Management of Science

NASA concept, philosophy, and approach to science managemen

Nomad, a naval message understanding system

We are building systems to automatically analyze Navy messages. Such messages typically are terse and use many abbreviations and Navy jargon. As a result, they are more difficult to understand than everyday English.The NOMAD system interacts with a message sender to ensure that only unambiguous and reasonably correct messages are generated. The VOX system will allow a human tutor to interactively extend the knowledge base of NOMAD

Preliminary rotor wake measurements with a laser velocimeter

A laser velocimeter (LV) was used to determine rotor wake characteristics. The effect of various fuselage widths and rotor-fuselage spacings on time averaged and detailed time dependent rotor wake velocity characteristics was defined. Definition of time dependent velocity characteristics was attempted with the LV by associating a rotor azimuth position with each velocity measurement. Results were discouraging in that no apparent time dependent velocity characteristics could be discerned from the LV measurements. Since the LV is a relatively new instrument in the rotor wake measurement field, the cause of this lack of periodicity is as important as the basic research objectives. An attempt was made to identify the problem by simulated acquisition of LV-type data for a predicted rotor wake velocity time history. Power spectral density and autocorrelation function estimation techniques were used to substantiate the conclusion that the primary cause of the lack of time dependent velocity characteristics was the nonstationary flow condition generated by the periodic turbulence level that currently exists in the open throat configuration of the wind tunnel

Toward a Negri-inspired theory of c/Constitution: a contemporary Canadian case study

This thesis excavates Antonio Negri's theorization of the distinction between 'the material and formal constitution' (one which I distinguish throughout by way of capitalization as 'the material constitution' and 'the formal Constitution' or, in the shorthand contraction, 'c/Constitution'). In the first half of the thesis this is undertaken by way of a theoretical line of inquiry (Chapter I-III) and in the second as a series of concretized case studies drawn from contemporary Canadian constitutional historiography (Chapters IV-VI). The first chapter of this thesis (Chapter I) presents the October 1970 Front de libération de Québec (FLQ) Crisis as an event which contains within itself, not unlike similar events surrounding the kidnap and murder of Aldo Moro by the Brigate Rosse (BR) in 1978 Italy, the contours of a Negri-inspired entry into the subject matter. Chapter II offers a more situated analysis of some of Negri's key texts on the c/Constitution from the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties to further ground the conceptual experiment underlying the thesis. Chapter III examines how Negri's thought is developed and brought up to date in his English language collaboration with Michael Hardt. Here, a significant detour will be taken through the critical literature responsive to Empire (2000). This is done first in a contemporary Canadian analysis of the form of sovereignty corresponding to 'Empire' (Chapter IV); second in a Canadian inquiry into the form of collective subjectivity understood by the concept of 'the multitude' (Chapter V); and, third in an Indigenous Canadian consideration of possible alternatives to the Constitution of the State in the 'constitution of the common' (Chapter VI)

Telling the Stars: A Quantitative Approach to Assessing the Use of Folk Tales in Science Education.

This research examines the impact of paired folk tales and science explanations on students in third through sixth grades who viewed program modules from the SkyTeller Project of Lynn Moroney and the Lunar and Planetary Institute of Houston, Texas. The audience consisted of over 3500 students in eight locations in the United States. Because few quantitative studies have been conducted to examine the use of stories in science education, the development of an instrument to assess students\u27 attitudes toward science and stories forms a major part of this research. During the final stage of testing, the revised instrument and methods found significant increase in positive attitude toward science after the presentations. Questionnaires, telephone calls, and on-site visits with program presenters and teachers confirmed quantitative results. Despite the difficulties of conducting large-scale studies and the traditionally small response compliance, quantitative assessment can provide useful information for evaluating storytelling media

Optimizing significance testing of astronomical forcing in cyclostratigraphy

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Increased Rates of Prolonged Length of Stay, Readmissions, and Discharge to Care Facilities among Postoperative Patients with Disseminated Malignancy: Implications for Clinical Practice.

BackgroundThe impact of surgery on end of life care for patients with disseminated malignancy (DMa) is incompletely characterized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate postoperative outcomes impacting quality of care among DMa patients, specifically prolonged length of hospital stay, readmission, and disposition.MethodsThe American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was queried for years 2011-2012. DMa patients were matched to non-DMa patients with comparable clinical characteristics and operation types. Primary hepatic operations were excluded, leaving a final cohort of 17,972 DMa patients. The primary outcomes were analyzed using multivariate Cox regression models.ResultsDMa patients represented 2.1% of all ACS-NSQIP procedures during the study period. The most frequent operations were bowel resections (25.3%). Compared to non-DMa matched controls, DMa patients had higher rates of postoperative overall morbidity (24.4% vs. 18.7%, p<0.001), serious morbidity (14.9% vs. 12.0%, p<0.001), mortality (7.6% vs. 2.5%, p<0.001), prolonged length of stay (32.2% vs. 19.8%, p<0.001), readmission (15.7% vs. 9.6%, p<0.001), and discharges to facilities (16.2% vs. 12.9%, p<0.001). Subgroup analyses of patients by procedure type showed similar results. Importantly, DMa patients who did not experience any postoperative complication experienced significantly higher rates of prolonged length of stay (23.0% vs. 11.8%, p<0.001), readmissions (10.0% vs. 5.2%, p<0.001), discharges to a facility (13.2% vs. 9.5%, p<0.001), and 30-day mortality (4.7% vs. 0.8%, p<0.001) compared to matched non-DMa patients.ConclusionSurgical interventions among DMa patients are associated with poorer postoperative outcomes including greater postoperative complications, prolonged length of hospital stay, readmissions, disposition to facilities, and death compared to non-DMa patients. These data reinforce the importance of clarifying goals of care for DMa patients, especially when acute changes in health status potentially requiring surgery occur