FROM FLIGHT LINES TO HEADLINES: HARNESSING TACTICAL AIR FORCE INFORMATION WARFARE FOR STRATEGIC EFFECTS

The current United States Air Force (USAF) information operations (IO) force posture, which operates predominately at the operational level with a small portion integrated at the tactical level within Special Operations Wings (SOW), is not distributed to effectively exploit the informational aspects of military activities. This research highlights the criticality of integrating IO officers across the levels of warfare, emphasizing their potential in conventional tactical units. This research analyzes the untapped synergy of IO, Agile Combat Employment (ACE), and air advising and finds that their integration demonstrates how integrated deterrence can be operationalized. Moreover, the study reveals discrepancies between doctrinal prescriptions and operational realities, which have led to impractical and occasionally inaccurate interpretations of how IO is employed in practice. In response, this research recommends revising the roles and functions of IO officers to align more closely with operational realities. Finally, the research advocates instilling an IO practitioner mindset across the force, emphasizing the significance of cognitive resilience—the capacity to counter foreign malign influence—as a fundamental function of IO. These recommendations aim to fortify the USAF’s tactical integration of IO, ensuring a more dynamic and resilient force capable of addressing the complexities of modern conflict.Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.Captain, United States Air Forc

Signal Mixing Technique for Backscattered Electrons in the Scanning Electron Microscope

Signal mixing technique using asymetrically placed backscattered electron detectors in a scanning electron microscope is presented in this paper. Two types of detectors have been used: a low-take off angle ring scintillation detector (placed around the specimen) and a wide-angle semiconductor detector (placed above the specimen). It has been shown that the discussed configuration gives good real topography in all directions on the specimen surface and also reduces significantly the pseudo-topography effect of flat grain boundaries

Detection System for Scanning Electron Microscope

The kind of information and the quality of the backscattered electron (BSE) images depend upon numerous features of the detector. Therefore, various types of detectors should be used simultaneously to obtain as much of information as possible. The detection system presented here contains a large area semiconductor detector and a BSE to secondary electrons (SE) converter system. These two different kinds of detectors give different BSE images. After subtracting the signal of a semiconductor detector from that of a converter system, an image with good topography and reduced material contrast can be achieved

Evaluation of concentration of heavy metals in animal rearing system

Animal manure is one of the diffusion routes of heavy metals and metalloids into the environment, where the soil can accumulate them. Heavy metals and metalloids can then be released into groundwater sources, be absorbed by crops, and enter the food chain with negative effects for human and animal health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of heavy metals and mineral nutrients from modern animal rearing systems in order to develop effective strategies to increase the sustainability. Samples of feed (n\ubc24: n\ubc16 from swine, n\ubc8 from cattle), faeces (n\ubc120: n\ubc80 from swine, n\ubc40 from cattle) and water (n\ubc8), were collected from eight typical intensive swine and cattle farms located in northern Italy. All samples were analysed for the humidity and the principal components. The samples were also dried, mineralised, and analysed by ICP-MS to detect the following elements: Na, Mg, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, and Pb. The swine diets represented the highest amounts of Zn and Cu, with an average concentration for the finishing and weaning phases of Zn: 1737.9 \ub1 301.3; 821.7 \ub1 301.3; Cu: 133.8 \ub1 11.6; 160.1 \ub1 11.6 mg/kg as fed, respectively. The faecal content reflected the heavy metal composition from feed. The average content of cattle diets of Zn and Cu did not result higher than the maximum permitted levels. We observed that the swine manure represented the sources of Zn and Cu output into the environment. The Zn and Cu content should be monitored strictly in line with agroecology principles

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals from wastewater through a Typha latifolia and Thelypteris palustris phytoremediation system

Animal production is a source of heavy metals in livestock wastewater and also a key link in the food chain, with negative impacts on human and animal health. In intensive animal production systems, the most critical elements are zinc and copper. In order to development of innovative non-invasive strategies to reduce the environmental impact of livestock, this study assessed the ability of two plants, Typha latifolia and Thelypteris palustris, to bioaccumulate the heavy metals used in animal nutrition, from wastewater. Four mesocosms (width 2.0\u202fm, length 2.0\u202fm, 695\u202fL of water, 210\u202fkg of soil) were assembled outdoors at the Botanical Garden. Two of them were planted with T. latifolia (TL treated, n\u202f=\u202f30; TL control, n\u202f=\u202f30) and two with T. palustris (TP treated, n\u202f=\u202f60; TP control, n\u202f=\u202f60). In T0 a solution of a mineral additive premix (Zn 44.02\u202fmg/L; Cu 8.63\u202fmg/L) was dissolved in the treated mesocosms. At T0, d 15 (T1) and d 45 (T2) samples of roots, leaves, stems, soil and water were collected, dried, mineralized and analyzed using ICP-MS in order to obtain HMs content. We found that T. latifolia and T. palustris accumulate and translocate Zn, Cu from contaminated wastewater into plant tissues in a way that is directly related to the exposure time (T2 for Zn: 271.64\u202f\ub1\u202f17.70, 409.26\u202f\ub1\u202f17.70 for Cu: 47.54\u202f\ub1\u202f3.56, 105.58\u202f\ub1\u202f3.56\u202fmg/kg of DM, respectively). No visual toxicity signs were observed during the experimental period. This phytoremediation approach could be used as an eco-sustainable approach to counteract the output of heavy metals

Chd1 protects genome integrity at promoters to sustain hypertranscription in embryonic stem cells

Stem and progenitor cells undergo a global elevation of nascent transcription, or hyper- transcription, during key developmental transitions involving rapid cell proliferation. The chromatin remodeler Chd1 mediates hypertranscription in pluripotent cells but its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Here we report a novel role for Chd1 in protecting genome integrity at promoter regions by preventing DNA double-stranded break (DSB) accumulation in ES cells. Chd1 interacts with several DNA repair factors including Atm, Parp1, Kap1 and Topoisomerase 2βand its absence leads to an accumulation of DSBs at Chd1-bound Pol II-transcribed genes and rDNA. Genes prone to DNA breaks in Chd1 KO ES cells are longer genes with GC-rich promoters, a more labile nucleosomal structure and roles in chromatin regulation, transcription and signaling. These results reveal a vulnerability of hypertranscribing stem cells to accumulation of endogenous DNA breaks, with important implications for developmental and cancer biology

Deformed General Relativity and Torsion

We argue that the natural framework for embedding the ideas of deformed, or doubly, special relativity (DSR) into a curved spacetime is a generalisation of Einstein-Cartan theory, considered by Stelle and West. Instead of interpreting the noncommuting "spacetime coordinates" of the Snyder algebra as endowing spacetime with a fundamentally noncommutative structure, we are led to consider a connection with torsion in this framework. This may lead to the usual ambiguities in minimal coupling. We note that observable violations of charge conservation induced by torsion should happen on a time scale of 10^3 s, which seems to rule out these modifications as a serious theory. Our considerations show, however, that the noncommutativity of translations in the Snyder algebra need not correspond to noncommutative spacetime in the usual sense.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figure, revtex; expanded sections 3 and 4 for clarity, moved material to appendix B, corrected a few minor error

Oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin for advanced biliary system adenocarcinomas: a prospective phase II trial

We studied the activity of combined oxaliplatin and fluorouracil-leucovorin in 16 consecutive patients with advanced biliary tract adenocarcinomas. The disease control rate (responses and stable disease) was 56% (95% confidence interval, 29–84%) and the median overall survival time was 9.5 months (range 0.9–26.8+). Therefore, this regimen might be active in biliary adenocarcinomas with further evaluation necessary

Utilization of Renewable Biomass and Waste Materials for Production of Environmentally-Friendly, Bio-based Composites

The introduction of renewable biomass into a polymer matrix is an option competing with other possibilities, such as energy recovery and/or re-use in the carbonized state, or production of chemicals, such as, in the case of ligno-cellulosic waste, concentrates on the production of simple sugars, then possibly leading to the development of biopolymers. These competitive applications have also some interest and market, however with a considerable energy, water and materials consumption, due also to the not always high yielding. Other possibilities for renewable biomass are therefore being used as fillers to increase mechanical performance of polymers or to allow e.g., the absorption of toxic chemicals. This review concentrates on the use of biomass as close as possible to the “as received” state, therefore avoiding whenever suitable any thermal treatment. More specifically, it focuses on its introduction into the three categories of oil-based (or bio-based replacement) of engineered polymers, into industrial biopolymers, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and self-developed biopolymers, such as thermoplastic starch (TPS)