Program for establishing long-time flight service performance of composite materials in the center wing structure of C-130 aircraft. Phase 5: Flight service and inspection

Inspections of the C-130 composite-reinforced center wings were conducted over the flight service monitoring period of more than six years. Twelve inspections were conducted on each of the two C-130H airplanes having composite reinforced center wing boxes. Each inspection consisted of visual and ultrasonic inspection of the selective boron-epoxy reinforced center wings which included the inspection of the boron-epoxy laminates and the boron-epoxy reinforcement/aluminum structure adhesive bondlines. During the flight service monitoring period, the two C-130H aircraft accumulated more than 10,000 flight hours and no defects were detected in the inspections over this period. The successful performance of the C-130H aircraft with composite-reinforced center wings allowed the transfer of the responsibilities of inspecting and maintaining these two aircraft to the U. S. Air Force

The VA Health Care System: An Unrecognized National Safety Net

The dominance of local health care markets in conjunction with variable public funding results in a national patchwork of "safety nets" and beneficiaries in the United States rather than a uniform system. This DataWatch describes how the recently reorganized Department of Veterans Affairs serves as a coordinated, national safety-net provider and characterizes the veterans who are not supported by the market-based system

Agreement Between HEDIS Performance Assessments in the VA and Medicare Advantage: Is Quality in the Eye of the Beholder?

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system assess quality of care using standardized Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) performance measures. Little is known, however, about the relative accuracy of quality indicators for persons receiving care in more than one health care system. Among Veterans dually enrolled in an MA plan, we examined the agreement between MA and VA HEDIS assessments. Our study tested the hypothesis that private health plans underreport quality of care relative to a fully integrated delivery system utilizing a comprehensive electronic health record. Despite assessing the same individuals using identical measure specifications, reported VA performance was significantly better than reported MA performance for all 12 HEDIS measures. The VAs performance advantage ranged from 9.8% (glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c] < 7.0% in diabetes) to 54.7% (blood pressure < 140/90 mm Hg in diabetes). The overall agreement between VA and MA HEDIS assessments ranged from 38.5% to 62.6%. Performance rates derived from VA and MA aggregate data were 1.6% to 14.3% higher than those reported by VA alone. This analysis suggests that neither MA plans nor the VA fully capture quality of care information for dually enrolled persons. However, the VAs system-wide electronic health record may allow for more complete capture of quality information across multiple providers and settings

Program for establishing long-time flight service performance of composite materials in the center wing structure of C-130 aircraft. Phase 4: Ground/flight acceptance tests

The advantageous structural uses of advanced filamentary composites are demonstrated by design, fabrication, and test of three boron-epoxy reinforced C-130 center wing boxes. The advanced development work necessary to support detailed design of a composite reinforced C-130 center wing box was conducted. Activities included the development of a basis for structural design, selection and verification of materials and processes, manufacturing and tooling development, and fabrication and test of full-scale portions of the center wing box. Detailed design drawings, and necessary analytical structural substantiation including static strength, fatigue endurance, flutter, and weight analyses are considered. Some additional component testing was conducted to verify the design for panel buckling, and to evaluate specific local design areas. Development of the cool tool restraint concept was completed, and bonding capabilities were evaluated using full-length skin panel and stringer specimens

Teacher librarians and technology leadership

The purpose of this study is to examine the strategies and techniques of current teacher librarians who are technology leaders in their schools. It aims to clarify teacher librarians’ roles in technology integration for administrators and newly hired professionals. In order to investigate the techniques and strategies, that make teacher librarians successful technology leaders, the researcher used a qualitative approach to gather data from participants via a focus group. The study set out to find the ways technology leaders and teacher librarians are able to successfully integrate technology in lessons, how frequently they collaborate with classroom teachers, the strategies and techniques which are used to implement the technology leadership role, and how teacher librarians work with administrators and teachers to advocate for technology leadership. The researcher discovered successful teacher librarians and technology leaders work to find ways to bring the library and love of books to students by using technology. They make continued efforts to collaborate with classroom teachers and give them ideas and suggestions for technology integration. Strategies and techniques used in technology leadership included becoming involved in school leadership and making sure decision makers are aware of what is happening in the library. This includes meeting frequently with administrators to discuss technology and technology integration

Augustana’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: How Augie can Establish an Innovative and Entrepreneurial Campus Culture

How prepared are you to thrive in our global high-skilled workforce? Do you process the skills to solve the world’s most complex social problems? Do you have a desire to launch your own venture one day? Regardless of your deepest dreams, goals, aspirations, or ambitions my Senior Inquiry is a living document on how Augustana can foster innovative and entrepreneurial thinking on campus to solve complex issues on the local, national, and global levels. This project is an in-depth strategic proposal designed to offer Augustana’s senior leadership, administration, faculty, and additional stakeholders cutting-edge insights and creative recommendations on how Augustana can foster entrepreneurial thinking and innovation on campus. Within this project I address the following sub topics: The rise of entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education Entrepreneurial ecosystems within other higher education institutions The Emergence of Generation Z aka the iGen How this proposal complements Augie’s current 2020 Strategic Plan The importance of entrepreneurial core competencies and how these competencies improve employment in the 21st century workforce The power of a design-centric curriculum and how students can apply entrepreneurial thinking by presenting sustainable solutions to address social issues Future recommendations and initiatives on how to strengthen entrepreneurial student leadership in and outside the classroo

Re-Envisioning Distributed Collections in German Research Libraries – A View from the U.S.A.

German research libraries are undergoing a major shift as the distributed system of “Special Subject Collections” (Sondersammelgebiete) supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) transitions to a new, restructured program of “Specialized Information Services for Research” (Fachinformationsdienste für die Wissenschaft). Many of the structural issues underlying the programmatic changes in German libraries are also at work in U.S. research libraries. This article reflects on the parallels and differences in approaches to cooperative collection development in U.S. and German research libraries and reports on an ongoing discussion between the DFG and the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), a library consortium based in Chicago that supports international collections in libraries in and outside the U.S

Gene Expression Changes in CD4+ T Cells Exposed to Endothelial Cells and Implications for HIV-1 Infection

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a devastating disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Highly effective treatments have been developed, but a cure remains elusive. HIV-1 infects and destroys human CD4+ (helper) T cells, which are an indispensable part of the immune system, and are crucial to survival. Thus, it is of the utmost importance that scientists understand the mechanisms of HIV-1 infection in order to develop better cures and preserve the lives of people across the world. Previous research has shown that exposure to endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels, can greatly enhance the infectious potential of HIV-1, though the mechanisms by which this happens are not well understood. In this study we aimed to elucidate the changes in T cell gene expression caused by exposure to endothelial cells, in an attempt to better understand this phenomenon. CD4+ T cells were obtained from four HIV-negative human subjects. Cells were grown both in monoculture and in co-culture with endothelial cells. RNA was extracted and sequenced, and an RNA-seq analysis pipeline was carried out to analyze differential gene expression. Several interesting changes were identified, including alterations to the JAK-STAT immune signaling pathway, increased expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, and changes in expression of genes involved in T cell subtype differentiation. Each of these genes has the potential to impact the susceptibility of T cells to HIV infection, and further research on the specific pathways involved is warranted