479 research outputs found
NASA Education Activities on the International Space Station: A National Laboratory for Inspiring, Engaging, Educating and Employing the Next Generation
The International Space Station (ISS) National Lab Education Project has been created as a part of the ISS National Lab effort mandated by the U.S. Congress The project seeks to expand ISS education of activities so that they reach a larger number of students with clear educational metrics of accomplishments. This paper provides an overview of several recent ISS educational payloads and activities. The expected outcomes of the project, consistent with those of the NASA Office of Education, are also described. NASA performs numerous education activities as part of its ISS program. These cover the gamut from formal to informal educational opportunities in grades Kindergarten to grade 12, Higher Education (undergraduate and graduate University) and informal educational venues (museums, science centers, exhibits). Projects within the portfolio consist of experiments performed onboard the ISS using onboard resources which require no upmass, payloads flown to ISS or integrated into ISS cargo vehicles, and ground based activities that follow or complement onboard activities. Examples include ground based control group experiments, flight or experiment following lesson plans, ground based activities involving direct interaction with ISS or ground based activities considering ISS resources in their solution set. These projects range from totally NASA funded to projects which partner with external entities. These external agencies can be: other federal, state or local government agencies, commercial entities, universities, professional organizations or non-profit organizations. This paper will describe the recent ISS education activities and discuss the approach, outcomes and metrics associated with the projects
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PKCθ Regulates T Cell Motility via Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin Localization to the Uropod
Cell motility is a fundamental process crucial for function in many cell types, including T cells. T cell motility is critical for T cell-mediated immune responses, including initiation, activation, and effector function. While many extracellular receptors and cytoskeletal regulators have been shown to control T cell migration, relatively few signaling mediators have been identified that can modulate T cell motility. In this study, we find a previously unknown role for PKCθ in regulating T cell migration to lymph nodes. PKCθ localizes to the migrating T cell uropod and regulates localization of the MTOC, CD43 and ERM proteins to the uropod. Furthermore, PKCθ-deficient T cells are less responsive to chemokine induced migration and are defective in migration to lymph nodes. Our results reveal a novel role for PKCθ in regulating T cell migration and demonstrate that PKCθ signals downstream of CCR7 to regulate protein localization and uropod formation.</p
ACC/AHA 2006 Guideline Update on Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation for Noncardiac Surgery: Focused Update on Perioperative Beta-Blocker Therapy A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Update the 2002 Guidelines on Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation for Noncardiac Surgery) Developed in Collaboration With the American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Society, Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum at 148 and 218 GHz from the 2008 Southern Survey
We present measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power
spectrum made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope at 148 GHz and 218 GHz, as
well as the cross-frequency spectrum between the two channels. Our results
clearly show the second through the seventh acoustic peaks in the CMB power
spectrum. The measurements of these higher-order peaks provide an additional
test of the {\Lambda}CDM cosmological model. At l > 3000, we detect power in
excess of the primary anisotropy spectrum of the CMB. At lower multipoles 500 <
l < 3000, we find evidence for gravitational lensing of the CMB in the power
spectrum at the 2.8{\sigma} level. We also detect a low level of Galactic dust
in our maps, which demonstrates that we can recover known faint, diffuse
signals.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to ApJ. This paper is a companion to
Hajian et al. (2010) and Dunkley et al. (2010
Romosozumab (sclerostin monoclonal antibody) versus teriparatide in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis transitioning from oral bisphosphonate therapy : a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial
Background: Previous bisphosphonate treatment attenuates the bone-forming effect of teriparatide. We compared the effects of 12 months of romosozumab (AMG 785), a sclerostin monoclonal antibody, versus teriparatide on bone mineral density (BMD) in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis transitioning from bisphosphonate therapy.
Methods: This randomised, phase 3, open-label, active-controlled study was done at 46 sites in North America, Latin America, and Europe. We enrolled women (aged >= 55 to <= 90 years) with postmenopausal osteoporosis who had taken an oral bisphosphonate for at least 3 years before screening and alendronate the year before screening; an areal BMD T score of -2.5 or lower at the total hip, femoral neck, or lumbar spine; and a history of fracture. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) via an interactive voice response system to receive subcutaneous romosozumab (210 mg once monthly) or subcutaneous teriparatide (20 mu g once daily). The primary endpoint was percentage change from baseline in areal BMD by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the total hip through month 12 (mean of months 6 and 12), which used a linear mixed effects model for repeated measures and represented the mean treatment effect at months 6 and 12. All randomised patients with a baseline measurement and at least one post-baseline measurement were included in the efficacy analysis. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01796301.
Findings: Between Jan 31, 2013, and April 29, 2014, 436 patients were randomly assigned to romosozumab (n=218) or teriparatide (n=218). 206 patients in the romosozumab group and 209 in the teriparatide group were included in the primary efficacy analysis. Through 12 months, the mean percentage change from baseline in total hip areal BMD was 2.6% (95% CI 2.2 to 3.0) in the romosozumab group and -0.6% (-1.0 to -0.2) in the teriparatide group; difference 3.2% (95% CI 2.7 to 3.8; p<0.0001). The frequency of adverse events was generally balanced between treatment groups. The most frequently reported adverse events were nasopharyngitis (28 [13%] of 218 in the romosozumab group vs 22 [10%] of 214 in the teriparatide group), hypercalcaemia (two [<1%] vs 22 [10%]), and arthralgia (22 [10%] vs 13 [6%]). Serious adverse events were reported in 17 (8%) patients on romosozumab and in 23 (11%) on teriparatide; none were judged treatment related. There were six (3%) patients in the romosozumab group compared with 12 (6%) in the teriparatide group with adverse events leading to investigational product withdrawal.
Interpretation: Transition to a bone-forming agent is common practice in patients treated with bisphosphonates, such as those who fracture while on therapy. In such patients, romosozumab led to gains in hip BMD that were not observed with teriparatide. These data could inform clinical decisions for patients at high risk of fracture
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmology from Galaxy Clusters Detected via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect
We present constraints on cosmological parameters based on a sample of
Sunyaev-Zel'dovich-selected galaxy clusters detected in a millimeter-wave
survey by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. The cluster sample used in this
analysis consists of 9 optically-confirmed high-mass clusters comprising the
high-significance end of the total cluster sample identified in 455 square
degrees of sky surveyed during 2008 at 148 GHz. We focus on the most massive
systems to reduce the degeneracy between unknown cluster astrophysics and
cosmology derived from SZ surveys. We describe the scaling relation between
cluster mass and SZ signal with a 4-parameter fit. Marginalizing over the
values of the parameters in this fit with conservative priors gives sigma_8 =
0.851 +/- 0.115 and w = -1.14 +/- 0.35 for a spatially-flat wCDM cosmological
model with WMAP 7-year priors on cosmological parameters. This gives a modest
improvement in statistical uncertainty over WMAP 7-year constraints alone.
Fixing the scaling relation between cluster mass and SZ signal to a fiducial
relation obtained from numerical simulations and calibrated by X-ray
observations, we find sigma_8 = 0.821 +/- 0.044 and w = -1.05 +/- 0.20. These
results are consistent with constraints from WMAP 7 plus baryon acoustic
oscillations plus type Ia supernoava which give sigma_8 = 0.802 +/- 0.038 and w
= -0.98 +/- 0.053. A stacking analysis of the clusters in this sample compared
to clusters simulated assuming the fiducial model also shows good agreement.
These results suggest that, given the sample of clusters used here, both the
astrophysics of massive clusters and the cosmological parameters derived from
them are broadly consistent with current models.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to Ap
Priority strategies to improve gender equity in Canadian emergency medicine: proceedings from the CAEP 2021 Academic Symposium on leadership
Objectives: Gender inequities are deeply rooted in our society and have significant negative consequences. Female physicians experience numerous gender-related inequities (e.g., microaggressions, harassment, violence). These inequities have far-reaching consequences on health, well-being and career longevity and may result in the devaluing of various strengths that female emergency physicians bring to the table. This, in turn, has an impact on patient healthcare experience and outcomes. During the 2021 Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Academic Symposium, a national collaborative sought to understand gender inequities in emergency medicine in Canada. Methods: We used a multistep stakeholder-engagement-based approach (harnessing both quantitative and qualitative methods) to identify and prioritize problems with gender equity in emergency medicine in Canada. Based on expert consultation and literature review, we developed recommendations to effect change for the higher priority problems. We then conducted a nationwide consultation with the Canadian emergency medicine community via online engagement and the CAEP Academic Symposium to ensure that these priority problems and solutions were appropriate for the Canadian context. Conclusion: Via the above process, 15 recommendations were developed to address five unique problem areas. There is a dearth of research in this important area and we hope this preliminary work will serve as a starting point to fuel further research. To facilitate these scholarly endeavors, we have appended additional documents identifying other key problems with gender equity in emergency medicine in Canada as well as proposed next steps for future research
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmological parameters from three seasons of data
We present constraints on cosmological and astrophysical parameters from
high-resolution microwave background maps at 148 GHz and 218 GHz made by the
Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in three seasons of observations from 2008 to
2010. A model of primary cosmological and secondary foreground parameters is
fit to the map power spectra and lensing deflection power spectrum, including
contributions from both the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (tSZ) effect and the
kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich (kSZ) effect, Poisson and correlated anisotropy
from unresolved infrared sources, radio sources, and the correlation between
the tSZ effect and infrared sources. The power ell^2 C_ell/2pi of the thermal
SZ power spectrum at 148 GHz is measured to be 3.4 +\- 1.4 muK^2 at ell=3000,
while the corresponding amplitude of the kinematic SZ power spectrum has a 95%
confidence level upper limit of 8.6 muK^2. Combining ACT power spectra with the
WMAP 7-year temperature and polarization power spectra, we find excellent
consistency with the LCDM model. We constrain the number of effective
relativistic degrees of freedom in the early universe to be Neff=2.79 +\- 0.56,
in agreement with the canonical value of Neff=3.046 for three massless
neutrinos. We constrain the sum of the neutrino masses to be Sigma m_nu < 0.39
eV at 95% confidence when combining ACT and WMAP 7-year data with BAO and
Hubble constant measurements. We constrain the amount of primordial helium to
be Yp = 0.225 +\- 0.034, and measure no variation in the fine structure
constant alpha since recombination, with alpha/alpha0 = 1.004 +/- 0.005. We
also find no evidence for any running of the scalar spectral index, dns/dlnk =
-0.004 +\- 0.012.Comment: 26 pages, 22 figures. This paper is a companion to Das et al. (2013)
and Dunkley et al. (2013). Matches published JCAP versio
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Extragalactic Sources at 148 GHz in the 2008 Survey
We report on extragalactic sources detected in a 455 square-degree map of the
southern sky made with data at a frequency of 148 GHz from the Atacama
Cosmology Telescope 2008 observing season. We provide a catalog of 157 sources
with flux densities spanning two orders of magnitude: from 15 to 1500 mJy.
Comparison to other catalogs shows that 98% of the ACT detections correspond to
sources detected at lower radio frequencies. Three of the sources appear to be
associated with the brightest cluster galaxies of low redshift X-ray selected
galaxy clusters. Estimates of the radio to mm-wave spectral indices and
differential counts of the sources further bolster the hypothesis that they are
nearly all radio sources, and that their emission is not dominated by
re-emission from warm dust. In a bright (>50 mJy) 148 GHz-selected sample with
complete cross-identifications from the Australia Telescope 20 GHz survey, we
observe an average steepening of the spectra between 5, 20, and 148 GHz with
median spectral indices of , , and . When the
measured spectral indices are taken into account, the 148 GHz differential
source counts are consistent with previous measurements at 30 GHz in the
context of a source count model dominated by radio sources. Extrapolating with
an appropriately rescaled model for the radio source counts, the Poisson
contribution to the spatial power spectrum from synchrotron-dominated sources
with flux density less than 20 mJy is C^{\rm Sync} = (2.8 \pm 0.3) \times
10^{-6} \micro\kelvin^2.Comment: Accepted to Ap
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Data Characterization and Map Making
We present a description of the data reduction and mapmaking pipeline used
for the 2008 observing season of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). The
data presented here at 148 GHz represent 12% of the 90 TB collected by ACT from
2007 to 2010. In 2008 we observed for 136 days, producing a total of 1423 hours
of data (11 TB for the 148 GHz band only), with a daily average of 10.5 hours
of observation. From these, 1085 hours were devoted to a 850 deg^2 stripe (11.2
hours by 9.1 deg) centered on a declination of -52.7 deg, while 175 hours were
devoted to a 280 deg^2 stripe (4.5 hours by 4.8 deg) centered at the celestial
equator. We discuss sources of statistical and systematic noise, calibration,
telescope pointing, and data selection. Out of 1260 survey hours and 1024
detectors per array, 816 hours and 593 effective detectors remain after data
selection for this frequency band, yielding a 38% survey efficiency. The total
sensitivity in 2008, determined from the noise level between 5 Hz and 20 Hz in
the time-ordered data stream (TOD), is 32 micro-Kelvin sqrt{s} in CMB units.
Atmospheric brightness fluctuations constitute the main contaminant in the data
and dominate the detector noise covariance at low frequencies in the TOD. The
maps were made by solving the least-squares problem using the Preconditioned
Conjugate Gradient method, incorporating the details of the detector and noise
correlations. Cross-correlation with WMAP sky maps, as well as analysis from
simulations, reveal that our maps are unbiased at multipoles ell > 300. This
paper accompanies the public release of the 148 GHz southern stripe maps from
2008. The techniques described here will be applied to future maps and data
releases.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, 6 tables, an ACT Collaboration pape
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