Definition study of the Shuttle Imaging Radar-A (SIR-A) antenna on the second space shuttle mission (OFT-2)

A definition is derived for an antenna configuration fixed-mounted high in the payload bay on the hybrid OFT-2 pallet which is compatible with Orbiter interface requirements. Tests showed that the combination of the selected panels and the designed corporate feed meets SIR-A performance requirement of 33 db gain. The effects of Orbiter structure proximity on performance were determined by scale model tests to be negligible. The potential for improved performance during subsequent reflights includes a multiple-beam capability and dual polarization

On the Necessity of a Geriatric Oral Health Care Transition Model: Towards an Inclusive and Resource-Oriented Transition Process

People in need of care also require support within the framework of structured dental care in their different life situations. Nowadays, deteriorations in oral health tend to be noticed by chance, usually when complaints or pain are present. Information on dental care is also lost when life situations change. An older person may rely on family members having oral health skills. This competence is often not available, and a lot of oral health is lost. When someone, e.g., a dentist, physician, caregiver, or family member notices a dental care gap, a structured transition to ensure oral health should be established. The dental gap can be detected by, e.g., the occurrence of bad breath in a conversation with the relatives, as well as in the absence of previously regular sessions with the dental hygienist. The aim of the article is to present a model for a structured geriatric oral health care transition. Due to non-existing literature on this topic, a literature review was not possible. Therefore, a geriatric oral health care transition model (GOHCT) on the basis of the experiences and opinions of an expert panel was developed. The GOHCT model on the one hand creates the political, economic, and legal conditions for a transition process as a basis in a population-relevant approach within the framework of a transition arena with the representatives of various organizations. On the other hand, the tasks in the patient-centered approach of the transition stakeholders, e.g., patient, dentist, caregivers and relatives, and the transition manager in the transition process and the subsequent quality assurance are shown

J Fluorescence

The scope of this paper is to illustrate the need for an improved quality assurance in fluorometry. For this purpose, instrumental sources of error and their influences on the reliability and comparability of fluorescence data are highlighted for frequently used photoluminescence techniques ranging from conventional macro- and microfluorometry over fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry to microarray technology as well as in vivo fluorescence imaging. Particularly, the need for and requirements on fluorescence standards for the characterization and performance validation of fluorescence instruments, to enhance the comparability of fluorescence data, and to enable quantitative fluorescence analysis are discussed. Special emphasis is dedicated to spectral fluorescence standards and fluorescence intensity standards

Oral health of seafarers - a review

The research base needs to be expanded to cover all seafarers. Dental professional expertise should be sought in policy and guideline development relevant to oral health. A strategy comprising preventive, screening, and treatment service components should be developed and a certificate of dental health introduced. Funding strategies in a complex environment of transnational stakeholders for the improvement of oral-health services for seafarers are needed. Aspects of military oral health care systems could be an example for civilian operators

Otherwise Unstable Structures Self-Assemble in the Cavities of Cuboctahedral Coordination Cages.

We present a method for the directed self-assembly of interlocked structures and coordination complexes in a set of metal-organic hosts. New homo- and heteroleptic metal complexes-species that cannot be prepared outside-form within the cavities of cuboctahedral coordination cages. When linear bidentate guests and macrocycles are sequentially introduced to the host, a rotaxane is threaded internally; the resulting ternary host-guest complex is a new kind of molecular gyroscope. Tetradentate guests segregate the cavities of these cages into distinct spaces, promoting new stoichiometries and modes of ligand binding to metal ions. The behaviors of bound complexes were observed to alter markedly as a result of confinement: In situ oxidations and spin transitions, neither of which occur ex situ, were both observed to proceed. By providing a tailored space for new modes of coordination-driven self-assembly, the inner phases of cuboctahedral coordination cages provide a new medium for synthetic coordination chemistry.UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC EP/P027067/1) and the European Research Council (ERC 695009)

Utility of photochemical traits as diagnostics of thermal tolerance amongst great barrier reef corals

© 2018 Nitschke, Gardner, Goyen, Fujise, Camp, Ralph and Suggett. Light availability is considered a key factor regulating the thermal sensitivity of reef building corals, where excessive excitation of photosystem II (PSII) further exacerbates pressure on photochemical pathways already compromised by heat stress. Coral symbionts acclimate to changes in light availability (photoacclimation) by continually fine-tuning the photochemical operating efficiency of PSII. However, how this process adjusts throughout the warmest months in naturally heat-tolerant or sensitive species is unknown, and whether this influences the capacity to tolerate transient heat stress is untested. We therefore examined the PSII photophysiology of 10 coral species (with known thermal tolerances) from shallow reef environments at Heron Island (Great Barrier Reef, Australia), in spring (October-November, 2015) vs. summer (February-March, 2016). Corals were maintained in flow-through aquaria and rapid light curve (RLC) protocols using pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry captured changes in the PSII photoacclimation strategy, characterized as the minimum saturating irradiance (Ek), and the extent of photochemical ([1-C], operating efficiency) vs. non-photochemical ([1-Q]) energy dissipation. Values of Ek across species were > 2-fold higher in all coral species in spring, consistent with a climate of higher overall light exposure (i.e., higher PAR from lower cloud cover, rainfall and wind speed) compared with summer. Summer decreases in Ek were combined with a shift toward preferential photochemical quenching in all species. All coral species were subsequently subjected to thermal stress assays. An equivalent temperature-ramping profile of 1°C increase per day and then maintenance at 32°C was applied in each season. Despite the significant seasonal photoacclimation, the species hierarchy of thermal tolerance [maximum quantum yields of PSII (Fv/Fm), monitored at dawn and dusk] did not shift between seasons, except for Pocillopora damicornis (faster declines in summer) and Stylophora pistillata (total mortality in spring). Furthermore, the strategy for dealing with light energy (i.e., preferential photochemical vs. non-photochemical quenching) was unchanged for thermally tolerant species across seasons, whereas thermally sensitive species switched between preferential [1-Q] and [1-C] from spring to summer. We discuss how such traits can potentially be used as a diagnostic of thermal tolerance under non-stressed conditions