Learning About Ares I from Monte Carlo Simulation

This paper addresses Monte Carlo simulation analyses that are being conducted to understand the behavior of the Ares I launch vehicle, and to assist with its design. After describing the simulation and modeling of Ares I, the paper addresses the process used to determine what simulations are necessary, and the parameters that are varied in order to understand how the Ares I vehicle will behave in flight. Outputs of these simulations furnish a significant group of design customers with data needed for the development of Ares I and of the Orion spacecraft that will ride atop Ares I. After listing the customers, examples of many of the outputs are described. Products discussed in this paper include those that support structural loads analysis, aerothermal analysis, flight control design, failure/abort analysis, determination of flight performance reserve, examination of orbit insertion accuracy, determination of the Upper Stage impact footprint, analysis of stage separation, analysis of launch probability, analysis of first stage recovery, thrust vector control and reaction control system design, liftoff drift analysis, communications analysis, umbilical release, acoustics, and design of jettison systems

A Completely Open Race: Anglo-Soviet Competition over German Military Science and Technology, 1944-1949

In the period immediately following the Second World War, during which Germany was occupied by the four victorious Allies, fierce competition erupted between them over the spoils of German military science and technology. Among this four-power squabbling, the British and Soviet authorities engaged in a particularly desperate struggle, especially over recruitment of expert German personnel, which they felt might give them the edge in any future conflict. This article explores the policies which arose from this struggle and shows that the first act of the Cold War arms race played out most vividly amongst the ruins of the Third Reich

‘The Other End of a Trajectory’: Operation Backfire and the German Origins of Britain’s Ballistic Missile Programme

The ballistic missile age dawned in September 1944, when Nazi Germany began its V-2 campaign against Britain and Western Europe. One year later, in October 1945, the British launched a V-2 rocket themselves, as the culmination of Operation Backfire. This article will chart Britain’s development of a guided missile capacity in the years immediately following the Second World War, and the importance of German expertise therein. It will also explore how this transnational process occurred within a broader international context, especially the reconfiguration of the Anglo-American relationship and the growing threat of the Soviet Union. As such it will show how swiftly the Cold War arms race emerged from the ashes of the previous conflict, how technology and international relations are intimately entwined, and how Britain was an active and enthusiastic participant in the very earliest days of the missile age

Pushed into Pragmatism: British Approaches to Science in Post-War Occupied Germany

One of the most important dilemmas facing the British authorities when they occupied their zone of Germany at the end of the Second World War was what to do with German science. The contributions made by scientists and engineers to the Nazi war machine, in fields such as rocketry and submarines, meant that German science was both revered and feared, and was therefore closely linked to concerns about a post-war military resurgence in Germany. This article aims to chart the changing approaches which the British occupation officials adopted towards German science in this period. While the initial intention was to prevent Germany from ever waging war again, through demilitarisation, denazification and dismantling, the focus changed as British enmity shifted from a former adversary, Germany, to a former ally, the Soviet Union. Policy reflected this shift as technology transfer and the reconstruction of domestic German science won greater favour. This article aims to show that, in the face of growing hostility from the USSR and in the deeply suspicious climate of the early Cold War, Britain was forced to abandon its moral mission towards German science and adopt a far more pragmatic strategy instead

Crystallisation From Volatile Deep Eutectic Solvents

A new class of deep eutectic solvents are presented where one component of the system is inherently volatile, enabling a premeditated, auto-destructive capability which leads inexorably to a series of novel crystal structures. These volatile deep eutectic solvents are easily-formed liquids with a greatly depressed melting point and exhibit all of the physical characteristics of classical deep eutectic solvents, with the exception that the hydrogen-bond donor component is volatile when exposed to the atmosphere at room temperature. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this concept through the exquisite control of pharmaceutical polymorphism, among which is a more efficacious form of acetaminophen, which can be formed spontaneously for the first time at room temperature.Comment: 42 pages, 23 figures, 1 Tabl

British Exploitation of German Science and Technology from War to Post-War, 1943-1948

The aim of this thesis is to present a rounded picture of British efforts to obtain information on German science and technology, both military and civilian, after the Second World War. This endeavour was conducted for numerous reasons - to secure some form of reparations, to improve defence capabilities for any future conflict, and to ensure that Germany possessed no lasting scientific war potential - and in various ways - the examination of laboratories and factories, the confiscation of equipment and documents, and the interrogation of experts. In some cases, these same experts were detained, brought to Britain, and occasionally offered work at government research establishments or private companies, in order to exact long-term benefit for Britain from the occupation of Germany. Unsurprisingly, an endeavour of this nature encountered difficulty from multiple quarters, including public opposition in Britain, conflict with other initiatives, such as reconstruction, in Germany, and competition with foreign powers, most notably the Soviet Union. As a result, this thesis sits at the intersection between various fields of historical inquiry. It incorporates elements from the history of intelligence, such as the necessarily secretive nature of many of the exploitation operations and the involvement of high-level intelligence bodies in the direction of the programme; from diplomatic history, not least how exploitation was affected by the reconfiguration of Britain's status on the world stage as it was steadily eclipsed by the United States and the Soviet Union; from the history of science, as the programme encompassed some of the most significant technological developments of the period, including the atomic bomb, the jet engine and guided missiles; and from military history, both because the first units and individuals concerned with the initiative were military and because many of the most valuable spoils removed from Germany were of a warlike nature. Ultimately, though, the narrative presented in this thesis is primarily concerned with British policy - policy towards occupied Germany, science and technology, and the nascent Cold War - and how this evolved throughout, and was shaped by, the deeply transformative period surrounding the end of the Second World War. The story of the British exploitation of German science and technology is, therefore, a crucial, but thus far understudied, facet of Britain's adjustment to the new post-war era in 1945

Exercise and nutritional rehabilitation in patients with incurable cancer

BACKGROUND: Cancer treatments are evolving, so that in many cases cancer is becoming a chronic disease. Rehabilitation is a cornerstone in the management of many chronic diseases, however, it is not yet a routine component of cancer care, in spite of this being advocated (Tiberini R, 2015, Alfano et al., 2016). There is limited evidence for the core components of a rehabilitation programme for patients with incurable cancer. The progressive decline in function and nutritional status in these patients would support an approach that targets these factors. The multi-modal therapeutic approach proposed to treat cancer cachexia, which incorporates exercise and nutrition (Fearon, 2008, Solheim, 2018), has the potential to be adapted as a rehabilitation programme for patients with any type of incurable cancer. However, the feasibility of such a programme remains to be tested. AIMS: The aims of this thesis were: firstly, to examine the evidence for combined exercise and nutritional interventions in patients with incurable cancer. A phase II, randomised controlled feasibility trial of an exercise and nutritional rehabilitation programme (ENeRgy) versus standard care was designed and undertaken for patients with incurable cancer. Assessing the primary (feasibility) and secondary (exploratory) endpoints of this trial constitute the second and third aims of this thesis. METHODS: A systematic review was undertaken to assess existing evidence for combined exercise and nutritional interventions for patients with incurable cancer. The internationally recognised Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria were applied to rank evidence relating to patient-important outcomes, detailed in chapter two. The ENeRgy trial was undertaken as detailed in chapter three. Eligible participants came from two Edinburgh Hospice community palliative care teams or the Edinburgh tertiary Oncology centre. Participants were ≥18 years of age; Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ≥ 60; had a diagnosis of incurable cancer (defined as metastatic or locally advanced cancer not amenable to curative treatment); and were not undergoing anti-cancer therapy. Participants were randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive an eight-week exercise and nutritional rehabilitation programme (intervention arm) or standard care (control arm). The primary endpoints examined feasibility of the trial and compliance with interventions, while secondary endpoints examined recruitment, retention, participant and carer quality of life (QoL) including sleep parameters. Physical activity measures included mean daily step count measured by physical activity monitor (PAM), two minute walk test (TMWT), timed up and go test (TUG), Life Space Assessment (LSA) and KPS. Nutritional status was measured using weight, the abridged Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment (aPG-SGA) questionnaire and a ten point verbal scale assessment of nutritional intake (AveS). Overall survival was also measured. All endpoints were assessed at trial baseline (week 0), midpoint (week 5) and endpoint (week 9). RESULTS: Systematic Review: There are a limited number of published clinical trials examining combined exercise and nutritional rehabilitation in patients with incurable cancer. However, the existing evidence suggests there are multiple beneficial effects: the highest quality body of evidence pertained to improvements in physical function and depression: graded as moderate (B). Improvements in QoL and fatigue were graded as low (C), and the least quality of evidence (very low, D) related to improvements in overall function and nutrition/ weight. ENeRgy Trial: Forty-five people (28 males) were recruited over 15 months with an attrition rate of 36% (n=16) with a higher rate of attrition in the control arm (41% vs. 30%). Attrition was mainly due to deterioration in health and no participants withdrew due to the intervention being overly burdensome. Twenty-one participants had a GI or thoracic malignancy and the median [inter-quartile range, IQR] age was 78 years [69-84]. Trial procedures were well tolerated and at least 76% of participants in the treatment arm complied with >80% of the trial interventions. There were no significant differences in participant QoL, with the exception of emotional functioning which remained significantly higher in the intervention arm [P=0.006]. A non-significant improvement in carer QoL was seen in the intervention arm compared to the control arm. There was a non-significant increase in weight in the intervention arm compared to a loss in the control arm (P=0.184). There were no significant differences in step count (P=0.55), TUG (P=0.78), TMWT (P=0.48) and LSA (P=1.0), a-PG-SGA scores (P=0.249), AveS (P=0.398), KPS scores or survival between trial arms. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the systematic review suggest that there are multiple benefits to be gained for patients with incurable cancer from combined exercise and nutritional rehabilitation programmes, most notably in terms of physical function and mood. This ostensibly could result in improvements in QoL, but adequately powered trials are lacking. Results from the ENeRgy trial demonstrate that delivering an exercise and nutritional rehabilitation programme in a hospice outpatient setting is feasible in terms of patient recruitment and compliance with interventions, despite attrition. Furthermore there are potential benefits, including improvements in emotional functioning, carer quality of life and weight, which require a larger phase three trial to fully elucidate. Funding for the follow- on phase three trial ‘ENeRgise’ is currently being sought and the results of this trial could lead to fundamental changes in the way we approach rehabilitation in Palliative Medicine