The economic importance of agricultural production in selected rural persistent poverty counties in Tennessee

It has been suggested that the agricultural sector has little potential as an instrument for rural economic development in Tennessee. However, many persistent poverty counties in Tennessee have relatively large agricultural sectors. Therefore, agriculture may have a greater impact on the economies of rural persistent poverty counties than on the economies of other rural counties. This study estimated the indirect and induced income and employment effects generated by production of agricultural commodities in selected rural persistent poverty counties in Tennessee. These rural persistent poverty counties were grouped into relatively self-contained economic regions based on similarity of enterprise mix, spatial proximity, and transportational routes. Type I and Type III income and employment multipliers were estimated for each of these regions using the IMPLAN input/output model. Indirect and induced income and employment effects were derived from these multipliers. The Type I income multipliers ranged from a low of 1.47 in TPPR 6 to a high of 1.77 in TPPR 4 while Type III income multipliers ranged from 2.12 in TPPR 1 to 2.83 in TPPR 4. The Type I employment multipliers ranged from a low of 1.25 in TPPR 6 to a high of 1.46 in TPPR 1 while Type III employment multiplier ranged from 1.61 in TPPR 6 to 1.80 in TPPR\u27s 1 and 2. The results generated by this study indicate that rural persistent poverty counties which are proximate to major metropolitan areas do not generate as much indirect or induced income or employment from agricultural production as rural persistent poverty counties which have no neighboring major metropolitan areas. Contrary to hypotheses of the study, average farm size and amount of cash receipts were not found to be correlated with the Type I or Type III income and employment multipliers or the indirect or induced income or employment effects. The income and employment multipliers generated by this study represent the additions to income and employment that would accrue if demand for agricultural commodities produced in the study area were increased by one dollar. Additional information concerning the ability of persistent poverty counties to respond to increased agricultural demand is needed before economic development decisions can be made. Furthermore, the size of the multipliers generated by agricultural production relative to multipliers in other industrial sectors must be evaluated. Finally, the effects of governmental agricultural programs must be appraised when agricultural production is considered as an economic development option

Campus Electrical Map: Financial Repercussions of Failures

This thesis will find costs for electrical outages on campus. The costs will be for three different major classifications of buildings, and will be done on a square foot-hour basis. The three different classifications are academic, dining, and dormitory space. For each square foot of space that is out of power for an hour, a number will be calculated that will allow for extrapolation onto other buildings of the same classification. This thesis is a case study, and will only cover three different types of buildings determined to be an accurate representation of their classification. Also, only buildings on the West Substation feeders will be considered, as they are attached to the substation with the greatest chance of failure. This thesis begins with a short introduction to set the stage and identify the necessity of this case study. The next segment determines the cost of an academic space, followed by a dining space, followed by a dormitory space. Then, the following segment draws conclusions regarding each space, and speaks to any unaccountables, such as common spaces, conference and meeting rooms, etc.. The final section talks about implications and results, and draws conclusions regarding findings. In order to determine the costs per square foot, information was gathered from Dining Services, Facilities Management, Housing Department, and individuals who work for each department. The results are as follows: For a square foot of space in a dormitory building, the cost is 1.1 cents/ hour. For a square foot of space in an academic building, the cost is $3.73 dollars/hour. For a square foot of space in a dining building, the cost is 3.2 cents/hour

Improving Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Rates in Adolescents: A Quality Improvement Project

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to implement an evidence-based intervention to improve the HPV vaccine series completion rates in the pediatric primary care setting. The goal of the project was to increase HPV series completion rates in adolescents aged 11 to 12 by 10% within 3 months of implementation of the intervention. Methods: A multicomponent intervention was implemented at a pediatric primary care office that included a chart review of 11- and 12-year-old adolescents who had received their first and second dose of the HPV vaccine from June 2019 to June 2020 and patients from June 2020 to June 2021 that only received their first dose of the HPV vaccine. Patients who had only received their first dose between June 2020 and June 2021 and was in the timeframe to receive their second dose was contacted via telephone to schedule an appointment for their vaccine. At the time of scheduling the appointment, verbal consent was obtained to send a follow-up text message reminder two to three days prior to the scheduled appointment date. Results: HPV vaccine series completion rates increased by 12.5% during the 3-month project period. However, the collection data size varied significantly between the number of patients used for the pre-data and post-data collection. Conclusions: An evidence-based intervention can have a significant impact on improving the HPV vaccine series completion rates within adolescents with minor practice changes. Key Words: Human papillomavirus, HPV, adolescent, vaccination, vaccines, compliance, text messages reminders, phone call reminder

Advanced extravehicular activity systems requirements definition study. Phase 2: Extravehicular activity at a lunar base

The focus is on Extravehicular Activity (EVA) systems requirements definition for an advanced space mission: remote-from-main base EVA on the Moon. The lunar environment, biomedical considerations, appropriate hardware design criteria, hardware and interface requirements, and key technical issues for advanced lunar EVA were examined. Six remote EVA scenarios (three nominal operations and three contingency situations) were developed in considerable detail

Sensing and Active Flow Control for Advanced BWB Propulsion-Airframe Integration Concepts

In order to realize the substantial performance benefits of serpentine boundary layer ingesting diffusers, this study investigated the use of enabling flow control methods to reduce engine-face flow distortion. Computational methods and novel flow control modeling techniques were utilized that allowed for rapid, accurate analysis of flow control geometries. Results were validated experimentally using the Techsburg Ejector-based wind tunnel facility; this facility is capable of simulating the high-altitude, high subsonic Mach number conditions representative of BWB cruise conditions

Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials of Uranyl Peroxide Clusters and Uranium Minerals

Frontier research of non-aqueous actinide clusters is discussed. Since the inception of the uranyl peroxide clusters over the last decade, they have only been synthesized and characterized as solid crystals and in aqueous solution. This thesis provides thorough characterization of aqueous uranyl clusters and the first demonstration of uranyl cluster transfer and characterization in organic solvents. Uranyl peroxide clusters self- assemble in mild alkaline solution in the presence of peroxide. Primary solution characterization used throughout this work is Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), giving information on particle size, shape, and electron density contrast. SAXS characterization shows the capsule-structures of clusters are maintained, but unique behavior is observed under further characterization. Hydrophilic encapsulated counterions (i.e. alkalis, ammonium) become isolated in this hydrophobic environment. Immobile counterion environments are specific to cluster identity, allowing for Variable-temperature solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy of ion exchange dynamics within clusters. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to probe structure of lithium atoms, not visible under x-ray diffraction, leading to an understanding of self-assembly and stabilization of clusters. Research of uranyl peroxide clusters in the organic phase have led to discoveries of a new cluster structures not seen before in an aqueous environment. Study of uranyl species in an organic solution has implications for back-end nuclear fuel processing and separations within the nuclear fuel cycle. The use of polynuclear clusters for separation chemistry, and simple ion association as the mechanism of phase transfer is not currently employed in nuclear fuel reprocessing or radionuclide separations. All current processes utilize molecular complex formation or inorganic, solid-phase ion exchangers. Distinct benefits offered by the process presented here include; 1) the extractant molecules are benign, and 2) the process functions best if their concentration is sub-stoichiometric to the uranium concentration, yielding an ‘atom efficient’ process. These features are compared to the PUREX processes. Additionally, transition and rare earth metals precipitate in the alkaline aqueous conditions in which these clusters self-assemble, which provides initial separation of many isotope decay products. As uranyl peroxide clusters are considered a molecular analogue of the uranyl mineral, studtite; other uranyl mineral compounds were explored. Solid-state studies of layered uranyl minerals theoretically allows for intercalation of organic molecules for exfoliation and eventual solution/film preparation. This could also lead to clusters with different dimensionalities, derived from the layer structural motifs. Improved synthesis, alkylamine intercalation and characterization of uranyl phosphate mineral, chernikovite, is discussed. Similar intercalation behavior can be seen in transition metal chalcogenides (TMC), revealing weak Van Der Waals interlayer interactions. This approach to non-aqueous uranyl clusters and uranium mineral compounds will stimulate much more in-depth and diverse studies in the scientific community

Dust Rings and Cavities in the Protoplanetary Disks around HD 163296 and DoAr 44

We model substructure in the protoplanetary disks around DoAr 44 and HD 163296 in order to better understand the conditions under which planets may form. We match archival millimeter-wavelength thermal emission against models of the disks' structure that are in radiation balance with the starlight heating and in vertical hydrostatic equilibrium, and then compare to archival polarized scattered near-infrared images of the disks. The millimeter emission arises in the interior, while the scattered near-infrared radiation probes the disks' outer layers. Our best model of the HD 163296 disk has dust masses $81\pm 13$ $M_\oplus$ in the inner ring at 68 au and $82^{+26}_{-16}$ $M_\oplus$ in the outer ring at 102 au, both falling within the range of estimates from previous studies. Our DoAr 44 model has total dust mass $84^{+7.0}_{-3.5}$ $M_\oplus$. Unlike HD 163296, DoAr 44 as of yet has no detected planets. If the central cavity in the DoAr 44 disk is caused by a planet, the planet's mass must be at least 0.5 $M_J$ and is unlikely to be greater than 1.6 $M_J$. We demonstrate that the DoAr 44 disk's structure with a bright ring offset within a fainter skirt can be formed by dust particles drifting through a plausible distribution of gas.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figure

Drag Prediction for the DLR-F6 Wing/Body and DPW Wing using CFL3D and OVERFLOW Overset Mesh

A series of overset grids was generated in response to the 3rd AIAA CFD Drag Prediction Workshop (DPW-III) which preceded the 25th Applied Aerodynamics Conference in June 2006. DPW-III focused on accurate drag prediction for wing/body and wing-alone configurations. The grid series built for each configuration consists of a coarse, medium, fine, and extra-fine mesh. The medium mesh is first constructed using the current state of best practices for overset grid generation. The medium mesh is then coarsened and enhanced by applying a factor of 1.5 to each (I,J,K) dimension. The resulting set of parametrically equivalent grids increase in size by a factor of roughly 3.5 from one level to the next denser level. CFD simulations were performed on the overset grids using two different RANS flow solvers: CFL3D and OVERFLOW. The results were post-processed using Richardson extrapolation to approximate grid converged values of lift, drag, pitching moment, and angle-of-attack at the design condition. This technique appears to work well if the solution does not contain large regions of separated flow (similar to that seen n the DLR-F6 results) and appropriate grid densities are selected. The extra-fine grid data helped to establish asymptotic grid convergence for both the OVERFLOW FX2B wing/body results and the OVERFLOW DPW-W1/W2 wing-alone results. More CFL3D data is needed to establish grid convergence trends. The medium grid was utilized beyond the grid convergence study by running each configuration at several angles-of-attack so drag polars and lift/pitching moment curves could be evaluated. The alpha sweep results are used to compare data across configurations as well as across flow solvers. With the exception of the wing/body drag polar, the two codes compare well qualitatively showing consistent incremental trends and similar wing pressure comparisons

Agreement between questionnaires and registry data on routes to diagnosis and milestone dates of the cancer diagnostic pathway

BACKGROUND The routes to diagnosis and the time intervals along the diagnostic pathway affect cancer outcomes. Some data on routes to diagnosis and milestone dates can be extracted from registries or databases. When this data is incomplete, inaccurate or non-existing, other data sources are needed. This study investigates the agreement between multiple data sources on routes to diagnosis and milestone dates of cancer pathway. METHODS Information on routes to diagnosis and milestone dates were compared across four data sources (cancer patients, general practitioners, cancer specialists and registries) for breast, colorectal, lung and ovarian cancers across the UK, Scandinavia, Canada and Australia. Agreement on routes to diagnosis and milestone dates was assessed by Kappa and AC1 coefficients and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). RESULTS 4502 patients were included in the analysis of routes to diagnosis. The agreement was almost perfect (kappa = 0.15–0.88, AC1 = 0.86–0.91) for breast cancer, substantial to almost perfect (kappa = 0.07–0.86, AC1 = 0.74–0.93) for colorectal and ovarian cancers, and substantial (kappa = 0.09–0.11, AC1 = 0.65–0.74) for lung cancer. 2287 patients were included in the analysis of milestone dates. The agreement was adequate for all cancer types (CCC = 0.88–0.99); highest agreement was seen for date of diagnosis (CCC = 0.94–0.99). CONCLUSION We found a reasonable agreement between patient/physician questionnaires and registry data for routes to diagnosis and milestone dates. The agreement on routes to diagnosis was generally higher for breast cancer than for colorectal, ovarian and lung cancers. Lower agreement was seen on date of first presentation to primary care and date of treatment initiation compared to date of diagnosis