Topographic Mapping Through Measurement of Vehicle Attitude

A self-propelled agricultural sprayer was equipped with four RTK DGPS receivers, and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to measure vehicle attitude and field elevation as the vehicle was driven across a field. Data was collected in a stop-and-go fashion at 3.05 m (10 ft) intervals, as well as in a continuous fashion at three different speed levels. Using ordinary kriging, surface grids were interpolated using only elevation measurement, as well as combinations of elevation and vehicle attitude measurements. The resulting surfaces were compared to each other to evaluate the effect of including attitude measurement on DEM (Digital Elevation Model) accuracy. At the widest row spacing, the DEMs generated with attitude measurements had lower RMSE than those DEMs generated without attitude measurements. Vehicle speed also affected DEM accuracy. Vehicle attitude measurements have the potential to improve DEM accuracy for larger swath widths in ordinary field operations

Prevention of atherosclerosis in patients living with HIV

Ferruccio De Lorenzo1, Marta Boffito1, Sophie Collot-Teixeira2, Brian Gazzard1, John L McGregor2,3, Kevin Shotliff2, Han Xiao41General Medicine and Prevention of Vascular Disorders, Beta Cell Diabetes Centre and St Stephen’s AIDS Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; 2Kings College London, Cardiovascular Division, London, UK; 3INSERM U970, PARC Hôpital Européen George Pompidou, Paris, France; 4Cardiology Department, Homerton University Hospital NHS, London, UKInvestigational product: Rosuvastatin (Crestor®; Astra Zeneca).Active ingredients: Rosuvastatin (5 mg).Study title: Prevention of Atherosclerosis in Patients Living with HIV.Phase of study: Phase III.Aims: Primary aim:• To assess whether rosuvastatin therapy could slow the progression of the carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT; as measured by the change in the mean IMT of the near and far walls of the distal common carotid arteries) over 2 years in HIV-infected patients (HIV-IP).Secondary aims:• To assess whether rosuvastatin therapy could reduce highly sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) inflammatory marker that is increased in HIV-IP.• To assess the effect of rosuvastatin therapy on serum lipid levels (total cholesterol [TC], low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol and triglycerides [TG]) and apolipoproteins (APO A1, APO B and APO B/A1).• To assess the safety of rosuvastatin in HIV-IP through the evaluation of clinical laboratory analyses (liver function tests and creatine kinase) and adverse events (AEs).Study design: Two-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study.Planned sample size: 320 HIV-IP.Summary of eligibility criteria: HIV-IP who are aged between 30 and 60 years, with a CD4 count. greater than 200 cells/mm3. Patients must be stable on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) for at least 12 months and have a 10-year CVD risk of less than 20% (using the Framingham risk score).Number of study centers: One.Duration of treatment: Two years (5 mg rosuvastatin or placebo once daily).Dose and route of administration: Oral rosuvastatin (5 mg) once daily.The incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in HIV-IP is at least three times higher than in the general population and further increases each year with combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART). The carotid atherosclerosis progression rate is 10 times higher in HIV-IP than in uninfected individuals. The aim of this study is to assess whether therapy with 5 mg rosuvastatin could:1) Slow the progression in the mean IMT of the distal common carotid arteries over two years in HIV-IP.2) Change the concentration in the inflammatory marker – hs-CRP, which is increased in HIV-IP.3) Change the concentrations of TC, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, TG, apolipoproteins (APO) B, APO A1 and APO B/A1.4) Be administered safely in the study population.Pharmacological intervention with rosuvastatin will be evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial in HIV-IP treated with cART not matching the published selection criteria for lipid-lowering therapy. For the first time, this study will investigate anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects of a pharmacological lipid-lowering agent in HIV-IP that may lead to the reduction of CVD.Keywords: rosuvastatin, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, HIV, clinical trial protoco

Characterization and Failure Analysis of Solid-State Diffusion Bonded Ceramic-to-Metal Transitions

Reliable, high-temperature, high-pressure transitions between ceramic heat exchangers and metal components enable higher efficiency in advanced power generation systems. Recent development of a novel cermet-filled seal ring design has shown potential to maintain a gas-tight seal through multiple thermal cycles up to 800­ ºC. Materials characterization and computational modeling provided insight to chemical behavior (i.e., solid-state diffusion) and mechanical integrity (i.e., stress) in the seal components. Results demonstrate a correlation between machining tolerance, assembly process, and diffusion behavior on the seal’s performance in ceramic-to-metal systems and helped guide the design efficacy of future seals

RCS2 J232727.6-020437: An Efficient Cosmic Telescope at z=0.6986z=0.6986

We present a detailed gravitational lens model of the galaxy cluster RCS2 J232727.6-020437. Due to cosmological dimming of cluster members and ICL, its high redshift ($z=0.6986$) makes it ideal for studying background galaxies. Using new ACS and WFC3/IR HST data, we identify 16 multiple images. From MOSFIRE follow up, we identify a strong emission line in the spectrum of one multiple image, likely confirming the redshift of that system to $z=2.083$. With a highly magnified ($\mu\gtrsim2$) source plane area of $\sim0.7$ arcmin$^2$ at $z=7$, RCS2 J232727.6-020437 has a lensing efficiency comparable to the Hubble Frontier Fields clusters. We discover four highly magnified $z\sim7$ candidate Lyman-break galaxies behind the cluster, one of which may be multiply-imaged. Correcting for magnification, we find that all four galaxies are fainter than $0.5 L_{\star}$. One candidate is detected at ${>10\sigma}$ in both Spitzer/IRAC [3.6] and [4.5] channels. A spectroscopic follow-up with MOSFIRE does not result in the detection of the Lyman-alpha emission line from any of the four candidates. From the MOSFIRE spectra we place median upper limits on the Lyman-alpha flux of $5-14 \times 10^{-19}\, \mathrm{erg \,\, s^{-1} cm^{-2}}$ ($5\sigma$).Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, submitted to ApJ on 3/06/201

Long-term culture captures injury-repair cycles of colonic stem cells

The colonic epithelium can undergo multiple rounds of damage and repair, often in response to excessive inflammation. The responsive stem cell that mediates this process is unclear, in part because of a lack of in vitro models that recapitulate key epithelial changes that occur in vivo during damage and repair. Here, we identify a Hop

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 1 (NOD1) haplotypes and single nucleotide polymorphisms modify susceptibility to inflammatory bowel diseases in a New Zealand caucasian population: a case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 1 (<it>NOD1</it>) gene encodes a pattern recognition receptor that senses pathogens, leading to downstream responses characteristic of innate immunity. We investigated the role of <it>NOD1 </it>single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on IBD risk in a New Zealand Caucasian population, and studied Nod1 expression in response to bacterial invasion in the Caco2 cell line.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>DNA samples from 388 Crohn's disease (CD), 405 ulcerative colitis (UC), 27 indeterminate colitis patients and 201 randomly selected controls, from Canterbury, New Zealand were screened for 3 common SNPs in <it>NOD1</it>, using the MassARRAY^®iPLEX Gold assay. Transcriptional activation of the protein produced by <it>NOD1 </it>(Nod1) was studied after infection of Caco2 cells with <it>Escherichia coli </it>LF82. Carrying the rs2075818 G allele decreased the risk of CD (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.50–0.88, p < 0.002) but not UC. There was an increased frequency of the three SNP (rs2075818, rs2075822, rs2907748) haplotype, CTG (p = 0.004) and a decreased frequency of the GTG haplotype (p = 0.02).in CD. The rs2075822 CT or TT genotypes were at an increased frequency (genotype p value = 0.02), while the rs2907748 AA or AG genotypes showed decreased frequencies in UC (p = 0.04), but not in CD. Functional assays showed that Nod1 is produced 6 hours after bacterial invasion of the Caco2 cell line.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The <it>NOD1 </it>gene is important in signalling invasion of colonic cells by pathogenic bacteria, indicative of its' key role in innate immunity. Carrying specific SNPs in this gene significantly modifies the risk of CD and/or UC in a New Zealand Caucasian population.</p