Project Shearwater Ground Effect UAV

The Shearwater unmanned aerial vehicle is a maritime fixed-wing drone that is designed to use ground effect force generated between the aircraft and a body of water to efficiently propel itself near the surface of a body of water. Shearwater features a virtual reality pilot interface and will act as a hybrid underwater vehicle that will eventually be able to operate both above and beneath the ocean’s surface. The Shearwater team developed existing design work to produce major subsystems that culminated in a flyable functioning prototype. An existing airframe was updated with working control surfaces tested in simulation and in practice, an electrical control system, and a working virtual reality (VR) pilot view. The Shearwater team tested a practical prototype and developed an optimized virtual reality command and control system

Carabid (Coleoptera) assemblages in the Scottish uplands: the influence of sheep grazing on ecological structure

As a result of the European Community Common Agricultural Policy reform in 2005 it is predicted that livestock grazing in the Scottish uplands will become less intensive. At each of two upland research centres, two large (>40ha) plots were established to investigate the relationship between grazing intensity in the Scottish uplands and biodiversity. One plot was grazed intensively by sheep while the otherwas grazed extensively. Ground beetleswere sampled by pitfall trapping to determine the influence of grazing pressure on the ecologicalmake-up of ground beetle assemblages. Grazing intensity did not significantly influence carabid diversity. However, grazing intensity, altitude and moisture did influence the carabid ecological assemblage structure at both locations. Large flightless Carabus species were more abundant in extensively managed plots than intensively managed plots at both locations. It is likely that these long-living, relatively immobile beetles were favoured by the greater stability of the vegetation structure in the extensively grazed plots. Monitoring the ecological assemblage structure provides a more sensitive approach than diversity indices when comparing the impact of grazing and agricultural management but is also robust enough to allow direct comparisons between different geographical locations

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Inhibit Cellular Respiration

We studied the effect of two types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MCM-41 and SBA-15, on mitochondrial O 2 consumption (respiration) in HL-60 (myeloid) cells, Jurkat (lymphoid) cells, and isolated mitochondria. SBA-15 inhibited cellular respiration at 25-500/ μg/mL; the inhibition was concentration-dependent and time-dependent. The cellular ATP profile paralleled that of respiration. MCM-41 had no noticeable effect on respiration rate. In cells depleted of metabolic fuels, 50 μg/mL SBA-15 delayed the onset of glucose-supported respiration by 12 min and 200 μg/mL SBA-15 by 34 min; MCM-41 also delayed the onset of glucose-supported respiration. Neither SBA-15 nor MCM-41 affected cellular glutathione. Both nanoparticles inhibited respiration of isolated mitochondria and submitochondrial particles

Role of complement in neuronal cell turnover in the central nervous system

Complement (C) activation and neuronal apoptosis occur in areas of active pathology in both neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease. Little is currently known about how these two processes interact, and whether this causes further damage or promotes resolution and repair. The hypothesis of this thesis was that C modulates neuronal cell turnover in the central nervous system, with particular emphasis on its role in modulating apoptosis and handling of apoptotic cell debris. I have shown that apoptotic cells activated C more readily than controls, a change mediated via cleavage of CD46 from the cell membrane by matrix metalloproteases this resulted in increased phagocytosis and, in the early stages, increased C-mediated lysis, followed at later time points by decreased C-mediated killing. Cells surviving the apoptotic insult were also more resistant to C-mediated killing. CD59 was shed from apoptotic cells on blebs and as a soluble form, but cell surface levels were maintained late into apoptosis. The second part of the thesis examined the role of the C membrane attack complex (MAC) in modulating neuronal cell death. A reactive lysis system was developed, and neuronal cells were shown to possess recovery mechanisms on sublytic MAC attack. Neuronal cells subject to sublytic C displayed induced protection to lytic C, and this was shown to be MAC-independent. No effect of sublytic C was seen on neuronal apoptosis. The last part of the thesis used a kainic acid model of excitotoxicity in rats, and showed that the presence of the MAC did not have a significant role in modulating neuronal apoptotic death, but may have a role in sensitisation to seizures. Apoptotic neurons bound more C activation products and also stained brightly for CD59. These results demonstrate that C plays an important role in determining apoptotic cell fate, and when present at sublytic levels may promote neuronal survival and facilitate repair

Whole-body mapping of spatial acuity for pain and touch.

Tactile spatial acuity is routinely tested in neurology to assess the state of the dorsal column system. In contrast, spatial acuity for pain is not assessed, having never been systematically characterized. More than a century after the initial description of tactile acuity across the body, we provide the first systematic whole-body mapping of spatial acuity for pain

African Americans' views on research and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The participation of African Americans in clinical and public health research is essential. However, for a multitude of reasons, participation is low in many research studies. This article reviews the literature that substantiates barriers to participation and the legacy of past abuses of human subjects through research. The article then reports the results of seven focus groups with 60 African Americans in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Atlanta during the winter of 1997. In order to improve recruitment and retention in research, the focus group study examined knowledge of and attitudes toward medical research, knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and reactions to the Home Box Office production, Miss Evers' Boys, a fictionalized version of the Tuskegee Study, that premiered in February, 1997. The study found that accurate knowledge about research was limited; lack of understanding and trust of informed consent procedures was problematic; and distrust of researchers posed a substantial barrier to recruitment. Additionally, the study found that, in general, participants believed that research was important, but they clearly distinguished between types of research they would be willing to consider participating in and their motivations for doing so

After the RCT: who comes to a family-based intervention for childhood overweight or obesity when it is implemented at scale in the community?

Background: When implemented at scale, the impact on health and health inequalities of public health interventions depends on who receives them in addition to intervention effectiveness. Methods: The MEND 7–13 (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it!) programme is a family-based weight management intervention for childhood overweight and obesity implemented at scale in the community. We compare the characteristics of children referred to the MEND programme (N=18 289 referred to 1940 programmes) with those of the population eligible for the intervention, and assess what predicts completion of the intervention. Results: Compared to the MEND-eligible population, proportionally more children who started MEND were: obese rather than overweight excluding obese; girls; Asian; from families with a lone parent; living in less favourable socioeconomic circumstances; and living in urban rather than rural or suburban areas. Having started the programme, children were relatively less likely to complete it if they: reported ‘abnormal’ compared to ‘normal’ levels of psychological distress; were boys; were from lone parent families; lived in less favourable socioeconomic circumstances; and had participated in a relatively large MEND programme group; or where managers had run more programmes. Conclusions: The provision and/or uptake of MEND did not appear to compromise and, if anything, promoted participation of those from disadvantaged circumstances and ethnic minority groups. However, this tendency was diminished because programme completion was less likely for those living in less favourable socioeconomic circumstances. Further research should explore how completion rates of this intervention could be improved for particular groups

Solvent-Washable Polymer Templated Synthesis of Mesoporous Materials and Solic-Acid Nanocatalysts in One-Pot

We report a new and simple one-pot synthetic method to produce mesoporous silica and nanoporous solid acid catalyst capable of catalyzing pinacole-pinacolone rearrangement and esterification reactions, by preparing a solvent washable phosphonated triblock copolymer template and self-assembling it in the presence of alkoxysilane

Demographic associations with stage of readiness to screen for colorectal cancer

Objective: To describe the distribution of a population in southern urban Adelaide in terms of readiness to screen for colorectal cancer (CRC) by Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) or colonoscopy according to the stages in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behaviour change and to compare the stages according to demographic variables. Methods: A random sample of 664 South Australians aged 50 to 74 were surveyed in June 2006. Chi-squared analyses were performed to determine if statistically significant differences on demographic variables existed between participants at different stages of readiness to screen

Patterns of participation over four rounds of annual fecal immunochemical test-based screening for colorectal cancer: what predicts rescreening?

Published online: 01 August 2017Background: Participation at the recommended intervals is critical for screening to be effective in reducing colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence. This study describes patterns of screening participation over four rounds of fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) to identify whether demographic variables and prior screening satisfaction are significantly associated with patterns of re-participation. Methods: Baseline surveys were mailed to 4000 South Australians randomly selected from the electoral-roll. Respondents (n = 1928/48.2%) were offered four annual FIT rounds. Screening participation and satisfaction at each round were recorded. Results: Study participation was 58.5, 66.9, 73.1 and 71.4% respectively over four rounds. Three participation patterns were described: consistent participation (43.1%), consistent non-participation (26.4%) and inconsistent participation (changeable; 30.5%), including intermittent and sustained change patterns. Sustained change described those who changed participatory behavior and then maintained for at least two rounds (n = 375/19.5%). Older people, and those not working were most likely to sustain participation. Younger invitees, especially men, were more likely to change participatory behavior and sustain the change. People with higher disadvantage, less education, not working and with no prior (pre-trial) screening experience were more likely to start participating and drop out. People dissatisfied with a prior screening test, including finding aspects embarrassing or unpleasant, were also more likely not to participate in annual screening or to drop out. Conclusions: The findings identify those at risk of non- or inconsistent participation in rescreening. They should aid targeting of interventions for demographic groups at risk and ensuring screening experiences are not perceived as unpleasant or difficult.Joanne M. Osborne, Carlene Wilson, Amy Duncan, Stephen R. Cole, Ingrid Flight, Deborah Turnbull, Donna L. Hughes and Graeme P. Youn