Mechanical features of the shuttle rotating service structure

With the development of the space shuttle launching facilities, it became mandatory to develop a shuttle rotating service structure to provide for the insertion and/or removal of payloads at the launch pads. The rotating service structure is a welded tubular steel space frame 189 feet high, 65 feet wide, and weighing 2100 tons. At the pivot column the structure is supported on a 30 inch diameter hemispherical bearing. At the opposite terminus the structure is supported on two truck assemblies each having eight 36 inch diameter double flanged wheels. The following features of the rotating service structure are discussed: (1) thermal expansion and contraction; (2) hurricane tie downs; (3) payload changeout room; (4) payload ground handling mechanism; (5) payload and orbiter access platforms; and (6) orbiter cargo bay access

Summary of Plato’s Apology (24b-26b)

For my project “Socrates: Corruptor, Improver, or Neither?” I engaged in a lengthy and comprehensive writing process. To begin I read Plato’s Apology and annotated his work in much detail. This part of the writing process was essential to begin my essay as it allowed me to engage in discussion during ASI 110 seminar and establish what exactly Plato meant within his work. After annotations and discussion I began to create an outline for my essay and worked through how it should be structured. This led to writing a rough draft and a writing conference with my professor, Dr. Elizabeth Mackay. We discussed how my essay could be improved and what my next steps were in the writing process. Shortly after I spent time making the changes that were needed, carefully proofread, worked to finalize my essay, and turned in my final draft

Summary & Rhetorical Analysis of Augustine’s Conversion Story

For my project “St. Augustine and His Path to Conversion” I engaged in a lengthy and comprehensive writing process. To begin I read select sections of Augustine’s Confessions and annotated his work in detail. This part of the writing process was essential to begin my essay as it allowed me to engage in discussion during ASI 110 seminar and establish what exactly Augustine meant within his work. Discussion with peers and my professor, Dr. Elizabeth Mackay, really opened my eyes to the insightful and confusing nature of Augustine’s writing. After annotations and discussion I began to create an outline for my essay and worked through how it should be structured. This process was difficult for me as I was still confused with much of what Augustine wrote, so I scheduled a meeting with Dr. Mackay to discuss the most effective way for me to structure my essay. This meeting helped a lot with my writing process and led me to begin my rough draft. I then had a writing conference with Dr. Mackay in which we discussed how my essay could be improved and what the next steps in my writing process were. I made these changes and submitted my final draft. Shortly after I submitted my work and received a grade I decided I was going to submit my essay for the McGrath Research in Catholic Intellectual Traditions Scholarship. This began a process of revision in which I asked both Dr. Mackay and a theology teacher from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Mr. Jim Brennan, to review my essay and suggest what could be improved. I then worked to improve and finalize my work to make it as good as I possibly could and soon submitted it. I then worked to finalize my essay for Line by Line through a quick revision process and completion

THE CARDIAC L-TYPE CALCIUM CHANNEL DISTAL CARBOXYL- TERMINUS AUTO-INHIBITION IS REGULATED BY CALCIUM

The L-type calcium channel (LTCC) provides trigger Ca2+ for sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-release and LTCC function is influenced by interacting proteins including the LTCC Distal Carboxyl-terminus (DCT) and calmodulin. DCT is proteolytically cleaved, and re-associates with the LTCC complex to regulate calcium channel function. DCT reduces LTCC barium current (IBa,L) in reconstituted channel complexes, yet the contribution of DCT to ICa,L in cardiomyocyte systems is unexplored. This study tests the hypothesis that DCT attenuates cardiomyocyte ICa,L. We measured LTCC current and Ca2+ transients with DCT co-expressed in murine cardiomyocytes. We also heterologously co-expressed DCT and CaV1.2 constructs with truncations corresponding to the predicted proteolytic cleavage site, CaV1.2Δ1801, and a shorter deletion corresponding to well-studied construct, CaV1.2Δ1733. DCT inhibited IBa,L in cardiomyocytes, and in HEK 293 cells expressing CaV1.2Δ1801 and CaV1.2Δ1733. Ca2+-CaM relieved DCT block in cardiomyocytes and HEK cells. The selective block of IBa,L combined with Ca2+-CaM effects suggested that DCT-mediated blockade may be relieved under conditions of elevated Ca2+. We therefore tested the hypothesis that DCT block is dynamic, increasing under relatively low Ca2+, and show that DCT reduced diastolic Ca2+ at low stimulation frequencies but spared high frequency Ca2+-entry. DCT reduction of diastolic Ca2+ and relief of block at high pacing frequencies, and under conditions of supraphysiological bath Ca2+ suggests that a physiological function of DCT is to increase the dynamic range of Ca2+ transients in response to elevated pacing frequencies. Our data motivates the new hypothesis that DCT is a native reverse use-dependent inhibitor of LTCC current

The Impact of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: The View from a Rural Kentucky Hospital

Abstract Introduction Cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) increased 3-fold in the United States from 2000 to 2009, with some indication that the problem may be worse in rural areas. The purpose of our study was to report the incidence of NAS in a small rural community with a regional referral hospital and describe aspects of these infants’ NICU stay. Methods Using maternal prenatal positive urine drug screens (UDS) as our initial focus, deliveries at 35 weeks or beyond between March 2015 and May 2016 were included. NAS severity score, length of NICU stay, and hospital charges for each infant were obtained from chart review. Results Thirty three of 981 infants developed NAS requiring NICU admission. Most of these were not identified by either a prenatal history or a routine first prenatal visit UDS. For the 7 infants who were identified as at risk by a positive UDS early in pregnancy, the average length of stay in the NICU was 10 days, the average NAS score was 8, and the average NICU charge was $46,000 compared to$3,440 charge for a term normal newborn. Discussion Many studies have shown that neonatal abstinence syndrome is becoming more common, and some suggest that it may be a bigger problem in rural areas. While prenatal UDS may be helpful, many exposed infants will be missed. Even when exposure is proven, without reasonable access to medication assisted treatment during pregnancy, the outcome may still be unfavorable. The precise prevalence and cost in rural hospitals that serve as regional referral centers are needed for adequate health service planning. This planning includes strategies to increase local access to treatment options for pregnant women dependent on opioids

Why Medical Students Choose Rural Clinical Campuses For Training: A Report From Two Campuses At Opposite Ends Of The Commonwealth

Introduction Although US medical schools have increased their enrollment by about 30%, most of the increase has occurred in urban areas. The affinity model proposes that rural training of a rural student will more likely result in a rural physician, but the exact role of these rural campuses is unclear. Do they solidify and reinforce a pre-existing career plan, do they create social and marital ties that make the transition to rural medicine easier, or could they be replaced with a briefer and more efficient rural rotation? We administered a questionnaire to students attending two different two year rural clinical campuses in the same state in order to explore their opinions regarding the advantages of a rural campus. Methods Two different rural M3-M4 year clinical campuses, affiliated with different medical schools in the same state, administered surveys to 70 medical students across all four years of medical school. Both schools selectively recruit rural students to the rural campuses, and require a campus decision at admission. Both schools require students to attend their first two years at an urban campus, and transfer to the rural campus for clinical education. Questions addressed student opinions on rural campus location, recommendations from others regarding attendance, campus atmosphere and social life, teaching methods and involvement in patient care. Comparisons were analyzed using the non-parametric Mann Whitney U test. Results The top five reasons students chose a rural campus included three aspects of rural training and two features of being rural. There were small differences between the two campuses regarding the importance of more procedures during training and more outdoor activities, the opportunity to study with friends, and strength of local leadership, reflecting differences in the practice setting and the environment of the two campuses. Differences were also noted between upper-level and lower-level students regarding the importance of studying with friends, and the chances of meeting a future spouse. Finally, very rural students (30 miles from urban area) were less concerned with availability of scholarships, and lack of fine dining, but viewed the opportunity to study with friends more favorably. Conclusions This study adds to the published literature by surveying students at multiple rural campuses by year of training. There were many more similarities than differences, but there were differences between the two campuses, and there were also differences as the students progressed in their training, and differences between very rural students and other students attending the campus. Rural campuses provide both clinical and social support for students contemplating rural practice. Results of the survey indicate both are of importance to the students as well, with quality of training the most important factor

Kcne4 deletion sex- and age-specifically impairs cardiac repolarization in mice.

Myocardial repolarization capacity varies with sex, age, and pathology; the molecular basis for this variation is incompletely understood. Here, we show that the transcript for KCNE4, a voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel β subunit associated with human atrial fibrillation, was 8-fold more highly expressed in the male left ventricle compared with females in young adult C57BL/6 mice (P < 0.05). Similarly, Kv current density was 25% greater in ventricular myocytes from young adult males (P < 0.05). Germ-line Kcne4 deletion eliminated the sex-specific Kv current disparity by diminishing ventricular fast transient outward current (Ito,f) and slowly activating K(+) current (IK,slow1). Kcne4 deletion also reduced Kv currents in male mouse atrial myocytes, by >45% (P < 0.001). As we previously found for Kv4.2 (which generates mouse Ito,f), heterologously expressed KCNE4 functionally regulated Kv1.5 (the Kv α subunit that generates IKslow1 in mice). Of note, in postmenopausal female mice, ventricular repolarization was impaired by Kcne4 deletion, and ventricular Kcne4 expression increased to match that of males. Moreover, castration diminished male ventricular Kcne4 expression 2.8-fold, whereas 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) implants in castrated mice increased Kcne4 expression >3-fold (P = 0.01) to match noncastrated levels. KCNE4 is thereby shown to be a DHT-regulated determinant of cardiac excitability and a molecular substrate for sex- and age-dependent cardiac arrhythmogenesis

Evaluation of In-Hospital Management for Febrile Illness\ud in Northern Tanzania before and after 2010 World Health\ud Organization Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria

In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) published updated guidelines emphasizing and expanding recommendations for a parasitological confirmation of malaria before treating with antimalarials. This study aimed to assess differences in historic (2007–2008) (cohort 1) and recent (2011–2012) (cohort 2) hospital cohorts in the diagnosis and treatment of febrile illness in a low malaria prevalence area of northern Tanzania. We analyzed data from two prospective cohort studies that enrolled febrile adolescents and adults aged $13 years. All patients received quality-controlled aerobic blood cultures and malaria smears. We compared patients’ discharge diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes to assess changes in the treatment of malaria and bacterial infections. In total, 595 febrile inpatients were enrolled from two referral hospitals in Moshi, Tanzania. Laboratory-confirmed malaria was detected in 13 (3.2%) of 402 patients in cohort 1 and 1 (0.5%) of 193 patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.041). Antimalarials were prescribed to 201 (51.7%) of 389 smear-negative patients in cohort 1 and 97 (50.5%) of 192 smearnegative patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.794). Bacteremia was diagnosed from standard blood culture in 58 (14.5%) of 401 patients in cohort 1 compared to 18 (9.5%) of 190 patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.091). In cohort 1, 40 (69.0%) of 58 patients with a positive blood culture received antibacterials compared to 16 (88.9%) of 18 patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.094). In cohort 1, 43 (10.8%) of the 399 patients with known outcomes died during hospitalization compared with 12 (6.2%) deaths among 193 patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.073). In a setting of low malaria transmission, a high proportion of smear-negative patients were diagnosed with malaria and treated with antimalarials despite updated WHO guidelines on malaria treatment. Improved laboratory diagnostics for non-malaria febrile illness might help to curb this practice.\u