The DELTA MONSTER: An RPV designed to investigate the aerodynamics of a delta wing platform

The mission requirements for the performance of aerodynamic tests on a delta wind planform posed some problems, these include aerodynamic interference; structural support; data acquisition and transmission instrumentation; aircraft stability and control; and propulsion implementation. To eliminate the problems of wall interference, free stream turbulence, and the difficulty of achieving dynamic similarity between the test and actual flight aircraft that are associated with aerodynamic testing in wind tunnels, the concept of the remotely piloted vehicle which can perform a basic aerodynamic study on a delta wing was the main objective for the Green Mission - the Delta Monster. The basic aerodynamic studies were performed on a delta wing with a sweep angle greater than 45 degrees. These tests were performed at various angles of attack and Reynolds numbers. The delta wing was instrumented to determine the primary leading edge vortex formation and location, using pressure measurements and/or flow visualization. A data acquisition system was provided to collect all necessary data

International Asteroid Warning Network Timing Campaign : 2019 XS

Peer reviewe

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Microeconomics

xxv, 352 hlm.; ilus.; 26 cm

Best Practices Against Insider Threats in All Nations

<p>Based on its analysis of more than 700 case studies, the CERT® Insider Threat Center recommends 19 best practices for preventing, detecting, and responding to harm from insider threats. This technical note summarizes each practice, explains its importance, and provides an international policy perspective on the practice. Every nation can use this paper as a succinct educational guide to stopping insider threats and an exploration of international policy issues related to insider threats.</p

International Implementation of Best Practices for Mitigating Insider Threat: Analyses for India and Germany

<p>This report analyzes insider threat mitigation in India and Germany, using the new framework for international cybersecurity analysis described in the paper titled "Best Practices Against Insider Threats in All Nations," applying the framework to specific countries for the first time. Using that framework, cybersecurity standards are considered with respect to analysis that takes into account a country's technologies, relevant laws, law enforcement, corruption, and prevalent culture and subcultures. This report provides a detailed profile for each of these factors for each country and considers five best practices for mitigating insider threats recommended in the Common Sense Guide to Mitigating Insider Threats.</p> <p>This report is intended to help organizations implement cybersecurity best practices internationally. In part, this analysis is meant to help readers understand challenges in India and Germany, plus mitigations for the challenges that are particularly useful in those countries. These insights can be used by organizations that outsource to, offshore to, or have supply chains that include these countries. Furthermore, this report's findings may be helpful on a wide scale for implementing general cybersecurity best practices in countries that share similarities with India or Germany, with regard to the factors studied. Technical, physical, and administrative controls that are helpful for implementing best practices in India and Germany may be helpful for similar countries. Likewise, particular controls may be ineffective (and require substitution controls) in similar countries. This is an initial, exploratory effort that is not exhaustive.</p

Methylene Blue in Septic Shock: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES:. Although clinicians may use methylene blue (MB) in refractory septic shock, the effect of MB on patient-important outcomes remains uncertain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the benefits and harms of MB administration in patients with septic shock. DATA SOURCES:. We searched six databases (including PubMed, Embase, and Medline) from inception to January 10, 2024. STUDY SELECTION:. We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of critically ill adults comparing MB with placebo or usual care without MB administration. DATA EXTRACTION:. Two reviewers performed screening, full-text review, and data extraction. We pooled data using a random-effects model, assessed the risk of bias using the modified Cochrane tool, and used Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation to rate certainty of effect estimates. DATA SYNTHESIS:. We included six RCTs (302 patients). Compared with placebo or no MB administration, MB may reduce short-term mortality (RR [risk ratio] 0.66 [95% CI, 0.47–0.94], low certainty) and hospital length of stay (mean difference [MD] –2.1 d [95% CI, –1.4 to –2.8], low certainty). MB may also reduce duration of vasopressors (MD –31.1 hr [95% CI, –16.5 to –45.6], low certainty), and increase mean arterial pressure at 6 hours (MD 10.2 mm Hg [95% CI, 6.1–14.2], low certainty) compared with no MB administration. The effect of MB on serum methemoglobin concentration was uncertain (MD 0.9% [95% CI, –0.2% to 2.0%], very low certainty). We did not find any differences in adverse events. CONCLUSIONS:. Among critically ill adults with septic shock, based on low-certainty evidence, MB may reduce short-term mortality, duration of vasopressors, and hospital length of stay, with no evidence of increased adverse events. Rigorous randomized trials evaluating the efficacy of MB in septic shock are needed. REGISTRATION:. Center for Open Science (https://osf.io/hpy4j)