A generic multibody simulation

Described is a dynamic simulation package which can be configured for orbital test scenarios involving multiple bodies. The rotational and translational state integration methods are selectable for each individual body and may be changed during a run if necessary. Characteristics of the bodies are determined by assigning components consisting of mass properties, forces, and moments, which are the outputs of user-defined environmental models. Generic model implementation is facilitated by a transformation processor which performs coordinate frame inversions. Transformations are defined in the initialization file as part of the simulation configuration. The simulation package includes an initialization processor, which consists of a command line preprocessor, a general purpose grammar, and a syntax scanner. These permit specifications of the bodies, their interrelationships, and their initial states in a format that is not dependent on a particular test scenario

In the Wake of a Veto: What Do Oregon Psychologists Think and Know about Prescription Privileges for Psychologists?

Clinical psychology continues to grapple with a contentious debate surrounding prescriptive authority. With over half of all states having considered legislating prescriptive authority, an immense amount of time and money has been invested. This study aims to assess knowledge and attitudes of licensed psychologists in Oregon following a veto that prevented it from becoming the third state with prescription privileges for psychologists. From a list of 1,318 licensed Oregon clinical psychologists, 60% were randomly selected to participate. Of the 130 participants invited thus far, 83 have completed the survey, yielding a respectable response rate (64%). Perceived familiarity with current training models revealed lacking awareness with 75.2% and 72% expressing they were not familiar with the DOD and APA models, respectively. Only 5% knew which three states/territories currently have prescriptive authority and 77% were unfamiliar with any of the three prerequisites for postdoctoral training in psychopharmacology. Arguments in favor of prescription privileges garnering the most support related to perceptions of improved access and treatment enhancement. In contrast, the strongest arguments against prescription privileges involved professional issues (e.g., altered identity). Reflecting division, 43.9% were in favor, 20.7% were undecided, and 36% were in opposition to broadening privileges for psychologists. However, only 15.9% expressed interest in completing training and only 7.2% plan to pursue training and become a prescriber. Overall, these findings suggest legislative efforts should be mindful of the controversy within the field and the low numbers of professionals interested in pursuing prescription privileges, which undercut arguments for improved access and care

Landing gear Patent

Vertically descending flight vehicle landing gear for rough terrai

An evaluation of the NASA Tech House, including live-in test results, volume 1

The NASA Tech House was designed and constructed at the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, to demonstrate and evaluate new technology potentially applicable for conservation of energy and resources and for improvements in safety and security in a single-family residence. All technology items, including solar-energy systems and a waste-water-reuse system, were evaluated under actual living conditions for a 1 year period with a family of four living in the house in their normal lifestyle. Results are presented which show overall savings in energy and resources compared with requirements for a defined similar conventional house under the same conditions. General operational experience and performance data are also included for all the various items and systems of technology incorporated into the house design

Design and Testing of a Hall Effect Thruster with 3D Printed Channel and Propellant Distributor

The UAH-78AM is a low-power Hall effect thruster developed at the University of Alabama in Huntsville with channel walls and a propellant distributor manufactured using 3D printing. The goal of this project is to assess the feasibility of using unconventional materials to produce a low-cost functioning Hall effect thruster and consider how additive manufacturing can expand the design space and provide other benefits. A version of the thruster was tested at NASA Glenn Research Center to obtain performance metrics and to validate the ability of the thruster to produce thrust and sustain a discharge. An overview of the thruster design and transient performance measurements are presented here. Measured thrust ranged from 17.2 millinewtons to 30.4 millinewtons over a discharge power of 280 watts to 520 watts with an anode I (sub SP)(Specific Impulse) range of 870 seconds to 1450 seconds. Temperature limitations of materials used for the channel walls and propellant distributor limit the ability to run the thruster at thermal steady-state

Evidence for seasonal reproduction in UK domestic cats

Objectives The aims of this study were to analyse a large body of data obtained by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Greater Manchester Animal Hospital on the breeding pattern of owned domestic cats in the UK, and to provide clear statistical evidence of whether seasonal variation remains present in temperate climates. Methods The total number of cats spayed and the number of cats found to be pregnant were recorded on a monthly basis from December 2005 to July 2014 by the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital. The percentage of cats found to be pregnant was calculated for each month and the 8.5 years of data were binned into calendar months. The mean and SD of the monthly pregnancy rate was calculated for each calendar month bin, as was the difference between the mean percentage of detected pregnancies and the global mean. The Z score for each month’s difference was then calculated. Results Data were available for 5414 cats neutered during the 8.5 consecutive years of this study. A global average of 8.9% of cats spayed were found to be pregnant. The mean calendar month pregnancy rate exhibited a very significant variation, with the highest positive deviation being in April (Z score +2.9) and the highest negative deviation being in November/December (Z score -4.5). When aggregated into 3 month averages, an extremely significant difference between ‘spring’ and ‘winter’ months of >7 SE (P <<0.01) was found. Conclusions and relevance This study provides clear statistical evidence, from a large data set, that seasonal breeding patterns are still present under UK temperate conditions. We discuss the impact that this has on charity rescue shelters and propose that a campaign targeted at clients of animal welfare charities encouraging autumn neutering will be the most cost-effective method of cat population control, and help relieve the demand on welfare charity resources

Getting back to connectedness: an exploration of a team reflective practice group in a personality disorder service

Staff who work in emotionally challenging environments require time and space for team-based reflection to support their wellbeing and the standards of care they provide. This is particularly true for staff working with clients with a personality disorder diagnosis. These staff can experience powerful feelings and behaviours and respond with defensive practices and/or withdrawal. These reactions to the psychological disturbance encountered can manifest at an individual staff, team and organisational level. Staff support groups (SSGs) are often employed to reduce staff distress and address team dynamics across a broad range of fields (including health, mental health, social care), however to date there is a paucity of research examining staff experiences of these groups. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, a cooperative inquiry was undertaken with a team of 7 psychological therapists and 1 psychiatrist who attended a weekly, externally facilitated SSG as part of their work in an NHS personality disorder service. A theory of ‘connectedness’ was developed through a systematic analysis of the data. Connectedness was derived through the emergence of 7 inter-related actions occurring within the SSG: (1) Security and danger (2) Emotional awareness and obscurity (3) Relational witnessing and turning away (4) Integrating and splitting (5) Belonging and isolation (6) Developing a therapeutic atmosphere (7) Energising and depleting. These actions are represented within a higher order model, delineating the processes that are included in each of these relational domains. The findings are discussed in relation to the unconscious manifestations of attachment trauma at service-user, staff, team and organisation levels. These can be understood as a systemic propensity for disconnectedness as a means to manage overwhelming experience. It is proposed that an SSG provides a critically needed reflective space to re-introduce connectedness back into this disturbed relational context. The implications for group reflective practices that support staff to remain meaningfully engaged in their work are explored

Hydrophobic residues at position 10 of α-conotoxin PnIA influence subtype selectivity between α7 and α3β2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are a diverse class of ligand-gated ion channels involved in neurological conditions such as neuropathic pain and Alzheimer's disease. α-Conotoxin [A10L]PnIA is a potent and selective antagonist of the mammalian α7 nAChR with a key binding interaction at position 10. We now describe a molecular analysis of the receptor-ligand interactions that determine the role of position 10 in determining potency and selectivity for the α7 and α3β2 nAChR subtypes. Using electrophysiological and radioligand binding methods on a suite of [A10L]PnIA analogs we observed that hydrophobic residues in position 10 maintained potency at both subtypes whereas charged or polar residues abolished α7 binding. Molecular docking revealed dominant hydrophobic interactions with several α7 and α3β2 receptor residues via a hydrophobic funnel. Incorporation of norleucine (Nle) caused the largest (8-fold) increase in affinity for the α7 subtype (Ki = 44 nM) though selectivity reverted to α3β2 (IC50 = 0.7 nM). It appears that the placement of a single methyl group determines selectivity between α7 and α3β2 nAChRs via different molecular determinants

Determination of atropine and scopolamine in bluckwheat and related products using modified QuEChERS and liquid chromatography tándem mass spectrometry

Buckwheat is a healthy pseudo cereal widely cultivated over the world as an important raw material used for functional food because it becomes a dietary source of bioactive compounds, such as nutritionally valuable protein, phenolic compounds, starch and dietary fiber, essential minerals and trace elements. However, buckwheat can be contaminated by stramonium (Datura stramonium), which can contain high concentration of tropane alkaloids, and therefore, these toxic substances can be found in buckwheat and related matrices at concentrations higher than 100 μg/kg [1]. Tropane alkaloids are synthesized by the plants of the genus from Solanaceae family, although they are also produced in smaller quantities in plants from other families. They can affect human and animal health due to their high toxicity and intake of contaminated food or animal feed. Although there are more than 200 tropane alkaloids, atropine and scopolamine are the most common compounds of this family. According to the EFSA scientific opinion in 2013 [1] more attention must be focused on the contaminated levels of atropine and scopolamine in food from plant origin, such as cereal products, grain-based baby-food, buckwheat grain and food products and tea and herbal infusions. Therefore, the development of quick, easy and reliable analytical methods for the trace analysis of tropane alkaloids at trace levels in food from plant origin is desirable. Therefore the aim of this study is the development and validation of an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of atropine and scopolamine residues in buckwheat and related products. A modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) extraction method with acidified acetonitrile (1% formic acid v/v) followed by a clean-up step using graphitized black carbon (GBC) and primary secondary amine (PSA) was applied. For the separation and quantification of the target compounds, ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), utilizing triple quadrupole (QqQ) as analyzer, was used. The method was validated, determining linearity, trueness, precision, limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs). Recoveries ranged from 75 to 92% with precision below 17% (RSD values) for all the compounds studied. Both LODs and LOQs were below 2 μg kg-1. The validated method was tested in eight commercial samples (buckwheat, wheat, soy, buckwheat flour, buckwheat noodle, amaranth grain, chia seeds and peeled millet). Target compounds were not found above the detection limits of the method