Internal contamination in the space station

Atmosphere trace contaminant control systems used in the past (Lunar Module and Skylab) and present (nuclear submarines and Shuttle) are discussed. Recommendations are made for the future Space Station contaminant control system. The prevention and control methods used are judicious material selection, detection, and specific removal equipment. Sources and effects of contamination relating to crew and equipment are also discussed

Human factors in space station architecture: The ECLSS module concept

Human factors engineering concepts were considered for the ECLSS module concept space station. ECLS modules were conceptually examined to determine their advantages and disadvantages

Mathematical representations of sociolinguistic restraints on three-person conversations

This paper applies group theory and a statistical analysis by questions to the examination of sociolinguistic restraints on three-person conversation. It is shown in four situations of increasing generality that conversational invariance under permutation of participant roles implies restriction of conversational changes to description by a small subgroup of all possible transformations. The last of the four situations is n-person conversation; hence, the mathematical techniques here used are applicable to situations of greater complexity than the three-person conversations on which the present article focuses. A final section discusses possible applications to situations in descriptive phonology and grammar

Focal adhesion protein dynamics and the role of endosomes in contractile, fully differentiated, vascular smooth muscle

Turnover of focal adhesions (FAs) is known to be critical for cell migration and adhesion of proliferative vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). However, it is often assumed that FAs in non-migratory, differentiated vascular smooth muscle cells (dVSMCs) embedded in the wall of healthy blood vessels are static structures. Recent work from our lab has demonstrated agonist-induced actin polymerization and Src-dependent focal adhesion phosphorylation in dVSMCs, suggesting that agonist-induced FA remodeling occurs. However, the mechanisms and extent of FA remodeling are largely unknown in dVSM. Here we show, for the first time, that a distinct subpopulation of dVSM FA proteins, but not the entire FA, remodels in response to the alpha-agonist phenylephrine. VASP and Zyxin displayed the largest redistributions while beta-integrin and FAK showed undetectable redistribution. Vinculin, metavinculin, Src, CAS, and paxillin displayed intermediate degrees of redistribution. Redistributions into membrane fractions were especially prominent, suggesting endosomal mechanisms. Deconvolution microscopy, quantitative colocalization analysis, and proximity ligation assays revealed that phenylephrine increases the association of FA proteins with early endosomal markers Rab5 and EEA1. Endosomal disruption with the small molecule inhibitor primaquine inhibits agonist-induced redistribution of FA proteins, confirming endosomal recycling. FA recycling was also inhibited by cytochalasin D, latrunculin B and colchicine, indicating that the redistribution is actin and microtubule-dependent. Furthermore, inhibition of endosomal recycling causes a significant inhibition of the rate of development of agonist-induced dVSM contractions. Thus, these studies are consistent with the concept that FAs in dVSMCs, embedded in the wall of the aorta, remodel during the action of a vasoconstrictor

Development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis models to evaluate the effects of impact injury on joint health for clinical disease treatment and prevention

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common, debilitating, musculoskeletal diseases in the world. Currently, there is no cure. It is well-known that a traumatic, joint injury increases the risk of developing post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Therefore, in order to improve clinical treatment and prevention strategies for post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), a series of translational studies were conducted to develop research models to evaluate the effects of impact injury. The first section of this dissertation (Ch. 1-2) provides a comprehensive introduction and literature review related to both clinical PTOA as well as previous research investigations of PTOA. The second section of this dissertation (Ch. 3-6) describes the methodology of optimizing a servo-hydraulic test machine to deliver a controlled impact injury (Ch. 3) as well as subsequent studies using this device to injure articular cartilage (Ch. 4) and cartilage-bone explants (Ch. 5-6). Further, the effects of dynamic, compressive loading to mimic walking after impact injury of cartilage-bone explants was investigated (Ch. 6). The third section of this dissertation (Ch. 7-8) details the development of an impactor device that may be used for pre-clinical, animal models. Many significant findings were discovered through this dissertation work. Specifically, by using the proportional-integral-derivative (40, 0, 0) values, a large (25kN) servo-hydraulic test machine may be used to deliver a controlled impact injury to explants (Ch. 3). Biomarkers glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were elevated after cartilage impact injury with PGE2 having the highest mechanosensitivity than any other biomarker (Ch. 4). Energy absorbed during cartilage-bone injury is dependent upon trauma severity; PGE2 and monocyte attractant protein (MCP-1) were elevated following cartilage-bone injury (Ch. 5). Dynamic, compressive loading retained cell viability in non-impacted cartilage-bone explants and mitigated GAG release in impacted explants; GAG and PGE2 were elevated due to cartilage-bone injury whereas matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were elevated due to injury plus dynamic, compressive loading (Ch. 6). The development of a 8mm diameter impactor does create articular cartilage damage (Ch. 7), albeit a smaller, 2mm diameter impactor creates higher impact stresses and may be used arthroscopically for pre-clinical animal models (Ch. 8).Includes bibliographical references

Alphabet Knowledge Interventions And Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Need For Mnemonics Or Motivation?

Reading is one of the most essential skills, for not only academic success but lifetime success. Moreover, alphabetic principle, including the ability to name letters, is crucial to developing reading skills. This study examined the effectiveness of two alphabet knowledge interventions designed to improve the letter naming fluency of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. An alternating-treatments design was employed to compare the effects of each intervention. Intervention A focused on providing ample opportunities for learning, error correction, and used pictures as mnemonics. Intervention B also provided ample opportunities to respond and error correction but also included positive contingencies for accurate performance. Specifically, performance was paired with a token economy, providing the opportunity for the participant to earn a reinforcer of his/her choice. Both interventions improved the participant’s letter naming fluency skills, but Intervention B was more effective. Discussion emphasizes the pivotal role motivation plays in improving knowledge and performance on academic tasks among students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

TWO HERMENEUTICAL TENSIONS IN EVANGELICAL FEMINISM

This article shows that there are at least two key hermeneutical tensions in evangelical feminist interpretation of the Bible. The first hermeneutical tension concern the issue of readers' prejudices. Feminists remind us that readers are always disposed to read texts against the background of their own expectations, customs, and world views. And the second hermeneutical tension, namely the tension over the nature of the actual practices of the first century church. Evangelical feminists have tended to give different answers depending on the passage that they are interpreting. In sum, feminism in its hermeneutical principles alerts us to the role of reader prejudice and social background in understanding texts. KEYWORDS: Hermeneutic, feminist, prejudice, Christia

The role of Gray’s revised RST in the P–psychopathy continuum: the relationships of Psychoticism with a lack of fear and anxiety, and increased impulsivity

Gray's revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rRST; Gray & McNaughton, 2000) may play a role in explaining deficits in Psychoticism (P) and psychopathy (Corr, 2010). In this paper, we examine the relationships of P with anxiety, fear, impulsivity and reward reactivity in normal populations to assess whether these associations mirror the hypothesized role of RST motivations in psychopathy. Two hundred and twelve participants completed measures of Psychoticism, impulsivity and rRST motivations (BIS-anxiety, FFFS-fear and BAS). BIS-anxiety mediated the association of P with FFFS-fear and BAS-fun seeking. An exploratory factor analysis distinguished between trait impulsivity (P, impulsivity and BIS) and reward reactivity (BAS-reward responsiveness and BAS-drive). Subsequent moderation analyses showed that whilst neither BIS nor BAS moderated the P-impulsivity link, the association between P and impulsivity was more pronounced in individuals with raised levels of FFFS-fear. Findings are discussed in terms of the roles of fear versus anxiety and impulsivity versus reward reactivity in the P-psychopathy continuum

The P-psychopathy continuum: facets of psychoticism and their associations with psychopathic tendencies

Eysenck proposed that psychopathy is at the extreme end of the Psychoticism (P) personality dimension (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1976). This study examined (i) whether psychopathy-relevant P items of the EPQ-R can form psychometrically valid facets that map onto the conceptualization of the two-, three- or four-factor models of psychopathy using confirmatory factor analysis (N=577) in a normal population; and (ii) whether those P-facets have criteria-related validity in associations with self-reported primary and secondary psychopathy, impulsivity (subsample N=306), and measures of trait empathy and aggression (subsample N=212). The four-factor model incorporating affective, interpersonal, impulsive, and antisocial facets of P was superior to the two-factor model; however, the three-factor conceptualization excluding the antisocial P-facet was the best fit. The facets show predicted divergent associations with primary and secondary self-reported psychopathy and trait measures. Findings are discussed in light of Eysenck’s P-psychopathy continuity hypothesis and the applicability of facet approaches to the prediction of psychopathic and antisocial tendencies