STARPROBE: Scientific rationale

The scientific rationale and instrumentation problems in the areas of solar internal dynamics and relativity, solar plasma and particle dynamics, and solar atmosphere structure were studied. Current STARPROBE mission and system design concepts are summarized

Computational Fluid Dynamics Applied to Transport Systems in Trees

Our ecosystem is dependent upon the ability of photosynthetic plants to convert solar energy into a form of energy useable to biological organisms. Even so, much remains to become understood about how plants function. With such expansive bodies,how do trees cyclewaterand nutrients throughouttheir bodies

Pyrotechnic shock analysis and testing methods

Pyrotechnic shock analysis and testing methods for Ranger and Mariner spacecraft measurement

Mariner Mars 1964 flight dynamic data

Telemetry data in and around Mars spacecraft area analyzed for Mariner III and IV space probes by data from vibration transducers on payload and microphones on umbilical towe

Social Workers\u27 Perceptions of Family Preservation Programs

The passage of the Adoptions and Safe Families Act of 1997, with its focus on child safety and concurrent planning, has presented family preservation workers with new challenges and new opportunities. Twenty volunteers from a large comprehensive social service agency were interviewed to determine their experiences with two models of family preservation—Multisystemic Therapy (MST) and Traditional Family Preservation Service (TFPS) or practice as usual. Workers from both programs were able to articulate values consistent with family preservation as important strengths of the programs— keeping families together and empowering families for example. Information from referring agencies was described as variable and not especially useful when working with seriously troubled families, especially as it related to risk and child safety. Both groups indicated that the jargon of family preservation had permeated their agencies, and that working with other agencies was at times a challenge, though for different reasons. Finally, despite some reservations about the effectiveness of short-term treatment with families that face serious challenges, both groups of workers were generally satisfied with family preservation as an approach to practice

Differentiation of phagocytic monocytes into lymph node dendritic cells in vivo

We investigated the differentiation and trafficking of inflammatory monocytes that phagocytosed subcutaneously injected fluorescent microspheres. As expected, most of the monocytes became microsphere+ macrophages, which remained in subcutaneous tissue. However, about 25% of latex+ cells migrated to the T cell area of draining lymph nodes, where they expressed dendritic cell (DC)-restricted markers and high levels of costimulatory molecules. Microsphere-transporting cells were distinct from resident skin DCs, and this transport was reduced by more than 85% in monocyte-deficient osteopetrotic mice. Thus, a substantial minority of inflammatory monocytes carry phagocytosed particles to lymph nodes and differentiate into DC

Feasibility and initial efficacy of project-based treatment for people with ABI

Background: Communication impairments are common and pervasive for people a long time following acquired brain injury (ABI). These impairments have a significant impact on a person's quality of life (QOL) post‐injury. Project‐based treatment is a treatment approach that could have an impact on communication skills and QOL for people with ABI a long‐term post‐injury. This treatment is embedded in a context of meaningful activities chosen by people with ABI, whereby, as a group, they work collaboratively to achieve a tangible end product. Aims: To evaluate the feasibility and initial efficacy of project‐based treatment on improving the communication skills and QOL for people with ABI. Methods & Procedures: An exploratory controlled trial with alternate allocation of groups, and follow‐up at 6–8 weeks, was completed. Twenty‐one people with chronic ABI were recruited in groups of two to three from community settings, allocated to either a TREATMENT (n = 11) or WAITLIST group (n = 10). Participants attended a 20‐h group‐based treatment over 6 weeks where they worked towards achieving a project that helped others. To determine feasibility, four criteria were used: demand, implementation, practicality and acceptability. A range of communication and QOL outcomes was used to determine a fifth feasibility criterion, initial efficacy. Some of these criteria were additionally used to evaluate the feasibility of the outcomes. Outcomes & Results: All participants received the treatment as allocated with high attendance and no dropouts. The treatment was feasible to deliver as intended and was highly acceptable to participants. Medium and large effect sizes were found from pre‐ to post‐treatment, and from pre‐treatment to follow‐up for measures of conversation, perceived communicative ability and QOL. Conclusions & Implications: Project‐based treatment is feasible with indications of initial efficacy for both communication skills and QOL. The treatment provides a promising new approach for improving communication skills and QOL in people with chronic acquired brain injuries in the community setting

Memory of Love towards Parents Questionnaire:development and psychometric evaluation

We document the development of the Memory of Love towards Parents Questionnaire—for use in multiple areas of psychology. It is designed to measure current feelings of and memory of love towards a specific parent during important time periods in childhood. In all samples (total N = 1527), we consistently found high internal reliability. We report the basic psychometrics of the 28-item subscale version in both undergraduate and US nonclinical adult samples and identified 10-item and 4-item subscale versions. The Memory of Love towards Parents Questionnaire has eight subscales: assessing mother and father separately during first, sixth, and ninth grade, as well as current feelings. We found a pattern of correlations that one would expect between existing attachment scales and the Memory of Love towards Parents Questionnaire. A factor analysis demonstrated that Memory of Love towards Parents Questionnaire items capture something different from the factors in established attachment measures. We found that the order of the subscales can be presented in a fixed order (mother-first and chronologically) without large order effects. The Memory of Love towards Parents Questionnaire demonstrated a single factor within subscales, reliability, and validity. The Memory of Love towards Parents Questionnaire can be used in clinical, social, developmental, and cognitive psychology

Satellite Imagery in the Study and Forecast of Malaria

More than 30 years ago, human beings looked back from the Moon to see the magnificent spectacle of Earthrise. The technology that put us into space has since been used to assess the damage we are doing to our natural environment and is now being harnessed to monitor and predict diseases through space and time. Satellite sensor data promise the development of early-warning systems for diseases such as malaria, which kills between 1 and 2 million people each year