Evaluation and demonstration of the use of cryogenic propellants /oxygen/hydrogen/ for reaction control systems. Volume 2 - Experimental evaluations and demonstration Final report

Evaluation and demonstration of cryogenic propellant /oxygen-hydrogen/ use for spacecraft reaction control system

A para-differential renormalization technique for nonlinear dispersive equations

For \alpha \in (1,2) we prove that the initial-value problem \partial_t u+D^\alpha\partial_x u+\partial_x(u^2/2)=0 on \mathbb{R}_x\times\mathbb{R}_t; u(0)=\phi, is globally well-posed in the space of real-valued L^2-functions. We use a frequency dependent renormalization method to control the strong low-high frequency interactions.Comment: 42 pages, no figure

Towards a new theory of practice for community health psychology

The article sets out the value of theorizing collective action from a social science perspective that engages with the messy actuality of practice. It argues that community health psychology relies on an abstract version of Paulo Freire’s earlier writing, the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which provides scholar-activists with a ‘map’ approach to collective action. The article revisits Freire’s later work, the Pedagogy of Hope, and argues for the importance of developing a ‘journey’ approach to collective action. Theories of practice are discussed for their value in theorizing such journeys, and in bringing maps (intentions) and journeys (actuality) closer together

Explaining Differentials in Subsidy Levels Among Hospital Ownership Types in Germany

German hospitals receive subsidies for investment costs by federal states. Theoretically, these subsidies have to cover the whole investment volume, but in fact only 50%-60% are covered. Balance sheet data show that public hospitals exhibit higher levels of subsidies compared to for-profit hospitals. In this study, I examine the sources of this disparity by decomposing the differential in a so-called facilitation ratio, i.e. the ratio of subsidies to tangible fixed assets, revealing to which extent assets are funded by subsidies. The question of interest is, whether the differential can be attributed to observable hospital-specific and federal state-specific characteristics or unobservable factors.Krankenhäuser in Deutschland erhalten gemäß dem Krankenhausfinanzierungsgesetz (KHG) Investitionsfördermittel von den Bundesländern. In der Theorie müssen die Fördermittel der Bundesländer das gesamte Investitionsvolumen der Kliniken decken, allerdings werden in der Praxis nur 50 bis 60 Prozent der Investitionen durch diese Investitionssubventionen gedeckt. Auswertungen von Bilanzdaten zeigen, dass Kliniken in öffentlich-rechtlicher Trägerschaft ein deutlich höheres Niveau an Investitionssubventionen aufweisen als Klinken in freigemeinnütziger sowie privater Trägerschaft. In dieser Studie werden die Ursachen dieser trägerspezifischen Differenzen in den Subventionsniveaus untersucht. Da die Investitionssubventionen an das Sachanlagevermögen gebunden sind, wird als Zielgröße der Quotient aus Subventionen und Sachanlagevermögen, eine sogenannte Förderquote, herangezogen. Die Förderquote zeigt an, inwieweit das Sachanlagevermögen subventioniert wird. Insbesondere wird untersucht, ob die trägerspezifischen Abweichungen in den Förderquoten auf Unterschiede in den Krankenhauscharakteristika, auf Unterschiede zwischen den Bundesländern oder auf unbeobachtbare Einflüsse zurückgeführt werden können

Evaluaci?n de los patrones fenol?gicos floraci?n, fructificaci?n y su relaci?n con los par?metros meteorol?gicos precipitaci?n y temperatura, para dos bosques ubicados en dos jardines bot?nicos en la ciudad de Ibagu?

163 p. Recurso Electr?nicoSe pretendi? evaluar el comportamiento de algunos patrones fenol?gicos, en este caso floraci?n y fructificaci?n de dos Jardines Bot?nicos de la ciudad de Ibagu? y su relaci?n con los factores meteorol?gicos temperatura y precipitaci?n. Dichos sitios corresponden al ecosistema de bosque subandino; para ello se utiliz? la metodolog?a de transectos fenol?gicos, para lo cual se realizaron observaciones quincenales y se georeferenciaron los ?rboles con GPS teniendo como referencia caminos previamente establecidos. En la parte de la floraci?n s?lo se tuvo en cuenta qu? individuos ten?an presencia de flores y en qu? ?poca, de la misma manera se colectaron muestras bot?nicas las cuales fueron procesadas en el laboratorio de Dendrolog?a de la Facultad de Ingenier?a Forestal de la Universidad del Tolima, enriqueciendo la colecci?n de dicho lugar; algunos frutos se pesaron y se secaron, tambi?n se hizo el respectivo tratamiento para su conservaci?n. Se obtuvieron datos que ayudaron a establecer un patr?n de comportamiento fenol?gico en los dos lugares del estudio y de la misma manera se ampli? la informaci?n existente en este campo para la zona, realizando los respectivos an?lisis estad?sticos que permitieron establecer la relaci?n entre los diferentes patrones encontrados; todo esto entre los meses de octubre de 2012 a septiembre de 2013 a lo largo de transectos ya demarcados en los sitios en una longitud de 3550 m en el jard?n bot?nico san Jorge y 1500 m en el jard?n bot?nico Alejandro von Humboldt. Palabras claves: Patrones fenol?gicos, precipitaci?n, temperatura, fructificaci?n, floraci?n.It aimed to assess the behavior of some phenological patterns, in this case flowering and fruiting of two botanical gardens in the city of Ibague and their relationship with meteorological factors temperature and precipitation. These sites correspond to the ecosystem of sub-Andean forest, phenological transects was the methodology used, for which, biweekly observations were made and trees were located with GPS with reference to previously established roads. On flowering only took into account that individuals had the presence of flowers and what time, just as botanical specimens were collected and processed in Dendrology lab of the Forest Engineering Faculty in Universidad del Tolima enriching the collection of that place; some fruit were weighed and dried, the respective treatment to preserve is also made. Obtained data helped to establish a behavioral phenology pattern in the two study sites were obtained and in the same way the existing information in this field was extended to the area, performing the respective statistical analysis allowed to establish the relationship between different patterns found; all this since October 2012 to September 2013 along demarcated transects in the sites along 3550 m in the St. George Botanical Garden and 1500 m in Alexander von Humboldt Botanical Garden. Key words: Phenological patterns, rainfall, temperature, fruiting, flowering

A Kerr Polarization Controller

Kerr-effect-induced changes of the polarization state of light are well known in pulsed laser systems. An example is nonlinear polarization rotation, which is critical to the operation of many types of mode-locked lasers. Here, we demonstrate that the Kerr effect in a high-finesse Fabry-Pérot resonator can be utilized to control the polarization of a continuous wave laser. It is shown that a linearly-polarized input field is converted into a left- or right-circularly-polarized field, controlled via the optical power. The observations are explained by Kerr-nonlinearity induced symmetry breaking, which splits the resonance frequencies of degenerate modes with opposite polarization handedness in an otherwise symmetric resonator. The all-optical polarization control is demonstrated at threshold powers down to 7 mW. The physical principle of such Kerr effect-based polarization controllers is generic to high-Q Kerr-nonlinear resonators and could also be implemented in photonic integrated circuits. Beyond polarization control, the spontaneous symmetry breaking of polarization states could be used for polarization filters or highly sensitive polarization sensors when operated close to the symmetry-breaking point

Elevated HbA1c levels and the accumulation of differentiated T cells in CMV+ individuals

Aims/hypothesis Biological ageing of the immune system, or immunosenescence, predicts poor health and increased mortality. A hallmark of immunosenescence is the accumulation of differentiated cytotoxic T cells (CD27−CD45RA+/−; or dCTLs), partially driven by infection with the cytomegalovirus (CMV). Immune impairments reminiscent of immunosenescence are also observed in hyperglycaemia, and in vitro studies have illustrated mechanisms by which elevated glucose can lead to increased dCTLs. This study explored associations between glucose dysregulation and markers of immunosenescence in CMV+ and CMV− individuals. Methods A cross-sectional sample of participants from an occupational cohort study (n = 1,103, mean age 40 years, 88% male) were assessed for HbA1c and fasting glucose levels, diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. lipids), numbers of circulating effector memory (EM; CD27−CD45RA−) and CD45RA re-expressing effector memory (EMRA; CD27−CD45RA+) T cells, and CMV infection status. Self-report and physical examination assessed anthropometric, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Results Among CMV+ individuals (n = 400), elevated HbA1c was associated with increased numbers of EM (B = 2.75, p \u3c 0.01) and EMRA (B = 2.90, p \u3c 0.01) T cells, which was robust to adjustment for age, sex, sociodemographic variables and lifestyle factors. Elevated EM T cells were also positively associated with total cholesterol (B = 0.04, p \u3c 0.05) after applying similar adjustments. No associations were observed in CMV− individuals. Conclusions/interpretation The present study identified consistent associations of unfavourable glucose and lipid profiles with accumulation of dCTLs in CMV+ individuals. These results provide evidence that the impact of metabolic risk factors on immunity and health can be co-determined by infectious factors, and provide a novel pathway linking metabolic risk factors with accelerated immunosenescence. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00125-015-3731-4) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users

Searching for Exoplanets Using a Microresonator Astrocomb

Detection of weak radial velocity shifts of host stars induced by orbiting planets is an important technique for discovering and characterizing planets beyond our solar system. Optical frequency combs enable calibration of stellar radial velocity shifts at levels required for detection of Earth analogs. A new chip-based device, the Kerr soliton microcomb, has properties ideal for ubiquitous application outside the lab and even in future space-borne instruments. Moreover, microcomb spectra are ideally suited for astronomical spectrograph calibration and eliminate filtering steps required by conventional mode-locked-laser frequency combs. Here, for the calibration of astronomical spectrographs, we demonstrate an atomic/molecular line-referenced, near-infrared soliton microcomb. Efforts to search for the known exoplanet HD 187123b were conducted at the Keck-II telescope as a first in-the-field demonstration of microcombs

Beta defensin-2 is reduced in central but not in distal airways of smoker COPD patients

Background: Altered pulmonary defenses in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may promote distal airways bacterial colonization. The expression/activation of Toll Like receptors (TLR) and beta 2 defensin (HBD2) release by epithelial cells crucially affect pulmonary defence mechanisms. Methods: The epithelial expression of TLR4 and of HBD2 was assessed in surgical specimens from current smokers COPD (s-COPD; n = 17), ex-smokers COPD (ex-s-COPD; n = 8), smokers without COPD (S; n = 12), and from non-smoker non-COPD subjects (C; n = 13). Results: In distal airways, s-COPD highly expressed TLR4 and HBD2. In central airways, S and s-COPD showed increased TLR4 expression. Lower HBD2 expression was observed in central airways of s-COPD when compared to S and to ex-s-COPD. s-COPD had a reduced HBD2 gene expression as demonstrated by real-time PCR on micro-dissected bronchial epithelial cells. Furthermore, HBD2 expression positively correlated with FEV1/FVC ratio and inversely correlated with the cigarette smoke exposure. In a bronchial epithelial cell line (16 HBE) IL-1β significantly induced the HBD2 mRNA expression and cigarette smoke extracts significantly counteracted this IL-1 mediated effect reducing both the activation of NFkB pathway and the interaction between NFkB and HBD2 promoter. Conclusions: This study provides new insights on the possible mechanisms involved in the alteration of innate immunity mechanisms in COPD. © 2012 Pace et al