Operational modules for space station construction

Identification of an effective space construction concept is a current objective of NASA studies. One concept, described in this memorandum, consists of repetitive use of operational modules, which minimizes on-orbit stay time for the shuttle. A space station constructed of operational modules may benefit from fabrication and system checkout in ground-based facilities, and since the modules are the primary structure of the space station, a minimum of additional structure, and trips and on-orbit stay time of the shuttle are required

Change – Watch for the Right Time Structuring Collections Budgets to Meet Current and Future Needs

Over the years Northwestern University Libraries has implemented various methods of allocating to the collections budgets, moving from traditional methods to ones that are more flexible and responsive to the needs of the times. The libraries have endeavored to keep the benefits of any previous allocation methods when thinking of new ways to allocate so that the important points of meeting the needs of the current research and teaching programs are still being met

The DNA-binding domain of the Chd1 chromatin-remodelling enzyme contains SANT and SLIDE domains

The ATP-dependent chromatin-remodelling enzyme Chd1 is a 168-kDa protein consisting of a double chromodomain, Snf2-related ATPase domain, and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain. Here, we show the DNA-binding domain is required for Saccharomyces cerevisiae Chd1 to bind and remodel nucleosomes. The crystal structure of this domain reveals the presence of structural homology to SANT and SLIDE domains previously identified in ISWI remodelling enzymes. The presence of these domains in ISWI and Chd1 chromatin-remodelling enzymes may provide a means of efficiently harnessing the action of the Snf2-related ATPase domain for the purpose of nucleosome spacing and provide an explanation for partial redundancy between these proteins. Site directed mutagenesis was used to identify residues important for DNA binding and generate a model describing the interaction of this domain with DNA. Through inclusion of Chd1 sequences in homology searches SLIDE domains were identified in CHD6–9 proteins. Point mutations to conserved amino acids within the human CHD7 SLIDE domain have been identified in patients with CHARGE syndrome

Manner of Death Impacts the Death Effect in Literary Evaluation

The existence of a death effect—that the value of a creative work tends to increase after the creator has died—in literary evaluation was demonstrated. To replicate and extend previous findings, (N = 408) university students were asked to imagine being an art collector potentially interested in purchasing a short story. The status of the author varied from still being alive to having died from a car accident, suicide, or heart attack. Consistent with earlier work, students, when informed that the author was dead, offered to pay more money (81% more, on average) to purchase the story relative to students informed that the author was alive. Unique to this investigation, students offered the most money when told that the author died from a car accident. Priming students about death and dying boosted valuations. Unlike earlier work, subjective impressions about the author and the story were not affected by these manipulations. Mortality awareness and the relatability of the manner of death enhanced the desire for a perceived-to-be scarce product, in this case a creative literary work from a dead author

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) - Enabling Missions Beyond Heritage Carbon Phenolic

This poster provides an overview of the requirements, design, development and testing of the 3D Woven TPS being developed under NASA's Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project. Under this current program, NASA is working to develop a Thermal Protection System (TPS) capable of surviving entry into Venus or Saturn. A primary goal of the project is to build and test an Engineering Test Unit (ETU) to establish a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for this technology by 2017

Pre-service science teachers’ epistemological beliefs and teaching reforms in Tanzania

In an effort to understand why recent initiatives to promote learner-centred pedagogy in science teaching made a little change in the actual teaching practices of science teachers, this study explored pre-service science teachers’ beliefs about science knowledge and their teaching practices. Six pre-service science teachers were interviewed to explore their beliefs. Moreover, lessons taught by pre-service teachers were observed to see how their beliefs manifest in their teaching practices. This was followed by post-observation interviews focusing on critical incidences observed. Findings showed that pre-service science teachers hold dualist views about science. They viewed science knowledge to be simple, rigid and derivative of specific bodies of knowledge handed down by authorities such as textbooks and experts. Consistent with their beliefs, pre-service teachers asked factual questions and sought pre-determined textbook-based answers from students. They adopted transmissive teaching strategies to propagate textbook-based science knowledge. It was concluded that the way science teachers uptake the aspired learner-centred teaching may be partly due to incompatible beliefs they hold

Characterizing the heterogeneity of triple-negative breast cancers using microdissected normal ductal epithelium and RNA-sequencing

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are a heterogeneous set of tumors defined by an absence of actionable therapeutic targets (ER, PR, and HER-2). Microdissected normal ductal epithelium from healthy volunteers represents a novel comparator to reveal insights into TNBC heterogeneity and to inform drug development. Using RNA-sequencing data from our institution and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) we compared the transcriptomes of 94 TNBCs, 20 microdissected normal breast tissues from healthy volunteers from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank, and 10 histologically normal tissues adjacent to tumor. Pathway analysis comparing TNBCs to optimized normal controls of microdissected normal epithelium versus classic controls composed of adjacent normal tissue revealed distinct molecular signatures. Differential gene expression of TNBC compared with normal comparators demonstrated important findings for TNBC-specific clinical trials testing targeted agents; lack of over-expression for negative studies and over-expression in studies with drug activity. Next, by comparing each individual TNBC to the set of microdissected normals, we demonstrate that TNBC heterogeneity is attributable to transcriptional chaos, is associated with non-silent DNA mutational load, and explains transcriptional heterogeneity in addition to known molecular subtypes. Finally, chaos analysis identified 146 core genes dysregulated in >90 % of TNBCs revealing an over-expressed central network. In conclusion, use of microdissected normal ductal epithelium from healthy volunteers enables an optimized approach for studying TNBC and uncovers biological heterogeneity mediated by transcriptional chaos

Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) Enabling Missions Beyond Heritage Carbon Phenolic

This poster provides an overview of the requirements, design, development and testing of the 3D Woven TPS being developed under NASAs Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) project. Under this current program, NASA is working to develop a Thermal Protection System (TPS) capable of surviving entry into Venus or Saturn. A primary goal of the project is to build and test an Engineering Test Unit (ETU) to establish a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 for this technology by 2017

The Effects of Age and Sex of Megakaryocyte Secreted Factors on Endothelial Cell Growth and Function

With an aging population, the risk of fractures and compromised healing increases. Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis are impaired with aging. Vascularization at the callus plays a significant role in bone healing, and we have previously shown the important role ofmegakaryocytes (MKs) in regulating bone healing. Notably, MK-derived conditioned media (CM) contains factors known to promote angiogenesis. Whether differences exist with aging and/or based on sex was the primary focus of this study. Here, we examined the effects of CM secreted from MKs derived from young (3-4-month-old) and aged (22-24-month-old) male and female C57BL/6J mice on bone marrow endothelial cell (BMEC) growth and function. Specifically, BMEC proliferation, vessel-like formation, wound/transwell migration, and RNA expression were examined. Both young and aged female MK CM saw a >65% increase in BMEC proliferation(p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). In addition, female MK CM, regardless of age, improved all four parameters of vessel-like formation by >115% (p<0.05). Likewise, young male MK CM increased vessel-like formation in all parameters by more than 160% (p<0.001). Although aged male MK CM resulted in higher vessel-like formation parameters, including significant >150% increases in the formation of nodes and meshes, 62% fewer vessel-like structures formed compared to that observed with young male MK CM treatment (p<0.05). Additionally, aged MK CM, irrespective of sex, improved transwell migration by over 2500% (p<0.01). On the other hand, aged female and male MK CM inhibited wound closure by 46% and 17%, respectively (p<0.05). RNA analysis found MK CM yielded significantly different levels of expression in CXCR4, CXCR2, CD36, CD74, PDGFRB, and TGFBRB not only relative to controls, but also between sexes and ages. Further testing to identify the mechanisms responsible for these age-associated differences may allow for novel treatment strategies to improve MK-mediated angiogenesis, vasculogenesis, and bone healing, particularly within the aging population