Modification and development of the external tank hydrogen vent umbilical system for the space shuttle vehicle

The design and development of a new T-O lock and secondary release mechanism which is being introduced to the ET Hydrogen Vent Umbilical System for the next launch of the Space Shuttle Vehicle is described. Critical analysis of the system in early 1986 indicated the need for an improvement in the secondary release system. The new T-O lock increases the clearance with the vehicle during secondary disconnect and is described

STS payload ground handling mechanism at John F. Kennedy Space Center

The payload ground handling mechanism (PGHM), which lifts payloads out of the payload canister that brings them to the launch pad, is described. The PGHM then loads the payloads into the orbiter through the open payload bay doors. The challenge was to provide this capability in time for space shuttle mission 31-A. Meeting this STS requirement was considerably more challenging than using the stacking method for loading payloads on top of expendable vehicles. The new mechanism and its main features are discussed

Rolling Beam Umbilical System

The decision to make the Centaur Vehicle a Space Transportation System (STS) payload meant that new ground support equipment provisions at Launch Pads Pads 39A and 39B were required. These new equipment provisions were needed to service the Centaur vehicle while it was installed in the Orbiter's payload bay prior to launch. This paper describes the design of a new rolling beam umbilical syste (RBUS) being added to the pad fixed service structure (FSS) in order to provide the primary functions of liquid hydrogen (LH2) fill, drain, and vent. The carrier plate itself is a Government-furnished equipment item and of necessity became a T-O disconnect. This permits quick offloading in the event of an abort prior to lift-off. In addition to the rolling beam structure, mechanisms, and fluid lines, it was necessary to design and build a carrier plate simulator to support early development testing of the mast at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at Kennedy Space Center. The RBUS is designed to be compatible with the rotating service structure (RSS) to the extent that the umbilical may be deployed with the RSS mated with the vehicle. It is also designed to clear the RSS as the RSS rotates back out of the way. Accessibility to the Orbiter aft compartment via the 50-1 door had to be maintained

2008 sexual health in the South East: a collaborative report by Health Protection Agency South East and the South East Public Health Observatory

Surveillance of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV is undertaken byt he Health Protection Agency (HPA), but is usually presented in isolation from the variety of paublic health indicators which can help interpret these data. Deficits in surveillance data on sexually transmitted infections diagnosed and managed in primary care can present difficulties in the commissioning of services at local level. In this report, we attempt to bring together a range of routine data, and newly analysed data including estimates from primary care datasets, which we anticipate will assist public health professionals and commissioners in needs assessment and in the planning of services. The data presented here supplement and contextualise the routine surveillance data published by the Health Prtoection Agency, in its annual reports and in the quarterly Local Sexual Health Profiles provided to the region's NHS community

Increasing the spatial resolution of agricultural land cover maps using a Hopfield neural network

Land cover class composition of remotely sensed image pixels can be estimated using soft classification techniques increasingly available in many GIS packages. However, their output provides no indication of how such classes are distributed spatially within the instantaneous field of view represented by the pixel. Techniques that attempt to provide an improved spatial representation of land cover have been developed, but not tested on the difficult task of mapping from real satellite imagery. The authors investigated the use of a Hopfield neural network technique to map the spatial distributions of classes reliably using information of pixel composition determined from soft classification previously. The approach involved designing the energy function to produce a ‘best guess’ prediction of the spatial distribution of class components in each pixel. In previous studies, the authors described the application of the technique to target identification, pattern prediction and land cover mapping at the sub-pixel scale, but only for simulated imagery.We now show how the approach can be applied to Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) agriculture imagery to derive accurate estimates of land cover and reduce the uncertainty inherent in such imagery. The technique was applied to Landsat TM imagery of small-scale agriculture in Greece and largescale agriculture near Leicester, UK. The resultant maps provided an accurate and improved representation of the land covers studied, with RMS errors for the Landsat imagery of the order of 0.1 in the new fine resolution map recorded. The results showed that the neural network represents a simple efficient tool formapping land cover from operational satellite sensor imagery and can deliver requisite results and improvements over traditional techniques for the GIS analysis of practical remotely sensed imagery at the sub pixel scale

Reducing Prejudice: Imagery, Mere Exposure, or Something Else?

Prior research suggests that imagining a positive interaction with an out-group member improves implicit bias toward that group. However, phenomena like the mere exposure effect (MEE), which occurs when more frequently repeated stimuli are rated more positively, have shown similar changes in bias. In fact, mental imagery has been found to moderate the MEE. The current study hypothesized that a MEE of elderly faces would improve implicit bias toward the elderly population. To test, participants were administered an Age-IAT pre and post mere exposure. A MEE was not evident, but there was a significant reduction in implicit bias after the mere exposure. Limitations and implications of this study were discussed

Cuentos brevísimos de Jaime Tatem Brache

Jaime Tatem Brache (biografía). Nació en Salcedo, República Dominicana, el 9 de mayo de 1962. Es narrador, poeta y ensayista. Hizo una licenciatura en psicololgía, y luego realizó una especialidad en gestión empresarial y una maestría en gerencia y productividad. Entre sus obras están La otra cara del sueño (2004), Rituales de la lluvia (texto poético de 2005 que fue nominado al Premio de la Real Academia Española y traducido al italiano) y Silencio en alta mar (obra ganadora del primer lugar en el concurso de la Editorial Givane Holden). Miembro de la Academia Dominicana de la Lengua, coordina el grupo Juglares de la Academia. También es miembro de la Asociación Quisqueyana de Intelectuales y del grupo interiorista. Fue director de Servicios Estudiantiles y del Departamento de Ciencias Sociales de esta universidad, así como de APEC Cultural.Que la vida puede ser un infierno del que algún día habremos de despertar, que los sueños hermosos pueden también perder a un hombre, o que la belleza y el misterio están ahí, al alcance de todo aquel que tenga ojos y corazón para ver y sentir a un tiempo el pulso del mundo, son algunas de las ideas trabajadas en estos breves relatos que combinan belleza y peligro, serenidad y desgracia, y que en todo momento muestran la intensa pasión del autor por la vida y por la palabra que la narra y revela su esencia

WorldPop, open data for spatial demography

High resolution, contemporary data on human population distributions, their characteristics and changes over time are a prerequisite for the accurate measurement of the impacts of population growth, for monitoring changes and for planning interventions. WorldPop aims to meet these needs through the provision of detailed and open access spatial demographic datasets built using transparent approaches. The Scientific Data WorldPop collection brings together descriptor papers on these datasets and is introduced her

Mapping road network communities for guiding disease surveillance and control strategies

Human mobility is increasing in its volume, speed and reach, leading to the movement and introduction of pathogens through infected travelers. An understanding of how areas are connected, the strength of these connections and how this translates into disease spread is valuable for planning surveillance and designing control and elimination strategies. While analyses have been undertaken to identify and map connectivity in global air, shipping and migration networks, such analyses have yet to be undertaken on the road networks that carry the vast majority of travellers in low and middle income settings. Here we present methods for identifying road connectivity communities, as well as mapping bridge areas between communities and key linkage routes. We apply these to Africa, and show how many highly-connected communities straddle national borders and when integrating malaria prevalence and population data as an example, the communities change, highlighting regions most strongly connected to areas of high burden. The approaches and results presented provide a flexible tool for supporting the design of disease surveillance and control strategies through mapping areas of high connectivity that form coherent units of intervention and key link routes between communities for targeting surveillance.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, research pape

Plano Eastside Pipeline Replacement Collin County, Texas

North Texas Municipal Water District is planning the Plano Eastside Pipeline Replacement project in Collin County, Texas. The proposed project consists of replacing approximately 8,000 linear feet (2,438 meters) of waterline along the west side of Shiloh Road. Much of the line will be replaced within existing easements and in parking lots and entrances associated with commercial developments between Renner Road and 14th Street, and along Del Sol Drive. However, a few segments will require new easements. These segments total approximately 570 meters and are the only sections in need of an intensive pedestrian survey, although they parallel existing utilities. The survey was conducted within a 30-meter corridor, consisting of approximately 4.19 acres. AR Consultants, Inc. conducted survey on January 18, 2018 under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 8277. It was predicted that there was archaeological potential for historic cultural resources, however, potential for prehistoric sites was low. Four shovel tests were excavated; no cultural resources were observed on the surface and all shovel tests were devoid of cultural materials. As such, AR Consultants, Inc. recommends that further cultural resource investigations are unwarranted and requests that that Texas Historical Commission concur with this assessment. However, if artifacts or features are found during construction, work should stop immediately, and the Archeology Division of the Texas Historical Commission should be notified before work resumes. Field documents, photos, and other paperwork from this survey will be curated at the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University