Paper Session I-B - Interdisciplinary Space Systems Education at the Florida Tech Spaceport Graduate Center

In 1959 Brevard Engineering College offered the first master of science degree program in space technology. Today that school is Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech), which offers master\u27s degrees in Space Systems (MS/SPC) and Space Systems Management (MS/SSM) at its off-campus Spaceport facilities at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Patrick Air Force Base (PAFB), and Titusville, Florida. Some sixty students, almost all full-time employees of KSC, PAFB, or their contractors, are taking one or two three-credit evening SPC courses each semester. Admission requires either a B.S. from an accredited engineering or physics curriculum with a 3.0 average, or achievement of satisfactory scores on the graduate record examination general and subject tests. Instead of a comprehensive examination, MS/SPC students take the capstone Space Applications Missions course, in which self-organized four-student teams compete to develop the best plan for a specific mission this semester a direct broadcast satellite system. Completion of 33 credits with a 3.0 average is required for graduation. The MS/SPC draws equally from electrical/computer engineering, mechanical/ aerospace engineering, and physics/space sciences. The MS/SSM adds five required management courses in place of five technical ones. Some students take the MS/SSM as a second master\u27s degree, toward which five courses may be applied from the MS/SPC. This program prepares its graduates to solve complex, previously unsolved problems, as members of a team, with the background needed to eventually lead the team

Engene: A genetic algorithm classifier for content-based recommender systems that does not require continuous user feedback

We present Engene, a genetic algorithm based classifier which is designed for use in content-based recommender systems. Once bootstrapped Engene does not need any human feedback. Although it is primarily used as an online classifier, in this paper we present its use as a one-class document batch classifier and compare its performance against that of a one-elms k-NN classifier

The Management of Hunting Leases By Rural Landowners

Most of the land in Texas is privately owned and is an important as a source for hunting recreation. Profit maximization theory (PMT) and economic behavioral theory (EBT) were used to explain differences in the net incomes of Texas landowners who sold hunting leases during the 1989-90 hunting season. In 1990, 4,621 landowners who were licensed to sell hunting leases by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department responded to a mail survey. Findings indicated that the statewide median net lease income was $1,100, few landowners considered their leasing operations as businesses, and few practiced intensive management of their operations. Number of acres leased had the most important effect on net lease income. Findings supported aspects of both PMT and EBT

Spacecraft

In this twentieth century, we are privileged to witness the first steps toward realization of an age-old dream: the exploration of space. Already, in the first few years of the Space Age, man has been able to penetrate the layer of atmosphere which surrounds his planet and to venture briefly into space. Scores of man-made objects have been thrust into space, some of them to roam the solar system forever. Behind each space mission are years of patient research, thousands of man-hours of labor, and large sums of money. Because the sums involved are so enormous, the question is frequently asked, "Is it worth it?" Many people want to know what return this huge investment will bring to mankind. The return on the investment is knowledge. The accumulation of knowledge over the centuries has made possible our advanced way of life. As we unlock more and more of the secrets of the universe through space exploration, we add new volumes to the encyclopedia of man's knowledge. This will be applied to the benefit of mankind. For the practical-minded, there are concrete benefits to our way of life. Although we are still in the Stone Age of space exploration, a number of immediate applications of space technology are already apparent. For instance, imagine the benefits of an absolutely perfect system of predicting the weather. Or, going a step further, even changing the weather. And wouldn't it be fascinating to watch the next Olympic games, telecast from Tokyo, on your TV set? These are just a few of the practical benefits made possible by space technology

History of development and characterization of the U.S. blackberry market

The fresh blackberry market within the United States has expanded significantly in the past 10 years based on the development of new cultivars with improved firmness and longer shelf life, permitting their shipment over long distances. Currently, blackberries maintain a nearly continuous presence on the shelves of grocery stores across the U.S., which was uncommon a decade ago. Increased consumption of blackberries is due to increased consumer desire for improved nutrition and diet along with expanded availability. Worldwide, producers have increased production with a 45% increase in area planted from 1995 to 2005. Further expansion has occurred since then. This examination of the market history and its characterization was intended to highlight major aspects of the blackberry market as it changed from 1999 to 2008. The primary source of information was from shipments and price data maintained by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. With these data, it was possible to track trends in the U.S. fresh blackberry market. Specifically, growth in blackberry shipments from major domestic and international production regions and price trends in major U.S. terminal markets were characterized. Results show fresh blackberry shipments increased by 530% from 2000 to 2008. The largest volume of blackberry shipments originated from California and Mexico. Blackberry prices at all terminal markets had a similar seasonal pattern. In October and November, prices were highest as these months represent the end of California’s production season and the very beginning of Mexico’s. The lowest prices occurred in May, when there was a very high level of Mexican imports, and often in July when domestic production was greatest

Selective Use of Pericardial Window and Drainage as Sole Treatment for Hemopericardium from Penetrating Chest Trauma

Background Penetrating cardiac injuries (PCIs) are highly lethal, and a sternotomy is considered mandatory for suspected PCI. Recent literature suggests pericardial window (PCW) may be sufficient for superficial cardiac injuries to drain hemopericardium and assess for continued bleeding and instability. This study objective is to review patients with PCI managed with sternotomy and PCW and compare outcomes. Methods All patients with penetrating chest trauma from 2000 to 2016 requiring PCW or sternotomy were reviewed. Data were collected for patients who had PCW for hemopericardium managed with only pericardial drain, or underwent sternotomy for cardiac injuries grade 1–3 according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) Cardiac Organ Injury Scale (OIS). The PCW+drain group was compared with the Sternotomy group using Fisher’s exact and Wilcoxon rank-sum test with P\u3c0.05 considered statistically significant. Results Sternotomy was performed in 57 patients for suspected PCI, including 7 with AAST OIS grade 1–3 injuries (Sternotomy group). Four patients had pericardial injuries, three had partial thickness cardiac injuries, two of which were suture-repaired. Average blood drained was 285mL (100–500 mL). PCW was performed in 37 patients, and 21 had hemopericardium; 16 patients proceeded to sternotomy and 5 were treated with pericardial drainage (PCW+drain group). All PCW+drain patients had suction evacuation of hemopericardium, pericardial lavage, and verified bleeding cessation, followed by pericardial drain placement and admission to intensive care unit (ICU). Average blood drained was 240mL (40–600 mL), and pericardial drains were removed on postoperative day 3.6 (2–5). There was no significant difference in demographics, injury mechanism, Revised Trauma Score exploratory laparotomies, hospital or ICU length of stay, or ventilator days. No in-hospital mortality occurred in either group. Conclusions Hemodynamically stable patients with penetrating chest trauma and hemopericardium may be safely managed with PCW, lavage and drainage with documented cessation of bleeding, and postoperative ICU monitoring. Level of evidence Therapeutic study, level IV