The GALILEO GALILEI small-satellite mission with FEEP thrusters (GG)

The Equivalence Principle, formulated by Einstein generalizing Galileo’s and Newton’s work, is a fundamental principle of modern physics. As such it should be tested as accurately as possible. Its most direct consequence, namely the Universality of Free Fall, can be tested in space, in a low Earth orbit, the crucial advantage being that the driving signal is about three orders of magnitude stronger than on Earth. GALILEO GALILEI (GG) is a small space mission designed for such a high-accuracy test. At the time of print, GG has been selected by ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) as a candidate for the next small Italian mission. Ground tests of the proposed apparatus now indicate that an accuracy of 1 part in 1017 is within the reach of this small mission

Evaluasi Pelaksanaan Credit Risk Management pada PT BPR X

Lembaga keuangan Bank Perkreditan Rakyat (BPR) memiliki peran yang penting bagi keberlanjutan ekonomi suatu negara terutama dalam bidang kredit. Kredit berarti memberikan dana yang dimiliki untuk dipinjamkan kepada orang lain, yang mana akan timbul risiko yang besar apabila tidak dikelola dengan baik. Besar kecilnya risiko kredit, dapat ditunjukkan dengan rasio NPL. Kenaikan rasio NPL menjadi pertanda bahwa pengelolaan manajemen risiko kredit bank tersebut mengalami penurunan. Hal ini menyebabkan pelaksanaan manajemen risiko kredit bagi BPR sangatlah penting. Sehingga tujuan penelitian ini adalah menganalisis penerapan prinsip-prinsip manajemen risiko kredit Bank of International Settlements pada PT BPR X. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain riset eksploratif dengan metode kualitatif. Pengumpulan data penelitian dilakukan dengan cara wawancara kepada 4 responden selaku pimpinan BPR X dan observasi terhadap pelaksanaan manajemen risiko kredit di PT BPR X. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa BPR X tidak memenuhi 3 dari 17 prinsip manajemen risiko kredit Bank of International Settlements. Ketiga prinsip yang tidak memenuhi tersebut adalah prinsip ke-5, prinsip ke-10, dan prinsip ke-13

Oral health-related quality of life in partially edentulous patients before and after implant therapy: a 2-year longitudinal study

The aim of this study was to measure the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) before and after a prosthodontic implant therapy so to determine the physical and psychological impact of implant-supported fixed partial dentures (IFPD) rehabilitation among edentulous patients. Methods. 50 partially edentulous patients aged 40-70 years, treated with IFPD, completed the OHRQoL questionnaire before the implant surgery (Time 0) and 2 years after their whole implant-prosthetic rehabilitation (Time 1). The questionnaire was proposed in a short version of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14, range 0-56) and analyzed through the ‘additive method’. We evaluated statistical mean, standard deviation, median, variance and mode of all OHIP-14 domains and the statistical significance about oral changes at Time 0 and Time 1 using the Chi-square test (p-values 0.05). Patients with I and IV Kennedy’s class edentulism showed better improvement (p < 0.05). Preoperative and post-treatment assessments of OHRQoL exhibited significant differences. The IFPD treatment had a positive effect on the OHRQoL, which improved better in patients with I and IV Kennedy’s edentulous class

Parabolic oblique derivative problem in generalized Morrey spaces

We study the regularity of the solutions of the oblique derivative problem for linear uniformly parabolic equations with VMO coefficients. We show that if the right-hand side of the parabolic equation belongs to certain generalized Morrey space than the strong solution belongs to the corresponding generalized Sobolev-Morrey space

A Movement-Tremors Recorder for Patients of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, motor neuron, and Chorea affect millions of people today. Their effect on the central nervous system causes the loss of brain functions as well as motor disturbances and sometimes cognitive deficits. In such a scenario, the monitoring and evaluation of early symptoms are mandatory for the improvement of the patient's quality of life. Here, the authors describe the development, the laboratory calibration, and the "in-field validation" under the medical supervision of a movement tremors recorder for subjects affected by neurodegenerative diseases. The developed device is based on an array of four accelerometers connected to an embedded development board. This system is able to monitor tremor/movement, accidental falls, and, moreover, it can track the Alzheimer subjects' geographical position. A remote supervisor can collect data from the system through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or GSM connections. A data compression algorithm was developed directly on board in order to increase the efficiency of data transmission and reduce power consumptions

Development of Hydrogen Peroxide Monopropellant Rocktes

Alta S.p.A. (Italy) and DELTACAT Ltd. (United Kingdom) are conducting a study, funded by the European Space Agency, into the development of hydrogen peroxide monopropellant thrusters using advanced catalytic beds. The present paper focuses on the design of two different demonstration thrusters with nominal ratings of 5 N and 25 N. Design requirements and specifications are presented, followed by the main results of a concept study, which was conducted to define the approximate dimensions needed. Some details about the specific design of the two prototypes and the choice of the main components are provided, with particular regard to the sensors and transducers to be used during the experimentation. Different catalytic bed configurations, including pure silver gauzes and pellets coated with manganese oxide or platinum, are going to be tested in the prototype thrusters, in order to find the optimum one for further industrial development. A dedicated test bench, designed and r..

Dynamical response of the "GGG" rotor to test the Equivalence Principle: theory, simulation and experiment. Part I: the normal modes

Recent theoretical work suggests that violation of the Equivalence Principle might be revealed in a measurement of the fractional differential acceleration $\eta$ between two test bodies -of different composition, falling in the gravitational field of a source mass- if the measurement is made to the level of $\eta\simeq 10^{-13}$ or better. This being within the reach of ground based experiments, gives them a new impetus. However, while slowly rotating torsion balances in ground laboratories are close to reaching this level, only an experiment performed in low orbit around the Earth is likely to provide a much better accuracy. We report on the progress made with the "Galileo Galilei on the Ground" (GGG) experiment, which aims to compete with torsion balances using an instrument design also capable of being converted into a much higher sensitivity space test. In the present and following paper (Part I and Part II), we demonstrate that the dynamical response of the GGG differential accelerometer set into supercritical rotation -in particular its normal modes (Part I) and rejection of common mode effects (Part II)- can be predicted by means of a simple but effective model that embodies all the relevant physics. Analytical solutions are obtained under special limits, which provide the theoretical understanding. A simulation environment is set up, obtaining quantitative agreement with the available experimental data on the frequencies of the normal modes, and on the whirling behavior. This is a needed and reliable tool for controlling and separating perturbative effects from the expected signal, as well as for planning the optimization of the apparatus.Comment: Accepted for publication by "Review of Scientific Instruments" on Jan 16, 2006. 16 2-column pages, 9 figure