Composite engines for application to a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle

Seven composite engines were designed for application to a reusable single-stage-to-orbit vehicle. The engine designs were variations of the supercharged ejector ramjet engine. The resulting performance, weight, and drawings of each engine form a data base for establishing a potential of this class of composite engine to various missions, including the single-stage-to-orbit application. The impact of advanced technology in the design of the critical fan turbine was established

Monte Carlo Transmission Line Modeling of Multilayer Optical Coatings for Performance Sensitivity of a Dichroic Filter for the ARIEL Space Telescope

Dichroic beamsplitters, or dichroics, are filters that rely on the optical interference that occurs within thin layers to ensure the transmission and reflection of selective wavelengths of an incident beam of light. These optical components consist of a substrate coated on one or both surfaces with multiple layers of thin films, the spectral design and construction of which determine the isolation of particular wavebands. Discrepancies between the measured and expected spectral performance of optical elements with such coatings can largely be attributed to depositions errors and uncertainties in the refractive indices of the materials. Our model uses two-dimensional transmission line modeling to evaluate the transmittance of light through multilayer coatings deposited on a substrate material for given materials, angle of incidence and polarisation. This model allows us to perform Monte Carlo simulations to obtain statistical information about the tolerance of the coating performance to systematic and random uncertainties from the manufacturing process, as well as from environmental changes in space. With the aid of accurate manufacturing recipes and uncertainty amplitudes from commercial manufacturers, this tool can predict variations in the optical performance that result from the propagation of each of these uncertainties for various hypothetical scenarios. One particular application of this study are the dichroics of the ARIEL space telescope. We compare the predicted optical performance with transmission measurements at cryogenic temperatures for one of the ARIEL dichroics, which show the specification compliance of this prototype after many thermal cycles

Focusing the Neuroscience and Societal Implications of Cognitive Enhancers.

Cognitive enhancement can benefit the individual and society, but also has associated risks and ethical concerns. Cognitive-enhancing drugs are used in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Nonpharmacological strategies are also emerging, which have the potential to improve motivational deficits associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms and should be prioritized for development. The increasing lifestyle use of "smart" and other drugs indicates the desire for healthy people to improve themselves. Safety and ethical implications are discussed.Janssen/J&J, Wallitt FoundationThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cpt.45

Denial at the top table: status attributions and implications for marketing

Senior marketing management is seldom represented on the Board of Directors nowadays, reflecting a deteriorating status of the marketing profession. We examine some of the key reasons for marketing’s demise, and discuss how the status of marketing may be restored by demonstrating the value of marketing to the business community. We attribute marketing’s demise to several related key factors: narrow typecasting, marginalisation and limited involvement in product development, questionable marketing curricula, insensitivity toward environmental change, questionable professional standards and roles, and marketing’s apparent lack of accountability to CEOs. Each of these leads to failure to communicate, create, or deliver value within marketing. We argue that a continued inability to deal with marketing’s crisis of representation will further erode the status of the discipline both academically and professionally

Critical behavior of the two-dimensional N-component Landau-Ginzburg Hamiltonian with cubic anisotropy

We study the two-dimensional N-component Landau-Ginzburg Hamiltonian with cubic anisotropy. We compute and analyze the fixed-dimension perturbative expansion of the renormalization-group functions to four loops. The relations of these models with N-color Ashkin-Teller models, discrete cubic models, planar model with fourth order anisotropy, and structural phase transition in adsorbed monolayers are discussed. Our results for N=2 (XY model with cubic anisotropy) are compatible with the existence of a line of fixed points joining the Ising and the O(2) fixed points. Along this line the exponent $\eta$ has the constant value 1/4, while the exponent $\nu$ runs in a continuous and monotonic way from 1 to $\infty$ (from Ising to O(2)). For N\geq 3 we find a cubic fixed point in the region $u, v \geq 0$, which is marginally stable or unstable according to the sign of the perturbation. For the physical relevant case of N=3 we find the exponents $\eta=0.17(8)$ and $\nu=1.3(3)$ at the cubic transition.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Pregnant women with bronchial asthma benefit from progressive muscle relaxation: A randomized, prospective, controlled trial

Background: Asthma is a serious medical problem in pregnancy and is often associated with stress, anger and poor quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on change in blood pressure, lung parameters, heart rate, anger and health-related quality of life in pregnant women with bronchial asthma. Methods: We treated a sample of 64 pregnant women with bronchial asthma from the local population in an 8-week randomized, prospective, controlled trial. Thirty-two were selected for PMR, and 32 received a placebo intervention. The systolic blood pressure, forced expiratory volume in the first second, peak expiratory flow and heart rate were tested, and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory and Health Survey (SF-36) were employed. Results: According to the intend-to-treat principle, a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and a significant increase in both forced expiratory volume in the first second and peak expiratory flow were observed after PMR. The heart rate showed a significant increase in the coefficient of variation, root mean square of successive differences and high frequency ranges, in addition to a significant reduction in low and middle frequency ranges. A significant reduction on three of five State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory scales, and a significant increase on seven of eight SF-36 scales were observed. Conclusions: PMR appears to be an effective method to improve blood pressure, lung parameters and heart rate, and to decrease anger levels, thus enhancing health-related quality of life in pregnant women with bronchial asthma. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel

Ab initio atomistic thermodynamics and statistical mechanics of surface properties and functions

Previous and present "academic" research aiming at atomic scale understanding is mainly concerned with the study of individual molecular processes possibly underlying materials science applications. Appealing properties of an individual process are then frequently discussed in terms of their direct importance for the envisioned material function, or reciprocally, the function of materials is somehow believed to be understandable by essentially one prominent elementary process only. What is often overlooked in this approach is that in macroscopic systems of technological relevance typically a large number of distinct atomic scale processes take place. Which of them are decisive for observable system properties and functions is then not only determined by the detailed individual properties of each process alone, but in many, if not most cases also the interplay of all processes, i.e. how they act together, plays a crucial role. For a "predictive materials science modeling with microscopic understanding", a description that treats the statistical interplay of a large number of microscopically well-described elementary processes must therefore be applied. Modern electronic structure theory methods such as DFT have become a standard tool for the accurate description of individual molecular processes. Here, we discuss the present status of emerging methodologies which attempt to achieve a (hopefully seamless) match of DFT with concepts from statistical mechanics or thermodynamics, in order to also address the interplay of the various molecular processes. The new quality of, and the novel insights that can be gained by, such techniques is illustrated by how they allow the description of crystal surfaces in contact with realistic gas-phase environments.Comment: 24 pages including 17 figures, related publications can be found at http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm

Calcium Homeostasis in Myogenic Differentiation Factor 1 (MyoD)-Transformed, Virally-Transduced, Skin-Derived Equine Myotubes

Dysfunctional skeletal muscle calcium homeostasis plays a central role in the pathophysiology of several human and animal skeletal muscle disorders, in particular, genetic disorders associated with ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) mutations, such as malignant hyperthermia, central core disease, multiminicore disease and certain centronuclear myopathies. In addition, aberrant skeletal muscle calcium handling is believed to play a pivotal role in the highly prevalent disorder of Thoroughbred racehorses, known as Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis. Traditionally, such defects were studied in human and equine subjects by examining the contractile responses of biopsied muscle strips exposed to caffeine, a potent RYR1 agonist. However, this test is not widely available and, due to its invasive nature, is potentially less suitable for valuable animals in training or in the human paediatric setting. Furthermore, increasingly, RYR1 gene polymorphisms (of unknown pathogenicity and significance) are being identified through next generation sequencing projects. Consequently, we have investigated a less invasive test that can be used to study calcium homeostasis in cultured, skin-derived fibroblasts that are converted to the muscle lineage by viral transduction with a MyoD (myogenic differentiation 1) transgene. Similar models have been utilised to examine calcium homeostasis in human patient cells, however, to date, there has been no detailed assessment of the cells’ calcium homeostasis, and in particular, the responses to agonists and antagonists of RYR1. Here we describe experiments conducted to assess calcium handling of the cells and examine responses to treatment with dantrolene, a drug commonly used for prophylaxis of recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis in horses and malignant hyperthermia in humans

The entrepreneurial marketing management and commercialization arrangements of born-global bio-enterprises: the case of UK companies

Born global bio-enterprises are a unique “breed” of relatively small biotechnology enterprises operating in multiple countries. The companies are nimble and seemingly well-prepared for challenges that ephemeral markets such as the internationalised biotechnology sector brings. The international marketing management challenges they encounter appear to stimulate their entrepreneurial marketing and commercialisation instincts. Surprisingly, there is a dearth of studies that examine their entrepreneurial predispositions. As such, this study is an attempt to explain their entrepreneurial tendencies by investigating the marketing and commercialisation strategies adopted by born global bio-enterprises in the UK’s biotechnology industry. The study assumes a multi-case approach examining five archetypical born global bio-enterprises currently active in the UK. It contributes to the international entrepreneurship and marketing management literature. Specifically, it provides international business managers with new knowledge about various marketing manoeuvres they can apply in international networks for their marketing mileage. In doing so, the study proposes a theoretical framework mapping out entrepreneurial marketing and commercialisation arrangements in internationalised biotechnology markets. Its findings are useful to various stakeholders including: policy makers, managers of technology-based companies and business management researchers

Women's secure hospital care pathways in practice: a qualitative analysis of clinicians views in England and Wales

BACKGROUND: In England and Wales women form a small but significant group within the wider, largely male, secure hospital population. Secure hospitals are designed to assess and treat individuals with both mental health problems and significant criminal behaviour. The theoretical approach to the care of secure hospital women is increasingly informed by a grasp of gender-specific issues. However, there is a lack of evidence on the adequacy of current structures and processes of care delivery. METHODS: This qualitative study explores the nature and quality of care pathways for women in low and medium secure hospital beds by eliciting participants' views of factors enhancing or impeding care. Beds are publicly funded and provided either by the National Health Service (NHS) or the Independent Sector (IS). Participants from both sectors were local experts (40 Consultant Psychiatrists, 7 Service Managers) who were well placed to describe their immediate health environment. RESULTS: Evidence from the study indicates that participants were focused on the physical relocation of women to less secure conditions, even though many women do not readily achieve this.Participants were alert to potential conflicts between ideal care and affordable care. Ideal care was compromised by the absence of suitable local services (beds or community placements), curtailed episodes of care and changes of care team. It was promoted by an awareness of the specific needs of women, continuity of care and support for teams unfamiliar with women's needs. CONCLUSION: Future service design must address these challenges in care delivery, incorporating a better understanding of and response to the ways the system can echo women's experiences of trauma and their negative attachment histories. Specifically, critical transitions in care must not be allowed to further reinforce the discontinuity, failure and rejection experienced by individual women earlier in their lives