Final Design Report for an Automatic Diffraction Grating

The Automatic Diffraction Grating project explored using said technology to measure the angular separation between binary stars. This system would be a dramatic improvement from the current, fixed and manually adjusted diffraction gratings in use, increasing the capability of observatories to conduct autonomous studies of binary systems. Ideally, realizing such a system would be accomplished using a simple design and off the shelf parts, so that the project could easily replicated. The design of this system was approached with a broad look at the possible mechanisms that could be used to effectively construct an Automatic Diffraction Grating, as well as extensive testing on the effectiveness of these systems. After a functional design and prototype system was developed, it was determined that while an Automatic Diffraction Grating system is feasible, achieving a precision design would require custom, precision machined parts

Baseline data of a longitudinal assessment of a Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BSHS) Program based on the core competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP)

Background: IPCP has been identified as essential to provide quality healthcare: so, IPE is being integrated to professional programs. While IPE is being researched in professional programs, not much is known about IPE at the pre-professional level. Purpose: Stockton’s BSHS program was built based upon the Core Competencies for IPCP. The current study assessed the following IPE-related constructs: Health Science Reasoning, Ethical Decision Making for Health, Attitude Towards Health Care Teams, and Readiness for IP Learning. Description: A cohort of students was recruited during the introductory course to the program. The following measures were administered at baseline: Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT), Ethical Decision Making (EDM) Measure for Health Science, The Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS), Readiness for Interprofessional Learning (RIPLS) and demographic questions. Results: A cohort (N = 483) of students was recruited; N = 464 participated of the baseline. Results of main measures are: HSRT (M = 17.2, SD = 4.7), EDM (M = 2.18, SD = 0.20), ATHCTS (M = 4.1, SD = 0.47), RIPLS (M = 3.68, SD = 0.91). Results for subscales and demographic data will be included in the presentation. Conclusions: Results from EDM, ATHCTS and RIPLS suggest undergraduate pre-professional students’ Ethicality is at expected levels, they have positive attitudes toward healthcare teams and are prepared to receive IPE. However, the sample performed significantly below the expected level of critical thinking. Relevance: This suggests that students in an undergraduate health science program can receive interprofessional education, at least at the attitudinal and awareness level. IPE at this level can effectively foster positive attitudes towards working interprofessionally

Cellular

Tracks the evolution of the international cellular industry from the late 1970s to the present. The development of the mobile-phone industry into what we know today required remarkable cooperation between companies, governments, and industrial sectors. Companies developing cellular infrastructure, cellular devices, cellular network services, and eventually software and mobile semiconductors had to cooperate, not simply compete, with each other. In this global history of the mobile-phone industry, Daniel D. Garcia-Swartz and Martin Campbell-Kelly examine its development in the United States, Europe, Japan, and several emerging economies, including China and India. They present the evolution of mobile phones from the perspective of vendors of telephone equipment and network operators, users whose lives have been transformed by mobile phones, and governments that have fostered specific mobile-phone standards. Cellular covers the technical aspects of the cellphone, as well as its social and political impact. Beginning with the 1980s, the authors trace the development of closed (proprietary) and open (available to all) cellular standards, the impact of network effects as cellular adoption increased, major technological changes affecting mobile phone hardware, and the role of national governments in shaping the industry. The authors also consider the changing roles that cellular phones have played in the everyday lives of people around the world and the implications 5G technology may have for the future. Finally, they offer statistics on how quickly the cellular industry grew in different regions of the world and how firms competed in those various markets

Automated seed manipulation and planting

The Mechanical Division fabricated three seed separators utilizing pressure gradients to move and separate wheat seeds. These separators are called minnow buckets and use air, water, or a combination of both to generate the pressure gradient. Electrostatic fields were employed in the seed separator constructed by the Electrical Division. This separator operates by forcing a temporary electric dipole on the wheat seeds and using charged electrodes to attract and move the seeds. Seed delivery to the hydroponic growth tray is accomplished by the seed cassette. The cassette is compatible with all the seed separators, and it consists of a plastic tube threaded with millipore filter paper. During planting operations, the seeds are placed in an empty cassette. The loaded cassette is then placed in the growth tray and nutrient solution provided. The solution wets the filter paper and capillary action draws the nutrients up to feed the seeds. These seeding systems were tested and showed encouraging results. Seeds were effectively separated and the cassette can support the growth of wheat plants. Problems remaining to be investigated include improving the success of delivering the seeds to the cassette and providing adequate spacing between seeds for the electric separator

Automated seed manipulation and planting

Activities for the Fall Semester, 1987 focused on investigating the mechanical/electrical properties of wheat seeds and forming various Seed Planting System (SPS) concepts based on those properties. The Electrical Division of the design group was formed to devise an SPS using electrostatic charge fields for seeding operations. Experiments concerning seed separation using electrical induction (rearranging of the charges within the seed) were conducted with promising results. The seeds, when exposed to the high voltage and low current field produced by a Van de Graff generator, were observed to move back and forth between two electrodes. An SPS concept has been developed based on this phenomena, and will be developed throughout the Spring Semester, 1988. The Mechanical Division centered on SPS concepts involving valves, pumps, and fluids to separate and deliver seeds. An SPS idea utilizing the pressure difference caused by air as it rushes out of holes drilled in the wall of a closed container has been formulated and will be considered for future development. Also, a system of seed separation and delivery employing a combination of centrifugal force, friction, and air flow was considered

The FRIGG project: From intermediate galactic scales to self-gravitating cores

Abridged. Understanding the detailed structure of the interstellar gas is essential for our knowledge of the star formation process. The small-scale structure of the interstellar medium (ISM) is a direct consequence of the galactic scales and making the link between the two is essential. We perform adaptive mesh simulations that aim to bridge the gap between the intermediate galactic scales and the self-gravitating prestellar cores. For this purpose we use stratified supernova regulated ISM magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) simulations at the kpc scale to set up the initial conditions. We then zoom, performing a series of concentric uniform refinement and then refining on the Jeans length for the last levels. This allows us to reach a spatial resolution of a few $10^{-3}$ pc. The cores are identified using a clump finder and various criteria based on virial analysis. Their most relevant properties are computed and, due to the large number of objects formed in the simulations, reliable statistics are obtained. The cores properties show encouraging agreements with observations. The mass spectrum presents a clear powerlaw at high masses with an exponent close to $\simeq -1.3$ and a peak at about 1-2 $M_\odot$. The velocity dispersion and the angular momentum distributions are respectively a few times the local sound speed and a few $10^{-2}$ pc km s$^{-1}$. We also find that the distribution of thermally supercritical cores present a range of magnetic mass-to-flux over critical mass-to-flux ratio which typically ranges between $\simeq$0.3 and 3.Comment: accepted for publication in A&

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Desire for Reversal of Sterilization among U.S. Women

Purpose: Female sterilization rates and subsequent desire for reversal of the procedure are substantially higher in minorities, low-income women, and those who use public insurance. Despite the disproportionate distribution of these outcomes, few studies in this area have considered the extent to which such disparities are attributable to a restricted set of contraceptive options among medically underserved populations, which may in turn explain higher rates of desire for reversal. Methods: We use the most recent wave of NSFG data (2011-2013) to estimate odds ratios for race/ethnicity on the likelihood of desire for reversal of sterilization, while controlling for an array of factors that have been shown to negate or lessen the racial/ethnic association including age at sterilization, primary reason for sterilization, and insurance coverage, among others. Results: Outcomes indicate much higher odds of desire for reversal of sterilization among black and Latina women, despite the inclusion of a range of controls. Additionally, we find that rates are much higher in women who reported “single service or no insurance coverage” as well as those who cited “some other reason” (versus completion of desired childbearing) as the main reason for their sterilization. Conclusions: These findings are noteworthy and suggest that disadvantage seems to play an important role in desire for reversal of sterilization. Additional research in this area is needed in inform efforts to improve care and enhance the reproductive autonomy of medically underserved women

Interactive teaching environment for diagnostic radiography with real-time X-ray simulation and patient positioning

PURPOSE: Traditional undergraduate radiographer training mixes academic lectures and clinical practice. Our goal is to bridge the current disconnection between theory and practice in a safe environment, avoiding the risk of radiation for both practitioners and patients. To this end, this research proposes a new software to teach diagnostic radiography using real-time interactive X-ray simulation and patient positioning. METHODS: The proposed medical simulator is composed of three main modules. A fast and accurate character animation technique is in charge of simulating the patient positioning phase and adapts their internal anatomy accordingly. gVirtualXRay is an open-source X-ray simulation library and generates the corresponding radiographs in real time. Finally, the courseware allows going through all the diagnostic radiology steps from the patient positioning and the machine configuration to the final image enhancing. RESULTS: A face and content validation study has been conducted; 18 radiology professionals were recruited to evaluate our software using a questionnaire. The results show that our tool is realistic in many ways (72% of the participants agreed that the simulations are visually realistic), useful (67%) and suitable (78%) for teaching X-ray radiography. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed tool allows simulating the most relevant steps of the projectional radiography procedure. The virtual patient posing system and X-ray simulation module execute at interactive rates. These features enable the lectures to show their students the results of good and bad practices in a classroom environment, avoiding radiation risk

Ethnic and Immigration Status Differences on Child Indicators of Health for European Americans and Latinos

This study examined the effects of ethnicity and immigration status on subjective and objective health (Body Mass Index; BMI) for Latino and European American children. Social identity and comparison theories were used to frame the investigation. Southern California parents were randomly selected to complete a telephone interview about their children’s health yielding a sample of 165 European American and 152 Latino participants. Compared to European Americans, Latinos evidenced poorer subjective and objective health. Latino children who had a caregiver who was a citizen had better subjective health than Latino children whose caregiver was not a citizen. BMI was correlated with subjective health for European American children but not for Latinos. Our findings add to the literature on the Latino Paradox and the healthy immigrant effect, specifically as it relates to children