USE OF FLEET AVIATION ELECTRONIC ATTACK SQUADRONS FOR OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION OF NEXT GENERATION JAMMER MID-BAND (ALQ-249) PROGRAM

The purpose of this research is to analyze the potential advantages, disadvantages, and risks to cost, schedule, and performance of shifting the role of operational test and evaluation (OT&E) of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) program from a dedicated OT&E squadron at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (AIRTEVRON NINE; VX-9) to a fleet aviation electronic attack squadron. The operational constraints of the modern Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) squadron to deploy as part of the warfighting force against a peer adversary is examined to identify the risks to the successful OT&E of the NGJ-MB program. My methodology includes examining fleet operational tempo and the Navy’s Optimized Fleet Response Plan scheduling, resourcing, training, proficiency, tactical expertise, and administration. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis, followed by a cost-effective analysis, are used to analyze the risks to test execution and reporting compared to VX-9. In the research conclusion, I recommend the more beneficial, efficient, and effective path to execute OT&E for the NGJ-MB program. The consequences to cost, schedule, and performance to the NGJ-MB program give high confidence that fleet aviation squadrons should not be tasked to perform OT&E. VX-9 should be properly resourced, funded, and supported by the Navy to assess the operational effectiveness and suitability of the NGJ-MB pod.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Chromosomal assignment of genes controlling salt-soluble proteins (albumins and globulins) in wheat and related species

alt-soluble proteins from the endosperms of wheat, barley, and rye have been separated by nonequilibrium electrofocusing x electrophoresis. Genes encoding 14 of the 25 components observed in wheat have been unambiguously assigned to 10 different chromosomes (1B, 3B, 3D, 4A, 4D, 5B, 6B, 6D, 7B, 7D) by analysis of the compensated nulli-tetrasomic series. Five more wheat proteins seem to be controlled by group 2 chromosomes. Analysis of wheat-barley and wheat-rye addition lines has led to the location of genes for 6 out of 20 barley proteins in 4 different chromosomes (1H, 3H, 4H, 6H; 1H is homoeologous to group 7 chromosomes of wheat) and of genes for 5 out of 20 rye proteins in two different chromosomes (2R, 4R). The relationship between the proteins reported here and previously characterized ones is discussed

Morocco as a possible domestication center for barley: biochemical and agromorphological evidence.

The distribution of genetic variants of a group of low molecular weight, chloroform-methanol soluble proteins (CM proteins), among Moroccan and non-Moroccan accessions of Hordeum spontaneum and among selections from several Moroccan landraces of H. vulgare and cultivars of the same species with widespread European origin, suggests that domestication of barley might have taken place in Morocco. An agromorphological characterization of the H. spontaneum accessions further supports this hypothesis. The possible Moroccan origin of the French cultivar Hatif de Grignon and of several Spanish 6-rowed barleys is also presented

Recombinant lipid transfer protein Tri a 14: a novel heat and proteolytic resistant tool for the diagnosis of baker's asthma

BACKGROUND Baker's asthma is an important occupational allergic disease. Wheat lipid transfer protein (LTP) Tri a 14 is a major allergen associated with wheat allergy. No panel of wheat recombinant allergens for component-resolved diagnosis of baker's asthma is currently available. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the potential role of recombinant Tri a 14 as a novel tool for the diagnosis of baker's asthma, and to test the heat and proteolytic resistance of the wheat LTP allergen. METHODS A cDNA encoding Tri a 14 was isolated and sequenced, the recombinant allergen produced in Pichia pastoris and purified by chromatographic methods. Physicochemical and immunological comparison of the natural and recombinant forms of Tri a 14 was carried out by N-terminal amino acid sequencing, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, circular dichroism (CD) analysis, IgE immunodetection, and specific IgE determination and ELISA-inhibition assays using a pool or individual sera from 26 patients with baker's asthma. Thermal denaturation and simulated gastrointestinal digestion of both Tri a 14 forms were checked by spectroscopic and electrophoretic methods, respectively, and biological activity by basophil activation test (BAT). RESULTS Natural and recombinant Tri a 14 were similarly folded, as indicated by their nearly identical CD spectra and heat denaturation profiles. A high interclass correlation coefficient (0.882) was found between specific IgE levels to both Tri a 14 proteins in individual sera from baker's asthma patients, but a slightly lower IgE-binding potency of rTri a 14 was detected by ELISA-inhibition assays. Natural and recombinant Tri a 14 elicited positive BAT in two and one out of three patients, respectively. Heat denaturation profiles and simulated gastrointestinal digestion assays indicated that Tri a 14 displayed a high heat and digestive proteolytic resistance, comparable to those of peach Pru p 3, the model food allergen of the LTP family. CONCLUSIONS Recombinant Tri a 14 is a potential tool for baker's asthma diagnosis, based on its physicochemical and immunological similarity with its natural counterpart. Wheat Tri a 14 shows a high thermal stability and resistance to gastrointestinal digestion

Novel tools for the diagnosis of baker's asthma: wheat lipid transfer protein Tri a 14

Background: Baker’s asthma is among the most important occupational allergic diseases. Wheat lipid transfer protein (LTP) Tri a 14 has been reported as a major allergen associated with wheat allergy. No panel of wheat recombinant allergens for component-resolved diagnosis of baker’s asthma is currently performed. We sought to evaluate the potential role of recombinant Tri a 14 as a novel tool for the diagnosis of baker’s asthma, and to test the heat and proteolytic resistance of this wheat LTP allergen

Soil contamination in nearby natural areas mirrors that in urban greenspaces worldwide

Soil contamination is one of the main threats to ecosystem health and sustainability. Yet little is known about the extent to which soil contaminants differ between urban greenspaces and natural ecosystems. Here we show that urban greenspaces and adjacent natural areas (i.e., natural/semi-natural ecosystems) shared similar levels of multiple soil contaminants (metal(loid)s, pesticides, microplastics, and antibiotic resistance genes) across the globe. We reveal that human influence explained many forms of soil contamination worldwide. Socio-economic factors were integral to explaining the occurrence of soil contaminants worldwide. We further show that increased levels of multiple soil contaminants were linked with changes in microbial traits including genes associated with environmental stress resistance, nutrient cycling, and pathogenesis. Taken together, our work demonstrates that human-driven soil contamination in nearby natural areas mirrors that in urban greenspaces globally, and highlights that soil contaminants have the potential to cause dire consequences for ecosystem sustainability and human wellbeing

Expansion of Signal Transduction Pathways in Fungi by Extensive Genome Duplication

International audienceno abstrac

Jet energy measurement and its systematic uncertainty in proton–proton collisions at √s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The jet energy scale (JES) and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector using proton–proton collision data with a centre-of-mass energy of √s=7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb −1. Jets are reconstructed from energy deposits forming topological clusters of calorimeter cells using the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0.4 or R=0.6, and are calibrated using MC simulations. A residual JES correction is applied to account for differences between data and MC simulations. This correction and its systematic uncertainty are estimated using a combination of in situ techniques exploiting the transverse momentum balance between a jet and a reference object such as a photon or a Z boson, for 20≤pTjet1 TeV. The calibration of forward jets is derived from dijet pT balance measurements. The resulting uncertainty reaches its largest value of 6 % for low-pT jets at |η|=4.5. Additional JES uncertainties due to specific event topologies, such as close-by jets or selections of event samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks or gluons, are also discussed. The magnitude of these uncertainties depends on the event sample used in a given physics analysis, but typically amounts to 0.5–3 %

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.