Dual-mode Propulsion System Enabling Cubesat Exploration of the Solar System

It is apparent the cost of planetary exploration is rising as mission budgets are declining. Currently small scientific beds geared to performing limited tasks are being developed and launched into low earth orbit (LEO) in the form of small-scale satellite units, i.e., CubeSats. These micro- and nano-satellites are gaining popularity among the university and science communities due to their relatively low cost and design flexibility. To date these small units have been limited to performing tasks in LEO utilizing solar-based power. If a reasonable propulsion system could be developed, these CubeSat platforms could perform exploration of various extra-terrestrial bodies within the solar system engaging a broader range of researchers. Additionally, being mindful of mass, smaller cheaper launch vehicles (~1,000 kg to LEO) can be targeted. This, in effect, allows for beneficial exploration to be conducted within limited budgets.Researchers at the Center for Space Nuclear Research (CSNR) are proposing a low mass, radioisotope-based, dual-mode propulsion system capable of extending the exploration realm of these CubeSats out of LEO.The proposed radioisotope-based system would leverage the high specific energies [J/kg] associated with radioisotope materials and enhance their inherent low specific powers [W/g]. This is accomplished by accumulating thermal energy from nuclear decay within a central core over time. This allows for significant amounts of power to be transferred to a flowing gas over short periods of time. In the proposed configuration the stored energy can be utilized in two ways: (1) with direct propellant injection to the core, the energy can be converted into thrust through the use of a converging-diverging nozzle and (2) by flowing a working fluid through the core and subsequent Brayton engine, energy within the core can be converted to electrical energy. The first scenario achieves moderate ranges of thrust, but at a higher Isp than traditional chemical-based systems. The second scenario allows for the production of electrical power, which is then available for electric-based propulsion. Additionally, once at location the production of electrical power can be dedicated to the payload's communication system for data transfer. Ultimately, the proposed dual-mode propulsion platform capitalizes on the benefits of two types of propulsion methods the thrust of thermal propulsion ideal for quick orbital maneuvers and the specific impulse of electric propulsion ideal for efficient interplanetary travel. Overall, the system is functioning as a radioisotope thermal rocket (RTR).In this study the RTR concept is being developed as an in-space propulsion system to deliver a 6U CubeSat payload to the orbit of the Saturnian moon - Enceladus. Additionally, this study will develop an entire mission architecture for Enceladus targeting a total allowable launch mass of 1,000 kg

Effects of soy isoflavones on the attainment of puberty in ewe lambs

In humans, diets containing high levels of soy isoflavones have shown to increase circulating estrogen levels. With this increase, early attainment of puberty has been experienced. Although a negative in humans, this could be a substantial gain in the some species of livestock. This research is designed to determine the effects of soy isoflavones on early development and early attainment of puberty in ewe lambs. Newly born Rambouillet and Suffolk ewe lambs were randomly assigned to either the control group; cotton seed meal protein, or the treatment group; soybean meal protein. Lambs were fed treatment specific diets from just following birth until breeding. Weights and blood samples were drawn to determine growth and performance as well as serum estrogen and progesterone levels. No difference (P > 0.05) in growth and performance and reproductive activity was established between treatments. However, a difference was established (P < 0.05) between estrogen concentration

Harnessing Nanocellulose for Sustainable Carbon Capture: Synthesis, Processing, and Performance Evaluation

Scientists and governments have recognized the need for environmental remediation, most notably with the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2016. One of the major concerns is the production of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The major GHG is carbon dioxide (CO2) in which humans emit over 36 gigatons yearly. Atmospheric CO2 is responsible for 60% of the heat retained by the earth – resulting in rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and increasing ocean acidification. Therefore, a major goal of the Paris Agreement was to reduce GHG emissions as well as the capture of CO2 from the atmosphere. Here within, a sustainable nanocellulose aerogel is synthesized and characterized for the intended application of CO2 capture. First, arginine, a sustainable amino acid with high amine content, is grafted onto the surface of cellulose nanofibers. Through the water-soluble coupling reactions known as EDC/NHS coupling, it was possible to achieve an arginine loading of 0.78 mmol/g; or near 100% maximum possible grafting of arginine. Following this grafting, aerogels of both the grafted and ungrafted cellulose nanofibers are then processed into aergoels using a sustainable process pioneered by the Carter group. This process results in mechanically robust aerogels, with a modulus of 15.4 MPa, one the highest moduli for highly porous nanocellulose aerogels. These aerogels are then subjected to CO2 adsorption studies using a custom laboratory built instrument. When grafted, we find that the arginine significantly improves the CO2 adsorption compared to the unmodified fibers. Furthermore, this adsorption is relatively fast (\u3c 5 minutes), significantly faster than current nanocellulose CO2 adsorbents

Image as an IMU: estimating camera motion from a single motion-blurred image

In many robotics and VR/AR applications, fast camera motions cause a high level of motion blur, causing existing camera pose estimation methods to fail. In this work, we propose a novel framework that leverages motion blur as a rich cue for motion estimation rather than treating it as an unwanted artifact. Our approach works by predicting a dense motion flow field and a monocular depth map directly from a single motion-blurred image. We then recover the instantaneous camera velocity by solving a linear least squares problem under the small motion assumption. In essence, our method produces an IMU-like measurement that robustly captures fast and aggressive camera movements. To train our model, we construct a largescale dataset with realistic synthetic motion blur derived from ScanNet++v2 and further refine our model by training end-to-end on real data using our fully differentiable pipeline. Extensive evaluations on real-world benchmarks demonstrate that our method achieves state-of-the-art angular and translational velocity estimates, outperforming current methods like MASt3R and COLMAP.

Role of Sponsor-Selection in Marketing Communications of New Local Hallmark Events: A Perspective of Image Transfer

With the rapid growth of sport popularity throughout the world, developing local hallmark events have become an emerging trend in many urban and suburban communities. Yet, the underdeveloped brand equity of new events makes marketing communications challenging. Built upon the balance theory, the schema theory, and the elaboration likelihood model, this study was designed to examine the image transfer from the sponsor-end to the event-end in the context of new local hallmark events while considering potential moderating effects of image fit (IF) and sport identification (SID) in this process. The balance theory suggests that to achieve the cognitive consistency, people tend to harmonize the outside stimuli and seek the balance among related units (Heider, 1958). In the event sponsorship, the event, sponsor(s), and consumers together constitute a triad-relationship in which the positive attributes at the high-end (e.g., sponsors with high brand equity) would transfer to the low-end (e.g., new events) to realize the cognitive consistency in people’s mind. Meanwhile, the schema theory suggests that high IF between the event and a sponsor helps facilitate the process of image transfer; conversely, low IF hinders the image transfer (Gwinner & Eaton, 1999; Sujan & Bettman, 1989). That is, IF would moderate the image transfer. The elaboration likelihood model indicates that people would process an outside stimulus based on its essential attributes/peripheral cues if they have sufficient/insufficient interests or cognitive resources (Petty & Cacioppo, 1980). Compared with individuals with high SID, individuals with low SID would likely to assess the event based on its sponsors’ attributes (i.e., peripheral cues). Thus, SID would also moderate the process of image transfer. Additionally, SID would directly impact one’s assessment toward event and therefore should be controlled when assessing the effect of image transfer (Gwinner & Bennett, 2008). The flyer of a fictional local hallmark event (a road-race event) with event description and sponsor information was designed and distributed to local residents. The data from 233 survey respondents were confirmed valid. The sponsor’s brand equity (SBE), SID, IF, perceived event value (PEV), and participation intention (PI) were all derived from previous studies. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed the significant impact of SBE on PEV (β = .408, p \u3c .01) and PI (β = .134, p \u3c .05). The moderating effects of IF and SID in the image transfer were partially confirmed: SBE*IF impacted PEV (β = .284, p \u3c .01) and PI (β = .035, p \u3e .05); and SBE*SID impacted PEV (β = -.063, p \u3e .05) and PI (β = .200, p \u3c .01). As a control factor, SID impacted PEV (β = .063, p \u3e .05) and PI (β = .341, p \u3c .01). Discussions are centered on utilizing the research findings in sponsorship selections, facilitations, and communications when promoting new local hallmark events

The evolution of sex differences in mandrills (mandrillus sphinx): micro- and macroevolution

Primates show diverse patterns of adaptive color and body size dimorphism produced by inter- and intrasexual selection. However, the specific microevolutionary processes that produce variation in secondary sexual characteristics remain largely unexplored in primates. Furthermore, sexual conflict theory predicts that female and male secondary sexual traits can coevolve in an antagonistic manner and promote speciation. This dissertation explores the microevolution of secondary sexual characteristics in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) and the macroevolution of these characters in anthropoid primates. I address the microevolution of mandrill facial coloration and body mass by estimating the heritability, phenotypic selection, and genetic evolution of these traits in a population of semi free-ranging mandrills at the Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Gabon (CIRMF). I address the coevolution of female and male secondary sexual characteristics by extending quantitative genetic analyses to phylogenetic comparative methods. I estimate the phylogenetic coevolution of female and male secondary sexual characteristics and the relationship of trait correlations with diversification rates. Results show that (1) facial redness and body mass are heritable in the CIRMF mandrill population, (2) there is good evidence for male intrasexual selection and total selection in both sexes shaping facial redness and body mass at the phenotypic level, but limited evidence for genetic evolution in this population, and (3) there is evidence that sexual conflict promotes female and male secondary sexual character coevolution and species diversification in anthropoid primates. Overall, this dissertation provides evidence for microevolution in coloration and body size in mandrills, and shows how the evolutionary processes operating in mandrill trait evolution may manifest at the macroevolutionary level

The Development of NBA in China: A Glocalization Perspective

The growing sport industry and 1.3 billion potential consumers in China have been garnering tremendous attention from more and more overseas professional sport leagues. Comparatively, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has had remarkable success in the Chinese market. From the perspective of sport competition or marketing operations, the NBA’s achievement in China provides a model for other overseas sport leagues. This case study was organized by summarizing the developmental history of NBA in China, analyzing its current promotional practices, investigating into its marketing strategies, and extrapolating practical references for other sport leagues aiming to penetrating into the Chinese marketplace. In the perspective of glocalization, multinational corporations should combine both standardized and adapted elements to conceptualize globally and act locally (Tanahashi, 2008). By taking this approach, marketers can meet the needs of local consumers effectively while still maintaining some extent of global standardization (Singh, Kumar, & Baack, 2005). To obtain in-depth understanding about NBA globalization and localization in China, we conducted one-on-one interviews with Chinese academic scholars in sport management and practitioners in Chinese basketball industry and NBA China. Two focus groups with six participants in each group were conducted to learn the perception of NBA products from the perspective of Chinese consumer. The qualitative data analysis was organized around four major aspects: products, media, management and public relations, which were highlighted in the glocalization of transnational corporations (Yang, 2003; Zhang, 2007) The current case study concluded that although NBA has achieved huge successes in the areas of building a large fan base, increasing media exposure, and garnering net income after its entry to China, it still faces many challenges. One viable solution for the NBA is to bring authentic American cultural commodities while adding Chinese characteristics to accommodate local fans. Combining global heroes such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and local hero such as Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Jeremy Lin, NBA games will continue to appeal to millions of Chinese fans. Meantime, NBA management needs to continue seeking ways to work out and through the differences in government models and cultural contexts between China and United States. Some viable actions include the promotion of Chinese youth basketball, the training service for elite basketball players, and government-level public relations. In addition, this study suggested that the research framework of glocalization would be an ever intriguing inquiry needed for other sport organizations or leagues seeking expansion to overseas markets

Community Sport Service Provision, Resident Satisfaction, and Participation

Advocating for the “gold medal strategy”, China has made great advancements in elite sports; however, the significant achievement in elite sports has not translated into the development of mass sport participations. To form a stronger foundation of a sport pyramid, more attention should be directed to community sports and promoting healthy lifestyles. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of community sport service provisions on participants’ satisfaction and in turn on their sport participation behavior. In the current study, the public sport service in community includes sport facilities, sport organizations, sport programs, fitness test, and volunteer services (fitness guide). According to the hierarchy of effects model of Lavidge and Steiner (1961), both hard services and soft services were hypothesized to exert positive influences on consumer satisfaction and participation behavior in community sport (i.e., payment and participation frequency). Of the 750 copies distributed in Guangdong, China, 576 valid questionnaires were completed and returned, yielding a usable response rate of 76.8%. The first half of the sample was used to conduct exploratory factor analyses (EFA) for the provision items; the second half was used to conduct confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of these two measures and also conduct a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis to examine the relationships among public service provision, consumer satisfaction, and consumption behavior in community sports. The results of EFA and CFA indicated that five aspects of community sport service provision could be categorized into hard service and soft services. Specifically, hard refers to sport facility, organization building and organizing activity which can be seen and touched while soft service refers to fitness test, fitness instruction and sport information which sometimes are intangible. The results of SEM suggested that hard service provision positively influenced consumer satisfaction (β = .685, p \u3c .01), whereas soft service provision did not exert significant influence on consumer satisfaction (β = .210, p \u3e .05). Satisfaction would positively impact the frequency of participation was supported (β = .212, p \u3c .01). Consumer satisfaction would positively impact the level of payment for participating in sport organizations was rejected (β = -.298, p \u3c .01). In conclusion, the present study provided empirical evidence that hard sport service in community, as measured by the sport facility, grassroots sport organization and sport activity program, is an important element of the public sport service construct in the context of community sports. Furthermore, it highlighted that these programs have had a strong influence on resident satisfaction and participation behavior. The resulting theoretical framework is therefore applicable in this context. Lastly, the results revealed the important role of satisfaction in the prediction of residents’ future behaviors. By understanding the major drivers of residents’ behaviors, local sport councils, community managers, grassroots organizations, and residents could work together to establish a nonhierarchical and cooperative mechanism that facilitates sport participation