Needs assessment final report

The stated purposes of the Management Science Faculty Fellowship Project were to: (1) provide a comprehensive analysis of KSC management training for engineers and other management professionals from project/program lead through executive levels; and (2) development of evaluation methodologies which can be used to perform ongoing program-wide course-to-course assessments. This report will focus primarily in the first stated purpose for the project. Ideally, the analysis of KSC management training will build in the current system and efficiently propose improvements to achieve existing goals and objectives while helping to identify new visions and new outcomes for the Center's Management Training Mission. Section 2 describes the objectives, approach, and specific tasks used to analyze KSC's Management training System. Section 3 discusses the main conclusions derived from an analysis of the available training data. Section 4 discusses the characteristics and benefits envisioned for a Management Training System. Section 5 proposes a Training System as identified by the results of a Needs Assessment exercise conducted at KSC this summer. Section 6 presents a number of recommendations for future work

Training evaluation final report

In the area of management training, 'evaluation' refers both to the specific evaluation instrument used to determine whether a training effort was considered effective, and to the procedures followed to evaluate specific training requests. This report recommends to evaluate new training requests in the same way new procurement or new projects are evaluated. This includes examining training requests from the perspective of KSC goals and objectives, and determining expected ROI of proposed training program (does training result in improved productivity, through savings of time, improved outputs, and/or personnel reduction?). To determine whether a specific training course is effective, a statement of what constitutes 'good performance' is required. The user (NOT the Training Branch) must define what is 'required level of performance'. This 'model' will be the basis for the design and development of an objective, performance-based, training evaluation instrument

KSC management training system project

The stated objectives for the summer of 1993 were: to review the Individual Development Plan Surveys for 1994 in order to automate the analysis of the Needs Assessment effort; and to develop and implement evaluation methodologies to perform ongoing program-wide course-to-course assessment. This includes the following: to propose a methodology to develop and implement objective, performance-based assessment instruments for each training effort; to mechanize course evaluation forms and develop software to facilitate the data gathering, analysis, and reporting processes; and to implement the methodology, forms, and software in at lease one training course or seminar selected among those normally offered in the summer at KSC. Section two of this report addresses the work done in regard to the Individual Development Plan Surveys for 1994. Section three presents the methodology proposed to develop and implement objective, performance-based assessment instruments for each training course offered at KSC

A methodology for realistic space launch risk estimation using information-fusion-based metric

In light of the significant changes being observed in the US space industry, in terms of the increase share of commercial launches, the development of inland spaceports, and the emergence of new vehicle designs and propulsion systems, there is need to reassess launch safety. In this paper, several issues related to space launch safety are reviewed, one in particular being the use, as the main the safety metric, of the mean collective risk to the general public, also known as the expectation of casualties. A new, decision level, information-fusion-based metric is proposed, and through a detailed case study, its merit in terms of the quality and quantity of information it generates is illustrated. The need for a new metric is here advocated as a critical first step toward the necessary transition from a risk avoidance philosophy to space launch safety to a risk management philosophy

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Migration and Proliferation Are Mediated by Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 alpha Upstream of Notch and SUMO Pathways

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are effective in treating several pathologies. We and others have demonstrated that hypoxia or hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) stabilization improves several MSC functions, including cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation, thereby increasing their therapeutic potential. To further explore the mechanisms induced by HIF-1 alpha in MSCs, we studied its relationship with Notch signaling and observed that overexpression of HIF-1 alpha in MSCs increased protein levels of the Notch ligands Jagged 1-2 and Delta-like (Dll) 1, Dll3, and Dll4 and potentiated Notch signaling only when this pathway was activated. Crosstalk between HIF and Notch resulted in Notch-dependent migration and spreading of MSCs, which was abolished by gamma-secretase inhibition. However, the HIF-1-induced increase in MSC proliferation was independent of Notch signaling. The ubiquitin family member, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO), has important functions in many cellular processes and increased SUMO1 protein levels have been reported in hypoxia. To investigate the potential involvement of SUMOylation in HIF/Notch crosstalk, we measured general SUMOylation levels and observed increased SUMOylation in HIF-1-expressing MSCs. Moreover, proliferation and migration of MSCs were reduced in the presence of a SUMOylation inhibitor, and this effect was particularly robust in HIF-MSCs. Immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated SUMOylation of the intracellular domain of Notch1 (N1ICD) in HIF-1-expressing MSCs, which contributed to Notch pathway activation and resulted in increased levels of N1ICD nuclear translocation as assessed by subcellular fractionation. SUMOylation of N1ICD was also observed in HEK293T cells with stabilized HIF-1 alpha expression, suggesting that this is a common mechanism in eukaryotic cells. In summary, we describe, for the first time, SUMOylation of N1ICD, which is potentiated by HIF signaling. These phenomena could be relevant for the therapeutic effects of MSCs in hypoxia or under conditions of HIF stabilization.This work was supported, in part, by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI13/00414, PI16/0107, RE-TICS RD12/0019/0025 to P.S. and RETICS RD12/0019/0003 (TERCEL) to J.L.D.L.P cofunded by FEDER ``una manera de hacer Europa. It was also supported by the Regenerative Medicine Program of Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Valencian Community to Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe. The authors are grateful to Dr. A. Dorronsoro for critical review of the work and Dr. K McCreath for manuscript editing.S

Control adaptativo para optimizar una intersección semafórica basado en un sistema embebido

In order to optimize the traffic flow on a road intersection, an adaptive control algorithm and a data base were designed; both components were hosted on a Raspberry Pi B+ embedded system. The data base helps to debug the performance of the controller. The efficiency of the algorithm was assessed using a virtual instrument, which emulated a traffic light intersection in the city of Cucuta, i. e., the magnetorresistive sensors, the activation process of the traffic lights and the traffic flow. By processing and updating the times assigned to the traffic lights, the traffic flow was increased up to 5.5 % and the maximum time a vehicle has to wait before passing through the traffic light was decreased up to 28 seconds. Aditionally the length of line was diminished up to 18 %. Based on this case study, it can be inferred that is possible to integrate the adaptive control and the embedded systems as software and hardware tools to improve the operation of traffic control systems.Para optimizar el flujo vehicular en una intersección vial se diseñaron un algoritmo de control adaptativo y una base de datos que apoya la depuración del rendimiento del controlador, ambos alojados en el sistema embebido Raspberry Pi B+. El desempeño del algoritmo fue evaluado con un instrumento virtual, que emuló una intersección semafórica de la ciudad de Cúcuta, esto es, los sensores magnetorresistivos, el proceso de encendido en las luces de los semáforos y el flujo vehicular. La manipulación de los tiempos de encendido en las luces de los semáforos, aumentó el flujo vehicular hasta 5.5% y, disminuyó el tiempo máximo de espera del vehículo para avanzar hasta 28 segundos y el largo de fila hasta un 18%. Con base en el caso de estudio, se puede inferir que es posible integrar el control adaptativo y los sistemas embebidos como herramientas de software y hardware para mejorar el funcionamiento en los sistemas de regulación vial

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors Possibly Associated with Emerging Zoonotic Vaccinia Virus in a Farming Community, Colombia

In 2014, vaccinia virus (VACV) infections were identified among farmworkers in Caquetá Department, Colombia; additional cases were identified in Cundinamarca Department in 2015. VACV, an orthopoxvirus (OPXV) used in the smallpox vaccine, has caused sporadic bovine and human outbreaks in countries such as Brazil and India. In response to the emergence of this disease in Colombia, we surveyed and collected blood from 134 farmworkers and household members from 56 farms in Cundinamarca Department. We tested serum samples for OPXV antibodies and correlated risk factors with seropositivity by using multivariate analyses. Fifty-two percent of farmworkers had OPXV antibodies; this percentage decreased to 31% when we excluded persons who would have been eligible for smallpox vaccination. The major risk factors for seropositivity were municipality, age, smallpox vaccination scar, duration of time working on a farm, and animals having vaccinia-like lesions. This investigation provides evidence for possible emergence of VACV as a zoonosis in South America.https://scienti.minciencias.gov.co/cvlac/visualizador/generarCurriculoCv.do?cod_rh=0000318507https://scholar.google.com.co/citations?user=cU2KyT4AAAAJ&hl=enhttps://scienti.minciencias.gov.co/gruplac/jsp/visualiza/visualizagr.jsp?nro=00000000008981https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8093-054

Gender, school and academic year differences among Spanish university students at high-risk for developing an eating disorder: An epidemiologic study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of the university population at high-risk of developing an eating disorder and the prevalence of unhealthy eating attitudes and behaviours amongst groups at risk; gender, school or academic year differences were also explored.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study based on self-report was used to screen university students at high-risk for an eating disorder. The sample size was of 2551 university students enrolled in 13 schools between the ages of 18 and 26 years. The instruments included: a social-demographic questionnaire, the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI), the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), the Symptom Check List 90-R (SCL-90-R), and the Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). The sample design is a non-proportional stratified sample by academic year and school. The prevalence rate was estimated controlling academic year and school. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate adjusted associations between gender, school and academic year.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Female students presented unhealthy weight-control behaviours as dieting, laxatives use or self-induced vomiting to lose weight than males. A total of 6% of the females had a BMI of 17.5 or less or 2.5% had amenorrhea for 3 or more months. In contrast, a higher proportion of males (11.6%) reported binge eating behaviour. The prevalence rate of students at high-risk for an eating disorder was 14.9% (11.6–18) for males and 20.8% (18.7–22.8) for females, according to an overall cut-off point on the EDI questionnaire. Prevalence rates presented statistically significant differences by gender (p < 0.001) but not by school or academic year.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The prevalence of eating disorder risk in university students is high and is associated with unhealthy weight-control practices, similar results have been found in previous studies using cut-off points in questionnaires. These results may be taken into account to encourage early detection and a greater awareness for seeking treatment in order to improve the diagnosis, among students on university campuses.</p