Thermoelectric Outer Planets Spacecraft (TOPS) electronic packaging and cabling development summary report

Electronic packaging and cabling activities performed in support of the Thermoelectric Outer Planets Spacecraft (TOPS) Advanced Systems Technology (AST) project are detailed. It describes new electronic compartment, electronic assembly, and module concepts, and a new high-density, planar interconnection technique called discrete multilayer (DML). Development and qualification of high density cabling techniques, using small gage wire and microminiature connectors, are also reported

The role of ADF/cofilin in the acquisition and maintenance of cell polarity during fibroblast migration.

To migrate normally, a cell must establish morphological polarity and continuously protrude a single cell margin, termed the lamellipodium, polarised in the direction of migration. Previous data from our laboratory showed that actin filament disassembly was necessary for protrusion of the lamellipodium during fibroblast migration but was not required for non-polarised lamellipodial protrusion in non-migrating cells. DNase I staining of actin monomer levels in the lamellipodium showed that this was because actin monomer was highly limiting in the lamellipodium of polarised migrating cells. As ADF/cofilin (AC) proteins are essential for the catalysis of filament disassembly in cells, their role in polarised cell migration was assessed. The spatial distribution of AC and inactive, phosphorylated AC (pAC) was compared in the lamellipodium of polarised migrating cells. AC, but not pAC, localised to the lamellipodium. Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer was used to manipulate AC activity levels in cells. Locally maintaining active AC at the leading edge was required for maintaining cell polarity during fibroblast migration. When pAC was forced into the lamellipodium by introduction of a constitutively active form of LIM kinase, cells lost both their morphological polarity and their ability to migrate. This polarity loss could be prevented by expression of a non-phosphorylatable form of AC. Furthermore; AC activity was necessary for the acquisition of morphological polarity. Fibroblasts polarised in a distinct series of sub-steps. The first step in polarity acquisition was organisation of actin from a circumferential organisation to an oriented array. This was required to specify position of the cell tail. Both jasplakinolide treatment and introduction of either constitutively active LIM kinase or dominant negative AC blocked formation of oriented actin bundles; actin remained circumferentially oriented and the cell failed to polarise. Blocking AC and actin filament disassembly did not affect later steps in acquisition of polarity. Stabilisation of the cell tail was dependent on myosin II. Blocking myosin using either methyl-blebbistatin or Y-27632 produced abnormally crescent-shaped cells as the tail encroached into the cell body. Microtubules were not required for polarity acquisition, however blocking microtubule dynamics led to de-stabilisation of the lamellipodium and a loss of migratory capability

Non-commutative geometry and the standard model vacuum

The space of Dirac operators for the Connes-Chamseddine spectral action for the standard model of particle physics coupled to gravity is studied. The model is extended by including right-handed neutrino states, and the S0-reality axiom is not assumed. The possibility of allowing more general fluctuations than the inner fluctuations of the vacuum is proposed. The maximal case of all possible fluctuations is studied by considering the equations of motion for the vacuum. Whilst there are interesting non-trivial vacua with Majorana-like mass terms for the leptons, the conclusion is that the equations are too restrictive to allow solutions with the standard model mass matrix.Comment: 21 pages. v2: some comments improve

Improving family functioning and child outcome in methadone maintained families: the parents under pressure programme

t Societal responses to the existence of substance misuse fluctuate between harm minimisation and prohibition. Both approaches are predominantly downstream reactions to substance misuse that focus on the supply of harmful substances and the containment of misuse through treatment, rehabilitation or punishment. Until recently, little attention has been paid to the upstream individual, family, relationship, community or societal antecedents of substance misuse (which often overlap with those for other adverse life outcomes, such as unemployment, antisocial personality disorder and mental health problems) that have operated during earlier life. A growing body of evidence highlights the overlapping biological and experiential antecedents for substance abuse and other poor outcomes as well as the trajectory-changing protective factors that can prevent risks being translated into destiny. Risk minimisation and protection enhancement embedded in family and social systems are the essential building blocks of a set of early intervention strategies that begin antenatally and continue through the developing years of childhood, adolescence and young adult life, that have been shown to be effective in improving many outcomes in development, health and well-being. Much remains to be done to enable the promise of effective universal and targeted early intervention to be translated into policies, programs and practices that could be life-changing for citizens bogged in the mire of substance misuse and their children. Realistic, timely investment, influenced by the best scientific evidence indicating what works, for whom, under what circumstances, an increased degree of collaboration within and between governments and their agencies to enable "whole of government" responses in partnership with community-based initiatives are essential along with investments in multidisciplinary program evaluation research that will enable evidence-informed policy decisions to be tailored to the needs of individual countries. [Vimpani G. Getting the mix right: family, community and social policy interventions to improve outcomes for young people at risk of substance misuse.Griffith Health, School of Applied PsychologyNo Full Tex

Personality, cognition and hazardous drinking: support for the 2-Component Approach to Reinforcing Substances Model

Personality and cognitive processes are both related to alcohol use and misuse. A recent model of hazardous drinking referred, the 2-CARS model, postulates two major pathways to hazardous drinking. One pathway primarily involves the association between Reward Drive and Positive Outcome Expectancies, the second involves the association between Rash Impulsiveness and Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy. In previous tests of the model, Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy was found to have the most proximal impact on drinking, being directly influenced by Rash Impulsiveness, and indirectly influenced by Reward Drive through Positive Outcome Expectancies. The aim of the current study was to test the 2-CARS model in a larger independent sample. Results found that individuals with a strong Reward Drive showed higher Positive Outcome Expectancies, while individuals high in Rash Impulsiveness were more likely to report reduced Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy. The present results also showed a theoretically unexpected pathway with a direct association between Rash Impulsiveness and Positive Outcome Expectancies. However, overall the results support the view that a greater understanding of hazardous drinking can be achieved by investigating the relationship between these personality and cognitive variables. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved