Paper Session II-A - Space Station Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) System and Operational Considerations

The Space Station currently is being designed to maximize crew safety through fault tolerance, safehaven provisions, and crew delivery and return using the Space Transportation System (STS). Studies have identified the need for assured crew return capability through a space-based lifeboat that is always available for use in contingencies encompassing (1) medical emergencies, (2) Space Station failures, and (3) interruption of STS services. This paper reviews major mission, operational, and system requirements and the process for evaluating a range of practical vehicle and operational options. It describes flight and ground system design concepts and the major trade studies being performed to select the best end-to-end system that will provide a basis for design and development. Flight vehicles include capsules with ballistic and low lift/drag characteristics and lifting body aerodynamic-shaped designs. Ground systems emphasize the use of existing resources

Organic electrochemical transistor incorporating an ionogel as solid state electrolyte for lactate sensing

Room temperature Ionic liquids (RTILs) have evolved as a new type of solvent for biocatalysis, mainly due to their unique and tunable physical properties.[1] In addition, within the family of organic semiconductor-based sensors, organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have attracted particular interest.[2] Here, we present a simple and robust biosensor, based on a OECT, capable of measuring lactic acid using a gel-like polymeric materials that endow RTIL (ionogel)[3] as solid-state electrolyte both to immobilise the enzyme and to serve as a supporting electrolyte.[4] This represents the first step towards the achievement of a fast, flexible, miniaturised and cheap way of measuring lactate concentration in sweat

Platelet quiescence in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery

BACKGROUND: The optimal antiplatelet strategy for patients with acute coronary syndromes who require coronary artery bypass surgery remains unclear. While a more potent antiplatelet regimen will predispose to perioperative bleeding, it is hypothesized that through “platelet quiescence,” ischemic protection conferred by such therapy may provide a net clinical benefit. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery who were treated with a more potent antiplatelet inhibition strategy with those with a less potent inhibition through a meta-analysis. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality after bypass surgery. The analysis identified 4 studies in which the antiplatelet regimen was randomized and 6 studies that were nonrandomized. Combining all studies, there was an overall higher mortality with weaker strategies compared with more potent strategies (odds ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.03–1.85; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the concept of platelet quiescence, in reducing mortality for patients with acute coronary syndrome requiring coronary artery bypass surgery. This suggests the routine up-front use of potent antiplatelet regimens in acute coronary syndrome, irrespective of likelihood of coronary artery bypass graft

Wearable Electrochemical Sensors for Monitoring Performance Athletes

Nowadays, wearable sensors such as heart rate monitors and pedometers are in common use. The use of wearable systems such as these for personalized exercise regimes for health and rehabilitation is particularly interesting. In particular, the true potential of wearable chemical sensors, which for the real-time ambulatory monitoring of bodily fluids such as tears, sweat, urine and blood has not been realized. Here we present a brief introduction into the fields of ionogels and organic electrochemical transistors, and in particular, the concept of an OECT transistor incorporated into a sticking-plaster, along with a printable “ionogel” to provide a wearable biosensor platform

A cross-national mixed-method study of reality pedagogy

This mixed-methods cross-national study investigated the effectiveness of reality pedagogy (an approach in which teachers become part of students’ activities, practices and rituals) in terms of changes in student perceptions of their learning environment and attitudes towards science. A questionnaire was administered to 142 students in grades 8–10 in the Bronx, New York City and Dresden, Germany. The questionnaire combines learning environment scales from the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey and the What Is Happening In this Class? Questionnaire with attitude scales from the Test of Science-Related Attitudes. Student interviews were used to support questionnaire findings. Quantitative data analyses revealed that reality pedagogy had a greater impact on students in the Bronx than in Dresden, with qualitative data clarifying differences in how reality pedagogy was enacted in each geographic area. Overall, our findings add to the body of evidence concerning the effectiveness of reality pedagogy as an approach to teaching and learning science across a variety of contexts. © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrech