The crude reality : effects of oil booms on households in shale-oil states

Oil is notorious for its volatility. Often as an indicator for economic wellbeing, the commodity employs millions across the country. Entire communities in the western United States are centered around oil extraction, with employment, livelihoods, and revenues dependent on oil’s success. This combination of factors begs the question, how do oil boom-bust cycles impact community level demographic and economic outcomes in shale-oil states? Using the boom-bust cycles of 1980 to 2010 as context, oil price and production data in coordination with local level economic and demographic data give insight into how these communities are impacted. I find that the growth income and employment is heavily dependent on the success of the oil industry in areas with increased extraction, more so than the larger national economy. Further, individual decision making, including marriage and education, are closely tied to oil price.Keywords: Applied Economics, Oil, Demographics, Wyoming, North Dakota, Oklahom

Bicycle Headset with Adjustable Spring Rate

Fork flop can play an important role in the performance of a mountain bike. This phenomenon of fork flop is known as the tendency that the front wheel of a bike wants to flop over to one side when moving slowly. The fork flop experienced on a bicycle changes with the geometry of the bike, but our team sought to change the fork flop experienced through an adjustable internal spring design that attaches to the bicycle instead. From our research, we decided to utilize torsion springs as the method for mitigating fork flop. We also decided to use load cells and a DAQ to compile and compare the data of our test bicycles. After creating a prototype, we compared the moments experienced on a bicycle with an extremely slack head angle to that of a bicycle with a steep head angle. The bicycle with a slack head angle had our prototype placed on it to provide the fork flop mitigation. Our results show that the bicycle with the slack head angle experienced less moments with our design placed on it, putting it on a comparable level to that of a bicycle with a steep head angle. These results suggest that our internal spring design can mitigate the fork flop experienced on a bicycle without changing the bicycle’s geometry. Our prototype gives an important conclusion that bicycle riders can change the performance of their bicycle without the need for a complete overhaul of their bike

Cholecystectomy Is Risker in Male Patients

Introduction: While cholecystitis has a female preponderance, some observe a trend towards more challenging disease in male patients. The confluence of sex and patient acuity has not been thoroughly investigated. We hypothesize that men present with worse disease compared with women, as evidenced by higher rates of open surgery and higher resource consumption. Methods: An inpatient registry from a 5-hospital system was queried for cholecystectomy procedures not associated with neoplasm or malignancy. Cases from 2015 to 2021 were included. Demographics, clinical and outcome variables were analyzed. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed. The data were de-identified before analysis and deemed exempt from IRB review, and were analyzed using R within R-Studio. Results: There were 2789 cholecystectomy patients, 1616 (58%) were women and 1173 (42%) were men. Demographics and baseline health characteristics differed across sex. Univariate analysis highlighted that males experienced more harms (1.35 vs 1.14; p = 0.002), more open approaches (18% vs 11%; p \u3c 0.001), longer inpatient lengths of stays (median: 4 vs 3 days; p \u3c 0.001), higher hospital cost ($15,694 vs$13,173; p \u3c 0.001), increased laboratory orders (37.65 vs 30.01; p \u3c 0.001), higher MS-DRG weight (2.104 vs 1.842; p \u3c 0.001) and greater mortality risk (56% vs 36%; p \u3c 0.001). Further, multivariate analysis found male cholecystectomy patients were correlated with higher instances of open surgical approach (OR: 1.80; p \u3c 0.001), hospital readmission (OR: 1.50; p = 0.008), and higher cost (β: $981; R2: 0.27; p = 0.006). Conclusion: Inpatient male cholecystectomy patients present with worse disease and require more hospital resources

A comparison of mechanical properties from natural and process-induced interfaces in filament extrusion AM of polymer blends

Polymer blends are commonly tuned for specific applications to achieve desired properties otherwise inaccessible or prohibitively expensive to obtain via homopolymers. The interfacial characteristics of the polymer A-polymer B interface and resultant domain sizes govern key performance properties. Micro- and meso-scale morphology forms through the interplay of surface forces between the polymers and between each polymer and the surrounding atmosphere. Analogously, the layer-layer and road-road interfaces of material extrusion (MEX) additive manufacturing (AM) govern key performance properties of printed parts. This work explores the effect of layer height on the thermomechanical performance of polystyrene (PS)-polycarbonate (PC) blends. Filament is prepared from a 50/50 weight ratio of the two polymers and compared against dual-nozzle printing where every layer alternates between PS or PC homopolymer forming a part with an overall 50/50 polymer ratio. Typical indicators of polymer blend compatibility are also studied.Mechanical Engineerin

Low-Dose TOF-PET Based on Surface Electron Production in Dielectric Laminar MCPs

We present simulations of whole-body low-dose time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) based on the direct surface production [1] by 511 keV gamma rays of energetic electrons via the Photo-electric and Compton Effects, eliminating the scintillator and photodetector sub-systems in PET scanners. In Ref. [1] we described Microchannel Plates (MCP) constructed from thin dielectric laminae containing heavy nuclei such as lead or tungsten (LMCP$^{\rm{TM}}$). The laminae surfaces are micro-patterned to form channels, which can then be functionalized to support secondary electron emission in the manner of conventional MCPs. We have simulated direct conversion using modifications to the TOPAS Geant4-based tool kit. A 20 $\times$ 20 $\times$ 2.54 cm$^3$ LMCP, composed of 150-micron thick lead-glass laminae, is predicted to have a $\ge 30$% conversion efficiency to a primary electron that penetrates an interior wall of a pore. The subsequent secondary electron shower is largely confined to one pore and can provide high space and time resolutions. In whole-body PET scanners the technique eliminates the scintillator and photodetector subsystems. The consequent absence of a photocathode allows assembly of large arrays at atmospheric pressure and less stringent vacuum requirements, including use of pumped and cycled systems. TOPAS simulations of the Derenzo and XCAT-brain phantoms are presented with dose reductions of factors of 100 and 1000 from a literature benchmark. New applications of PET at a significantly lower radiation dose include routine screening for early detection of pathologies, the use in diagnostics in previously unserved patient populations such as children, and a larger installed facility base in rural and under-served populations, where simpler gamma detectors and lower radiation doses may enable small low-cost portable PET scanners.Comment: Version 9d incorporates reviewer comments during revision process. 22 pages, 18 figure

Differences in Impact and Load During Collegiate Rugby 7s

Rugby 7s is a sport played with seven players, and two, 7-minute halves, played on a standard rugby field of 100 meters long by 70 meters wide. Impacts with forces greater than 10.0 Gs are an often occurrence in rugby 7s, and the occurrence can be quite frequent in such a short period of time (14 minutes of match play). Multiple matches are played in a day or throughout a weekend in tournament format thus adding to the load on players and current research on the amount of impact and load players experience is lacking in a U.S. collegiate population. Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to assess differences in impact and load during collegiate rugby 7s matches. Methods: Data was collected at Indiana University from male collegiate rugby 7s players (n = 15) by their head coach using GameTraka (Sports Performance Tracking, Victoria, Australia) during their 2019 season. Participants wore GPS units that collected data on impact and load by position groups forwards (FW), backs (BK), and scrum halves (SH). A one-way ANOVA was used to determine between group differences by each half of play with Tukey post-hoc analyses to reveal differences between positions. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine if differences existed across matches by player position. A p-value of \u3c0.05 was set to determine the level of statistical significance. Results: Data analyses revealed a significant difference in number of impacts during the first half of match 1 (p = 0.014). Post-hoc analyses indicated FW incurred a significantly higher number of impacts than BK (p = 0.046), as well as more impacts than SH (p = 0.012). During the second half of play, the only match with a significant difference was match 5. Both summation of horizontal forces (loading 2D) as well as summation of horizontal and vertical forces (loading 3D) to the athlete revealed significant main effects. For the loading 2D and loading 3D during match 5, post-hoc analyses revealed significant differences between BK and SH at p = 0.048 and p = 0.045, respectively. In comparison of position across matches, no significant differences were found for impacts, 2D, or 3D loading. No significant differences were found across the five matches. Conclusion: This data suggests that the number of impacts is higher in the first half, with FW having significantly more impacts when compared to BK and SH. This is likely explained by task differences between FW, BK, and SH as FW are required to compete in scrums and more rucks than either BK or SH and tend to encounter contact more frequently. Differences in the second half occurred only in match 5 with SH being subjected to more forces than BK. This effect is likely a result of the positional differences as SH follow the course of play much more so than BK. This data supports that FW incur the greatest amount of collisions in rugby 7s compared to other positions also being a byproduct of the role that FW play in rugby 7s. There was no significant difference in loading and impact across matches

Performance and Body Composition Changes Following an Offseason Training Period in DIII Collegiate American Football Athletes

Current literature shows that body composition and increased muscle mass correlate with improved performance for American football players thus assessment of these variables at appropriate times throughout competitive cycle are important for tracking individual adaptions but also in assessing the effectiveness of the prescribed training program. PURPOSE: This study assessed changes in anaerobic performance, total body mass (BM), fat-free mass (FFM), and percent body fat (PBF) in football players following a seven-week offseason mesocycle. METHODS: 29 NCAA Division III football players (mean ± SD; age: 19.7 ± 1.5 y; height: 179.8 ± 6.6 cm; body mass [BM]: 96.1 ± 12.6 kg; DXA body fat: 20.9 ± 4.4%) participated in assessments of performance and body composition body pre- and post- mesocycle. Performance testing was assessed at pre- and post-training timepoints on a subset of athletes that were not restricted (injury, etc.) from maximal testing at these timepoints. This data was from the initial cycle of their offseason training program which included seven weeks of hypertrophy focused training volumes. Performance tests administered included: bench press 1 RM (BP), bench press reps (BPR), incline bench press, back squat 1RM (BS), front squat 1 RM (FS), hang clean 3 RM, 40-yard dash (YD), broad jump, vertical jump (VJ), and pro agility shuttle. BM, FFM, and PBF were estimated via dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). RESULTS: Performance improved in all tests except for broad jump and pro agility shuttle. Post-mesocycle performance increases were observed in BP (p \u3c 0.001), BPR (p \u3c0.001), BS (p \u3c0.001), FS (p \u3c 0.001), YD (p \u3c 0.001), and VJ (p \u3c 0.001). Significant training induced changes were observed for: BM increased 1.12kg (p \u3c 0.01962), PBF decreased by 0.686 kg (p \u3c0.004), and FFM increased by 1.57 kg (p \u3c 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study confirms that a well-structured strength and conditioning program for Division III football players will improve performance in a variety of strength and power related assessments. These changes, though observed over a relatively short amount of time, can translate to competitive performance in conjunction with improved body composition and fat-free mass increases

Development, implementation, and evaluation of the Apollo model of pediatric rehabilitation service delivery

This article presents the experience of a rehabilitation program that un- dertook the challenge to reorganize its services to address accessibility issues and im- prove service quality. The context in which the reorganization process occurred, along with the relevant literature justifying the need for a new service delivery model, and an historical perspective on the planning; implementation; and evaluation phases of the process are described. In the planning phase, the constitution of the working committee, the data collected, and the information found in the literature are presented. Apollo, the new service delivery model, is then described along with each of its components (e.g., community, group, and individual interventions). Actions and lessons learnt during the implementation of each component are presented. We hope by sharing our experiences that we can help others make informed decisions about service reorganization to im- prove the quality of services provided to children with disabilities, their families, and their communities

Ovine multiparity is associated with diminished vaginal muscularis, increased elastic fibres and vaginal wall weakness: implication for pelvic organ prolapse

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) is a major clinical burden affecting 25% of women, with vaginal delivery a major contributing factor. We hypothesised that increasing parity weakens the vagina by altering the extracellular matrix proteins and smooth muscle thereby leading to POP vulnerability. We used a modified POP-quantification (POP-Q) system and a novel pressure sensor to measure vaginal wall weakness in nulliparous, primiparous and multiparous ewes. These measurements were correlated with histological, biochemical and biomechanical properties of the ovine vagina. Primiparous and multiparous ewes had greater displacement of vaginal tissue compared to nulliparous at points Aa, Ap and Ba and lower pressure sensor measurements at points equivalent to Ap and Ba. Vaginal wall muscularis of multiparous ewes was thinner than nulliparous and had greater elastic fibre content. Collagen content was lower in primiparous than nulliparous ewes, but collagen organisation did not differ. Biomechanically, multiparous vaginal tissue was weaker and less stiff than nulliparous. Parity had a significant impact on the structure and function of the ovine vaginal wall, as the multiparous vaginal wall was weaker and had a thinner muscularis than nulliparous ewes. This correlated with “POP-Q” and pressure sensor measurements showing greater tissue laxity in multiparous compared to nulliparous ewes