A method to define a minimum-phase transfer function within the bounded region of phase-gain specifications

Method to define minimum phase transfer function within bounded region of phase gain specifications at several discrete frequencie

A method to predict the thermal conductance of a bolted joint

Analytical method to predict interface thermal conductance of bolted joint

Global Delivery of Human Papillomavirus Vaccines

Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women, with over half a million women diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2012. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, if broadly implemented, has the potential to significantly reduce global rates of morbidity and mortality associated with cervical and other HPV-related cancers. Over 100 countries around the world have licensed HPV vaccines. As of February, 2015, there were an estimated 80 national HPV immunization programs and 37 pilot programs, including many implemented in low- and middle-income countries. In this article, global implementation of HPV vaccination programs is discussed, including successes and ongoing challenges. Issues such as vaccine financing and different approaches to HPV vaccine delivery are presented

Digital analysis of liquid sloshing in rotationally symmetric tanks under weak gravitational fields. Volume 2 - Computational application

Digital analysis of liquid sloshing in rotational symmetric tanks under weak gravitational fields - Vol.

Poverty in the Texas borderland and lower Mississippi Delta: A comparative analysis of differences by family type

We provide a comparative analysis of county-level poverty in the two poorest regions of the United States - the Texas Borderland and the Lower Mississippi Delta - with a special focus on differences by family type. Our results reveal important regional variation in both the prevalence of poverty and the composition of the poor population across major family types. Using OLS regression models of family type-specific poverty we demonstrate three key findings: 1) There are no significant regional differences in poverty levels by family type between the Borderland and the Delta, net of important structural factors that characterize the regions; 2) with the exception of the employment rate, the structural factors associated with poverty among married couple and single female-headed families are quite different; and 3) paradoxically, areas in the Borderland with high in-migration are especially likely to suffer from high married-couple family poverty. Our results suggest the need for regionally targeted and demographically tailored anti-poverty policies.family structure, Mississippi Delta, persistent poverty, poverty, regional poverty, Texas Borderland

Quasi-chemical study of Be2+^{2+}(aq) speciation

Be$^{2+}$(aq) hydrolysis can to lead to the formation of multi-beryllium clusters, but the thermodynamics of this process has not been resolved theoretically. We study the hydration state of an isolated Be$^{2+}$ ion using both the quasi-chemical theory of solutions and ab initio molecular dynamics. These studies confirm that Be$^{2+}$(aq) is tetra-hydrated. The quasi-chemical approach is then applied to then the deprotonation of Be(H_2O)_4^{2+}} to give BeOH(H_2O)_3{}^{+}}. The calculated pK$_a$ of 3.8 is in good agreement with the experimentally suggested value around 3.5. The calculated energetics for the formation of BeOHBe$^{3+}$ are then obtained in fair agreement with experiments.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Intraoperative electrocochleographic characteristics of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder in cochlear implant subjects

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) is characterized by an apparent discrepancy between measures of cochlear and neural function based on auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing. Clinical indicators of ANSD are a present cochlear microphonic (CM) with small or absent wave V. Many identified ANSD patients have speech impairment severe enough that cochlear implantation (CI) is indicated. To better understand the cochleae identified with ANSD that lead to a CI, we performed intraoperative round window electrocochleography (ECochG) to tone bursts in children (n = 167) and adults (n = 163). Magnitudes of the responses to tones of different frequencies were summed to measure the “total response” (ECochG-TR), a metric often dominated by hair cell activity, and auditory nerve activity was estimated visually from the compound action potential (CAP) and auditory nerve neurophonic (ANN) as a ranked “Nerve Score”. Subjects identified as ANSD (45 ears in children, 3 in adults) had higher values of ECochG-TR than adult and pediatric subjects also receiving CIs not identified as ANSD. However, nerve scores of the ANSD group were similar to the other cohorts, although dominated by the ANN to low frequencies more than in the non-ANSD groups. To high frequencies, the common morphology of ANSD cases was a large CM and summating potential, and small or absent CAP. Common morphologies in other groups were either only a CM, or a combination of CM and CAP. These results indicate that responses to high frequencies, derived primarily from hair cells, are the main source of the CM used to evaluate ANSD in the clinical setting. However, the clinical tests do not capture the wide range of neural activity seen to low frequency sounds

Economic feasibility of methoprene applied as a surface treatment and as an aerosol alone and in combination with two other insecticides

Economic evaluations of integrated pest management strategies are becoming increasingly important as restrictions on conventional insecticides continue to become more stringent and chemical control costs rise. Aerosol treatments with insect growth regulators alone and in combination with conventional contact insecticides may be a feasible alternative to expensive and highly toxic fumigants such as methyl bromide for control of the Indianmeal moth (Plodia interpunctella (Hübner)). Average calculated mortality of Indianmeal moth eggs exposed to surface applied methoprene, aerosol methoprene alone and in combination with esfenvalerate and synergized Pyrethrins is 55.0, 69.0, and 94.6%, respectively. Temperature effects on development time makes frequency and timing of insecticide applications very important as evidenced by simulations of population levels in response to a variety of treatment dates by diet, and become critical in situations where survival of Indianmeal moth is high. Using a measurement of risk that is equal to deviations below a target mortality goal (99%), we are able to optimize cost and frequency of application using simulated mortality data for each of the treatment strategies. Optimal timing of each insecticide treatment depends heavily on the rate of development by diet. This type of analysis helps pest control operators and managers by showing consequences of treatment scenarios in time and cost

Assessing connectivity between an overlying aquifer and a coal seam gas resource using methane isotopes, dissolved organic carbon and tritium

Coal seam gas (CSG) production can have an impact on groundwater quality and quantity in adjacent or overlying aquifers. To assess this impact we need to determine the background groundwater chemistry and to map geological pathways of hydraulic connectivity between aquifers. In south-east Queensland (Qld), Australia, a globally important CSG exploration and production province, we mapped hydraulic connectivity between the Walloon Coal Measures (WCM, the target formation for gas production) and the overlying Condamine River Alluvial Aquifer (CRAA), using groundwater methane (CH4) concentration and isotopic composition (δ13C-CH4), groundwater tritium (3H) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. A continuous mobile CH4 survey adjacent to CSG developments was used to determine the source signature of CH4 derived from the WCM. Trends in groundwater δ13C-CH4 versus CH4 concentration, in association with DOC concentration and 3H analysis, identify locations where CH4 in the groundwater of the CRAA most likely originates from the WCM. The methodology is widely applicable in unconventional gas development regions worldwide for providing an early indicator of geological pathways of hydraulic connectivity