Time Enough At Last: Identification and Analysis of Core-Clock Proteins and the Evolution of ARNT and PERIOD in the Lower Bilateria

The circadian rhythm is important to all organisms and plays a key role in physiology. Although much is known about the genetic regulation of the circadian clock in Drosophila melanogaster and in Mus musculus, less is known about the circadian clock in cnidarians, let alone in the lower Bilateria. This study attempts to fill the information gap between Cnidaria and higher metazoans by characterizing the core circadian clock of Isodiametra pulchra (Acoelomorpha). These animals live in between sand grains above the sulfide zone on low wave-action beaches, exposing them to a wide array of daily environmental changes. I. pulchra circadian core-clock proteins were identified by comparing known Drosophila and Mus orthologues. Final orthology assignments were chosen based on protein domain characteristics, sequence similarities, and phylogenetic analyses. By comparing known orthologues of clock proteins found in insects and vertebrates, three full sequences and two incomplete sequences were identified. I examined the mRNA expression of two of these proteins (IPUL1_3616 and IPUL1_2961) using a semi-quantitative RT_PCR approach. I found that IPUL1_3616 varied in a circadian fashion where expression was highest one hour before lights on, but IPUL1_2961 did not vary significantly in expression. This study is the first study of the circadian clock in a basal bilaterian

Counterintelligence and the Changing Threat Landscape

On March 16, 2023, Daniel Stanton—Director, National Security Program, University of Ottawa, Professional Development Institute—presented Counterintelligence and the Changing Threat Landscape.  The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The key points discussed were the definitions and outcomes of offensive and defensive counterintelligence (CI), the principle states engaged in CI, and the shift in CI tactics and operations in recent years. Received: 2023-05-14 Revised: 2023-05-2

Improving driver behaviour by design: a cognitive work analysis methodology

Within the European Community both the environmental and safety costs of road transport are unacceptably high. ‘Foot-LITE’ is a UK project which aims to encourage drivers to adopt ‘greener’ and safer driving practices, with real-time and retrospective feedback being given both in-vehicle and off-line. This paper describes the early concept development of Foot-LITE, for which a Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) was conducted. In this paper, we present the results of the first phase of CWA – the Work Domain Analysis, as well as some concept interface designs based on the WDA to illustrate its application. In summary, the CWA establishes a common framework for the project, and will ultimately contribute to the design of the in-vehicle interfac

Interfacing Students' Projects with the PIC Microprocessor

Recent developments in simplifying programming of PIC Microprocessors have made the devices more accessible to students and to school design and technology departments. Our research I has shown that although many Key Stage 4 students are now beginning to use PICs in their design and make projects, for many students driving LEDs to simulate output devices is as far as many get. Our research also suggests that many students are having difficulty using the IC for driving output devices such as motors and solenoids because of the inductive loads created by the device. This induction effect causes electronic noise, which in turn effects the reliability of the PIC and often causes the program to malfunction. This paper looks at some general solutions to the problem and provides students with some ready-made solutions that could be incorporated into their design and make projects

Stepper motors in students' projects - when and how to use them

Developments in simplifying the programming of PIC Microcontrollers have made the devices more accessible to students and to school technology departments. Following our paper on interfacing with the PIC, our research I has shown that although many Key Stage 3 and 4 students are now beginning to use PICs in their design and make projects, for many students driving LEDs to simulate output devices is still as far as they wish to get. Our research also shows that recently in many schools much progress appears to have been made and DC motors and other inductive devices are being interfaced with the PIC and both Key Stages 3 and 4. We have been asked to take the initial paper a little bit forward and produce some guidelines for driving stepper motors. This paper provides a short background on the functionality of stepper motors and goes on to describe some possible ways of driving s

Improving driver behaviour by design : a cognitive work analysis methodology

Within the European Community both the environmental and safety costs of road transport are unacceptably high. ‘Foot-LITE’ is a UK project which aims to encourage drivers to adopt ‘greener’ and safer driving practices, with real-time and retrospective feedback being given both in-vehicle and off-line. This paper describes the early concept development of Foot-LITE, for which a Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) was conducted. In this paper, we present the results of the first phase of CWA – the Work Domain Analysis, as well as some concept interface designs based on the WDA to illustrate its application. In summary, the CWA establishes a common framework for the project, and will ultimately contribute to the design of the in-vehicle interface

Combining social network analysis and the NATO Approach Space to define agility. Topic 2: networks and networking

This paper takes the NATO SAS-050 Approach Space, a widely accepted model of command and control, and gives each of its primary axes a quantitative measure using social network analysis. This means that the actual point in the approach space adopted by real-life command and control organizations can be plotted along with the way in which that point varies over time and function. Part 1 of the paper presents the rationale behind this innovation and how it was subject to verification using theoretical data. Part 2 shows how the enhanced approach space was put to use in the context of a large scale military command post exercise. Agility is represented by the number of distinct areas in the approach space that the organization was able to occupy and there was a marked disparity between where the organization thought it should be and where it actually was, furthermore, agility varied across function. The humans in this particular scenario bestowed upon the organization the levels of agility that were observed, thus the findings are properly considered from a socio-technical perspective

Nonintrusive fast response oxygen monitoring system for high temperature flows

A new technique has been developed for nonintrusive in situ measurement of oxygen concentration, gas temperature, and flow velocity of the test media in hypersonic wind tunnels. It is based on absorption of near-infrared radiation from inexpensive GaAlAs laser diodes used in optoelectronics industry. It is designed for simultaneous measurements along multiple lines of sight accessed by fiber optics. Molecular oxygen concentration is measured from the magnitude of absorption signals; rotational gas temperature is measured from the intensity ratio of two oxygen absorption lines; and the flow velocity is measured from the Doppler shift of the absorption line positions. This report describes the results of an extensive series of tests of the prototype instrument in laboratory flames emphasizing assessment of the instruments capabilities for quantitative measurement of O2 concentration (mole fraction) and gas temperature