3D MODELING of A COMPLEX BUILDING: From MULTI-VIEW IMAGE FUSION to GOOGLE EARTH PUBLICATION

This paper presents a pipeline that aims at illustrating the procedure to realize a 3D model of a complex building integrating the UAV and terrestrial images and modifying the 3D model in order to publish to Google Earth in an interactive modality so as to provide better available models for visualization and use. The main steps of the procedure are the optimization of the UAV flight, the integration of the different UAV and ground floor images and the optimization of the model to be published to GE. The case study has been identified in a building, The Eremo di Santa Rosalia Convent in Sicily which hash more staggered elevations and located in the hills of the hinterland and of which, the online platform only indicate the position on Google Maps (GM) and Google Earth (GE) with a photo from above and a non-urban road whose GM path is not corresponding with the GE photo. The process highlights the integration of the models and showcases a workflow for the publication of the combined 3D model to the GE platform

Integral lift engine preliminary design

A preliminary mechanical design of a complete lift fan engine system is reported. A description of the lift fan engine, layout drawings of the components and complete engine, and a discussion of the design analyses and results are presented. The design features and areas of analysis include fan and compressor rotor blades of composite construction, a combustor folded over the compressor, relatively high-temperature blades in the high-pressure turbine, the first stage of the low-pressure turbine used for bearing support and ducting of lubricant to the bearings, a complete lubrication system, critical speeds of the shafting, and vibration and flutter of the blading

Tip-turbine lift package design

Tip-turbine lift fan design and specification

A Search for Radio Emission at the Bottom of the Main Sequence and Beyond

We have used the VLA to conduct a deep search for 3.6 cm radio emission from nearby very low mass stars and brown dwarfs. The Gudel-Benz relation is used to predict radio luminosities for some very low mass stars and candidate brown dwarfs with measured X-ray fluxes. The predicted radio fluxes are quite small, whereas the measured radio flux from the brown dwarf candidate Rho Oph GY 31 is relatively strong. In light of our new observations, this object remains an anomaly. We present upper limits for our measured radio fluxes at 3.6 cm for our targets.Comment: 10 pages, no figures. Accepted for publication in A

Catholic Identity in Edmund Rice Christian Brother Schools in the United States

Over the past 25 years, if not longer, the number of vowed religious priests, brothers, and sisters actively teaching and administering in Catholic elementary and secondary schools has decreased dramatically. One might say that they are a vanishing breed, and the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers are no exception. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how the Church’s Catholic identity is strengthened, communicated, and remains vibrant in schools and ministries currently under the care and sponsorship of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. It is important to assess the Catholic identity of the schools under the Brothers’ care while determining the programs and measures needed to ensure that same Catholic identity. An additional purpose is to develop those practices and programs that will insure that the traditions and charism of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers continues in their ministries in the United States. In the document To Teach As Jesus Did (1972), the bishops of the United States proclaimed that schools, to be authentically Catholic, must have at their foundation three pieces that are interwoven. Catholic schools must proclaim the message of the Gospels of Jesus Christ, continue building the Kingdom of God on earth (form community), and provide service to the People of God. Since that document, the Sacred Congregation for Education (the Vatican) along with many others have added greatly to what it means to be an authentically Catholic school. This study utilized a quantitative approach through the use of a Likert scale survey entitled the Edmund Rice Christian Brother Catholic Identity Index. The survey was distributed to staff, faculty, administrators, and board members of nine Edmund Rice secondary schools across the country. Three hundred forty completed surveys were analyzed and the results reported in this study. Those engaged in the educational ministry of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers who participated in the survey reported that each of the schools displayed a strong sense of Catholic identity and Christian Brother charism through school environment, spiritual life, school programs, ceremony, and traditions, and admissions. The results of the survey indicated a number of ways to continue strengthening Catholic identity and Christian Brother charism through utilization of school mission statements, in-service opportunities for faculty and staff, intentional hiring, and developing programs for student spiritual leadership. The study provides both school and Province leadership insights and ideas to continuing Jesus’ command “to teach all nations.

Catholic Identity in Edmund Rice Christian Brother Schools in the United States

Over the past 25 years, if not longer, the number of vowed religious priests, brothers, and sisters actively teaching and administering in Catholic elementary and secondary schools has decreased dramatically. One might say that they are a vanishing breed, and the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers are no exception. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how the Church’s Catholic identity is strengthened, communicated, and remains vibrant in schools and ministries currently under the care and sponsorship of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. It is important to assess the Catholic identity of the schools under the Brothers’ care while determining the programs and measures needed to ensure that same Catholic identity. An additional purpose is to develop those practices and programs that will insure that the traditions and charism of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers continues in their ministries in the United States. In the document To Teach As Jesus Did (1972), the bishops of the United States proclaimed that schools, to be authentically Catholic, must have at their foundation three pieces that are interwoven. Catholic schools must proclaim the message of the Gospels of Jesus Christ, continue building the Kingdom of God on earth (form community), and provide service to the People of God. Since that document, the Sacred Congregation for Education (the Vatican) along with many others have added greatly to what it means to be an authentically Catholic school. This study utilized a quantitative approach through the use of a Likert scale survey entitled the Edmund Rice Christian Brother Catholic Identity Index. The survey was distributed to staff, faculty, administrators, and board members of nine Edmund Rice secondary schools across the country. Three hundred forty completed surveys were analyzed and the results reported in this study. Those engaged in the educational ministry of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers who participated in the survey reported that each of the schools displayed a strong sense of Catholic identity and Christian Brother charism through school environment, spiritual life, school programs, ceremony, and traditions, and admissions. The results of the survey indicated a number of ways to continue strengthening Catholic identity and Christian Brother charism through utilization of school mission statements, in-service opportunities for faculty and staff, intentional hiring, and developing programs for student spiritual leadership. The study provides both school and Province leadership insights and ideas to continuing Jesus’ command “to teach all nations.

An agronomic evaluation of new safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) germplasm for seed and oil yields under Mediterraean climate conditions

Interest in oilseed crops for agro-industrial research and development projects has increased in the Mediterranean area, in recent years. Saffloower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is of potential interest for agriculture mainly due to fatty acid content variability in the seed oil. The aim of this study was to assess the agronomic performance of 16 new safflower accessions together with safflower variety Montola 2000, used as a reference, in a semi-arid environment. Research was carried out in Sicily (Italy) from 2013–2014. Hierarchical cluster analysis carried out on the fatty acid composition of safflower accessions resulted in their division into four main groups. Linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids were the main fatty acids present in the accessions. Seed yield was 1.11 t ha-1 on average and seed oil content was found to be approximately 35.01% of dry matter on average. Positive and significant relationships between seed/oil yield and other tested traits were found. The carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen content as a percentage of dry matter varied greatly both for the above- and belowground plant parts on average. This study confirms the interest of safflower for both food and non-food applications, offering interesting prospects in semi-arid regions

A Rab10:RalA G protein cascade regulates insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipocytes.

Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in fat and muscle is mediated by the major facilitative glucose transporter Glut4. Insulin controls the trafficking of Glut4 to the plasma membrane via regulation of a series of small G proteins, including RalA and Rab10. We demonstrate here that Rab10 is a bona fide target of the GTPase-activating protein AS160, which is inhibited after phosphorylation by the protein kinase Akt. Once activated, Rab10 can increase the GTP binding of RalA by recruiting the Ral guanyl nucleotide exchange factor, Rlf/Rgl2. Rab10 and RalA reside in the same pool of Glut4-storage vesicles in untreated cells, and, together with Rlf, they ensure maximal glucose transport. Overexpression of membrane-tethered Rlf compensates for the loss of Rab10 in Glut4 translocation, suggesting that Rab10 recruits Rlf to membrane compartments for RalA activation and that RalA is downstream of Rab10. Together these studies identify a new G protein cascade in the regulation of insulin-stimulated Glut4 trafficking and glucose uptake

Inflammation produces catecholamine resistance in obesity via activation of PDE3B by the protein kinases IKKε and TBK1.

Obesity produces a chronic inflammatory state involving the NFκB pathway, resulting in persistent elevation of the noncanonical IκB kinases IKKε and TBK1. In this study, we report that these kinases attenuate β-adrenergic signaling in white adipose tissue. Treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with specific inhibitors of these kinases restored β-adrenergic signaling and lipolysis attenuated by TNFα and Poly (I:C). Conversely, overexpression of the kinases reduced induction of Ucp1, lipolysis, cAMP levels, and phosphorylation of hormone sensitive lipase in response to isoproterenol or forskolin. Noncanonical IKKs reduce catecholamine sensitivity by phosphorylating and activating the major adipocyte phosphodiesterase PDE3B. In vivo inhibition of these kinases by treatment of obese mice with the drug amlexanox reversed obesity-induced catecholamine resistance, and restored PKA signaling in response to injection of a β-3 adrenergic agonist. These studies suggest that by reducing production of cAMP in adipocytes, IKKε and TBK1 may contribute to the repression of energy expenditure during obesity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01119.001

Automated detection of extended sources in radio maps: progress from the SCORPIO survey

Automated source extraction and parameterization represents a crucial challenge for the next-generation radio interferometer surveys, such as those performed with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its precursors. In this paper we present a new algorithm, dubbed CAESAR (Compact And Extended Source Automated Recognition), to detect and parametrize extended sources in radio interferometric maps. It is based on a pre-filtering stage, allowing image denoising, compact source suppression and enhancement of diffuse emission, followed by an adaptive superpixel clustering stage for final source segmentation. A parameterization stage provides source flux information and a wide range of morphology estimators for post-processing analysis. We developed CAESAR in a modular software library, including also different methods for local background estimation and image filtering, along with alternative algorithms for both compact and diffuse source extraction. The method was applied to real radio continuum data collected at the Australian Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) within the SCORPIO project, a pathfinder of the ASKAP-EMU survey. The source reconstruction capabilities were studied over different test fields in the presence of compact sources, imaging artefacts and diffuse emission from the Galactic plane and compared with existing algorithms. When compared to a human-driven analysis, the designed algorithm was found capable of detecting known target sources and regions of diffuse emission, outperforming alternative approaches over the considered fields.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure