Assessment and forecasting of lightning potential and its effect on launch operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and John F. Kennedy Space Center

Lightning plays a pivotal role in the operation decision process for space and ballistic launches at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. Lightning forecasts are the responsibility of Detachment 11, 4th Weather Wing's Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility. These forecasts are important to daily ground processing as well as launch countdown decisions. The methodology and equipment used to forecast lightning are discussed. Impact on a recent mission is summarized

Short oestrous cycles in sheep during anoestrus involve defects in progesterone biosynthesis and luteal neovascularisation

Anoestrous ewes can be induced to ovulate by the socio-sexual, 'ram effect'. However, in some ewes the induced ovulation is followed by an abnormally short luteal phase causing a so called, "short cycle". The defect responsible for this luteal dysfunction has not been identified. In this experiment we investigated ovarian and uterine factors implicated in male-induced short cycles in anoestrus ewes using a combined endocrine and molecular strategy. Prior to ovulation, we were able to detect a moderate loss of thecal expression of steroid acute regulatory protein (STAR) in ewes that had not received progesterone priming (which prevents short cycles). At and following ovulation we were able to identify significant loss of expression of genes coding key proteins involved in the biosynthesis of progesterone (STAR, CYP11A1, HSD3B) as well as genes coding proteins critical for vascular development during early luteal development (VEGFA, VEGFR2) suggesting dysfunction in at least two pathways critical for normal luteal function. Furthermore, these changes were associated with a significant reduction of progesterone production and luteal weight. Additionally, we cast doubt on the proposed uterine-mediated effect of prostaglandin F2α as a cause of short cycles by demonstrating both the dysregulation of luteal expression of the PGF receptor, which mediates the luteal effects of PGF2α, and by finding no significant changes in the circulating concentrations of PGFM, the principal metabolite of PGF2α in ewes with short cycles. This study is the first of its kind to examine concurrently, the endocrine and molecular events in the follicular and early luteal stages of the short cycle

Three-dimensional Acceleration Measurement Using Videogrammetry Tracking Data

In order to evaluate the feasibility of multi-point, non-contact, acceleration measurement, a high-speed, precision videogrammetry system has been assembled from commercially-available components and software. Consisting of three synchronized 640 X 480 pixel monochrome progressive scan CCD cameras each operated at 200 frames per second, this system has the capability to provide surface-wide position-versus-time data that are filtered and twice-differentiated to yield the desired acceleration tracking at multiple points on a moving body. The oscillating motion of targets mounted on the shaft of a modal shaker were tracked, and the accelerations calculated using the videogrammetry data were compared directly to conventional accelerometer measurements taken concurrently. Although differentiation is an inherently noisy operation, the results indicate that simple mathematical filters based on the well-known Savitzky and Golay algorithms, implemented using spreadsheet software, remove a significant component of the noise, resulting in videogrammetry-based acceleration measurements that are comparable to those obtained using the accelerometers

Polyurethane Microparticles for Stimuli Response and Reduced Oxidative Degradation in Highly Porous Shape Memory Polymers

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have been found to be promising biomaterials for a variety of medical applications; however, the clinical translation of such technology is dependent on tailorable properties such as gravimetric changes in degradation environments. For SMPs synthesized from amino-alcohols, oxidation resulting in rapid mass loss may be problematic in terms of loss of material functionality as well as toxicity and cytocompatibility concerns. Control of gravimetric changes was achieved through the incorporation of small molecule antioxidants, either directly into the polymer matrix or included in microparticles to form a SMP composite material. Direct incorporation of small molecule antioxidants, such as phenolic alcohols, was found to alter shape memory attributes and increase elastic modulus at the expense of the strain to failure. Such changes could not ensure retention of the antioxidants and therefore did not increase oxidative stability. However, the inclusion of antioxidants in microparticles was found to produce materials with similar thermomechanical and shape memory properties while increasing oxidative resistance compared to controls. The microparticle composite SMPs also act as a platform for environmental sensing, such as pH-dependent fluorescence shifts and payload release, as demonstrated by fluorescent dyes and the release of antioxidants. The use of polyurethane-urea microparticles in porous SMPs is demonstrated to increase biostability of the materials, by approximately 25%, and ultimately extend their lifespan for use in aneurysm occlusion as determined through calculated in vivo degradation rates corresponding to a porcine aneurysm environment

The effects of changes in the order of verbal labels and numerical values on children's scores on attitude and rating scales

Research with adults has shown that variations in verbal labels and numerical scale values on rating scales can affect the responses given. However, few studies have been conducted with children. The study aimed to examine potential differences in children’s responses to Likert-type rating scales according to their anchor points and scale direction, and to see whether or not such differences were stable over time. 130 British children, aged 9 to 11, completed six sets of Likert-type rating scales, presented in four different ways varying the position of positive labels and numerical values. The results showed, both initially and 8-12 weeks later, that presenting a positive label or a high score on the left of a scale led to significantly higher mean scores than did the other variations. These findings indicate that different arrangements of rating scales can produce different results which has clear implications for the administration of scales with children

The deepwater horizon oil spill coast guard cohort study: A cross-sectional study of acute respiratory health symptoms

Introduction Over 8500 United States Coast Guard (USCG) personnel were deployed in response to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill; however, human respiratory effects as a result of spill-related exposures are relatively unknown. Methods USCG personnel who responded to the DWH oil spill were queried via survey on exposures to crude oil and oil dispersant, and acute respiratory symptoms experienced during deployment. Adjusted log binomial regressions were used to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), investigating the associations between oil spill exposures and respiratory symptoms. Results 4855 USCG personnel completed the survey. More than half (54.6%) and almost one-fourth (22.0%) of responders were exposed to crude oil and oil dispersants, respectively. Coughing was the most prevalent symptom (19.4%), followed by shortness of breath (5.5%), and wheezing (3.6%). Adjusted analyses showed an exposure-response relationship between increasing deployment duration and likelihood of coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing in the pre-capping period. A similar pattern was observed in the post-capping period for coughing and wheezing. Adjusted analyses revealed increased PRs for coughing (PR=1.92), shortness of breath (PR=2.60), and wheezing (PR=2.68) for any oil exposure. Increasing frequency of inhalation of oil was associated with increased likelihood of all three respiratory symptoms. A similar pattern was observed for contact with oil dispersants for coughing and shortness of breath. The combination of both oil and oil dispersants presented associations that were much greater in magnitude than oil alone for coughing (PR=2.72), shortness of breath (PR=4.65), and wheezing (PR=5.06). Conclusions Results from the present study suggested strong relationships between oil and oil dispersant exposures and acute respiratory symptoms among disaster responders. Future prospective studies will be needed to confirm these findings

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort study

A cohort study among Coast Guard personnel involved in the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill response and non-responders was established to investigate potential acute and longterm health effects from oil spill response work exposures. Results showed positive associations between crude oil exposure and various acute physical symptoms among responders, as well as longer term health effects

Development of a Large-Scale Integrated Neurocognitive Architecture - Part 2: Design and Architecture

In Part 1 of this report, we outlined a framework for creating an intelligent agent based upon modeling the large-scale functionality of the human brain. Building on those results, we begin Part 2 by specifying the behavioral requirements of a large-scale neurocognitive architecture. The core of our long-term approach remains focused on creating a network of neuromorphic regions that provide the mechanisms needed to meet these requirements. However, for the short term of the next few years, it is likely that optimal results will be obtained by using a hybrid design that also includes symbolic methods from AI/cognitive science and control processes from the field of artificial life. We accordingly propose a three-tiered architecture that integrates these different methods, and describe an ongoing computational study of a prototype 'mini-Roboscout' based on this architecture. We also examine the implications of some non-standard computational methods for developing a neurocognitive agent. This examination included computational experiments assessing the effectiveness of genetic programming as a design tool for recurrent neural networks for sequence processing, and experiments measuring the speed-up obtained for adaptive neural networks when they are executed on a graphical processing unit (GPU) rather than a conventional CPU. We conclude that the implementation of a large-scale neurocognitive architecture is feasible, and outline a roadmap for achieving this goal

A site to resist and persist: Diversity, social justice, and the unique nature of sport

Scholarly debate on the unique characteristics of sport management continues, with much of the dialogue focusing on the sport product, the relationship between sport and external stakeholders (e.g. fans, government, leagues), as well as the unique role that fans and winning play in the delivery of sport. In offering a new lens from which to approach the academic argument, the authors suggest that sport is unique because it serves as a site for coaches and athletes to resist and persist through their activist efforts. To support this position, they (a) articulate the significance of sport in society for fans and non-fans, alike; (b) demonstrate how, because of the relevance of sport in society, coaches and athletes have taken on celebrity status, and as a result, are likely to engage in activism and resistance; and (c) propose these activities then result in societal change. Noting the importance of moderators, the authors also suggest that coach and athlete demographics, their social justice orientation, and the context in which they operate are all likely to influence the relationship between celebrity status and activism and resistance. The effectiveness of their message is likely to vary based on their credibility and the involvement and demographics of the message receiver. The authors offer theoretical and practical implications

Natural Disaster and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders in Puerto Rican Children

We examined the persistence of psychiatric disorders at approximately 18 and 30 months after a hurricane among a random sample of the child and adolescent population (4–17 years) of Puerto Rico. Data were obtained from caretaker-child dyads (N = 1,886) through in person interviews with primary caretakers (all children) and youth (11–17 years) using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children IV in Spanish. Logistic regressions, controlling for sociodemographic variables, were used to study the relation between disaster exposure and internalizing, externalizing, or any disorder. Children’s disaster-related distress manifested as internalizing disorders, rather than as externalizing disorders at 18 months post-disaster. At 30 months, there was no longer a significant difference in rates of disorder between hurricane-exposed and non-exposed youth. Results were similar across age ranges. Rates of specific internalizing disorders between exposed and unexposed children are provided. Research and clinical implications are discussed