Economic Geology of the Moon: Some Considerations

Supporting any but the smallest lunar facility will require indigenous resources due to the extremely high cost of bringing material from Earth. The Moon has also attracted interest as a resource base to help support near-Earth space activities, because of the potential lower cost once the necessary infrastructure has been amortized. Obviously, initial lunar products will be high-volume, bulk commodities, as they are the only ones for which the economics of lunar production are conceivably attractive. Certain rarer elements, such as the halogens, C, and H, would also be extremely useful (for propellant, life support, and/or reagents), and indeed local sources of such elements would vastly improve the economics of lunar resource extraction. The economic geology of the Moon is discussed

A Parallel Branch and Bound Algorithm for Integer Linear Programming Models

A parallel branch and bound algorithm is developed for use with MIMD computers to study the efficiency of parallel processors on general integer linear programming problems. The Haldi and IBM test problems and a System Design model are used in the implementation of the algorithm. Initially the algorithm solves the Haldi and IBM test problems on a single processor computer which simulates a multiple processor computer. The algorithm is then implemented on the Denelcor HEP multiprocessor using two of the IBM problems to compare the results of the simulation to the results using an MIMD computer. Finally the algorithm is implemented on the HEP using the System Design model to show a case in which the number of pivots decreases as the number of processes are increased from seven to the process limit of sixteen. In general, it is shown that super linear efficiency can be achieved using multiple processors

Genetic Algorithm with 3-parent Uniform Crossover

A new genetic algorithm which uses a 3-parent uniform crossover operator is developed and analyzed. Uniform crossover operators are shown to be based on the premise that all bit-level genetic information should be passed from parents to children. The 3-parent uniform crossover operator is shown to adhere to this premise. The 3-parent uniform crossover operator is shown to be better than the 2-parent uniform crossover operator on the De Jong test functions. Two new genetic algorithms which use 3-parent traditional crossover operators are developed and analyzed. The first uses a strategy of randomly selecting 3 of the 6 children resulting from 3-parent reproduction. The second uses a strategy of selecting the best 3 of the 6 children resulting from 3-parent reproduction. Each of the 3-parent traditional crossover operators is shown to be superior to the 2-parent traditional crossover operator on the De Jong test functions. The strategy of selecting the best 3 out of 6 children is shown to be superior to the strategy of randomly selecting 3 out of 6 children. In addition to these 3-parent genetic algorithms, a relationship between the Metropolis algorithm from simulated annealing and the two-membered evolution strategy is developed. The Metropolis algorithm is shown to be a special case of the two- membered evolution strategy

Study of state-of-the-art static inverter design Final report, 6 Jan. - 6 Jun. 1966

Multiple purpose inverter design based on phase demodulated inverter circuit selected from state-of-the-art assessment of ten inverter circuit

The effect of in vitro culture on the stability, expansion and neuronal differentiation of human pluripotent cell lines

Pluripotent cells are defined by their ability to both self-renew and to differentiation into any cell type within the human body. As such, pluripotent cell lines are of great interest as starting material for drug screening and cell therapies for regenerative treatment of diseased tissues. Pluripotent cell lines were originally derived from germ cell tumors (embryonal carcinoma cells; EC), but have since been isolated and expanded from the inner cell mass of an early embryo (human embryonic stem cells; hESCs). This project set out to investigate the relative ability of the pluripotent NTERA2 (EC) cell line and hESC lines: Shef3, HUES7 and RH5, to differentiate into neurons, using mechanical and enzymatic culture methods. Focus was placed on monitoring differentiation efficiency and function between the different lines. The tumour origin, in addition to the poor reproducibility, low yield and reduced functionality of NTERA2 derived neurons, compared to primary neurons, makes their incorporation into regenerative therapies unlikely. As such, an enhanced neuronal differentiation protocol was developed for use in hESCs. Cell populations were monitored for relative changes in gene and protein expression at selected time points throughout differentiation using standard RT-PCR, Q-PCR and immuno fluorescence analysis. End stage neurons were screened for functionality using patch clamping and calcium imaging techniques. Monitoring of cellular behavior through differentiation was aided by the concurrent development of a portable microscope incubator stage in collaboration with Linkam scientific Ltd. These data demonstrate a variation in the ability to generate neurons from pluripotent cell lines, and suggests a predetermined, preferential cell fate within each line, even at the level of pluripotency. This study also characterises in detail neuronal differentiation from pluripotent cells, adding to the understanding which is essential for translation into therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntingdon’s disease.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Psychological outcomes of MRSA isolation in spinal cord injury rehabilitation

Study design Retrospective secondary analysis with a quantitative, matched-pairs design. Patients isolated due to methicillin- Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were matched with controls without MRSA infection admitted to a multi-bedded ward, based on: gender, injury level, injury severity (AIS grade), age at the time of injury and year of admission. Objectives Determine the implications of MRSA-related infection isolation on spinal cord injury patients’ anxiety, depression, appraisals of disability, perceived manageability and pain intensity. Hypotheses predicted patients who were isolated due to MRSA during inpatient stay would demonstrate poorer psychological health outcomes at discharge in comparison with non-isolated matched controls. Setting National Spinal Injuries Centre, England, UK. Methods Secondary analyses were conducted on pre-existing data based on patients’ first admission for primary rehabili- tation. Psychometric scales were used to measure outcome variables. Assessments were repeated at the time of admission and discharge. Results Nonparametric longitudinal analyses using the nparLD package in R were conducted. Relative treatment effects demonstrated that there were no significant differences between groups across all outcome measures. There was a significant effect of time (admission vs discharge) on perceived manageability and pain intensity, indicating improved outcomes at discharge. There was no difference in the overall length of stay between the isolated and non-isolated groups. Conclusions Isolation experienced by rehabilitation inpatients with spinal cord injury with MRSA had no effect on a series of psychological outcomes. Engaging with rehabilitation had a positive impact in reducing pain unpleasantness and increasing perceived manageability of spinal cord injury, irrespective of infection isolation