The Magdrive Propulsion Systems for Space Debris Management

Active space debris removal Tens of thousands of large debris objects 1u or bigger currently in LEO, posing a risk to current and future missions. Propulsion required for frequent and rapid collision avoidance. Adds significantly to the spacecraft mass and mission cost. Active debris removal Removal of debris using another satellite. Companies looking at this include: Astroscale Clearspace Busek ORDE

Test System Development for a Novel Plasma Propulsion Device

The Magdrive: A next generation in-space electric propulsion system based on the generation of super dense plasma and magnetic plume confinement. The system offers high levels of thrust, along with variable specific impulse that allows the user to achieve the high thrust required for responsive, rapid manoeuvres, or the efficient high specific impulse for long duration thrusts, all with one device

Monotherapy with pixantrone in histologically confirmed relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: post-hoc analyses from a phase III trial.

This post hoc analysis of a phase 3 trial explored the effect of pixantrone in patients (50 pixantrone, 47 comparator) with relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) confirmed by centralized histological review. Patients received 28-d cycles of 85 mg/m(2) pixantrone dimaleate (equivalent to 50 mg/m(2) in the approved formulation) on days 1, 8 and 15, or comparator. The population was subdivided according to previous rituximab use and whether they received the study treatment as 3rd or 4th line. Median number of cycles was 4 (range, 2-6) with pixantrone and 3 (2-6) with comparator. In 3rd or 4th line, pixantrone was associated with higher complete response (CR) (23·1% vs. 5·1% comparator, P = 0·047) and overall response rate (ORR, 43·6% vs. 12·8%, P = 0·005). In 3rd or 4th line with previous rituximab (20 pixantrone, 18 comparator), pixantrone produced better ORR (45·0% vs. 11·1%, P = 0·033), CR (30·0% vs. 5·6%, P = 0·093) and progression-free survival (median 5·4 vs. 2·8 months, hazard ratio 0·52, 95% confidence interval 0·26-1·04) than the comparator. Similar results were found in patients without previous rituximab. There were no unexpected safety issues. Pixantrone monotherapy is more effective than comparator in relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell NHL in the 3rd or 4th line setting, independently of previous rituximab

Defining the temporal evolution of gut dysbiosis and inflammatory responses leading to hepatocellular carcinoma in Mdr2 -/- mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiome in liver inflammation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. We aimed to characterize the temporal evolution of gut dysbiosis, in relation to the phenotype of systemic and hepatic inflammatory responses leading to HCC development. In the present study, Mdr2 -/- mice were used as a model of inflammation-based HCC. Gut microbiome composition and function, in addition to serum LPS, serum cytokines/chemokines and intrahepatic inflammatory genes were measured throughout the course of liver injury until HCC development. RESULTS: Early stages of liver injury, inflammation and cirrhosis, were characterized by dysbiosis. Microbiome functional pathways pertaining to gut barrier dysfunction were enriched during the initial phase of liver inflammation and cirrhosis, whilst those supporting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis increased as cirrhosis and HCC ensued. In parallel, serum LPS progressively increased during the course of liver injury, corresponding to a shift towards a systemic Th1/Th17 proinflammatory phenotype. Alongside, the intrahepatic inflammatory gene profile transitioned from a proinflammatory phenotype in the initial phases of liver injury to an immunosuppressed one in HCC. In established HCC, a switch in microbiome function from carbohydrate to amino acid metabolism occurred. CONCLUSION: In Mdr2 -/- mice, dysbiosis precedes HCC development, with temporal evolution of microbiome function to support gut barrier dysfunction, LPS biosynthesis, and redirection of energy source utilization. A corresponding shift in systemic and intrahepatic inflammatory responses occurred supporting HCC development. These findings support the notion that gut based therapeutic interventions could be beneficial early in the course of liver disease to halt HCC development

A portable X-pinch design for x-ray diagnostics of warm dense matter

We describe the design and x-ray emission properties (temporal, spatial, and spectral) of Dry Pinch I, a portable X-pinch driver developed at Imperial College London. Dry Pinch I is a direct capacitor discharge device, 300 × 300 × 700 mm3 in size and ∼50 kg in mass, that can be used as an external driver for x-ray diagnostics in high-energy-density physics experiments. Among key findings, the device is shown to reliably produce 1.1 ± 0.3 ns long x-ray bursts that couple ∼50 mJ of energy into photon energies from 1 to 10 keV. The average shot-to-shot jitter of these bursts is found to be 10 ± 4.6 ns using a combination of x-ray and current diagnostics. The spatial extent of the x-ray hot spot from which the radiation emanates agrees with previously published results for X-pinches—suggesting a spot size of 10 ± 6 µm in the soft energy region (1–10 keV) and 190 ± 100 µm in the hard energy region (>10 keV). These characteristics mean that Dry Pinch I is ideally suited for use as a probe in experiments driven in the laboratory or at external facilities when more conventional sources of probing radiation are not available. At the same time, this is also the first detailed investigation of an X-pinch operating reliably at current rise rates of less than 1 kA/ns

A Conceptual and Empirical Framework for the Development of a Country Wide Loyalty Scheme Servicing the Cyprus Tourism Industry

Customer loyalty programs have become more popular in today’s competitive business environment even though they have stimulated the attention of the hospitality industry since the mid 80’s. Shifting from the mainstream conquest marketing, that is, the constant search for new customers, the tourism industry has focused its attention on loyalty and retention marketing via the development of loyalty schemes. While many segments of the industry have successfully developed and utilized loyalty programs/schemes in the past three decades, the development of a holistic and integrated country-wide customer loyalty scheme still poses major conceptual and methodological challenges. The empirical findings obtained in this paper have both conceptual and methodological implications as well as added value for tourism policymakers and industry stakeholders when planning promotion strategies for tourism destinations worldwide

Sensory evaluation of wine through correspondence analysis: a theoretical and empirical rationale

Sensory evaluation in wine research focuses on understanding wine preference and choice within a holistic framework. This study offers a theoretical and empirical rationale for the sensory evaluation of wine. A precondition for sustainability and success in the market arena is a clear understanding of potential interaction of sensory evaluation properties and other factors affecting consumer choice. New approaches and methodologies for preference matching and assessment of sensory properties and information queues on overall liking are of fundamental importance for wine makers. The aim of this study is to advance the understanding of sensory evaluations affecting consumer both on empirical and theoretical grounds. For the implementation of this aim, an empirical research with real wine tasting data was conducted and analyzed through the use of Correspondence Analysis (CA). The findings of this study demonstrate that this method is more appropriate in wine sensory data analysis due to their categorical and non-parametric nature. CA is a very useful technique to establish a solid knowledge for the identification of the wines based on evidence and facts of their aromatic characteristics

Retelling history through ancient-life stories to promote Sustainable Cultural Tourism

Face to Face: Meet an Ancient Cypriot (FF-MAC) is a project funded by the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) and involves a consortium of academia, enterprises, governmental services, policy makers and societal stakeholders. The aim of the project is to increase the appeal and accessibility of cultural heritage for tourism through encounters with real individuals from the Cypriot past, based on bioarchaeological research leading to construction of osteobiographies, ancient life stories and visitor encounters with real, individual life stories from the past. The project involves an integrated intervention through research and technological- innovation activities for addressing important challenges in the relevant sector. Recent research revealed that both the global financial crisis and the recent pandemic have affected Cyprus tourism. In this context the aim of the project is to assist the tourism sector through transforming scientific research results (osteobiographies of ancient Cypriot individuals) into prototypes of tourism products, so that local tourism can enjoy a significant competitive advantage. To that end a primary research was conducted aiming to explore and segment the tourism market. The development of a new, attractive tourism product, which promotes cultural heritage, "retells" history and utilizes technological advances to enhance the tourism experience, should be based on primary and up-to-date data. Regarding the profile of the tourist interested in cultural tourism and the type of narrative, which makes archaeological research an enriching element of the tourist experience, special emphasis was given on the development of a branding strategy. Finally, although the elaboration of a branding strategy takes place in a context of instability, its main philosophy is to utilize FF_MAC project as an opportunity for a quality restart of Cyprus Tourism

Retelling history through ancient-life stories to promote Sustainable Cultural Tourism

Face to Face: Meet an Ancient Cypriot (FF-MAC) is a project funded by the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) and involves a consortium of academia, enterprises, governmental services, policy makers and societal stakeholders. The aim of the project is to increase the appeal and accessibility of cultural heritage for tourism through encounters with real individuals from the Cypriot past, based on bioarchaeological research leading to construction of osteobiographies, ancient life stories and visitor encounters with real, individual life stories from the past. The project involves an integrated intervention through research and technological- innovation activities for addressing important challenges in the relevant sector. Recent research revealed that both the global financial crisis and the recent pandemic have affected Cyprus tourism. In this context the aim of the project is to assist the tourism sector through transforming scientific research results (osteobiographies of ancient Cypriot individuals) into prototypes of tourism products, so that local tourism can enjoy a significant competitive advantage. To that end a primary research was conducted aiming to explore and segment the tourism market. The development of a new, attractive tourism product, which promotes cultural heritage, "retells" history and utilizes technological advances to enhance the tourism experience, should be based on primary and up-to-date data. Regarding the profile of the tourist interested in cultural tourism and the type of narrative, which makes archaeological research an enriching element of the tourist experience, special emphasis was given on the development of a branding strategy. Finally, although the elaboration of a branding strategy takes place in a context of instability, its main philosophy is to utilize FF_MAC project as an opportunity for a quality restart of Cyprus Tourism