Paper Session III-C - The Case for a Military Spaceplane

Since the dawn of the space age, the United States and most other spacefaring nations have headed down an essentially constant path to space capabilities. Launch vehicles have been developed from longrange missiles, and have become increasingly larger and more complex to provide greater payload capability. Space vehicles have followed a similar course, increasing in size and complexity to provide more capability and to maintain that capability for longer periods of time. This path has resulted in systems which provide tremendous capability, but at the cost of large budgets, lead times of many years to achieve new capabilities or even to sustain current capabilities, and capabilities that are relatively static once placed into orbit. Months are needed to assemble and launch a rocket even if already produced, and most satellites have only enough fuel for station-keeping or changing orbital planes by a degree or two. A number of organizations, within the U.S and internationally, are looking at new ways to provide capabilities from space. Many such concepts in some ways “go back to the future” as they call for smaller, less expensive, more operable systems. Thirty five years ago, launch rates were considerably higher at the Air Force’s two launch ranges, per-launch costs were lower as the systems were less complex, and military crews could perform some of the actual launches. Current technology provides the means to achieve considerable capability while returning to smaller systems with lower operations costs. While the capacity of any one launch vehicle or space vehicle may be less than that of one of our current launch vehicles or satellites, the overall capability provided could be greater and more militarily useful. The Military Spaceplane concept is one possibility. Conceived as a two-stage-to-orbit system of vehicles, some of which would be reusable, it provides relatively modest payload capabilities but is intended to lower the per-mission cost and to provide responsiveness unheard of in today’s systems. Certainly the Military Spaceplane is not intended to replace all of today’s launch vehicles and satellites, but may provide an opportunity to perform some of those missions more effectively and provide the ability to perform additional missions that cannot be performed today

Paper Session III-C - Technology Reuse on the Spacelift Ranges

The Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) program is designed to completely update both of Air Force Space Command’s ranges: the Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, and the Western Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. As part of this modernization, several new technologies are under consideration to improve system performance and reduce operating and maintenance costs. Several of these technologies have the potential to reduce costs to vehicles launched off the ranges, and change the format of tracking data from the range. The RSA program is planned for three phases. Phase I was awarded by the Space and Missile Systems Center to the Harris Corp. in 1993. It addresses some of the more pressing needs on the ranges such as a new communications system for the Eastern Range and new telemetry processing systems for both ranges. Phase IIA was awarded to Lockheed Martin in 1995 to develop a completely modernized architecture for both ranges, and complete the upgrade of all command, control, and communications systems, and other systems such as weather and optics. Phase IIB, planned for award in 2002, will implement the fixed instrumentation part of the Phase IIA architecture

Purification and kinetic studies of recombinant gibberellin dioxygenases

BACKGROUND: The 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (2ODDs) of gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis have a key role in the metabolism of a major plant hormone. The activity of recombinant GA 2ODDs from many species has been characterised in detail, however little information relates to enzyme purification. Native GA 2ODDs displayed lability during purification. RESULTS: Two GA 2ODDs were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The GA 2-oxidase from Pisum sativum L., PsGA2OX1, was expressed as a glutathione s-transferase (GST) fusion. It was purified in the three steps of affinity chromatography, GST removal and gel filtration. Highly pure PsGA2OX1 was obtained at a yield of 0.3 mg/g of cells. It displayed a K(m )of 0.024 μM and a V(max )of 4.4 pkat/mg toward [1β,2β,3β-(3)H(3)]GA(20). The GA 3-oxidase from Arabidopsis thaliana, AtGA3OX4, was expressed as a poly(His)-tagged thioredoxin fusion. It was purified by Immobilised Metal Affinity Chromatography followed by gel filtration. Cleavage of the fusion took place between the two purification steps. Highly pure AtGA3OX4 was obtained at a yield of 0.01 mg/g of cells. It displayed a K(m )of 0.82 μM and V(max )of 52,500 pkat/mg toward [1β,2β,3β-(3)H(3)]GA(20). CONCLUSION: Fusion tags were required to stabilise and solubilise PsGA2OX1 and AtGA3OX4 during E. coli expression. The successful purification of milligram quantities of PsGA2OX1 enables mechanistic and structural studies not previously possible on GA 2ODDs. A moderate yield of pure AtGA3OX4 requires the further optimisation of the latter stages of the enzyme purification schedule. PsGA2OX1's action in planta as deduced from the effect of the null mutation sln on GA levels in seeds is in agreement with the kinetic parameters of the recombinant enzyme

Microsoft Teams and team performance in the COVID-19 pandemic within an NHS Trust Community Service in North-West England

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the impact the introduction of Microsoft Teams has had on team performance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic within a National Health Service (NHS) Community Service. Design/methodology/approach Microsoft Teams was rolled out across the NHS over a period of four days, partly in response to the need for social distancing. This case study reviews how becoming a virtual team affected team performance, the role Microsoft Teams had played in supporting staff to work in higher virtuality, understand what elements underpin a successful virtual team and how these results correlate to the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1985). Findings The findings indicate that Teams made a positive impact to the team at a time of heightened clinical pressures and working in unfamiliar environments without the supportive benefits of face-to-face contact with colleagues in terms of incidental knowledge sharing and health and well-being. Originality/value Further developments were needed to make virtual meetings more accessible for introverted colleagues, support asynchronous communication, address training needs and support leaders to adapt and operate in higher virtuality

The Policy of Power and the Power of Policy: Energy Policy in Honduras

Development and energy demand are synonymous. The rapid industrialisation of Latin America and the high ranking accorded to electrification projects by the region’s development planners in the post-war period have combined to ensure a growing demand for energy in the region. This has led, at times, to various supply constraints resulting in excess demand. The response to the problem has been varied. Some countries, such as Mexico and Colombia, have addressed the problem by developing domestic extraction capacity. Others, such as Brazil, have experimented with alternative energy sources, most notably, ethanol. In Central America, the absence of known depletable energy resources allied to a shortage of foreign exchange has ensured an almost exclusive dependency upon hydro-electric power sources for electricity generation. In the case of Honduras, the reliance on hydro-electricity proved costly. Environmental degradation allied to a lack of maintenance of the country’s principal plant resulted in serious energy shortages in 1994/5 with electricity being rationed for up to 12 hours each day. As a direct consequence, GDP growth declined, the import bill rose due to the switch to alternative fossil fuel sources and air pollution rose due to increased generator usage. This paper traces the evolution of energy supply and demand in Honduras, showing why the crisis of the 1990s emerged. It then forecasts future energy demand and examines the way this demand might be met. A concluding section spells out the difficult decisions small developing countries have to face in their desire to achieve economic growth without sacrificing environmental capital.

The cognitive and emotional effects of cognitive bias modification in interpretations in behaviorally inhibited youth

Cognitive bias modification (CBM) procedures follow from the view that interpretive biases play an important role in the development and maintenance of anxiety. As such, understanding the link between interpretive biases and anxiety in youth at risk for anxiety (e.g., behaviorally inhibited children) could elucidate the mechanisms involved in the development of pediatric anxiety. However, to date, the majority of CBM-I work only studies adult populations. The present article presents the results of a CBM study examining effects of positive interpretive bias modification on mood, stress vulnerability, and threat-related attention bias in a group of behaviorally inhibited children (n = 45). Despite successful modification of interpretive bias in the at-risk youth, minimal effects on stress vulnerability or threat-related attention bias were found. The current findings highlight the need for continued research on cognitive biases in anxiety

Causes of death in Vanuatu

Background The population of the Pacific Melanesian country of Vanuatu was 234,000 at the 2009 census. Apart from subsistence activities, economic activity includes tourism and agriculture. Current completeness of vital registration is considered too low to be usable for national statistics; mortality and life expectancy (LE) are derived from indirect demographic estimates from censuses/surveys. Some cause of death (CoD) data are available to provide information on major causes of premature death. Methods Deaths 2001–2007 were coded for cause (ICDv10) for ages 0–59 years from: hospital separations (HS) (n = 636), hospital medical certificates (MC) of death (n = 1,169), and monthly reports from community health facilities (CHF) (n = 1,212). Ill-defined causes were 3 % for hospital deaths and 20 % from CHF. Proportional mortality was calculated by cause (excluding ill-defined) and age group (0–4, 5–14 years), and also by sex for 15–59 years. From total deaths by broad age group and sex from 1999 and 2009 census analyses, community deaths were estimated by deduction of hospital deaths MC. National proportional mortality by cause was estimated by a weighted average of MC and CHF deaths. Results National estimates indicate main causes of deaths <5 years were: perinatal disorders (45 %) and malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia (27 %). For 15–59 years, main causes of male deaths were: circulatory disease 27 %, neoplasms 13 %, injury 13 %, liver disease 10 %, infection 10 %, diabetes 7 %, and chronic respiratory disease 7 %; and for females: neoplasms 29 %, circulatory disease 15 %, diabetes 10 %, infection 9 %, and maternal deaths 8 %. Infection included tuberculosis, malaria, and viral hepatitis. Liver disease (including hepatitis and cancer) accounted for 18 % of deaths in adult males and 9 % in females. Non-communicable disease (NCD), including circulatory disease, diabetes, neoplasm, and chronic respiratory disease, accounted for 52 % of premature deaths in adult males and 60 % in females. Injuries accounted for 13 % in adult males and 6 % in females. Maternal deaths translate into an annual maternal mortality ratio of 130/100,000 for the period. Conclusion Vanuatu manifests a double burden of disease with significant proportional mortality from perinatal disorders and infection/pneumonia <5 years and maternal mortality, coupled with significant proportional mortality in adults (15–59 years) from cardiovascular disease (CVD), neoplasms, and diabetes

The effects of verbal information and approach-avoidance training on children's fear-related responses.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study examined the effects of verbal information and approach-avoidance training on fear-related cognitive and behavioural responses about novel animals. METHODS One hundred and sixty children (7-11 years) were randomly allocated to receive: a) positive verbal information about one novel animal and threat information about a second novel animal (verbal information condition); b) approach-avoidance training in which they repeatedly pushed away (avoid) or pulled closer (approach) pictures of the animals (approach-avoidance training), c) a combined condition in which verbal information was given prior to approach-avoidance training (verbal information + approach-avoidance training) and d) a combined condition in which approach-avoidance training was given prior to verbal information (approach-avoidance training + verbal information). RESULTS Threat and positive information significantly increased and decreased fear beliefs and avoidance behaviour respectively. Approach-avoidance training was successful in training the desired behavioural responses but had limited effects on fear-related responses. Verbal information and both combined conditions resulted in significantly larger effects than approach-avoidance training. We found no evidence for an additive effect of these pathways. LIMITATIONS This study used a non-clinical sample and focused on novel animals rather than animals about which children already had experience or established fears. The study also compared positive information/approach with threat information/avoid training, limiting specific conclusions regarding the independent effects of these conditions. CONCLUSIONS The present study finds little evidence in support of a possible causal role for behavioural response training in the aetiology of childhood fear. However, the provision of verbal information appears to be an important pathway involved in the aetiology of childhood fear

Timing and localization of ionospheric signatures associated with substorm expansion phase onset

In this paper, we present case studies of the optical and magnetic signatures of the characteristics of the first minute of substorm expansion phase onset observed in the ionosphere. We find that for two isolated substorms, the onset of magnetic pulsations in the 24–96 s period wavelet band are colocated in time and space with the formation and development of small-scale optical undulations along the most equatorward preexisting auroral arc prior to auroral breakup. These undulations undergo an inverse spatial cascade into vortices prior to the release of the westward traveling surge. We also present a case study of a multiple activation substorm, whereby discrete onsets of ULF wave power above a predetermined quiet time threshold are shown to be associated with specific optical intensifications and brightenings. Moreover, in the multiple activation substorm event, we show that neither the formation of the small-scale undulations nor the formation of similar structures along a north–south aligned arc is sufficient to produce auroral breakup associated with expansion phase onset. It is only ∼10 min after these two disparate activation regions initiate that auroral breakup and the subsequent formation of a westward traveling surge occur. We discuss the implications of these results in terms of the triggering mechanisms likely to be occurring during these specific events

Project Report No. 59, Site Index Equations for Loblolly and Slash Pine Plantations in East Texas, Update: Fall 1997

Each published set of equations was developed from analyses of East Texas Pine Plantation Research Project (ETPPRP) data collected from the array of ETPPRP permanent research plots located throughout East Texas