Exploratory Study in Container Loading Embraer 190 Aircraft

Since the dawn of aviation, cargo loading on aircraft has remained virtually constant. A person and a baggage cart together have been the primary method of loading baggage on to aircraft, and this practice has virtually remained unchanged, especially for narrow body aircraft. This study explores the question of whether a loading device, designed for Embraer 190 aircraft, can increase economic efficiency by reducing aircraft turnaround times, increasing aircraft utilization and reducing work hours. In the course of designing a theoretical loading device for an Embraer 190, various literature ranging from elaborate articulating conveyor belts, to the use of LD3-45W containers in Airbus 320 aircraft were analyzed. In the pursuit of understanding ground operations with containers, the study looked at the Boeing 767-300 and the Boeing 777-200LR to analyze the timeliness in which containers can be loaded and unloaded from an aircraft. With the goal of using common narrow body ground support equipment, time trials were done with a Purdue University baggage belt loader to see if loading a container on a conventional belt loader was feasible. To create a theoretical working container design, the LD3-45W boundaries in relation to the Airbus 320 aircraft cargo walls was scaled to match the Embraer 190s. With this scale, a container size could be derived, as well as volume, capacity, tare weight and maximum weight. In determining these various parameters, the amount of baggage that could be placed in 11 loading device containers was determined. With these figures an extensive comparison between loading baggage by hand and loading baggage utilizing containers, was analyzed

MicroRNA-101 expression is associated with JAK2V617F activity and regulates JAK2/STAT5 signaling.

Philadelphia negative myeloproliferative neopl 28 asms (MPNs) are clonal haematological diseases characterized by excessive production of mature blood cells. Exome sequencing of patient samples have showed a relatively low degree genomic complexity for these diseases1. The majority of MPN patients carry somatic mutations in the JAK2 gene, with the JAK2V617F missense mutation being the most common in poly33 cythemia vera (PV, 95%) and essential thrombocythemia (ET, 60%) 2.FP was supported by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, and Institute Pasteur - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti

Blue Spaces as Social Spaces: Measuring the Uses and Values of Urban Waterfronts

Due to a combination of climate change-driven threats and economic opportunities, cities across the world are investing billions of dollars in waterfront infrastructure and coastal restoration. Urban planners and park managers are often tasked with designing and programming blue spaces to maximize ecosystem services (ES) for local users. However, it is not always clear which ES are most valued, and by whom. Thus, the design of urban waterfronts presents challenges in identifying how communities engage with these spaces and how new planning might alter such uses if not accounted for. This paper describes a Rapid Social Assessment (RSA) methodology that has been piloted in the NYC metropolitan area to successfully ground community engagement and planning in an understanding of how urban blue spaces are currently used. This methodology can be coupled with other types of data collection for a better characterization of the coupled human-natural dynamics of these spaces, and can be adapted to coastal, lake, and riparian waterfronts globally

Analytical model for residual bond strength of corroded reinforcement in concrete structures

Bond strength deterioration in corrosion-damaged reinforced concrete structures significantly affects serviceability and load-carrying capacity in their remaining service life. This paper presents a new analytical model for predicting the cracking development in the surrounding concrete and the residual bond strength of rebar in concrete structures due to reinforcement corrosion. The proposed analytical method adopts the thick-walled cylinder model for the cover concrete and considers the realistic properties of the corrosion-induced cracked concrete such as anisotropic behavior, residual tensile strength, and reduced tensile stiffness. As corrosion progresses, three phases for bond strength evolution associated with concrete cracking development are defined and the corresponding corrosion levels in each phase are determined. By using the constructed new governing equation, the crack width growth in the concrete cover and the radial bursting pressure at the bond interface are evaluated. The ultimate bond strength is then estimated from the contributions of adhesion, confinement, and corrosion pressure as a function of corrosion level. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed analytical model is demonstrated by comparing the predicted results with experimental data available, and the results show that the proposed model is useful for predicting the bond strength evolution of the corroded rebar in concrete structures

A behavioral comparison of male and female adults with high functioning autism spectrum conditions

Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) affect more males than females in the general population. However, within ASC it is unclear if there are phenotypic sex differences. Testing for similarities and differences between the sexes is important not only for clinical assessment but also has implications for theories of typical sex differences and of autism. Using cognitive and behavioral measures, we investigated similarities and differences between the sexes in age- and IQ-matched adults with ASC (high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome). Of the 83 (45 males and 38 females) participants, 62 (33 males and 29 females) met Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) cut-off criteria for autism in childhood and were included in all subsequent analyses. The severity of childhood core autism symptoms did not differ between the sexes. Males and females also did not differ in self-reported empathy, systemizing, anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive traits/symptoms or mentalizing performance. However, adult females with ASC showed more lifetime sensory symptoms (p = 0.036), fewer current socio-communication difficulties (p = 0.001), and more self-reported autistic traits (p = 0.012) than males. In addition, females with ASC who also had developmental language delay had lower current performance IQ than those without developmental language delay (p<0.001), a pattern not seen in males. The absence of typical sex differences in empathizing-systemizing profiles within the autism spectrum confirms a prediction from the extreme male brain theory. Behavioral sex differences within ASC may also reflect different developmental mechanisms between males and females with ASC. We discuss the importance of the superficially better socio-communication ability in adult females with ASC in terms of why females with ASC may more often go under-recognized, and receive their diagnosis later, than males

Quantum Electronics

Contains research objectives and summary of research on eight projects in three sections and reports on two research projects.U. S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Contract F44620-71-C-0051)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-74-C-0630)University of California, Livermore (Subcontract No. 7877409)U. S. Army Research Office - Durham (Contract DAHC04-72-C-0044

A prebiotic intervention study in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)

Different dietary approaches, such as gluten and casein free diets, or the use of probiotics and prebiotics have been suggested in autistic spectrum disorders in order to reduce gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances. GI symptoms are of particular interest in this population due to prevalence and correlation with the severity of behavioural traits. Nowadays, there is lack of strong evidence about the effect of dietary interventions on these problems, particularly prebiotics. Therefore, we assessed the impact of exclusion diets and a 6-week Bimuno® galactooligosaccharide (B-GOS®) prebiotic intervention in 30 autistic children. RESULTS: The results showed that children on exclusion diets reported significantly lower scores of abdominal pain and bowel movement, as well as lower abundance of Bifidobacterium spp. and Veillonellaceae family, but higher presence of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Bacteroides spp. In addition, significant correlations were found between bacterial populations and faecal amino acids in this group, compared to children following an unrestricted diet. Following B-GOS® intervention, we observed improvements in anti-social behaviour, significant increase of Lachnospiraceae family, and significant changes in faecal and urine metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study where the effect of exclusion diets and prebiotics has been evaluated in autism, showing potential beneficial effects. A combined dietary approach resulted in significant changes in gut microbiota composition and metabolism suggesting that multiple interventions might be more relevant for the improvement of these aspects as well as psychological traits

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and associations with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder in children

Background: Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may be a risk factor for neurodevelopmental deficits and disorders, but evidence is inconsistent. Objectives: We investigated whether prenatal exposure to PFAS were associated with childhood diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: This study was based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study and included n = 821 ADHD cases, n = 400 ASD cases and n = 980 controls. Diagnostic cases were identified by linkage with the Norwegian Patient Registry. In addition, we used data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. The study included the following PFAS measured in maternal plasma sampled mid-pregnancy: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Relationships between individual PFAS and ADHD or ASD diagnoses were examined using multivariable adjusted logistic regression models. We also tested for possible non-linear exposure-outcome associations. Further, we investigated the PFAS mixture associations with ASD and ADHD diagnoses using a quantile-based g-computation approach. Results: Odds of ASD was significantly elevated in PFOA quartile 2 [OR = 1.71 (95% CI: 1.20, 2.45)] compared to quartile 1, and PFOA appeared to have a non-linear, inverted U-shaped dose-response relationship with ASD. PFOA was also associated with increased odds of ADHD, mainly in quartile 2 [OR = 1.54 (95% CI: 1.16, 2.04)] compared to quartile 1, and displayed a non-linear relationship in the restricted cubic spline model. Several PFAS (PFUnDA, PFDA, and PFOS) were inversely associated with odds of ADHD and/or ASD. Some of the associations were modified by child sex and maternal education. The overall PFAS mixture was inversely associated with ASD [OR = 0.76 (95% CI: 0.64, 0.90)] as well as the carboxylate mixture [OR = 0.79 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.93)] and the sulfonate mixture [OR = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.96)]. Conclusion: Prenatal exposure to PFOA was associated with increased risk of ASD and ADHD in children. For some PFAS, as well as their mixtures, there were inverse associations with ASD and/or ADHD. However, the inverse associations reported herein should not be interpreted as protective effects, but rather that there could be some unresolved confounding for these relationships. The epidemiologic literature linking PFAS exposures with neurodevelopmental outcomes is still inconclusive, suggesting the need for more research to elucidate the neurotoxicological potential of PFAS during early development

Sensory salience processing moderates attenuated gazes on faces in autism spectrum disorder: a case–control study

Background: Attenuated social attention is a key marker of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent neuroimaging findings also emphasize an altered processing of sensory salience in ASD. The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system (LC-NE) has been established as a modulator of this sensory salience processing (SSP). We tested the hypothesis that altered LC-NE functioning contributes to different SSP and results in diverging social attention in ASD. Methods: We analyzed the baseline eye-tracking data of the EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) for subgroups of autistic participants (n = 166, age = 6-30 years, IQ = 61-138, gender [female/male] = 41/125) or neurotypical development (TD; n = 166, age = 6-30 years, IQ = 63-138, gender [female/male] = 49/117) that were matched for demographic variables and data quality. Participants watched brief movie scenes (k = 85) depicting humans in social situations (human) or without humans (non-human). SSP was estimated by gazes on physical and motion salience and a corresponding pupillary response that indexes phasic activity of the LC-NE. Social attention is estimated by gazes on faces via manual areas of interest definition. SSP is compared between groups and related to social attention by linear mixed models that consider temporal dynamics within scenes. Models are controlled for comorbid psychopathology, gaze behavior, and luminance. Results: We found no group differences in gazes on salience, whereas pupillary responses were associated with altered gazes on physical and motion salience. In ASD compared to TD, we observed pupillary responses that were higher for non-human scenes and lower for human scenes. In ASD, we observed lower gazes on faces across the duration of the scenes. Crucially, this different social attention was influenced by gazes on physical salience and moderated by pupillary responses. Limitations: The naturalistic study design precluded experimental manipulations and stimulus control, while effect sizes were small to moderate. Covariate effects of age and IQ indicate that the findings differ between age and developmental subgroups. Conclusions: Pupillary responses as a proxy of LC-NE phasic activity during visual attention are suggested to modulate sensory salience processing and contribute to attenuated social attention in ASD