Project ATLANTIS (Applied Technology Learning Activities for Non-Traditional Instruction in Space)

As commercial and governmental space endeavors increase in number and complexity, the need for people educated in space policy and law will also grow. In order to create this well-educated group of space professionals, a sophisticated space policy and law curriculum is needed. As accessibility of technology increases and more students are becoming digital natives, the importance of non-traditional curriculums increases. This paper describes an educational experiment in which students in an independent study course created space policy and law educational videos based on topics within the curriculum of an existing undergraduate space law course. Two educational models can be derived from this experiment: the creation of the videos as a special project within a traditional classroom or independent study course, or administering the completed videos as part of a flipped-classroom model. This paper proposes measures of success for both educational models derived from the experiment as well. Beyond engaging students in a flexible, non-traditional curriculum, the benefit of creating the videos was threefold: the activity taught the students the material, developed the digital literacies of the student-creators, and created materials that could be used in a flipped-classroom or a traditional educational setting, or as capacity-building materials. Capacity-building materials are not limited to students at the college levels, but are available through organizations like the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs for any situation in which subject matter expertise is lacking. The course materials created in this experiment could be used to complement space law capacity-building materials, for the benefit of all, regardless of gender, generation, or geography. A further benefit to the educational materials made in this project is that they could be used for space law outreach

Project ATLANTIS: Applied Technology Learning Activities for Non-Traditional Instruction on Space

As commercial and governmental space endeavors increase in number and complexity, the need for people educated in space policy and law will also grow. In order to create this well-educated group of space professionals, a sophisticated space policy and law curriculum is needed. As accessibility of technology increases and more students are becoming digital natives, the importance of non-traditional curriculums increases. This paper describes an educational experiment in which students in an independent study course created space policy and law educational videos based on topics within the curriculum of an existing undergraduate space law course. Two educational models can be derived from this experiment: the creation of the videos as a special project within a traditional classroom or independent study course, or administering the completed videos as part of a flipped-classroom model. This paper proposes measures of success for both educational models derived from the experiment as well. Beyond engaging students in a flexible, non-traditional curriculum, the benefit of creating the videos was threefold: the activity taught the students the material, developed the digital literacies of the student-creators, and created materials that could be used in a flipped-classroom or a traditional educational setting, or as capacity-building materials. Capacity-building materials are not limited to students at the college levels, but are available through organizations like the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs for any situation in which subject matter expertise is lacking. The course materials created in this experiment could be used to complement space law capacity-building materials, for the benefit of all, regardless of gender, generation, or geography. A further benefit to the educational materials made in this project is that they could be used for space law outreach

A Novel Lifecycle Extension Plan for the Efficient Usage of On-Orbit Post-Consumer Assets

Asteroid mining is a potential form of commercial space industry, and significant amounts of research have gone into the feasibility of that activity. Less research has been done on what happens to the asteroid post-mining; the two primary end-of-life scenarios for the remains of a mined asteroid are not ideal. The remains could be deorbited, which entails complex technical and legal challenges, or they could remain in or-bit, which could lead to collisions and a general increase in space debris. This proposal outlines a solution for the post-consumer asteroid issue which avoids creating more space debris and the risky business of deorbiting. This solution is to use the post-consumer asteroid shell as a shelter for delicate equipment or as a “garbage can in space,” which would hold the remains of defunct satellites until the time they could be more safely deorbited. The shell of the asteroid would provide protection from space debris impacts and some radiation. This proposal also discusses some of the major technical and legal challenges that this solution would face, and how stakeholders could potentially address them. More research is required to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that this proposal faces, which can be conducted during the long-term development of commercial asteroid mining technologies

A Novel Lifecycle Extension Plan for the Efficient Usage of On-Orbit Post-Consumer Assets

Asteroid mining is a highly-discussed emerging area in outer space commercialization. Significant research has gone into the feasibility of asteroid mining, specifically into the retrieval of asteroids and the technical challenges of resource extraction. Less research has focused on the end-of-life of the asteroid. There are two primary end-of-life scenarios for the asteroid: abandonment or deorbit. These scenarios are technologically challenging and potentially risky for the owners of the asteroid. This paper presents a third option for the asteroid asset after mining operations conclude by lengthening the profitable lifespan of the asteroid. Additionally, the plan takes advantage the caverns and depressions in the surface of the asteroid, a byproduct of the resource extraction process. The solution proposed is to use the asteroid as a storage container on orbit for delicate payloads or as a “garbage can in space,” which would hold the remains of defunct space objects. The mass of the asteroid would provide objects stored within passive shielding from the dangers of the space environment. Additional discussion on the major technical and legal challenges that this solution would face, and how stakeholders could potentially address them. This paper presents a third option for the asteroid asset after mining operations conclude. This plan would lengthen the profitable lifespan of the asteroid, thereby avoiding deorbiting the asteroid or abandoning it as space debris. Additionally, the plan takes advantage the caverns and depressions in the surface of the asteroid, a byproduct of the resource extraction process. The solution we propose is to use the asteroid as a storage container on orbit for delicate payloads or as a “garbage can in space,” which would hold the remains of defunct space objects until the time they could be more safely deorbited. The mass of the asteroid would provide objects stored within passive shielding from the dangers of the space environment, namely space debris and radiation. This proposal also discusses some of the major technical and legal challenges that this solution would face, and how stakeholders could potentially address them. More research is required to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that this proposal faces, which can be conducted during the long-term development of commercial asteroid mining technologies

“Culture Is So Interspersed”: Child-Minders’ and Health Workers’ Perceptions of Childhood Obesity in South Africa

Introduction. Forty-one million children globally are overweight or obese, with most rapid rate increases among low- and middle-income nations. Child-minders and health workers play a crucial role in obesity prevention efforts, but their perceptions of childhood obesity in low- and middle-income countries are poorly understood. This study aims to (1) explore child-minders and health workers’ perceptions of the causes, consequences, potential strategies, and barriers for childhood obesity prevention and intervention in Cape Town, South Africa and (2) to provisionally test the fit of a socioecological framework to explain these perceptions. Methods. Twenty-one interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through analytic induction. Results. Participants identified multilevel factors and contexts, as well as potential consequences and priorities of interest in addressing childhood obesity. An adapted childhood obesity perceptions model was generated, which introduces an overarching cultural dimension embedded across levels of the socioecological framework. Conclusions. Culture plays a pivotal role in explaining obesogenic outcomes, and the results of this study demonstrate the need for further research investigating how obesity perceptions are shaped by cultural frames (e.g., social, political, and historical). Understanding the causes, consequences, and potential interventions to address obesity through a cultural lens is critical for promoting health in low- and middle-income nations

Connecting With Clients in Later Life: The Use of Telebehavioral Health to Address Older Adults’ Mental Health Needs

Telebehavioral health offers a unique opportunity to expand access to mental health services for older clients by addressing systemic barriers that often render mental health care inaccessible in later life. Although health interventions facilitated by technology, including telebehavioral health approaches, proliferated at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, little guidance exists for counselors seeking to provide such services to clients in later life. In this manuscript, we describe challenges accessing mental health services, how telebehavioral health services can address these barriers, and practical consideration for delivering telebehavioral health approaches for counselors who work with older clients

Campus Interview Room

Embry-Riddle offers resources to students throughout the job interview process, from identifying potential employers to how to negotiate a salary. One resource that is not offered, however, is a location for students to complete telephone and video conference job interviews. Students, especially those who live on campus, often struggle to find a space in which to conduct an interview that all of the following necessary requirements: strong cell phone or internet signal or ethernet connection, and a quiet space where there will be no interuptions. Therefore, I enter the following idea into the Student Innovation Awards: a dedicated interview room. The interview room, which could be located anywhere on campus, would require soundproofing ($1200-$1450 estimate, including labor), a cell phone signal booster ($499), a computer with Skype and Zoom downloaded, and an open ethernet cable, if the student wants to connect their own device to the ethernet signal. The total estimated costs of the room would be$2500. Like many of the study spaces already in use on campus, the interview room would be reservable, via a student assistant or a remotely-accessible computer system. Both systems already exist on campus, and could be adapted and utilized for the interview room. A total of $2000 would be reserved for student wages to operate the interview room, whether the interview room is added to the responsibilities of an existing student assistant or if a new student assistant is hired. The only elements of the interview room that do not already exist on campus are the soundproofing materials and the cell phone signal booster. The interview room would provide many benefits to Embry-Riddle and its students. A dedicated interview space would allow students to focus on the content of the interview, rather than on its logistics. Interviewed students would be more prepared and less stressed, representing both themselves and Embry-Riddle more professionally to the aerospace and aviation industries. Further, an interview room could be used by students for other projects if not in use as an interview space. For example, the interview room could be used to record audio projects or as a quiet study space. Finally and most importantly, the interview room would be a visible and useful way to showcase Embry-Riddle’s dedication to the students and their futures

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Tree

https://commons.erau.edu/db-art-exhibit-2016/1002/thumbnail.jp

Workers' Perceptions of Childhood Obesity in South Africa

Introduction. Forty-one million children globally are overweight or obese, with most rapid rate increases among low-and middleincome nations. Child-minders and health workers play a crucial role in obesity prevention efforts, but their perceptions of childhood obesity in low-and middle-income countries are poorly understood. This study aims to (1) explore child-minders and health workers' perceptions of the causes, consequences, potential strategies, and barriers for childhood obesity prevention and intervention in Cape Town, South Africa and (2) to provisionally test the fit of a socioecological framework to explain these perceptions. Methods. Twenty-one interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through analytic induction. Results. Participants identified multilevel factors and contexts, as well as potential consequences and priorities of interest in addressing childhood obesity. An adapted childhood obesity perceptions model was generated, which introduces an overarching cultural dimension embedded across levels of the socioecological framework. Conclusions. Culture plays a pivotal role in explaining obesogenic outcomes, and the results of this study demonstrate the need for further research investigating how obesity perceptions are shaped by cultural frames (e.g., social, political, and historical). Understanding the causes, consequences, and potential interventions to address obesity through a cultural lens is critical for promoting health in low-and middle-income nations

Anti-infective external coating of central venous catheters: a randomized, noninferiority trial comparing 5-fluorouracil with chlorhexidine/silver sulfadiazine in preventing catheter colonization

OBJECTIVE: The antimetabolite drug, 5-fluorouracil, inhibits microbial growth. Coating of central venous catheters with 5-fluorouracil may reduce the risk of catheter infection. Our objective was to compare the safety and efficacy of central venous catheters externally coated with 5-fluorouracil with those coated with chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine. DESIGN: Prospective, single-blind, randomized, active-controlled, multicentered, noninferiority trial. SETTING: Twenty-five US medical center intensive care units. PATIENTS: A total of 960 adult patients requiring central venous catheterization for up to 28 days. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to receive a central venous catheter externally coated with either 5-fluorouracil (n = 480) or chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine (n = 480). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary antimicrobial outcome was a dichotomous measure (/= 15 colony-forming units) for catheter colonization determined by the roll plate method. Secondary antimicrobial outcomes included local site infection and catheter-related bloodstream infection. Central venous catheters coated with 5-fluorouracil were noninferior to chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine coated central venous catheters with respect to the incidence of catheter colonization (2.9% vs. 5.3%, respectively). Local site infection occurred in 1.4% of the 5-fluorouracil group and 0.9% of the chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine group. No episode of catheter-related bloodstream infection occurred in the 5-fluorouracil group, whereas two episodes were noted in the chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine group. Only Gram-positive organisms were cultured from 5-fluorouracil catheters, whereas Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and Candida were cultured from the chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine central venous catheters. Adverse events were comparable between the two central venous catheter coatings. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that central venous catheters externally coated with 5-fluorouracil are a safe and effective alternative to catheters externally coated with chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine when used in critically ill patients