A phylogenomic perspective on the radiation of ray-finned fishes based upon targeted sequencing of ultraconserved elements

Ray-finned fishes constitute the dominant radiation of vertebrates with over 30,000 species. Although molecular phylogenetics has begun to disentangle major evolutionary relationships within this vast section of the Tree of Life, there is no widely available approach for efficiently collecting phylogenomic data within fishes, leaving much of the enormous potential of massively parallel sequencing technologies for resolving major radiations in ray-finned fishes unrealized. Here, we provide a genomic perspective on longstanding questions regarding the diversification of major groups of ray-finned fishes through targeted enrichment of ultraconserved nuclear DNA elements (UCEs) and their flanking sequence. Our workflow efficiently and economically generates data sets that are orders of magnitude larger than those produced by traditional approaches and is well-suited to working with museum specimens. Analysis of the UCE data set recovers a well-supported phylogeny at both shallow and deep time-scales that supports a monophyletic relationship between Amia and Lepisosteus (Holostei) and reveals elopomorphs and then osteoglossomorphs to be the earliest diverging teleost lineages. Divergence time estimation based upon 14 fossil calibrations reveals that crown teleosts appeared ~270 Ma at the end of the Permian and that elopomorphs, osteoglossomorphs, ostarioclupeomorphs, and euteleosts diverged from one another by 205 Ma during the Triassic. Our approach additionally reveals that sequence capture of UCE regions and their flanking sequence offers enormous potential for resolving phylogenetic relationships within ray-finned fishes

Scheduling, Complexity, and Solution Methods for Space Robot On-Orbit Servicing

This research proposes problems, models, and solutions for the scheduling of space robot on-orbit servicing. We present the Multi-Orbit Routing and Scheduling of Refuellable On-Orbit Servicing Space Robots problem which considers on-orbit servicing across multiple orbits with moving tasks and moving refuelling depots. We formulate a mixed integer linear program model to optimize the routing and scheduling of robot servicers to accomplish on-orbit servicing tasks. We develop and demonstrate flexible algorithms for the creation of the model parameters and associated data sets. Our first algorithm creates the network arcs using orbital mechanics. We have also created a novel way to mathematically represent the movement of the tasks and refuelling depots and present algorithms for constructing both sets of data. We create robust case studies based on current operational satellites in Low Earth Orbit, Mid Earth Orbit, and Geosynchronous Earth Orbit. With these case studies we perform extensive computational experiments to present example insights about robot servicers, task completion, and their use of refuelling depots. Building upon this work, we next focus on proving the computational complexity and generating fast, accurate algorithms and present and demonstrate two solution methods. The solution methods use node labels akin to those in Dijkstra\u27s algorithm but include much more information about the servicers, tasks, and fuel levels. We use the labels to find the shortest paths to tasks which are in motion on the network. The first heuristic assigns servicers to tasks greedily and the second heuristic assigns tasks using a clustering algorithm. We use a case study to compare our heuristic time and solution performance with CPLEX with promising results. In our final work, we address the Multi-Orbit Routing and Scheduling of Refuellable On-Orbit Servicing Space Robots with Known Task Times. Previously, we considered the tasks to have instantaneous completion which is realistic for surveillance type tasks but not for the more intricate tasks, such as corrective maintenance or equipment upgrade. Thus we remove the assumption of instantaneous task completion and consider a known task processing time. We present a new mixed integer linear program model to optimize the routing and scheduling of robot servicers to accomplish the on-orbit servicing tasks. As both tasks and servicers move, considering task duration is complex because (i) the task and servicer must coincide at the correct location and time, (ii) the task and servicer must move through the network together for at least the duration of the processing time, and (iii) the completion of the task is at a different location and time than the start. The model accounts for the movement of the servicers, tasks, and refuelling depots and also for the task duration. We also present two related constructive heuristics for solving the problem. We also incorporate the task times into a case study which is based on satellites and orbits which are in use today. We use the case study to conduct computational experiments comparing the heuristic solving times and solution accuracy with CPLEX

The Family Council: A Model for Corporate Leisure Time Planning

The family has undergone change. The most important concern is how to improve family conditions. A family council will help families to better focus and help each member better understand the other\u27s position. The council will help provide · a structure and a format for decision-making which will provide a forum for democratic input from all members

Real-Time Temperature Sensing Using a Ratiometric Dual Fluorescent Protein Biosensor

Accurate temperature control within biological and chemical reaction samples and instrument calibration are essential to the diagnostic, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. This is particularly challenging for microlitre-scale reactions typically used in real-time PCR applications and differential scanning fluorometry. Here, we describe the development of a simple, inexpensive ratiometric dual fluorescent protein temperature biosensor (DFPTB). A combination of cycle three green fluorescent protein and a monomeric red fluorescent protein enabled the quantification of relative temperature changes and the identification of temperature discrepancies across a wide temperature range of 4–70 °C. The maximal sensitivity of 6.7% °C−1 and precision of 0.1 °C were achieved in a biologically relevant temperature range of 25–42 °C in standard phosphate-buffered saline conditions at a pH of 7.2. Good temperature sensitivity was achieved in a variety of biological buffers and pH ranging from 4.8 to 9.1. The DFPTB can be used in either purified or mixed bacteria-encapsulated formats, paving the way for in vitro and in vivo applications for topologically precise temperature measurements

Farm Feed Processing.

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Universal Design for Learning in K-12 Educational Settings: A Review of Group Comparison and Single-subject Intervention Studies

This literature review on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) included articles from January 1984 through June 2014. We (a) investigated the UDL educational framework without the inclusion of other major K-12 educational frameworks in learning environments, (b) reported researchers’ scope and depth of use of the UDL principles, and (c) focused our investigation on two research methods: group comparison and single-subject. We used the quality indicators for evidence-based practices (EBPs) in special education to review, not rate, the final pool of five peer-reviewed articles. Results included analyses of the incorporation of UDL principles in all identified studies, highlighting the need for caution in promoting conceptual frameworks until sufficient empirical evidence is available to validate pedagogical utility in educational environments. We conclude that the UDL framework has merit but researchers must conduct studies that use group comparison and single-subject studies to independently test the UDL principles, guidelines, and checkpoints to increase the likelihood of causation in treatment outcomes

Study to determine experimentally the feasibility of new methods for improving thermal conductance of mechanical joints in a vacuum Summary research report, 8 Apr. - 30 Sep. 1966

Surface-plateauing techniques, and flexible surface membranes for improved thermal conductance of mechanical joints in vacuu