The IIHR Fluids Workshop, A Community of Scholars

The IIHR Fluids Workshop is a laboratory designed for undergraduate research and open-­‐ ended course projects. This nascent laboratory – established in the fall of 2012 – is unique in that it is based on a model in which students have access to dedicated state-­‐of-­‐the art research facilities, and are supported by a growing community of students who interact directly to provide tutorials, assistance, and a supportive environment in which students can engage in their work. We strive to bring students to a high level of productivity within the span of a typical undergraduate project. This interaction is facilitated through a non-­‐competitive project application which requires students to consider the objectives and anticipated outcomes of their project, expected needs from the lab and community and, finally, a contribution that they can make back to the lab. Such contributions are typically in the form of a tutorial or reference document, or hands-­‐on training of another member of the community. The physical facilities within the laboratory include a low-­‐turbulence water channel, which is designed and built in-­‐house to provide high flow quality and is optimized for optical access to the flow, since flow visualization is a particularly intuitive means by which to interrogate the flow. Therefore experiments in this facility can provide students with immediate feedback on the dynamics of the flow being investigated. The flow field can be interrogated qualitatively using dye injection using a custom-­‐built apparatus for control of multiple dye streams; or quantitatively, using particle image velocimetry (PIV). To facilitate both of these methods, a high-­‐speed camera, continuous-­‐wave laser, and timing electronics are available to students. Other instrumentation consists of National Instruments LabVIEW-­‐based data acquisition systems, and a student-­‐built force balance for aerodynamic load measurements in the water channel. Motion of experimental models can also be incorporated using a three-­‐axis motion control system. The laboratory has impacted courses and undergraduate research, in some way, within all engineering departments at the University of Iowa, and has supported federally-­‐ and internally-­‐funded research projects in which undergraduates have participated. The laboratory has also provided a platform for outreach to K-­‐12 students. The full paper will discuss challenges faced in achieving sufficient student collaboration and strategies to enhance this important aspect of the laboratory, as well as the results of early attempts to assess the impact of the laboratory on academic programs and student learning. The long-­‐term plan for the laboratory will also be explained in further detail, including efforts currently underway to introduce intuitive and powerful computational tools into the laboratory to augment and complement the experimental facilities

Dynamic Shedding Behavior in the Wake Oo Low-Aspect-Ratio Wall-Mounted Obstacles

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Using your soil test results

"To use your soil test re,port to the best advantage, you need to understand the information it provides. With the proper soil test interpretations and suggested fertilizer treatments, you will have a fertilizer program for maximum profitable crop production."--First page.Daryl D. Buchholz, James R. Brown, and Roger G. Hanson (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture)Revised 7/89/7

Using your soil test results

"To use your soil test report to the best advantage, you need to understand the information it provides. With the proper soil test interpretations and suggested fertilizer treatments, you will have a fertilizer program for maximum profitable crop production."--First page.Daryl D. Buchholz, James R. Brown, and Roger G. Hanson (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture)Revised 12/86/10

Presentation and Outcomes After Medical and Surgical Treatment Versus Medical Treatment Alone of Spontaneous Infectious Spondylodiscitis: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic literature review. Objectives: The aims of this study were to (1) describe the clinical features, disabilities, and incidence of neurologic deficits of pyogenic spondylodiscitis prior to treatment and (2) compare the functional outcomes between patients who underwent medical treatment alone or in combination with surgery for pyogenic spondylodiscitis. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed according to PRISMA guidelines. No year restriction was put in place. Statistical analysis of pooled data, when documented in the original report (ie, number of patients with desired variable and number of patients evaluated), was conducted to determine the most common presenting symptoms, incidence of pre- and postoperative neurologic deficits, associated comorbidities, infectious pathogens, approach for surgery when performed, and duration of hospitalization. Outcomes data, including return to work status, resolution of back pain, and functional recovery were also pooled among all studies and surgery-specific studies alone. Meta-analysis of studies with subgroup analysis of pain-free outcome in surgical and medical patients was performed. Results: Fifty of 1286 studies were included, comprising 4173 patients undergoing either medical treatment alone or in combination with surgery. Back pain was the most common presenting symptom, reported in 91% of patients. Neurologic deficit was noted in 31% of patients. Conclusion: Medical management remains first-line treatment of infectious pyogenic spondylodiscitis. Surgery may be indicated for progressive pain, persistent infection on imaging, deformity or neurologic deficits. If surgery is required, reported literature shows potential for significant pain reduction, improved neurologic function and a high number of patients returning to a normal functional/work status

2011 Ground Testing Highlights Article

Two tests supporting development of the launch abort system for the Orion MultiPurpose Crew Vehicle were run in the NASA Ames Unitary Plan wind tunnel last year. The first test used a fully metric model to examine the stability and controllability of the Launch Abort Vehicle during potential abort scenarios for Mach numbers ranging from 0.3 to 2.5. The aerodynamic effects of the Abort Motor and Attitude Control Motor plumes were simulated using high-pressure air flowing through independent paths. The aerodynamic effects of the proximity to the launch vehicle during the early moments of an abort were simulated with a remotely actuated Service Module that allowed the position relative to the Crew Module to be varied appropriately. The second test simulated the acoustic environment around the Launch Abort Vehicle caused by the plumes from the 400,000-pound thrust, solid-fueled Abort Motor. To obtain the proper acoustic characteristics of the hot rocket plumes for the flight vehicle, heated Helium was used. A custom Helium supply system was developed for the test consisting of 2 jumbo high-pressure Helium trailers, a twelve-tube accumulator, and a 13MW gas-fired heater borrowed from the Propulsion Simulation Laboratory at NASA Glenn Research Center. The test provided fluctuating surface pressure measurements at over 200 points on the vehicle surface that have now been used to define the ground-testing requirements for the Orion Launch Abort Vehicle

Interaction between AP-5 and the hereditary spastic paraplegia proteins SPG11 and SPG15.

The AP-5 complex is a recently identified but evolutionarily ancient member of the family of heterotetrameric adaptor proteins (AP complexes). It is associated with two proteins that are mutated in patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia, SPG11 and SPG15. Here we show that the four AP-5 subunits can be coimmunoprecipitated with SPG11 and SPG15, both from cytosol and from detergent-extracted membranes, with a stoichiometry of ∼1:1:1:1:1:1. Knockdowns of SPG11 or SPG15 phenocopy knockdowns of AP-5 subunits: all six knockdowns cause the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor to become trapped in clusters of early endosomes. In addition, AP-5, SPG11, and SPG15 colocalize on a late endosomal/lysosomal compartment. Both SPG11 and SPG15 have predicted secondary structures containing α-solenoids related to those of clathrin heavy chain and COPI subunits. SPG11 also has an N-terminal, β-propeller-like domain, which interacts in vitro with AP-5. We propose that AP-5, SPG15, and SPG11 form a coat-like complex, with AP-5 involved in protein sorting, SPG15 facilitating the docking of the coat onto membranes by interacting with PI3P via its FYVE domain, and SPG11 (possibly together with SPG15) forming a scaffold

Optimization of flow cytometric detection and cell sorting of transgenic Plasmodium parasites using interchangeable optical filters

Background: Malaria remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Flow cytometry-based assays that take advantage of fluorescent protein (FP)-expressing malaria parasites have proven to be valuable tools for quantification and sorting of specific subpopulations of parasite-infected red blood cells. However, identification of rare subpopulations of parasites using green fluorescent protein (GFP) labelling is complicated by autofluorescence (AF) of red blood cells and low signal from transgenic parasites. It has been suggested that cell sorting yield could be improved by using filters that precisely match the emission spectrum of GFP. Methods: Detection of transgenic Plasmodium falciparum parasites expressing either tdTomato or GFP was performed using a flow cytometer with interchangeable optical filters. Parasitaemia was evaluated using different optical filters and, after optimization of optics, the GFP-expressing parasites were sorted and analysed by microscopy after cytospin preparation and by imaging cytometry. Results: A new approach to evaluate filter performance in flow cytometry using two-dimensional dot blot was developed. By selecting optical filters with narrow bandpass (BP) and maximum position of filter emission close to GFP maximum emission in the FL1 channel (510/20, 512/20 and 517/20; dichroics 502LP and 466LP), AF was markedly decreased and signal-background improve dramatically. Sorting of GFP-expressing parasite populations in infected red blood cells at 90 or 95% purity with these filters resulted in 50-150% increased yield when compared to the standard filter set-up. The purity of the sorted population was confirmed using imaging cytometry and microscopy of cytospin preparations of sorted red blood cells infected with transgenic malaria parasites. Discussion Filter optimization is particularly important for applications where the FP signal and percentage of positive events are relatively low, such as analysis of parasite-infected samples with in the intention of gene-expression profiling and analysis. The approach outlined here results in substantially improved yield of GFP-expressing parasites, and requires decreased sorting time in comparison to standard methods. It is anticipated that this protocol will be useful for a wide range of applications involving rare events