Evaluation of an electro-optic remote displacement measuring system

An instrumentation system to provide a noncontact method for measurement of target positions was evaluated. The system employs two electro-optic camera units which give stereo information for use in determining three dimensional target locations. Specially developed, infrared sensitive photodetectors are used in the cameras to sense radiation from light emitting diode targets. Up to 30 of these targets can be monitored with a sampling rate of 312 Hz per target. An important part of the system is a minicomputer which is used to collect the camera data, sort it, make corrections for distortions in the electro-optic system, and perform the necesssary coordinate transformations. If target motions are restricted to locations in a plane which is perpendicular to a camera's optical axis, the system can be used with just one camera. Calibrations performed in this mode characterize accuracies in single camera operation. This information is also useful in determination of single camera contributions to total system errors. For this reason the system was tested in both the single camera and two camera (stereo) modes of operation

An investigation of thin film oxygen partial pressure sensors

Product development and testing of thin film oxygen partial pressure sensor

A study of charge storage in silicon oxide resulting from non-penetrating electron irradiation

Charge storage in silicon dioxide resulting from electron irradiatio

Charge storage effects in Mylar resulting from electron irradiation, June 1965 - June 1966

Charge storage effects in Mylar from electron irradiatio

Quantifying Climatic Risk In The Semiarid Tropics: ICRISAT Experience

Troll defined semiarid environments in terms of the average pcriod each year when rainfall (R) exceeded potential evaporation (PE). In the semiarid tropics (SAT), rainfall changes rapidly at the beginning and end of the monsoon so that thc pcriod whcn K > PE is insensitive to thc arbitrary way PE is dcfincd or mcasurcd. Hargreaves and Robertson used somewhat more sophisticated mcthods to spccify thc length of the growing season in terms of thc pcriod when "dependable' precipitation (i.e. the amount exceeded in at least 75% of years) was more than PE/3. This critcrion was used in early work at ICRISAT. Later, a watcr balance model (WATBAI.) was introduced to cstimatc the risk of crop failure following dry spclls at any time during the monsoon. SORGF was the first simulation met tested at ICRISAT, calibrated with a set of regional data, and then used for risk analysis. Recently, a simplcr simulation modcl (RESCRP) was developed to predict cmp responses to wcathcr and soil water. In this presentation, an even simpler version is described and uscd to estimate yicld probabilities at hvo sites with contrasting rainfall regimes as a function of niaxin~un~ available water or of light interception. Ihe analysis demonstrates thc interaction of weather, soil and plant factors in determining production risks. Many environmental constraints endured by crops and by farmers in thc SAT arc not yet amenable to modelling so that attempts to modcl risk, even with thc most con~plcx simulation models, arc somewhat unrealistic. Major problems not yct adcquatcly addressed by modellers includc germination, seedling establishmcnt and root pcnctration in difficult soils, pests and diseases, and damage caused by wind or vcry heavy rain. Achieving the right balance between productivity and risk lies at thc base of all agricultural development. The SAT is an ecologically fragile region where thc production of food is particularly hazardous bccausc rainfall is erratic, soils arc impoverished, and few fanners are able to control pests and discases cffectivcly or to apply optimal amounts of fertiliser. Because population is growing faster than food supplies in many parts of the SAT, subsistence agriculture has extended into marginal land, damaging the environment and threatening thc long-term viability of economic and social devclopmcnt. In this review, we identify salient environmental fcatures of thc SA'T and considcr briefly some of the ways in which ICRISAT scientists have bccn ablc to rcducc production risks. We then assess progress in climatic analysis and indicalc thc directions in which we believe the modelling of crop production should bc cncouragcd to dcvclop

Epidemic spread of adenovirus type 4-associated acute respiratory disease between U.S. Army installations.

A large outbreak of adenovirus type 4-associated acute respiratory disease (ARD) occurred at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in 1997. A laboratory-based ARD surveillance program was initiated at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where advanced individual training was heavily populated with Fort Jackson soldiers. Adenovirus type 4 was isolated from 50% of 147 trainees hospitalized with ARD. Most (88%) introduced cases were in trainees from Fort Jackson

Borealscat: A tower experiment for understanding temporal changes in P- and L-band backscattering from a Boreal forest

This paper describes the tower-based radar BorealScat, which is being developed for polarimetric, tomographic and Doppler measurements at the hemi-boreal forest test site in Remningstorp, Sweden. The facility consists of a 50-m high tower equipped with an antenna array at the top of the tower, a 20-port vector network analyser (VNA), 20 low-loss cables for interconnection, and a calibration loop with a switching network. The first version of BorealScat will perform the full set of measurements in the frequency range 0.4-1.4 GHz, i.e. P-band and L-band. The tower is currently under construction at a forest stand dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). The mature stand has an above-ground dry biomass of 300 tons/ha. Data collections are planned to commence in autumn 2016

Shoot growth of woody trees and shrubs is predicted by maximum plant height and associated traits

1. The rate of elongation and thickening of individual branches (shoots) varies across plant species. This variation is important for the outcome of competition and other plant-plant interactions. Here we compared rates of shoot growth across 44 species from tropical, warm temperate, and cool temperate forests of eastern Australia.2. Shoot growth rate was found to correlate with a suite of traits including the potential height of the species, xylem-specific conductivity, leaf size, leaf area per xylem cross-section, twig diameter (at 40 cm length), wood density and modulus of elasticity.3. Within this suite of traits, maximum plant height was the clearest correlate of growth rates, explaining 50 to 67% of the variation in growth overall (p p 4. Growth rates were not strongly correlated with leaf nitrogen or leaf mass per unit leaf area.5. Correlations between growth and maximum height arose both across latitude (47%, p p p p < 0.0001), reflecting intrinsic differences across species and sites

Defects in lysosomal maturation facilitate the activation of innate sensors in systemic lupus erythematosus

Activation of innate sensors by self-antigen contributes to autoimmunity, although how intracellular sensors are chronically exposed to self-antigen has remained unknown. Here, we identify a previously unidentified defect in which lupus-prone macrophages fail to mature the lysosome, promoting the accumulation of apoptotic debris-containing IgG–immune complexes (IgG-ICs). Interestingly, macrophages from other autoimmune diseases accumulate IgG-ICs, indicating that lysosomal defects may underlie multiple autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, the prolonged intracellular residency chronically activates Toll-like receptors and permeabilizes the phagolysosomal membrane, allowing activation of cytosolic sensors. These findings identify lysosomal maturation as a unique defect in MRL/lpr mice that impacts multiple events known to underlie SLE, including pathogenic cytokine secretion