Planetary Defence Activities Beyond NASA and ESA

The collision of a significant asteroid or comet with Earth represents a singular natural disaster for a myriad of reasons, including: its extraterrestrial origin; the fact that it is perhaps the only natural disaster that is preventable in many cases, given sufficient preparation and warning; its scope, which ranges from damaging a city to an extinction-level event; and the duality of asteroids and comets themselves---they are grave potential threats, but are also tantalising scientific clues to our ancient past and resources with which we may one day build a prosperous spacefaring future. Accordingly, the problems of developing the means to interact with asteroids and comets for purposes of defence, scientific study, exploration, and resource utilisation have grown in importance over the past several decades. Since the 1980s, more and more asteroids and comets (especially the former) have been discovered, radically changing our picture of the solar system. At the beginning of the year 1980, approximately 9,000 asteroids were known to exist. By the beginning of 2001, that number had risen to approximately 125,000 thanks to the Earth-based telescopic survey efforts of the era, particularly the emergence of modern automated telescopic search systems, pioneered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys (MITs) LINEAR system in the mid-to-late 1990s. Today, in late 2019, about 840,000 asteroids have been discovered, with more and more being found every week, month, and year. Of those, approximately 21,400 are categorised as near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), 2,000 of which are categorised as Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) and 2,749 of which are categorised as potentially accessible. The hazards posed to us by asteroids affect people everywhere around the world. As well, the opportunities presented by asteroids may benefit our entire species. Thus, with such a large number of currently known asteroids and so many yet to be discovered, it is not surprising that individuals, organisations, institutions, and governments all around the world have become interested in the study of asteroids. Indeed, a variety of government space agencies, private organisations, and individuals have worked on developing the means by which to observe, study, and even interact with asteroids and comets for purposes including science, exploration, pioneering, commerce, and planetary defence. This includes significant individual contributions by amateur asteroid astronomers all over the world. International cooperation in planetary defence within the contexts of the United Nations and the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) are discussed in Chapter 2, and the activities undertaken by the worlds larger space agencies, ESA and NASA, are discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. But, what of the other agencies and institutions around the world who are also working on the problem of defence against hazardous asteroids and comets, or related topics? In this chapter we provide an overview, in alphabetical order, of some of the planetary defence related efforts that have been undertaken around the world beyond the activities at the United Nations, NASA, and ESA

AN EMPIRICAL EVALUATION OF EXPERIENCED-BASED LEARNING: A ROPES COURSE ILLUSTRATION

This paper draws on empirical evidence to measure the impact of using corporate-like outdoor-based team training to enhance the effectiveness of student groups and teach team player skills. Results indicate that outdoor team activities had greater effects and impacts on student behaviors and learning than in class team activities.team experiential learning, outdoor-based training, team building, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase improves the efficiency of positive selection

We have generated transgenic mice expressing the amino-terminal fragment of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) catalytic subunit (p110(ABD)) in thymocytes. Expression of P110(ABD) results in constitutive activation of PI3K and in significant increases in the numbers of mature, single-positive thymocytes. We previously reported that the increase in mature cells was in part due to a defect in thymic emigration. In this study we identify another component to this phenotype. Expression of p110(ABD) results in an enhancement of positive selection, without alterations in thymocyte lifespan or negative selection. Since PI3K can affect activation of Btk, which in turn potentiates calcium fluxes, during B cell development, our results suggest that PI3K could play a role in the regulation of Itk kinases in T cells, and that both cell types share a common signaling network to modulate calcium responses downstream of their antigen receptor

Recipients of Major Scientific Awards a Descriptive and Predictive Analysis

As a society, we desire, defend, and argue for equity in any and all areas. Sometimes the law attempts to mandate equity and provide some boundaries. Yet how does the law govern the thoughts, intentions, and actions of the heart? Thus, we need to broaden our understanding of equity. Equity is not an educational issue, nor is it a physiological issue; rather equity is a spiritual issue

‘The House Which Samuel Built’: Negotiating Jewish Identity in the Mudéjar Synagogues of Medieval Toledo

The Jewish presence in Spain in the Middle Ages has long been a subject of considerable interest and study in a variety of fields.[1] Remarkably, a handful of synagogues from this period survive to the present. Toledo, in particular, is home to two such structures: The El Transito synagogue of the 14th century and the Synagogue of Santa Maria La Blanca from the early 13th century.[2] Both were built under Christian kingship and are stylistically Mudéjar, meaning that while they were built after Toledo was reconquered and did not have Muslim patrons, the structures contain notably Islamic visual forms in their design and decoration. While Mudéjar certainly appeared in contemporary Christian and secular buildings, Toledo’s Jews used it with particular zeal and claimed it as their own visual language for holy places and community centers. Noted scholar Jerrilynn Dodds has convincingly argued that Spanish Jews of this period saw Islamic culture as their own, and by building in a visual style that reflected it they reaffirmed their own cultural traditions. [3] This paper seeks to further investigate this multilayered connection between Mudéjar style in the synagogues of Toledo and the Jews that constructed them. Ultimately, I will argue that, more than mere affirmation of their own culture, the specific Toledan Jewish use of Islamic visual forms separated Jews from the Christian culture that surrounded and overpowered them and, furthermore, subverted that power. [1] Meir Ben-Dov, The Golden Age: Synagogues of Spain in History and Architecture, trans. Shmuel Himelstein (Jerusalem: Urim, 2009), 10-11. [2] Rachel Wischnitzer, The Architecture of the European Synagogue (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1964), 19,30. [3] Thomas F. Glick, Vivian B. Mann, and Jerrilynn D Dodds, “Mudéjar Tradition and the Synagogues of Medieval Spain: Cultural Identity and Cultural Hegemony,” in Convivencia: Jews, Muslims and Christians in Medieval Spain (New York, New York: George Braziller, 1992), pp. 113-131, 114-128

Plasma Membrane Damage-Dependent Senescent Cells Accelerate Wound Healing In Vitro via Soluble Molecules and Increased Extracellular Vesicles

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate UniversityDoctor of PhilosophyCellular senescence is a sustained cell cycle arrest that contributes to physiological and pathological processes in vivo. These range from deleterious processes such as organismal aging and cancer progression to essential processes such as embryonic development and wound healing. While senescence subtypes triggered by telomere shortening, DNA damage, and oncogene activation are well-known, recent studies have identified plasma membrane damage (PMD) as a novel trigger of cellular senescence. The functions of PMD-dependent senescence (PMD-Sen) remain unknown. Here, I focus on paracrine signaling to predict such functions and show the importance of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in paracrine signaling by PMD-Sen cells. I found that PMD significantly increases EV production acutely and that EV production after senescence induction is higher than in DNA damage response-dependent senescence (DDR-Sen). From proteomic analysis of cells and their EVs, I showed many similarities between PMD-Sen and DDR-Sen; however, differentially regulated PMD-Sen EV proteins are more significantly involved in wound healing pathways, and depletion of EVs from conditioned media reduces wound healing of recipient cells in vitro. This study shows one potential function of PMD-Sen in vivo and provides proteomic characterization to support future mechanistic studies or biomarker identification of senescence subtypes.doctoral thesi