Using Systems Engineering to Translate Research into Action

No abstract availabl

Catalytic Oxidation of Methane Over Alumina Supported Palladium Oxides

The objectives of this research include development and characterization of alumina supported palladium oxide catalysts for low temperature catalytic oxidation of methane. The catalysts were prepared by various methods and then characterized and screened to select the best catalyst for further studies. A 5% (wt/wt) Pd/y-AhCb catalyst prepared by an improved vortex-assisted incipient wetness method showed the best activity of 94% (mol/mol) methane conversion at 325 °C. The active surface species was found to be PdO and Pd native oxides (PdNtv) as confirmed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and activity studies. The y-AhCb support played an integral role in the formation of Pd native oxides as well as a facilitator in oxygen mobility. INDE

Rethinking Intimacy: Liberation Through Decolonial & Queer World-Making

Relationships play an important role in both the private and public spheres of our lives. If we understand our bodies to be the vessels through which we interact with all other objects, we come to understand the process of world-making as a summation of our relationships. Intimacy is the prevailing structure that helps assign meaning to these relationships. Intimacy binds together unfixed spatial and social relations that stretch across time and space. This essay examines the three intersecting sets of relations involved in intimacy as a means to deconstruct heteropatriarchal order and highlight the multiplicity of attachments and relationships that we each experience throughout our lives. Specifically, I analyze the power relations that have bound violence to black bodies and how these relations continue to fracture a sense of black belonging in the U.S. Examining the continued brutalization and murder of black bodies by institutions of power, I will explore the potential for intimacy to be used as a liberatory practice of activism that binds our every-day life to the realities of institutionalized U.S. social, political, and cultural violence

The Development of a Biomimetic Patch for Annulus Fibrosus Repair

Thirty-one million Americans experience low-back pain (LBP) at any given time in their lives.1 LBP is the single leading cause of disability worldwide and its prevalence in the US is approximately 80%.2 The intervertebral disc (IVD) is composed of the nucleus pulposus (NP), a gelatinous core that resists compressive loading through the generation of intradiscal pressure (IDP), and the annulus fibrosus (AF), which has concentric sheets (lamellae) of aligned Type I collagen which alternate the fiber-preferred direction with each subsequent layer allowing for resistance to IDP, and tensile and torsional loads. Although, IVD degeneration (IVDD) and herniation (IVDH) represent two independent pathological mechanisms; they both contribute significantly to LBP. Potential clinical treatments for herniation and degeneration include discectomy (removal of the herniated IVD fragments) and NP arthroplasty, respectively. However, both treatment options are insufficient by themselves; especially when the defect in the outer AF is \u3e6mm.3 We hypothesized that an ideal AF patch to be used for repairing the AF and promoting its regeneration can be developed from adjoined sheets of decellularized porcine pericardium due to its aligned type I collage fiber architecture resembling the native AF structure. The objective of the research presented herein was to illustrate the feasibility of developing a biomimetic patch to biologically augment AF repair. Porcine pericardium was harvested at a local abattoir and decellularized in order to minimize potential immunological reactions.4 Decellularization was confirmed via, Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E), agarose gel electrophoresis, nanodrop quantification and immunohistochemistry for the removal of the porcine antigenic epitope, alpha-gal. Tensile mechanical testing was performed on single-ply AF sheets and fresh pericardium in the fiber preferred and cross-fiber orientation to determine tensile mechanical properties and to compare values reported in literature for a single AF lamellae, and to ensure the modified decellularization procedure did not alter the mechanical strength of the tissue. Ball burst test of multi-laminate AF patches composed of decellularized pericardial layers was performed to assess the maximum burst strength the pericardium could withstand and the necessary number of layers needed to resist the IDP generated by the NP exerted as hoop stresses within the AF. Production of ply-angle-ply multi-laminate AF patches were constructed via the use of decellularized pericardium sheets were sewn in conjunction with a backing material, surgical suture and a sewing machine in order to develop a scalable manufacture methodology. Cytocompatibility of the AF patches was verified through a 15 day in vitro pilot cell study to assess bovine AF cell viability and proliferation when seeded on the patch. Results to be presented illustrate a repeatable method for developing a multi-laminate ply-angle-ply AF patch. The AF patch demonstrates comparable tensile elastic modulus to native AF, adequate burst strength and cytocompatibility to be considered a potential option for AF tissue engineering. Taken together, results suggest that the multi-laminate ply-angle-ply AF patches may be suitable for use as an adjunct to nucleus arthroplasty implantation as an early-stage treatment for patients demonstrating the onset of IVDD or as a sequestration device in patients undergoing discectomy following large IVDHs to help mitigate the risk for re-herniation

Medical System Concept of Operations for Mars Exploration Mission-11: Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element - Human Research Program

NASAs exploration missions to Mars will have durations of 2-3 years and will take humans farther away from Earth than ever before. This will result in a paradigm shift for mission planning, spacecraft design, human systems integration, and in-flight medical care. Constraints on real-time communication, resupply, and medical evacuation are major architectural drivers. These constraints require medical system development to be tightly integrated with mission and vehicle design to provide crew autonomy and enable mission success. This concept of operations provides a common vision of medical care for developing a medical system for Mars exploration missions. It documents an overview of the stakeholder needs and goals of a medical system and provides examples of the types of activities the system will be used for during the mission. Development of the concept of operations considers mission variables such as distance from Earth, duration of mission, time to definitive medical care, communication protocols between crewmembers and ground support, personnel capabilities and skill sets, medical hardware and software, and medical data management. The information provided in this document informs the ExMC Systems Engineering effort to define the functions to be provided by the medical system. In addition, this concept of operations will inform the subsequent systems engineering process of developing technical requirements, system architectures, interfaces, and verification and validation approaches for the medical system. This document supports the closure of ExMC Gap Med01: We do not have a concept of operations for medical care during exploration missions, corresponding to the ExMC-managed human system risk: Risk of Adverse Health Outcomes & Decrements in Performance due to Inflight Medical Conditions. This document is applicable to the ExMC Element Systems Engineering process and may be used for collaboration within the Human Research Program

Frequency response of underwater ultrasonic transducers in the near field using polarimetric polarization maintaining fiber sensors

Near-field ultrasonic response (50-2000 kHz) of an underwater 1-3 piezocomposite transducer is experimentally investigated using a polarimetric polarization maintaining fiber sensor. Measured outputs from our sensor and a reference hydrophone are observed to be comparable

Exploration Medical Capability Systems Engineering Overview and Update

No abstract availabl

Barriers and Facilitators to Work Success for Veterans in Supported Employment: A Nationwide Provider Survey

bjective: Veterans with mental illness are at serious risk of poor work outcomes and career stagnation. Supported employment (SE) is an evidence-based model of vocational services that assists persons with mental illness to obtain competitive employment. The purpose of this study was to gain a rich understanding of barriers and facilitators related to competitive work success from the perspective of a nationwide sample of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) SE staff, supervisors, and managers. Methods: This study utilized a mixed-methods approach in which 114 VA SE personnel completed an online questionnaire consisting of a survey of work barriers and facilitators; open-ended questions elicited additional factors affecting work success. Descriptive statistics characterized factors affecting work success, and an emergent, open-coding approach identified qualitative themes describing other key elements influencing employment. Results: The most prominent work facilitators were perceived veteran motivation, job match, the assistance of SE services, and veteran self-confidence. The highest rated barriers were psychological stress and a range of health-related problems. Qualitative findings revealed additional areas affecting work success, notably, the availability of resources, the capacity of frontline staff to form strong relationships with veterans and employers, the ability of staff to adapt and meet the multifaceted demands of the SE job, and the need for additional staff and supervisor training. The impact of employer stigma was also emphasized. Conclusions: An array of elements influencing work success at the level of the veteran, staff, SE program, and employer was recognized, suggesting several implications for VA services

IMPACT Concept of Operations

NASAs future exploration missions mandate a significant paradigm change for mission planning, spacecraft design, human systems integration, and in-flight medical care due to constraints on mass, volume, power, resupply missions, and medical evacuation capabilities. These constraints require further development of the human health and performance system, which includes the medical, task performance, wellness, data, human and other systems necessary to keep the crew healthy and functioning optimally. The human health and performance system will be tightly integrated with mission and habitat design to provide a sufficient human health and performance infrastructure to enable mission success. A suite of systems engineering tools will aid in the decision making process for the development of such a human health and performance system. This Concept of Operations provides a vision for a tool suite to conduct evaluations of human health and performance system options, inform research prioritization, and provide trade study support, based on evidence, risks, and systems engineering principles. The integrated tool suite under development is IMPACT