Improving the performance of GPR based landmine detection through fusion [abstract]

Abstract only availableThroughout the twentieth century, landmines have been used to inhibit the movement of military troops and vehicles. Traditionally, metal detectors have been used to effectively detect these mines. However, today, many varieties of mines are plastic-cased and contain little or no metal content, making traditional detection methods ineffective. For both military and humanitarian de-mining, a practical and reliable detection method is needed. In response to this need, several alternative detection technologies are being developed. These modern technologies are faced with the challenge of distinguishing buried non-metallic mines from rocks and other geological clutter. They also have to be capable of operating under a variety of environmental and soil conditions. One such technology being developed is ground penetrating radar (GPR). By transmitting high frequency electromagnetic pulses into the ground and analyzing the reflected signals with a detection algorithm, both metallic and non-metallic mines can be identified with relatively high success. However, a tradeoff occurs when trying to maximize the detection rate: as the sensitivity of the detection algorithm is increased, the number of false alarms is also increased. Having a high detection rate is crucial to the reliability of the detection system, but having a high false alarm rate makes it impractical to use. The goal of this research is to optimize both of these factors, by statistically correlating the results of multiple detection algorithms and fusing their confidence outputs together. By incorporating multiple algorithms in the detection process, the benefits of the individual algorithms can be coalesced to improve the overall detection and false alarm rates.College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Optio

Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19.

Host-mediated lung inflammation is present1, and drives mortality2, in the critical illness caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Host genetic variants associated with critical illness may identify mechanistic targets for therapeutic development3. Here we report the results of the GenOMICC (Genetics Of Mortality In Critical Care) genome-wide association study in 2,244 critically ill patients with COVID-19 from 208 UK intensive care units. We have identified and replicated the following new genome-wide significant associations: on chromosome 12q24.13 (rs10735079, P = 1.65 × 10-8) in a gene cluster that encodes antiviral restriction enzyme activators (OAS1, OAS2 and OAS3); on chromosome 19p13.2 (rs74956615, P = 2.3 × 10-8) near the gene that encodes tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2); on chromosome 19p13.3 (rs2109069, P = 3.98 ×  10-12) within the gene that encodes dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9); and on chromosome 21q22.1 (rs2236757, P = 4.99 × 10-8) in the interferon receptor gene IFNAR2. We identified potential targets for repurposing of licensed medications: using Mendelian randomization, we found evidence that low expression of IFNAR2, or high expression of TYK2, are associated with life-threatening disease; and transcriptome-wide association in lung tissue revealed that high expression of the monocyte-macrophage chemotactic receptor CCR2 is associated with severe COVID-19. Our results identify robust genetic signals relating to key host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage in COVID-19. Both mechanisms may be amenable to targeted treatment with existing drugs. However, large-scale randomized clinical trials will be essential before any change to clinical practice

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Mechanical Venus Flytrap

The Idaho Botanical Garden is sponsoring a Senior Design team from Boise State University to create an interactive model of a Venus flytrap allowing patrons of the Idaho Botanical Garden firsthand experience with a carnivorous plant without activating or harming a live flytrap. This is a continuation of a project started in the 2012 Fall Semester. This year’s design approach has revolved around fixing the complications that were encountered in the first project. The external, life-like covering has experienced design revisions due to the limited amount of weight the 5 volt motor and multi-joint drive shaft can maneuver. The covering is to be made with a porous foam and 3D paint to accomplish a light, but realistic appearance. The functionality of the design is accomplished with joystick sensors modeling Venus flytrap hairs, a stepper motor to close and open the model leaves, and an Arduino processor to model to correct Venus flytrap behavior. The Plexiglas case is fitted to the flytrap box to protect the mechatronics and increase the functional and visible lifespan. The model is expected to experience 400 activations daily. The mechatronic Venus flytrap is sure to be a main attraction, almost as popular as the real specimen

Boise State Students Encounter Writing: Using Google Maps to Digitally (Re)Present Discourse Communities in English 101

Students in the Fall 2012 English 101.017 class collaborated on a digital group project that (re)presents their research on discourse communities. Working independently or within small groups, we produced various digital texts that provide an overview of our personal discourse communities and linked them to a Google Map, “Boise State Students Encounter Writing.” There are a variety of different mediums including blogs, slideshows, and claymation videos, all of which are placed marked at the place in Boise that best represents their discourse community. For example, if someone was in a cross fit club, they would likely mark their project at the recreation center. Google Maps facilitated this project well because you could see how our small class of 22 students connects to the world outside of the University. Our presentation will display our class Google Map on the computer projector, and it will encourage the spectators and visitors to engage and interact with our digital platform. With the current academic movements and changes in digital humanities, we worked to digitally compose texts using online resources like SlideRocket, Tumblr, and even Google Maps itself. These different research methods and platforms used, helped the first-year writers exit their comfort zone of writing a five paragraph essay and find an innovative way for their peers and readers of their project to be able to connect to their discourse community

The Heterogeneity of Ly6C(hi) Monocytes Controls Their Differentiation into iNOS(+) Macrophages or Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells

P.G. is a CNRS investigator. S.M. is funded by King’s Overseas Research Studentships. The research was supported by the MRC (MR/K01241X/1), BBSRC (BB/M029735/1), and King’s Health Partners. We thank Dr. Loredana Saveanu, Prof. Caetano Reis e Sousa, and Dr. Julie Helft for reagents and insightful discussions. All flow cytometry work was performed within the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London; we especially thank Prabhjoat Singh Chana for help at the facility and Nedyalko Petrov for assistance with t-SNE analysis. We would like to thank Matthew Arno and Erick Nasser at the Genomics Centre of King’s College London for performing the microarray experiments and providing technical support. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health

Age and frailty are independently associated with increased COVID-19 mortality and increased care needs in survivors: results of an international multi-centre study

Introduction: Increased mortality has been demonstrated in older adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but the effect of frailty has been unclear. Methods: This multi-centre cohort study involved patients aged 18 years and older hospitalised with COVID-19, using routinely collected data. We used Cox regression analysis to assess the impact of age, frailty and delirium on the risk of inpatient mortality, adjusting for sex, illness severity, inflammation and co-morbidities. We used ordinal logistic regression analysis to assess the impact of age, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and delirium on risk of increased care requirements on discharge, adjusting for the same variables. Results: Data from 5,711 patients from 55 hospitals in 12 countries were included (median age 74, interquartile range [IQR] 54–83; 55.2% male). The risk of death increased independently with increasing age (>80 versus 18–49: hazard ratio [HR] 3.57, confidence interval [CI] 2.54–5.02), frailty (CFS 8 versus 1–3: HR 3.03, CI 2.29–4.00) inflammation, renal disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer, but not delirium. Age, frailty (CFS 7 versus 1–3: odds ratio 7.00, CI 5.27–9.32), delirium, dementia and mental health diagnoses were all associated with increased risk of higher care needs on discharge. The likelihood of adverse outcomes increased across all grades of CFS from 4 to 9. Conclusion: Age and frailty are independently associated with adverse outcomes in COVID-19. Risk of increased care needs was also increased in survivors of COVID-19 with frailty or older age.</p