Using an Augmented Reality App for Flight Training

As the global demand for aviation pilots continues to drastically increase, flight schools are experiencing a large influx of ab-initio flight students. Such flight training programs are seeking innovative, cutting-edge technologies to support these students and expedite their flight training. The ARAir app, a custom app developed by our team, was designed for ab-initio pilots training at the Embry-Riddle Prescott campus. The initial implementation in Spring 2021 included phonetic alphabet practice and strategic radiotelephony that allows students to practice in a self-paced environment with immediate corrective feedback at various levels of complexity. Students can compete against themselves to improve phonetic alphabet knowledge, create initial radio transmissions, read back ATC instructions, and manipulate an aircraft to the correct intended location at the KPRC airport. Based on the survey and interview feedback collected after the initial implementation, additional support for checklist memorization using the Augmented Reality (AR) feature was added to the ARAir app. This presentation will report students’ learning experience with the improved ARAir in the second implementation in Spring 2022

The acquisition of Sign Language: The impact of phonetic complexity on phonology

Research into the effect of phonetic complexity on phonological acquisition has a long history in spoken languages. This paper considers the effect of phonetics on phonological development in a signed language. We report on an experiment in which nonword-repetition methodology was adapted so as to examine in a systematic way how phonetic complexity in two phonological parameters of signed languages — handshape and movement — affects the perception and articulation of signs. Ninety-one Deaf children aged 3–11 acquiring British Sign Language (BSL) and 46 hearing nonsigners aged 6–11 repeated a set of 40 nonsense signs. For Deaf children, repetition accuracy improved with age, correlated with wider BSL abilities, and was lowest for signs that were phonetically complex. Repetition accuracy was correlated with fine motor skills for the youngest children. Despite their lower repetition accuracy, the hearing group were similarly affected by phonetic complexity, suggesting that common visual and motoric factors are at play when processing linguistic information in the visuo-gestural modality

Coordination of opposing sex-specific and core muscle groups regulates male tail posture during Caenorhabditis elegans male mating behavior

Background To survive and reproduce, animals must be able to modify their motor behavior in response to changes in the environment. We studied a complex behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans, male mating behavior, which provided a model for understanding motor behaviors at the genetic, molecular as well as circuit level. C. elegans male mating behavior consists of a series of six sub-steps: response to contact, backing, turning, vulva location, spicule insertion, and sperm transfer. The male tail contains most of the sensory structures required for mating, in addition to the copulatory structures, and thus to carry out the steps of mating behavior, the male must keep his tail in contact with the hermaphrodite. However, because the hermaphrodite does not play an active role in mating and continues moving, the male must modify his tail posture to maintain contact. We provide a better understanding of the molecular and neuro-muscular pathways that regulate male tail posture during mating. Results Genetic and laser ablation analysis, in conjunction with behavioral assays were used to determine neurotransmitters, receptors, neurons and muscles required for the regulation of male tail posture. We showed that proper male tail posture is maintained by the coordinated activity of opposing muscle groups that curl the tail ventrally and dorsally. Specifically, acetylcholine regulates both ventral and dorsal curling of the male tail, partially through anthelmintic levamisole-sensitive, nicotinic receptor subunits. Male-specific muscles are required for acetylcholine-driven ventral curling of the male tail but dorsal curling requires the dorsal body wall muscles shared by males and hermaphrodites. Gamma-aminobutyric acid activity is required for both dorsal and ventral acetylcholine-induced curling of the male tail and an inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor, UNC-49, prevents over-curling of the male tail during mating, suggesting that cross-inhibition of muscle groups helps maintain proper tail posture. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that coordination of opposing sex-specific and core muscle groups, through the activity of multiple neurotransmitters, is required for regulation of male tail posture during mating. We have provided a simple model for regulation of male tail posture that provides a foundation for studies of how genes, molecular pathways, and neural circuits contribute to sensory regulation of this motor behavior

On the Surface Structure of Strange Superheavy Nuclei

Bound, strange, neutral superheavy nuclei, stable against strong decay, may exist. A model effective field theory calculation of the surface energy and density of such systems is carried out assuming vector meson couplings to conserved currents and scalar couplings fit to data where it exists. The non-linear relativistic mean field equations are solved assuming local baryon sources. The approach is calibrated through a successful calculation of the known nuclear surface tension.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure

Optical Silencing of C. elegans Cells with Arch Proton Pump

BACKGROUND: Optogenetic techniques using light-driven ion channels or ion pumps for controlling excitable cells have greatly facilitated the investigation of nervous systems in vivo. A model organism, C. elegans, with its small transparent body and well-characterized neural circuits, is especially suitable for optogenetic analyses. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We describe the application of archaerhodopsin-3 (Arch), a recently reported optical neuronal silencer, to C. elegans. Arch::GFP expressed either in all neurons or body wall muscles of the entire body by means of transgenes were localized, at least partially, to the cell membrane without adverse effects, and caused locomotory paralysis of worms when illuminated by green light (550 nm). Pan-neuronal expression of Arch endowed worms with quick and sustained responsiveness to such light. Worms reliably responded to repeated periods of illumination and non-illumination, and remained paralyzed under continuous illumination for 30 seconds. Worms expressing Arch in different subsets of motor neurons exhibited distinct defects in the locomotory behavior under green light: selective silencing of A-type motor neurons affected backward movement while silencing of B-type motor neurons affected forward movement more severely. Our experiments using a heat-shock-mediated induction system also indicate that Arch becomes fully functional only 12 hours after induction and remains functional for more than 24 hour. CONCLUSIONS/SGNIFICANCE: Arch can be used for silencing neurons and muscles, and may be a useful alternative to currently widely used halorhodopsin (NpHR) in optogenetic studies of C. elegans

Substrate specificity of a long-chain alkylamine-degrading Pseudomonas sp isolated from activated sludge

A bacterium strain BERT, which utilizes primary long-chain alkylamines as nitrogen, carbon and energy source, was isolated from activated sludge. This rod-shaped motile, Gram-negative strain was identified as a Pseudomonas sp. The substrate spectrum of this Pseudomonas strain BERT includes primary alkylamines with alkyl chains ranging from C3 to C18, and dodecyl-1,3-diaminopropane. Amines with alkyl chains ranging from 8 to 14 carbons were the preferred substrates. Growth on dodecanal, dodecanoic acid and acetic acid and simultaneous adaptation studies indicated that this bacterium initiates degradation through a Calkyl–N cleavage. The cleavage of alkylamines to the respective alkanals in Pseudomonas strain BERT is mediated by a PMS-dependent alkylamine dehydrogenase. This alkylamine dehydrogenase produces stoichiometric amounts of ammonium from octylamine. The PMS-dependent alkylamine was found to oxidize a broad range of long-chain alkylamines. PMS-dependent long-chain aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was also detected in cell-free extract of Pseudomonas strain BERT grown on octylamine. The proposed pathway for the oxidation of alkylamine in strain BERT proceeds from alkylamine to alkanal, and then to the fatty acid

Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects

The livestock sector globally is highly dynamic. In developing countries, it is evolving in response to rapidly increasing demand for livestock products. In developed countries, demand for livestock products is stagnating, while many production systems are increasing their efficiency and environmental sustainability. Historical changes in the demand for livestock products have been largely driven by human population growth, income growth and urbanization and the production response in different livestock systems has been associated with science and technology as well as increases in animal numbers. In the future, production will increasingly be affected by competition for natural resources, particularly land and water, competition between food and feed and by the need to operate in a carbon-constrained economy. Developments in breeding, nutrition and animal health will continue to contribute to increasing potential production and further efficiency and genetic gains. Livestock production is likely to be increasingly affected by carbon constraints and environmental and animal welfare legislation. Demand for livestock products in the future could be heavily moderated by socio-economic factors such as human health concerns and changing socio-cultural values. There is considerable uncertainty as to how these factors will play out in different regions of the world in the coming decades

Calcineurin and Protein kinase G regulate C. elegans behavioral quiescence during locomotion in liquid

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Most rhythmic motor behaviors in nature are episodic i.e. they alternate between different behavioral states, including quiescence. Electrophysiological studies in invertebrate behavioral switching, maintenance and quiescence have elucidated several neuronal mechanisms that generate a temporal pattern in behavior. However, the genetic bases of these processes are less well studied. We have previously uncovered a novel episodic behavior exhibited by <it>C. elegans </it>in liquid media where they alternate between distinct phases of rhythmic swimming and quiescence. Here, we have investigated the effect of several genes and their site of action on the behavioral quiescence exhibited in liquid by the nematode <it>C. elegans</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have previously reported that high cholinergic signaling promotes quiescence and command interneurons are critical for timing the quiescence bout durations. We have found that in addition to command interneurons, sensory neurons are also critical for quiescence. We show that the protein phosphatase calcineurin homolog <it>tax-6 </it>promotes swimming whereas the protein kinase G homolog <it>egl-4 </it>promotes quiescence. <it>tax-6 </it>expression in the sensory neurons is sufficient to account for its effect. <it>egl-4 </it>also acts in multiple sensory neurons to mediate its effect on quiescence. In addition our data is consistent with regulation of quiescence by <it>egl-4 </it>acting functionally downstream of release of acetylcholine (ACh) by motor neurons.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study provides genetic evidence for mechanisms underlying the maintenance of a behavioral state operating at multiple neuronal levels through the activities of a kinase and a phosphatase. These results in a genetically tractable organism establish a framework for further dissection of the mechanism of quiescence during episodic behaviors.</p

A Novel Sperm-Delivered Toxin Causes Late-Stage Embryo Lethality and Transmission Ratio Distortion in C. elegans

The evolutionary fate of an allele ordinarily depends on its contribution to host fitness. Occasionally, however, genetic elements arise that are able to gain a transmission advantage while simultaneously imposing a fitness cost on their hosts. We previously discovered one such element in C. elegans that gains a transmission advantage through a combination of paternal-effect killing and zygotic self-rescue. Here we demonstrate that this element is composed of a sperm-delivered toxin, peel-1, and an embryo-expressed antidote, zeel-1. peel-1 and zeel-1 are located adjacent to one another in the genome and co-occur in an insertion/deletion polymorphism. peel-1 encodes a novel four-pass transmembrane protein that is expressed in sperm and delivered to the embryo via specialized, sperm-specific vesicles. In the absence of zeel-1, sperm-delivered PEEL-1 causes lethal defects in muscle and epidermal tissue at the 2-fold stage of embryogenesis. zeel-1 is expressed transiently in the embryo and encodes a novel six-pass transmembrane domain fused to a domain with sequence similarity to zyg-11, a substrate-recognition subunit of an E3 ubiquitin ligase. zeel-1 appears to have arisen recently, during an expansion of the zyg-11 family, and the transmembrane domain of zeel-1 is required and partially sufficient for antidote activity. Although PEEL-1 and ZEEL-1 normally function in embryos, these proteins can act at other stages as well. When expressed ectopically in adults, PEEL-1 kills a variety of cell types, and ectopic expression of ZEEL-1 rescues these effects. Our results demonstrate that the tight physical linkage between two novel transmembrane proteins has facilitated their co-evolution into an element capable of promoting its own transmission to the detriment of organisms carrying it

The microphytobenthos of Königshafen — spatial and seasonal distribution on a sandy tidal flat

A microphytobenthic species composition of a tidal flat in the northern Wadden Sea was analysed regarding cell numbers and biomass (in carbon units). The three sampling sites differed in tidal inundation from 15 cm to about 90 cm water depth at high tide. The sediment was sandy at all three stations. A cluster analysis revealed a separation of the benthic diatoms into three areas: aNereis-Corophium-belt, a seagrass-bed and theArenicola-flat. Small epipsammic diatoms were most abundant and dominated the microalgal biomass. A microphytobenthic “spring bloom” even started beneath the ice cover of the flat in January. Lowest values of cell numbers and biomass of benthic microalgae were found in summer. Highest values were measured in the uppermost area (Nereis-Corophium-belt), and only here was an autumnal increase of benthic microalgae found. Further cluster analysis within each of the three areas revealed seasonal differences although the majority of species were present all year round. Many species were most abundant in spring, and some showed a bimodal distribution (spring-autumn) in the year of investigatio