718 research outputs found
Gunfight Author Ryan Busse on Responsible Gun Ownership
No full textThis week’s guest is Ryan Busse, former senior executive in the firearms industry. Ryan\u27s new book, Gunfight, is an intimate and revealing account of his experience in that industry, his growing disillusionment with it and his ultimate exit.
In this conversation, we talk about rural household gun culture, the symbolism assault rifles take on in political division, and the rights and responsibilities of gun ownership in our country.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/anewangle_podcasts/1224/thumbnail.jp
Inlet protection comparison for sediment control on roadway construction
No full textFinal report; "March 2023."; "Project ID: 109458."; Additional project information provided in email: SJN 135967; "Author(s) ... Anil Tangirala (PE, CFM, ENV SP), Justin Kerns (PE, CPESC), Ryan Winston (PhD, PE), Andrew Tirpak (PhD, PE), Alec Grimm"--Page 2; "Prepared in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration"--Page 3; "Ohio State University, Stormwater Management Program."; Includes bibliographical references (pages 39-40 of Final report)Final report (108 pages) -- [Fact sheet] (2 unnumbered pages)The Inlet Protection Comparison for Sediment Control on Roadway Construction research project intends to provide Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) with performance data associated with key criteria for manufactured inlet protection devices in order to assess which products are appropriate for inlet sediment controls on ODOT roadway construction projects. The research team constructed a full-scale testing facility on Ohio State's University's campus to simulate stormwater runoff and sediment loading of a typical roadway construction project. Commonly available manufactured inlet protection products were compared to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approved practices through a combination of performance and longevity testing. Based on the test results, the research team identified performance measures and material specifications of inlet protection devices to be used in developing a qualified product database and a procedure for assessing future devices. The research team also recommended new and updated inlet protection guidance for incorporation into ODOT's design document
Simulation of the ATLAS ITk strip endcap modules for testbeam reconstruction and analysis
No full textThe Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is planned to be upgraded to the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), increasing the rate of collisions and producing more particles passing through the detectors. This increased production rate will require upgrades to the detectors in order to cope with the large increase in data collection and radiation as well as improving the tracking and particle reconstruction in the higher occupancy environment. A major upgrade to ATLAS, one of the LHC detectors, will be replacing the current Inner Detector (ID) with a fully silicon semi-conductor based Inner Tracker (ITk). The research and development phase of the ITk requires a simulation of the sensors for performance simulations and testing the sensors in testbeams. The ITk strip end-cap sensors will use radial geometries, however the current testbeam telescope simulation software (AllPix) and reconstruction software (EUTelescope) are designed with cartesian geometries. Presented is the work behind implementing a radial geometry for one of the ITk strip endcap sensors, the R0 module, in the simulation software of Allpix and the reconstruction software of EUTelescope. Included in this work is the simulation of the propagation of the charge deposited in the sensor by the beam. The simulated data, as well as data from the actual EUDET testbeam telescope at DESY, Hamburg are both reconstructed with the same reconstruction software and analysed using the same post-reconstruction software. A comparison of the simulation to experiment is then performed, in particular to study the residuals, efficiency and charge sharing of the R0 module
A Characterisation of the ATLAS ITk High Rapidity Modules in AllPix and EUTelescope
No full textThe upgrade of the LHC to the high luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will result in far more collisions occurring per bunch crossing, in turn producing more particles per second. Consequently, the current detectors will need to be upgraded to accommodate the large increase in radiation and data acquisition as well as a need to improve the tracking efficiency for the high pile-up environment. One of the main upgrades to the ATLAS detector is the complete overhaul of the inner detector (ID) by replacing it with an all silicon Inner Tracker (ITk). A simulation of the ITk will be required for performance predictions as well as for testing sample sensors in testbeams. The current testbeam software of Allpix and EUTelescope are written completely using Cartesian definitions, however some of the geometries in the ITk have radial definitions. In particular, the R0 geometry of the strip end-cap is in need of a radial description. Presented is the work behind creating a radial geometry for the R0 module in Allpix (using Geant4 descriptions) and EUTelescope (using TGeo descriptions)
Benefit analysis of barrier inlet screens
No full textFinal report; "May 2024."; "Project ID number: 114243."; Additional project information provided in email: SJN 136338; "Author(s) ... Justin Kerns (PE, CPESC), Alec Grimm (PhD), Ryan Winston (PhD, PE), Andrew Tirpak (PhD, PE), Troy Lyons (MS, PE), Marian Muste (PhD), Tony Loeser (PhD)"--Page 2; "Prepared in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration"--Page 3; "The Ohio State University, Stormwater Management Program."; "Iowa, IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering."; Includes bibliographical references (page 35 of Final report)Final report (133 pages) -- [Fact sheet] (2 unnumbered pages)The Benefit Analysis of Barrier Inlet Screens research project studied the effectiveness of screening devices at preventing debris from entering stormwater inlets along highway barrier walls. This research was focused on large trash and debris, as opposed to sediment and dissolved solids. A variety of proprietary and non-proprietary screen devices were evaluated through a combination of field testing along active ODOT roadways and full-scale physical laboratory modeling. This report will summarize the testing approach, methodology, findings, conclusions, and recommendations implemented by ODOT and the research team. This will include the impacts of debris on roadway drainage systems, the environmental and anthropogenic factors that impact litter and debris conveyance to an inlet, and how stormwater inlet capacity can be diminished by debris accumulatio
Different worlds: an examination of students' experiences in tracked “global studies” classrooms
No full textHigh schools in New Jersey are expected to help their students to become citizens of the global world. The state standards suggest that students need to become globally aware and be able to make informed decisions about global events. Despite the intent of the standards, as a teacher of Global Studies I was concerned that our rigid system of academic tracking meant that students in the lower tracks were not having the same opportunities as those in higher tracks. This study sought to address this problem by examining the experiences of students in each of the tracks of Global Studies and eliciting their voices and perspectives on the curriculum. Three research questions guided the study: How is Global Studies taught in each of the academic tracks at West Brunning High School? How do students in these three tracks describe their experiences in Global Studies? What do my findings suggest for creating equity across tracks for Global Studies students at West Brunning High School? Over the course of 5 months, I analyzed the lessons of participating colleagues by collecting their written lesson plans, gradebooks and teaching materials. I observed 6 classrooms (2 in each track) and asked participating teachers to complete “data sheets” highlighting the classroom activities they completed for each unit. Both observational data and teacher materials were used to create a narrative for each track. I also conducted 3 focus groups (1 per track) with 27 students in an effort to highlight the voices of the students themselves. Each track was found to have its own culture shaped by teacher expectations. There was an emphasis on discussion, multiple perspectives and detailed content at the higher levels where students were expected to be college-bound, while students in the lower tracks experienced more book-work and less detailed content as they were not expected to complete college-level tasks. Students reported enjoying and finding value in the Global Studies course especially the units on Culture and Africa. Students also enjoyed certain pedagogies such as classroom debates and discussions and the use of feature films. Suggestions to improve the Global Studies program include reconceptualizing how we teach the subject and aligning instruction for “best practices” which includes interdisciplinary activities, learning beyond the walls of the classroom, and an emphasis on multiple perspectives.Ed.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Justin Gerard Negrava
Circumcision Training Development and Implementation
No full textabstract: Currently, many patients suffer from post-circumcision complications caused by poor patient selection and/or poor technique of the practicing physician. In addition, the majority of medical practitioners are incapable of/unwilling to conduct specific circumcision procedures on their patients. In the end, this either results in unsatisfied patient families, who unwillingly have their children circumcised using methods contrary to their belief, or results in individuals who are not certified practitioners of medicine conducting the procedures, greatly increasing the risk of the patients experiencing preventable complications. In order to locally address the aforementioned problems, this thesis committee, consisting of Dr. Frank Infurna, Dr. Justin Ryan, and Dr. Zachary Zuniga, and I, developed a training module that standardized the instruction that interns, residents, attendings, fellows, hospitalists, and other interested physicians will receive regarding neonatal circumcision at Phoenix Children's Hospital. To begin, the pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative procedures related to the Gomco clamp neonatal circumcision procedure were heavily researched using literature sourced from library databases and consultation of specialists, such as Dr. Zuniga. Given that the training was developed to instruct individuals within the medical field, the material was then truncated to promote succinctness and specificity towards the targeted population. In order to convey the specific techniques that are clinically preferred to be used in the procedure, one of Dr. Zuniga's Gomco clamp neonatal circumcision procedures was recorded and converted into GIFs, with each GIF depicting a specific technique of the procedure. The aforementioned materials were then arranged into a slide deck in order to mitigate the need for future training facilitators to tamper with the material in the process of creating visuals to be used during the training. Given the sensitivity of the material included in the slide deck, it will only be available for use on Phoenix Children's Hospital premises. To incorporate instruction regarding both the traditional (Gomco clamp) and religiously-preferred circumcision techniques into the training module, appointments, consisting of discussions regarding the procedural, cultural, and social facets that must be taken into consideration when conducting a circumcision procedure on a patient from a Muslim family, were set-up with pediatric physicians, currently practicing in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, who have specialized knowledge of conducting circumcisions in the Middle East. Since Brit Milah, the Jewish circumcision ceremony, is, unlike in Islam, required to be conducted by a Mohel in either a synagogue or house, it was not covered as holistically as "Khtan", Islamic circumcision, which is less heavily regulated. Thus far, the training module has been piloted twice, once with a group of medical students and physicians and once with medical education program directors and instructors. The critique from both sessions has been used to prepare the material for use in neonatal circumcision training sessions that will be introduced in clerkship and residency curriculum. In the future, the results of this implementation can be used to prepare the module for submission to the American Academy of Pediatrics to be made a prerequisite for physicians to undergo before conducting neonatal circumcisions
Author response
No full textVariation in the presence or absence of transposable elements (TEs) is a major source of genetic variation between individuals. Here, we identified 23,095 TE presence/absence variants between 216 Arabidopsis accessions. Most TE variants were rare, and we find these rare variants associated with local extremes of gene expression and DNA methylation levels within the population. Of the common alleles identified, two thirds were not in linkage disequilibrium with nearby SNPs, implicating these variants as a source of novel genetic diversity. Many common TE variants were associated with significantly altered expression of nearby genes, and a major fraction of inter-accession DNA methylation differences were associated with nearby TE insertions. Overall, this demonstrates that TE variants are a rich source of genetic diversity that likely plays an important role in facilitating epigenomic and transcriptional differences between individuals, and indicates a strong genetic basis for epigenetic variation
Localized β-actin translation: coordinating cell-cell contact formation and spindle orientation to drive epithelial morphogenesis
No full textβ-actin mRNA localization is mediated through a 28-nucleotide sequence, located in the 3’ UTR region, known as the Zipcode sequence. Binding of Zipcode Binding Protein 1 (ZBP1) is required to both localize and translationally repress the β-actin transcript until the target destination is reached. Loss of ZBP1 in developing mice results in gross abnormalities in small intestinal tissue with a loss of epithelial tissue morphogenesis. Reintroduction of ZBP1 into breast cancer tissues increases polarity, decreases invasiveness, increases cell-cell adhesion, and reduces overall metastatic potential. However, to date, many of the underlying mechanisms which could lead to such outcomes are poorly understood.First, using the well characterized MDCK epithelial cell line, the role of ZBP1 in establishing an epithelial tissue was investigated. Transient knockdown of ZBP1 in MDCK cells revealed a loss of E-cadherin and F-actin association at sites of cell-cell contact. Generation of a stable knockdown of ZBP1 in MDCK cells further revealed significant reduction in protein levels of key adherens junction proteins E-cadherin and β-catenin. This was concomitantly associated with changes in the compaction, architecture, and tissue barrier function of the epithelial monolayer.
Analysis of β-actin transcript localization revealed that decrease in ZBP1 expression, resulted in the mislocalization of β-actin transcripts. Further, analysis utilizing an MDCK cell expressing β-actin mRNA transcripts which have had the ZBP1 binding domain removed (3’ UTR) recapitulated the ZBP1 KD results. Thus, ZBP1 seems to impact epithelial tissue morphogenesis through controlling localized β-actin translation and regulating adherens junction formation.
To further understand the consequences of mislocalized β-actin translation on epithelial tissue morphogenesis in a more physiologically relevant model, MDCK cyst cultures were used. Cysts generated either using ZBP1 KD or 3’ UTR cell cultures resulted in disorganized lateral and apical domains, contained multiple cell layers and multiple lumen, and had decreased epithelial barrier function. Investigation of this phenotype revealed that mislocalizing β-actin translation resulted in the misorientation of the mitotic spindle leading to loss of planar cell division. Further analysis of this pathway revealed aberrant localization of LGN, a master regulator of spindle orientation, to the apical domain due to defects in the Cdc42/Par/aPKC signaling complex. These results provide molecular evidence of the consequences of localized β-actin translation on the generation of epithelial tissues. Finally, pilot experiments using collective cell migration identify that mislocalization of β-actin translation resulted in the loss of coordinated epithelial collective cell migration, increased cell migration, and decrease in arginylated actin at cell-cell contact sites. Taken together, this thesis highlights the role of localized β-actin translation to coordinately regulate the adherens junction, spindle orientation, and cell-cell migration to generate an epithelial tissue.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical reference
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