Search

The Radiometer Assessment using Vertically Aligned Nanotubes (RAVAN) 3U CubeSat mission is a pathfinder to demonstrate technologies for the measurement of Earth's radiation budget, the quantification of which is critical for predicting the future course of climate change. A specific motivation is the need for lower-cost technology alternatives that could be used for multi-point constellation measurements of Earth outgoing radiation. RAVAN launched 11 November 2016, into a nearly 600-km, Sun-synchronous orbit, and collected data for over 20 months. RAVAN successfully demonstrates two key technologies. The first is the use of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) as absorbers in broadband radiometers for measuring Earth's outgoing radiation and the total solar irradiance. VACNT forests are arguably the blackest material known and have an extremely flat spectral response over a wide wavelength range, from the ultraviolet to the far infrared. As radiometer absorbers, they have greater sensitivity for a given time constant and are more compact than traditional cavity absorbers. The second technology demonstrated is a pair of gallium phase-change black body cells that are used as a stable reference to monitor the degradation of RAVAN's radiometer sensors on orbit. Four radiometers (two VACNT, two cavity), the pair of gallium black bodies, and associated electronics are accommodated in the payload of an agile 3U CubeSat bus that allows for routine solar and deep-space attitude maneuvers, which are essential for calibrating the Earth irradiance measurements. The radiometers show excellent long-term stability over the course of the mission and a high correlation between the VACNT and cavity radiometer technologies. Short-term variability—at greater than the tenths-of-a-Watt/m2 needed for climate accuracy—is a challenge that remains, consistent with insufficient thermal knowledge and control on a 3U CubeSat. There are also VACNT–cavity biases of 3% and 6% in the Total and SW channels, respectively, which would have to be overcome in a future mission. Although one of the black bodies failed after four months, the other provided a repeatable standard for the duration of the project. We present representative measurements from the mission and demonstrate how the radiometer time series can be used to reconstruct outgoing radiation spatial information. Improvements to the technology and approach that would lead to better performance and greater accuracy in future missions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective  A major consequence of prematurity is intermittent hypoxemia (IH). Data from both adult studies and neonatal animal models suggest that IH is proinflammatory; however, there is limited data in preterm infants. Here, we assess the relationship between IH and systemic inflammation, namely, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in preterm infants. Study Design  Serum CRP was measured at 30 days of life, at the time of peak IH frequency. IH measures (e.g., per cent time in hypoxemia, frequency, duration) were calculated the week prior to CRP collection. Statistical analyses were based on Spearman's correlation. Results  A total of 26 infants were included. Median gestational age and birth weight were 27 4/7 weeks and 980 g, respectively. There were positive correlations between primary IH measures and CRP levels, especially for events longer than 1-minute duration (r range: 0.56–0.74, all p  < 0.01). Conclusion  We demonstrate that IH is associated with increased CRP for the first time in preterm infants. Our findings are consistent with studies from adults and neonatal animal models suggesting that IH is a proinflammatory process. Key Points IH events are common. IH is associated with elevated C-reactive protein. Longer IH events (>1 min) are of most significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a bibliometric study of Risk Management in Scrum Projects. It was carried out an analysis involving the ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases, identifying the main authors, countries and periodicals. It also identified the most cited authors by the analyzed articles, in addition to the keywords most frequently cited. These analyzes were performed using the reference maps, which were generated by CiteSpace® software, which offers a set of features to support bibliometrics. The objective was to identify the current scenario research of Risk Management applied in Scrum Projects in order to offer a consistent basis of information to researchers. The research verified that, despite the importance of the research topic, few scientific studies have been identified, which brings the need for new researches on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of La Revista Latinoamericana de Metalurgia y Materiales, RLMM is the property of Universidad Simon Bolivar, Departmento de Ciencia de los Materiales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)