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An aerial vehicle rotating in gyroscopic fashion about one of its axes has an optical system which scans an area below the vehicle in determined relation to vehicle rotation. A sensing device is provided to sense the physical condition of the area of scan and optical means are associated to direct the physical intelligence received from the scan area to the sensing means. Means are provided to incrementally move the optical means through a series of steps to effect sequential line scan of the area being viewed keyed to the rotational rate of the vehicle

Developing an On-Line Interactive Health Psychology Module.

On-line teaching material in health psychology was developed which ensured a range of students could access appropriate material for their course and level of study. This material has been developed around the concept of smaller 'content chunks' which can be combined into whole units of learning (topics), and ultimately, a module. On the basis of the underlying philosophy that the medium is part of the message, we considered interactivity to be a key element in engaging the student with the material. Consequently, the key aim of this development was to stimulate and engage students, promoting better involvement with the academic material, and hence better learning. It was hoped that this was achieved through the development of material including linked programmes and supporting material, small Java Scripts and basic email, forms and HTML additions. This material is outlined as are some of the interactive activities introduced, and the preliminary student and tutor experience described

Comparison of modelling techniques for milk-production forecasting

peer-reviewedThe objective of this study was to assess the suitability of 3 different modeling techniques for the prediction of total daily herd milk yield from a herd of 140 lactating pasture-based dairy cows over varying forecast horizons. A nonlinear auto-regressive model with exogenous input, a static artificial neural network, and a multiple linear regression model were developed using 3 yr of historical milk-production data. The models predicted the total daily herd milk yield over a full season using a 305-d forecast horizon and 50-, 30-, and 10-d moving piecewise horizons to test the accuracy of the models over long- and short-term periods. All 3 models predicted the daily production levels for a full lactation of 305 d with a percentage root mean square error (RMSE) of ≤12.03%. However, the nonlinear auto-regressive model with exogenous input was capable of increasing its prediction accuracy as the horizon was shortened from 305 to 50, 30, and 10 d [RMSE (%) = 8.59, 8.1, 6.77, 5.84], whereas the static artificial neural network [RMSE (%) = 12.03, 12.15, 11.74, 10.7] and the multiple linear regression model [RMSE (%) = 10.62, 10.68, 10.62, 10.54] were not able to reduce their forecast error over the same horizons to the same extent. For this particular application the nonlinear auto-regressive model with exogenous input can be presented as a more accurate alternative to conventional regression modeling techniques, especially for short-term milk-yield predictions

Associations of height, leg length, and lung function with cardiovascular risk factors in the Midspan Family Study

<b>Background</b>: Taller people and those with better lung function are at reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Biological mechanisms for these associations are not well understood, but both measures may be markers for early life exposures. Some studies have shown that leg length, an indicator of pre-pubertal nutritional status, is the component of height most strongly associated with CHD risk. Other studies show that height-CHD associations are greatly attenuated when lung function is controlled for. This study examines (1) the association of height and the components of height (leg length and trunk length) with CHD risk factors and (2) the relative strength of the association of height and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) with risk factors for CHD. <b>Subjects and methods</b>: Cross sectional analysis of data collected at detailed cardiovascular screening examinations of 1040 men and 1298 women aged 30–59 whose parents were screened in 1972–76. Subjects come from 1477 families and are members of the Midspan Family Study. <b>Setting</b>: The towns of Renfrew and Paisley in the West of Scotland. <b>Results</b>: Taller subjects and those with better lung function had more favourable cardiovascular risk factor profiles, associations were strongest in relation to FEV1. Higher FEV1 was associated with lower blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, fibrinogen, white blood cell count, and body mass index. Similar, but generally weaker, associations were seen with height. These associations were not attenuated in models controlling for parental height. Longer leg length, but not trunk length, was associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Longer leg length was also associated with more favourable levels of cholesterol and body mass index than trunk length. <b>Conclusions</b>:These findings provide indirect evidence that measures of lung development and pre-pubertal growth act as biomarkers for childhood exposures that may modify an individual's risk of developing CHD. Genetic influences do not seem to underlie height-CHD associations

What’s a threat on social media? How Black and Latino Chicago young men define and navigate threats online

Youth living in violent urban neighborhoods increasingly post messages online from urban street corners. The decline of the digital divide and the proliferation of social media platforms connect youth to peer communities who may share experiences with neighborhood stress and trauma. Social media can also be used for targeted retribution when threats and insults are directed at individuals or groups. Recent research suggests that gang-involved youth may use social media to brag, post fight videos, insult, and threaten—a phenomenon termed Internet banging. In this article, we leverage “code of the digital street” to understand how and in what ways social media facilitates urban-based youth violence. We utilize qualitative interviews from 33 Black and Latino young men who frequent violence prevention programs and live in violent neighborhoods in Chicago. Emerging themes describe how and why online threats are conceptualized on social media. Implications for violence prevention and criminal investigations are discussed

Magnetic Flux Transport at the Solar Surface

After emerging to the solar surface, the Sun's magnetic field displays a complex and intricate evolution. The evolution of the surface field is important for several reasons. One is that the surface field, and its dynamics, sets the boundary condition for the coronal and heliospheric magnetic fields. Another is that the surface evolution gives us insight into the dynamo process. In particular, it plays an essential role in the Babcock-Leighton model of the solar dynamo. Describing this evolution is the aim of the surface flux transport model. The model starts from the emergence of magnetic bipoles. Thereafter, the model is based on the induction equation and the fact that after emergence the magnetic field is observed to evolve as if it were purely radial. The induction equation then describes how the surface flows -- differential rotation, meridional circulation, granular, supergranular flows, and active region inflows -- determine the evolution of the field (now taken to be purely radial). In this paper, we review the modeling of the various processes that determine the evolution of the surface field. We restrict our attention to their role in the surface flux transport model. We also discuss the success of the model and some of the results that have been obtained using this model.Comment: 39 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Space Sci. Re

Primary pulmonary hypertension is associated with reduced pulmonary vascular expression of type II bone morphogenetic protein receptor

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the type II receptor for bone morphogenetic protein (BMPR-II), a receptor member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily, underlie many familial and sporadic cases of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). METHODS AND RESULTS: Because the sites of expression of BMPR-II in the normal and hypertensive lung are unknown, we studied the cellular localization of BMPR-II and the related type I and II receptors for TGF-beta by immunohistochemistry in lung sections from patients undergoing heart-lung transplantation for PPH (n=11, including 3 familial cases) or secondary pulmonary hypertension (n=6) and from unused donor lungs (n=4). In situ hybridization was performed for BMPR-II mRNA. Patients were screened for the presence of mutations in BMPR2. In normal lungs, BMPR-II expression was prominent on vascular endothelium, with minimal expression in airway and arterial smooth muscle. In pulmonary hypertension cases, the intensity of BMPR-II immunostaining varied between lesions but involved endothelial and myofibroblast components. Image analysis confirmed that expression of BMPR-II was markedly reduced in the peripheral lung of PPH patients, especially in those harboring heterozygous BMPR2 mutations. A less marked reduction was also observed in patients with secondary pulmonary hypertension. In contrast, there was no difference in level of staining for TGF-betaRII or the endothelial marker CD31. CONCLUSIONS: The cellular localization of BMPR-II is consistent with a role in the formation of pulmonary vascular lesions in PPH, and reduced BMPR-II expression may contribute to the process of vascular obliteration in severe pulmonary hypertension

A Sex-Positive Approach to Healthcare, and Truvada as HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Nationally, incidence of new HIV infections has hovered around over 50,000 per year and men who have sex with men (MSM) carry the largest burden. In Vermont, 56% of individuals newly diagnosed are MSM, with 25% of diagnoses among youth ages 13-24 years old. Despite the proven efficacy and approval of daily Truvada (emtricitabine + tenofovir) as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV infection, provider understanding and awareness of its use has remained extremely limited in Vermont with last estimates at just over 9 providers familiar with PrEP (excluding UVM Student Health, Planned Parenthood, and UVM Medical Center infectious disease department). Based on a UVM College of Medicine student public health project which identified provider training and education as the largest barrier to prescribing PrEP, this ongoing project aims to familiarize Vermont primary care providers with language and sexual history taking in MSM, emphasize accurate identification of higher risk times for HIV infection in an individual\u27s lifetime, and encourage consideration for PrEP as a powerful element of a comprehensive sexual health program

Doping Evolution of Magnetic Order and Magnetic Excitations in (Sr1−x_{1-x}Lax_x)3_3Ir2_2O7_7

We use resonant elastic and inelastic X-ray scattering at the Ir-$L_3$ edge to study the doping-dependent magnetic order, magnetic excitations and spin-orbit excitons in the electron-doped bilayer iridate (Sr$_{1-x}$La$_{x}$)$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$ ($0 \leq x \leq 0.065$). With increasing doping $x$, the three-dimensional long range antiferromagnetic order is gradually suppressed and evolves into a three-dimensional short range order from $x = 0$ to $0.05$, followed by a transition to two-dimensional short range order between $x = 0.05$ and $0.065$. Following the evolution of the antiferromagnetic order, the magnetic excitations undergo damping, anisotropic softening and gap collapse, accompanied by weakly doping-dependent spin-orbit excitons. Therefore, we conclude that electron doping suppresses the magnetic anisotropy and interlayer couplings and drives (Sr$_{1-x}$La$_x$)$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$ into a correlated metallic state hosting two-dimensional short range antiferromagnetic order and strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations of $J_{\text{eff}} = \frac{1}{2}$ moments, with the magnon gap strongly suppressed.Comment: 6 Pages, 3 Figures, with supplementary in Sourc