Volumetric calibration of a propellant utilization system

Method of calibrating capacitance-type propellant mass sensors provides meaningful mass units accurate to within one percent of the total load. Neither special propellant loading nor test firing is required. Recalibration of the system is possible without special propellant loading. This method provides increased flexibility for vehicle operation

Store Separations from a Supersonic Cone

The purpose of this research was to analyze the environment a store would travel through if ejected from a supersonic cone. This was done using the Beggar Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code from the Air Force SEEK Eagle Office at Eglin Air Force Base, FL. CFD simulations were compared to experimental results from a previous AFIT thesis and conclusions were drawn based on whether or not the current wind tunnel setup at AFIT is capable of performing analyses of supersonic store separations. Also included in this research is a study of supersonic base pressure profiles, near-wake velocity profiles, wind tunnel shock interactions and force/moment studies on a conical store and parent vehicle. This thesis provided the ground work for future CFD studies relating to aft supersonic store separations. Eventually, this research will be used as the basis of dynamic store separations using the Beggar code. Once dynamic separations are possible, store trajectories and ejection forces can be studied in more detail for a number of different flight conditions

Cloneless: Code Clone Detection via Program Dependence Graphs with Relaxed Constraints

Code clones are pieces of code that have the same functionality. While some clones may structurally match one another, others may look drastically different. The inclusion of code clones clutters a code base, leading to increased costs through maintenance. Duplicate code is introduced through a variety of means, such as copy-pasting, code generated by tools, or developers unintentionally writing similar pieces of code. While manual clone identification may be more accurate than automated detection, it is infeasible due to the extensive size of many code bases. Software code clone detection methods have differing degree of success based on the analysis performed. This thesis outlines a method of detecting clones using a program dependence graph and subgraph isomorphism to identify similar subgraphs, ultimately illuminating clones. The project imposes few constraints when comparing code segments to potentially reveal more clones

Survival of bacterial isolates exposed to simulated Jovian trapped radiation belt electrons and solar wind protons

With missions to Jupiter, the spacecraft will be exposed for extended duration to solar wind radiation and the Jovian trapped radiation belt. This study is designed to determine the effect of these radiation environments on spacecraft bacterial isolates. The information can be used in the probability of contamination analysis for these missions. A bacterial subpopulation from Mariner Mars 1971 spacecraft (nine sporeforming and three nonsporeforming isolates) plus two comparative organisms, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 17917 and a strain of Bacillus subtilis var. niger, were exposed to 2-, 12-, and 25-MeV electrons at different doses with simultaneous exposure to a vacuum of 0.0013 N/sqm at 20 and -20 C. The radioresistance of the subpopulation was dependent on the isolate, dose, and energy of electrons. Temperature affected the radioresistance of only the sporeforming isolates. Survival data indicated that spores were reduced approximately 1 log/1500 J/kg, while nonsporeforming isolates (micrococci) were reduced 1.5 to 2 logs/1500 J/kg with the exception of an apparent radioresistant isolate whose resistance approached that of the spores. The subpopulation was found to be less resistant to lower energy than to higher energy electrons

Non-destructive Phenotyping of Lettuce Plants in Early Stages of Development with Optical Sensors

Rapid development of plants is important for the production of 'baby-leaf' lettuce that is harvested when plants reach the four- to eight-leaf stage of growth. However, environmental factors, such as high or low temperature, or elevated concentrations of salt, inhibit lettuce growth. Therefore, non-destructive evaluations of plants can provide valuable information to breeders and growers. The objective of the present study was to test the feasibility of using non-destructive phenotyping with optical sensors for the evaluations of lettuce plants in early stages of development. We performed the series of experiments to determine if hyperspectral imaging and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging can determine phenotypic changes manifested on lettuce plants subjected to the extreme temperature and salinity stress treatments. Our results indicate that top view optical sensors alone can accurately determine plant size to approximately 7 g fresh weight. Hyperspectral imaging analysis was able to detect changes in the total chlorophyll (RCC) and anthocyanin (RAC) content, while chlorophyll fluorescence imaging revealed photoinhibition and reduction of plant growth caused by the extreme growing temperatures (3 and 39°C) and salinity (100 mM NaCl). Though no significant correlation was found between Fv/Fm and decrease in plant growth due to stress when comparisons were made across multiple accessions, our results indicate that lettuce plants have a high adaptability to both low (3°C) and high (39°C) temperatures, with no permanent damage to photosynthetic apparatus and fast recovery of plants after moving them to the optimal (21°C) temperature. We have also detected a strong relationship between visual rating of the green- and red-leaf color intensity and RCC and RAC, respectively. Differences in RAC among accessions suggest that the selection for intense red color may be easier to perform at somewhat lower than the optimal temperature. This study serves as a proof of concept that optical sensors can be successfully used as tools for breeders when evaluating young lettuce plants. Moreover, we were able to identify the locus for light green leaf color (qLG4), and position this locus on the molecular linkage map of lettuce, which shows that these techniques have sufficient resolution to be used in a genetic context in lettuce.IS acknowledges the receipt of a fellowship from the OECD Co-operative Research Programme: Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agricultural Systems in 2013

Activated lymphocyte recruitment into the tumor microenvironment following preoperative sipuleucel-T for localized prostate cancer.

BackgroundSipuleucel-T is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved immunotherapy for asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Its mechanism of action is not fully understood. This prospective trial evaluated the direct immune effects of systemically administered sipuleucel-T on prostatic cancer tissue in the preoperative setting.MethodsPatients with untreated localized prostate cancer were treated on an open-label Phase II study of sipuleucel-T prior to planned radical prostatectomy (RP). Immune infiltrates in RP specimens (posttreatment) and in paired pretreatment biopsies were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Correlations between circulating immune response and IHC were assessed using Spearman rank order.ResultsOf the 42 enrolled patients, 37 were evaluable. Adverse events were primarily transient, mild-to-moderate and infusion related. Patients developed T cell proliferation and interferon-γ responses detectable in the blood following treatment. Furthermore, a greater-than-three-fold increase in infiltrating CD3(+), CD4(+) FOXP3(-), and CD8(+) T cells was observed in the RP tissues compared with the pretreatment biopsy (binomial proportions: all P < .001). This level of T cell infiltration was observed at the tumor interface, and was not seen in a control group consisting of 12 concurrent patients who did not receive any neoadjuvant treatment prior to RP. The majority of infiltrating T cells were PD-1(+) and Ki-67(+), consistent with activated T cells. Importantly, the magnitude of the circulating immune response did not directly correlate with T cell infiltration within the prostate based upon Spearman's rank order correlation.ConclusionsThis study is the first to demonstrate a local immune effect from the administration of sipuleucel-T. Neoadjuvant sipuleucel-T elicits both a systemic antigen-specific T cell response and the recruitment of activated effector T cells into the prostate tumor microenvironment

Correlation of High-Risk Soft Tissue Sarcoma Biomarker Expression Patterns with Outcome following Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation

© 2018 John M. Kane III et al. Background. Sarcoma mortality remains high despite adjuvant chemotherapy. Biomarker predictors of treatment response and outcome could improve treatment selection. Methods. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) were created using pre- and posttreatment tumor from two prospective trials (MGH pilot and RTOG 9514) of neoadjuvant/adjuvant MAID chemotherapy and preoperative radiation. Biomarkers were measured using automated computerized imaging (AQUA or ACIS). Expression was correlated with disease-free survival (DFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS), and overall survival (OS). Results. Specimens from 60 patients included 23 pretreatment (PRE), 40 posttreatment (POST), and 12 matched pairs (MPs). In the MP set, CAIX, GLUT1, and PARP1 expression significantly decreased following neoadjuvant therapy, but p53 nuclear/cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio increased. In the PRE set, no biomarker expression was associated with DFS, DDFS, or OS. In the POST set, increased p53 N/C ratio was associated with a significantly decreased DFS and DDFS (HR 4.13, p=0.017; HR 4.16, p=0.016), while increased ERCC1 and XPF expression were associated with an improved DFS and DDFS. No POST biomarkers were associated with OS. Conclusions. PRE biomarker expression did not predict survival outcomes. Expression pattern changes after neoadjuvant chemoradiation supports the concepts of tumor reoxygenation, altered HIF-1α signaling, and a p53 nuclear accumulation DNA damage response. Clinical Trial Registration. NRG Oncology RTOG 9514 is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. The ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is NCT00002791