Development of the L-1011 four-dimensional flight management system

The development of 4-D guidance and control algorithms for the L-1011 Flight Management System is described. Four-D Flight Management is a concept by which an aircraft's flight is optimized along the 3-D path within the constraints of today's ATC environment, while its arrival time is controlled to fit into the air traffic flow without incurring or causing delays. The methods developed herein were designed to be compatible with the time-based en route metering techniques that were recently developed by the Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The ensuing development of the 4-D guidance algorithms, the necessary control laws and the operational procedures are discussed. Results of computer simulation evaluation of the guidance algorithms and control laws are presented, along with a description of the software development procedures utilized

Development of advanced avionics systems applicable to terminal-configured vehicles

A technique to add the time constraint to the automatic descent feature of the existing L-1011 aircraft Flight Management System (FMS) was developed. Software modifications were incorporated in the FMS computer program and the results checked by lab simulation and on a series of eleven test flights. An arrival time dispersion (2 sigma) of 19 seconds was achieved. The 4 D descent technique can be integrated with the time-based metering method of air traffic control. Substantial reductions in delays at today's busy airports should result

The boundary cap: a source of neural crest stem cells that generate multiple sensory neuron subtypes

The boundary cap (BC) is a transient neural crest-derived group of cells located at the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) that have been shown to differentiate into sensory neurons and glia in vivo. We find that when placed in culture, BC cells self-renew, show multipotency in clonal cultures and express neural crest stem cell (NCSCs) markers. Unlike sciatic nerve NCSCs, the BC-NCSC (bNCSCs) generates sensory neurons upon differentiation. The bNCSCs constitute a common source of cells for functionally diverse types of neurons, as a single bNCSC can give rise to several types of nociceptive and thermoreceptive sensory neurons. Our data suggests that BC cells comprise a source of multipotent sensory specified stem cells that persist throughout embryogenesis

Force dependent fragility in RNA hairpins

We apply Kramers theory to investigate the dissociation of multiple bonds under mechanical force and interpret experimental results for the unfolding/refolding force distributions of an RNA hairpin pulled at different loading rates using laser tweezers. We identify two different kinetic regimes depending on the range of forces explored during the unfolding and refolding process. The present approach extends the range of validity of the two-states approximation by providing a theoretical framework to reconstruct free-energy landscapes and identify force-induced structural changes in molecular transition states using single molecule pulling experiments. The method should be applicable to RNA hairpins with multiple kinetic barriers.Comment: Latex file, 4 pages+3 figure

Monitoring of bed material in a biomass fluidized bed boiler using an electronic tongue

The thermal conversion of biomass fuel mixes in fluidized beds can cause agglomeration. To counteract agglomeration, bed material is gradually exchanged with virgin bed material, and this results in increased disposal of used bed material. Furthermore, the bed material exchange represents a costly option, as it involves a cost for virgin bed material, for landfill, and for unplanned downtime of the plant. This paper presents a novel method for the evaluation of bed material quality: the electronic tongue (ET). Evaluation of bed material quality can contribute toward decreasing the cost of unnecessary exchanges of bed material. The proposed method was tested on bed material sampled on an almost daily basis from a commercial fluidized bed boiler during several months of operation. A two-electrode ET was used for the evaluation of the bed material quality. The analysis relied on pulsed voltammetry measurements and multivariate data analysis with Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results suggest that it is possible to follow bed material changes and that the ET, after further development, may be used to optimize the material flows connected to the bed material. Further research is being conducted to optimize the ET\u27s performance and its application in monitoring bed material

Exceptional Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials and the corresponding potentials through Darboux-Crum Transformations

Simple derivation is presented of the four families of infinitely many shape invariant Hamiltonians corresponding to the exceptional Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials. Darboux-Crum transformations are applied to connect the well-known shape invariant Hamiltonians of the radial oscillator and the Darboux-P\"oschl-Teller potential to the shape invariant potentials of Odake-Sasaki. Dutta and Roy derived the two lowest members of the exceptional Laguerre polynomials by this method. The method is expanded to its full generality and many other ramifications, including the aspects of generalised Bochner problem and the bispectral property of the exceptional orthogonal polynomials, are discussed.Comment: LaTeX2e with amsmath, amssymb, amscd 26 pages, no figure

A Randomized, Double-Blind Study of Larazotide Acetate to Prevent the Activation of Celiac Disease During Gluten Challenge

OBJECTIVES: In patients with celiac disease, enteropathy is caused by the entry of gluten peptides into the lamina propria of the intestine, in which their immunogenicity is potentiated by tissue transglutaminase (tTG) and T-helper type 1–mediated immune responses are triggered. Tight junction disassembly and paracellular permeability are believed to have an important role in the transport of gluten peptides to the lamina propria. Larazotide acetate is a tight-junction regulator peptide that, in vitro, prevents the opening of intestinal epithelial tight junctions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of larazotide acetate in protecting against gluten-induced intestinal permeability and gastrointestinal symptom severity in patients with celiac disease. METHODS: In this dose-ranging, placebo-controlled study, 86 patients with celiac disease controlled through diet were randomly assigned to larazotide acetate (0.25, 1, 4, or 8 mg) or placebo three times per day with or without gluten challenge (2.4 g/day) for 14 days. The primary efficacy outcome was the urinary lactulose/mannitol (LAMA) fractional excretion ratio. Secondary endpoints included gastrointestinal symptom severity, quality-of-life measures, and antibodies to tTG. RESULTS: LAMA measurements were highly variable in the outpatient setting. The increase in LAMA ratio associated with the gluten challenge was not statistically significantly greater than the increase in the gluten-free control. Among patients receiving the gluten challenge, the difference in the LAMA ratios for the larazotide acetate and placebo groups was not statistically significant. However, larazotide acetate appeared to limit gluten-induced worsening of gastrointestinal symptom severity as measured by the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale at some lower doses but not at the higher dose. Symptoms worsened significantly in the gluten challenge–placebo arm compared with the placebo–placebo arm, suggesting that 2.4 g of gluten per day is sufficient to induce reproducible gluten toxicity. Larazotide acetate was generally well tolerated. No serious adverse events were observed. The most common adverse events were headache and urinary tract infection. CONCLUSIONS: LAMA variability in the outpatient setting precluded accurate assessment of the effect of larazotide acetate on intestinal permeability. However, some lower doses of larazotide acetate appeared to prevent the increase in gastrointestinal symptom severity induced by gluten challenge

Utilizing Creativity for Adolescents’ Recovery in Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital (IPH)

The study aims to examine the impact of creative activities on adolescents, aged 12-18, hospitalized in an acute-care inpatient psychiatric hospital (IPH) setting. While research on the health impact of creative writing has been discussed with adults, research on adolescents hospitalized in acute inpatient psychiatric units (IPU) is limited. This study highlights how creative activities generate self-discovery and insights that are necessary for coping among adolescents in IPH. Seventy creative writing and origami sessions were embedded as a part of group education from March, 2018 until Feb. 2020. A curriculum that considered the interests of current teenagers and the IPH short length of stay (4-5 days) was designed and delivered by a professional writer and their team that consisted of health sciences students, medical students, and IPU nursing staff. After each session, a post-session survey was administered. The findings from 568 post-surveys suggest that the adolescents at the IPH expressed interest and engagement through creative activities. In addition, the findings suggest creative activities promote mood shifts, relaxation, and self-awareness, all critical for adolescents during a mental health crisis. Further studies are needed to assess if these activities lead to long-term coping strategies for participants following their hospitalization

The Oslo definitions for coeliac disease and related terms.

ObjectiveThe literature suggests a lack of consensus on the use of terms related to coeliac disease (CD) and gluten.DesignA multidisciplinary task force of 16 physicians from seven countries used the electronic database PubMed to review the literature for CD-related terms up to January 2011. Teams of physicians then suggested a definition for each term, followed by feedback of these definitions through a web survey on definitions, discussions during a meeting in Oslo and phone conferences. In addition to 'CD', the following descriptors of CD were evaluated (in alphabetical order): asymptomatic, atypical, classical, latent, non-classical, overt, paediatric classical, potential, refractory, silent, subclinical, symptomatic, typical, CD serology, CD autoimmunity, genetically at risk of CD, dermatitis herpetiformis, gluten, gluten ataxia, gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity and gliadin-specific antibodies.ResultsCD was defined as 'a chronic small intestinal immune-mediated enteropathy precipitated by exposure to dietary gluten in genetically predisposed individuals'. Classical CD was defined as 'CD presenting with signs and symptoms of malabsorption. Diarrhoea, steatorrhoea, weight loss or growth failure is required.' 'Gluten-related disorders' is the suggested umbrella term for all diseases triggered by gluten and the term gluten intolerance should not to be used. Other definitions are presented in the paper.ConclusionThis paper presents the Oslo definitions for CD-related terms