Aeroelastic Wing Shaping Using Distributed Propulsion

An aircraft has wings configured to twist during flight. Inboard and outboard propulsion devices, such as turbofans or other propulsors, are connected to each wing, and are spaced along the wing span. A flight controller independently controls thrust of the inboard and outboard propulsion devices to significantly change flight dynamics, including changing thrust of outboard propulsion devices to twist the wing, and to differentially apply thrust on each wing to change yaw and other aspects of the aircraft during various stages of a flight mission. One or more generators can be positioned upon the wing to provide power for propulsion devices on the same wing, and on an opposite wing

TCT-804 Outcomes of Trans-Carotid TAVR in a high-Volume Center

Background Although the preferred route for transcatheter aortic valve replacement is through the femoral artery, alternatives remain necessary for patients with obstructive iliofemoral disease. Our valve team has developed a large experience using the carotid artery as a primary alternative vascular access approach for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We aim to compare short-term outcomes by access route in a single-center, high-volume, transcarotid (TC) TAVR program. Methods All patients undergoing TAVR between September 2012 and September 2018 were included in the study. Baseline demographics and outcomes were obtained from data our institution submitted in compliance with TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) reporting and are supplemented by individual chart review. Results Overall, 1,153 commercial TAVR procedures were completed during the study period. Of these, 976 (85%) were transfemoral (TF), 105 (9%) were TC, and 72 (6%) were other (53 transapical, 14 transaxillary, 5 transaortic). TF patients had lower Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) scores (6.0% vs. 7.1% vs. 8.3%), peripheral vascular disease (24% vs. 88% vs. 72%), and cerebral vascular disease (11% vs. 17% vs. 32%) compared with TC and other patients, respectively (p \u3c 0.001). Combined in-hospital and 30-day mortality was 2.6% for the TF cohort versus 3.8% for TC (p = 0.36) and 13.9% for other (p \u3c 0.001). The stroke rate at 30 days was 3.7% for TF versus 3.8% for TC and 4.2% for other access routes (p = 0.98) (Table). Conclusion TAVR can be safely performed from the TC access route at a high-volume center with similar in-hospital and 30-day mortality and stroke rates compared with TF patients. Mortality was significantly increased, however, in patients treated with other alternative access routes

TESS Data Release Notes: Sector 18 DR25

This release note discusses the science data products produced by the Science Processing Operations Center at Ames Research Center from Sector 18 observations made with the TESS spacecraft and cameras as a means to document instrument performance and data characteristics

TESS Data Release Notes: Sector 17, DR24

This release note discusses the science data products produced by the Science Processing Operations Center at Ames Research Center from Sector 17 observations made with the TESS spacecraft and cameras as a means to document instrument performance and data characteristics

TESS Data Release Notes: Sector 20, DR27

This release note discusses the science data products produced by the Science Processing Operations Center at Ames Research Center from Sector 20 observations made with the TESS spacecraft and cameras as a means to document instrument performance and data characteristics

TESS Data Release Notes: Sector 16, DR22

This release note discusses the science data products produced by the Science Processing Operations Center at Ames Research Center from Sector 16 observations made with the TESS spacecraft and cameras as a means to document instrument performance and data characteristics

TESS Data Release Notes: Sector 9 DR11

This release note discusses the science data products produced by the Science Processing Operations Center at Ames Research Center from Sector 9 observations made with the TESS spacecraft and cameras as a means to document instrument performance and data characteristics

Motif-guided sparse decomposition of gene expression data for regulatory module identification

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genes work coordinately as gene modules or gene networks. Various computational approaches have been proposed to find gene modules based on gene expression data; for example, gene clustering is a popular method for grouping genes with similar gene expression patterns. However, traditional gene clustering often yields unsatisfactory results for regulatory module identification because the resulting gene clusters are co-expressed but not necessarily co-regulated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We propose a novel approach, motif-guided sparse decomposition (mSD), to identify gene regulatory modules by integrating gene expression data and DNA sequence motif information. The mSD approach is implemented as a two-step algorithm comprising estimates of (1) transcription factor activity and (2) the strength of the predicted gene regulation event(s). Specifically, a motif-guided clustering method is first developed to estimate the transcription factor activity of a gene module; sparse component analysis is then applied to estimate the regulation strength, and so predict the target genes of the transcription factors. The mSD approach was first tested for its improved performance in finding regulatory modules using simulated and real yeast data, revealing functionally distinct gene modules enriched with biologically validated transcription factors. We then demonstrated the efficacy of the mSD approach on breast cancer cell line data and uncovered several important gene regulatory modules related to endocrine therapy of breast cancer.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have developed a new integrated strategy, namely motif-guided sparse decomposition (mSD) of gene expression data, for regulatory module identification. The mSD method features a novel motif-guided clustering method for transcription factor activity estimation by finding a balance between co-regulation and co-expression. The mSD method further utilizes a sparse decomposition method for regulation strength estimation. The experimental results show that such a motif-guided strategy can provide context-specific regulatory modules in both yeast and breast cancer studies.</p

Securing the legacy of TESS through the care and maintenance of TESS planet ephemerides

Much of the science from the exoplanets detected by the TESS mission relies on precisely predicted transit times that are needed for many follow-up characterization studies. We investigate ephemeris deterioration for simulated TESS planets and find that the ephemerides of 81% of those will have expired (i.e. 1$\sigma$ mid-transit time uncertainties greater than 30 minutes) one year after their TESS observations. We verify these results using a sample of TESS planet candidates as well. In particular, of the simulated planets that would be recommended as JWST targets by Kempton et al. (2018), $\sim$80% will have mid-transit time uncertainties $>$ 30 minutes by the earliest time JWST would observe them. This rapid deterioration is driven primarily by the relatively short time baseline of TESS observations. We describe strategies for maintaining TESS ephemerides fresh through follow-up transit observations. We find that the longer the baseline between the TESS and the follow-up observations, the longer the ephemerides stay fresh, and that 51% of simulated primary mission TESS planets will require space-based observations. The recently-approved extension to the TESS mission will rescue the ephemerides of most (though not all) primary mission planets, but the benefits of these new observations can only be reaped two years after the primary mission observations. Moreover, the ephemerides of most primary mission TESS planets (as well as those newly discovered during the extended mission) will again have expired by the time future facilities such as the ELTs, Ariel and the possible LUVOIR/OST missions come online, unless maintenance follow-up observations are obtained.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted to AJ; main changes are cross-checking results against the sample of real TOIs, and addressing the impact of the TESS extended missio