UC-377 Litter Scramble: Encouraging conservation through play

Litter Scramble is a quick-play video gaming experience that delivers a nostalgic low-res combination of 2d assets in a 3d environment to produce an informative and entertaining session that will leave the player better informed on the impact that pollution and littering have on the natural world around us. Featuring a cast of simply animated 2d animals appropriate for a Georgia state park, the player will control a ranger through two different levels, each reflecting a different park environment, in a race against time and the animals to capture as much litter as possible. The development team was eager to turn hardware limitations presented by the required operating device and display system into advantages of our game, which we have done successfully. The gaming experience features simple and intuitive controls, sound effects, background music, and the chance at placing in the top ten scores

Simulations of imperfect refractive index matching in scanning laser optical tomography and a method for correction

Since additive manufacturing has become increasingly popular in prototyping, printed optics are also beginning to enter the market. Novel characterization methods for printed optics are needed because traditional, destructive methods often do not work on these optics. The scope of investigation is also different for additively manufactured optics. Homogeneity of subtractive manufactured optics such as glass lenses is usually granted but for printed optics the interfaces in-between layers can cause absorption, scattering or refraction. Functionalized optics can also have characteristics such as fluorescence that cannot be tested with traditional methods. The presented work tries to fill the void for this particular challenge by studying two non-destructive methods for optical characterization of such components and expanding their use by clever combination. In Scanning Laser Optical Tomography (SLOT), a needle-like beam is formed and focused into the sample. The sample is scanned to form projection images and rotated to allow for reconstruction, which yields volumetric data about scattering, transmission and fluorescence of sample structures. Simulated SLOT measurements with imperfect Refractive Index (RI) matching of sample and medium are presented. A method to correct distorted measurements is presented and evaluated. The simulations imply that a measurement with a RI mismatch of up to 0.1 can still yield reasonable results. Copyright 2023 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited

The Environmental Context and Function of Burnt-Mounds : New Studies of Irish Fulachtaí Fiadh

The authors acknowledge funding from The Leverhulme Trust (F/00144/AI) and assistance from a large number of individuals including; Margaret Gowen (access to sites and assistance throughout),A. Ames, H, Essex (pollen processing), S. Rouillard & R. Smith (illustrations), C. McDermott, S. Bergerbrandt, all the staff of Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, TVAS Ireland and CRDS. Excavation works and some post-excavation analysis was paid for my Bord Gáis and the National Roads Authority (now Transport Infrastructure Ireland). Thanks also to David Smith for access to the Maureen Girling collection and assistance with identifications.Peer reviewedPostprintPostprin

Pharmacological analysis and structure determination of 7-methylcyanopindolol–bound b1-adrenergic receptor

Comparisons between structures of the b1-adrenergic receptor (AR) bound to either agonists, partial agonists, or weak partial agonists led to the proposal that rotamer changes of Ser5.46, coupled to a contraction of the binding pocket, are sufficient to increase the probability of receptor activation. (RS)-4-[3 (tertbutylamino)-2-hydroxypropoxy]-1H-indole-2 carbonitrile (cyanopindolol) is a weak partial agonist of b1AR and, based on the hypothesis above, we predicted that the addition of a methyl group to form 4-[(2S)-3 (tert-butylamino)-2-hydroxypropoxy]-7-methyl-1H-indole-2 carbonitrile (7-methylcyanopindolol) would dramatically reduce its efficacy. An eight-step synthesis of 7- methylcyanopindolol was developed and its pharmacology was analyzed. 7-Methylcyanopindolol bound with similar affinity to cyanopindolol to both b1AR and b2AR. As predicted, the efficacy of 7-methylcyanopindolol was reduced significantly compared with cyanopindolol, acting as a very weak partial agonist of turkey b1AR and an inverse agonist of human b2AR. The structure of 7-methylcyanopindolol–bound b1AR was determined to 2.4-Å resolution and found to be virtually identical to the structure of cyanopindolol-bound b1AR. The major differences in the orthosteric binding pocket are that it has expanded by 0.3 Å in 7-methylcyanopindolol–bound b1AR and the hydroxyl group of Ser5.46 is positioned 0.8 Å further from the ligand, with respect to the position of the Ser5.46 side chain in cyanopindololbound b1AR. Thus, the molecular basis for the reduction in efficacy of 7 methylcyanopindolol compared with cyanopindolol may be regarded as the opposite of the mechanism proposed for the increase in efficacy of agonists compared with antagonists

Fast Multiplane Functional Imaging Combining Acousto-optic Switching and Remote Focusing

Networks of neurons are inherently three-dimensional in nature, whereas conventional imaging methods, such as laser scanning two-photon microscopy, usually provide only fast two-dimensional imaging. Rapid volumetric imaging would however be preferable for imaging neurons. To get a more complete picture of the dynamics of the neuron-to-neuron interactions, we have developed a pseudo-parallelised multi-plane two-photon excitation imaging system through the incorporation of an acousto-optic switching and a remote focusing technique into a resonant scanning microscope. This permits the recording of millisecond scale fluorescence transients of calcium indicators from large populations of neurons upon neural firing events at multiple chosen axial planes in very short time frame. While the remote focusing system offers aberration-free axial scanning over a few hundreds of micrometres of depth, the acousto-optic deflector provides high speed optical switching between different laser beam paths in sub-microsecond timescale which in turn, controls the axial focal plane to be targeted. Here, we report on the development of the high temporal resolution multi-plane targeted microscope and its potential application

Development of Experimental and Computational Aeroacoustic Tools for Advanced Liner Evaluation

Acoustic liners in aircraft engine nacelles suppress radiated noise. Therefore, as air travel increases, increasingly sophisticated tools are needed to maximize noise suppression. During the last 30 years, NASA has invested significant effort in development of experimental and computational acoustic liner evaluation tools. The Curved Duct Test Rig is a 152-mm by 381- mm curved duct that supports liner evaluation at Mach numbers up to 0.3 and source SPLs up to 140 dB, in the presence of user-selected modes. The Grazing Flow Impedance Tube is a 51- mm by 63-mm duct currently being fabricated to operate at Mach numbers up to 0.6 with source SPLs up to at least 140 dB, and will replace the existing 51-mm by 51-mm duct. Together, these test rigs allow evaluation of advanced acoustic liners over a range of conditions representative of those observed in aircraft engine nacelles. Data acquired with these test ducts are processed using three aeroacoustic propagation codes. Two are based on finite element solutions to convected Helmholtz and linearized Euler equations. The third is based on a parabolic approximation to the convected Helmholtz equation. The current status of these computational tools and their associated usage with the Langley test rigs is provided

Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness against Hospitalisation with Confirmed Influenza in the 2010-11 Seasons: A Test-negative Observational Study

Immunisation programs are designed to reduce serious morbidity and mortality from influenza, but most evidence supporting the effectiveness of this intervention has focused on disease in the community or in primary care settings. We aimed to examine the effectiveness of influenza vaccination against hospitalisation with confirmed influenza. We compared influenza vaccination status in patients hospitalised with PCR-confirmed influenza with patients hospitalised with influenza-negative respiratory infections in an Australian sentinel surveillance system. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated from the odds ratio of vaccination in cases and controls. We performed both simple multivariate regression and a stratified analysis based on propensity score of vaccination. Vaccination status was ascertained in 333 of 598 patients with confirmed influenza and 785 of 1384 test-negative patients. Overall estimated crude vaccine effectiveness was 57% (41%, 68%). After adjusting for age, chronic comorbidities and pregnancy status, the estimated vaccine effectiveness was 37% (95% CI: 12%, 55%). In an analysis accounting for a propensity score for vaccination, the estimated vaccine effectiveness was 48.3% (95% CI: 30.0, 61.8%). Influenza vaccination was moderately protective against hospitalisation with influenza in the 2010 and 2011 seasons

Prospectus, September 15, 1993

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1993/1013/thumbnail.jp

Viscosity of aged bio-oils from fast pyrolysis of beech wood and miscanthus:shear rate and temperature dependence

The viscosity of four aged bio-oil samples was measured experimentally at various shear rates and temperatures using a rotational viscometer. The experimental bio-oils were derived from fast pyrolysis of beech wood at 450, 500, and 550 °C and Miscanthus at 500 °C (in this work, they were named as BW1, BW2, BW3, and MXG) in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. The viscosity of all bio-oils was kept constant at various shear rates at the same temperature, which indicated that they were Newtonian fluids. The viscosity of bio-oils was strongly dependent upon the temperature, and with the increase of the temperature from 30 to 80 °C, the viscosity of BW1, BW2, BW3, and MXG decreased by 90.7, 93.3, 92.6, and 90.2%, respectively. The Arrhenius viscosity model, which has been commonly used to represent the temperature dependence of the viscosity of many fluids, did not fit the viscosity-temperature experimental data of all bio-oils very well, especially in the low- and high-temperature regions. For comparison, the Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) model was also used. The results showed that the WLF model gave a very good description of the viscosity-temperature relationship of each bio-oil with very small residuals and the BW3 bio-oil had the strongest viscosity-temperature dependence

Prospectus, September 29, 1993

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1993/1014/thumbnail.jp