N+3 Small Commercial Efficient and Quiet Transportation for Year 2030-2035

This study develops a future scenario that enables convenient point-to-point commercial air travel via a large network of community airports and a new class of small airliners. A network demand and capacity study identifies current and future air travel demands and the capacity of this new network to satisfy these demands. A current technology small commercial airliner is defined to meet the needs of the new network, as a baseline for evaluating the improvement brought about by advanced technologies. Impact of this new mode of travel on the infrastructure and surrounding communities of the small airports in this new N+3 network are also evaluated. Year 2030-2035 small commercial airliner technologies are identified and a trade study conducted to evaluate and select those with the greatest potential for enhancing future air travel and the study metrics. The selected advanced air vehicle concept is assessed against the baseline aircraft, and an advanced, but conventional aircraft, and the study metrics. The key technologies of the selected advanced air vehicle are identified, their impact quantified, and risk assessments and roadmaps defined

Structure of the Branched Chain Amino Acid and GTP Sensing Global Regulator, CodY, from Bacillus subtilis

CodY is a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and GTP sensor, and a global regulator of transcription in low G + C Gram-positive bacteria. It controls the expression of over 100 genes and operons, principally by repressing during growth genes whose products are required for adaptations to nutrient limitation. CodY consists of a GAF domain that binds BCAAs and a winged helix-turn-helix (wHTH) domain that binds to DNA, but the way in which these domains interact and the structural basis of the BCAA-dependence of this interaction are unknown. To gain new insights, we determined the crystal structure of unliganded CodY from Bacillus subtilis revealing a 10-turn alpha-helix linking otherwise discrete GAF and wHTH domains. The structure of CodY in complex with isoleucine revealed a reorganised GAF domain. In both complexes CodY was tetrameric. Size exclusion chromatography with multiangle laser light scattering (SEC-MALLS) experiments showed that CodY is a dimer at concentrations found in bacterial cells. Comparison of structures of dimers of unliganded CodY and CodY-Ile derived from the tetramers showed a splaying of the wHTH domains when Ile was bound; splaying is likely to account for the increased affinity of Ile-bound CodY for DNA. Electrophoretic mobility shift and SEC-MALLS analyses of CodY binding to 19-36 base-pair operator fragment are consistent with isoleucine-dependent binding of two CodY dimers per duplex. The implications of these observations for effector control of CodY activity are discussed

Assistive Technology: Robot Arm

Our client, CH, is wheelchair-bound and has limited autonomy due to advanced stage Multiple Sclerosis. The primary objective of this project is to return some autonomy to CH through a desk-mounted robot arm which CH will control through an app on his android tablet. CH will be able to interface with the app using a mouthpiece mounted stylus, commanding the robotic arm to pick up and deliver snacks that CH wants. The robotic arm will be programmed in a way that gives CH access to each individual servo and allows more variable movement. The team will also add a macros system to automate repetitive motions. Ultimately, the servo movement and macros will reduce CH\u27s reliance upon caregivers to pick up snacks and small convenience items and allow him autonomy to retrieve these items on his own

Federally Qualified Health Centers’ Capacity and Readiness for Research Collaborations: Implications for Clinical-Academic-Community Partnerships

BACKGROUND: Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) provide a health care safety net for underserved populations and contribute unique expertise to research that could further enhance quality of patient care. The purpose of this research was to assess interest in, readiness to, and capacity for conducting research in FQHCs in South Carolina (SC). METHODS: A Web-based survey was administered to 20 FQHCs across SC. Fourteen representatives of FQHCs completed the 39-item survey that assessed research experience and interest, partnerships and funding, barriers and benefits to research participation, training and technical assistance needs, and research capacity. RESULTS: FQHCs are interested in conducting research. FQHCs reported that health center leadership, organizational benefit, active engagement of staff, and clear roles for partners were important factors for successful partnerships. Inequity of budget and resources were the greatest challenges encountered. Improved patient outcomes, additional resources for the center, reduction in disparities, and academic partnerships were considered benefits for participation. FQHCs were interested in training and technical assistance opportunities for research funding and best practices for the use of research to inform programs and services. CONCLUSIONS: FQHCs are willing to collaborate on research. For successful research partnerships, collaborators should understand FQHCs\u27 challenges and barriers to participation

2001 AAPP Monograph Series

The African American Professors Program (AAPP) at the University of South Carolina is pleased to produce this premier edition of its annual monograph series. It is fitting that the program assume a leadership role in promoting scholarly products that will prove to be useful in future research efforts by faculty and students in higher education. Scholars who have contributed manuscripts for this monograph are to be commended for adding this additional responsibility to their academic workload. Writing across disciplines adds to the intellectual diversity of these papers. From neophytes, relatively speaking, to an array of very experienced individuals, the chapters have been researched and, comprehensively, written. AAPP was created in 1997 under the leadership of Drs. Aretha B. Pigford and Leonard 0. Pellicer, Department of Educational Leadership and Policies. It was designed to address the underrepresentation of African American professors on college and university campuses. Its mission is to expand the pool of these professors in critical academic and research areas. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the South Carolina General Assembly, the program recruits students with bachelor\u27s, master\u27s, and doctoral degrees for disciplines in which African Americans, currently, are underrepresented. An important component of the program is the mentoring experience that is provided. Each student is assigned to a mentor professor who guides the student through a selected academic program and provides various learning experiences. When possible, the mentor serves as chair of the student\u27s doctoral committee. The mentor, also, provides opportunities for the student to team teach, conduct research, and co-author publications. Students have opportunities to attend committee, faculty, and professional meetings, as well as engage in a range of activities that characterize professional life in academia. Scholars enrolled in the program, also, are involved in programmatic and institutional workshops, independent research, and program development. The establishment or genesis of this monograph series is seen as responding to an opportunity to be sensitive to an academic expectation of graduates as they pursue career placement and, also, one that allows for the dissemination of AAPP products to a broader community. We hope that you, likewise, will read this premier monograph of the African American Professors Program with enthusiasm or enlightenment. John McFadden, Ph.D. The Benjamin Elijah Mays Professor Director, African American Professors Program University of South Carolinahttps://scholarcommons.sc.edu/mcfadden_monographs/1005/thumbnail.jp

Efficacy of imidacloprid + moxidectin and selamectin topical solutions against the KS1 Ctenocephalides felis flea strain infesting cats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Two studies were conducted to evaluate and compare the efficacy of imidacloprid + moxidectin and selamectin topical solutions against the KS1 flea strain infesting cats. In both studies the treatment groups were comprised of non-treated controls, 6% w/v selamectin (Revolution^®; Pfizer Animal Health) topical solution and 10% w/v imidacloprid + 1% w/v moxidectin (Advantage <it>Multi</it>^®for Cats, Bayer Animal Health) topical solution. All cats were infested with 100 fleas on Days -2, 7, 14, 21, and 28. The difference in the studies was that in study #1 efficacy evaluations were conducted at 24 and 48 hours post-treatment or post-infestation, and in study #2 evaluations were conducted at 12 and 24 hours.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In study #1 imidacloprid + moxidectin and the selamectin formulation provided 99.8% and 99.0% efficacy at 24 hours post-treatment. On day 28, the 24 hour efficacy of the selamectin formulation dropped to 87.1%, whereas the imidacloprid + moxidectin formulation provided 98.9% efficacy. At the 48 hour assessments following the 28 day infestations, efficacy of the imidacloprid + moxidectin and selamectin formulations was 96.8% and 98.3% respectively. In study # 2 the efficacy of the imidacloprid + moxidectin and selamectin formulations 12 hours after treatment was 100% and 69.4%, respectively. On day 28, efficacy of the imidacloprid + moxidectin and selamectin formulations 12 hours after infestation was 90.2% and 57.3%, respectively. In study #2 both formulations provided high levels of efficacy at the 24 hour post-infestation assessments, with selamectin and imidacloprid + moxidectin providing 95.3% and 97.5% efficacy, following infestations on day 28.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>At the 24 and 48 hour residual efficacy assessments, the imidacloprid + moxidectin and selamectin formulations were similarly highly efficacious. However, the imidacloprid + moxidectin formulation provided a significantly higher rate of flea kill against the KS1 flea strain infesting cats at every 12 hour post-infestation residual efficacy assessment. Both formulations should provide excellent flea control for an entire month on cats.</p

A Multi-Gene Region Targeted Capture Approach to Detect Plant DNA in Environmental Samples: A Case Study From Coastal Environments

Published: 25 October 2021Metabarcoding of plant DNA recovered from environmental samples, termed environmental DNA (eDNA), has been used to detect invasive species, track biodiversity changes, and reconstruct past ecosystems. The P6 loop of the trnL intron is the most widely utilised gene region for metabarcoding plants due to the short fragment length and subsequent ease of recovery from degraded DNA, which is characteristic of environmental samples. However, the taxonomic resolution for this gene region is limited, often precluding species level identification. Additionally, targeting gene regions using universal primers can bias results as some taxa will amplify more effectively than others. To increase the ability of DNA metabarcoding to better resolve flowering plant species (angiosperms) within environmental samples, and reduce bias in amplification, we developed a multi-gene targeted capture method that simultaneously targets 20 chloroplast gene regions in a single assay across all flowering plant species. Using this approach, we effectively recovered multiple chloroplast gene regions for three species within artificial DNA mixtures down to 0.001 ng/mL of DNA. We tested the detection level of this approach, successfully recovering target genes for 10 flowering plant species. Finally, we applied this approach to sediment samples containing unknown compositions of eDNA and confidently detected plant species that were later verified with observation data. Targeting multiple chloroplast gene regions in environmental samples, enabled species-level information to be recovered from complex DNA mixtures. Thus, the method developed here, confers an improved level of data on community composition, which can be used to better understand flowering plant assemblages in environmental samples.Nicole R. Foster, Kor-jent van Dijk, Ed Biffin, Jennifer M. Young, Vicki A. Thomson, Bronwyn M. Gillanders, Alice R. Jones and Michelle Waycot

Face processing: human perception and principal components analysis

Principal component analysis (PCA) of face images is here related to subjects' performance on the same images. In two experiments subjects were shown a set of faces and asked to rate them for distinctiveness. They were subsequently shown a superset of faces and asked to identify those which appeared originally. Replicating previous work, we found that hits and false positives (FPs) did not correlate: those faces easy to identify as being "seen" were unrelated to those faces easy to reject as being "unseen". PCA was performed on three data sets: (i) face images with eye-position standardised; (ii) face images morphed to a standard template to remove shape information; (iii) the shape information from faces only. Analyses based upon PCA of shape-free faces gave high predictions of FPs, while shape information itself contributed only to hits. Furthermore, while FPs were generally predictable from components early in the PCA, hits appear to be accounted for by later components. We conclude that shape and "texture" (the image-based information remaining after morphing) may be used separately by the human face processing system, and that PCA of images offers a useful tool for understanding this system