Dynamic Data Driven Methods for Self-aware Aerospace Vehicles

A self-aware aerospace vehicle can dynamically adapt the way it performs missions by gathering information about itself and its surroundings and responding intelligently. Achieving this DDDAS paradigm enables a revolutionary new generation of self-aware aerospace vehicles that can perform missions that are impossible using current design, flight, and mission planning paradigms. To make self-aware aerospace vehicles a reality, fundamentally new algorithms are needed that drive decision-making through dynamic response to uncertain data, while incorporating information from multiple modeling sources and multiple sensor fidelities.In this work, the specific challenge of a vehicle that can dynamically and autonomously sense, plan, and act is considered. The challenge is to achieve each of these tasks in real time executing online models and exploiting dynamic data streams–while also accounting for uncertainty. We employ a multifidelity approach to inference, prediction and planning an approach that incorporates information from multiple modeling sources, multiple sensor data sources, and multiple fidelities

Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science into Forestry, Natural Resources, and Environmental Programs

A new minor titled “Indigenous Studies in Natural Resources and the Environment” (INRE) became available to students at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, in the fall of 2013. This minor aims to bring together the principles of both Indigenous ecological knowledge and western science. Instruction in these two approaches provides students with practical knowledge, research, and critical thinking skills to address complex environmental issues and natural resources management problems facing both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities around the world today. The INRE minor seeks to prepare students by providing a balanced education in the arts, sciences, and technology, while encouraging interdisciplinary and co-curricular activities. This article reports on the need for the INRE minor, learning outcomes, curriculum, approval process, student interest surveys, and enrolled INRE students\u27 focus group comments. This program may serve as a model for other academic institutions to bridge the gap between western and Indigenous science regarding the environment. Management and Policy Implications: Society of American Foresters members are called to abide by a Code of Ethics10 whose first Principle and Pledge states: “Foresters have a responsibility to manage land for current and future generations. We pledge to practice and advocate management that will maintain the long-term capacity of the land to provide the variety of materials, uses, and values desired by landowners and society.” How can foresters and land managers achieve this pledge? Integration of Indigenous and western science into university curricula and professional disciplines could lead to enhanced collaboration and stewardship of public and tribal lands. Cal Poly\u27s new Indigenous Studies in Natural Resources and the Environment (INRE) minor works to foster communication and collaboration across academic disciplines and programs by helping people better understand and respect the land, natural resources, and ecosystems. By presenting the INRE minor design and its learn-by-doing approach to resolving land, forest, and natural resource conflicts, we hope other academic institutions will use this program as a model to bridge the gap between western science and Indigenous knowledge of the environment, as well as to instill in the next generations of foresters a broader resource and land ethic

The initiator methionine tRNA drives cell migration and invasion leading to increased metastatic potential in melanoma

The cell's repertoire of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) has been linked to cancer. Recently, levels of the initiator methionine tRNA (tRNAiMet) in stromal fibroblasts have been shown to influence extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion to drive tumour growth and angiogenesis. Here we show that increased tRNAiMet within cancer cells does not influence tumour growth, but drives cell migration and invasion via a mechanism that is independent from ECM synthesis and dependent on α5β1 integrin and levels of the translation initiation ternary complex. In vivo and ex vivo migration (but not proliferation) of melanoblasts is significantly enhanced in transgenic mice which express additional copies of the tRNAiMet gene. We show that increased tRNAiMet in melanoma drives migratory, invasive behaviour and metastatic potential without affecting cell proliferation and primary tumour growth, and that expression of RNA polymerase III-associated genes (which drive tRNA expression) are elevated in metastases by comparison with primary tumours. Thus specific alterations to the cancer cell tRNA repertoire drive a migration/invasion programme that may lead to metastasis

An Offline/Online DDDAS Capability for Self-Aware Aerospace Vehicles

In this paper we develop initial offline and online capabilities for a self-aware aerospace vehicle. Such a vehicle can dynamically adapt the way it performs missions by gathering information about itself and its surroundings via sensors and responding intelligently. The key challenge to enabling such a self-aware aerospace vehicle is to achieve tasks of dynamically and autonomously sensing, planning, and acting in real time. Our first steps towards achieving this goal are presented here, where we consider the execution of online mapping strategies from sensed data to expected vehicle capability while accounting for uncertainty. Libraries of strain, capability, and maneuver loading are generated offline using vehicle and mission modeling capabilities we have developed in this work. These libraries are used dynamically online as part of a Bayesian classification process for estimating the capability state of the vehicle. Failure probabilities are then computed online for specific maneuvers. We demonstrate our models and methodology on decisions surrounding a standard rate turn maneuver

Herbivores at the Highest Risk of Extinction Among Mammals, Birds, and Reptiles

As a result of their extensive home ranges and slow population growth rates, predators have often been perceived to suffer higher risks of extinction than other trophic groups. Our study challenges this extinction-risk paradigm by quantitatively comparing patterns of extinction risk across different trophic groups of mammals, birds, and reptiles. We found that trophic level and body size were significant factors that influenced extinction risk in all taxa. At multiple spatial and temporal scales, herbivores, especially herbivorous reptiles and large-bodied herbivores, consistently have the highest proportions of threatened species. This observed elevated extinction risk for herbivores is ecologically consequential, given the important roles that herbivores are known to play in controlling ecosystem function

Single cell analysis reveals immune cell-adipocyte crosstalk regulating the transcription of thermogenic adipocytes.

Immune cells are vital constituents of the adipose microenvironment that influence both local and systemic lipid metabolism. Mice lacking IL10 have enhanced thermogenesis, but the roles of specific cell types in the metabolic response to IL10 remain to be defined. We demonstrate here that selective loss of IL10 receptor α in adipocytes recapitulates the beneficial effects of global IL10 deletion, and that local crosstalk between IL10-producing immune cells and adipocytes is a determinant of thermogenesis and systemic energy balance. Single Nuclei Adipocyte RNA-sequencing (SNAP-seq) of subcutaneous adipose tissue defined a metabolically-active mature adipocyte subtype characterized by robust expression of genes involved in thermogenesis whose transcriptome was selectively responsive to IL10Rα deletion. Furthermore, single-cell transcriptomic analysis of adipose stromal populations identified lymphocytes as a key source of IL10 production in response to thermogenic stimuli. These findings implicate adaptive immune cell-adipocyte communication in the maintenance of adipose subtype identity and function

Someone is pulling the strings: hypersensitive agency detection and belief in conspiracy theories

We hypothesized that belief in conspiracy theories would be predicted by the general tendency to attribute agency and intentionality where it is unlikely to exist. We further hypothesized that this tendency would explain the relationship between education level and belief in conspiracy theories, where lower levels of education have been found to be associated with higher conspiracy belief. In Study 1 (N=202) participants were more likely to agree with a range of conspiracy theories if they also tended to attribute intentionality and agency to inanimate objects. As predicted, this relationship accounted for the link between education level and belief in conspiracy theories. We replicated this finding in Study 2 (N=330), whilst taking into account beliefs in paranormal phenomena. These results suggest that education may undermine the reasoning processes and assumptions that are reflected in conspiracy belief

DNMT3B Oncogenic Activity in Human Intestinal Cancer Is Not Linked to CIMP or BRAFV600E Mutation

Summary: Approximately 10% of human colorectal cancer (CRC) are associated with activated BRAFV600E mutation, typically in absence of APC mutation and often associated with a CpG island methylator (CIMP) phenotype. To protect from cancer, normal intestinal epithelial cells respond to oncogenic BRAFV600E by activation of intrinsic p53 and p16-dependent tumor suppressor mechanisms, such as cellular senescence. Conversely, CIMP is thought to contribute to bypass of these tumor suppressor mechanisms, e.g. via epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes, such as p16. It has been repeatedly proposed that DNMT3B is responsible for BRAFV600E-induced CIMP in human CRC. Here we set out to test this by in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches. We conclude that although both BRAFV600E and DNMT3B harbor oncogenic potential in vitro and in vivo and show some evidence of cooperation in tumor promotion, they do not frequently cooperate to promote CIMP and human intestinal cancer

Deputy Director

Nonresidential Buildings to be effective on July 1, 2014 now include the following Energy Commission approved and adopted Nonsubstantive errata

Currents, Eddies, and a Fish Story in the Southwestern Japan/East Sea

As part of the Japan/East Sea (JES) initiative supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, we conducted an observational experiment to understand the physics of the mesoscale circulation in the Ulleung Basin, located in the southwestern corner of the JES. The current passing through the Korea Strait divides upon entering the JES, with portions of the current flowing along the Korean and Japanese coasts. The variability of these currents is especially energetic in our study region. Our objectives were to measure the time-varying currents in the upper and deep levels of the JES. We relate the population density of vertically migrating fish or squid to the time-varying locations of fronts