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The rapid increase in forecasted small satellites to be orbited and the need for placement flexibility and launch responsiveness to maintain satellite constellations can create a launch offer crunch, stimulating the need for innovative launch services that are convenient, cost-effective, and flexible, thus more convenient launch site too. Launch capacity worldwide is saturated and therefore there will be the need for new spaceports to meet the demand in the next years. The potential socio-economic impact of a spaceport located in Morocco is relevant considering the role this country plays on the international level, and considering the relations within the African region, Europe, and the deep ties with the Arabic league. New policies and vision led the country over the last twenty years to invest massively in infrastructure, and the space sector, and more specifically the launcher industry, could be the next frontier. This paper addresses key factors such as technical feasibility, logistics, licensing, economic viability, and social impact, and plans to the foundations of what could be the next big thing in the international space scenario, allowing a more democratic and efficient access to space.

Costly and time-consuming recovery of photocatalysts from treated water is one of the main challenges for the photocatalysis process. In this regard, an Ag-functionalized Bi2W(Mo)O6 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized via a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted hydrothermal method, immobilized on a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane and subsequently used for photocatalytic water treatment. The flower-like Ag-decorated Bi2W(Mo)O6 photocatalyst revealed a significant enhancement (62%) in the photocatalytic degradation efficiency compared to the unmodified pure Bi2WO6 (19%) due to the synergic contribution of the flower-like morphology with higher surface area, decrease in band gap by Mo doping and Ag-induced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects. In order to immobilize the photocatalyst, the Ag-decorated Bi2W(Mo)O6 nanoparticles were distributed uniformly on the surface of the PVDF membrane. The results illustrate that the as-prepared Ag-loaded Bi2W(Mo)O6/PVDF composite membrane effectively degrades the organic molecules (51%) without any additional process for the photocatalyst separation, confirming its potential as a beneficial environmental-friendly material for water treatment applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Describe outcomes of open fetal surgery for myelomeningocele (MMC) repair in two Brazilian hospitals and the impact of surgical experience on outcome.Design: Retrospective cohort study.Setting: Sao Paulo, Brazil.Population: 237 pregnant women carrying a fetus with an open spinal defect.Methods: Surgical details, and maternal and fetal outcomes collected from all patients.Main Outcome Measures: Analysis of surgical and perinatal outcome parameters.Results: Total surgical time was 119 ± 7.6 minutes. Preterm labour occurred in 24.2%, premature rupture of membranes in 26.7%, placental abruption in 0.8%, need for a blood transfusion at delivery in 2.1%, and dehiscence at the repair site in 2.5%. Reversal of hindbrain herniation at birth occurred in 71.4%. There were no maternal deaths or severe maternal morbidities. The failure rate with the patient anaesthetised was 0.42% and perinatal mortality was 2.1% (three intrauterine demises and two neonatal deaths). Comparing results from our study in the first 3 years with the last 3 years demonstrated improvement in the total surgical time (121.2 ± 6.4 versus 118.5 ± 8.2 minutes, P = 0.005) and an increase in reversal of hindbrain herniation at birth (64.0 versus 77.1%, P = 0.042).Conclusion: Our open fetal surgical approach for MMC was effective and results were comparable to past studies. Improvements in surgical performance and perinatal outcome increased as the surgical team became more familiar with the procedure.Funding: The study was funded solely by institutional funds.Tweetable Abstract: Brazilian experience of in utero open surgery for myelomeningocele repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In utero fetal surgery to correct incomplete closure of the spinal cord lessens the extent of permanent damage but is associated with preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM). We determined whether compounds in amniotic fluid collected at the time of surgery predicted subsequent development of PPROM.Design: Prospective study.Setting: Hospitals in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Population: Twenty-four consecutive pregnant women at 24-26 weeks of gestation seen between February and October 2017 with a singleton pregnancy underwent in utero surgery to correct an open spinal defect in their fetus.Methods: Amniotic fluid was tested for lactic acid, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), MMP-8, MMP-9 and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical data were collected after completion of all laboratory studies.Main Outcome Measure: Amniotic fluid concentration of compounds in women with or without PPROM.Results: Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes occurred in seven (29.2%) women. There were no differences in maternal age, gravidity, parity, race, history of caesarean sections or fetal gender between women with or without PPROM. Length of surgery, days of wound healing and length of hospital stay were also indistinguishable. The median concentrations of MMP-8 (1.7 versus 0.6 ng/ml; P = 0.0041) and lactic acid (7.1 versus 5.9 mm; P = 0.0181) were higher in women with PPROM. The amniotic fluid MMP-8 level was also negatively correlated with gestational age at delivery (Spearman r = -0.4217, P = 0.0319).Conclusion: Differences in susceptibility to develop PPROM are present before fetal surgery. An increase in anaerobic glycolysis, evidenced by the intra-amniotic lactic acid level, may enhance MMP-8 production and weaken maternal and fetal membranes.Tweetable Abstract: Matrix metalloproteinase-8 and lactic acid in amniotic fluid predict preterm prelabour rupture of membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]