Publications

CLANDESTINE WORLDS: BOOKS EXPLORING SECRET ECOSYSTEMS AND SHADOW ECONOMIES

In this 02 July 2024 article published by Crime Reads, I give a top-ten book recommendation for Clandestine Worlds.

A major theme of my novel, MAY THE WOLF DIE, is the disproportionate influence of cultures, customs, ideas, and hierarchies that exist just out of view of the casual observer. These may arise organically within an environment or impose themselves more forcefully, like a virus spreading through a population, wrecking devastation on the immunologically naive. If, like me, you’re compelled to peel away the secrecy, to unlock clandestine systems and see what makes them tick, these ten books are for you!

The Thomas Pesquet Proxima Mission: An Overview of Accomplishments and Science Results

I co-wrote this paper with ESA Astronaut Thomas Pesquet - and presented the results at the 73rd International Astronautical Congress in Paris 18-22 September 2022. The paper was then published in the journal Acta Astronautica in December 2023.

The Proxima Mission of ESA Astronaut Thomas Pesquet began with the launch of the 49 Soyuz (49S) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 17 November 2016 (GMT322) at 20:20 GMT. The mission concluded on 02 June 2017 (GMT153) after Pesquet spent 196 days in low earth orbit. This paper gives an overview of the Proxima mission and the forty ESA objectives conducted during this time ranging from human physiology to material science, from robotics demonstrations to educational outreach activities. On-board and ground activities are described, crew-time usage is assessed, and scientific results are compiled. Five years after the completion of Proxima, we review the results of this research.

US Patent: NMR Crystallography Methods for Three-Dimensional Structure Determination

Acuiring three-dimensional structure of pharmaceutical solids stands as one of the greatest obstacles to the rapid development of new and targeted drugs. Current methods are plagued by lengthy research timelines and inherent experimental limitations. For instance, x-ray crystallography relies on the ability to grow consistent and sizeable crystals of a compound, powder diffraction methods require a "best guess structual starting point" and computational methods are unreliable for all but the smallest, most rigid molecules. This invention relates to new methods for determining the three-dimensional structure of a target compound using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) crystallography and new methods for screening test compounds.

Operational Assessment of Africa Partnership Station

This is an assessment of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2011

efforts and effects. Its primary intent was to provide planners and

operators with programmatic understanding, lessons learned,

and a way ahead. Following the pillars of Maritime Sector

Development, this quantitative framework and qualitative

narrative gave real-time program evaluation, alignment with

leadership goals, and made recommendations for programmatic

success. This report was used by the US State Department when they briefed Congress.

Structural characterization of an anhydrous polymorph of paclitaxel by solid-state NMR

The three-dimensional structure of a unique polymorph of the anticancer drug paclitaxel (Taxol®) is established using solid state NMR (SSNMR) tensor (13C & 15N) and heteronuclear correlation (1H–13C) data. The polymorph has two molecules per asymmetric unit (Z′ = 2) and is thus the first conformational characterization with Z′ > 1 established solely by SSNMR. Experimental data are correlated with structure through a series of computational models that extensively sample all conformations. For each computational model, corresponding tensor values are computed to supply comparisons with experimental information which, in turn, establishes paclitaxel’s structure. Heteronuclear correlation data at thirteen key positions provide shift assignments to the asymmetric unit for each comparison. The two distinct molecules of the asymmetric unit possess nearly identical baccatin III moieties with matching conformations of the C10 acetyl moiety and, specifically, the torsion angle formed by C30–O–C10–C9. Additionally, both are found to exhibit an extended conformation of the phenylisoserine sidechain at C13 with notable differences in the dihedral angles centered around the rotation axes of O–C13, C2′–C1′ and C3′–C2′.

Additional Publications

E.M. Heider, J.K. Harper, D.M. Grant, A. Hoffman, F. Dugan, D.P. Tomer and K.L. O'Neill, “Exploring Unusual Antioxidant Activity in a Benzoic Acid Derivative: a Proposed Mechanism for Citrinin”, Tetrahedron, 2006, 62, 1199.
J.K. Harper, D.H. Barich, E.M. Heider, D.M. Grant, R.R. Franke, J.H. Johnson, Y. Zhang, P.L. Lee, R.B. Von Dreele, B. Scott, D. Williams and G.B. Ansell, “A Combined Solid-State NMR and X-ray Powder Diffraction Study of a Stable Polymorph of Paclitaxel” Crystal Growth & Design, 2005, 5(5), 1737.
J.K. Harper, A.M. Arif, E.J. Ford, G.A. Strobel, D.P. Tomer, K.L. Oneill, E.M. Heider and D.M. Grant, “Pestacin: a 1,3-dihydro isobenzofuran from Pestalotiopsis microspora possessing antioxidant and antimycotic activities” Tetrahedron, 2003, 59(14), 2471
E.M. Heider, “Tailoring Operations to Country Variables (U)”, CNA Publication, January 2010, CRM D0021995.A1
E.M. Heider, E. McAnallen, K. Mosteller, A. Siders, D. Babcock, K. McLean, B. Smith, S. Dunlap, “APS 2011 Operational Assessment”, December 2011, CNE-CNA-C6F / AFRICOM Report. Briefed by US Department of State to U.S. Congress
E.M. Heider, A. Blaine, “Operational Analysis of 2013 Exercise Saharan Express,” May 2013, CNE-CNA-C6F /AFRICOM document.
E.M. Heider, “Operational Analysis of Boarding Operations during Obangame Express 2013,” April 2013, CNE-CNA-C6F document
E.M. Heider, G.J. van den Dam, “Assessments Plan for African Winds / APS”, May 2013, CNE-CNA-C6F and Royal Netherlands Navy document.
E.M. Heider, E. McAnallen, G.J. van den Dam, “APS Self-Assessment Mentorship Program in Senegal”, January 2013, CNE-CNA-C6F, Senegal Navy, and Royal Netherlands Navy document.
E.M. Heider, E. McAnallen, “APS Self-Assessment Mentorship Program in Gabon”, January 2013, CNE-CNA-C6F document.
E.M. Heider, Inc 55-56 ESA Complement Accomplishment Report, November 2018, ESA Technical Note ESA-ISS-COL-IMO-TN-0008
in author
C. Piacenza, E. Ceglia, E.M. Heider, S. Ansel, R. Di Lauro, K. Dunlop, S. Paternostro, "An insight into ESA processes for ISS research payloads" IAC-22.B3.3.3 (67606), 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Paris, France,,18-22 September 2022.
E.M. Heider, T. Pesquet, “The Thomas Pesquet Proxima Mission: an Overview of Accomplishments and Science Results”, IAC-22-A2.6.10 (71409), 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Paris, France,18-22 September 2022.
E.M. Heider, The Thomas Pesquet Proxima Mission: An Overview of Accomplishments and Science Results”, ESA Technical Note, ESA-ISS-COL-UPI-TN-0004 (currently under review)

Elizabeth Heider