An integrated in-space construction facility for the 21st century

Preliminary results are presented of studies being conducted by NASA on the construction of very large spacecraft. The various approaches are discussed for constructing spacecraft and their relative merits. It is observed that the Space Station Freedom has all of the basic design characteristics to permit its growth into an in-space construction facility for very large spacecraft. Also it is noted that if disturbances from construction operations are intolerable to other Space Station experiments, a co-orbiting construction facility could be built using previously developed Space Station truss hardware and systems. A discussion is also presented of a new PATHFINDER research initiative on on-orbit construction. This research effort is aimed at developing construction methods for very large spacecraft and includes the development of a 100 meter long space crane

Preliminary design of a large tetrahedral truss/hexagonal heatshield panel aerobrake

An aerobrake structural concept is introduced which consists of two primary components: (1) a lightweight erectable tetrahedral support truss; and (2) sandwich hexagonal heatshield panels which, when attached to the truss, form a continuous impermeable aerobraking surface. Generic finite element models and a general analysis procedure to design tetrahedral truss/hexagonal heatshield panel aerobrakes is developed, and values of the aerobrake design parameters which minimize mass and packaging volume for a 120-foot-diameter aerobrake are determined. Sensitivity of the aerobrake design to variations in design parameters is also assessed. The results show that a 120-foot-diameter aerobrake is viable using the concept presented (i.e., the aerobrake mass is less than or equal to 15 percent of the payload spacecraft mass). Minimizing the aerobrake mass (by increasing the number of rings in the support truss) however, leads to aerobrakes with the highest part count

Pandemic threatens to drive wedge into US-Gulf relations

It is early days, but first indications are that the global pandemic is entrenching long-drawn Middle Eastern geopolitical, political, ethnic, and sectarian battle lines rather than serving as a vehicle to build bridges and build confidence. The coronavirus crisis is also changing the region's political landscape as non-governmental organizations and militants in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon fill gaps where governments have failed to cater to social and health needs created by the pandemic. The empowerment of NGOs and militant groups, particularly where they fill a gap without coordinating with government, potentially raises security issues as militants capitalize on their ability to show up the state's lack of capability

The Effect of an Educational Workshop on Relational Aggression in an Acute Care Nursing Unit

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on relational aggression in an acute care unit using a pre and post questionnaire. The questionnaire was used to examine changes in Relational Aggression (RA) self-awareness before and after an educational video and to determine the effectiveness of an educational video compared to no educational materials on self-awareness of RA behaviors. METHODS: This study was single site, quasi-experimental non-equivalent pretest posttest study at the University of Kentucky. Sample size for the pre-survey was 15 acute care nurses on the control and experimental units, completed between October 11, 2018 and November 1, 2018. Educational material was viewed by 3 acute care nurses on the experimental unit, between November 10, 2018 and December 1, 2018, and the post-survey was completed by 11 acute care nurses across the control and experimental units, between December 11, 2018 and January 1, 2019. RESULTS: From the total sample of respondents (n=21), 88% felt they had a good understanding of what RA was and 76% reported they had the skills and knowledge to handle the situation and/or escalate. The strengths of the physical environment were related to level of physical comfort and teamwork with areas of opportunity around management working to improve the unit and having feelings of shared decision making. Emotional environment analysis revealed that gossiping and cliques are the most prevalent forms of RA on the selected units. There was no significant difference in responses for those that viewed and didn’t view the educational material. CONCLUSION: Given response rate of 21/89 for questionnaires and 3/41 opening educational material, limited conclusions can be drawn. Based on gathered data further organizational assessment should be explored as all respondents reported evidence of RA on their units

Xinjiang: Pan-Turkism Fuels China’s Hearts-and-Minds Campaign

Chinese efforts to woo Saudi Arabia’s ethnic Chinese community highlight the People’s Republic’s effort to avert criticism from the Muslim world of its crackdown in the north-western province of Xinjiang and strengthen relations with the kingdom and Middle Eastern nations. The efforts to woo a community, a significant part of which is of Turkic origin, identifies itself as Turkestani, and long supported greater rights, if not independence for Xinjiang’s Uyghur population, are part of a larger, long-standing global Chinese effort to ensure the support of a mushrooming Chinese diaspora not only for its policy in Xinjiang but also for its anti-Taiwanese One China policy and growing economic and geopolitical influence

The Long Shadow of the Gulf Crisis

Dug in for the long haul in its increasingly bitter dispute with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Qatar is emerging as a key player in efforts to prevent tension between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, from spinning out of control. Qatar’s increasing role counters Saudi and UAE efforts to shape Palestinian politics in their mold. It further underlines the two Gulf states’ 15-month old failed effort to force Qatar to bow to their will by imposing a diplomatic and economic boycott

The Biochemical Assessment Of Two Secreted Acid Phosphatases From Leishmania Tarentolae, Their Response To Electric Fields, Glycosidase Incubation, And/or Vanadium

Leishmaniasis, as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is a neglected tropical disease with 1.6 million new cases reported each year. However, there is yet to be safe, effective, and affordable treatments provided to those affected by this disease1. Still underappreciated as a potential pharmaceutical targets, especially for cutaneous leishmaniasis infections, are the two isozymes of secreted acid phosphatase (SAP); secreted acid phosphatase 1 (SAP1) and secreted acid phosphatase 2 (SAP2). These enzymes are involved in the survival of the parasite in the sand fly vector, and the prevention of host macrophages from forming parasitophorous vacuole and hydrogen peroxide 2,3. Thus, the kinetic behavior of these SAPs is of interest, and is reported here as a function of L. tarentolae age in culture. Vanadium (V5+), specifically the monomeric oxyanion orthovanadate (VO43-), is reported to be a competitive inhibitor of phosphatases 4,5,6,7,8,9. Orthovanadate serves as a known competitive inhibitor for the research presented here. The application of electric or electromagnetic fields as a medicinal therapeutic is not new 10. The utility of applying electric fields for the treatment of leishmaniasis is under studied, and the application of electric fields to Leishmania secreted acid phosphatases has not yet been reported 11. The results of such studies using L. tarentolae as a model system, with and without the addition of orthovanadate, are reported here. Furthermore, the effect specific electric fields have on the kinetic parameters of L. tarentolae SAPs are also reported. References 1. Leishmaniasis. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/leishmaniasis/epi.html (Accessed 20 Dec. 2016). 2. Fernandes, A. C.; Soares, D. C.; Saraiva, E. M.; Meyer-Fernandez, J. R.; Souto-Padron, T. “Different secreted phosphatase activites in Leishmania amazonensis. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2013. 340(2):117-128. 3. Baghaei, M.; BAGHAEI, M. “Characterization of acid phosphatase in the promastigotes of three isolates of Leishmania major. Iran. J. Med. Sci. 2003. 28(1):1-8. 4. VanEtten, Rl.; Waymack, PP.; Rehkop, DM. Inhibition of myosin ATPase by vanadate ion. J. Am. Chem. 1974; (96): 6782-6785. 5. Abbott, SJ.; Jones, SR.; Weinman, SA.; Bockhoff, FM.; McLafferty, FW.; Knowles, JR. Chiral[16O, 17O, 18O]phosphate monoesters. Asymmetric synthesis and stereochemical analysis of [1(R)-16O, 17O, 18O]phosphor-(S)-propane-1,2-diol. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979; (101): 4323-4332. 6. Knowles, JR. Enzyme-catalyzed phosphoryl transfer reactions. Annu. Rev. Biochem 1980; (49): 877-919. 7. Gressor, MJ.; Tracey, AS.; Stankiewwicz, PJ.; In Advances in Protein Phosphatases; Merlev, W.; DiSalvo, J.Eds.; Leuven University Press, Belgum, 1987. 8. Gordon, JA. Use of vanadate as protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor. Methods Enzymol. 1991; (201): 477-482. 9. Li, M.; Ding, W.; Baruah, B.; Crans, DC.; Wang, R.; Inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases 1B and alkaline phosphatase by bis(maltolato)oxovanadium (IV). 2008; (102): 1846-1853. 10. Holden, K. R. Biological effects of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy. http://www.ondamed.net/us/biological-effects-of-pulsed-electromagnetic-field-pemf-therapy (Accessed 2 Feb. 2017). 11. Hejazi, H.; Eslami, G.; Dalimi, A. “The parasiticidal effect of electricity on Leishmania major, both in vitro and in vivo.” Annals of Tropical Medicine & Parasitology. 1972. 98(1): 37-42

How Much Solidarity with Iran can the China-led SCO afford?

If Europe’s Achilles Heel is obstacles to putting credible mechanisms in place to protect its companies against US sanctions, China’s weak spot is its ruthless campaign to tame Islam in China, particularly among Uighurs in the strategic northwest province of Xinjiang. So far, it has been able to do so with little international response because Saudi Arabia and other Islamic states have looked the other way. The question is whether an effective Chinese countering of US sanctions that would significantly weaken the impact on Iran may prompt Saudi Arabia and others to revisit the issue

The Emerging New World Order\u27s Alarm Bells: Men Like Brandon Tarrant and Andreas Breivik

This week\u27s attack on two mosques in New Zealand reflects a paradigm shift: the erosion of liberal values and the rise of civilisationalism at the expense of the nation-state. So do broader phenomena like widespread Islamophobia with the crackdown on Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang as its extreme, and growing ant-Semitism These phenomena are fuelled by increasing intolerance and racism enabled by far right and world leaders as well as ultra-conservatives and jihadists.   These world leaders and far-right ideologues couch their policies and views in terms of defending a civilization rather than exclusively a nation-state defined by its citizenry and borders