LauncherOne Now in Orbit: Dedicated Air-Launch Brings Proven, Responsive Space Access with Historic NASA VCLS Demonstration Mission

The Launcher One air-launched rocket system, under commercial development by Virgin Orbit since 2015, is now fully flight-qualified. This small, dedicated launch vehicle first reached orbit on January 17th, 2021 as part of the NASA Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) ELaNa 20 mission, injecting ten small satellites into orbit. This historic mission saw the world’s first liquid-propulsion, orbital class air-launched vehicle succeed with incredible performance and accuracy. Founded upon the capabilities of the Boeing 747-400 carrier aircraft, LauncherOne maintains safe operations using flight controls and an Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS) that have been fully internally-developed and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States. T his uniquely mobile launch system is designed to bring tailored small satellite launch services to any corner of the globe. This paper details the inaugural NASA VCLS LauncherOne mission. Review of the mission and customer outcome will reveal how some of the most challenging aspects of air-launch have now been achieved by the LauncherOne design. In successfully overcoming the design challenges of a cryogenic air-launch vehicle, the substantial accompanying rewards can now be realized. We have shown how such a modular launch system can be replicated and disaggregated across many sites, offering flexibility and extreme orbital access for small satellites without a fixed infrastructure or permanent footprint. Accordingly, we have continued to grow our spaceport network to support domestic and international mission planners that benefit from such a capability. The status of these activities and facilities will be discussed. Following extensive qualification testing, the NASA VCLS mission success, and all of the associated cryogenic loading and vehicle preparation operations successfully completed from an austere runway apron, LauncherOne’s air-launch approach is now proven to be foundationally responsive. Virgin Orbit and the dedicated, flight-proven LauncherOne system are now uniquely positioned to both serve and grow the global small satellite market from spaceports around the world

“I will change the world”: The Intersection of Social Change and Male College Athletes’ Leadership Perspectives

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(6): 845-856, 2017. Historically, men have been characterized as task-oriented leaders who are motivated by desires for autonomy, wealth, and power (17, 33). However, these “masculine” views of leadership might not accurately capture the leadership motivations of Millennial males as the views were developed in previous generations (4). Given the commitment of many Millennials towards socially responsible attitudes and behaviors (18, 25), we utilized a qualitative research design to examine the influence of social change on the leadership motivations of Millennial male intercollegiate athletes. In doing so, we found participants were motivated to lead in order to affect social change within their communities and within society. Our findings indicate a new perspective, one which includes a commitment to social change, is potentially needed when discussing “masculine” views of leadership

Nuclear Dbf2-related protein kinases (NDRs) in isolated cardiac myocytes and the myocardium: activation by cellular stresses and by phosphoprotein serine-/threonine-phosphatase inhibitors

The nuclear Dbf2-related protein kinases 1 and 2 (NDR1/2) are closely-related AGC family kinases that are strongly conserved through evolution. In mammals, they are activated inter alia by phosphorylation of an hydrophobic domain threonine-residue [NDR1(Thr-444)/NDR2(Thr-442)] by an extrinsic protein kinase followed by autophosphorylation of a catalytic domain serine-residue [NDR1(Ser-281)/NDR2(Ser-282)]. We examined NDR1/2 expression and regulation in primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes and in perfused adult rat hearts. In myocytes, transcripts for NDR2, but not NDR1, were induced by the hypertrophic agonist, endothelin-1. NDR1(Thr-444) and NDR2(Thr-442) were rapidly phosphorylated (maximal in 15-30 min) in myocytes exposed to some phosphoprotein Ser-/Thr-phosphatase 1/2 inhibitors (calyculin A, okadaic acid) and, to a lesser extent, by hyperosmotic shock, low concentrations of H(2)O(2), or chelerythrine. In myocytes adenovirally-transduced to express FLAG-NDR2 (which exhibited a mainly-cytoplasmic localisation), the same agents increased FLAG-NDR2 activity as assessed by in vitro protein kinase assays, indicative of FLAG-NDR2(Ser-282/Thr-442) phosphorylation. Calyculin A-induced phosphorylation of NDR1(Thr-444)/NDR2(Thr-442) and activation of FLAG-NDR2 were inhibited by staurosporine, but not by other protein kinase inhibitors tested. In ex vivo rat hearts, NDR1(Thr-444)/NDR2(Thr-442) were phosphorylated in response to ischaemia-reperfusion or calyculin A. From a pathological viewpoint, we conclude that activities of NDR1 and NDR2 are responsive to cytotoxic stresses in heart preparations and this may represent a previously-unidentified response to myocardial ischaemia in vivo

Peripheral Heating with Negative Pressure Increases Arterial Blood Flow

Over half (53%) of adults in the United States have some form of diabetes. Traditional treatments have been inadequate in stopping this epidemic suggesting the need for novel therapies. Peripheral heating with negative pressure has previously been shown to reduce blood glucose. The mechanisms behind this effect are unknown but may be related to changes in blood flow to the treated extremity. PURPOSE: To examine changes in flow rate (time averaged mean velocity (TAMV)), vessel cross-sectional area (CSA), and blood flow in the popliteal artery before and during peripheral heating with negative pressure applied to the feet. METHODS: Measures of TAMV, CSA, and blood flow were obtained from the left and right popliteal artery of participants using an ultrasound doppler (Philips CX50, General Electric, USA) before and during peripheral heating with negative pressure. Heat (42°C) was applied to the sole of the feet and negative pressure (-75 mmHg) applied from the feet to the top of the calves while participants remained seated. Vessels were matched for pre and post measures using anatomical landmarks and vessel diameter. Blood flow was calculated as TAMV * CSA. Data are presented as mean (SD) and were analyzed with paired two-sided t-tests. RESULTS: Participants’ (N=8, 4 men and 4 women) demographics are as follows: age: 26.5 (6.1) years; height: 177.7 (9.0) cm; BMI: 25.5 (3.9) kg/m2; body fat: 18.9 (5.7) %. From baseline to during the intervention, TAMV increased 22.3% from 13.0 (13.4) to 16.0 (16.5) cm/sec, p=.059 and 24.7% from 10.5 (10.7) to 13.0 (13.3) cm/sec, p=.067; CSA increased 9.7% from 0.42 (0.34) to 0.46 (0.39) cm2, p=.247, and 10.4% from 0.65 (0.62) to 0.72 (0.70) cm2, p=.122; and blood flow increased 32.3% from 5.2 (3.1) to 7.0 (4.0) mL/sec, p=.115 and 29.5% from 7.2 (7.3) to 9.3 (7.4) mL/sec, p=.032, in the left and right popliteal arteries respectively. CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, applying heat and negative pressure to the feet increased arterial blood flow largely by increasing flow rate with lesser changes to vessel CSA. Without reader blinding and assurance that the same vessel and portion of said vessel were used for pre and post measures, these results should be considered exploratory and interpreted with caution

Development of a new molecular diagnostics tool for Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes the economically important plant disease, crown gall. These galls are the result of abnormal growth that manifests itself on either the root or the stem and can be devastating for the ornamental plant industry. Introduction of A. tumefaciens to a nursery can be highly detrimental and thus early detection of the pathogen is crucial in order to limit its spread. Current methods of pathogen identification such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are costly, require specialized equipment, and can take a significant amount of time. By optimizing an isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and lateral flow analysis, the rapid and sensitive detection of A. tumefaciens can be done in the production setting, and does not require specialized equipment. This is possible because recombinase proteins are capable of separating double stranded DNA without the need for high temperatures. Once the RPA reaction is complete, a probe is used to bind to DNA fragments amplified from a region of the A. tumefaciens plasmid. Amplification is visualized using lateral flow analysis, aka, a dipstick, eliminating the need for gel electrophoresis. I have developed a primer set and a probe for RPA detection of phytopathogenic A. tumefaciens that is specific, sensitive, and has been optimized for reaction time, temperature, and is accurate at low DNA concentrations. I selected a gene, virD2, which is present in all known pathogenic strains of A. tumefaciens as the target for RPA. The primer set has been optimized for high specificity, yet can identify various A. tumefaciens strains. The assay was tested against phytopathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria as well as plant samples and was shown to be specific to virD2-containing A. tumefaciens. I have also determined the ideal temperature and time for an RPA is 37℃ for 30 minutes. By optimizing these conditions, the presence or absence of A. tumefaciens can be accurately detected by applying the RPA product to the lateral flow analysis strip. If present, a band will appear on the strip in less than one minute. Development of this assay will provide growers with a fast, inexpensive, and accurate method of detecting pathogenic A. tumefaciens

What attributions do Australian high-performing general practices make for their success? Applying the clinical microsystems framework: a qualitative study

No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/Objectives To identify the success attributions of high-performing Australian general practices and the enablers and barriers they envisage for practices wishing to emulate them. Design Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and content analysis of the data. Responses were recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded according to success characteristics of high-performing clinical microsystems. Setting Primary healthcare with the participating general practices representing all Australian states and territories, and representing metropolitan and rural locations. Participants Twenty-two general practices identified as high performing via a number of success criteria. The 52 participants were 19 general practitioners, 18 practice managers and 15 practice nurses. Results Participants most frequently attributed success to the interdependence of the team members, patient-focused care and leadership of the practice. They most often signalled practice leadership, team interdependence and staff focus as enablers that other organisations would need to emulate their success. They most frequently identified barriers that might be encountered in the form of potential deficits or limitations in practice leadership, staff focus and mesosystem support. Conclusions Practice leaders need to empower their teams to take action through providing inclusive leadership that facilitates team interdependence. Mesosystem support for quality improvement in general practice should focus on enabling this leadership and team building, thereby ensuring improvement efforts are converted into effective healthcare provision.The research reported in this article was funded by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health