US gravity utilization of tethers activity

The feasibility, requirements, and limitations of fluid transfer on a tethered system is evaluated. The study is conducted to simplify fluid transfer and to improve safety. The effects of gravity on these factors is also noted. Tether orbital refueling is used to settle fluid and to overcome the surface tension forces that are in space with the gravity level. It also allows a separation, when on the space station, from contamination and also from explosion hazards. Once the cryogenic propellant is settled the most important thing is the fluid slosh. Future plans of a gravity laboratory and a demonstration of gravity utilization using a TSS type of deployer are considered

The relation of body mass index, demographic and health-related variables to length of stay for patients at an acute rehabilitation hospital after total hip arthroplasty

Obesity is a growing public health concern world-wide. At the same time, knee and hip replacements are becoming an increasingly regular treatment for osteoarthritis. There are conflicting reports in the literature as to what extent body mass affects the length of stay (LOS) of patients undergoing total hip replacements. This chart review aims at examining the ­relationship between body mass index (BMI), demographic and health-related variables, and LOS. The retrospective chart review of one acute inpatient rehabilitation facility involved n = 119 patients. There was no significant association between LOS and body mass index (BMI), confirming earlier results. Insurance payer type (Medicare vs private) was statistically significant related to LOS. Moreover, there was a trend for the potential influence of race/ethnic patient background on LOS with Caucasians having shorter hospital stays. © 2010 Greenberg and Kroll, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd. This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.</p

Patient-reported outcome measures for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the exclusion of people with low literacy skills and learning disabilities

&lt;p&gt;Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are intended to reflect outcomes relevant to patients. They are increasingly used for healthcare quality improvement. To produce valid measures, patients should be involved in the development process but it is unclear whether this usually includes people with low literacy skills or learning disabilities. This potential exclusion raises concerns about whether these groups will be able to use these measures and participate in quality improvement practices.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods: Taking PROMs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as an exemplar condition, our review determined the inclusion of people with low literacy skills and learning disabilities in research developing, validating, and using 12 PROMs for COPD patients. The studies included in our review were based on those identified in two existing systematic reviews and our update of this search. Results People with low literacy skills and/or learning disabilities were excluded from the development of PROMs in two ways: explicitly through the participant eligibility criteria and, more commonly, implicitly through recruitment or administration methods that would require high-level reading and cognitive abilities. None of the studies mentioned efforts to include people with low literacy skills or learning disabilities.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusion: Our findings suggest that people with low literacy skills or learning disabilities are left out of the development of PROMs. Given that implicit exclusion was most common, researchers and those who administer PROMs may not even be aware of this problem. Without effort to improve inclusion, unequal quality improvement practices may become embedded in the health system.&lt;/p&gt

Linear model for fast background subtraction in oligonucleotide microarrays

One important preprocessing step in the analysis of microarray data is background subtraction. In high-density oligonucleotide arrays this is recognized as a crucial step for the global performance of the data analysis from raw intensities to expression values. We propose here an algorithm for background estimation based on a model in which the cost function is quadratic in a set of fitting parameters such that minimization can be performed through linear algebra. The model incorporates two effects: 1) Correlated intensities between neighboring features in the chip and 2) sequence-dependent affinities for non-specific hybridization fitted by an extended nearest-neighbor model. The algorithm has been tested on 360 GeneChips from publicly available data of recent expression experiments. The algorithm is fast and accurate. Strong correlations between the fitted values for different experiments as well as between the free-energy parameters and their counterparts in aqueous solution indicate that the model captures a significant part of the underlying physical chemistry.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure

Associations-Expulsion, Suspension, or Exclusion of Members-Physician\u27s Right to Membership in County Medical Society

Plaintiff had satisfied all state requirements for the practice of medicine on the basis of work at an osteopathic college and residency at an osteopathic hospital, and had received a state license to practice medicine and surgery. Subsequently, plaintiff attended an AMA accredited medical college which awarded him a degree based in part on his osteopathic training. The Middlesex County Medical Society refused to admit plaintiff into active membership because he had not fulfilled the membership requirement of four years of study in a medical school approved by the AMA. As a result, two private hospitals terminated plaintiff\u27s staff membership and hospital privileges. In an action in lieu of mandamus, held, for petitioner. Exclusion from the Medical Society was void, and the Society must admit plaintiff into active membership. The Medical Society is an involuntary organization whose application of a membership rule contrary to the requirements of the State Board of Medical Examiners is contrary to public policy and causes substantial injury to plaintiff. Falcone v. Middlesex County Medical Soc\u27y, 62 N.J. Super. 184, 162 A.2d 325 (1960)

Propellant transfer: Tethered depot

Spacebasing of orbital transfer vehicles at a space station requires a depot that safely and efficiently stores and transfers the resupply propellants. In order to transfer propellants, a method effectively acquire only liquid and vent only gas must exist. A method that produces a low gravity to settle propellants would bypass these weaknesses, while allowing ground-like operations. This low gravity can be passively produced using gravity gradient techniques. A satellite with a large length to diameter ratio, such as a depot attached to a space station with a tether, stabilizes along on Earth radial because of an outward acceleration proportional to the distance from the satellite's center of gravity. Analysis indicates that liquid can be setteled with relatively short tether lengths. The feasibility, design requirements, and operational limitations of a tethered refueling depot were investigated with special emphasis on slosh control

Ein Bronzedolch des Simbar-Šipak von Babylon (1025-1008). Überlegungen zu Waffenweihungen im Vorderen Orient

Ein Bronzedolch, der derzeit in der Schausammlung des Archäologischen Museums von Tabriz (Iran) ausgestellt ist, gehört zu einer prominenten Gruppe innerhalb der sogenannten „Luristanbronzen“, nämlich der der beschrifteten Randgriffdolche. Diese Waffen sind mit Inschriften verschiedener Herrscher von Babylon der letzten beiden Jahrhunderte des II. Jahrtausend v.Chr. versehen, gelegentlich auch mit Inschriften von nicht-königlichen Personen, darunter ein Schreiber und ein ša rēš šarri