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Contains fulltext : 292919.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) BACKGROUND: High myopia (HM), defined as a spherical equivalent refractive error (SER) ≤ -6.00 diopters (D), is a leading cause of sight impairment, through myopic macular degeneration (MMD). We aimed to derive an improved polygenic score (PGS) for predicting children at risk of HM and to test if a PGS is predictive of MMD after accounting for SER. METHODS: The PGS was derived from genome-wide association studies in participants of UK Biobank, CREAM Consortium, and Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging. MMD severity was quantified by a deep learning algorithm. Prediction of HM was quantified as the area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC). Prediction of severe MMD was assessed by logistic regression. FINDINGS: In independent samples of European, African, South Asian and East Asian ancestry, the PGS explained 19% (95% confidence interval 17-21%), 2% (1-3%), 8% (7-10%) and 6% (3-9%) of the variation in SER, respectively. The AUROC for HM in these samples was 0.78 (0.75-0.81), 0.58 (0.53-0.64), 0.71 (0.69-0.74) and 0.67 (0.62-0.72), respectively. The PGS was not associated with the risk of MMD after accounting for SER: OR = 1.07 (0.92-1.24). INTERPRETATION: Performance of the PGS approached the level required for clinical utility in Europeans but not in other ancestries. A PGS for refractive error was not predictive of MMD risk once SER was accounted for. FUNDING: Supported by the Welsh Government and Fight for Sight (24WG201).

In 2009; the Augustine report reinforced the importance of in situ oxygen production as a critical technology for sustainable exploration. Engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Johnson Space Center have been working on making this critical technology a reality through the design, fabrication, and testing of two hydrogen reduction reactors, accomplished as part of the ROxygen project. Engineers built and extensively tested a small-scale reactor that provided key design parametrics for the second reactor—a large-scale vessel consistent with the scale required to produce 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of oxygen per year. Once designed and fabricated, this large-scale reactor was tested in the laboratory and in the 2008 in situ research utilization field test on the slopes of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and in the laboratory at Johnson Space Center. This paper presents an overview of the approach taken, the high-level design information required, and the typical test data accrued for both the s...

The concept of living off the land by using the indigenous resources of the Moon, Mars, or other potential sites of robotic and human exploration has been termed in situ resource utilization (ISRU) and will be an enabling technology to open up the solar system. Although the most recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) human Mars mission study (Design Reference Architecture 5.0) showed that production of propellants and life support consumables was a mission-enabling capability, mission planners were hesitant to select the newly proposed water extraction from Mars soil option because of the perceived high risk associated with this approach. To overcome resistance in putting ISRU capabilities in the critical path of mission success, NASA ISRU developers have adopted the approach of designing and building hardware into end-to-end systems at representative mission scales and testing these systems under mission-relevant conditions at analog field test sites. Previous ISRU field demo...

The production of oxygen from lunar regolith, a form of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), is a mission-enabling technology that can break the supply logistics chain from Earth to support sustained, affordable space exploration. We present the development of an integrated ISRU system model to study and optimize the system mass and power requirements, a critical development in understanding the proper application of ISRU systems. The integrated model includes subsystem models for a Molten Regolith Electrolysis (MRE) reactor, an excavator, a hopper and feed system, the power system, and an oxygen liquefaction and storage system. A hybrid genetic-algorithm/gradient-based optimization scheme is implemented to optimize the ISRU system design across a range of production levels. Lower oxygen production levels (

The Oxygen and Volatile Extraction Node (OVEN) is a subsystem within the Regolith & Environment Science and Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) project. The purpose of the OVEN subsystem is to release volatiles from lunar regolith and extract oxygen by means of a hydrogen reduction reaction. The complete process includes receiving, weighing, sealing, heating, and disposing of core sample segments while transferring all gaseous contents to the Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA) subsystem. This document will discuss the design and performance of the OVEN Field Demonstration Unit (FDU), which participated in the 2012 RESOLVE field demonstration.

Inspectable (open) learner models have been in use for some time now We present views of the learner model that have become more common, such as skill meters and concept maps; and introduce developments in less common interfaces for open learner models including the use of animation, audio and haptic feedback, and user-constructed learner model views.

Increasing air traffic control (ATC) requirements raises the workload of pilots. Required tasks dictate more "head-in-the-cockpit" computation, which can easily distract a pilot from safe airplane operation. Following eight years of research, we present an on-board PC-based computational system that increases pilot situational awareness, decreases diversion to routine computations, and anticipates upcoming needs. The key to anticipatory flight management is an expert system that uses knowledge of ATC procedures, aircraft operating procedures and limitations, and aircraft performance to infer current flight operating "mode" without direct pilot intervention or input. A flight mode interpreter (FMI) enables automatic display selection, pilot advice, and warning. This paper reports the development of an FMI-based flight management system, called General Aviation Pilot Advisory and Training System (GAPATS), that is being developed jointly by Texas A&M University and Knowledge Based Systems, Inc. Software development is carried out using a fixed-base engineering flight simulator. Pilot participation in all phases of development and evaluation is the norm. Flight tests have begun on an instrumented research light twin.