would be incorporating animal community data to track spatial regime boundaries alongside vegetation data. In a 41,170-hectare grassland experiencing woody plant encroachment, we test the utility of using animal community data to track spatial regimes via two hypotheses. (H1) Spatial regime boundaries identified via independent vegetation and animal datasets will exhibit spatial synchrony; specifically, grassland:woodland bird community boundaries will synchronize with grass:woody vegetation boundaries. (H2) Negative feedbacks will stabilize spatial regimes identified via animal data; specifically, frequent fire treatments will stabilize grassland bird community boundaries. We used 26 years of bird community and vegetation data alongside 32 years of fire history data. We identified spatial regime boundaries with bird community data via a wombling approach. We identified spatial regime boundaries with vegetation data by calculating spatial covariance between remotely-sensed grass and woody plant cover per pixel. For fire history data, we calculated the cumulative number of fires per pixel. Setting bird boundary strength (wombling R2 values) as the response variable, we tested our hypotheses with a hierarchical generalized additive model (HGAM). Both hypotheses were supported: animal boundaries synchronized with vegetation boundaries in space and time, and grassland bird communities stabilized as fire frequency increased (HGAM explained 38% of deviance). We can now track spatial regimes via animal community data pixel-by-pixel and year-by-year. Alongside vegetation boundary tracking, tracking animal community boundaries can inform the scale of management necessary to maintain animal communities endemic to desirable ecological states. Our approach will be especially useful for conserving animal communities requiring large-scale, unfragmented landscapes—like grasslands and steppes

Longitudinal Invariance Testing Of The Knee Injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score For Joint Replacement Scale (KOOS-JR)

# Background The Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (KOOS-JR) is a seven-item patient reported outcome measure used to assess perceived knee health. Though commonly used, the longitudinal psychometric properties of the KOOS-JR have not been established and further characterization of its structural validity and multi-group invariance properties is warranted. # Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the KOOS-JR in a large sample of patients who received care for knee pathology. # Study Design Original research. # Methods Longitudinal data extracted from the Surgical Outcome System (SOS) database of 13,470 knee pathology patients who completed the KOOS-JR at baseline, three-months, six- months, and one-year. Scale structure was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), while multi-group and longitudinal invariance properties were assessed with CFA-based procedures. Latent group means were compared with statistical significance set at α ≤ .05 and Cohen’s d effect size as d = 0.2 (small), d = 0.5 (medium), and d = 0.8 (large). # Results CFA results exceeded goodness-of-fit indices at all timepoints. Multi-group invariance properties passed test requirements. Longitudinal analysis identified a biased item resulting in removal of item #1; the retained six-item model (KOOS-JR-6) passed longitudinal invariance requirements. KOOS-JR-6 scores significantly changed over time (p ≤ .001, Mdiff = 1.08, Cohen’s d = 0.57): the highest scores were at baseline examination and the lowest at 12-month assessment. # Conclusions The KOOS-JR can be used to assess baseline differences between males and females, middle and older aged adults, and patients receiving total knee arthroplasty or non-operative care. Caution is warranted if the KOOS-JR is used longitudinally due to potential measurement error associated with item #1. The KOOS-JR-6 may be a more viable option to assess change over time; however, more research is warranted. # Level of Evidence 3 © The Author(s

Next-generation technologies unlock new possibilities to track rangeland productivity and quantify multi-scale conservation outcomes

Historically, relying on plot-level inventories impeded our ability to quantify large-scale change in plant biomass, a key indicator of conservation practice outcomes in rangeland systems. Recent technological advances enable assessment at scales appropriate to inform management by providing spatially comprehensive estimates of productivity that are partitioned by plant functional group across all contiguous US rangelands. We partnered with the Sage Grouse and Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiatives and the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project to demonstrate the ability of these new datasets to quantify multi-scale changes and heterogeneity in plant biomass following mechanical tree removal, prescribed fire, and prescribed grazing. In Oregon’s sagebrush steppe, for example, juniper tree removal resulted in a 21% increase in one pasture’s productivity and an 18% decline in another. In Nebraska’s Loess Canyons, perennial grass productivity initially declined 80% at sites invaded by trees that were prescriptively burned, but then fully recovered post-fire, representing a 492% increase from nadir. In Kansas’ Shortgrass Prairie, plant biomass increased 4-fold (966,809 kg/ha) in pastures that were prescriptively grazed, with gains highly dependent upon precipitation as evidenced by sensitivity of remotely sensed estimates (SD ± 951,308 kg/ha). Our results emphasize that next-generation remote sensing datasets empower land managers to move beyond simplistic control versus treatment study designs to explore nuances in plant biomass in unprecedented ways. The products of new remote sensing technologies also accelerate adaptive management and help communicate wildlife and livestock forage benefits from management to diverse stakeholders

Tracking spatial regimes in animal communities: Implications for resilience-based management

Spatial regimes (the spatial extents of ecological states) exhibit strong spatiotemporal order as they expand or contract in response to retreating or encroaching adjacent spatial regimes (e.g., woody plant invasion of grasslands) and human management (e.g., fire treatments). New methods enable tracking spatial regime boundaries via vegetation landcover data, and this approach is being used for strategic management across biomes. A clear advancement would be incorporating animal community data to track spatial regime boundaries alongside vegetation data. In a 41,170-hectare grassland experiencing woody plant encroachment, we test the utility of using animal community data to track spatial regimes via two hypotheses. (H1) Spatial regime boundaries identified via independent vegetation and animal datasets will exhibit spatial synchrony; specifically, grassland:woodland bird community boundaries will synchronize with grass:woody vegetation boundaries. (H2) Negative feedbacks will stabilize spatial regimes identified via animal data; specifically, frequent fire treatments will stabilize grassland bird community boundaries. We used 26 years of bird community and vegetation data alongside 32 years of fire history data. We identified spatial regime boundaries with bird community data via a wombling approach. We identified spatial regime boundaries with vegetation data by calculating spatial covariance between remotely-sensed grass and woody plant cover per pixel. For fire history data, we calculated the cumulative number of fires per pixel. Setting bird boundary strength (wombling R2 values) as the response variable, we tested our hypotheses with a hierarchical generalized additive model (HGAM). Both hypotheses were supported: animal boundaries synchronized with vegetation boundaries in space and time, and grassland bird communities stabilized as fire frequency increased (HGAM explained 38% of deviance). We can now track spatial regimes via animal community data pixel-by-pixel and year-by-year. Alongside vegetation boundary tracking, tracking animal community boundaries can inform the scale of management necessary to maintain animal communities endemic to desirable ecological states. Our approach will be especially useful for conserving animal communities requiring large-scale, unfragmented landscapes—like grasslands and steppes

Vascular Anomalies Review of the Head and Neck for Physicians in Training

A basic understanding of vascular anomalies will aid physicians-in-training as they seek to properly diagnose and determine interventions for these patient presentations. The aim of this review is to create a resource for physicians in training that encompasses the most important clinical aspects of vascular anomalies. Vascular anomalies of the head and neck are divided into two categories: vascular tumors and vascular malformations. This review will first describe vascular tumors followed by vascular malformations. This review discusses major pathology found in both categories of vascular anomaly. Vascular anomalies are frequently found in pediatric populations and can persist into adulthood, making it important for trainees to identify them on physical exam. This developing field seeks to improve form, function, and quality of life for patients with vascular anomalies and often requires a multidisciplinary approach (i.e., otolaryngology, dermatology, genetics, plastic surgery, interventional radiology). Various medical and surgical treatment options are available. A basic knowledge of these anomalies will allow for accurate, early diagnosis and appropriate intervention which can ultimately improve patient outcomes.   Search Strategy and Selection Criteria: The MEDLINE/PubMed database was searched for primary research and reviews discussing various vascular anomalies which include infantile hemangioma, congenital hemangioma, pyogenic granuloma, tufted angioma, kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, capillary malformations, lymphatic malformations, venous malformations, and arteriovenous malformations. This search was conducted from 7/5/2023 to 3/21/2024

International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form Latent Growth Model Analysis: Assessing Recovery Trajectories

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), such as the six-item International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC-6), play a crucial role in assessing health conditions and guiding clinical decisions. Latent Growth Modeling (LGM) can be employed to understand recovery trajectories in patients post-operatively. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess LGM properties of the IKDC-6 in patients with knee pathologies that require surgical intervention and to assess differences between subgroups (i.e., sex and age). A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Surgical Outcome System (SOS) database with patients who had undergone knee arthroscopy. Our results found that preoperative scores did not influence the rate of change overtime. Perceived knee health improved over time, with varying rates among individuals. The adolescent age subgroup and male subgroup exhibited faster recovery rates compared to the older age subgroup and female subgroup. While initial hypotheses suggested IKDC-6 could serve as a prognostic tool, results did not support this. However, results indicated favorable outcomes irrespective of preoperative perceived knee impairment levels. This study provides valuable insights into recovery dynamics following knee surgery, emphasizing the need for personalized rehabilitation strategies tailored to individual patient characteristics

Woody Plant Encroachment and the Sustainability of Priority Conservation Areas

Woody encroachment is a global driver of grassland loss and management to counteract encroachment represents one of the most expensive conservation practices implemented in grasslands. Yet, outcomes of these practices are often unknown at large scales and this constrains practitioner’s ability to advance conservation. Here, we use new monitoring data to evaluate outcomes of grassland conservation on woody encroachment for Nebraska’s State Wildlife Action Plan, a statewide effort that targets management in Biologically Unique Landscapes (BULs) to conserve the state’s natural communities. We tracked woody cover trajectories for BULs and compared BUL trajectories with those in non-priority landscapes (non-BULs) to evaluate statewide and BUL-scale conservation outcomes more than a decade after BUL establishment. Statewide, woody cover increased by 256,653 ha (2.3%) from 2000–2017. Most BULs (71%) experienced unsustainable trends of grassland loss to woody encroachment; however, management appeared to significantly reduce BUL encroachment rates compared to non-BULs. Most BULs with early signs of encroachment lacked control strategies, while only one BUL with moderate levels of encroachment (Loess Canyons) showed evidence of a management-driven stabilization of encroachment. These results identify strategic opportunities for proactive management in grassland conservation and demonstrate how new monitoring technology can support large-scale adaptive management pursuits