Robotics in space-age manufacturing

Robotics technologies are developed to improve manufacturing of space hardware. The following applications of robotics are covered: (1) welding for the space shuttle and space station Freedom programs; (2) manipulation of high-pressure water for shuttle solid rocket booster refurbishment; (3) automating the application of insulation materials; (4) precision application of sealants; and (5) automation of inspection procedures. Commercial robots are used for these development programs, but they are teamed with advanced sensors, process controls, and computer simulation to form highly productive manufacturing systems. Many of the technologies are also being actively pursued in private sector manufacturing operations

Relationships between characteristics of Tennessee corn producers, their farming operations and their use of recommended production practices

The major purpose of this study was to characterize Tennessee corn producers as to their farming operations, use of recommended production practices, their contacts with Extension agents, and to determine the relationships among these variables. A total of 1,759 personal interviews were conducted by Extension agents in Tennessee during the fall of 1985. Chi square was used to determine the strength of the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Chi square values which achieved the .05 level of probability were accepted as significant. Major findings include the following; 1. Seventy four percent of the corn producers were characterized as being full-time farmers in 1985. Twenty-six percent reported farming on a part-time basis. 2. More than half (51.7 percent) of the producers were under 47 years of age. The mean age was 46. 3. Over half (57.6 percent) of the corn producers indicated dairy livestock as their major source of farm income in 1985. 4. The mean number of acres of yellow corn harvested for grain was 115; the mean number of acres of white corn harvested for grain was 98. 5. There was a significant relationship between farming status and the number of contacts producers had with Extension. Full time farmers tended to have more Extension contacts than did part-time farmers. 6. That the producers\u27 age was significantly related to the number of contacts with Extension agents over a 12 month period. Older producers (over 50) had fewer contacts than those under 40. 7. The producers\u27 major source of income was significantly related to their number of Extension contacts. Dairy producers tended to have more contacts with Extension agents than livestock (i.e., beef, swine) and row crop producers. 8. That of the 1985 acres of corn crop owned, cash rented, and share-cropped, only share-cropped corn was significantly related to the number of Extension contacts. Corn producers who share-cropped more acres had more contacts with Extension agents than producers who share-cropped fewer acres. 9. Producers 47 years and younger tended to double crop, grow no-till corn, scout for insects, plant in April, plant 7 to 9 inches between corn plants in the row, desire higher plant populations, use University of Tennessee Soil Testing Laboratory, apply more nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizer, and use more lime per acre than producers over 47 years of age. 10. Full-time farmers tended to double crop, grow no-till corn, scout for insects, plant corn in March, April and May, desire higher corn plant populations, and apply more nitrogen and potash per acre than did part-time farmers. 11. Twelve of the 20 corn production practices were significantly related to producers\u27 farming status. Full-time farmers were more likely than were part-time farmers to be using 12 of the 20 production practices studied. These 12 practices were as follows: double cropping corn, corn grown no-till, scouted for insects, planted corn in March, planted corn in April, planted corn in May, distance between corn rows, plant populations per acre, pounds of nitrogen applied per acre, pounds of potash applied per acre and tons of lime applied per acre of corn grown. 12. Nine of the 20 corn production practices studied were significantly related to producers\u27 major source of farm income. The direction of relationship varied however depending upon specific practices. Row crop producers were more likely than dairy-livestock producers to double crop corn, use a recommended mid-season variety, plant some corn in April, desire a higher plant population per acre, and apply more pounds of nitrogen per acre of corn grown. On the other hand, the corn producers whose major source of farm income was dairy-livestock were more likely than row crop producers to have scouted corn for insects, to have planted some corn in May and to have planted some corn in June. The direction of relationship could not be determined for the variable regarding distance between corn rows. 13. Sixteen of the 20 corn production practices studied were significantly related to the number of contacts corn producers had with Extension agents over a 12 month period. The direction of relationship between Extension contacts and the planting of corn in April and the distance between corn rows and between plants in the row were inconclusive. For the other practices it was found that producers who were in the high Extension contact group were more likely than others to use double cropping, to use no-till, to scout for insects, to use recommended varieties, to plant some corn in May, plant population desired per acre, use of the U.T. soil testing lab and pounds of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and limestone applied per acre of corn grown. Implications and recommendations also were made

Analysis of Chromium and Nickel in Soil and Plant Tissue Collected from the Experimental Vineyard at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

Serpentinitic soils often contain high concentrations of heavy metals, including chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni). Soils derived from serpentine parent material are used for agricultural purposes throughout San Luis Obispo County, CA. This study was undertaken to determine the amount of total and bioaccessible Cr and Ni in soil and vine tissue from a vineyard planted on soils derived from serpentine geology. Eighteen soil and plant samples were collected from different slope position and vine types (syrah and chardonnay). Soil samples were collected from about 0 to 30 cm at the base of the vines and 15 to 20 leaf with attached petiole samples were collected from one vine at each sample location. Soil and plant samples were extracted with 1:1 HNO3 for total Cr and Ni concentrations using U.S. EPA method 3050a. Bioaccessible Cr and Ni concentrations from soil samples were determined by extracting samples twice with neutral 1 N NH4C2H3O2. Metal concentrations were determined using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Mean total Cr and Ni concentrations from all soil samples were 49.26 and 42.43 mg kg-1, respectively. Total mean Cr concentrations in vine tissue samples were below the method detection limit (MDL) for Cr, and total mean Ni concentrations in vine tissue were 2.75 mg kg-1. Bioaccessible Cr and Ni concentrations from soil samples were below MDLs for each metal. The undetectable amounts of bioaccessible Cr and Ni indicate that they are most likely strongly sorbed to soil particles. The low heavy metal bioaccesiblility in this vineyard soil indicates that Cr and Ni poise little risk to vine health for toxicity considerations. Future research will evaluate Cr and Ni concentrations in other local agricultural soils derived from serpentinite

Exile Vol. XXIII No. 2

PROSE The End of East by Libby Thomas 3-12 Lilt by Andrew Calabrese 13 The Egg Lady by Nancy Jones 14-20 The International Man by Chip Finefrock 21-31 MUSIC Theme and Variations Op.2, No 1. by J. J. Fuerst 32-38 POETRY Thrown Out Of The Game by Herberto Padilla to Yannis Ritzos in a Greek jail (Translated from the Spanish by José de Armas) 39 Plumb-Creek In Late Sunlight by Lenore Mayhew 40 untitled by Sharon Singleton 41 untitled by Sharon Singleton 42 A Dance Of Stones by Lawrence Weber 43-44 Carp and Crane by William McNaughton 45 Mountain Ash by Dawn Patnode 46-49 untitled by Mary de Rachewiltz 50 Kai Gar Onar Ek Dios Estin by William McNaughton 51 acute angles by Gay Parks 52 Annihilating All Made To A Thought by Tony Stoneburner 53 Dead Fish by Deneise Deter 54 Changing by Deb Allbery 54 Finish Lines by David A. Goldblatt 55 Malinche\u27s Sister by Tona Dickerson 56 Tarde en el hospital by Carlos Peoza Veliz 57 Afternoon in the Hospital by Carlos Peoza Veliz (Tanslated from the Spanish by Joan Straub) 57 Cuadrados Y Angulos by Alfonaina Storni 58 Squares and Angles by Alfonaina Storni (Translated from the Spanish by Joan Straub) 58 INK DRAWINGS untitled by Susan Hoagman 2 Self-Portrait or Darla by Julia Weatherford 59 untitled by Katy Booth 70 ESSAYS On As For Poets by Gary Snyder 60-61 Joseph Heller\u27s Something Happened and the Problem of Community in Modern America by Jack Kirby 62-68 EDITOR\u27S NOTE by Lawrence Weber 69-70 CONTRIBUTORS 71-72 The cover ink drawing by Cathy Ries is entitled, Exercise In Exaggerated Contours

Sporadic hemangioblastomas are characterized by cryptic VHL inactivation

Abstract Hemangioblastomas consist of 10-20% neoplastic “stromal” cells within a vascular tumor cell mass of reactive pericytes, endothelium and lymphocytes. Familial cases of central nervous system hemangioblastoma uniformly result from mutations in the Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene. In contrast, inactivation of VHL has been previously observed in only a minority of sporadic hemangioblastomas, suggesting an alternative genetic etiology. We performed deep-coverage DNA sequencing on 32 sporadic hemangioblastomas (whole exome discovery cohort n = 10, validation n = 22), followed by analysis of clonality, copy number alteration, and somatic mutation. We identified somatic mutation, loss of heterozygosity and/or deletion of VHL in 8 of 10 discovery cohort tumors. VHL inactivating events were ultimately detected in 78% (25/32) of cases. No other gene was significantly mutated. Overall, deep-coverage sequence analysis techniques uncovered VHL alterations within the neoplastic fraction of these tumors at higher frequencies than previously reported. Our findings support the central role of VHL inactivation in the molecular pathogenesis of both familial and sporadic hemangioblastomas.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110224/1/40478_2014_Article_167.pd

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

The genetic landscape of high-risk neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a malignancy of the developing sympathetic nervous system that often presents with widespread metastatic disease, resulting in survival rates of less than 50%1. To determine the spectrum of somatic mutation in high-risk neuroblastoma, we studied 240 cases using a combination of whole exome, genome and transcriptome sequencing as part of the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) initiative. Here we report a low median exonic mutation frequency of 0.60 per megabase (0.48 non-silent), and remarkably few recurrently mutated genes in these tumors. Genes with significant somatic mutation frequencies included ALK (9.2% of cases), PTPN11 (2.9%), ATRX (2.5%, an additional 7.1% had focal deletions), MYCN (1.7%, a recurrent p.Pro44Leu alteration), and NRAS (0.83%). Rare, potentially pathogenic germline variants were significantly enriched in ALK, CHEK2, PINK1, and BARD1. The relative paucity of recurrent somatic mutations in neuroblastoma challenges current therapeutic strategies reliant upon frequently altered oncogenic drivers