Total hydrocarbon analysis by ion mobility spectrometry

Astronauts must be alerted quickly to chemical leaks that compromise their health and the success of their missions. An ideal leak detector would be equally sensitive to all compounds that might constitute a hazard and insensitive to nontoxic compounds. No ideal sensor exists; thus, selection of a methodology is a series of compromises. The commonly used methods are either insensitive at the low exposure levels set by OSHA, NASA, and other organizations or are selectively insensitive to important classes of chemicals such as Freons. After extensive study and experience, the Toxicology Group at JSC has selected ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for development into a broad range, sensitive detector. In addition to the sensing method, signal processing is important leak detection because a background signal can be expected at all times. The leak-detecting instrument must be programmed to discriminate between authentic leaks and background fluctuations caused by routine operations. The results of an evaluation of the prototype THA is presented in terms related to spacecraft operations. The evaluation included determination of instrumental parameters such as stability and response times. We also included responses to some common components of spacecraft atmospheres in pure form and in binary and ternary mixtures. The output of the four algorithms to the mixtures was found to be noticeably different. These responses are compared on the basis of their utility for signaling a chemical leak. As a means of evaluating its resistance to a falsely positive response, the THA was challenged with carbon dioxide and methane, compounds whose concentrations normally increase in spacecraft air during human habitation. The instrument showed virtually no response to these interferences. Although the prototype THA is designed for space flight, this detector is expected to be useful for field screening at chemical waste dumps and other environmentally sensitive locations

A Critique of Automated Approaches to Code Facial Expressions: What Do Researchers Need to Know?

Facial expression recognition software is becoming more commonly used by affective scientists to measure facial expressions. Although the use of this software has exciting implications, there are persistent and concerning issues regarding the validity and reliability of these programs. In this paper, we highlight three of these issues: biases of the programs against certain skin colors and genders; the common inability of these programs to capture facial expressions made in non-idealized conditions (e.g., “in the wild”); and programs being forced to adopt the underlying assumptions of the specific theory of emotion on which each software is based. We then discuss three directions for the future of affective science in the area of automated facial coding. First, researchers need to be cognizant of exactly how and on which data sets the machine learning algorithms underlying these programs are being trained. In addition, there are several ethical considerations, such as privacy and data storage, surrounding the use of facial expression recognition programs. Finally, researchers should consider collecting additional emotion data, such as body language, and combine these data with facial expression data in order to achieve a more comprehensive picture of complex human emotions. Facial expression recognition programs are an excellent method of collecting facial expression data, but affective scientists should ensure that they recognize the limitations and ethical implications of these programs

Codeword stabilized quantum codes: algorithm and structure

The codeword stabilized ("CWS") quantum codes formalism presents a unifying approach to both additive and nonadditive quantum error-correcting codes (arXiv:0708.1021). This formalism reduces the problem of constructing such quantum codes to finding a binary classical code correcting an error pattern induced by a graph state. Finding such a classical code can be very difficult. Here, we consider an algorithm which maps the search for CWS codes to a problem of identifying maximum cliques in a graph. While solving this problem is in general very hard, we prove three structure theorems which reduce the search space, specifying certain admissible and optimal ((n,K,d)) additive codes. In particular, we find there does not exist any ((7,3,3)) CWS code though the linear programming bound does not rule it out. The complexity of the CWS search algorithm is compared with the contrasting method introduced by Aggarwal and Calderbank (arXiv:cs/0610159).Comment: 11 pages, 1 figur

Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle Environmental Control and Life Support Development Status

The Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is the first crew transport vehicle to be developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the last thirty years. Orion is currently being developed to transport the crew safely beyond Earth orbit. This year, the vehicle focused on building the Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT1) vehicle to be launched in 2014. The development of the Orion Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System, focused on the completing the components which are on EFT1. Additional development work has been done to keep the remaining component progressing towards implementation for a flight tests in of EM1 in 2017 and in and EM2 in 2020. This paper covers the Orion ECLS development from April 2012 to April 2013

Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Active Thermal Control and Environmental Control and Life Support Development Status

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is the first crew transport vehicle to be developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the last thirty years. Orion is currently being developed to transport the crew safely beyond Earth orbit. This year, the vehicle focused on building the Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT1) vehicle to be launched in 2014. The development of the Orion Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System, focused on the completing the components which are on EFT1. Additional development work has been done to keep the remaining component progressing towards implementation for a flight tests in of EM1 in 2017 and in and EM2 in 2020. This paper covers the Orion ECLS development from April 2012 to April 2013

Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Active Thermal Control and Environmental Control and Life Support Development Status

The Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is the first crew transport vehicle to be developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the last thirty years. Orion is currently being developed to transport the crew safely beyond Earth orbit. This year, the vehicle focused on building the Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT1) vehicle to be launched in September of 2014. The development of the Orion Active Thermal Control (ATCS) and Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System, focused on the integrating the components into the EFT1 vehicle and preparing them for launch. Work also has started on preliminary design reviews for the manned vehicle. Additional development work is underway to keep the remaining component progressing towards implementation on the flight tests of EM1 in 2017 and of EM2 in 2020. This paper covers the Orion ECLS development from April 2013 to April 2014

When is Affect Variability Bad for Health? The Association between Affect Variability and Immune Response to the Influenza Vaccination

Objectives—This study addresses methodological and theoretical questions about the association between affect and physical health. Specifically, we examine the role of affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect to predict antibody (Ab) levels in response to an influenza vaccination. Methods—Participants (N = 83) received the vaccination and completed daily diary measures of affect four times a day for 13 days. At one and four months post-vaccination, blood was collected from the participants to assess Ab levels. Results—Findings indicate that affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect predict an individual’s immune response. Those high in mean positive affect (PA) who had more PA variability were more likely to have a lower Ab response in comparison to those who had high mean PA and less PA variability. Although it did not interact with mean negative affect (NA), NA variability on its own was associated with Ab response, whereby those with less NA variability mounted a more robust immune response. Conclusion—Affect variability is related to immune response to an influenza vaccination and, in some cases, interacts with mean levels of affect. These oscillations in affective experiences are critical to consider in order to unpack the intricacies of how affect influences health. These findings suggest that future researchers should consider the important role of affect variability on physical health-relevant outcomes as well as examine the moderating effect of mean affect levels

Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle Environmental Control and Life Support Development Status

The Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is the first crew transport vehicle to be developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the last thirty years. Orion is currently being developed to transport the crew safely from the Earth beyond Earth orbit. This year, the vehicle focused on building the Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT1) vehicle to be launched in 2014. The development of the Orion Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System, focused on the components which are on EFT1 which includes pressure control and active thermal control systems, is progressing through the design stage into manufacturing. Additional development work was done to keep the remaining component progressing towards implementation for a flight tests in 2017 and in 2020. This paper covers the Orion ECLS development from April 2011 to April 2012

Crew Exploration Vehicle Environmental Control and Life Support Development Status

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is the first crew transport vehicle to be developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the last thirty years. The CEV is currently being developed to transport the crew safely from the Earth to the Moon and back again. This year, the vehicle focused on building the Orion Flight Test 1 (OFT1) vehicle to be launched in 2013. The development of the Orion Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System, focused on the components which are on OFT1 which includes pressure control and active thermal control systems, is progressing through the design stage into manufacturing. Additional development work was done to keep the remaining component progressing towards implementation. This paper covers the Orion ECLS development from April 2010 to April 2011