What’s Next after Industry Disruption by CubeSats? – Industry Disruption by Open Source

A decade ago, CubeSats featured almost exclusively in the academic domain only. The same can be said today for Open Source satellites. In the same way that CubeSats and the associated development mindset started in the academic community and are now embraced by commercial, civil and defence communities, the goal of the Open Source Satellite Programme is to initiate a similar outcome for open source satellite mission architectures by developing a design that is freely available for all to use. KISPE’s goal is to build a community of open-source contributors, collaborators and beneficiaries, including those from CubeSat and SmallSat teams who are at the forefront of adopting and championing non-traditional approaches to delivering space missions. A key characteristic of open-source projects is stakeholder engagement: to collaborate, iterate and improve elements of the architecture and design - and ultimately, to leverage and benefit from the design outputs. KISPE’s Open Source Satellite Programme is developing a robust, flexible satellite platform which addresses future market, mission and programmatic demands, leverages emerging technologies and is scalable for Nanosat to Microsatellite systems, enabling teams to utilise the platform as a low-cost “commodity” or infrastructure item on which to develop their specific mission

Results from Testing Low-Cost, High-Performance Terrestrial Processors for Use in Low-Cost High-Performance Space Missions

There has been a significant and exciting increase in the use of microsatellites and cubesats in the past decade. However, it has proved difficult to scale up current cubesat avionics systems to enable larger, longer, more complex missions, and challenging to scale down traditional microsatellites to an affordable price point. The need exists for a system that provides the capability of a microsatellite at a cubesat cost; KISPE Space (“KISPE”) is developing the Next Generation Microsatellite Platform (“NGMP”) to address this need and is releasing the design as an open source resource via the Open Source Satellite Programme (“OSSAT”) A key enabler of developing a robust Next Generation Microsatellite Platform is the identification of a suitable low-cost microprocessor that can be used to form the foundation of an affordable, robust, flexible, performant and autonomous satellite platform avionics system. Space-qualified, long-lifetime, radiation-tolerant (or hardened) processors do exist, however, these technologies are very expensive and tend to deliver poor mission performance compared to the latest terrestrial Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components and are not compatible with the limited resources available from cubesats and smallsats. We performed a test campaign to identify one or more commercially available microprocessors that leverage the latest innovations in microprocessor technology and which meet a set of system criteria that make them suitable for use as a microsatellite platform processor for a wide range of missions; from single modest spacecraft, through to proliferated architectures requiring autonomous operations. We are sharing these test results freely with the space community to advance small satellite capabilities and to stimulate the development of the next wave of cost-effective missions, applications and services. Three COTS processors (SAMV71, STM32H7 and SAMA5D3) were downselected for Total Ionising Dose (electron) radiation testing to characterize their performance in a representative space radiation environment, in partnership with the University of Surrey and with the input of OSSA T collaborators. All three processors were deemed to be candidates for further evaluation and derisking: The devices began to fail at 60kRads, 47kRads and in excess of 120kRads respectively

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

The Technology Demonstration Objectives of the Orbital Test Bed Mission: Using the Hosted Payload Concept to Advance Small Satellite Technologies and Scientific Capabilities

This paper discusses the technology objectives of SST-US’s OTB mission and the relevance of Surrey’s hosted payload approach for flying U.S. government sensors and commercial payloads to enable the commercialization of small satellite products and technologies and advance the capabilities of future small satellite systems. SST-US’s second ride-share mission, OTB-2, is scheduled for flight readiness in 2016. OTB-2’s mission parameters and applicability to diverse payload, technology, and science requirements are presented and reviewed. Using the most recent mission OTB, which successfully passed critical design review in January 2014, the upcoming OTB-2 flight opportunity, and a selection of previous missions as specific current and past examples, this paper also describes how technology demonstration objectives were achieved. The paper also discusses different mechanisms for creating and exploiting fast-turnaround hosted payload opportunities, the common programmatic and mission integration approach that characterizes Surrey’s hosted payload missions and the critical factors that enable success from mission to mission

Parents reaching out to parents: an appreciative, qualitative evaluation of stakeholder experiences of the Parent Champions in the Community Project:Parents reaching out to parents

Background: Bronchiolitis is a seasonal, global acute lower respiratory tract infection caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and is a leading cause of hospital admission in young children. A peer-led (parents to parents) intervention was implemented to empower parents of children at risk of bronchiolitis and reduce hospital admissions. This paper reported the evaluation that aimed to gain the perspectives and experiences of five key stakeholder groups. Methods: A qualitative remote interview-based design, informed by Appreciative Inquiry was used. Thematic analysis was used. Results: Sixty-five stakeholders participated: parents (n = 43; mothers, n = 42), Parent Champions (n = 9), Children’s Centre Managers (n = 8), Children’s Centre Group Leaders (n = 11), and Core Team (n = 4). An overarching theme ‘Parents reaching out to parents’ was supported by five sub-themes (Raising awareness and sharing knowledge; Creating connection, trust, and confidence; Flourishing in their role as a Parent Champion; Rising to the challenges; and Knowledge is power, prevention is key: the government needs to know this.) Conclusions: Parent-to-parent peer support via the Parent Champions was perceived positively by parents who wanted to learn and improve the lives and health of their children. Parent Champions were successful in delivering information. Considering the socioeconomic burden of bronchiolitis to services and families, the potential for an upstream, relatively low cost, high-reach innovative intervention, as evidenced in this project, seems a valuable opportunity for improving children’s respiratory health

DON'T BE THAT WAY ; LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE ; I NEVER HAD A CHACE ; STOMPIN' AT THE SAVOY ; STARS FELL ON ALABAMA ; PICK YOURSELF UP ; SWEET GEORGIA BROWN ; I WON'T DANCE ; MAN WITH A HORN ; I USED TO BE COLOR BLIND ; THERE'S A DULL IN MY LIFE ; LET'S BEGIN / O'Day (Anita) avec l'orchestre de Bregman

Titre uniforme : [Stompin' at the Savoy]Titre uniforme : [Don't be that way]Titre uniforme : [Stompin' at the Savoy]Titre uniforme : [Sweet Georgia Brown]Titre uniforme : [Stars fell on Alabama]BnF-Partenariats, Collection sonore - BelieveContient une table des matière

Effect of transcatheter aortic valve implantation vs surgical aortic valve replacement on all-cause mortality in patients with aortic stenosis

Importance: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a less invasive alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement and is the treatment of choice for patients at high operative risk. The role of TAVI in patients at lower risk is unclear. Objective: To determine whether TAVI is noninferior to surgery in patients at moderately increased operative risk. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this randomized clinical trial conducted at 34 UK centers, 913 patients aged 70 years or older with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis and moderately increased operative risk due to age or comorbidity were enrolled between April 2014 and April 2018 and followed up through April 2019. Interventions: TAVI using any valve with a CE mark (indicating conformity of the valve with all legal and safety requirements for sale throughout the European Economic Area) and any access route (n = 458) or surgical aortic valve replacement (surgery; n = 455). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was all-cause mortality at 1 year. The primary hypothesis was that TAVI was noninferior to surgery, with a noninferiority margin of 5% for the upper limit of the 1-sided 97.5% CI for the absolute between-group difference in mortality. There were 36 secondary outcomes (30 reported herein), including duration of hospital stay, major bleeding events, vascular complications, conduction disturbance requiring pacemaker implantation, and aortic regurgitation. Results: Among 913 patients randomized (median age, 81 years [IQR, 78 to 84 years]; 424 [46%] were female; median Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality risk score, 2.6% [IQR, 2.0% to 3.4%]), 912 (99.9%) completed follow-up and were included in the noninferiority analysis. At 1 year, there were 21 deaths (4.6%) in the TAVI group and 30 deaths (6.6%) in the surgery group, with an adjusted absolute risk difference of −2.0% (1-sided 97.5% CI, −∞ to 1.2%; P &lt; .001 for noninferiority). Of 30 prespecified secondary outcomes reported herein, 24 showed no significant difference at 1 year. TAVI was associated with significantly shorter postprocedural hospitalization (median of 3 days [IQR, 2 to 5 days] vs 8 days [IQR, 6 to 13 days] in the surgery group). At 1 year, there were significantly fewer major bleeding events after TAVI compared with surgery (7.2% vs 20.2%, respectively; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.33 [95% CI, 0.24 to 0.45]) but significantly more vascular complications (10.3% vs 2.4%; adjusted HR, 4.42 [95% CI, 2.54 to 7.71]), conduction disturbances requiring pacemaker implantation (14.2% vs 7.3%; adjusted HR, 2.05 [95% CI, 1.43 to 2.94]), and mild (38.3% vs 11.7%) or moderate (2.3% vs 0.6%) aortic regurgitation (adjusted odds ratio for mild, moderate, or severe [no instance of severe reported] aortic regurgitation combined vs none, 4.89 [95% CI, 3.08 to 7.75]). Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients aged 70 years or older with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis and moderately increased operative risk, TAVI was noninferior to surgery with respect to all-cause mortality at 1 year. Trial Registration: isrctn.com Identifier: ISRCTN57819173