Zero torque gear head wrench

A gear head wrench particularly suited for use in applying torque to bolts without transferring torsional stress to bolt-receiving structures is introduced. The wrench is characterized by a coupling including a socket, for connecting a bolt head with a torque multiplying gear train, provided within a housing having an annulus concentrically related to the socket and adapted to be coupled with a spacer interposed between the bolt head and the juxtaposed surface of the bolt-receiving structure for applying a balancing counter-torque to the spacer as torque is applied to the bolt head whereby the bolt-receiving structure is substantially isolated from torsional stress. As a result of the foregoing, the operator of the wrench is substantially isolated from any forces which may be imposed

Bolt installation tool for tightening large nuts and bolts

Large bolts and nuts are accurately tightened to structures without damaging torque stresses. There are two models of bolt installation tool. One is rigidly mounted and one is hand held. Each model includes torque-multiplier unit

Managing Fault Management Development

As the complexity of space missions grows, development of Fault Management (FM) capabilities is an increasingly common driver for significant cost overruns late in the development cycle. FM issues and the resulting cost overruns are rarely caused by a lack of technology, but rather by a lack of planning and emphasis by project management. A recent NASA FM Workshop brought together FM practitioners from a broad spectrum of institutions, mission types, and functional roles to identify the drivers underlying FM overruns and recommend solutions. They identified a number of areas in which increased program and project management focus can be used to control FM development cost growth. These include up-front planning for FM as a distinct engineering discipline; managing different, conflicting, and changing institutional goals and risk postures; ensuring the necessary resources for a disciplined, coordinated approach to end-to-end fault management engineering; and monitoring FM coordination across all mission systems

Fortilin Potentiates the Peroxidase Activity of Peroxiredoxin-1 and Protects Against Alcohol-Induced Liver Damage in Mice

Fortilin, a pro-survival molecule, inhibits p53-induced apoptosis by binding to the sequence-specific DNA-binding domain of the tumor suppressor protein and preventing it from transcriptionally activating Bax. Intriguingly, fortilin protects cells against ROS-induced cell death, independent of p53. The signaling pathway through which fortilin protects cells against ROS-induced cell death, however, is unknown. Here we report that fortilin physically interacts with the antioxidant enzyme peroxiredoxin-1 (PRX1), protects it from proteasome-mediated degradation, and keeps it enzymatically active by blocking its deactivating phosphorylation by Mst1, a serine/threonine kinase. At the whole animal level, the liver-specific overexpression of fortilin reduced PRX1 phosphorylation in the liver, enhanced PRX1 activity, and protected the transgenic animals against alcohol-induced, ROS-mediated, liver damage. These data suggest the presence of a novel oxidative-stress-handling pathway where the anti-p53 molecule fortilin augments the peroxidase PRX1 by protecting it against degradation and inactivation of the enzyme. Fortilin-PRX1 interaction in the liver could be clinically exploited further to prevent acute alcohol-induced liver damage in humans

Parents’ perceptions of the impact of early stage exam tests on anxiety levels in young children with and without Autism.

The study explores parental perceptions of the impacts of Key Stage One (KS1) Standard Attainment Tests (SAT’s) on anxiety and the extent to which this may impact children with autism. In the end, it will provide possible suggestions on how to reduce any negative impacts experienced by test anxiety. A mixed method research design was used, employing both questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were distributed to participants for structured interviews. The sample consisted of 32 parents with children aged between 6 and 7 years old attending primary schools across England. Participants were mothers (aged 28-34 years old) of which 28 were parents of children either with an official diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or currently awaiting an official diagnosis. The other four were parents of neuro-typical (NT) children. Data derived from parents of children with ASD were compared to data from parents of NT children. The data were gathered through both qualitative and quantitative measures. Overall, the findings suggest that parents of children with ASD reported an increase in the anxiety levels of their children during exam preparation, while parents of NT did not report any behavioural changes during this period due to anxiety. Findings suggest that exams at this early stage may have a detrimental effect on the well-being of children with ASD; therefore, implications for educational policy changes are made

Medicinal History of North American \u3cem\u3eVeratrum\u3c/em\u3e

Plants belonging to the genus Veratrum have been used throughout history for their medicinal properties. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, phytochemical investigations revealed a host of steroidal alkaloids in Veratrum species, some of which are potent bioactives. This review discusses Veratrum species that grow in North America with a focus on the medicinal history of these plants and the steroidal alkaloids they contain. While significant reviews have been devoted to singularly describing the plant species within the genus Veratrum (botany), the staggering breadth of alkaloids isolated from these and related plants (phytochemistry), and the intricacies of how the various alkaloids act on their biological targets (physiology and biochemistry), this review will straddle the margins of the aforementioned disciplines in an attempt to provide a unified, coherent picture of the Veratrum plants of North America and the medicinal uses of their bioactive steroidal alkaloids

The M-Superfamily of Conotoxins: A Review

Throughout the world there exist both predator and prey. This distinction is apparent though sometimes misleading. Take for example marine snails of the genus Conus that are present across the oceans of the southern hemisphere [1]. These snails are slow moving animals that appear more prey than predator. However, they have evolved into effective predators through the development of venom consisting of biologically active peptides. The venom is loaded into a hollow harpoon that the snail injects into the intended prey: fish, worms, or other snails [2]. The categories of cone snails based on prey preference are piscivorous (fish eating), molluscivorous (mollusk eating), and vermivorous (worm eating) [3]. The cone snail venom contains myriad peptide components significant to the survival of the organism with respect to hunting and defense against being eaten [4]. Interest by researchers in snails of the genus Conus began in the early nineteen seventies as evidence of their involvement in numerous human fatalities mounted [5]. Dr. Alan Kohn, an early pioneer in the study of hunter/prey relationship of cone snails, recognized that the venom of cone snails may possess therapeutic components [6]. During that time, Dr. Robert Endean and coworkers in Australia demonstrated that the venom of dissimilar species of cone snail contained a diversity of biologically active components. Dr. Baldomero (Toto) Olivera and coworkers at the University of Utah became the primary innovators of successful laboratory techniques in the study of venom components extracted from cone snails [7]. Foremost among these innovations was an avant-garde method of bio-assay using intracranial rather than intraperitoneal injection of toxin into subject mice. This new delivery method revealed greater sensitivity to individual peptides in fish and mouse studies than those from standard M-superfamily intraperitoneal injections [8]. This early research revealed the disulfide rich nature of the majority of peptide components from Conus snail venom. The disulfide rich peptides became broadly defined as conotoxins [9]

Fortilin Binds IRE1α and Prevents ER Stress from Signaling Apoptotic Cell Death

The endoplasmic reticulum, the cytoplasmic organelle that matures a massive amount of nascent secretory polypeptides, is particularly sensitive to stress. Endoplasmic reticulum stress causes unfolded proteins to populate the organelle, eliciting the unfolded protein response. During the unfolded protein response, GRP78—an endoplasmic reticulum master stress regulator—detaches from three endoplasmic reticulum stress sensors (IRE1α, PERK, and ATF6) and allows them to activate the apoptotic signaling pathway. Fortilin, a pro-survival molecule, is known to inhibit apoptosis by binding and inhibiting p53, but its role in endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis remains unknown. Here, we report that fortilin directly interacts with the cytoplasmic domain of IRE1α, inhibits both kinase and endoribonuclease (RNase) activities of the stress sensor, and protects cells against apoptotic cell death at both cellular and whole animal levels. Our data support a role of fortilin in the unfolded protein response and its potential participation in human diseases caused by unfolded protein response

Chinese Participation in the United Nations: The Legal Imperative of a Negotiated Solution

For almost a decade and one-half the Chinese participation question has challenged the United Nations. In its coming session the General Assembly will doubtlessly once again grapple with the question, but past debates do not promise rational solution. In brief summary, two claimants seek, or are proffered by others, to participate as the State of China in the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Specialized Agencies. The Government of the Republic of China (Nationalist China) has held the seat since the founding of the United Nations. The People\u27s Republic of China (Communist China), however, commands resources of considerable magnitude, and events of recent years have enhanced its claim to participation. Any decision on the Chinese participation question will have extraordinary value impacts. Immense power is at stake. A participation decision will determine whether and how one quarter of the world\u27s population will share in world community processes of authority, and it will affect the resource-base—material, institutional, and strategic—of international organizations. It will influence the range and type of decisions which world organizations can make in implementing and clarifying the common interest. A participation decision will allocate seats on the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Specialized Agencies. The Security Council seat is permanent, and the veto permits its occupant to influence virtually all Council decisions bearing on international peace and security. The General Assembly seat carries the rights to vote and debate, the privilege to negotiate in the corridors of the United Nations, and the prestige of U.N. membership. Membership itself promises participation in the U.N. Secretariat, an organ of increasing importance