Design, fabrication and testing of subscale propellant tanks with capillary traps Final report, 26 Jun. 1967 - 15 Mar. 1968

Hyrostatic stability characteristics of perforated plates and square-weave screens for fluid control during low-G operatio

Advanced propellant management system for spacecraft propulsion systems. Phase 1 - Survey study and evaluation

Apollo spacecraft propulsion system propellant managemen

Passive Retention/Expulsion Methods for Subcritical Storage of Cryogens

Development of passive retention/expulsion system for subcritical storage of cryogenic material during low gravity situation

NUCLEAR MERCHANT SHIP REACTOR PROJECT. EXTENDED ZERO POWER TESTS NS SAVANNAH CORE I. Final Report

Experiments were performed on the NS Savannah Service Core I to supply irformation on future shipboard operation of the Nuclear Merchant Ship Reactor. Testing of instrumentation equipment was satisfactory. Correction factors for shipboard use were determined. Fast neutron flux, neutron fiux distribution, and stuck control rod studies were carried out successfully, as was a three- dimesional calculation to match two critical rod patterns. (auth

Congenital tumors: imaging when life just begins

BACKGROUND: The technical developments of imaging methods over the last 2 decades are changing our knowledge of perinatal oncology. Fetal ultrasound is usually the first imaging method used and thus constitutes the reference prenatal study, but MRI seems to be an excellent complementary method for evaluating the fetus. The widespread use of both techniques has increased the diagnosis rates of congenital tumors. During pregnancy and after birth, an accurate knowledge of the possibilities and limits of the different imaging techniques available would improve the information obtainable, thus helping the medical team to make the most appropriate decisions about therapy and to inform the family about the prognosis. CONCLUSION: In this review article, we describe the main congenital neoplasms, their prognosis and their imaging characteristics with the different pre- and postnatal imaging methods available

Performance Standards and Employee Effort: Evidence from Teacher Absences

The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) increased accountability pressure in U.S. public schools by threatening to impose sanctions on Title 1 schools that failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) in consecutive years. Difference-in-difference estimates of the effect of failing AYP in the first year of NCLB on teacher effort in the subsequent year suggest that, on average, teacher absences in North Carolina fell by about 10 percent, and the probability of being absent 15 or more times fell by about 30 percent. Reductions in teacher absences were driven by within-teacher increases in effort and were larger among more effective teachers

A review of the positive and negative effects of cardiovascular drugs on sexual function: a proposed table for use in clinical practice

Several antihypertensive drugs, such as diuretics and β-blockers, can negatively affect sexual function, leading to diminished quality of life and often to noncompliance with the therapy. Other drug classes, however, such as angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are able to improve patients’ sexual function. Sufficient knowledge about the effects of these widely used antihypertensive drugs will make it possible for cardiologists and general practitioners to spare and even improve patients’ sexual health by switching to different classes of cardiac medication. Nevertheless, previous data (part I) indicate that most cardiologists lack knowledge about the effects cardiovascular agents can have on sexual function and will thus not be able to provide the necessary holistic patient care with regard to prescribing these drugs. To be able to improve healthcare on this point, we aimed to provide a practical overview, for use by cardiologists as well as other healthcare professionals, dealing with sexual dysfunction in their clinical practices. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature was performed. The eight most widely used classes of antihypertensive drugs have been categorised in a clear table, marking whether they have a positive, negative or no effect on sexual function

Racism as a determinant of health: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Despite a growing body of epidemiological evidence in recent years documenting the health impacts of racism, the cumulative evidence base has yet to be synthesized in a comprehensive meta-analysis focused specifically on racism as a determinant of health. This meta-analysis reviewed the literature focusing on the relationship between reported racism and mental and physical health outcomes. Data from 293 studies reported in 333 articles published between 1983 and 2013, and conducted predominately in the U.S., were analysed using random effects models and mean weighted effect sizes. Racism was associated with poorer mental health (negative mental health: r = -.23, 95% CI [-.24,-.21], k = 227; positive mental health: r = -.13, 95% CI [-.16,-.10], k = 113), including depression, anxiety, psychological stress and various other outcomes. Racism was also associated with poorer general health (r = -.13 (95% CI [-.18,-.09], k = 30), and poorer physical health (r = -.09, 95% CI [-.12,-.06], k = 50). Moderation effects were found for some outcomes with regard to study and exposure characteristics. Effect sizes of racism on mental health were stronger in cross-sectional compared with longitudinal data and in non-representative samples compared with representative samples. Age, sex, birthplace and education level did not moderate the effects of racism on health. Ethnicity significantly moderated the effect of racism on negative mental health and physical health: the association between racism and negative mental health was significantly stronger for Asian American and Latino(a) American participants compared with African American participants, and the association between racism and physical health was significantly stronger for Latino(a) American participants compared with African American participants.<br /

Laboratory diagnosis of Buruli ulcer : challenges and future perspectives

Current options to control Buruli ulcer (BU) are limited, as no effective vaccine is available and knowledge on transmission mechanisms of the causative agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans, is incomplete. Early case detection and rapid initiation of treatment are key elements to prevent the development of large, disfiguring ulcers often associated with permanent physical disability and stigma. BU has been reported from 34 countries, with the greatest disease burden in West Africa and steadily increasing case numbers in south-eastern Australia. The disease can present in a variety of clinical manifestations, including relatively unspecific, painless nodules, plaques, and edema, which may eventually progress to chronic, ulcerative lesions. The clinical diagnosis of BU is therefore complicated by a broad differential diagnosis, particularly in tropical areas, where the prevalence of other skin conditions with a similar appearance is high. With the introduction of combination antibiotic therapy, replacing excision surgery as the standard treatment for BU, pre-treatment confirmation of the clinical diagnosis has further gained in importance to avoid the redundant use of anti-mycobacterial drugs. At present, available confirmatory diagnostic tests either lack sufficient sensitivity/specificity or are centralized and thus often not accessible to patients living in remote, rural areas of Africa. In recognition of this disparity, WHO and other stakeholders have called for new diagnostic tools for BU that can be applied at district hospitals or primary healthcare facilities. This chapter highlights challenges, advances and future prospects for the necessary decentralization of the diagnosis of BU