847 research outputs found
Dyno-Mite Redesign
The Cal Poly Mechanical Control Systems Laboratory currently employs an outdated device, known as the Motomatic, to teach students about various motor characteristics and control methods. These include open-loop vs. closed-loop control, speed vs. position control, and DC motor response curves. The current device does not function properly and produces unreliable data due to overwhelming non-linear effects such as stiction and shaft misalignment. Our team was tasked with designing a replacement device that retains many of the same educational goals as the original lab procedure, while also adding new educational goals pertaining to the device system dynamics. The new apparatus, dubbed the Dyno-Mite is a one tenth scale tire testing machine, incorporating two DC brushed motors, adjustable mechanisms, and load cell measuring devices. The design will also pay special attention to modularity so that future adjustments and modifications can be made to the lab apparatus, allowing for instructors to tailor the machine to meet their specific educational goals
Conflicting Loyalties Facing In-House Counsel: Ethical Care and Feeding of the Ravenous Multi-Headed Client The Fifth Annual Symposium on Legal Malpractice and Professional Responsibility.
Because of corporate scandals that shook the business world, legislative, corporate, and public fingers immediately pointed at corporate attorneys for allowing such egregious conduct to occur. In 1983, the American Bar Association (ABA) passed Model Rule 1.13, which promoted the entity theory. Under the entity theory, the organization is the in-house counsel’s only client; and the in-house counsel’s primary duty is to act in the best interest of the organization. Whether the issue is deciding to make an executive compensation disclosure in a proxy statement, taking on a dual role within the organization, acting in compliance with heightened professional responsibility requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), or preparing witnesses for corporate investigations, in-house counsel will avoid ethical hot water if they consistently act in the best interest of the organization. In an effort to protect stakeholders, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) passed Rule 205. Rule 205 is designed to increase confidence in public companies by ensuring that attorneys who represent issuers report up the corporate ladder evidence of material violations by their officers and employees. The result is that Rule 205 has made corporate attorneys into “gatekeepers.” Rule 205’s permissive disclosure provision acts essentially as a whistleblower license for attorneys to use in a last-ditch effort to protect third parties when the highest authorities within the organization fail to take appropriate remedial measures. Thus, in-house counsel is expected to be the first line of defense against corporate irresponsibility and is expected to take a stand against impropriety
Conflicting Loyalties Facing In-House Counsel: Ethical Care and Feeding of the Ravenous Multi-Headed Client The Fifth Annual Symposium on Legal Malpractice and Professional Responsibility.
Because of corporate scandals that shook the business world, legislative, corporate, and public fingers immediately pointed at corporate attorneys for allowing such egregious conduct to occur. In 1983, the American Bar Association (ABA) passed Model Rule 1.13, which promoted the entity theory. Under the entity theory, the organization is the in-house counsel’s only client; and the in-house counsel’s primary duty is to act in the best interest of the organization. Whether the issue is deciding to make an executive compensation disclosure in a proxy statement, taking on a dual role within the organization, acting in compliance with heightened professional responsibility requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), or preparing witnesses for corporate investigations, in-house counsel will avoid ethical hot water if they consistently act in the best interest of the organization. In an effort to protect stakeholders, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) passed Rule 205. Rule 205 is designed to increase confidence in public companies by ensuring that attorneys who represent issuers report up the corporate ladder evidence of material violations by their officers and employees. The result is that Rule 205 has made corporate attorneys into “gatekeepers.” Rule 205’s permissive disclosure provision acts essentially as a whistleblower license for attorneys to use in a last-ditch effort to protect third parties when the highest authorities within the organization fail to take appropriate remedial measures. Thus, in-house counsel is expected to be the first line of defense against corporate irresponsibility and is expected to take a stand against impropriety
Overexpression of the RNA-binding protein HuR impairs tumor growth in triple negative breast cancer associated with deficient angiogenesis [abstract]
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women and causes the death of 519,000 people worldwide. Many cancer genes are posttranscriptionally regulated by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and microRNAs. The RBP HuR binds to the AU-rich (ARE) regions of labile mRNAs, such as proto-oncogenes, stabilizing their mRNA and facilitating their translation into protein. HuR has been described to control genes in multiple areas of the acquired capabilities model of cancer and has been hypothesized to be a tumor maintenance gene, allowing for cancers to proliferate once they are established. We investigated the role of HuR in aggressive and difficult to treat triple-negative breast cancer
Near-field iron and carbon chemistry of non-buoyant hydrothermal plume particles, Southern East Pacific Rise 15°S
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2018. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here under a nonexclusive, irrevocable, paid-up, worldwide license granted to WHOI. It is made available for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Chemistry 201 (2018): 183-197, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2018.01.011.Iron (Fe)-poor surface waters limit phytoplankton growth and their ability to remove carbon (C)
from the atmosphere and surface ocean. Over the past few decades, research has focused on
constraining the global Fe cycle and its impacts on the global C cycle. Hydrothermal vents have
become a highly debated potential source of Fe to the surface ocean. Two main mechanisms for
transport of Fe over long distances have been proposed: Fe-bearing nanoparticles and organic C
complexation with Fe in the dissolved (dFe) and particulate (pFe) pools. However, the ubiquity
and importance of these processes is unknown at present, and very few vents have been
investigated for Fe-Corg interactions or the transport of such materials away from the vent. Here
we describe the near-field contributions (first ~100 km from ridge) of pFe and Corg to the
Southern East Pacific Rise (SEPR) plume, one of the largest known hydrothermal plume features
in the global ocean. Plume particles (> 0.2 ÎĽm) were collected as part of the U.S. GEOTRACES
Eastern Pacific Zonal Transect cruise (GP16) by in-situ filtration. Sediment cores were also
collected to investigate the properties of settling particles. In this study, X-ray absorption near
edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy was used in two complementary X-ray synchrotron
approaches, scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and X-ray microprobe, to
investigate the Fe and C speciation of particles within the near-field non-buoyant SEPR plume.
When used in concert, STXM and X-ray microprobe provide fine-scale and representative
information on particle morphology, elemental co-location, and chemical speciation. Bulk
chemistry depth profiles for particulate Corg (POC), particulate manganese (pMn), and pFe
indicated that the source of these materials to the non-buoyant plume is hydrothermal in origin.
The plume particles at stations within the first ~100 km down-stream of the ridge were
composites of mineral (oxidized Fe) and biological materials (organic C, Corg). Iron chemistry
in the plume and in the core-top suspended sediment fluff layer were both dominated by Fe(III)
phases, such as Fe(III) oxyhydroxides and Fe(III) phyllosilicates. Particulate sulfur (pS) was a
rare component of our plume and sediment samples. When pS was detected, it was in the form of
an Fe sulfide mineral phase, composing ≤ 0.4% of the Fe on a per atom basis. The resuspended
sediment fluff layer contained a mixture of inorganic (coccolith fragments) and Corg bearing
(lipid-rich biofilm-like) materials. The particle morphology and co-location of C and Fe in the
sediment was different from that in plume particles. This indicates that if the Fe-Corg composite
particles settle rapidly to the sediments, then they experience strong alteration during settling and/or within the sediments. Overall, our observations indicate that the particles within the first ~
100 km of the laterally advected plume are S-depleted, Fe(III)-Corg composites indicative of a
chemically oxidizing plume with strong biological modification. These findings confirm that the
Fe-Corg relationships observed for non-buoyant plume particles within ~ 100 m of the vent site
are representative of particles within this region of the non-buoyant plume (~100 km). These
findings also point to dynamic alteration of Fe-Corg bearing particles during transport and
settling. The specific biogeochemical processes at play, and the implications for nutrient cycling
in the ocean are currently unknown and represent an area of future investigation
Colorectal Cancer Screening in Vulnerable Patients
Low-income, low-literacy, limited English–proficient populations have low colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates and experience poor patient–provider communication and decision-making processes around screening. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of a CRC screening decision aid on screening-related communication and decision making in primary care visits
Comet/Asteroid Protection System (CAPS): Preliminary Space-Based Concept and Study Results
There exists an infrequent, but significant hazard to life and property due to impacting asteroids and comets. There is currently no specific search for long-period comets, smaller near-Earth asteroids, or smaller short-period comets. These objects represent a threat with potentially little or no warning time using conventional ground-based telescopes. These planetary bodies also represent a significant resource for commercial exploitation, long-term sustained space exploration, and scientific research. The Comet/Asteroid Protection System (CAPS) is a future space-based system concept that provides permanent, continuous asteroid and comet monitoring, and rapid, controlled modification of the orbital trajectories of selected bodies. CAPS would expand the current detection effort to include long-period comets, as well as small asteroids and short-period comets capable of regional destruction. A space-based detection system, despite being more costly and complex than Earth-based initiatives, is the most promising way of expanding the range of detectable objects, and surveying the entire celestial sky on a regular basis. CAPS would provide an orbit modification system capable of diverting kilometer class objects, and modifying the orbits of smaller asteroids for impact defense and resource utilization. This Technical Memorandum provides a compilation of key related topics and analyses performed during the CAPS study, which was performed under the Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts (RASC) program, and discusses technologies that could enable the implementation of this future system
Pulmonary Hyperinflation and Left Ventricular Mass
Background—Left ventricular (LV) mass is an important predictor of heart failure and cardiovascular mortality, yet determinants of LV mass are incompletely understood. Pulmonary hyperinflation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may contribute to changes in intrathoracic pressure that increase LV wall stress. We therefore hypothesized that residual lung volume in COPD would be associated with greater LV mass.
Methods and Results—The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) COPD Study recruited smokers 50 to 79 years of age who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease. LV mass was measured by cardiac magnetic resonance. Pulmonary function testing was performed according to guidelines. Regression models were used to adjust for age, sex, body size, blood pressure, and other cardiac risk factors. Among 119 MESA COPD Study participants, the mean age was 69±6 years, 55% were male, and 65% had COPD, mostly of mild or moderate severity. Mean LV mass was 128±34 g. Residual lung volume was independently associated with greater LV mass (7.2 g per 1-SD increase in residual volume; 95% confidence interval, 2.2–12; P=0.004) and was similar in magnitude to that of systolic blood pressure (7.6 g per 1-SD increase in systolic blood pressure; 95% confidence interval, 4.3–11; P<0.001). Similar results were observed for the ratio of LV mass to end-diastolic volume (P=0.02) and with hyperinflation measured as residual volume to total lung capacity ratio (P=0.009).
Conclusions—Pulmonary hyperinflation, as measured by residual lung volume or residual lung volume to total lung capacity ratio, is associated with greater LV mass
Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler V: Planet Sample from Q1-Q12 (36 Months)
The Kepler mission discovered 2842 exoplanet candidates with 2 years of data.
We provide updates to the Kepler planet candidate sample based upon 3 years
(Q1-Q12) of data. Through a series of tests to exclude false-positives,
primarily caused by eclipsing binary stars and instrumental systematics, 855
additional planetary candidates have been discovered, bringing the total number
known to 3697. We provide revised transit parameters and accompanying posterior
distributions based on a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm for the cumulative
catalogue of Kepler Objects of Interest. There are now 130 candidates in the
cumulative catalogue that receive less than twice the flux the Earth receives
and more than 1100 have a radius less than 1.5 Rearth. There are now a dozen
candidates meeting both criteria, roughly doubling the number of candidate
Earth analogs. A majority of planetary candidates have a high probability of
being bonafide planets, however, there are populations of likely
false-positives. We discuss and suggest additional cuts that can be easily
applied to the catalogue to produce a set of planetary candidates with good
fidelity. The full catalogue is publicly available at the NASA Exoplanet
Archive.Comment: Accepted for publication, ApJ
Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler. VIII. A Fully Automated Catalog With Measured Completeness and Reliability Based on Data Release 25
We present the Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) catalog of transiting
exoplanets based on searching four years of Kepler time series photometry (Data
Release 25, Q1-Q17). The catalog contains 8054 KOIs of which 4034 are planet
candidates with periods between 0.25 and 632 days. Of these candidates, 219 are
new and include two in multi-planet systems (KOI-82.06 and KOI-2926.05), and
ten high-reliability, terrestrial-size, habitable zone candidates. This catalog
was created using a tool called the Robovetter which automatically vets the
DR25 Threshold Crossing Events (TCEs, Twicken et al. 2016). The Robovetter also
vetted simulated data sets and measured how well it was able to separate TCEs
caused by noise from those caused by low signal-to-noise transits. We discusses
the Robovetter and the metrics it uses to sort TCEs. For orbital periods less
than 100 days the Robovetter completeness (the fraction of simulated transits
that are determined to be planet candidates) across all observed stars is
greater than 85%. For the same period range, the catalog reliability (the
fraction of candidates that are not due to instrumental or stellar noise) is
greater than 98%. However, for low signal-to-noise candidates between 200 and
500 days around FGK dwarf stars, the Robovetter is 76.7% complete and the
catalog is 50.5% reliable. The KOI catalog, the transit fits and all of the
simulated data used to characterize this catalog are available at the NASA
Exoplanet Archive.Comment: 61 pages, 23 Figures, 9 Tables, Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal
Supplement Serie
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