4,293 research outputs found
Operating manual for the RRL 8 channel data logger
A data collection device which takes measurements from external sensors at user specified time intervals is described. Three sensor ports are dedicated to temperature, air pressure, and dew point. Five general purpose sensor ports are provided. The user specifies when the measurements are recorded as well as when the information is read or stored in a minicomputer or a paper tape
Head-Worn Displays for NextGen
The operating concepts emerging under the Next Generation air transportation system (NextGen) require new technology and procedures - not only on the ground-side - but also on the flight deck. Flight deck display and decision support technologies are specifically targeted to overcome aircraft safety barriers that might otherwise constrain the full realization of NextGen. One such technology is the very lightweight, unobtrusive head-worn display (HWD). HWDs with an integrated head-tracking system are being researched as they offer significant potential benefit under emerging NextGen operational concepts. Two areas of benefit for NextGen are defined. First, the HWD may be designed to be equivalent to the Head-Up Display (HUD) using Virtual HUD concepts. As such, these operational credits may be provided to significantly more aircraft for which HUD installation is neither practical nor possible. Second, the HWD provides unique display capabilities, such as an unlimited field-of-regard. These capabilities may be integral to emerging NextGen operational concepts, eliminating safety issues which might otherwise constrain the full realization of NextGen. The paper details recent research results, current HWD technology limitations, and future technology development needed to realize HWDs as a enabling technology for NextGen
Transition of Attention in Terminal Area NextGen Operations Using Synthetic Vision Systems
This experiment investigates the capability of Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) to provide significant situation awareness in terminal area operations, specifically in low visibility conditions. The use of a Head-Up Display (HUD) and Head-Down Displays (HDD) with SVS is contrasted to baseline standard head down displays in terms of induced workload and pilot behavior in 1400 RVR visibility levels. Variances across performance and pilot behavior were reviewed for acceptability when using HUD or HDD with SVS under reduced minimums to acquire the necessary visual components to continue to land. The data suggest superior performance for HUD implementations. Improved attentional behavior is also suggested for HDD implementations of SVS for low-visibility approach and landing operations
Variability in H9N2 haemagglutinin receptor-binding preference and the pH of fusion
H9N2 avian influenza viruses are primarily a disease of poultry; however, they occasionally infect humans and are considered a potential pandemic threat. Little work has been performed to assess the intrinsic biochemical properties related to zoonotic potential of H9N2 viruses. The objective of this study, therefore, was to investigate H9N2 haemagglutinins (HAs) using two well-known correlates for human adaption: receptor-binding avidity and pH of fusion. Receptor binding was characterized using bio-layer interferometry to measure virus binding to human and avian-like receptor analogues and the pH of fusion was assayed by syncytium formation in virus-infected cells at different pHs. We characterized contemporary H9N2 viruses of the zoonotic G1 lineage, as well as representative viruses of the zoonotic BJ94 lineage. We found that most contemporary H9N2 viruses show a preference for sulphated avian-like receptor analogues. However, the ‘Eastern’ G1 H9N2 viruses displayed a consistent preference in binding to a human-like receptor analogue. We demonstrate that the presence of leucine at position 226 of the HA receptor-binding site correlated poorly with the ability to bind a human-like sialic acid receptor. H9N2 HAs also display variability in their pH of fusion, ranging between pH 5.4 and 5.85 which is similar to that of the first wave of human H1N1pdm09 viruses but lower than the pH of fusion seen in zoonotic H5N1 and H7N9 viruses. Our results suggest possible molecular mechanisms that may underlie the relatively high prevalence of human zoonotic infection by particular H9N2 virus lineages
Fermions and bosons in nonsymmorphic PdSb2 with sixfold degeneracy
PdSb2 is a candidate for hosting 6-fold-degenerate exotic fermions (beyond
Dirac and Weyl fermions).The nontrivial band crossing protected by the
nonsymmorphic symmetry plays a crucial role in physical properties. We have
grown high-quality single crystals of PdSb2 and characterized their physical
properties under several stimuli (temperature, magnetic field, and pressure).
While it is a diamagnetic Fermi-liquid metal under ambient pressure, PdSb2
exhibits a large magnetoresistance with continuous increase up to 14 T, which
follows the Kohler's scaling law at all temperatures. This implies one-band
electrical transport, although multiple bands are predicted by first principles
calculations. By applying magnetic field along the [111] direction, de Haas-van
Alphen oscillations are observed with frequency of 102 T. The effective mass is
nearly zero (0.045m0) with the Berry phase close to {\pi}, confirming that the
band close to the R point has a nontrivial character. Under quasihydrostatic
pressure (p), evidence for superconductivity is observed in the resistivity
below the critical temperature Tc. The dome-shaped Tc versus p is obtained with
maximum Tc~2.9 K. We argue that the formation of Cooper pairs (bosons) is the
consequence of the redistribution of the 6-fold-degenerate fermions under
pressure
Mean-Field Theory for Spin Ladders Using Angular-Momentum Coupled Bases
We study properties of two-leg Heisenberg spin ladders in a mean-field
approximation using a variety of angular-momentum coupled bases. The mean-field
theory proposed by Gopalan, Rice, and Sigrist, which uses a rung basis, assumes
that the mean-field ground state consists of a condensate of spin-singlets
along the rungs of the ladder. We generalize this approach to larger
angular-momentum coupled bases which incorporate---by their mere definition---a
substantial fraction of the important short-range structure of these materials.
In these bases the mean-field ground-state remains a condensate of spin
singlet---but now with each involving a larger fraction of the spins in the
ladder. As expected, the ``purity'' of the ground-state, as judged by the
condensate fraction, increases with the size of the elementary block defining
the basis. Moreover, the coupling to quasiparticle excitations becomes weaker
as the size of the elementary block increases. Thus, the weak-coupling limit of
the theory becomes an accurate representation of the underlying mean-field
dynamics. We illustrate the method by computing static and dynamic properties
of two-leg ladders in the various angular-momentum coupled bases.Comment: 28 pages with 8 figure
Conductivity of Doped Two-Leg Ladders
Recently, conductivity measurements were performed on the hole-doped two-leg
ladder material Sr_{14-x}Ca_xCu_{24}O_{41}. In this work, we calculate the
conductivity for doped two-leg ladders using a model of hole-pairs forming a
strongly correlated liquid - a single component Luttinger liquid - in the
presence of disorder. Quantum interference effects are handled using
renormalization group methods. We find that our model can account for the low
energy features of the experimental results. However, at higher energies the
experiments show deviations from the predictions of this model. Using the
results of our calculations as well as results on the ground state of doped
two-leg ladders, we suggest a scenario to account for the higher energy
features of the experimental results.Comment: 5 pages, 3 postscript figure
Duality Twists on a Group Manifold
We study duality-twisted dimensional reductions on a group manifold G, where
the twist is in a group \tilde{G} and examine the conditions for consistency.
We find that if the duality twist is introduced through a group element
\tilde{g} in \tilde{G}, then the flat \tilde{G}-connection A =\tilde{g}^{-1}
d\tilde{g} must have constant components M_n with respect to the basis 1-forms
on G, so that the dependence on the internal coordinates cancels out in the
lower dimensional theory. This condition can be satisfied if and only if M_n
forms a representation of the Lie algebra of G, which then ensures that the
lower dimensional gauge algebra closes. We find the form of this gauge algebra
and compare it to that arising from flux compactifications on twisted tori. As
an example of our construction, we find a new five dimensional gauged, massive
supergravity theory by dimensionally reducing the eight dimensional Type II
supergravity on a three dimensional unimodular, non-semi-simple, non-abelian
group manifold with an SL(3,R) twist.Comment: 22 page
Toxicity in Beef Cattle Grazing \u3cem\u3eLeucaena leucocephala\u3c/em\u3e in Queensland, Australia
Improved pastures based on the leguminous shrub Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena) are the most productive, profitable and sustainable for beef cattle production in northern Australia. Leucaena forage contains the toxic, non-protein amino acid mimosine, which is rapidly converted to 3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridone (DHP) upon ingestion by grazing cattle. This is a potent goitrogen and appetite suppressant. Animals suffering severe DHP toxicity exhibit distinctive symptoms (e.g. hair loss, excessive salivation, goitre and weight loss), while subclinical DHP toxicity can suppress live weight gain by 30-50% without producing any obvious symptoms. Prior to the discovery and introduction of the DHP-degrading rumen bacteria Synergistes jonesii into Australia in 1982, DHP toxicity severely limited animal performance from leucaena pastures and was a major impediment to adoption. Initial rumen inoculation of cattle in Australia with S. jonesii successfully protected them against DHP toxicity and the bacterium appeared to be easily and rapidly transmitted between grazing animals. Consequently many scientists and graziers believed that a single inoculation of a herd with S. jonesii, combined with simple ongoing herd management, was sufficient to overcome the problem of DHP toxicity. However, during the 2003 drought there were several reports of severe leucaena toxicity (including animal deaths) in cattle grazing leucaena in Queensland. Toxicity was evident even in herds that had followed recommended control measures. Preliminary results are presented of a study, designed to ascertain the prevalence and possible causes of leucaena toxicity in Queensland cattle herds. Meat and Livestock Australia Limited funded this research (NBP.340)
Gene editing restores dystrophin expression in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin, a protein that maintains muscle integrity and function, cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The deltaE50-MD dog model of DMD harbors a mutation corresponding to a mutational “hotspot” in the human DMD gene. We used adeno-associated viruses to deliver CRISPR gene editing components to four dogs and examined dystrophin protein expression 6 weeks after intramuscular delivery (n = 2) or 8 weeks after systemic delivery (n = 2). After systemic delivery in skeletal muscle, dystrophin was restored to levels ranging from 3 to 90% of normal, depending on muscle type. In cardiac muscle, dystrophin levels in the dog receiving the highest dose reached 92% of normal. The treated dogs also showed improved muscle histology. These large-animal data support the concept that, with further development, gene editing approaches may prove clinically useful for the treatment of DMD
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