A CubeSAT Orbital Test Platform for an Electrothermal Plasma Micro-Thruster

As the viability and capability of CubeSats increases, a demand for propulsion systems is becoming apparent. The limitations put forth in the ``CubeSat Design Specifications and the additional difficulties of low available Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) for propulsion systems aboard CubeSats have left a technological gap that many are trying to fill. One class of propulsion, micro-propulsion systems, fills this gap nicely as they generally have low size and weight with a reasonable amount of power draw. Many can function for reasonable lifetime scales utilizing pressure vessels under one atmosphere and less then 100 watt-hours of stored chemical energy as stipulated by the CubeSat standards. Micro-thruster systems can provide station keeping to extend mission life, a method to de-orbit, or possibly even bulk position change capabilities to CubeSats, thus increasing their ever growing usage potential. Many promising micro-propulsion systems have low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and have limited-to-no space flight heritage, making their selection for a CubeSat mission more risky. A rapid, low cost, development and demonstration platform for advanced micro-propulsion systems is needed to increase TRL of promising technologies and provide them with space flight heritage, thus making them low risk options for future mission planners. CubeSats themselves represent an interesting test bed platform for emerging propulsion technologies as they are relatively inexpensive and less risk adverse than traditional space systems. This endeavor strives to analyze the efficacy of using CubeSats as a micro-propulsion demonstration platform to be built by students of the California Polytechnic State University\u27s PolySat Team. This thesis will baseline the use of Pocket Rocket, an electrothermal plasma micro-thruster, originally developed by the Australian National University. The thruster has seen continued development with the PolySat team, and the PolySat version\u27s performance and form factor is used in the following analyses. However, the platform proposed herein would not be inherently limited to this specific micro-propulsion technology. The following analyses shows that a sun pointing control law utilizing additional deployable panels is necessary for the power budget to close. The necessary area is equal to a 2 x 3U surface of panels, which will be comprised of one 1 x 3U face and two 1/2 x 3 U deployable panels. It is also apparent that the thermal environment requires intervention to be survivable. More details will be provided in the design of an extremely SWaP efficient passive thermal management system. It also highlights the viability of the of utilizing two thrusters to impose a tumble that is easily measured. It highlights the additional complexity involved by an increasingly unbalanced craft, and the need to know the inertia tensor of the craft to accurately predict the flight functionality of the thruster. Two 1 milliNewton thrusters firing for a period of 20 seconds results in a tumble across the intended axis of about .18 hZ. This is easily measurable and also recoverable based on the selected reaction wheel bundle

A review of machine learning applications in wildfire science and management

Artificial intelligence has been applied in wildfire science and management since the 1990s, with early applications including neural networks and expert systems. Since then the field has rapidly progressed congruently with the wide adoption of machine learning (ML) in the environmental sciences. Here, we present a scoping review of ML in wildfire science and management. Our objective is to improve awareness of ML among wildfire scientists and managers, as well as illustrate the challenging range of problems in wildfire science available to data scientists. We first present an overview of popular ML approaches used in wildfire science to date, and then review their use in wildfire science within six problem domains: 1) fuels characterization, fire detection, and mapping; 2) fire weather and climate change; 3) fire occurrence, susceptibility, and risk; 4) fire behavior prediction; 5) fire effects; and 6) fire management. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of various ML approaches and identify opportunities for future advances in wildfire science and management within a data science context. We identified 298 relevant publications, where the most frequently used ML methods included random forests, MaxEnt, artificial neural networks, decision trees, support vector machines, and genetic algorithms. There exists opportunities to apply more current ML methods (e.g., deep learning and agent based learning) in wildfire science. However, despite the ability of ML models to learn on their own, expertise in wildfire science is necessary to ensure realistic modelling of fire processes across multiple scales, while the complexity of some ML methods requires sophisticated knowledge for their application. Finally, we stress that the wildfire research and management community plays an active role in providing relevant, high quality data for use by practitioners of ML methods.Comment: 83 pages, 4 figures, 3 table

Development and preliminary results of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR)-integrated smartphone telemedicine program to deliver asthma care remotely

Background: Technology-based interventions that can function within real-world practice and improve outcomes without increasing provider burden are needed, yet few successfully cross the research-to-practice divide. This paper describes the process of developing a clinically-integrated smartphone-telemedicine program for adults with asthma and results from proof-of-concept testing. Methods: To ensure integration with practice, we used a contextually-grounded intervention development approach and May\u27s implementation theory to design the intervention, with emphasis on systems capabilities and stakeholder needs. The intervention incorporated symptom monitoring by smart phone, smartphone telemedicine visits and self-management training with a nurse, and clinical decision support software, which provided automated calculations of asthma severity, control, and step-wise therapy. Seven adults (aged 18-40) engaged in a 3-month beta-test. Asthma outcomes (control, quality of life, FEV1) and healthcare utilization patterns were measured at baseline and end-of-study. Results: Each participant received an average of 4 telemedicine visits with 94% patient satisfaction. All participants had uncontrolled asthma at baseline; by end-of-study 5/7 classified as well controlled. Mean asthma control improved 1.55 points (CI=0.59-2.51); quality of life improved 1.91 points CI=0.50-3.31), and FEV1 percent predicted increased 14.86% (CI=-3.09-32.80) with effect sizes of d=1.16, 1.09, and 0.96, respectively. Preventive healthcare utilization increased significantly (1.86 visits/year vs. 0.28/year prior, CI 0.67-2.47) as did prescriptions for controller medications (9.29 refills/year vs. 1.57 refills/year, CI 4.85-10.58) Conclusion: Smartphone telemedicine may be an effective means to improve outcomes and deliver asthma care remotely. However, careful attention to systems capabilities and stakeholder acceptability is needed to ensure successful integration with practice

Going Mobile with Primary Care: Smartphone-Telemedicine for Asthma Management in Young Urban Adults (TEAMS)

Background: The majority of adults with persistent asthma have chronically uncontrolled disease and interventions to improve outcomes are needed. We evaluated the efficacy, feasi- bility, and acceptability of a multi-component smartphone-telemedicine program (TEAMS) to deliver asthma care remotely, support provider adherence to asthma management guide- lines, and improve patient outcomes. Methods: TEAMS utilized: (1) remote symptom monitoring, (2) nurse-led smartphone-tele- medicine with self-management training for patients, and (3) Electronic medical record- based clinical decision support software. Adults aged 18-44 (N=33) and primary care providers (N=4) were recruited from a safety-net practice in Upstate New York. Asthma con- trol, quality of life, and FEV1 were measured at 0, 3 and 6 months. Acceptability was assessed via survey and end-of-study interviews. Paired t-test and mixed effects modeling were used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on asthma outcomes. Results: At baseline, 80% of participants had uncontrolled asthma. By 6-months, 80% classi- fied as well-controlled. Improvements in control and quality of life were large (d=1.955, d=1.579). FEV%pred increased 4.2% (d=1.687) with the greatest gain in males, smokers, and lower educational status. Provider adherence to national guidelines increased from 43.3% to 86.7% (CI = 22.11-64.55) and patient adherence to medication increased from 45.58% to 85.29% (CI = 14.79-64.62). Acceptability was 95.7%; In follow up interviews, 29/30 patients and all providers indicated TEAMS worked better than usual care, supported effective self- management, and reduced symptoms over time, which led to greater self-efficacy and motivation to manage asthma. Discussion: Based on these findings, we conclude that smartphone telemedicine could substantially improve clinical asthma management, adherence to guidelines, and patient outcomes

Allowing a wildfire to burn: estimating the effect on future fire suppression costs

Where a legacy of aggressive wildland fire suppression has left forests in need of fuel reduction, allowing wildland fire to burn may provide fuel treatment benefits, thereby reducing suppression costs from subsequent fires. The least-cost-plus-net-value-change model of wildland fire economics includes benefits of wildfire in a framework for evaluating suppression options. In this study, we estimated one component of that benefit – the expected present value of the reduction in suppression costs for subsequent fires arising from the fuel treatment effect of a current fire. To that end, we employed Monte Carlo methods to generate a set of scenarios for subsequent fire ignition and weather events, which are referred to as sample paths, for a study area in central Oregon. We simulated fire on the landscape over a 100-year time horizon using existing models of fire behaviour, vegetation and fuels development, and suppression effectiveness, and we estimated suppression costs using an existing suppression cost model. Our estimates suggest that the potential cost savings may be substantial. Further research is needed to estimate the full least-cost-plus-net-value-change model. This line of research will extend the set of tools available for developing wildfire management plans for forested landscapes.Keywords: bio-economic modelling, wildland fire management, forest economics, forest fire polic

Development and preliminary evaluation of the VPS ReplaySuite: a virtual double-headed microscope for pathology

BACKGROUND: Advances in computing and telecommunications have resulted in the availability of a range of online tools for use in pathology training and quality assurance. The majority focus on either enabling pathologists to examine and diagnose cases, or providing image archives that serve as reference material. Limited emphasis has been placed on analysing the diagnostic process used by pathologists to reach a diagnosis and using this as a resource for improving diagnostic performance. METHODS: The ReplaySuite is an online pathology software tool that presents archived virtual slide examinations to pathologists in an accessible video-like format, similar to observing examinations with a double-headed microscope. Delivered through a customised web browser, it utilises PHP (Hypertext PreProcessor) to interact with a remote database and retrieve data describing virtual slide examinations, performed using the Virtual Pathology Slide (VPS). To demonstrate the technology and conduct a preliminary evaluation of pathologists opinions on its potential application in pathology training and quality assurance, 70 pathologists were invited to use the application to review their own and other pathologists examinations of 10 needle-core breast biopsies and complete an electronic survey. 9 pathologists participated, and all subsequently completed an exit survey. RESULTS: Of those who replayed an examination by another pathologist, 83.3% (5/6) agreed that replays provided an insight into the examining pathologists diagnosis and 33.3% (2/6) reconsidered their own diagnosis for at least one case. Of those who reconsidered their original diagnosis, all re-classified either concordant with group consensus or original glass slide diagnosis. 77.7% (7/9) of all participants, and all 3 participants who replayed more than 10 examinations stated the ReplaySuite to be of some or great benefit in pathology training and quality assurance. CONCLUSION: Participants conclude the ReplaySuite to be of some or of great potential benefit to pathology training and quality assurance and consider the ReplaySuite to be beneficial in evaluating the diagnostic trace of an examination. The ReplaySuite removes temporal and spatial issues that surround the use of double-headed microscopes by allowing examinations to be reviewed at different times and in different locations to the original examination. While the evaluation set was limited and potentially subject to bias, the response of participants was favourable. Further work is planned to determine whether use of the ReplaySuite can result in improved diagnostic ability

Improvements in clinical outcomes in children with cystic fibrosis aged six and 16 years

Aims: Our aim was to assess if outcomes for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients at six & sixteen years of age have improved in the last 17 years looking at FEV1, BMI and death. Methods: A retrospective observational study using a prospectively maintained database of CF patients at Cork University Hospital. Results: 84 patients were included in the 16-year-old data and 89 patients were included in the six-year-old data. The mean FEV1 and BMI (16 years) for the 2002-2007 group was 72.9±21.0% and 18.9±2.53 respectively, 2008-2013 group was 75.4±27.2% and 19.8±2.7 and for the 2014-2018 group was 95.2±16.0% and 22.9±4.1. The percentage of patients (16 years) with chronic pseudomonas status was 37.9% (11/30) in the 2002-2007 group, 51.6 % (16/31) in the 2008-2013 group and 4.2% (1/24) in the 2014-2018 group. The relationship between FEV1 and FVC with BMI remained significant in multivariate analysis (P <0.001). The mean FEV1 (six years) for the 2002-2007 group was 90.7±16.1%, 2008-2013 group was 99.3±17.9% and for the 2014-2018 group was 100.9±15.8%. Conclusions: Improvements in FEV1 and BMI aged six and 16 years are notable as well as a significant decline in the number of patients with chronic pseudomonas

Low-Dose Sorafenib Promotes Cancer Stem Cell Expansion and Accelerated Tumor Progression in Soft Tissue Sarcomas

The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis postulates that heterogeneous human cancers harbor a population of stem-like cells which are resistant to cytotoxic therapies, thus providing a reservoir of relapse following conventional therapies like chemotherapy and radiation (RT). CSCs have been observed in multiple human cancers, and their presence has been correlated with worse clinical outcomes. Here, we sought to evaluate the impact of drug dosing of the multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sorafenib, on CSC and non-CSCs in soft tissue sarcoma (STS) models, hypothesizing differential effects of sorafenib based on dose and target cell population. In vitro, human cancer cell lines and primary STS from surgical specimens were exposed to escalating doses of sorafenib to determine cell viability and expression of CSC marker aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). In vivo, ALDHbright CSCs were isolated, exposed to sorafenib, and xenograft growth and survival analyses were performed. We observed that sarcoma CSCs appear to paradoxically respond to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sorafenib at low doses with increased proliferation and stem-like function of CSCs, whereas anti-viability effects dominated at higher doses. Importantly, STS patients receiving neoadjuvant sorafenib and RT on a clinical trial (NCT00864032) showed increased CSCs post therapy, and higher ALDH scores post therapy were associated with worse metastasis-free survival. These data suggest that low-dose sorafenib may promote the CSC phenotype in STS with clinically significant effects, including increased tumor growth and higher rates of metastasis formation in sarcoma patients