Automation and robotics for the Space Exploration Initiative: Results from Project Outreach

A total of 52 submissions were received in the Automation and Robotics (A&R) area during Project Outreach. About half of the submissions (24) contained concepts that were judged to have high utility for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and were analyzed further by the robotics panel. These 24 submissions are analyzed here. Three types of robots were proposed in the high scoring submissions: structured task robots (STRs), teleoperated robots (TORs), and surface exploration robots. Several advanced TOR control interface technologies were proposed in the submissions. Many A&R concepts or potential standards were presented or alluded to by the submitters, but few specific technologies or systems were suggested

Information access survey: Western Visayas, Philippines

The aim of this report is to provide brief profiles of the main stakeholders within the aquatic resources and fisheries sectors in Western Visayas, to describe their access to information, and the communication between and within stakeholder groups, organizations and institutions within the sector. The report goes on to identify current needs and key action points which might maximize efficient communication. (PDF contains 68 pages

Marine ornamentals trade in the Philippines and options for its poor stakeholders

The objective of this project in the Philippines is to promote the development of policy changes and other actions related to the trade in ornamental fish with Europe which support poor people’s livelihoods. [PDF contains 118 pages.

On non-minimal N=4 supermultiplets in 1D and their associated sigma-models

We construct the non-minimal linear representations of the N=4 Extended Supersymmetry in one-dimension. They act on 8 bosonic and 8 fermionic fields. Inequivalent representations are specified by the mass-dimension of the fields and the connectivity of the associated graphs. The oxidation to minimal N=5 linear representations is given. Two types of N=4 sigma-models based on non-minimal representations are obtained: the resulting off-shell actions are either manifestly invariant or depend on a constrained prepotential. The connectivity properties of the graphs play a decisive role in discriminating inequivalent actions. These results find application in partial breaking of supersymmetric theories.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure

Aproximaciones conceptuales para el estudio de riesgos en la región andina

fenómenos hidrometeorológicos y geológicos, que al impactar sobre población vulnerable puede generar desastres con efectos de intensidad y temporalidad variable. A pesar del creciente interés en controlar estos efectos mediante la implementación de cada vez más complejas estrategias de manejo o gestión de riesgo, esta tarea aún resulta esquiva y, por el contrario, la situación parece agravarse frente a los efectos del cambio climático. Este contexto invita a una reflexión sobre la conceptualización del riesgo con miras a abrir vías de análisis que sean pertinentes para su estudio en la región andina. El documento tiene como objetivo, entonces, hacer un balance de los aportes desde las ciencias sociales y enfoques interdisciplinarios. De esta manera, hace síntesis de las principales propuestas y debates en torno al concepto riesgo: el riesgo como construcción sociocultural, la agencia y materialidad del riesgo, el riesgo en los sistemas socio ecológicos y la ecología política del riesgo; y ofrece una aproximación conceptual planteando una ruta de acercamiento basada en el estudio de las institucionalidades en vínculo con las estrategias de manejo del riesgo por desastres

Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future

The Latino population in the United States is growing at a rapid pace, and the proportion of our nation's under-five year olds who are Latino is increasing even faster. Many of these children lack access to the high-quality pre-kindergarten experiences that promote academic achievement and future success. By providing Latino children with culturally and linguistically appropriate services in high-quality, pre-k-for-all programs, educators and policymakers can help close the achievement gap and make a major contribution to realizing this growing population's remarkable potential

Adjuvants : an essential component of neisseria vaccines

Adjuvants may be classified into delivery systems and immune potentiator or modulator molecules based on their mechanism of action. Neisseria vaccines containing traditional adjuvants such as aluminium salts have existed for long time, but meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups, particularly serogroup B, continues to be a global health problem. Novel strategies have applied in silico and recombinant technologies to develop "universal" antigens (e.g. proteins, peptides and plasmid DNA) for vaccines, but these antigens have been shown to be poorly immunogenic even when alum adjuvanted, implying a need for better vaccine design. In this work we review the use of natural, detoxified, or synthetic molecules in combination with antigens to activate the innate immune system and to modulate the adaptive immune responses. In the main, antigenic and imune potentiator signals are delivered using nano-, micro-particles, alum, or emulsions. The importance of interaction between adjuvants and antigens to activate and target dendritic cells, the bridge between the innate and adaptive immune systems, will be discussed. In addition, nasal vaccine strategies based on the development of mucosal adjuvants and Neisseria derivatives to eliminate the pathogen at the site of infection provide promising adjuvants effective not only against respiratory pathogens, but also against pathogens responsible for enteric and sexually transmitted diseases

Acesso aberto a informação científica agropecuária na internet: caso do sistema aberto e integrado de informação em agricultura (Sabiia).

RESUMO: Este trabalho apresenta o Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia) como mecanismo de busca automatizado que coleta e centraliza metadados de provedores de dados OAI-PMH científicos de acesso aberto, previamente selecionados. O sistema reúne informações sobre agricultura e áreas afins, possibilitando o acesso ao texto integral (livros, capítulos de livros, artigos em periódicos, folhetos, teses, anais e proceedings de eventos, entre outros) de milhares de publicações científicas disponíveis em diversas instituições nacionais e internacionais.SBIAgro 2011

Unveiling the Active Nucleus of Centaurus A

We report new HST WFPC2 and NICMOS observations of the center of the nearest radio galaxy Centaurus A (NGC 5128) and discuss their implications for our understanding of the active nucleus and jet. We detect the active nucleus in the near-IR (K and H) and, for the first time, in the optical (I and V), deriving the spectral energy distribution of the nucleus from the radio to X-rays. The optical and part of the near-IR emission can be explained by the extrapolation of the X-ray power law reddened by A_V~14mag, a value consistent with other independent estimates. The 20pc-scale nuclear disk discovered by Schreier et al. (1998) is detected in the [FeII] 1.64mic line and presents a morphology similar to that observed in Pa alpha with a [FeII]/Pa alpha ratio typical of low ionization Seyfert galaxies and LINERs. NICMOS 3 Pa alpha observations in a 50"x50" circumnuclear region suggest enhanced star formation (~0.3Msun/yr) at the edges of the putative bar seen with ISO, perhaps due to shocks driven into the gas. The light profile, reconstructed from V, H and K observations, shows that Centaurus A has a core profile with a resolved break at ~4" and suggests a black--hole mass of ~10^9 Msun. A linear blue structure aligned with the radio/X-ray jet may indicate a channel of relatively low reddening in which dust has been swept away by the jet.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures, Astrophysical Journal, in press. High quality figures available at http://www.arcetri.astro.it/~marconi/colpic.htm

Health-related quality of life and depression among participants in the Sjögren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance registry.

ObjectiveTo examine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and depression among participants in an international Sjögren's syndrome (SS) registry, comparing those with and without SS.MethodsCross-sectional study of participants in the Sjögren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance (SICCA) registry. The 2016 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism SS classification criteria were used to determine disease status. HRQoL was assessed using the Short Form 12, version 2 Health Survey to derive scores for physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). Depression was assessed using the 9-Item Patient Health Questionnaire. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of HRQoL and depression while controlling for potential confounders.ResultsAmong 2401 SICCA participants who had symptoms of dry eyes and dry mouth, 1051 had SS (44%) and 1350 did not (56%). After controlling for confounders, when compared with non-SS participants, those with SS had better PCS (p<0.001, β=2.43, 95% CI 1.57 to 3.29), MCS (p=0.002, β=1.37, 95% CI 0.50 to 2.23) and lower adjusted odds of depression (p<0.001, OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.81). Other significant predictors of HRQoL and depression included employment, country of residence and use of medication with anticholinergic effect or for management of SS-related signs and symptoms.ConclusionOur results suggest that among symptomatic patients, having a diagnosis of SS may be associated with better emotional and psychological well-being compared with patients without a diagnosis. Having a definitive diagnosis of SS may encourage patients to obtain a better understanding of their disease and have coping mechanisms in place to better manage their symptoms