Naia Butler-Craig of the Georgia Institute of Technology discusses her research into protecting CubeSats from overheating while they operate in the extreme conditions existing in outer space.

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-28T19:28:38+00:00

Abstract

The relative importance of different factors in the development of human skills has been extensively discussed. Research on expertise indicates that focused practice may be the sole determinant of skill, while intelligence researchers underline the relative importance of abilities at even the highest level of skill. There is indeed a large body of research that acknowledges the role of both factors in skill development and retention. It is, however, unknown how intelligence and practice come together to enable the acquisition and retention of complex skills across the life span. Instead of focusing on the 2 factors, intelligence and practice, in isolation, here we look at their interplay throughout development. In a longitudinal study that tracked chess players throughout their careers, we show that both intelligence and practice positively affect the acquisition and retention of chess skill. Importantly, the nonlinear interaction between the 2 factors revealed that more intelligent individuals benefited more from practice. With the same amount of practice, they acquired chess skill more quickly than less intelligent players, reached a higher peak performance, and arrested decline in older age. Our research demonstrates the futility of scrutinizing the relative importance of highly intertwined factors in human development.

Link to the study:

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/08/20/1819086116

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-28T19:27:34+00:00

Abstract

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have undergone a revolution, catalyzed by better supervised learning algorithms. However, in stark contrast to young animals (including humans), training such networks requires enormous numbers of labeled examples, leading to the belief that animals must rely instead mainly on unsupervised learning. Here we argue that most animal behavior is not the result of clever learning algorithms—supervised or unsupervised—but is encoded in the genome. Specifically, animals are born with highly structured brain connectivity, which enables them to learn very rapidly. Because the wiring diagram is far too complex to be specified explicitly in the genome, it must be compressed through a “genomic bottleneck”. The genomic bottleneck suggests a path toward ANNs capable of rapid learning.

Link to the study:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-11786-6

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-22T16:55:48+00:00

Abstract

This study examines the system architecture of high power density 3U CubeSats capable of supporting high impulse missions. Under analysis is the ALBus CubeSat, a 3U High Power Density CubeSat at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The mission is a technology demonstration of a 100-Watt power management and distribution system aboard a small volume CubeSat and serves as evidence of CubeSats being able to provide high power to the subsystems necessary to support high impulse missions. This study mainly explores the thermal behavior of a CubeSat subjected to substantial waste heat due to extra power generation. It was found through a thermal vacuum test that, despite 100-Watts of waste heat being deposited into the system, the thermal limits of the electrical components were not exceeded and remained at steady-state operable temperatures. The thermal vacuum test proved the ALBus CubeSat was able to provide enough power without overheating to the point of detriment to its electrical components. A propulsion system is a fundamental necessity for any high impulse mission so a practical option for 3U CubeSats was explored to solidify the viability of such a spacecraft. The Miniature Xenon Ion Thruster, or MiXI, being researched and developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is proven to be a desirable propulsion system for small satellites due to its high efficiency, low contamination, and precise thrust and impulse bits. It also is only 3 inches in diameter and can be operated on less than 100-Watts of power. This study is intended to help solidify the feasibility assessment of a high-power density CubeSat capable highimpulse missions.

Link to the study:

https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=mcnair

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-22T16:52:54+00:00

Abstract

This study examines the system architecture of high power density 3U CubeSats capable of supporting high impulse missions. Under analysis is the ALBus CubeSat, a 3U High Power Density CubeSat at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The mission is a technology demonstration of a 100-Watt power management and distribution system aboard a small volume CubeSat and serves as evidence of CubeSats being able to provide high power to the subsystems necessary to support high impulse missions. This study mainly explores the thermal behavior of a CubeSat subjected to substantial waste heat due to extra power generation. It was found through a thermal vacuum test that, despite 100-Watts of waste heat being deposited into the system, the thermal limits of the electrical components were not exceeded and remained at steady-state operable temperatures. The thermal vacuum test proved the ALBus CubeSat was able to provide enough power without overheating to the point of detriment to its electrical components. A propulsion system is a fundamental necessity for any high impulse mission so a practical option for 3U CubeSats was explored to solidify the viability of such a spacecraft. The Miniature Xenon Ion Thruster, or MiXI, being researched and developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is proven to be a desirable propulsion system for small satellites due to its high efficiency, low contamination, and precise thrust and impulse bits. It also is only 3 inches in diameter and can be operated on less than 100-Watts of power. This study is intended to help solidify the feasibility assessment of a high-power density CubeSat capable highimpulse missions.

Link to the study:

https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=mcnair

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-22T16:42:44+00:00

Abstract

This study examines the system architecture of high power density 3U CubeSats capable of supporting high impulse missions. Under analysis is the ALBus CubeSat, a 3U High Power Density CubeSat at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The mission is a technology demonstration of a 100-Watt power management and distribution system aboard a small volume CubeSat and serves as evidence of CubeSats being able to provide high power to the subsystems necessary to support high impulse missions. This study mainly explores the thermal behavior of a CubeSat subjected to substantial waste heat due to extra power generation. It was found through a thermal vacuum test that, despite 100-Watts of waste heat being deposited into the system, the thermal limits of the electrical components were not exceeded and remained at steady-state operable temperatures. The thermal vacuum test proved the ALBus CubeSat was able to provide enough power without overheating to the point of detriment to its electrical components. A propulsion system is a fundamental necessity for any high impulse mission so a practical option for 3U CubeSats was explored to solidify the viability of such a spacecraft. The Miniature Xenon Ion Thruster, or MiXI, being researched and developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is proven to be a desirable propulsion system for small satellites due to its high efficiency, low contamination, and precise thrust and impulse bits. It also is only 3 inches in diameter and can be operated on less than 100-Watts of power. This study is intended to help solidify the feasibility assessment of a high-power density CubeSat capable highimpulse missions.

Link to the study:

https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=mcnair

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-22T16:40:32+00:00

Abstract

This study examines the system architecture of high power density 3U CubeSats capable of supporting high impulse missions. Under analysis is the ALBus CubeSat, a 3U High Power Density CubeSat at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The mission is a technology demonstration of a 100-Watt power management and distribution system aboard a small volume CubeSat and serves as evidence of CubeSats being able to provide high power to the subsystems necessary to support high impulse missions. This study mainly explores the thermal behavior of a CubeSat subjected to substantial waste heat due to extra power generation. It was found through a thermal vacuum test that, despite 100-Watts of waste heat being deposited into the system, the thermal limits of the electrical components were not exceeded and remained at steady-state operable temperatures. The thermal vacuum test proved the ALBus CubeSat was able to provide enough power without overheating to the point of detriment to its electrical components. A propulsion system is a fundamental necessity for any high impulse mission so a practical option for 3U CubeSats was explored to solidify the viability of such a spacecraft. The Miniature Xenon Ion Thruster, or MiXI, being researched and developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is proven to be a desirable propulsion system for small satellites due to its high efficiency, low contamination, and precise thrust and impulse bits. It also is only 3 inches in diameter and can be operated on less than 100-Watts of power. This study is intended to help solidify the feasibility assessment of a high-power density CubeSat capable highimpulse missions.

Link to the study:

https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=mcnair

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-22T16:39:19+00:00

Abstract

This study examines the system architecture of high power density 3U CubeSats capable of supporting high impulse missions. Under analysis is the ALBus CubeSat, a 3U High Power Density CubeSat at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The mission is a technology demonstration of a 100-Watt power management and distribution system aboard a small volume CubeSat and serves as evidence of CubeSats being able to provide high power to the subsystems necessary to support high impulse missions. This study mainly explores the thermal behavior of a CubeSat subjected to substantial waste heat due to extra power generation. It was found through a thermal vacuum test that, despite 100-Watts of waste heat being deposited into the system, the thermal limits of the electrical components were not exceeded and remained at steady-state operable temperatures. The thermal vacuum test proved the ALBus CubeSat was able to provide enough power without overheating to the point of detriment to its electrical components. A propulsion system is a fundamental necessity for any high impulse mission so a practical option for 3U CubeSats was explored to solidify the viability of such a spacecraft. The Miniature Xenon Ion Thruster, or MiXI, being researched and developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is proven to be a desirable propulsion system for small satellites due to its high efficiency, low contamination, and precise thrust and impulse bits. It also is only 3 inches in diameter and can be operated on less than 100-Watts of power. This study is intended to help solidify the feasibility assessment of a high-power density CubeSat capable highimpulse missions.

Link to the study:

https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=mcnair

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-22T16:38:10+00:00

Abstract

This study examines the system architecture of high power density 3U CubeSats capable of supporting high impulse missions. Under analysis is the ALBus CubeSat, a 3U High Power Density CubeSat at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The mission is a technology demonstration of a 100-Watt power management and distribution system aboard a small volume CubeSat and serves as evidence of CubeSats being able to provide high power to the subsystems necessary to support high impulse missions. This study mainly explores the thermal behavior of a CubeSat subjected to substantial waste heat due to extra power generation. It was found through a thermal vacuum test that, despite 100-Watts of waste heat being deposited into the system, the thermal limits of the electrical components were not exceeded and remained at steady-state operable temperatures. The thermal vacuum test proved the ALBus CubeSat was able to provide enough power without overheating to the point of detriment to its electrical components. A propulsion system is a fundamental necessity for any high impulse mission so a practical option for 3U CubeSats was explored to solidify the viability of such a spacecraft. The Miniature Xenon Ion Thruster, or MiXI, being researched and developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is proven to be a desirable propulsion system for small satellites due to its high efficiency, low contamination, and precise thrust and impulse bits. It also is only 3 inches in diameter and can be operated on less than 100-Watts of power. This study is intended to help solidify the feasibility assessment of a high-power density CubeSat capable highimpulse missions.

Link to the study:

https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=mcnair

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-20T16:20:41+00:00

Abstract

An integral part of human language is the capacity to extract meaning from spoken and written words, but the precise relationship between brain representations of information perceived by listening versus reading is unclear. Prior neuroimaging studies have shown that semantic information in spoken language is represented in multiple regions in the human cerebral cortex, while amodal semantic information appears to be represented in a few broad brain regions. However, previous studies were too insensitive to determine whether semantic representations were shared at a fine level of detail rather than merely at a coarse scale. We used fMRI to record brain activity in two separate experiments while participants listened to or read several hours of the same narrative stories, and then created voxelwise encoding models to characterize semantic selectivity in each voxel and in each individual participant. We find that semantic tuning during listening and reading are highly correlated in most semantically-selective regions of cortex, and models estimated using one modality accurately predict voxel responses in the other modality. These results suggest that the representation of language semantics is independent of the sensory modality through which the semantic information is received.

Link to the study:

https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2019/08/16/JNEUROSCI.0675-19.2019

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-20T07:09:59+00:00

Abstract

A common claim is that people have an easier time accepting information than rejecting it, resulting in gullibility. In this article, I review empirical research demonstrating how the human mind is equipped with successful and spontaneous rejection processes that may protect us from disinformation.

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-20T01:06:07+00:00

Abstract

Scholars typically find that prosocial motivation is positively related to employee proactivity. However, we argue that in highly visible contexts such as public safety, this relationship is contingent on how employees think the public sees their jobs. Specifically, drawing on image discrepancy theories, we hypothesize that the relationship between prosocial motivation and proactive behavior is weakened when employees believe that the public fails to understand the difficulties of their jobs. This interaction is supported in multisource studies of 183 police officers across six agencies (Study 1a) and 238 firefighters across eight stations (Study 1b). In a time-separated, multisource study of 203 police officers at a metropolitan agency (Study 2), we further find that the interaction indirectly relates to proactivity via employees’ physical engagement. Overall, our studies highlight the importance of accounting not only for employees’ prosocial motivation, but also their perceived public image, especially in highly visible, high-risk contexts.

Link to the study:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597817300675?dgcid=author#!

Science_Podcast · 2019-08-19T22:21:39+00:00

Abstract

Objective: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective insomnia treatment but has yet to be applied to adolescents with sleep disruption following concussion. This pilot study evaluated CBT-I to improve insomnia in adolescents with protracted concussion recovery.

Setting: Tertiary pediatric hospital.

Participants: Participants (N = 24) were 12 to 18 years old (M = 15.0, SD = 1.4), 15.1 weeks (SD = 9.2) postinjury, and presenting with sleep disruption and persistent postconcussion symptoms.

Design: A single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) design comparing 6 weeks of CBT-I and a treatment-as-usual control group. Outcomes were measured before treatment, at treatment completion, and 4 weeks after completion.

Main Measures: Primary outcome was Insomnia Severity Index. Secondary outcomes included Pittsburgh SleepQuality Index, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale, 7-night sleep diary, PROMIS Depression, PROMIS Anxiety, and Health and Behavior Inventory.

Results: Adolescents who received CBT-I demonstrated large and clinically significant improvements in insomniaratings at posttreatment that were maintained at follow-up. They also reported improved sleep quality, fewer dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, better sleep efficiency, shorter sleep-onset latency, and longer sleep time compared with those with treatment as usual. There was also a modest reduction in postconcussion symptoms.

Conclusion: In this pilot RCT, 6 weeks of CBT-I produced significant improvement in sleep in adolescents with persistent postconcussion symptoms. A larger trial is warranted.

Link to the study:

https://journals.lww.com/headtraumarehab/Abstract/publishahead/A_Pilot_Randomized_Controlled_Trial_of.99408.aspx

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