Research Notes : United States : Genetic studies with two mutagen-induced nonfluorescent root mutants

In the preceding article, we described several nonfluorescent root lines that had been obtained from induced mutagenesis. Seeds of the cultivar \u27Williams\u27 had been treated with 20k.R gannna rays. The seeds given to us were a bulk harvest of many M2 plants. Only two nonfluorescent seedlings, desig-nated IL 3-1 and IL 3-2, were found among the 5,262 seeds germinated

Research Notes : United States : PI 153252 is a true-breeding yellow mutant

We have searched for chromosome interchanges and inversions among progeny of accessions crossed with cultivars of standard chromosome structure. We make the cross-pollinations and examine the F1 plants for fertility/sterility (Delannay et al., 1982; Palmer et al., 1987). If sterility is present, meiocytes are examined to confirm the presence of a chromosome aberration

A Comparative Study of Interval Management Control Law Capabilities

This paper presents a new tool designed to allow for rapid development and testing of different control algorithms for airborne spacing. This tool, Interval Management Modeling and Spacing Tool (IM MAST), is a fast-time, low-fidelity tool created to model the approach of aircraft to a runway, with a focus on their interactions with each other. Errors can be induced between pairs of aircraft by varying initial positions, winds, speed profiles, and altitude profiles. Results to-date show that only a few of the algorithms tested had poor behavior in the arrival and approach environment. The majority of the algorithms showed only minimal variation in performance under the test conditions. Trajectory-based algorithms showed high susceptibility to wind forecast errors, while performing marginally better than the other algorithms under other conditions. Trajectory-based algorithms have a sizable advantage, however, of being able to perform relative spacing operations between aircraft on different arrival routes and flight profiles without employing ghosting. methods. This comes at the higher cost of substantially increased complexity, however. Additionally, it was shown that earlier initiation of relative spacing operations provided more time for corrections to be made without any significant problems in the spacing operation itself. Initiating spacing farther out, however, would require more of the aircraft to begin spacing before they merge onto a common route

An Experimental Study of a Stitched Composite with a Notch Subjected to Combined Bending and Tension Loading

A series of tests was conducted to measure the strength of stitched carbon/epoxy composites containing through-thickness damage in the form of a crack-like notch. The specimens were subjected to three types of loading: pure bending, pure tension, and combined bending and tension loads. Measurements of applied loads, strains near crack tips, and crack opening displacements (COD) were monitored in all tests. The transverse displacement at the center of the specimen was measured using a Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT). The experimental data showed that the outer surface of the pure tension specimen failed at approximately 6,000 microstrain, while in combined bending and tension loads the measured tensile strains reached 10,000 microstrain

Standardising the collection of patient-reported experience measures to facilitate benchmarking and drive service improvement

Patient experience teams in NHS Wales’ Health Boards and Trusts are working across the country to collect patient experience feedback from members of the public who access health care services. Although this work is advanced in many areas, there is currently no way of benchmarking across organisations, reducing opportunities for shared learning. We aimed to work with patients and colleagues across Wales to agree a set of universal Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) questions. Working with patient experience teams, patient groups and Welsh Government, the NHS Wales Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) and Effectiveness Programme team has agreed a national set of PREMs questions for use across Wales. This process led on from previous work and included patient focus groups, patient experience leads and clinical input. Patients using secondary care services in Wales will be invited to complete the agreed PREMs survey along with patient outcome measures, via an electronic platform. This will provide a consistent method of data collection which will allow us to benchmark across hospitals and organisations in NHS Wales, identifying areas of good practice, as well as areas where patients report poorer experiences. This will allow local patient experience teams to target more in-depth experience gathering initiatives and carry out appropriate improvement programmes, making better use of resources. Identifying and sharing good practice will allow NHS Wales to advance patient experience, while triangulation with patient and clinical outcomes will drive the Prudent Healthcare agenda

Enhanced Oceanic Operations Human-In-The-Loop In-Trail Procedure Validation Simulation Study

The Enhanced Oceanic Operations Human-In-The-Loop In-Trail Procedure (ITP) Validation Simulation Study investigated the viability of an ITP designed to enable oceanic flight level changes that would not otherwise be possible. Twelve commercial airline pilots with current oceanic experience flew a series of simulated scenarios involving either standard or ITP flight level change maneuvers and provided subjective workload ratings, assessments of ITP validity and acceptability, and objective performance measures associated with the appropriate selection, request, and execution of ITP flight level change maneuvers. In the majority of scenarios, subject pilots correctly assessed the traffic situation, selected an appropriate response (i.e., either a standard flight level change request, an ITP request, or no request), and executed their selected flight level change procedure, if any, without error. Workload ratings for ITP maneuvers were acceptable and not substantially higher than for standard flight level change maneuvers, and, for the majority of scenarios and subject pilots, subjective acceptability ratings and comments for ITP were generally high and positive. Qualitatively, the ITP was found to be valid and acceptable. However, the error rates for ITP maneuvers were higher than for standard flight level changes, and these errors may have design implications for both the ITP and the study's prototype traffic display. These errors and their implications are discussed

Uncertainty, evidence and irrecoverable costs: informing approval, pricing and research decisions for health technologies

The general issue of balancing the value of evidence about the performance of a technology and the value of access to a technology can be seen as central to a number of policy questions. Establishing the key principles of what assessments are needed, as well as how they should be made, will enable them to be addressed in an explicit and transparent manner. This report presents the key finding from MRC and NHIR funded research which aimed to: i) Establish the key principles of what assessments are needed to inform an only in research (OIR) or Approval with Research (AWR) recommendation. ii) Evaluate previous NICE guidance where OIR or AWR recommendations were made or considered. iii) Evaluate a range of alternative options to establish the criteria, additional information and/or analysis which could be made available to help the assessment needed to inform an OIR or AWR recommendation. iv) Provide a series of final recommendations, with the involvement of key stakeholders, establishing both the key principles and associated criteria that might guide OIR and AWR recommendations, identifying what, if any, additional information or analysis might be included in the Technology Appraisal process and how such recommendations might be more likely to be implemented through publicly funded and sponsored research. The key principles and the assessments and judgments required are discussed in Section 2. The sequence of assessment and judgment is represented as an algorithm, which can also be summarised as a simple set of explicit criteria or a seven point checklist of assessments. The application of the check list of assessment to a series of four case studies in Section 3 can inform considerations of whether such assessments can be made based on existing information and analysis in current NICE appraisal and in what circumstances could additional information and/or analysis be useful. In Section 4, some of the implications that this more explicit assessment of OIR and AWR might have for policy (e.g., NICE guidance and drug pricing), the process of appraisal (e.g., greater involvement of research commissioners) and methods of appraisal (e.g., should additional information, evidence and analysis be required) are drawn together

Senior Recital: Christian Fabrizio Artieda, jazz guitar

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Mr. Artieda studies jazz guitar with Trey Wright.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1137/thumbnail.jp

Large-scale genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses of longitudinal change in adult lung function.

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous loci influencing cross-sectional lung function, but less is known about genes influencing longitudinal change in lung function. METHODS: We performed GWAS of the rate of change in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) in 14 longitudinal, population-based cohort studies comprising 27,249 adults of European ancestry using linear mixed effects model and combined cohort-specific results using fixed effect meta-analysis to identify novel genetic loci associated with longitudinal change in lung function. Gene expression analyses were subsequently performed for identified genetic loci. As a secondary aim, we estimated the mean rate of decline in FEV1 by smoking pattern, irrespective of genotypes, across these 14 studies using meta-analysis. RESULTS: The overall meta-analysis produced suggestive evidence for association at the novel IL16/STARD5/TMC3 locus on chromosome 15 (P  =  5.71 × 10(-7)). In addition, meta-analysis using the five cohorts with ≥3 FEV1 measurements per participant identified the novel ME3 locus on chromosome 11 (P  =  2.18 × 10(-8)) at genome-wide significance. Neither locus was associated with FEV1 decline in two additional cohort studies. We confirmed gene expression of IL16, STARD5, and ME3 in multiple lung tissues. Publicly available microarray data confirmed differential expression of all three genes in lung samples from COPD patients compared with controls. Irrespective of genotypes, the combined estimate for FEV1 decline was 26.9, 29.2 and 35.7 mL/year in never, former, and persistent smokers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this large-scale GWAS, we identified two novel genetic loci in association with the rate of change in FEV1 that harbor candidate genes with biologically plausible functional links to lung function