Animation within a multimedia training system for night vision goggles

Night vision goggles (NVG) provide aircrews the ability to perform many daylight operations in the nighttime environment. However, with these enhanced nighttime capabilities many mishaps occur due to aircrews overestimating the capabilities of the goggles. To reduce the risks when using NVGs, increase combat survivability, and increase combat effectiveness, continuous training is needed. A promising training alternative is multimedia. This thesis focuses on the implementation of animation within a computer-based interactive multimedia system to assist in training aircrews who use NVGs. The extent any media such as animation can be implemented to provide effective training through multimedia is largely dependent on adherence to fundamental instructional design principles. This research details the methods and techniques used in the development of animation that is part of the NVG multimedia prototype. Also a description is given of the hardware components and software applications utilized, as well as how the prototype was developed. The findings show that animation is very useful for certain instructional roles and conditions. Animation's most significant uses are in presenting procedural tasks, providing a visual representation of information that cannot be captured by other media, and the principles of operation of NVGs.http://archive.org/details/animationwithinm1094531547NANAU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author

Saturated NHC Derived Dichalcogen Dications

Rottschäfer D, Fuhs DE, Neumann B, Stammler H-G, Ghadwal R. Saturated NHC Derived Dichalcogen Dications. Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie. 2020;646:574-579.Herein, the synthesis and characterization of dicationic dichalcogenide compounds [(SIPr)E](2)(OTf)(2)(3a-E) (E = S, Se, Te) based on a saturated N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), SIPr [SIPr = C{N(Dipp)CH2}(2), Dipp = 2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3)] are reported. Treatment of SIPr (1a) with elemental chalcogens affords the heavier ketone derivatives (SIPr)E (2a-E), which readily undergo oxidative E-E coupling reactions with triflic anhydride to yield the corresponding products3a-E. Compounds3a-Eare air-stable crystalline solids and were characterized by NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy as well as by X-ray diffraction methods

Characterization of the Mas-related gene family: structural and functional conservation of human and rhesus MrgX receptors

1. Recently, a large family of G-protein-coupled receptors called Mas-related genes (Mrgs), which is selectively expressed in small-diameter sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglia, was described. A subgroup of human Mrg receptors (MrgX1–X4) is not found in rodents and this has hampered efforts to define the physiological roles of these receptors. 2. MrgX receptors were cloned from rhesus monkey and functionally characterized alongside their human orthologs. Most of the human and rhesus MrgX receptors displayed high constitutive activity in a cellular proliferation assay. Proliferative responses mediated by human or rhesus MrgX1, or rhesus MrgX2 were partially blocked by pertussis toxin (PTX). Proliferative responses mediated by rhesus MrgX3 and both human and rhesus MrgX4 were PTX insensitive. These results indicate that human and rhesus MrgX1 and MrgX2 receptors activate both Gq- and Gi-regulated pathways, while MrgX3 and MrgX4 receptors primarily stimulate Gq-regulated pathways. 3. Peptides known to activate human MrgX1 and MrgX2 receptors activated the corresponding rhesus receptors in cellular proliferation assays, Ca(2+)-mobilization assays, and GTP-γS-binding assays. Cortistatin-14 was selective for human and rhesus MrgX2 receptors over human and rhesus MrgX1 receptors. BAM22 and related peptides strongly activated human MrgX1 receptors, but weakly activated rhesus MrgX1, human MrgX2, and rhesus MrgX2 receptors. 4. These data suggest that the rhesus monkey may be a suitable animal model for exploring the physiological roles of the MrgX receptors