Scale Model Thruster Acoustic Measurement Results

The Space Launch System (SLS) Scale Model Acoustic Test (SMAT) is a 5% scale representation of the SLS vehicle, mobile launcher, tower, and launch pad trench. The SLS launch propulsion system will be comprised of the Rocket Assisted Take-Off (RATO) motors representing the solid boosters and 4 Gas Hydrogen (GH2) thrusters representing the core engines. The GH2 thrusters were tested in a horizontal configuration in order to characterize their performance. In Phase 1, a single thruster was fired to determine the engine performance parameters necessary for scaling a single engine. A cluster configuration, consisting of the 4 thrusters, was tested in Phase 2 to integrate the system and determine their combined performance. Acoustic and overpressure data was collected during both test phases in order to characterize the system's acoustic performance. The results from the single thruster and 4- thuster system are discussed and compared

Phenomenology of strangeness production at high energies

The strange-quark occupation factor ($\gamma_s$) is determined from the statistical fit of the multiplicity ratio $\mathrm{K}^+/\pi^+$ in a wide range of nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies ($\sqrt{s_{NN}}$). From this single-strange-quark-subsystem, $\gamma_s(\sqrt{s_{NN}})$ was parametrized as a damped trigonometric functionality and successfully implemented to the hadron resonance gas model, at chemical semi-equilibrium. Various particle ratios including $\mathrm{K}^-/\pi^-$, $\mathrm{\Lambda}/\pi^-$, and $\mathrm{\bar{\Lambda}}/\pi^-$ are well reproduced. The phenomenology of $\gamma_s(\sqrt{s_{NN}})$ suggests that, the hadrons ($\gamma_s$ raises) at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} \simeq 7~$GeV seems to undergo a phase transition to a mixed phase ($\gamma_s$ declines), which is then derived into partons ($\gamma_s$ remains unchanged with increasing $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$), at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} \simeq 20~$GeV.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in EP

Aging in the Cardiovascular System: Lessons from Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome

Aging, the main risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), is becoming progressively more prevalent in our societies. A better understanding of how aging promotes CVD is therefore urgently needed to develop new strategies to reduce disease burden. Atherosclerosis and heart failure contribute significantly to age-associated CVD-related morbimortality. CVD and aging are both accelerated in patients suffering from Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a rare genetic disorder caused by the prelamin A mutant progerin. Progerin causes extensive atherosclerosis and cardiac electrophysiological alterations that invariably lead to premature aging and death. This review summarizes the main structural and functional alterations to the cardiovascular system during physiological and premature aging and discusses the mechanisms underlying exaggerated CVD and aging induced by prelamin A and progerin. Because both proteins are expressed in normally aging non-HGPS individuals, and most hallmarks of normal aging occur in progeria, research on HGPS can identify mechanisms underlying physiological aging.Progeria Research Foundation (Established Investigator Award 2014-52). L.d.C. is the recipient of a Jordi Soler postdoctoral fellowship from the Red de Investigacion Cardiovascular at ISCIII. The CNIC is supported by the MEIC and the Pro-CNIC Foundation and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (MEIC award SEV-2015-0505)

In Vitro Macrophage Phagocytosis Assay

The key roles of macrophages in atherosclerosis include the phagocytosis of apoptotic and necrotic cells and cell debris, whose accumulation in atherosclerotic lesions exacerbates inflammation and promotes plaque vulnerability. Evidence is accumulating that macrophage phagocytic functions peak at the early stages of atherosclerosis and that the reduced phagocytosis at the late stages of disease leads to the generation of necrotic cores and a defective resolution of inflammation, which in turn promotes plaque rupture, thrombus formation, and life-threatening acute ischemic events (myocardial infarction and stroke). The impaired resolution of inflammation in advanced lesions featuring loss of macrophage phagocytic activity may be in part due to an imbalance between M1 and M2 subsets of polarized macrophages. A better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate macrophage phagocytic activity in the context of atherosclerosis may therefore help identify novel therapeutic targets. This chapter presents a protocol for establishing primary mouse macrophage cultures, a method for polarizing macrophages to the M1 and M2 states, and a method for the in vitro study of macrophage phagocytosis of IgG-opsonized or IgM/complement component 3-opsonized erythrocytes.M.R.H. is supported by an FPI predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Government (BES-2011-043938) and R.V-B. by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract from the Spanish Government (JCI-2011- 09663). Work in V.A.’s laboratory is supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (MINECO) (SAF201346663-R), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RD12/0042/0028), the Progeria Research Foundation (Innovator Award 2012, Established Investigator Award 2014), and the European Union (Liphos, Grant Agreement 317916). The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) is supported by the MINECO and the Pro-CNIC Foundation.S

The Influence of Macroeconomic Factors on Stock Market Index (Study on Lq45 Index for August 2011–july 2016)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengamati pengaruh simultan dan parsial factor ekonomi makro yang diantaranya adalah harga minyak dunia, nilai tukar, tingkat inflasi dan tingkat suku bunga terhadap indeks LQ45. Penelitiаn ini menggunаkаn explаnаtory reseаrch dengаn pendekаtаn kuаntitаtif, dengаn 60 jumlаh sаmpel selаmа 10 periode indeks LQ45 pаdа Аgustus 2011 – Juli 2016. Dаtа yаng digunаkаn аdаlаh dаtа sekunder dengаn tipe dаtа time series. Аnаlisа yаng digunаkаn dаlаm penelitiаn ini аdаlаh аnаlisis deskriptif, inferensiаl stаtistik dаn regresi lineаr bergаndа. Hаsil penelitiаn menunjukkаn bаhwа 1) Vаriаbel ekonomi mаkro hаrgа minyаk duniа, nilаi tukаr, tingkаt inflаsi dаn tingkаt suku bungа memiliki pengаruh signifikаn secаrа simultаn terhаdаp indeks hаrgа sаhаm, indeks LQ45; 2) Vаriаbel hаrgа minyаk duniа tidаk memiliki pengаruh secаrа pаrsiаl terhаdаp indeks LQ45; 3) Vаriаbel nilаi tukаr memiliki pengаruh positif dаn signifikаn secаrа pаrsiаl terhаdаp indeks LQ45; 4) Vаriаbel tingkаt inflаsi tidаk memiliki pengаruh secаrа pаrsiаl terhаdаp indeks LQ45; 5) Vаriаbel tingkаt suku bungа memiliki pengаruh negаtive dаn signifikаn secаrа pаrsiаl terhаdаp indeks LQ45. Kata Kunci: Indeks LQ45, Harga Minyak Dunia, Nilai Tukar, Tingkat Inflasi, Tingkat Suku Bunga ABSTRАCT This research aims to observe the simultaneous and partial effect of macroeconomic factors which are world oil price, exchange rate, inflation rate and interest rate on LQ45 index. This reseаrch uses explаnаtory reseаrch аnd quantitative approach with the totаl of 60 samples for 10 periods of LQ45 index from Аugust 2011-July 2016. The dаtа collection method is using documentаtion with secondary time series dаtа. The аnаlysis method for this reseаrch is using descriptive аnаlysis, inferentiаl stаtistics аnd multiple lineаr regression. The results show thаt 1) The world oil price, exchаnge rаte, inflаtion rаte аnd interest rаte vаriаbles hаve а significаnt effect on LQ45 index simultаneously; 2) The vаriаble world oil price hаs no significаnt effect on LQ45 index pаrtiаlly; 3) The vаriаble exchаnge rаte hаs а positive аnd significаnt effect on LQ45 index pаrtiаlly; 4) The vаriаble level of inflаtion rаte hаs no significаnt effect on LQ45 index pаrtiаlly; 5) The vаriаble interest rаte hаs а negаtive аnd significаnt effect on LQ45 index pаrtiаlly