A Comparison Of SBIR Investment Methods: AFWERX vs Legacy

The AFWERX Open Topic (AOT) program uses funding from the United States Air Force’s (USAF) Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) budget to adapt commercial technology to USAF needs. The AOT approach to small business investment is markedly different from that of legacy SBIR investment methods. This research is a comparison of processes and outcomes for AOT and legacy SBIR. The first axis of comparison is on commercialization rates. Applying a legacy definition of commercialization on a sample of AOT contracts, we found AOT’s commercialization to be 37% (compared to an 8.8% for legacy SBIR). We caveat this finding by pointing out the ways a commercialization comparison of the two SBIR methods might be appropriate. The next comparison considered the military capabilities each process invested in. AOT contracts were binned into Joint Capability Areas (JCA) to create an AOT military capability portfolio (MCP) which was then compared to a legacy SBIR MCP. Results suggest legacy SBIR invests at higher rates in the Force Application JCA while AOT investment rates are higher in the Force Integration and Command & Control JCAs. The final comparison considers the success of AFWERX’s strategy of creating technical centers (or ‘front doors’) in regions known for being bastions of innovation (i.e., AFWERX Austin) by a simple test of differences between AOT and legacy regional SBIR participation rates. In Texas and Washington District of Columbia (DC), regions with AFWERX centers, AOT participation rates were statistically higher than legacy SBIR

The effect of crack orientation on the nonlinear interaction of a P wave with an S wave

Cracks, joints, fluids, and other pore-scale structures have long been hypothesized to be the cause of the large elastic nonlinearity observed in rocks. It is difficult to definitively say which pore-scale features are most important, however, because of the difficulty in isolating the source of the nonlinear interaction. In this work, we focus on the influence of cracks on the recorded nonlinear signal and in particular on how the orientation of microcracks changes the strength of the nonlinear interaction. We do this by studying the effect of orientation on the measurements in a rock with anisotropy correlated with the presence and alignment of microcracks. We measure the nonlinear response via the traveltime delay induced in a low-amplitude P wave probe by a high-amplitude S wave pump. We find evidence that crack orientation has a significant effect on the nonlinear signal

Linking Ethnic Identification to Organisational Solidarity

This paper investigates the process through which ethnic identification (EI) influences employees’ sense of organisational solidarity (OS). A survey of 1525 employees working in different ministries of a state government in Nigeria was collected and analysed by means of a regression to investigate EI-OS relationships. As expected, EI was a significant determinant of OS with co-worker social support explaining the rationale for EI-OS relationship. The conceptualisation of OS as a composite construct that manifest in employees’ self-efficacy, organisational self-identity and employee voice behaviours is novel. The study provides evidence from an under researched area to further generalise existing debates

Surviving Communicative Labor: Theoretical Exploration of the (In)Visibility of Gendered Faculty Work/Life Struggle

The work experiences of faculty in higher education often entail being overworked and stressed, and this is particularly true for women faculty and faculty of color. This essay is situated at the intersection of gender, race, axiological, epistemological, and occupational identities. In this metatheoretical argument, we propose a new concept communicative labor by exploring how existing scholarly frameworks regarding workplace emotion, compassionate communication, and gendered work intersect to inform the experiences of critical women scholars and the ways their labor is communicatively manifested across research, teaching, and service. More specifically, we argue that communication itself (i.e., literally listening, speaking, and writing) becomes emotionally-laden work amid the research, teaching, and service performed by critical women scholars. We aim, through our articulation of communication labor, to disrupt dominant narratives of what faculty work lives should be, and we call for a paradigm shift in the way faculty labor is socially constructed so that we can improve critical women faculty’s success and well-being

Research into the Health Benefits of Sprint Interval Training Should Focus on Protocols with Fewer and Shorter Sprints

Over the past decade, it has been convincingly shown that regularly performing repeated brief supramaximal cycle sprints (sprint interval training [SIT]) is associated with aerobic adaptations and health benefits similar to or greater than with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). SIT is often promoted as a time-efficient exercise strategy, but the most commonly studied SIT protocol (4–6 repeated 30-s Wingate sprints with 4 min recovery, here referred to as ‘classic’ SIT) takes up to approximately 30 min per session. Combined with high associated perceived exertion, this makes classic SIT unsuitable as an alternative/adjunct to current exercise recommendations involving MICT. However, there are no indications that the design of the classic SIT protocol has been based on considerations regarding the lowest number or shortest duration of sprints to optimise time efficiency while retaining the associated health benefits. In recent years, studies have shown that novel SIT protocols with both fewer and shorter sprints are efficacious at improving important risk factors of noncommunicable diseases in sedentary individuals, and provide health benefits that are no worse than those associated with classic SIT. These shorter/easier protocols have the potential to remove many of the common barriers to exercise in the general population. Thus, based on the evidence summarised in this current opinion paper, we propose that there is a need for a fundamental change in focus in SIT research in order to move away from further characterising the classic SIT protocol and towards establishing acceptable and effective protocols that involve minimal sprint durations and repetitions

Estrogen-Dependent Expression and Subcellular Localization of the Tight Junction Protein Claudin-4 in HEC-1A Endometrial Cancer Cells

Endometrial cancer is the most common female reproductive cancer in the United States and is associated with deregulated tight junction protein expression. Given the highly estrogen-responsive nature of this tissue, we investigated the effects of estrogen and its agonist, 4-OH TAM, on the expression and subcellular localization of the tight junction protein claudin-4 (CLDN-4), in HEC-1A endometrial cancer cells. In untreated HEC-1A cells, we observed dramatic overexpression of claudin-4 protein. In addition, differential detergent extraction analysis indicated that claudin-4 was localized primarily in the membrane but also found in the cytosolic, nuclear and cytoskeletal fractions. Upon exposure of HEC-1A to estradiol (E2), we observed a biphasic effect both on the overall expression of claudin-4 protein and on its cytosolic and cytoskeletal presence as demonstrated by immunoblot analysis. Immunofluorescence analysis also revealed a biphasic effect of E2 on claudin-4 expression. In contrast, we observed no changes in expression levels nor in the subcellular distribution patterns of claudin-4 in HEC-1A cells treated with different concentrations of 4-OH TAM. The intracellular presence of CLDN-4 coupled with the biphasic effects of E2 on CLDN-4 expression in the cytoskeleton suggest that this protein may be involved in cell signaling to and from TJs

Muscle Oxygen Changes following Sprint Interval Cycling Training in Elite Field Hockey Players

This study examined the effects of Sprint Interval Cycling (SIT) on muscle oxygenation kinetics and performance during the 30-15 intermittent fitness test (IFT). Twenty-five women hockey players of Olympic standard were randomly selected into an experimental group (EXP) and a control group (CON). The EXP group performed six additional SIT sessions over six weeks in addition to their normal training program. To explore the potential training-induced change, EXP subjects additionally completed 5 x 30s maximal intensity cycle testing before and after training. During these tests near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measured parameters; oxyhaemoglobin + oxymyoglobin (HbO2+ MbO2), tissue deoxyhaemoglobin + deoxymyoglobin (HHb+HMb), total tissue haemoglobin (tHb) and tissue oxygenation (TSI %) were taken. In the EXP group (5.34±0.14 to 5.50±0.14m.s-1) but not the CON group (pre = 5.37± 0.27 to 5.39±0.30m.s-1) significant changes were seen in the 30-15IFTperformance. EXP group also displayed significant post-training increases during the sprint cycling: ΔTSI (-7.59±0.91 to -12.16±2.70%); ΔHHb+HMb (35.68±6.67 to 69.44 ±26.48μM.cm); and ΔHbO2+ MbO2 (-74.29±13.82 to -109.36±22.61μM.cm). No significant differences were seen in ΔtHb (-45.81±15.23 to -42.93±16.24). NIRS is able to detect positive peripheral muscle oxygenation changes when used during a SIT protocol which has been shown to be an effective training modality within elite athletes

Acute Kidney Injury and Fluid Overload in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

Purpose of review: Acute kidney injury (AKI) and fluid overload affect a large number of children undergoing cardiac surgery, and confers an increased risk for adverse complications and outcomes including death. Survivors of AKI suffer long-term sequelae. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the short and long-term impact of cardiac surgery associated AKI and fluid overload, currently available tools for diagnosis and risk stratification, existing management strategies, and future management considerations. Recent findings: Improved risk stratification, diagnostic prediction tools and clinically available early markers of tubular injury have the ability to improve AKI-associated outcomes. One of the major challenges in diagnosing AKI is the diagnostic imprecision in serum creatinine, which is impacted by a variety of factors unrelated to renal disease. In addition, many of the pharmacologic interventions for either AKI prevention or treatment have failed to show any benefit, while peritoneal dialysis catheters, either for passive drainage or prophylactic dialysis may be able to mitigate the detrimental effects of fluid overload. Summary: Until novel risk stratification and diagnostics tools are integrated into routine practice, supportive care will continue to be the mainstay of therapy for those affected by AKI and fluid overload after pediatric cardiac surgery. A viable series of preventative measures can be taken to mitigate the risk and severity of AKI and fluid overload following cardiac surgery, and improve care

RH-TRU Waste Inventory Characterization by AK and Proposed WIPP RH-TRU Waste Characterization Objectives

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) has developed draft documentation to present the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) remote-handled (RH-) transuranic (TRU) waste characterization program to its regulators, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department. Compliance with Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 191 and 194; the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (PL 102-579); and the WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit, as well as the Certificates of Compliance for the 72-B and 10-160B Casks, requires that specific waste parameter limits be imposed on DOE sites disposing of TRU waste at WIPP. The DOE-CBFO must control the sites' compliance with the limits by specifying allowable characterization methods. As with the established WIPP contact handled TRU waste characterization program, the DOE-CBFO has proposed a Remote-Handled TRU Waste Acceptance Criteria (RH-WAC) document consolidating the requirements from various regulatory drivers and proposed allowable characterization methods. These criteria are consistent with the recommendation of a recent National Academy Sciences/National Research Council to develop an RH-TRU waste characterization approach that removes current self imposed requirements that lack a legal or safety basis. As proposed in the draft RH-WAC and other preliminary documents, the DOE-CBFO RH-TRU waste characterization program proposes the use of acceptable knowledge (AK) as the primary method for obtaining required characterization information. The use of AK involves applying knowledge of the waste in light of the materials or processes used to generate the waste. Documentation, records, or processes providing information about various attributes of a waste stream, such as chemical, physical, and radiological properties, may be used as AK and may be applied to individual waste containers either independently or in conjunction with radiography, visual examination, assay, and other sampling and analytical data. RH-TRU waste cannot be shipped to WIPP on the basis of AK alone if documentation demonstrating that all of the prescribed limits in the RH-WAC are met is not available, discrepancies exist among AK source documents describing the same waste stream and the most conservative assumptions regarding those documents indicates that a limit will not be met, or all required data are not available for a given waste stream