International Space Station Technology Demonstration

Presented during the ISS Utilization Panel at the 44th Space Congress

Marquette Interchange Phase I Final Report

This report provides details on the design, installation and monitoring of a pavement instrumentation system for the analysis of load-induced stresses and strains within a perpetual HMA pavement system. The HMA pavement was constructed as part of an urban highway improvement project in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The outer wheel path of the outside lane was instrumented with asphalt strain sensors, base and subgrade pressure sensors, subgrade moisture and temperature sensors, HMA layer temperature sensors, traffic wander strips and a weigh in motion system. Environmental sensors for air temperature, wind speed and solar radiation are also included. The system captures the pavement response from each axle loading and transmits the data through a wireless link to a resident database at Marquette University. The collected data will be used to estimate the fatigue life of the perpetual HMA pavement and to modify, as necessary, pavement design procedures used within the State of Wisconsin

Utilizing Cognitive Information Processing Theory to Assess the Effectiveness of DISCOVER on College Students' Career Development

This study explored outcomes of using the Internet version of the DISCOVER career guidance system by college students who are unsure of their career direction. Previous research indicated mixed results concerning DISCOVER's effectiveness. A review of these studies showed that measures of foundational components of career development (i.e., individuals' knowledge of their skills, interests, and values) consistently improved after DISCOVER use, while more advanced areas of career development (e.g., actual occupational choice) showed mixed results. This study proposed that the Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) theory of career development can be used to assess these different levels under a unifying model. Sixty-three undergraduate students participated in a pretest/posttest study where they were assessed on various measures, including need for cognition, vocational identity, and dysfunctional career thinking before and after using DISCOVER. Participants were found to have increased levels of vocational identity and lower levels of dysfunctional career thinking after DISCOVER use. Of particular note, individuals with higher levels of vocational identity prior to using DISCOVER showed greater decreases in dysfunctional career thinking after using DISCOVER than those with lower initial levels of vocational identity. These results offer support to the proposal that an understanding of one's interests, skills, and values must be achieved before an individual can make additional gains on more advanced levels of career decision making. Additionally, patterns of DISCOVER use among college students in this study indicate that individuals did not plan a strategy prior to using the program, suggesting that college students could benefit from additional instruction prior to using DISCOVER. Also, participants did not express an interest in discussing their DISCOVER results with others while they were using the program, implying that college students believe using a computer-assisted career guidance system is a solitary endeavor. This study recommends that a "one size fits all" approach to using DISCOVER should not be taken by college career counselors; rather, counselors should make an initial assessment of a client's stage within the career development process and then offer suggestions to the individual regarding how best to use the program

Perpetual Pavement Instrumentation for the Marquette Interchange Project-Phase 1

This report provides details on the design, installation and monitoring of a pavement instrumentation system for the analysis of load-induced stresses and strains within a perpetual HMA pavement system. The HMA pavement was constructed as part of an urban highway improvement project in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The outer wheel path of the outside lane was instrumented with asphalt strain sensors, base and subgrade pressure sensors, subgrade moisture and temperature sensors, HMA layer temperature sensors, traffic wander strips and a weigh in motion system. Environmental sensors for air temperature, wind speed and solar radiation are also included. The system captures the pavement response from each axle loading and transmits the data through a wireless link to a resident database at Marquette University. The collected data will be used to estimate the fatigue life of the perpetual HMA pavement and to modify, as necessary, pavement design procedures used within the State of Wisconsin

ISS Utilization

Research and technology opportunities onboard the International Space Station provide an unparalleled opportunity to understand how gravity influences physical and life sciences in a lab environment, as well as the Space Station’s location in low earth orbit provides a proving ground for materials testing, technology advancement, and Earth and space observations. Our panel represents a wide array of experts to introduce us to this extraordinary capability to advance mankind using the ISS research and development platform

Hearing dysfunction in heterozygous M itf Mi‐wh /+ mice, a model for W aardenburg syndrome type 2 and T ietz syndrome

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95364/1/pcmr12030.pd

Cultural robotics : The culture of robotics and robotics in culture

Copyright 2013 Samani et al.; licensee InTech. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedIn this paper, we have investigated the concept of "Cultural Robotics" with regard to the evolution o social into cultural robots in the 21st Century. By defining the concept of culture, the potential development of culture between humans and robots is explored. Based on the cultural values of the robotics developers, and the learning ability of current robots, cultural attributes in this regard are in the process of being formed, which would define the new concept of cultural robotics. According to the importance of the embodiment of robots in the sense of presence, the influence of robots in communication culture is anticipated. The sustainability of robotics culture based on diversity for cultural communities for various acceptance modalities is explored in order to anticipate the creation of different attributes of culture between robot and humans in the futurePeer reviewe

Enhanced Hippocampal Long-Term Potentiation and Fear Memory in Btbd9 Mutant Mice

Polymorphisms in BTBD9 have recently been associated with higher risk of restless legs syndrome (RLS), a neurological disorder characterized by uncomfortable sensations in the legs at rest that are relieved by movement. The BTBD9 protein contains a BTB/POZ domain and a BACK domain, but its function is unknown. To elucidate its function and potential role in the pathophysiology of RLS, we generated a line of mutant Btbd9 mice derived from a commercial gene-trap embryonic stem cell clone. Btbd9 is the mouse homolog of the human BTBD9. Proteins that contain a BTB/POZ domain have been reported to be associated with synaptic transmission and plasticity. We found that Btbd9 is naturally expressed in the hippocampus of our mutant mice, a region critical for learning and memory. As electrophysiological characteristics of CA3-CA1 synapses of the hippocampus are well characterized, we performed electrophysiological recordings in this region. The mutant mice showed normal input-output relationship, a significant impairment in pre-synaptic activity, and an enhanced long-term potentiation. We further performed an analysis of fear memory and found the mutant mice had an enhanced cued and contextual fear memory. To elucidate a possible molecular basis for these enhancements, we analyzed proteins that have been associated with synaptic plasticity. We found an elevated level of dynamin 1, an enzyme associated with endocytosis, in the mutant mice. These results suggest the first identified function of Btbd9 as being involved in regulating synaptic plasticity and memory. Recent studies have suggested that enhanced synaptic plasticity, analogous to what we have observed, in other regions of the brain could enhance sensory perception similar to what is seen in RLS patients. Further analyses of the mutant mice will help shine light on the function of BTBD9 and its role in RLS

Musculoskeletal pain is associated with restless legs syndrome in young adults

Background - In recent years, there is considerable evidence of a relationship between the sensorimotor disorder restless legs syndrome (RLS) and pain disorders, including migraine and fibromyalgia. An association between multi-site pain and RLS has been reported in adult women. In the current study, we explored the association between musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and RLS in a large cohort of young adults. Methods - Twenty two year olds (n = 1072), followed since birth of part of the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, provided data on MSK pain (duration, severity, frequency, number of pain sites). RLS was considered present when 4 diagnostic criteria recommended by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group were met (urge to move, dysaesthesia, relief by movement, worsening symptoms during the evening/night) and participants had these symptoms at least 5 times per month. Associations between MSK pain and RLS were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression with bias-corrected bootstrapped confidence intervals, with final models adjusted for sex, psychological distress and sleep quality. Results - The prevalence of RLS was 3.0 % and MSK pain was reported by 37.4 % of the participants. In multivariable logistic regression models, strong associations were found between RLS-diagnosis and long duration (three months or more) of MSK pain (odds ratio 3.6, 95 % confidence interval 1.4–9.2) and reporting three or more pain sites (4.9, 1.6–14.6). Conclusions - Different dimensions of MSK pain were associated with RLS in young adults, suggestive of shared pathophysiological mechanisms. Overlap between these conditions requires more clinical and research attention

David Hornyak

David Hornyak David Hornyak PE, is a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA and Systems Engineering Certificate. Mr. Hornyak came to the Space Station program at the beginning of 1997 and participated in final design and testing of many ISS systems supporting utilization, as well as building several payloads that have operated on the ISS. In recent years, Mr. Hornyak has participated in many technology demonstration projects to improve space systems through tests on the ISS. This role required using existing ISS capabilities with minimal impacts to both the ISS and the researcher to avoid high costs and long schedule impacts. This partnership has allowed new technical innovations to be performed on an operating spacecraft, increasing system capabilities and reducing future system implementation risks. Much of his career on the ISS program has been focused on directly assisting and supporting the research community in working with the ISS to maximize their research in as expedient and efficient a manner possible.https://commons.erau.edu/space-congress-bios-2016/1034/thumbnail.jp