Space tug propulsion system failure mode, effects and criticality analysis

For purposes of the study, the propulsion system was considered as consisting of the following: (1) main engine system, (2) auxiliary propulsion system, (3) pneumatic system, (4) hydrogen feed, fill, drain and vent system, (5) oxygen feed, fill, drain and vent system, and (6) helium reentry purge system. Each component was critically examined to identify possible failure modes and the subsequent effect on mission success. Each space tug mission consists of three phases: launch to separation from shuttle, separation to redocking, and redocking to landing. The analysis considered the results of failure of a component during each phase of the mission. After the failure modes of each component were tabulated, those components whose failure would result in possible or certain loss of mission or inability to return the Tug to ground were identified as critical components and a criticality number determined for each. The criticality number of a component denotes the number of mission failures in one million missions due to the loss of that component. A total of 68 components were identified as critical with criticality numbers ranging from 1 to 2990

Determinants of antibody persistence across doses and continents after single-dose rVSV-ZEBOV vaccination for Ebola virus disease: an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vaccine expressing the Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) glycoprotein is efficacious in the weeks following single-dose injection, but duration of immunity is unknown. We aimed to assess antibody persistence at 1 and 2 years in volunteers who received single-dose rVSV-ZEBOV in three previous trials. METHODS: In this observational cohort study, we prospectively followed-up participants from the African and European phase 1 rVSV-ZEBOV trials, who were vaccinated once in 2014-15 with 300 000 (low dose) or 10-50 million (high dose) plaque-forming units (pfu) of rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine to assess ZEBOV glycoprotein (IgG) antibody persistence. The primary outcome was ZEBOV glycoprotein-specific IgG geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) measured yearly by ELISA compared with 1 month (ie, 28 days) after immunisation. We report GMCs up to 2 years (Geneva, Switzerland, including neutralising antibodies up to 6 months) and 1 year (Lambaréné, Gabon; Kilifi, Kenya) after vaccination and factors associated with higher antibody persistence beyond 6 months, according to multivariable analyses. Trials and the observational study were registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Geneva: NCT02287480 and NCT02933931; Kilifi: NCT02296983) and the Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry (Lambaréné PACTR201411000919191). FINDINGS: Of 217 vaccinees from the original studies (102 from the Geneva study, 75 from the Lambaréné study, and 40 from the Kilifi study), 197 returned and provided samples at 1 year (95 from the Geneva study, 63 from the Lambaréné, and 39 from the Kilifi study) and 90 at 2 years (all from the Geneva study). In the Geneva group, 44 (100%) of 44 participants who had been given a high dose (ie, 10-50 million pfu) of vaccine and who were seropositive at day 28 remained seropositive at 2 years, whereas 33 (89%) of 37 who had been given the low dose (ie, 300 000 pfu) remained seropositive for 2 years (p=0·042). In participants who had received a high dose, ZEBOV glycoprotein IgG GMCs decreased significantly between their peak (at 1-3 months) and month 6 after vaccination in Geneva (p0·05). Neutralising antibodies seem to be less durable, with seropositivity dropping from 64-71% at 28 days to 27-31% at 6 months in participants from the Geneva study. INTERPRETATION: Antibody responses to single-dose rVSV-ZEBOV vaccination are sustained across dose ranges and settings, a key criterion in countries where booster vaccinations would be impractical. FUNDING: The Wellcome Trust and Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking

Photovoltaic power plants: a multicriteria approach to investment decisions and a case study in western Spain

his paper proposes a compromise programming (CP) model to help investors decide whether to construct photovoltaic power plants with government financial support. For this purpose, we simulate an agreement between the government, who pursues political prices (guaranteed prices) as low as possible, and the project sponsor who wants returns (stochastic cash flows) as high as possible. The sponsor s decision depends on the positive or negative result of this simulation, the resulting simulated price being compared to the effective guaranteed price established by the country legislation for photovoltaic energy. To undertake the simulation, the CP model articulates variables such as ranges of guaranteed prices, tech- nical characteristics of the plant, expected energy to be generated over the investment life, investment cost, cash flow probabilities, and others. To determine the CP metric, risk aver- sion is assumed. As an actual application, a case study on photovoltaic power investment in Extremadura, western Spain, is developed in detail.Garcia-Bernabeu, A.; Benito Benito, A.; Bravo Selles, M.; Pla Santamaría, D. (2015). Photovoltaic power plants: a multicriteria approach to investment decisions and a case study in western Spain. Annals of Operations Research. 1-12. doi:10.1007/s10479-015-1836-2S112Andrews, R. W., Pollard, A., & Pearce, J. M. (2012). Improved parametric empirical determination of module short circuit current for modelling and optimization of solar photovoltaic systems. Solar Energy, 86(9), 2240–2254.Anwar, Y., & Mulyadi, M. S. (2011). Income tax incentives on renewable energy industry: Case of geothermal industry in USA and Indonesia. African Journal of Business Management, 5(31), 12264–12270.Aouni, B., & Kettani, O. (2001). Goal programming model: A glorious history and a promising future. European Journal of Operational Research, 133(2), 225–231.Ballestero, E. (1997). 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Nest Usurpation Of Vespula Vulgaris By Dolichovespula arenaria With Successive Parasitism Of Dolichovespula arenaria By Dolichovespula arctica (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

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Mechanisms of changes in renal handling of sodium following transjugular intrahepatic portal systemic stent-shunt (TIPSS)

Background and aims: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt (TIPSS) reduces the portal pressure gradient and leads to better control of ascites. The aim of this study was to evaluate (1) changes in renal handling of sodium following TIPSS and (2) the mechanism of these changes.Design: Prospective study.Setting: Tertiary referral centre for liver diseases.Methods: Eighteen patients with ascites undergoing TIPSS for recurrent variceal haemorrhage (16) (3 or more hospital admissions because of variceal haemorrhage whilst being treated endoscopically) or refractory ascites (2) were studied. Urinary sodium (UNa), creatinine clearance (CrCl), plasma renin activity (PRA), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), Angiotensin II (All) and lithium clearance (LiCl) were measured before and 3 months after TIPSS when portography was performed and the portal pressure gradient (PPC) also measured. All patients were haemodynamically stable and had received no diuretics for at least 1 week before blood sampling.Results: Improvement in ascites was achieved in ail patients in whom TIPSS was inserted successfully (reduction in PPC to <12 mmHg). PPG was reduced from a mean of 19 (+/- 6) to 8.8 (+/- 3.4) mmHg (P<0.001). Urinary sodium and creatinine clearance improved significantly following TIPSS (P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). PRA, All, cGMP and LiCl were abnormal before TIPSS and improved significantly following TIPSS (P<0.007, P<0.001, P<0.001 and P<0.01, respectively). ANP was not significantly different from normal controls and did not change significantly following TIPSS. Changes in UNa did not correlate with the Pugh score or the change in PPG.Conclusion: The results of this study show that TIPSS is associated with significant improvement in UNa, CrCl, PRA, All, cGMP and LiCl. The change in UNa following TIPSS was independent of the severity of underlying liver disease or the change in PPG

The trk tyrosine protein kinase mediates the mitogenic properties of nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3

The product of the trk proto-oncogene encodes a receptor for nerve growth factor (NGF). Here we show that NGF is a powerful mitogen that can induce resting NIH 3T3 cells to enter S phase, grow in semisolid medium, and become morphologically transformed. These mitogenic effects are absolutely dependent on expression of gp140trk receptors, but do not require the presence of the previously described low affinity NGF receptor. gp140trk also serves as a receptor for the related factor neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), but not for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Both NGF and NT-3 induce the rapid phosphorylation of gp140trk receptors and the transient expression of c-Fos proteins. However, NT-3 appears to elicit more limited mitogenic responses than NGF. These results indicate that the product of the trk proto-oncogene is sufficient to mediate signal transduction processes induced by NGF and NT-3, at least in proliferating cells