Ares I-X Flight Test--The Future Begins Here

In less than one year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch the Ares I-X mission. This will be the first flight of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, which, together with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle, will send humans to the Moon and beyond. Personnel from the Ares I-X Mission Management Office (MMO) are finalizing designs and fabricating vehicle hardware for a 2009 launch. Ares I-X will be a suborbital development flight test that will gather critical data about the flight dynamics of the integrated launch vehicle stack; understand how to control its roll during flight; better characterize the severe stage separation environments that the upper stage engine will experience during future flights; and demonstrate the first stage recovery system. NASA also will modify the launch infrastructure and ground and mission operations. The Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle (FTV) will incorporate flight and mockup hardware similar in mass and weight to the operational vehicle. It will be powered by a four-segment Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), which is currently in Shuttle inventory, and will include a fifth spacer segment and new forward structures to make the booster approximately the same size and weight as the five-segment SRB. The Ares I-X flight profile will closely approximate the flight conditions that the Ares I will experience through Mach 4.5, up to approximately 130,000 feet (39,600 meters (m)) and through maximum dynamic pressure ('Max Q') of approximately 800 pounds per square foot (38.3 kilopascals (kPa)). Data from the Ares I-X flight will support the Ares I Critical Design Review (CDR), scheduled for 2010. Work continues on Ares I-X design and hardware fabrication. All of the individual elements are undergoing CDRs, followed by a two-part integrated vehicle CDR in March and July 2008. The various hardware elements are on schedule to begin deliveries to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in early September 2008. Ares I-X is the first step in the long journey to the Moon and farther destinations. This suborbital test will be NASA's first flight of a new human-rated launch vehicle in more than a generation. This promises to be an exciting time for NASA and the nation, as we reach for new goals in space exploration. A visual presentation is included

The Effects of the Transition from Pre-nursing to Nursing on Mental Health

Mental health is an ever-growing crisis among adolescents and young adults, with suicide as second leading cause of death and the number of those negatively affected continually on the rise. Transitions are one of the major stressors prevalent among these age groups, placing individuals at risk for mental health deficits. This quantitative voluntary response comparative study assesses the transitional mental health of pre-nursing students and students in the nursing program at East Tennessee State University. Emailed to all with a declared major of pre-nursing or nursing, this study measured mental health using evidenced based assessment tools. The PHQ-9 for depression and the GAD-7 for anxiety, along with additional demographic information and mental health service usage questions, was sent to and completed by participants. A total of n = 173 responses were received. Of these responses n = 99 or 57.2 percent were nursing students, a participation rate of 9.6 percent, and n = 74 or 42.8 percent were pre-nursing students. The research revealed that depression and anxiety scores were above the cutoff for moderate depression and anxiety in both groups, as well as identified a deficit in availability of mental health resources, with over 10 percent of students unable to access counseling or psychiatric services. Contraindicatory to literature, which predicted improving mental health in the progression through university studies, this study reveals a variable and even worsening trajectory of mental health as students transition into the nursing program and progressed through college

Ares I-X Flight Test - On the Fast Track to the Future

In less than two years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch the Ares I-X mission. This will be the first flight of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, which, together with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle, will send humans to the Moon and beyond. Personnel from the Ares I-X Mission Management Office (MMO) are finalizing designs and fabricating vehicle hardware for an April 2009 launch. Ares I-X will be a suborbital development flight test that will gather critical data about the flight dynamics of the integrated launch vehicle stack; understand how to control its roll during flight; better characterize the severe stage separation environments that the upper stage engine will experience during future flights; and demonstrate the first stage recovery system. NASA also will modify the launch infrastructure and ground and mission operations. The Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle (FTV) will incorporate flight and mockup hardware similar in mass and weight to the operational vehicle. It will be powered by a four-segment Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), which is currently in Shuttle inventory, and will include a fifth spacer segment and new forward structures to make the booster approximately the same size and weight as the five-segment SRB. The Ares I-X flight profile will closely approximate the flight conditions that the Ares I will experience through Mach 4.5, up to approximately130,OOO feet and through maximum dynamic pressure ("Max Q") of approximately 800 pounds per square foot. Data from the Ares I-X flight will support the Ares I Critical Design Review (CDR), scheduled for 2010. Work continues on Ares I-X design and hardware fabrication. All of the individual elements are undergoing CDRs, followed by an integrated vehicle CDR in March 2008. The various hardware elements are on schedule to begin deliveries to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in early September 2008

NASA Crew Launch Vehicle Flight Test Options

Options for development flight testing (DFT) of the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) are discussed. The Ares-I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) is being developed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to launch the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) into low Earth Orbit (LEO). The Ares-I implements one of the components of the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), providing crew and cargo access to the International Space Station (ISS) after retirement of the Space Shuttle and, eventually, forming part of the launch capability needed for lunar exploration. The role of development flight testing is to demonstrate key sub-systems, address key technical risks, and provide flight data to validate engineering models in representative flight environments. This is distinguished from certification flight testing, which is designed to formally validate system functionality and achieve flight readiness. Lessons learned from Saturn V, Space Shuttle, and other flight programs are examined along with key Ares-I technical risks in order to provide insight into possible development flight test strategies. A strategy for the first test flight of the Ares I, known as Ares I-1, is presented

Lower-Third Standardized Letters of Evaluation in Emergency Medicine: Does Gender Make a Difference in Match Outcome?

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether gender influences the likelihood of receiving a lowerthird global assessment (GA) on the standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) submitted as part of the emergency medicine (EM) application process as well as the impact of gender on ultimate match outcomes for applicants receiving a lower-third GA ranking. Our hypothesis was that female applicants with a lowerthird GA ranking have a higher risk of not matching. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study evaluating U.S.-based allopathic applicants to a single EM residency program in the Mid-Atlantic region during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 match cycles. GA SLOE rankings and gender for all applicants were extracted and compared to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) data for each applicant on match outcome. Comparative analyses were conducted between gender and SLOE GA rankings in order to obtain an odds ratio (OR) of gender and match outcomes. Results A total of 2,017 SLOEs were reviewed from 798 applicants in the 2018 and 2019 EM match cycles. Overall, 716 (90%) applicants successfully matched in EM, with 82 (10%) applicants failing to match into EM; 277 students had at least one lower-third GA ranking. For all applicants, having at least one lower-third GA ranking was associated with a significant risk of not matching (OR: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.12-0.34). Of the 277 students with at least one lower-third GA ranking, 85 (31%) were female and 192 (69%) were male. Of the female applicants with a lower-third GA ranking, 15 (18%) failed to match in EM, and 39 (20%) of the males failed to match in EM. For applicants with a lower-third GA ranking, female gender alone was not associated with a significantly increased risk of not matching (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.61-2.21). Conclusions Female applicants receive a lower-third GA ranking less frequently than their male counterparts. One or more lower-third rankings on the GA significantly reduced an applicant’s chances of matching into an EM program. For those with a lower-third GA ranking, female gender alone does not significantly increase the risk of not matching into EM

Selection of patients for heart transplantationin the current era of heart failure therapy

AbstractObjectivesWe sought to assess the relationship between survival, peak exercise oxygen consumption (Vo2), and heart failure survival score (HFSS) in the current era of heart failure (HF) therapy.BackgroundBased on predicted survival, HF patients with peak Vo2<14 ml/min/kg or medium- to high-risk HFSS are currently considered eligible for heart transplantation. However, these criteria were developed before the widespread use of beta-blockers, spironolactone, and defibrillators—interventions known to improve the survival of HF patients.MethodsPeak Vo2and HFSS were assessed in 320 patients followed from 1994 to 1997 (past era) and in 187 patients followed from 1999 to 2001 (current era). Outcomes were compared between these two groups of patients and those who underwent heart transplantation from 1993 to 2000.ResultsSurvival in the past era was 78% at one year and 67% at two years, as compared with 88% and 79%, respectively, in the current era (both p < 0.01). One-year event-free survival (without urgent transplantation or left ventricular assist device) was improved in the current era, regardless of initial peak Vo2: 64% vs. 48% for peak Vo2<10 ml/min/kg (p = 0.09), 81% vs. 70% for 10 to 14 ml/min/kg (p = 0.05), and 93% vs. 82% for >14 ml/min/kg (p = 0.04). Of the patients with peak Vo2of 10 to 14 ml/min/kg, 55% had low-risk HFSS and exhibited 88% one-year event-free survival. One-year survival after transplantation was 88%, which is similar to the 85% rate reported by the United Network for Organ Sharing for 1999 to 2000.ConclusionsSurvival for HF patients in the current era has improved significantly, necessitating re-evaluation of the listing criteria for heart transplantation

Integrated Testing Approaches for the NASA Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle

The Ares I crew launch vehicle is being developed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to provide crew and cargo access to the International Space Station (ISS) and, together with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle, serves as a critical component of NASA's future human exploration of the Moon. During the preliminary design phase, NASA defined and began implementing plans for integrated ground and flight testing necessary to achieve the first human launch of Ares I. The individual Ares I flight hardware elements - including the first stage five segment booster (FSB), upper stage, and J-2X upper stage engine - will undergo extensive development, qualification, and certification testing prior to flight. Key integrated system tests include the upper stage Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA), acceptance tests of the integrated upper stage and upper stage engine assembly, a full-scale integrated vehicle ground vibration test (IVGVT), aerodynamic testing to characterize vehicle performance, and integrated testing of the avionics and software components. The Ares I-X development flight test will provide flight data to validate engineering models for aerodynamic performance, stage separation, structural dynamic performance, and control system functionality. The Ares I-Y flight test will validate ascent performance of the first stage, stage separation functionality, validate the ability of the upper stage to manage cryogenic propellants to achieve upper stage engine start conditions, and a high-altitude demonstration of the launch abort system (LAS) following stage separation. The Orion 1 flight test will be conducted as a full, un-crewed, operational flight test through the entire ascent flight profile prior to the first crewed launch

Dual-Tracer Background Subtraction Approach for Fluorescent Molecular Tomography

Diffuse fluorescence tomography requires high contrast-to-background ratios to accurately reconstruct inclusions of interest. This is a problem when imaging the uptake of fluorescently labeled molecularly targeted tracers in tissue, which can result in high levels of heterogeneously distributed background uptake. We present a dual-tracer background subtraction approach, wherein signal from the uptake of an untargeted tracer is subtracted from targeted tracer signal prior to image reconstruction, resulting in maps of targeted tracer binding. The approach is demonstrated in simulations, a phantom study, and in a mouse glioma imaging study, demonstrating substantial improvement over conventional and homogenous background subtraction image reconstruction approaches

A nonhuman primate model of inherited retinal disease.

Inherited retinal degenerations are a common cause of untreatable blindness worldwide, with retinitis pigmentosa and cone dystrophy affecting approximately 1 in 3500 and 1 in 10,000 individuals, respectively. A major limitation to the development of effective therapies is the lack of availability of animal models that fully replicate the human condition. Particularly for cone disorders, rodent, canine, and feline models with no true macula have substantive limitations. By contrast, the cone-rich macula of a nonhuman primate (NHP) closely mirrors that of the human retina. Consequently, well-defined NHP models of heritable retinal diseases, particularly cone disorders that are predictive of human conditions, are necessary to more efficiently advance new therapies for patients. We have identified 4 related NHPs at the California National Primate Research Center with visual impairment and findings from clinical ophthalmic examination, advanced retinal imaging, and electrophysiology consistent with achromatopsia. Genetic sequencing confirmed a homozygous R565Q missense mutation in the catalytic domain of PDE6C, a cone-specific phototransduction enzyme associated with achromatopsia in humans. Biochemical studies demonstrate that the mutant mRNA is translated into a stable protein that displays normal cellular localization but is unable to hydrolyze cyclic GMP (cGMP). This NHP model of a cone disorder will not only serve as a therapeutic testing ground for achromatopsia gene replacement, but also for optimization of gene editing in the macula and of cone cell replacement in general