Flight deck automation: Promises and realities

Issues of flight deck automation are multifaceted and complex. The rapid introduction of advanced computer-based technology onto the flight deck of transport category aircraft has had considerable impact both on aircraft operations and on the flight crew. As part of NASA's responsibility to facilitate an active exchange of ideas and information among members of the aviation community, a NASA/FAA/Industry workshop devoted to flight deck automation, organized by the Aerospace Human Factors Research Division of NASA Ames Research Center. Participants were invited from industry and from government organizations responsible for design, certification, operation, and accident investigation of transport category, automated aircraft. The goal of the workshop was to clarify the implications of automation, both positive and negative. Workshop panels and working groups identified issues regarding the design, training, and procedural aspects of flight deck automation, as well as the crew's ability to interact and perform effectively with the new technology. The proceedings include the invited papers and the panel and working group reports, as well as the summary and conclusions of the conference

The Kentucky Redistricting Problem: Mixed-Integer Programming Model: Working Paper Series--03-04

The goal of the voter-redistricting problem is to partition a state into districts so that the districts have equal populations, are contiguous and compact. Each state has a different variation of this problem due to different state laws, history in the courts and political climate. There has been increasing pressure to remove the partisanship from this process and make it a more technical issue. We focus on the non-political aspects of this problem as defined in the state of Kentucky after the 1990 census. The goal of this redistricting problem is to minimize the number of times that the counties must be divided subject to equal population districts. We present two variations of a mixed-integer programming model. The performance of these models is tested on 12 problems. The tradeoff between the minimum number of cuts and contiguity is examined. Limitations of the models are described

Aquaculture and marketing of the Florida Bay Scallop in Crystal River, Florida

The overall goal of this study was to develop a new fishery resource product through open-water aquaculture for the west coast of Florida that would compete as a non-traditional product through market development. Specific objectives were as follows: I. To grow a minimum of 50, 000 juvenile scallops to a minimum market size of40 mm in a cage and float system in the off-shore waters of Crystal River, Florida. 2. To determine the growth rate, survival, and time to market size for the individuals in this system and area to other similar projects like Virginia. 3. To introduce local fishermen and the aquaculture students at Crystal River High School to the hatchery, nursery, and grow-out techniques. 4. To determine the economic and financial characteristics of bay scallop culture in Florida and assess the sensitivity of projected costs and earnings to changes in key technical, managerial, and market related parameters. 5. To determine the market acceptability and necessary marketing strategy for whole bay scallop product in Florida. (PDF has 99 pages.

The common C-terminal sequences of substance P and neurokinin A contact the same region of the NK-1 receptor

AbstractAlthough neurokinin A (NKA), a tachykinin peptide with sequence homology to substance P (SP), is a weak competitor of radiolabeled SP binding to the NK-1 receptor (NK-1R), more recent direct binding studies using radiolabeled NKA have demonstrated an unexpected high-affinity interaction with this receptor. To document the site of interaction between NKA and the NK-1R, we have used a photoreactive analogue of NKA containing p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine (Bpa) substituted in position 7 of the peptide. Peptide mapping studies of the receptor photolabeled by 125I-iodohistidyl1-Bpa7NKA have established that the site of photoinsertion is located within a segment of the receptor extending from residues 178 to 190 (VVCMIEWPEHPNR). We have previously shown that 125I-BH-Bpa8SP, a photoreactive analogue of SP, covalently attaches to M181 within this same receptor sequence. Importantly, both of these peptides (125I-iodohistidyl1-Bpa7NKA and 125I-BH-Bpa8SP) have the photoreactive amino acid in an equivalent position within the conserved tachykinin carboxyl-terminal tail. In this report, we also show that site-directed mutagenesis of M181 to A181 in the NK-1R results in a complete loss of photolabeling of both peptides to this receptor site, indicating that the equivalent position of SP and NKA, when bound to the NK-1R, contact the same residue

Recollection, Familiarity, and Cortical Reinstatement: A Multivoxel Pattern Analysis

SummaryEpisodic memory retrieval is thought to involve reinstatement of the neurocognitive processes engaged when an episode was encoded. Prior fMRI studies and computational models have suggested that reinstatement is limited to instances in which specific episodic details are recollected. We used multivoxel pattern-classification analyses of fMRI data to investigate how reinstatement is associated with different memory judgments, particularly those accompanied by recollection versus a feeling of familiarity (when recollection is absent). Classifiers were trained to distinguish between brain activity patterns associated with different encoding tasks and were subsequently applied to recognition-related fMRI data to determine the degree to which patterns were reinstated. Reinstatement was evident during both recollection- and familiarity-based judgments, providing clear evidence that reinstatement is not sufficient for eliciting a recollective experience. The findings are interpreted as support for a continuous, recollection-related neural signal that has been central to recent debate over the nature of recognition memory processes

Long term cognitive outcomes of early term (37-38 weeks) and late preterm (34-36 weeks) births: a systematic review

Background: There is a paucity of evidence regarding long-term outcomes of late preterm (34-36 weeks) and early term (37-38 weeks) delivery.  The objective of this systematic review was to assess long-term cognitive outcomes of children born at these gestations. Methods: Four electronic databases (Medline, Embase, clinicaltrials.gov and PsycINFO) were searched.  Last search was 5 th August 2016.  Studies were included if they reported gestational age, IQ measure and the ages assessed.  The protocol was registered with the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO Record CRD42015015472).  Two independent reviewers assessed the studies.  Data were abstracted and critical appraisal performed of eligible papers. Results: Of 11,905 potential articles, seven studies reporting on 41,344 children were included.  For early term births, four studies (n = 35,711) consistently showed an increase in cognitive scores for infants born at full term (39-41 weeks) compared to those born at early term (37-38 weeks) with increases for each week of term (difference between 37 and 40 weeks of around 3 IQ points), despite differences in age of testing and method of IQ/cognitive testing.  Four studies (n = 5644) reporting childhood cognitive outcomes of late preterm births (34 - 36 weeks) also differed in study design (cohort and case control); age of testing; and method of IQ testing, and found no differences in outcomes between late preterm and term births, although risk of bias was high in included studies. Conclusion:  Children born at 39-41 weeks have higher cognitive outcome scores compared to those born at early term (37-38 weeks).  This should be considered when discussing timing of delivery.  For children born late preterm, the data is scarce and when compared to full term (37-42 weeks) did not show any difference in IQ scores

Early diagenesis of plant-derived dissolved organic matter along a wetland, mangrove, estuary ecotone

We studied the role of photochemical and microbial processes in contributing to the transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from various plants that dominate the Florida Everglades. Plant-derived DOM leachate samples were exposed to photochemical and microbial degradation and the optical, chemical, and molecular weight characteristics measured over time. Optical parameters such as the synchronous fluorescence intensity between 270 and 290 nm (Fnpeak I), a strong indicator of protein and/or polyphenol content, decreased exponentially in all plant leachate samples, with microbial decay constants ranging from 21.0 d21 for seagrass to 20.11 d21 for mangrove (half-life [t1/2] 5 0.7–6.3 d). Similar decreases in polyphenol content and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration also occurred but were generally an order of magnitude lower or did not change significantly over time. The initial molecular weight composition was reflected in the rate of Fnpeak I decay and suggests that plantderived DOM with a large proportion of high molecular weight structures, such as seagrass derived DOM, contain high concentrations of easily microbially degradable proteinaceous components. For samples exposed to extended simulated solar radiation, polyphenol and Fnpeak I photochemical decay constants were on average 20.7 d21 (t1/2 1.0 d). Our data suggest that polyphenol structures of plant-derived DOM are particularly sensitive to photolysis, whereas high molecular weight protein-like structures are degraded primarily through physical–chemical and microbial processes. Furthermore, microbial and physical processes initiated the formation of recalcitrant, highly colored high molecular weight polymeric structures in mangrove-derived DOM. Thus, partial, biogeochemical transformation of plant-derived DOM from coastal areas is rapid and is likely to influence carbon and nutrient cycling, especially in areas dominated by seagrass and mangrove forests

Relative uptake of minoxidil into appendages and stratum corneum and permeation through human skin in vitro

We examined uptake of the model therapeutic agent, minoxidil, into appendages, stratum corneum (SC), and through human skin, under the influence of different vehicles. Quantitative estimation of therapeutic drug deposition into all three areas has not previously been reported. Finite doses of minoxidil (2%, w/v) in formulations containing varying amounts of ethanol, propylene glycol (PG), and water (60:20:20, 80:20:0, and 0:80:20 by volume, respectively) were used. Minoxidil in SC (by tape stripping), appendages (by cyanoacrylate casting), and receptor fluid was determined by liquid scintillation counting. At early times (30 min, 2 h), ethanol-containing formulations (60:20:20 and 80:20:0) caused significantly greater minoxidil retention in SC and appendages, compared to the formulation lacking ethanol (0:80:20). A significant increase in minoxidil receptor penetration occurred with the PG-rich 0:80:20 formulation after 12 h. We showed that deposition of minoxidil into appendages, SC, and skin penetration into receptor fluid were similar in magnitude. Transport by the appendageal route is likely to be a key determinant of hair growth promotion by minoxidil. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99:712–718, 2010Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64562/1/21856_ftp.pd

The Athabasca University edusource Project: Building An Accessible Learning Object Repository

Athabasca University - Canada's Open University (AU) made the commitment to put all of its courses online as part of its Strategic University Plan. In pursuit of this goal, AU participated in the eduSource project, a pan-Canadian effort to build the infrastructure for an interoperable network of learning object repositories. AU acted as a leader in the eduSource work package, responsible for the metadata and standards for learning objects. In addition, the team of professionals, academics, librarians and other researchers worked to create an accessible repository of learning objects across university departments and subjects. Most critically, the team worked beyond the development of a learning object repository and considered the adaptation of content and related applications, pedagogical approaches and the use of learning objects by instructional designers, faculty and the learners themselves. This paper describes one institution's approach to learning object repository development, from a technical and pedagogical perspective, along with some of the lessons learned during the process

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effect of imipramine on TRH-induced urinary urgency in healthy men

We studied the effect of imipramine (IMI) on thyroid releasing hormone (TRH)-induced urinary urgency as a way of investigating the mechanism of the beneficial effect of IMI on enuresis. In a double-blind study, 12 normal, healthy men between 21 and 39 yr of age ranked their urge to urinate at 30-sec intervals following IV injection of TRH (500 [mu]g) or saline. The subjects then were randomly assigned to either IMI (1 mg/kg) or placebo groups for 10 days, and the procedure was repeated. Compared to saline, TRH produced a significant elevation in urinary urgency in all subjects. IMI did not significantly blunt TRH-induced urinary urgency. Thus, the mechanism by which IMI affects enuresis is likely not mediated at the level of the urinary urgency induced by TRH.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30075/1/0000445.pd