Study of an attitude control system for the astronaut maneuvering unit final report, dec. 1963 - jul. 1964

Attitude control system for astronaut maneuvering unit

CWRML: representing crop wild relative conservation and use data in XML

Background Crop wild relatives are wild species that are closely related to crops. They are valuable as potential gene donors for crop improvement and may help to ensure food security for the future. However, they are becoming increasingly threatened in the wild and are inadequately conserved, both in situ and ex situ. Information about the conservation status and utilisation potential of crop wild relatives is diverse and dispersed, and no single agreed standard exists for representing such information; yet, this information is vital to ensure these species are effectively conserved and utilised. The European Community-funded project, European Crop Wild Relative Diversity Assessment and Conservation Forum, determined the minimum information requirements for the conservation and utilisation of crop wild relatives and created the Crop Wild Relative Information System, incorporating an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) schema to aid data sharing and exchange. Results Crop Wild Relative Markup Language (CWRML) was developed to represent the data necessary for crop wild relative conservation and ensure that they can be effectively utilised for crop improvement. The schema partitions data into taxon-, site-, and population-specific elements, to allow for integration with other more general conservation biology schemata which may emerge as accepted standards in the future. These elements are composed of sub-elements, which are structured in order to facilitate the use of the schema in a variety of crop wild relative conservation and use contexts. Pre-existing standards for data representation in conservation biology were reviewed and incorporated into the schema as restrictions on element data contents, where appropriate. Conclusion CWRML provides a flexible data communication format for representing in situ and ex situ conservation status of individual taxa as well as their utilisation potential. The development of the schema highlights a number of instances where additional standards-development may be valuable, particularly with regard to the representation of population-specific data and utilisation potential. As crop wild relatives are intrinsically no different to other wild plant species there is potential for the inclusion of CWRML data elements in the emerging standards for representation of biodiversity data

Low cobalt inventories in the Amundsen and Ross seas driven by high demand for labile cobalt uptake among native phytoplankton communities

Cobalt (Co) is a scarce but essential micronutrient for marine plankton in the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctic seas, where dissolved cobalt (dCo) concentrations can be extremely low. This study presents total dCo and labile dCo distributions measured via shipboard voltammetry in the Amundsen Sea, the Ross Sea and Terra Nova Bay during the CICLOPS (Cobalamin and Iron Co-Limitation of Phytoplankton Species) expedition. A significantly smaller dCo inventory was observed during the 2017/2018 CICLOPS expedition compared to two 2005/2006 expeditions to the Ross Sea conducted over a decade earlier. The dCo inventory loss (∼ 10–20 pM) was present in both the surface and deep ocean and was attributed to the loss of labile dCo, resulting in the near-complete complexation of dCo by strong ligands in the photic zone. A changing dCo inventory in Antarctic coastal seas could be driven by the alleviation of iron (Fe) limitation in coastal areas, where the flux of Fe-rich sediments from melting ice shelves and deep sediment resuspension may have shifted the region towards vitamin B12 and/or zinc (Zn) limitation, both of which are likely to increase the demand for Co among marine plankton. High demand for Zn by phytoplankton can result in increased Co and cadmium (Cd) uptake because these metals often share the same metal uptake transporters. This study compared the magnitudes and ratios of Zn, Cd and Co uptake (ρ) across upper-ocean profiles and the observed order-of-magnitude uptake trends (ρZn &gt; ρCd &gt; ρCo) that paralleled the trace metal concentrations in seawater. High rates of Co and Zn uptake were observed throughout the region, and the speciation of available Co and Zn appeared to influence trends in dissolved metal : phosphate stoichiometry and uptake rates over depth. Multi-year loss of the dCo inventory throughout the water column may be explained by an increase in Co uptake into particulate organic matter and subsequently an increased flux of Co into sediments via sinking and burial. This perturbation of the Southern Ocean Co biogeochemical cycle could signal changes in the nutrient limitation regimes, phytoplankton bloom composition and carbon sequestration sink of the Southern Ocean.</p

Paper and electronic versions of HM-PRO, a novel patient-reported outcome measure for hematology: an equivalence study.

© 2019 Goswami, Oliva, Ionova et al.Aim:To determine measurement equivalence of paper and electronic application of the hematologi-cal malignancy-patient-reported outcome (HM-PRO), a specific measure for the evaluation of patient-reported outcomes in HMs.Patients & methods:Following International Society of Pharmacoeconomicsand Outcomes Research ePRO Good Research Practice Task Force guidelines, a total of 193 adult patientswith different HMs were recruited into a multicenter prospective study. The paper and the electronic ver-sion of the instrument were completed in the outpatient clinics in a randomized crossover design with a30-min time interval to minimize the learning effect. Those who completed the paper version first, com-pleted the electronic version after 30 min and vice versa. Instrument version and order effects were testedon total score of the two parts of the HM-PRO (Part A: quality of life and Part B: signs & symptoms) in atwo-way ANOVA with patients as random effects. Intraclass correlation coefficients (95% CI) and Spear-man’s rank correlation coefficients were used to evaluate test–retest reliability and reproducibility. Theeffects of instrument version and order were tested on total score of the two parts of HM-PRO.Results:The questionnaire version and administration order effects were not significant at the 5% level. Therewere no interactions found between these two factors for HM-PRO (Part A [quality of life]; p=0.95); and(part B [signs and symptoms]; p=0.72]. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were greater than 0.9, andintraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.94 to 0.98; furthermore, the scores were not statisticallydifferent between the two versions, showing acceptable reliability indexes. Noteworthy, the differencebetween the completion time for both paper (mean=6:38 min) and electronic version (mean=7:29 min)was not statistically significant (n=100; p=0.11). Patients did not report any difficulty in completing theelectronic version during cognitive interviews and were able to understand and respond spontaneously.Conclusion:Measurement equivalence has been demonstrated for the paper and electronic applicationof the HM-PRO.Peer reviewe

Globalising assessment: an ethnography of literacy assessment, camels and fast food in the Mongolian Gobi

What happens when standardised literacy assessments travel globally? The paper presents an ethnographic account of adult literacy assessment events in rural Mongolia. It examines the dynamics of literacy assessment in terms of the movement and re-contextualisation of test items as they travel globally and are received locally by Mongolian respondents. The analysis of literacy assessment events is informed by Goodwin’s ‘participation framework’ on language as embodied and situated interactive phenomena and by Actor Network Theory. Actor Network Theory (ANT) is applied to examine literacy assessment events as processes of translation shaped by an ‘assemblage’ of human and non-human actors (including the assessment texts)

Constructing and manipulating color imagery from digital data

The development of a multispectral scanner data analysis console is reported that incorporates a wideband tape unit, a teletypewriter, a digital computer, and color display as well as numeric display terminals. The device is able to digitize infrared scanner images and displays color differences according to signal differences between analog channels

An evaluation of management strategies for Atlantic tuna stocks

International agreements for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) convention area imply that Atlantic tuna stocks should be managed by strategies based on maximum sustainable yield (MSY); however, there is concern whether this will actually ensure sustainability with sufficiently high probability consistent with the principals of the precautionary approach. Therefore, the performance of MSY management strategies based on current assessment procedures was evaluated using a computer simulation framework. The framework includes the data collection, assessment, prediction, and management processes, as well as the implementation of management regulations. It therefore provides an integrated way to evaluate the relative importance of and the interactions between each component of the system with regard to the overall success of the management strategy. The study elucidates guidelines about assessment and management that are general enough to be applied to all tunas in the Atlantic Ocean. It does so by comparing different hypotheses about management and assessment for three stocks (North Atlantic albacore, Atlantic bigeye and East Atlantic skipjack), which are representative of the variety encountered (i.e. from data rich to poor and tropical to temperate waters) in ICCAT stocks. Management performance was especially sensitive to the carrying capacity of the stock. The type of proxy used for MSY was more important to the success of the procedure than the frequency of assessment or the number of indices used in the assessment. Whilst the procedure was successful at achieving the management objectives for albacore, it was only partially successful for bigeye and was too conservative for skipjack.No disponibl

Concept note for ICCAT ecoregion workshop identification of regions in the ICCAT convention area for supporting the implementation of ecosystem based fisheries management

The overall aim of the workshop is to advance in the identification of candidate ecologically meaningful regions that can serve as a basis to produce a more integrated ecosystem-based advice, and thereby support the implementation and operationalization of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) convention area. The candidate regions should have boundaries that make ecological sense, and are practical in informing fisheries management. The workshop will gather CPC national scientists and external experts from different scientific disciplines (e.g. biogeography, oceanography, ecology, fisheries and fisheries management in the ICCAT area) to develop a “proof of concept” for broad-scale regionalization of the ICCAT convention area.L'objectif général de l'atelier est de progresser dans l'identification de possibles régions écologiquement significatives qui peuvent servir de base pour produire un avis écosystémique plus intégré, et ainsi soutenir la mise en œuvre et la mise en marche de la gestion des pêcheries basée sur les écosystèmes (EBFM) dans la zone de la Convention de la Commission internationale pour la conservation des thonidés de l'Atlantique (ICCAT). Les régions candidates doivent avoir des limites qui ont un sens écologique, et qui sont pratiques pour renseigner la gestion des pêcheries. L'atelier réunira des scientifiques nationaux des CPC et des experts externes de différentes disciplines scientifiques (par exemple, la biogéographie, l'océanographie, l'écologie, la pêche et la gestion des pêcheries dans la zone de l'ICCAT) afin de développer une preuve conceptuelle pour une régionalisation à grande échelle de la zone de la Convention ICCATEl objetivo global del taller es avanzar en la identificación de posibles regiones ecológicamente significativas que puedan servir como base para formular un asesoramiento basado en el ecosistema más integrado, apoyando la implementación y puesta en marcha de la ordenación pesquera basada en el ecosistema (EBFM) en la zona del Convenio de la Comisión Internacional para la Conservación del Atún Atlántico (ICCAT). Las regiones candidatas deberían tener límites que tengan sentido ecológico y que sean prácticas para aportar información a la ordenación pesquera. El taller reunirá a científicos nacionales de las CPC y a expertos externos de diversas disciplinas (por ejemplo, biogeografía, oceanografía, ecología, pesca y ordenación pesquera en la zona de ICCAT) para desarrollar una demostración conceptual para una regionalización a gran escala de la zona del Convenio de ICCAT.Versión del edito

Quality-of-life issues and symptoms reported by patients living with haematological malignancy: a qualitative study

Background: Our aim was to identify health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) issues and symptoms in patients with haematological malignancies (HMs) and develop a conceptual framework to reflect the inter-relation between them. / Methods: A total of 129 patients with HMs were interviewed in a UK multicentre qualitative study. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using NVivo-11. / Results: Overall, 34 issues were reported by patients and were grouped into two parts: quality of life (QoL) and symptoms. The most prevalent HRQoL issues were: eating and drinking habits; social life; physical activity; sleep; and psychological well-being. Furthermore, most prevalent disease-related symptoms were: tiredness; feeling unwell; breathlessness; lack of energy; and back pain. The most prevalent treatment side effects were: tiredness; feeling sick; disturbance in sense of taste; and breathlessness. / Conclusions: Both HMs and their treatments have a significant impact on patients’ HRQoL, in particular on issues such as job-role change, body image and impact on finances

An imbalance in progenitor cell populations reflects tumour progression in breast cancer primary culture models

Many factors influence breast cancer progression, including the ability of progenitor cells to sustain or increase net tumour cell numbers. Our aim was to define whether alterations in putative progenitor populations could predict clinicopathological factors of prognostic importance for cancer progression.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe