The Development of Design Requirements and Application of Guided Hard-Launch Munitions on Aerial Platforms

This thesis outlines the potential and need for a paradigm shift that will fundamentally alter the way aerial engagement is carried out in the coming decades. The implementation of guided hard-launch munitions on aerial platforms will effectively allow for greater target versatility while providing a defense system for the aircraft in question. A rearward facing gun barrel equipped with several smaller caliber guided rounds can effectively mitigate air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles from hostile forces, while larger caliber rounds in a traditional forward or side mounted barrel can engage both surface and airborne targets at close and medium-ranges. This study outlines the concept of operations for various mission types implementing these guided munitions from short-range direct fire encounters to long-range indirect fire. A computational model was then established to outline the design requirements for this particular type of munition family. The aerodynamics, structures, and guidance, navigation and controls were considered for each engagement type. A sample guided projectile concept was then applied to three airframes, the F-35A, AC-130U, and A-10, in order to demonstrate basic capability as a retrofit on exiting gunnery systems. The modified system capability was then juxtaposed with existing aerial combat potential

Trinucleotide cassettes increase diversity of T7 phage-displayed peptide library

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Amino acid sequence diversity is introduced into a phage-displayed peptide library by randomizing library oligonucleotide DNA. We recently evaluated the diversity of peptide libraries displayed on T7 lytic phage and M13 filamentous phage and showed that T7 phage can display a more diverse amino acid sequence repertoire due to differing processes of viral morphogenesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, we evaluated and compared the diversity of a 12-mer T7 phage-displayed peptide library randomized using codon-corrected trinucleotide cassettes with a T7 and an M13 12-mer phage-displayed peptide library constructed using the degenerate codon randomization method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We herein demonstrate that the combination of trinucleotide cassette amino acid codon randomization and T7 phage display construction methods resulted in a significant enhancement to the functional diversity of a 12-mer peptide library. This novel library exhibited superior amino acid uniformity and order-of-magnitude increases in amino acid sequence diversity as compared to degenerate codon randomized peptide libraries. Comparative analyses of the biophysical characteristics of the 12-mer peptide libraries revealed the trinucleotide cassette-randomized library to be a unique resource.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The combination of T7 phage display and trinucleotide cassette randomization resulted in a novel resource for the potential isolation of binding peptides for new and previously studied molecular targets.</p

An Intervention to Increase Condom Use Among Users of Sexually Transmitted Infection Self-sampling Websites (Wrapped) : Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial

© 2023 Katie Newby, Rik Crutzen, Katherine Brown, Julia Bailey, John Saunders, Ala Szczepura, Jonny Hunt, Tim Alston, S Tariq Sadiq, Satyajit Das. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (http://formative.jmir.org). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).BACKGROUND: Reducing the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people is a public health priority. The best way to avoid STIs from penetrative sex is to use a condom, but young people report inconsistent use. A missed opportunity to intervene to increase condom use is when young people access self-sampling kits for STIs through the internet. The potential of this opportunity is enhanced by the increasing numbers of young people being tested through this route every year in England. Hence, in a cocreation by young people, stakeholders, and researchers, Wrapped was developed--a fully automated, multicomponent, and interactive digital behavior change intervention developed for users of STI self-sampling websites, who are aged 16-24 years. OBJECTIVE: This paper is a protocol for a feasibility randomized controlled trial (fRCT). The fRCT seeks to establish whether it is feasible to run a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Wrapped. Wrapped aims to reduce the incidence of STIs through increasing correct and consistent use of condoms among users of STI self-sampling websites, who are aged 16-24 years. METHODS: A 2-arm parallel-group randomized fRCT of Wrapped plus usual care, compared to usual care only (basic information on STIs and condom use), with a nested qualitative study. A minimum of 230 participants (aged 16-24 years) are recruited from an existing chlamydia self-sampling website. Participants are randomized into 1 of 2 parallel groups (1:1 allocation). Primary outcomes are the percentage of users recruited to the fRCT and the percentage of randomized participants who return a chlamydia self-sampling kit at month 12. Additionally, besides chlamydia positivity based on biological samples, surveys at baseline, month 3, month 6, and month 12, are used to assess condom use attitude, behavioral capability, self-efficacy, and intention, along with details of any partnered sexual activity and condom use, and health economic data. Nested qualitative interviews with trial participants are used to gain insight into the factors affecting recruitment and attrition. RESULTS: Recruitment to the fRCT began in March 2021 and was completed in October 2021. Data collection was completed in December 2022. CONCLUSIONS: This feasibility study will provide data to inform the design of a future-definitive trial. This work is timely given a rapid rise in the use of internet testing for STIs and the sustained high levels of STIs among young people. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN17478654; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN17478654. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/43645.Peer reviewe

An Intervention to Increase Condom Use Among Users of STI Self-Sampling Websites (Wrapped): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial (Preprint)

Background: Reducing the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people is a public health priority. The best way to avoid STIs from penetrative sex is to use a condom, but young people report inconsistent use. A missed opportunity to intervene to increase condom use is when young people access self-sampling kits for STIs through the internet. The potential of this opportunity is enhanced by the increasing numbers of young people being tested through this route every year in England. Hence, in a cocreation by young people, stakeholders, and researchers, Wrapped was developed––a fully automated, multicomponent, and interactive digital behavior change intervention developed for users of STI self-sampling websites, who are aged 16-24 years. Objective: This paper is a protocol for a feasibility randomized controlled trial (fRCT). The fRCT seeks to establish whether it is feasible to run a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Wrapped. Wrapped aims to reduce the incidence of STIs through increasing correct and consistent use of condoms among users of STI self-sampling websites, who are aged 16-24 years. Methods: A 2-arm parallel-group randomized fRCT of Wrapped plus usual care, compared to usual care only (basic information on STIs and condom use), with a nested qualitative study. A minimum of 230 participants (aged 16-24 years) are recruited from an existing chlamydia self-sampling website. Participants are randomized into 1 of 2 parallel groups (1:1 allocation). Primary outcomes are the percentage of users recruited to the fRCT and the percentage of randomized participants who return a chlamydia self-sampling kit at month 12. Additionally, besides chlamydia positivity based on biological samples, surveys at baseline, month 3, month 6, and month 12, are used to assess condom use attitude, behavioral capability, self-efficacy, and intention, along with details of any partnered sexual activity and condom use, and health economic data. Nested qualitative interviews with trial participants are used to gain insight into the factors affecting recruitment and attrition. Results: Recruitment to the fRCT began in March 2021 and was completed in October 2021. Data collection was completed in December 2022. Conclusions: This feasibility study will provide data to inform the design of a future-definitive trial. This work is timely given a rapid rise in the use of internet testing for STIs and the sustained high levels of STIs among young people. Trial Registration: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN17478654; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN17478654 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/4364

Tailored digital behaviour change intervention with e-referral system to increase attendance at NHS Stop Smoking Services (The MyWay Project):study protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Introduction: In the UK, smokers who use Stop Smoking Services (SSS) are four times more likely to stop smoking than smokers who do not. Attendance has declined, warranting the development of interventions to address this. StopAppTM is a novel, brief online behaviour change intervention designed to address common barriers to SSS attendance. It links to widely commissioned service management software which enables instant appointment booking at a user’s location and time of choice.Methods and analysis: A two-arm parallel group individual participant randomised feasibility RCT of StopAppTM (intervention) compared with standard promotion of and referral to SSSs (control). The study includes a nested qualitative process evaluation to assess the acceptability of the research processes, with a sub-sample of participants. Smokers aged over 16 years will be recruited via three routes: GP practices, community settings and online. After consenting and the collection of baseline data, participants will be randomised to control or intervention groups. Participants in the intervention group receive a link to StopAppTM and those in the control group receive standard web-based information about the SSS. All participants are told they can book a SSS appointment but are under no obligation to do so. Online follow-up 2 months post randomisation includes data on SSS use and carbon monoxide verified 4 week quit rates. The study aims to recruit 162 smokers. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval has been granted by the West Midlands - Edgbaston NHS Research Ethics Committee. The findings will be reported in conferences and peer-reviewed publications; and will be used to design the parameters necessary for a definitive trial to ascertain the effectiveness of StopAppTM at increasing booking and attendance at SSSs compared with existing methods for encouraging uptake.Trial Registration: Research Registry: 3995. Trial Registered 18th April 2018

Thrust to weight improvement of JetCat P100-RX turbojet engine

The purpose of the presented design is to improve the thrust-to-weight ratio of the JetCat P100-RX small turbojet engine, a project sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory. This project is a year-long endeavor ending with a competition at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The primary challenge is to increase thrust with minimal increase in weight. Several solutions were considered such as nozzle geometry optimization, exit guide vane addition, and material improvement. The final design included the optimized nozzle geometry configured with seven exit guide vanes with leading edges oriented 10-degrees into the exhaust flow. This new nozzle was additively manufactured in titanium to reduce weight and mitigate deformation from high exhaust gas temperatures. An inlet cowling of the original geometry was fabricated from foam to reduce weight. Finally, a new battery was substituted to reduce additional weight. The improved nozzle resulted in a thrust increase of 23%, and the material and battery improvements resulted in a weight reduction of 8%, leading to an overall thrust-to-weight improvement of 32%. The thrust-to-weight ratio was improved from 6.64 to 8.75

A digital behaviour change intervention to increase booking and attendance at Stop Smoking Services: the MyWay feasibility RCT

© Queen’s Printer and Controller of HMSO 2021. This work was produced by Fulton et al. under the terms of a commissioning contract issued by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The final published version can be accessed here: https://dx.doi.org/10.3310/phr09050Background: Smoking remains a leading cause of illness and preventable death. NHS Stop Smoking Services increase quitting, but, as access is in decline, cost-effective interventions are needed that promote these services. StopApp™ (Coventry University, Coventry, UK) is designed to increase booking and attendance at Stop Smoking Services. Design: A two-arm feasibility randomised controlled trial of StopApp (intervention) compared with standard promotion and referral to Stop Smoking Services (control) was conducted to assess recruitment, attrition and health equity of the design, alongside health economic and qualitative process evaluations. Setting: Smokers recruited via general practitioners, community settings and social media. Participants: Smokers aged ≥ 16 years were recruited in one local authority. Participants had to live or work within the local authority area, and there was a recruitment target of 120 participants. Interventions: StopApp to increase booking and attendance at Stop Smoking Services. Main outcome measures: Participants completed baseline measures and follow-up at 2 months post randomisation entirely online. Objective data on the use of Stop Smoking Services were collected from participating Stop Smoking Services, and age groups, sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status in baseline recruits and follow-up completers/non-completers were assessed for equity. Results: Eligible participants (n = 123) were recruited over 116 days, with good representation of lower socioeconomic status groups; black, Asian and minority ethnic groups; and all age groups. Demographic profiles of follow-up completers and non-completers were broadly similar. The attrition rate was 51.2%Peer reviewe

LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products

(Abridged) We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A vast array of science will be enabled by a single wide-deep-fast sky survey, and LSST will have unique survey capability in the faint time domain. The LSST design is driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking an inventory of the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a wide-field ground-based system sited at Cerro Pach\'{o}n in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg$^2$ field of view, and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera. The standard observing sequence will consist of pairs of 15-second exposures in a given field, with two such visits in each pointing in a given night. With these repeats, the LSST system is capable of imaging about 10,000 square degrees of sky in a single filter in three nights. The typical 5$\sigma$ point-source depth in a single visit in $r$ will be $\sim 24.5$ (AB). The project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations by 2022. The survey area will be contained within 30,000 deg$^2$ with $\delta<+34.5^\circ$, and will be imaged multiple times in six bands, $ugrizy$, covering the wavelength range 320--1050 nm. About 90\% of the observing time will be devoted to a deep-wide-fast survey mode which will uniformly observe a 18,000 deg$^2$ region about 800 times (summed over all six bands) during the anticipated 10 years of operations, and yield a coadded map to $r\sim27.5$. The remaining 10\% of the observing time will be allocated to projects such as a Very Deep and Fast time domain survey. The goal is to make LSST data products, including a relational database of about 32 trillion observations of 40 billion objects, available to the public and scientists around the world.Comment: 57 pages, 32 color figures, version with high-resolution figures available from https://www.lsst.org/overvie

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin