Investigation of Spherical-Wave-Initiated Flow Fields Around Bodies

Measurements of the velocity flow fields and vortex movements have been made about various simple blunt models undergoing spherical blast waves with a positive overpressure of 4 pounds per square inch. A bullet-optical method was used to determine flow velocities and is applied to velocity fields in which the gradients are largely normal to the free-stream direction. The velocity flow fields are shown at various flow times following passage of the blast front for different models. Vortex movements with time are compared for square-bar models of various aspect ratios. Corner sharpness had no discernible effect on the overall disturbed velocity fields or vortex movements for the square-box models used

Effect of surface roughness on characteristics of spherical shock waves

An investigation has been conducted on a small-scale test layout in which direct observation of the shock wave movement with time could be made in order to determine the effects of surface roughness on the characteristics of spherical shock waves. Data were obtained with 15-gram pentolite charges at four heights of burst, both for a smooth surface and for a surface completely covered with pyramid-shaped roughness elements. The observations resulted in determinations of shock peak overpressure and Mach stem height as a function of distance for each test. Comparison of the smooth-surface data with those obtained for the extremely rough condition showed a small net effort of roughness on the shock peak overpressures at the surface for all burst heights, the effect being to lower the overpressures. The effect of surface roughness on the Mach stem formation and growth was to delay the formation at the greatest charge height and to lower the height of the Mach stem for all heights.Comparison of the free-air shock peak overpressures with larger scale data showed good similarity of the overpressure-distance relationships. The data did not fit a geometrical similarity parameter for the path of the triple point at different heights of burst suggested by other investigators. A simple similarity parameter (relating the horizontal distance to the theoretical point of Mach formation) was found which showed only a small influence of burst height on the path of the triple point. While the data presented provide knowledge of the effect of many surface-roughness elements on the overall shock characteristics, the data do not provide insight into the details of the air-flow characteristics along the surface, nor the relative contribution of individual roughness elements to the results obtained

Effect of Surface Roughness on Characteristics of Spherical Shock Waves

Measurements of peak overpressure and Mach stem height were made at four burst heights. Data were obtained with instrumentation capable of directly observing the variation of shock wave movement with time. Good similarity of free air shock peak overpressure with larger scale data was found to exist. The net effect of surface roughness on shock peak overpressures slightly. Surface roughness delayed the Mach stem formation at the greatest charge height and lowered the growth at all burst heights. A similarity parameter was found which approximately correlates the triple point path at different burst heights

HLA-DM Mediates Epitope Selection by a “Compare-Exchange” Mechanism when a Potential Peptide Pool Is Available

BACKGROUND: HLA-DM (DM) mediates exchange of peptides bound to MHC class II (MHCII) during the epitope selection process. Although DM has been shown to have two activities, peptide release and MHC class II refolding, a clear characterization of the mechanism by which DM facilitates peptide exchange has remained elusive. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have previously demonstrated that peptide binding to and dissociation from MHCII in the absence of DM are cooperative processes, likely related to conformational changes in the peptide-MHCII complex. Here we show that DM promotes peptide release by a non-cooperative process, whereas it enhances cooperative folding of the exchange peptide. Through electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and fluorescence polarization (FP) we show that DM releases prebound peptide very poorly in the absence of a candidate peptide for the exchange process. The affinity and concentration of the candidate peptide are also important for the release of the prebound peptide. Increased fluorescence energy transfer between the prebound and exchange peptides in the presence of DM is evidence for a tetramolecular complex which resolves in favor of the peptide that has superior folding properties. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows that both the peptide releasing activity on loaded MHCII and the facilitating of MHCII binding by a candidate exchange peptide are integral to DM mediated epitope selection. The exchange process is initiated only in the presence of candidate peptides, avoiding possible release of a prebound peptide and loss of a potential epitope. In a tetramolecular transitional complex, the candidate peptides are checked for their ability to replace the pre-bound peptide with a geometry that allows the rebinding of the original peptide. Thus, DM promotes a "compare-exchange" sorting algorithm on an available peptide pool. Such a "third party"-mediated mechanism may be generally applicable for diverse ligand recognition in other biological systems

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of coenzyme Q10 in Huntington disease

Objective: To test the hypothesis that chronic treatment of early-stage Huntington disease (HD) with high-dose coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) will slow the progressive functional decline of HD. Methods: We performed a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients with early-stage HD (n = 609) were enrolled at 48 sites in the United States, Canada, and Australia from 2008 to 2012. Patients were randomized to receive either CoQ 2,400 mg/d or matching placebo, then followed for 60 months. The primary outcome variable was the change from baseline to month 60 in Total Functional Capacity score (for patients who survived) combined with time to death (for patients who died) analyzed using a joint-rank analysis approach. Results: An interim analysis for futility revealed a conditional power of <5% for the primary analysis, prompting premature conclusion in July 2014. No statistically significant differences were seen between treatment groups for the primary or secondary outcome measures. CoQ was generally safe and well-tolerated throughout the study. Conclusions: These data do not justify use of CoQ as a treatment to slow functional decline in HD

Justify your alpha

Benjamin et al. proposed changing the conventional “statistical significance” threshold (i.e.,the alpha level) from p ≤ .05 to p ≤ .005 for all novel claims with relatively low prior odds. They provided two arguments for why lowering the significance threshold would “immediately improve the reproducibility of scientific research.” First, a p-value near .05provides weak evidence for the alternative hypothesis. Second, under certain assumptions, an alpha of .05 leads to high false positive report probabilities (FPRP2 ; the probability that a significant finding is a false positive

Agribusiness Sheep Updates - 2004 part 2

Precision Pastures Using Species Diversity to Improve Pasture Performance Anyou Liu and Clinton Revell, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia New Annual Pasture Legumes for Sheep Graziers Phil Nichols, Angelo Loi, Brad Nutt and Darryl McClements Department of Agriculture Western Australia Pastures from Space – Can Satellite Estimates of Pasture Growth Rate be used to Increase Farm Profit? Lucy Anderton, Stephen Gherardi and Chris Oldham Department of Agriculture Western Australia Summer-active Perennial Grasses for Profitable Sheep Production Paul Sanford and John Gladman, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia Pastures From Space – Validation Of Predictions Of Pasture Growth Rates DONALD, G.E.A, EDIRISINGHE, A.A, HENRY, D.A.A, MATA, G.A, GHERARDI, S.G.B, OLDHAM, C.M.B, GITTINS, S.P.B AND SMITH, R. C. G.C ACSIRO, Livestock Industries, PMB 5, Wembley, WA, 6913. BDepartment of Agriculture Western Australia, Bentley, WA, 6983. C Department of Land Information Western Australia, Floreat, WA, 6214. Production and Management of Biserrula Pasture - Managing the Risk of Photosensitivity Dr Clinton Revell and Roy Butler, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Meat Quality of Sheep Grazed on a Saltbush-based Pasture Kelly Pearce1,2, David Masters1, David Pethick2, 1 CSIRO LIVESTOCK INDUSTRIES, WEMBLEY, WA 2 SCHOOL OF VETERINARY AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE, MURDOCH UNIVERSITY, MURDOCH, WA Precision Sheep Lifetime Wool – Carryover Effects on Subsequent Reproduction of the Ewe Flock Chris Oldham, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Andrew Thompson, Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic), Dept of Primary Industries, Hamilton, Vic Ewe Productivity Trials - a Linked Analysis Ken Hart, Johan Greeff, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Beth Paganoni, School of Animal Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Australia. Grain Finishing Systems For Prime Lambs Rachel Kirby, Matt Ryan, Kira Buttler, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia The Effects of Nutrition and Genotype on the Growth and Development, Muscle Biochemistry and Consumer Response to Lamb Meat David Pethick, Department of Veterinary Science, Murdoch University, WA, Roger Heggarty and David Hopkins, New South Wales Agriculture ‘Lifetime Wool’ - Effects of Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation on Mortality of Progeny to Hogget Shearing Samantha Giles, Beth Paganoni and Tom Plaisted, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Mark Ferguson and Darren Gordon, Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic), Dept of Primary Industries, Hamilton, Vic Lifetime Wool - Target Liveweights for the Ewe Flock J. Young, Farming Systems Analysis Service, Kojonup, C. Oldham, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, A. Thompson, Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic), Hamilton, VIC Lifetime Wool - Effects of Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation on the Growth and Wool Production of their Progeny at Hogget Shearing B. Paganoni, University of Western Australia, Nedlands WA, C. Oldham, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, M. Ferguson, A. Thompson, Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic), Hamilton, VIC RFID Technology – Esperance Experiences Sandra Brown, Department of Agriculture Western Australia The Role of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology in Prime Lamb Production - a Case Study. Ian McFarland, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia. John Archer, Producer, Narrogin, Western Australia Win with Twins from Merinos John Milton, Rob Davidson, Graeme Martin and David Lindsay The University of Western Australia Precision Sheep Need Precision Wool Harvesters Jonathan England, Castle Carrock Merinos, Kingston SE, South Australia Business EBVs and Indexes – Genetic Tools for your Toolbox Sandra Brown, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Green Feed Budget Paddock Calculator Mandy Curnow, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Minimising the Impact of Drought - Evaluating Flock Recovery Options using the ImPack Model Karina P. Wood, Ashley K. White, B. Lloyd Davies, Paul M. Carberry, NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), Lifetime Wool - Modifying GrazFeed® for WA Mike Hyder, Department of Agriculture Western Australia , Mike Freer, CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra, A.C.T. , Andrew van Burgel, and Kazue Tanaka, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Profile Calculator – A Way to Manage Fibre Diameter Throughout the Year to Maximise Returns Andrew Peterson, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia Pasture Watch - a Farmer Friendly Tool for Downloading and Analysing Pastures from Space Data Roger Wiese,Fairport Technologies International, South Perth, WA, Stephen Gherardi, BDepartment of Agriculture Western Australia, Gonzalo Mata, CCSIRO, Livestock Industries, Wembley, Western Australia, and Chris Oldham, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Sy Sheep Cropping Systems An Analysis of a Cropping System Containing Sheep in a Low Rainfall Livestock System. Evan Burt, Amanda Miller, Anne Bennett, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia Lucerne-based Pasture for the Central Wheatbelt – is it Good Economics? Felicity FluggeA, Amir AbadiA,B and Perry DollingA,B,A CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity: BDept. of Agriculture, WA Sheep and Biserrula can Control Annual Ryegrass Dean Thomas, John Milton, Mike Ewing and David Lindsay, The University of WA, Clinton Revell, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia Sustainable Management Pasture Utilisation, Fleece Weight and Weaning Rate are Integral to the Profitability of Dohnes and SAMMs. Emma Kopke,Department of Agriculture Western Australia, John Young, Farming Systems Analysis Service Environmental Impact of Sheep Confinement Feeding Systems E A Dowling and E K Crossley, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia Smart Grazing Management for Production and Environmental Outcomes Dr Brien E (Ben) Norton, Centre for the Management of Arid Environments, Curtin University of Technology, WA Common Causes of Plant Poisoning in the Eastern Wheatbelt of Western Australia. Roy Butler, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia Selecting Sheep for Resistance to Worms and Production Trait Responses John Karlsson, Johan Greeff, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Geoff Pollott, Imperial College, London UK Production and Water Use of Lucerne and French Serradella in Four Soil Types, Diana Fedorenko1,4, Darryl McClements2,4 and Robert Beard3,4, 12Department of Agriculture, Western Australia; 3Farmer, Meckering; 4CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity. Worm Burdens in Sheep at Slaughter Brown Besier, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Una Ryan, Caroline Bath, Murdoch Universit