Methods of editing cloud and atmospheric layer affected pixels from satellite data

The location and migration of cloud, land and water features were examined in spectral space (reflective VIS vs. emissive IR). Daytime HCMM data showed two distinct types of cloud affected pixels in the south Texas test area. High altitude cirrus and/or cirrostratus and "subvisible cirrus" (SCi) reflected the same or only slightly more than land features. In the emissive band, the digital counts ranged from 1 to over 75 and overlapped land features. Pixels consisting of cumulus clouds, or of mixed cumulus and landscape, clustered in a different area of spectral space than the high altitude cloud pixels. Cumulus affected pixels were more reflective than land and water pixels. In August the high altitude clouds and SCi were more emissive than similar clouds were in July. Four-channel TIROS-N data were examined with the objective of developing a multispectral screening technique for removing SCi contaminated data

Reducing the risk of ring breakage in taylor spatial frames: the effect of frame configuration on strain at the half ring junction

AIM: We have encountered four cases with Taylor spatial frames (TSF) (Smith & Nephew, Memphis, TN, USA) with breakage at the half-ring junction of the distal ring. This study examines the strain produced on different locations of the distal ring during loading and the effects on the strain of altering the frame construct. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We mounted two ring TSF constructs on tibia saw bone models. The proximal ring was the same in all constructs and consisted of a 2/3 180 mm ring attached with three wires. Construct 1 is reproducing the configuration of cases where failure was seen. The distal 155 mm ring is attached with three half pins. The half-ring junction is located in the midline. Construct 2 has a different half pin placement and an additional wire on the distal ring. Constructs 3 and 4 have the same half pin configuration to construct 1 but the distal ring is rotated 60° internally and externally, respectively. Strain gauges were attached to different locations and measurements recorded during loading. Statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: Highest strain values were recorded at the half-ring junction of constructs 1 and 2 (>600 microstrains (με) in tension). Rotating the ring 60° internally significantly reduces the strain at the half-ring junction (<300 με) whilst external rotation by 60° further reduces the strain (<180 με). Ring strain is higher in areas close to half pin attachments. CONCLUSIONS: The highest strain is in the half-ring junction as the half rings are subjected to different loading modes. The thickness of the half-ring is halved and the second moment of area reduced further increasing breakage risk. Placing this junction close to the half pin–frame interface, as dictated by the anatomical safe zone further increases the strain. Rotating the distal ring 60° significantly reduces the strain at the half-ring junction. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Ring breakage is a rare but significant complication. This is the first study to address this potential mode of TSF failure. Insights and technical tips from this study can help reduce this

Fuel Conservation by the Application of Spill Prevention and Failsafe Engineering (A Guideline Manual)

From a series of nationwide plant surveys dedicated to spill prevention, containment and countermeasure evaluation, coupled with spill response action activities, a need was determined for a spill prevention guideline manual. From Federally accumulated statistics for oil and hazardous substance spills, the authors culled information on spills of hydrocarbon products. In 1978, a total of 1456 oil spills were reported compared to 1451 in 1979. The 1978 spills were more severe, however, since 7;289,163 gallons of oil were accident~y discharged. In 1979, the gallons spilled was reduced to 3,663,473. These figures are derived from reported spills; it is highly possible that an equal amount was spilled and not reported. Spills effectively contained within a plant property that do not enter a n~vigational waterway need not be reported. Needless to say, there is a tremendous annual loss of oil products due to accidental spillage during transportation, cargo transfer, bulk storage and processing. As an aid to plant engineers and managers, Fe~eral workers, fire marshalls and fire and casualty insurance inspectors, the documen~ is offered as a spill prevention guide. The'manual defines state-of-the-art spill prevention practices and automation techniques that can reduce spills caused by human error. Whenever practical, the cost of implementation is provided to aid equipment acquisition and installation budgeting. To emphasize the need for spill prevention activities, historic spills are briefly described after which remedial action is defined in an appropriate section of the manual. The section on plant security goes into considerable depth since to date no Federal agency or traqe association has provided industry with guidelines on this important phase of plant operation. The intent of the document is to provide finger-tip reference material that can be used by interested parties in a nationwide effort to reduce loss of oil from preventable spills

Point-loaded discs and blocks applicable to tensile testing of brittle materials

A method of numerically approximating the solutions of plane-stress or plane-strain elasticity problems with boundary conditions consisting of concentrated forces or distributed loads is presented herein. The effect of each concentrated force (commonly termed a point load) that acts on the boundary is represented by a Flamant solution. Usually, the combined effect of these Flamant solutions indicates the presence of distributed loadings or ‘residual stresses’ on some portions of the boundary that are not consistent with the actual boundary conditions. The negatives of these ‘residual stresses’ are used as stress boundary conditions in a singular integral method of numerical analysis that is applicable to plane elasticity problems involving distributed loadings on the boundaries. Since the method presented herein involves only stress boundary conditions, the solutions are valid for both plane stress and plane strain.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Calorie Restriction Attenuates Terminal Differentiation of Immune Cells

Immune senescence is a natural consequence of aging and may contribute to frailty and loss of homeostasis in later life. Calorie restriction increases healthy life-span in C57BL/6J (but not DBA/2J) mice, but whether this is related to preservation of immune function, and how it interacts with aging, is unclear. We compared phenotypic and functional characteristics of natural killer (NK) cells and T cells, across the lifespan, of calorie-restricted (CR) and control C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice. Calorie restriction preserves a naïve T cell phenotype and an immature NK cell phenotype as mice age. The splenic T cell populations of CR mice had higher proportions of CD11a-CD44locells, lower expression of TRAIL, KLRG1, and CXCR3, and higher expression of CD127, compared to control mice. Similarly, splenic NK cells from CR mice had higher proportions of less differentiated CD11b-CD27+cells and correspondingly lower proportions of highly differentiated CD11b+CD27-NK cells. Within each of these subsets, cells from CR mice had higher expression of CD127, CD25, TRAIL, NKG2A/C/E, and CXCR3 and lower expression of KLRG1 and Ly49 receptors compared to controls. The effects of calorie restriction on lymphoid cell populations in lung, liver, and lymph nodes were identical to those seen in the spleen, indicating that this is a system-wide effect. The impact of calorie restriction on NK cell and T cell maturation is much more profound than the effect of aging and, indeed, calorie restriction attenuates these age-associated changes. Importantly, the effects of calorie restriction on lymphocyte maturation were more marked in C57BL/6 than in DBA/2J mice indicating that delayed lymphocyte maturation correlates with extended lifespan. These findings have implications for understanding the interaction between nutritional status, immunity, and healthy lifespan in aging populations

Building future scenarios using cognitive mapping

A participatory approach for developing future scenarios through cognitive maps as a visual representation of mental models is presented. Applying long-term future visioning techniques in a workshop setting has traditionally been a significant challenge for construction industry practitioners with a predominantly short-term, project-based approach to day-to-day operational responsibilities. Six future scenario cognitive maps are presented to illustrate the process. The maps were digitised from A1-sized papers using Decision Explorer software. Several key characteristics of the resulting cognitive maps and lessons learnt for the organisation of industry-based workshops are discussed. The main benefits are derived from the interaction between participants during the mapping process whereby future issues and their interconnectivities are discussed. Limitations of the findings and further work are presented

A retrieval analysis of the Precice intramedullary limb lengthening system

OBJECTIVES: The Precice nail is the latest intramedullary lengthening nail with excellent early outcomes. Implant complications have led to modification of the nail design. The aim of this study was to perform a retrieval study of Precice nails following lower-limb lengthening and to assess macroscopical and microscopical changes to the implants and evaluate differences following design modification, with the aim of identifying potential surgical, implant, and patient risk factors. METHODS: A total of 15 nails were retrieved from 13 patients following lower-limb lengthening. Macroscopical and microscopical surface damage to the nails were identified. Further analysis included radiology and micro-CT prior to sectioning. The internal mechanism was then analyzed with scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to identify corrosion. RESULTS: Seven male and three female patients underwent 12 femoral lengthenings. Three female patients underwent tibial lengthening. All patients obtained the desired length with no implant failure. Surface degradation was noted on the telescopic part of every nail design, less on the latest implants. Microscopical analysis confirmed fretting and pitting corrosion. Following sectioning, black debris was noted in all implants. The early designs were found to have fractured actuator pins and the pin and bearings showed evidence of corrosive debris. The latest designs showed evidence of biological deposits suggestive of fluid ingress within the nail but no corrosion. CONCLUSION: This study confirms less internal corrosion following modification, but evidence of titanium debris remains. We recommend no change to current clinical practice. However, potential reuse of the Precice nail, for secondary limb lengthening in the same patient, should be undertaken with caution

Stress Propagation through Frictionless Granular Material

We examine the network of forces to be expected in a static assembly of hard, frictionless spherical beads of random sizes, such as a colloidal glass. Such an assembly is minimally connected: the ratio of constraint equations to contact forces approaches unity for a large assembly. However, the bead positions in a finite subregion of the assembly are underdetermined. Thus to maintain equilibrium, half of the exterior contact forces are determined by the other half. We argue that the transmission of force may be regarded as unidirectional, in contrast to the transmission of force in an elastic material. Specializing to sequentially deposited beads, we show that forces on a given buried bead can be uniquely specified in terms of forces involving more recently added beads. We derive equations for the transmission of stress averaged over scales much larger than a single bead. This derivation requires the Ansatz that statistical fluctuations of the forces are independent of fluctuations of the contact geometry. Under this Ansatz, the $d(d+1)/2$-component stress field can be expressed in terms of a d-component vector field. The procedure may be generalized to non-sequential packings. In two dimensions, the stress propagates according to a wave equation, as postulated in recent work elsewhere. We demonstrate similar wave-like propagation in higher dimensions, assuming that the packing geometry has uniaxial symmetry. In macroscopic granular materials we argue that our approach may be useful even though grains have friction and are not packed sequentially.=17Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, revised vertion for Phys. Rev.

Ebola virus glycoprotein stimulates IL-18 dependent natural killer cell responses

BACKGROUNDNK cells are activated by innate cytokines and viral ligands to kill virus-infected cells. These functions are enhanced during secondary immune responses and after vaccination by synergy with effector T cells and virus-specific antibodies. In human Ebola virus infection, clinical outcome is strongly associated with the initial innate cytokine response, but the role of NK cells has not been thoroughly examined.METHODSThe novel 2-dose heterologous Adenovirus type 26.ZEBOV (Ad26.ZEBOV) and modified vaccinia Ankara-BN-Filo (MVA-BN-Filo) vaccine regimen is safe and provides specific immunity against Ebola glycoprotein, and is currently in phase 2 and 3 studies. Here, we analyzed NK cell phenotype and function in response to Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo vaccination regimen and in response to in vitro Ebola glycoprotein stimulation of PBMCs isolated before and after vaccination.RESULTSWe show enhanced NK cell proliferation and activation after vaccination compared with baseline. Ebola glycoprotein-induced activation of NK cells was dependent on accessory cells and TLR-4-dependent innate cytokine secretion (predominantly from CD14+ monocytes) and enriched within less differentiated NK cell subsets. Optimal NK cell responses were dependent on IL-18 and IL-12, whereas IFN-γ secretion was restricted by high concentrations of IL-10.CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrates the induction of NK cell effector functions early after Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo vaccination and provides a mechanism for the activation and regulation of NK cells by Ebola glycoprotein.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT02313077.FUNDINGUnited Kingdom Medical Research Council Studentship in Vaccine Research, Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking, EBOVAC (grant 115861) and Crucell Holland (now Janssen Vaccines and Prevention B.V.), European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA)

Antibody-Dependent Natural Killer Cell Activation after Ebola Vaccination

BACKGROUND:Antibody Fc-mediated functions, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, contribute to vaccine-induced protection against viral infections. Fc-mediated function of anti-Ebola glycoprotein antibodies suggest that Fc-dependent activation of effector cells, including NK cells, could play a role in vaccination against Ebola virus disease. METHODS:We analysed the effect of anti-Ebola glycoprotein antibody in the serum of U.K.-based volunteers vaccinated with the novel 2-dose heterologous Adenovirus type 26.ZEBOV, Modified Vaccinia Ankara-BN-Filo vaccine regimen, on primary human NK cell activation. RESULTS:We demonstrate primary human NK cell CD107a and IFN-γ expression, combined with downregulation of CD16, in response to recombinant Ebola virus glycoprotein and post-vaccine dose 1 and dose 2 sera. These responses varied significantly with vaccine regimen and NK cell activation was found to correlate with anti-glycoprotein antibody concentration. We also reveal an impact of NK cell differentiation phenotype on antibody-dependent NK cell activation, with highly differentiated CD56dimCD57+ NK cells being the most responsive. CONCLUSIONS:This study thus highlights the dual importance of vaccine-induced antibody concentration and NK cell differentiation status in promoting Fc-mediated activation of NK cells after vaccination, raising a potential role for antibody-mediated NK cell activation in vaccine-induced immune responses