Cartographic evaluation of Skylab-A S-192 scanner images

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

A tale of two courses: challenging Millenials to experience culture through film

In this article, we discuss how adding a final film project to a revised \u27Culture through Film\u27 course led to deeper student learning and higher rates of student success, as well as increased student satisfaction. Ultimately, we urge social science educators to include experiential projects in their courses that connect to all learning styles. Such projects should also challenge students to \u27create\u27, a task that requires generating ideas, planning and ultimately producing something, which, according to Bloom\u27s taxonomy, engages students in the highest cognitive process (Anderson and Krathwohl 2000). Although this class focused on the intersections of culture and film and was taught at an American university, we believe these lessons apply more broadly

Cartographic evaluation of Skylab S-192 scanner images

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Homophobia: An Autoethnographic Story

This article is an autoethnographic account of one person’s struggle with homophobia. It chronicles the experiences and internal battle of the author as she struggles to understand and be accepting of homosexuality. The author identifies and discusses messages received, in early childhood and adulthood, as it relates to homosexuality and gender. These messages encompass religious ideology, as well as family and community beliefs toward gay/lesbian individuals

Rapid Nanoparticle Synthesis by Magnetic and Microwave Heating

Citation: Chikan, V., & McLaurin, E. J. (2016). Rapid Nanoparticle Synthesis by Magnetic and Microwave Heating. Nanomaterials, 6(5), 9. doi:10.3390/nano6050085Traditional hot-injection (HI) syntheses of colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) allows good separation of the nucleation and growth stages of the reaction, a key limitation in obtaining monodisperse NPs, but with limited scalability. Here, two methods are presented for obtaining NPs via rapid heating: magnetic and microwave-assisted. Both of these techniques provide improved engineering control over the separation of nucleation and growth stages of nanomaterial synthesis when the reaction is initiated from room temperature. The advantages of these techniques with preliminary data are presented in this prospective article. It is shown here that microwave assisted heating could possibly provide some selectivity in activating the nanomaterial precursor materials, while magnetic heating can produce very tiny particles in a very short time (even on the millisecond timescale), which is important for scalability. The fast magnetic heating also allows for synthesizing larger particles with improved size distribution, therefore impacting, not only the quantity, but the quality of the nanomaterials

Designing Weather Insurance Contracts for Farmers in Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya: Final Report to the Commodity Risk Management Group, ARD, World Bank

This report presents project products to the Commodity Risk Management Group of the World Bank for the development and evaluation of index insurance contracts for smallholder farmers in Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya. The development of some products we are providing was supported at no cost by the NSF-funded Center for Research on Environmental Decisions. Index insurance is a relatively new weather risk management tool. While traditional insurance insures against crop failure, index insurance insures for a specific event or risk, such as rainfall deficits. The index insurance can be more cost effective since there is no need for in-field assessment of damage because payouts are triggered by weather data directly. Index insurance addresses two problems associated with traditional crop insurance: moral hazard (incentives for a farmer to let a crop die in order to get an insurance payout) and adverse selection (in which insurance is priced based on the risks of the entire population but only the most vulnerable farmers purchase insurance). However, index insurance only provides partial protection and is therefore only one part of a complete risk management package. It is critical that the client have a comprehensive understanding of exactly what risks are covered (and what risks are not covered) by the index product so that clients can effectively use the insurance as a part of their risk management system. Products must be transparent and completely understandable to the client or they will not be able to play their proper role

Ocular Itch Relief with Alcaftadine 0.25% Versus Olopatadine 0.2% in Allergic Conjunctivitis: Pooled Analysis of Two Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trials

Introduction: The efficacy and safety of the once-daily topical ophthalmic solutions, alcaftadine 0.25% and olopatadine 0.2%, in preventing ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis were evaluated. Methods: Pooled analysis was conducted of two double-masked, multicenter, active- and placebo-controlled studies using the conjunctival allergen challenge (CAC) model of allergic conjunctivitis. Subjects were randomized 1:1:1 to receive alcaftadine 0.25%, olopatadine 0.2%, or placebo. The primary efficacy measure was subject-evaluated mean ocular itching at 3 min post-CAC and 16 h after treatment instillation. Secondary measures included ocular itching at 5 and 7 min post-CAC. Ocular itch was determined over all time points measured (3, 5, and 7 min) post-CAC and the proportion of subjects with minimal itch (itch score <1) and zero itch (itch score = 0) was also assessed. Results: A total of 284 subjects were enrolled in the two studies. At 3 min post-CAC and 16 h after treatment instillation, alcaftadine 0.25% achieved a significantly lower mean itch score compared with olopatadine 0.2% (0.50 vs. 0.87, respectively; P = 0.0006). Alcaftadine demonstrated a significantly lower mean itch score over all time points compared with olopatadine (0.68 vs. 0.92, respectively; P = 0.0390); both alcaftadine- and olopatadine-treated subjects achieved significantly lower overall mean ocular itching scores compared with placebo (2.10; P < 0.0001 for both actives). Minimal itch over all time points was reported by 76.1% of alcaftadine-treated subjects compared with 58.1% of olopatadine-treated subjects (P = 0.0121). Treatment with alcaftadine 0.25% and olopatadine 0.2% was safe and well tolerated; no serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Once-daily alcaftadine 0.25% ophthalmic solution demonstrated greater efficacy in prevention of ocular itching compared with olopatadine 0.2% at 3 min post-CAC (primary endpoint), and over all time points, 16 h post-treatment instillation. Alcaftadine and olopatadine both provided effective relief compared with placebo and were generally well tolerated. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12325-014-0155-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Digital Indigeneity: Digital Media\u27s Uses for Identity Formation, Education, and Activism by Indigenous People in the Northeastern United States

This dissertation seeks to examine the types of digital media being produced in the Northeastern United States, its content, the goals and motivations of its creators, the processes underlying Indigenous digital media creation, and the desired and projected audiences of Indigenous digital artists and content creators. Resulting findings from this study illuminate long histories of Indigenous use of digital media tied to digital media\u27s development in Indigenous lands. I argue that Native people have been producers and influencers in film and later, digital media, and have underwritten digital production due to its development on Indigenous lands. Through interviews and media analysis, I discuss how Indigenous content creators use digital media to express identity, educate others, make political gains, and insert Indigeneity into the future. Insights garnered through interviews and media analyses and comparisons with earlier forms of visual media, particularly Indigenous self-portrayals in film and on websites, all indicate that Indigenous people in the Northeast are largely resisting stereotypical self-representations. Indigenous framings of media landscapes and the sociohistorical processes informing them are emphasized, which furthers research on underrepresented presences, uses, and understandings of digital space

Association between the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and mesolimbic responses to rewards

10.1186/2040-2392-5-7Molecular Autism51