Tuberculosis in Malta and the school BCG vaccination programme

Background: Malta has one of the lowest incidence rates of tuberculosis in Europe and a comprehensive free-of-charge health care system. Objective: To investigate whether Malta satisfies the criteria recommended by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) in order to consider the discontinuation of the present school BCG vaccination programme. Method: Review of World Health Organization (WHO), and IUATLD guidelines for BCG use and discontinuation. Examination of surveillance data pertaining to tuberculosis in Malta, for the years 1979 to 2008. Findings: Malta has a long-standing, well-developed surveillance, treatment and follow-up programme for tuberculosis. The average annual notification rate of smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis was about 2 per 100,000 person-years since 1990. This is well below rates recommended by the IUATLD for the discontinuation of routine BCG vaccination programs. Conclusion: Malta satisfies established international criteria for discontinuation of the school BCG vaccination programme and therefore the programme should be reconsidered.peer-reviewe

Automated technologies needed to prevent radioactive materials from reentering the atmosphere

Project SIREN (Search, Intercept, Retrieve, Expulsion Nuclear) was created to identify and evaluate the technologies and operational strategies needed to rendezvous with and capture aerospace radioactive materials (e.g., a distressed or spent space reactor core) before such materials can reenter the terrestrial atmosphere and then to safely move these captured materials to an acceptable space destination for proper disposal. A major component of the current project SIREN effort is the development of an interactive technology model (including a computerized data base) that explores, in building-block fashion, the interaction of the technologies and procedures needed to successfully accomplish a SIREN mission. The SIREN model will include appropriate national and international technology elements--both contemporary and projected into the next century. To obtain maximum flexibility and use, the SIREN technology data base is being programmed for use on 286-class PC's. The major technical elements for a successful SIREN mission include: ground and space-based tracking, launch vehicles of needed payload capacity, telerobotic systems, sensors, capture technologies, and space transport and disposal. However, Project SIREN also will impose specialized requirements including the use of dextrous aerospace systems capable of properly functioning in intense radiation and thermal environments

Cape Canaveral-A Main Campus for the University of Space

Predicted in space commercialization studies of the 1970s, anchored in the Cape Canaveral area by the Space Technology graduate program at Florida Institute of Technology, and nurtured by inputs from other universities and industries throughout the United States, the world\u27s first UNIVERSITY OF SPACE is now well on its way to becoming a distinct educational facility for the next millennium! This paper describes the highly innovative graduate program in Space Technology that has been developed over the last decade at the Florida Institute of Technology to satisfy the evolving educational needs of scientists and engineers who work in America\u27s space program in the Cape Canaveral region. This unique FIT graduate curriculum involves 48 credit hours of instruction (quarter system) including courses on the U.S.Space Transportation System, space stations and their applications, remote sensing of the Earth, space power and propulsion systems, the human role in space, and space commercialization. This paper also describes how the essential features of FIT\u27S graduate program In Space Technology are now being introduced into the graduate curricula at other universities to form an educational infrastructure that can rapidly be fused into our planet\u27s first UNIVERSITY OF SPACE with proper industrial support. With the opening of a joint, mutually-beneficial academic-industrial spaceport teaching facility, possibly as part of a NASA-sponsored Center for the Commercial Development of Space, the Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center area can become the main campus for this UNIVERSITY OF SPACE.within a few years

Paper Session I-A - The Characteristics of Extraterrestrial Civilizations and the Interstellar Imperative

The three major types of extraterrestrial civilizations that might evolve in the Galaxy are described, with speculative emphasis on each type of technical civilization\u27s response to the interstellar imperative. A Type I civilization, represents\u27 a planetary civilization; a Type II civilization involves a solar system society; while a Type III civilization is an interstellar community - ranging from a group of several star systems ( clustered Type III) to a galaxy-wide community (fully-developed Type III). The important role of robotic interstellar probes in both Type II and Type III civilizations is also discussed

Inclusive Service Delivery in Jesuit Secondary Education: A case study of the Rodriguez Learning Services Program at Manresa Prep

The documents and rhetoric of Jesuit Catholic education speak frequently of care for the individual (cura personalis) and caring for those most in need. Frequently, however, students with learning disabilities are admitted to Jesuit Catholic schools without any consideration as to whether the school can address a student’s individual learning needs. This study examined one particular program at one particular school – Rodriguez Learning Services at Manresa Prep -- that attempts to offer accommodations to students with learning disabilities. Through interviews and observations over a six-week period with students, faculty, staff, administration, and alumni, the study sought to identify whether inclusive services were being offered to the students in Rodriguez Learning Services, and what connection those services had to the mission of Jesuit Catholic education. Data revealed that students did indeed receive an inclusive Jesuit Catholic education with accommodations appropriate to their learning needs. Additionally, staff members, alumni, and current students clearly articulated the connection between the work of Rodriguez Learning Services and the mission of Manresa Prep as a Jesuit Catholic School. All constituent groups acknowledge the need for greater trust and collaboration between classroom teachers and learning specialists. The lack of clear communication leads to an erosion of trust between learning specialists classroom teachers, which affects the experience of students in Rodriguez Learning Services

Paper Session I-C - The Role of Advanced Robotic Systems in Interstellar Exploration

This paper discusses the major mission objectives and technical characteristics of an evolutionary family of advanced robotic space systems that would permit the detailed exploration of the outer Solar System and support precursor interstellar missions in the mid- to late 21st Century. Included in these advanced robotic space systems are: a demonstration autonomous robot mission to Titan, the TAU Probe Mission, the TAU Observatory Mission, a reference star probe mission, and the interstellar exploration implications and capabilities of a self-replicating robot system (SRS). The cosmic ramifications of the use of advanced robotic space systems by starfaring civilizations is also discussed

The Moon-Gateway to the Universe

A decision to exploit the extraterrestrial frontier gives man an infinite physical and resource environment in which to continue human development and growth. The off-planet expansion of the human resource base will be highlighted by several key technology steps: (1) the development of reusable space transportation systems, such as the Space Shuttle; (2) the establishment of manned space stations; (3) the development of space-based industries; (4) the creation of lunar bases and permanent manned settlements; and (5) the full exploitation of lunar and possibly asteroid resources. The Moon and its potential role as man\u27s gateway to the Universe is discussed. Included are a summary of lunar facts, the history of lunar probes and exploration, and a look at Shuttle Era lunar base applications

Real-time tissue viability assessment using near-infrared light

Despite significant advances in medical imaging technologies, there currently exist no tools to effectively assist healthcare professionals during surgical procedures. In turn, procedures remain subjective and dependent on experience, resulting in avoidable failure and significant quality of care disparities across hospitals. Optical techniques are gaining popularity in clinical research because they are low cost, non-invasive, portable, and can retrieve both fluorescence and endogenous contrast information, providing physiological information relative to perfusion, oxygenation, metabolism, hydration, and sub-cellular content. Near-infrared (NIR) light is especially well suited for biological tissue and does not cause tissue damage from ionizing radiation or heat. My dissertation has been focused on developing rapid imaging techniques for mapping endogenous tissue constituents to aid surgical guidance. These techniques allow, for the first time, video-rate quantitative acquisition over a large field of view (> 100 cm2) in widefield and endoscopic implementations. The optical system analysis has been focused on the spatial-frequency domain for its ease of quantitative measurements over large fields of view and for its recent development in real-time acquisition, single snapshot of optical properties (SSOP) imaging. Using these methods, this dissertation provides novel improvements and implementations to SSOP, including both widefield and endoscopic instrumentations capable of video-rate acquisition of optical properties and sample surface profile maps. In turn, these measures generate profile-corrected maps of hemoglobin concentration that are highly beneficial for perfusion and overall tissue viability. Also utilizing optical property maps, a novel technique for quantitative fluorescence imaging was also demonstrated, showing large improvement over standard and ratiometric methods. To enable real-time feedback, rapid processing algorithms were designed using lookup tables that provide a 100x improvement in processing speed. Finally, these techniques were demonstrated in vivo to investigate their ability for early detection of tissue failure due to ischemia. Both pre-clinical studies show endogenous contrast imaging can provide early measures of future tissue viability. The goal of this work has been to provide the foundation for real-time imaging systems that provide tissue constituent quantification for tissue viability assessments.2018-01-09T00:00:00

Paper Session III-C - The Cosmic Consequences of Space Exploration

The Age of Space Exploration represents an era of discovery and scientific achievement without equal in human history. This paper examines the exciting technical and social consequences of space exploration C past, present and future. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the most significant space exploration missions of the past four decades started in Brevard County, Florida with a successful rocket ride into space from the Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center complex. This paper provides a much needed perspective of how space exploration activities are helping answer some of humankind\u27s most important philosophical questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? Are we alone in this vast Universe? Future missions, such as a human expedition to Mars and an advanced robotic mission to the intriguing Jovian moon, Europa, will help define the cosmic philosophy of an emerging Solar System civilization. As we develop a millennial perspective and continue our search for life elsewhere in the Solar System, we will also learn more about our role and place as intelligent species in a vast and beautiful Universe