Fixed-base simulation study of decoupled controls during approach and landing of a STOL transport airplane

A fixed-base visual simulation study has been conducted to evaluate the use of decoupled controls as a means for reducing pilot workload during approach and landing of an externally blown jet-flap short take-off and landing (STOL) transport. All six rigid-body degrees of freedom were employed with the aerodynamic characteristics based on wind-tunnel data. The primary piloting task was to use a flight director to capture and maintain a two-segment glide slope, with a closed-circuit television display of a STOL airport used during simulations of the flare and landing. The decoupled longitudinal controls used constant prefilter and feedback gains to provide steady-state decoupling of flight-path angle, pitch angle, and forward velocity. The pilots were enthusiastic about the decoupled longitudinal controls but believed the decoupled concept offered no significant advantage over conventional controls in the lateral mode

SWIRP (Submm-Wave and Long Wave InfraRed Polarimeter); Development and Characterization of a Sub-Mm Polarimeter for Ice Cloud Investigations

A major source of uncertainty in climate models is the presence, shape and distribution of ice particles in the uppermost layers of the clouds. The effects of this component are poorly constrained, turning ice particles into an almost-free variable in many climate models.NASA-GSFC is developing a new instrument aimed at measuring the size and shape of ice particles. The instrument consists of two sub-mm polarimeters (at 220 and 670 GHz) coupled with a long-wave infrared polarimeter at 10 micron. Each polarimeter has identical V-pol and H-pol channels; the axes of polarization are defined geometrically by the orientation of the waveguide elements, and the purity has been measured in the lab. The instrument is configured as a conical scanner, suitable for deployment as a payload on a small satellite or on a high-altitude sub-orbital platform. From a 400 km orbit, the instrument has a 3dB spatial resolution of 20 (10) km at 220 (670) GHz and a swath of 600 km over 180 degrees of view.The BAPTA (Bearing And Power Transfer Assembly) carries heritage from the SSMIS design, now in its 22nd year of on-orbit operation, but with a much reduced SWaP (Size Weight and Power) footprint, suitable for a small satellite.The main components of the instrument have been fabricated and are undergoing final testing prior to their integration as a single unit. The sub-mm channels have dedicated secondary reflectors which illuminate a shared primary reflector. The receiving units are placed behind the focal point of the optical arrangement, so that all beams equally illuminate the primary reflector and are almost co-located on the ground (within a single 220 GHz footprint). Primary and secondary beam patterns have been measured and verified to match the as-designed expectations. A Zytex (TM) window is deployed to protect the secondary reflectors and the feed horns from debris and other contaminants, and to reduce the heat load from the active (hot) IR calibration unit. The insertion loss of Zytex has been measured and is accounted in the calibration equation of the sub-mm channels.The radiometric performance of the sub-mm receivers has been characterized in the lab and under operational conditions of temperature and pressure.This paper discusses the design constraints on the sub-mm components, details of the scientific goals and their flowdown, and describes the characterization of the polarimeters. Options to optimize the layout and distribution of the masses within the assembly, with the goal of making the instrument even more compact and fully-compatible with cubesat-class satellites will be presented

Collaboration during a crisis - the Lighthouse Lab volunteers.

As a group of early-career researchers, we recount our experiences of volunteering at one of the national Lighthouse Labs based at the UK Biocentre in Milton Keynes. We worked together as part of a multidisciplinary team to support the large-scale processing of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) swabs from across the whole of the UK

Skeletal muscle measures and physical function in older adults with cancer: sarcopenia or myopenia?

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle loss, commonly known as sarcopenia, is highly prevalent in older adults and linked with adverse outcomes in cancer, yet the definition and role of sarcopenia remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to examine the association of Computerized Tomography (CT) assessed skeletal muscle measures with physical function in older adults with cancer. RESULTS: CTs for 185 patients were available. Median age 73 (IQR 68-76) and 56.5% female. After controlling for sex and BMI, we found no evidence that SMI was associated with physical function impairments. Both SMD and SMG were associated physical function impairments and higher values were associated with decreased limitations in instrumental activities of daily living (RR 0.84 [CI 0.73-0.96] and 0.94 [CI 0.89-0.99], respectively), climbing stairs (RR 0.84 [CI 0.76-0.94] and 0.91 [CI 0.87-0.96]), walking 1 block (RR 0.77 [CI 0.67-0.90] and 0.91 [CI 0.85-0.97]), and prolonged Timed Up and Go (RR 0.83 [CI 0.75-0.92] and 0.92 [CI 0.88-0.96]). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the Carolina Senior Registry, we identified patients with CT imaging performed within 60 days +/- of baseline geriatric assessment (GA). Skeletal muscle area and density (SMD) were analyzed from L3 lumbar segments. Muscle area and height (m2) were used to calculate skeletal muscle index (SMI). Skeletal Muscle Gauge (SMG) was created by multiplying SMI x SMD. CONCLUSIONS: Skeletal muscle mass as assessed from CT imaging was not associated with physical function impairments. Skeletal muscle radiodensity was more associated with physical function and may aid in identifying older adults at risk for functional impairments

Race, response to chemotherapy, and outcome within clinical breast cancer subtypes

The effect of race on breast cancer outcome is confounded by tumor and treatment heterogeneity. We examined a cohort of women with stage II–III breast cancer treated uniformly with neoadjuvant chemotherapy to identify factors associated with racial differences in chemotherapeutic response and long-term survival. Using a prospective database, we identified women with stage II-III breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy from 1998 to 2011. Race was categorized as African-American (AA) or non-AA. Preplanned subtype analyses were stratified by hormone receptor (HR) and HER2. Pathologic response to chemotherapy (pCR), time to recurrence (TTR), and overall survival (OS) were assessed using logistic regression, Kaplan–Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Of 349 women identified, 102 (29 %) were AA, who were younger (p = 0.03), more obese (p < 0.001), and less likely to have HR+/HER2–tumors (p = 0.01). No significant differences in pCR rate by race were found. At median follow-up of 6.5 years, AA had worse TTR (hazard ratio 1.51, 95 % CI 1.02–2.24), which was attenuated in multivariable modeling, and there was no significant difference in OS. When stratified by HR, worse outcomes were limited to HR+AA (TTR hazard ratio 1.85, 95 % CI 1.09–3.14; OS hazard ratio 2.42 95 % CI 1.37–4.28), which remained significant in multivariable analysis including pCR rate and BMI. With long-term follow-up, racial disparity in outcome was limited to HR+ breast cancer, with no apparent contribution of chemotherapy sensitivity. This suggests that disparity root causes may be driven by HR+ factors such as unmeasured molecular differences, endocrine therapy sensitivity, or adherence

Three Keys to Success for Principals (and Their Teachers)

This is the author's accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The publisher's official version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2008.10516527.What is successful leadership and how can leadership concepts be applied to schools? Hundreds of books and articles and a plethora of executive seminars describe what leadership is and propose strategies for what effective leaders do. Most of these writings and presentations, however, focus on business, with much less information available about how to lead schools. In addition, there is a diversity of opinions about what makes leaders effective. This article suggests that it is possible to extract, reframe, and apply the best of what is known about leadership to help principals be more successful. Moreover, if principals are successful, teachers also are positioned to be successful, with the ultimate impact being successful student learning

Radiation Sensitivity in a Preclinical Mouse Model of Medulloblastoma Relies on the Function of the Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

While treatments that induce DNA damage are commonly used as anti-cancer therapies, the mechanisms through which DNA damage produces a therapeutic response are incompletely understood. Here we have tested whether medulloblastomas must be competent for apoptosis to be sensitive to radiation therapy. Whether apoptosis is required for radiation sensitivity has been controversial. Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children, is a biologically heterogeneous set of tumors typically sensitive to radiation and chemotherapy; 80% of medulloblastoma patients survive long-term after treatment. We used functional genetic studies to determine if the intrinsic apoptotic pathway is required for radiation to produce a therapeutic response in mice with primary, Shh-driven medulloblastoma. We found that cranial radiation extended the survival of medulloblastoma-bearing mice and induced widespread apoptosis. Expression analysis and conditional deletion studies showed that p53 was the predominant transcriptional regulator activated by radiation and was strictly required for treatment response. Deletion of Bax, which blocked apoptosis downstream of p53, was sufficient to render tumors radiation resistant. In apoptosis-incompetent, Bax-deleted tumors, radiation activated p53-dependent transcription without provoking cell death and caused two discrete populations to emerge. Most radiated tumor cells underwent terminal differentiation. Perivascular cells, however, quickly resumed proliferation despite p53 activation, behaved as stem cells, and rapidly drove recurrence. These data show that radiation must induce apoptosis in tumor stem cells to be effective. Mutations that disable the intrinsic apoptotic pathways are sufficient to impart radiation resistance. We suggest that medulloblastomas are typically sensitive to DNA-damaging therapies because they retain apoptosis competence

Data Linkage to Improve Geriatric Oncology Research: A Feasibility Study

Older adults (aged 65 years and older) diagnosed with cancer account for most cancer‐related morbidity and mortality in the United States but are often underrepresented on clinical trials. Recent attention from a variety of professional, research, regulatory, and patient advocacy groups has centered on data linkage and data sharing as a means to capture patient information and outcomes outside of clinical trials to accelerate progress in the fight against cancer. The development of a more robust observational research data infrastructure would help to address gaps in the evidence base regarding optimal approaches to treating cancer among the growing and complex population of older adults. To demonstrate the feasibility of building such a resource, we linked information from a sample of older adults with cancer in North Carolina using three distinct, but complementary, data sources: (a) the Carolina Senior Registry, (b) the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry, and (c) North Carolina fee‐for‐service Medicare claims data. A description of the linkage process, metrics, and characteristics of the final cohort is reported. This study highlights the potential for data linkage to improve the characterization of health status among older adults with cancer and the possibility to conduct passive follow‐up for outcomes of interest over time. Extensions of these linkage efforts in partnership with other institutions will enhance our ability to generate evidence that can inform the management of older adults with cancer

Practice Patterns and Preferences Among Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Clinicians

Hematopoietic cell transplantation can cure many high-risk diseases but is associated with complexity, cost, and risk. Several areas in transplantation practice were identified in the 2014 Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network State of the Science Symposium (BMT CTN SOSS) as high priorities for further study. We developed a survey for hematopoietic cell transplantation clinicians to identify current practices in BMT CTN SOSS priority areas and to understand, more generally, the variation in approach to transplantation and estimation of transplantation benefit in current medical practice. Of 1439 transplantation clinicians surveyed, 305 responded (20% response rate). Clinicians were well represented by age, experience, geography, and size of practice. We found that several techniques identified in the BMT CTN SOSS, such as maintenance therapy for acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes after allogeneic transplantation, were already being utilized in practice on and off study, with higher rates of use in higher-volume centers. There was significant variation among clinicians in use of transplantation technologies and approaches to common transplantation scenarios. Appraisals of risks and benefits of transplantation appeared to converge upon similar estimates despite the presentation of different hypothetical scenarios. These results suggest overall equipoise in several BMT CTN SOSS high-priority areas and support the need for better data to inform clinical practice