Heat-shield ablation measurements using radioisotope techniques

Radioactive isotope technique for heat shield ablation measurement during reentr

Toward a Lockean Unification of Formal and Traditional Epistemology

Can there be knowledge and rational belief in the absence of a rational degree of confidence? Yes, and cases of "mistuned knowledge" demonstrate this. In this paper we leverage this normative possibility in support of advancing our understanding of the metaphysical relation between belief and credence. It is generally assumed that a Lockean metaphysics of belief that reduces outright belief to degrees of confidence would immediately effect a unification of coarse-grained epistemology of belief with fine-grained epistemology of confidence. Scott Sturgeon has suggested that the unification is effected by understanding the relation between outright belief and confidence as an instance of the determinable-determinate relation. But determination of belief by confidence would not by itself yield the result that norms for confidence carry over to norms for outright belief unless belief and high confidence are token identical. We argue that this token-identity thesis is incompatible with the neglected phenomenon of “mistuned knowledge”—knowledge and rational belief in the absence of rational confidence. We contend that there are genuine cases of mistuned knowledge and that, therefore, epistemological unification must forego token identity of belief and high confidence. We show how partial epistemological unification can be secured given determination of outright belief by degrees of confidence even without token-identity. Finally, we suggest a direction for the pursuit of thoroughgoing epistemological unification

Designing and Developing an Alternative Implementation of the Digital Bathymetric Database, Variable Resolution (DBDB-V)

This documentation describes a project to design and develop an alternative implementation of the Digital Bathymetric Database Variable Resolution (DBDB-V) that will allow efficient ingestion into Geospatial Information System (GIS). DBDB-V is a well-known storage facility for wide-reaching bathymetry. It is created, maintained, and extensively used by the U.S. Navy, and it is seen in many applications within the public sector. Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) develops a popular suite of GIS applications called ArcGIS Desktop that is used worldwide and offered to U.S. Navy programs though the Commercial Joint Mapping Toolkit (CJMTK). This thesis will examine the development of an ESRI-compatible spatial geodatabase (GDB) that will hold the DBDB-V data and provide native data ingestion into ESRI products thereby improving the efficiency of how bathymetry is used within the GIS. It will also investigate tools needed to build and update the geodatabase as well as to provide access to the data stored within it. The thesis will also consider test cases to validate the new geodatabase and its tools

The Progesterone Receptor - To Be or Not to Be: The Anti-inflammatory Effects of Progesterone in RAW 264.7 Cells

In addition to its reproductive role, progesterone (P4) also has anti-inflammatory effects. While the precise mechanisms have never been clearly elucidated in RAW 246.7 cells, it seems logical to assume that this response is a consequence of the activation of the progesterone receptor (P4-R). However, it has been shown that in a rat model this anti-inflammatory effect is independent of the progesterone receptor. In this project, the aim was to characterize this response by assaying nitric oxide production from lipopolysaccharide-challenged RAW cells. To determine the involvement of the P4-R, cells were incubated in the presence and absence of RU-486 – a potent P4-R antagonist. Our results indicate that the anti-inflammatory response of progesterone was through activation of the P4-R as cells incubated in the antagonist show a reversal of this inhibitory effect of P4 as was seen in cells incubated in the absence of this ligand

The Progesterone Receptor – To Be or Not to Be: The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Progesterone in RAW 264.7 Cells

It has been widely established that, in addition to its role in reproduction, progesterone (P4) also has potent anti-inflammatory effects. While the precise mechanisms have never been clearly elucidated in RAW 246.7 cells, it seems logical to assume that this response is – at least in part - a consequence of activation of and signaling through the progesterone receptor (P4-R). However, it has recently been shown that in a rat model, this anti-inflammatory effect is – in fact - independent of the progesterone receptor. In this project, the aim was to characterize this response by assaying nitric oxide production from lipopolysaccharide-challenged RAW 264.7 cells and ascertain the involvement of the P4-R. To determine the contribution of the receptor, RAW cells were incubated in the presence and absence of RU-486 – a potent P4-R antagonist. Our results indicate that the anti-inflammatory response of progesterone was in fact through the activation of the P4-R as cells incubated in RU-486 show an approximate 60% reversal of the inhibitory effect of P4 as compared to cells incubated in the absence of the antagonist. However, because we did not observe a complete reversal, suggests that perhaps other receptors come into play which will be addressed in future studies