Workshop Proceedings: Optical Systems Technology for Space Astrophysics in the 21st Century, volume 3

A technology development program, Astrotech 21, is being proposed by NASA to enable the launching of the next generation of space astrophysical observatories during the years 1995-2015. Astrotech 21 is being planned and will ultimately be implemented jointly by the Astrophysics Division of the Office of Space Science and Applications and the Space Directorate of the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology. A summary of the Astrotech 21 Optical Systems Technology Workshop is presented. The goal of the workshop was to identify areas of development within advanced optical systems that require technology advances in order to meet the science goals of the Astrotech 21 mission set, and to recommend a coherent development program to achieve the required capabilities

Executive summary

The Astrotech 21 Optical Systems Technology Workshop was held in Pasadena, California on March 6-8, 1991. The purpose of the workshop was to examine the state of Optical Systems Technology at the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA), and in industry and academia, in view of the potential Astrophysics mission set currently being considered for the late 1990's through the first quarter of the 21st century. The principal result of the workshop is this publication, which contains an assessment of the current state of the technology, and specific technology advances in six critical areas of optics, all necessary for the mission set. The workshop was divided into six panels, each of about a dozen experts in specific fields, representing NASA, industry, and academia. In addition, each panel contained expertise that spanned the spectrum from x-ray to submillimeter wavelengths. This executive summary contains the principal recommendations of each panel. The six technology panels and their chairs were: (1) Wavefront Sensing, Control, and Pointing, Thomas Pitts, Itek Optical Systems, A Division of Litton; (2) Fabrication, Roger Angel, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona; (3) Materials and Structures, Theodore Saito, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; (4) Optical Testing, James Wyant, WYKO Corporation; (5) Optical Systems Integrated Modeling, Robert R. Shannon, Optical Sciences Center, University of Arizona; and (6) Advanced Optical Instruments Technology, Michael Shao, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. This Executive Summary contains the principal recommendations of each panel

Tensor to scalar ratio of perturbation amplitudes and inflaton dynamics

For the inflaton perturbations it is shown that the evolution of the difference between the spectral indices can be translated into information on the scale dependence of the tensor to scalar amplitudes ratio, $r$, and how the scalar field potential can be derived from that information. Examples are given where $r$ converges to a constant value during inflation but dynamics are rather different from the power--law model. Cases are presented where a constant $r$ is not characteristic of the inflationary dynamics though the resulting perturbation spectra are consistent with the CMB and LSS data. The inflaton potential corresponding to $r$ given by a n--th order polynomial of the e--folds number is derived in quadratures expressions. Since the observable difference between the spectral indices evaluated at a pivot scale yields information about the linear term of that polynomial, the first order case is explicitly written down. The solutions show features beyond the exponential form corresponding to power--law inflation and can be matched with current observational data.Comment: 5 two-columns pages, two figures, RevTex4. Minor modifications. Two references adde

Non-Singular Charged Black Hole Solution for Non-Linear Source

A non-singular exact black hole solution in General Relativity is presented. The source is a non-linear electromagnetic field, which reduces to the Maxwell theory for weak field. The solution corresponds to a charged black hole with |q| \leq 2s_c m \approx 0.6 m, having metric, curvature invariants, and electric field bounded everywhere.Comment: 3 pages, RevTe

Calcium-Sensing Receptor Regulates Cytosolic [Ca 2+ ] and Plays a Major Role in the Development of Pulmonary Hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) leading to right heart failure and premature death. The increased PVR results in part from pulmonary vascular remodeling and sustained pulmonary vasoconstriction. Excessive pulmonary vascular remodeling stems from increased pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation and decreased PASMC apoptosis. A rise in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) in PASMC is a major trigger for pulmonary vasoconstriction and a key stimulus for PASMC proliferation and migration, both contributing to the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling. PASMC from patients with idiopathic PAH (IPAH) have increased resting [Ca2+]cyt and enhanced Ca2+ influx. Enhanced Ca2+ entry into PASMC due to upregulation of membrane receptors and/or Ca2+ channels may contribute to PASMC contraction and proliferation and to pulmonary vasoconstriction and pulmonary vascular remodeling. We have shown that the extracellular Ca2+-sensing receptor (CaSR), which is a member of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) subfamily C, is upregulated, and the extracellular Ca2+-induced increase in [Ca2+]cyt is enhanced in PASMC from patients with IPAH in comparison to PASMC from normal subjects. Pharmacologically blockade of CaSR significantly attenuate the development and progression of experimental pulmonary hypertension in animals. Additionally, we have demonstrated that dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel blockers (e.g., nifedipine), which are used to treat PAH patients but are only effective in 15-20% of patients, activate CaSR resulting in an increase in [Ca2+]cyt in IPAH-PASMC, but not normal PASMC. Our data indicate that CaSR functionally couples with transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels to mediate extracellular Ca2+-induced Ca2+ influx and increase in [Ca2+]cyt in IPAH-PASMC. Upregulated CaSR is necessary for the enhanced extracellular Ca2+-induced increase in [Ca2+]cyt and the augmented proliferation of PASMC in patients with IPAH. This review will highlight the pathogenic role of CaSR in the development and progression of PAH

De Marillac Academy: Perseverance, Purpose, and Promise

For many years, the Catholic school system within the United States was considered the preeminent educational institution, particularly for poor and marginalized students that live in low income, inner city areas. Now, given the large number of school closures, the Catholic school system’s long-standing goal of educating economically disadvantaged students in inner city schools is in peril. In this study, the researchers examined De Marillac Academy, a Catholic, tuition-free middle school, located in the Tenderloin District in San Francisco, CA, to identify both the non-cognitive skills students have learned and the organizational factors in place, which have contributed to these urban students’ success in high school and beyond. The authors discuss how the concept of what Angela Duckworth calls grit and Swadener and Lubeck’s notion of students-at-promise contribute, in part, to the students’ academic success. They also offer a perspective on how to best teach grit in our schools. De Marillac Academy: perseverancia, propósito y promesa Durante muchos años el sistema escolar católico en los Estados Unidos fue considerado la institución educativa preeminente, en particular para los estudiantes pobres y marginalizados que vivían en zonas urbanas de bajos ingresos. Hoy en día, dado el elevado número de escuelas que cierran, el objetivo tradicional del sistema escolar católico de educar a los estudiantes en desventaja económica de las escuelas urbanas está en peligro. En este estudio, los investigadores examinaron a De Marillac Academy, una escuela secundaria católica, gratuita, ubicada en Tenderloin District, en San Francisco, California, para identificar tanto las habilidades no cognitivas aprendidas por los estudiantes (como los factores organizativos en marcha) que han contribuido al éxito de estos estudiantes urbanos en la escuela secundaria superior y más allá. Los autores discuten cómo el concepto de lo que Angela Duckworth llama grit (determinación) y la noción de estudiante-prometedor de Swadener y Lubeck contribuyen, en parte, al éxito académico de los estudiantes. También ofrecen una perspectiva sobre cómo enseñar mejor la determinación en nuestras escuelas. Palabras clave: escuelas católicas urbanas, escuelas San Miguel, grit, determinación, estudiante-prometedor Académie de Marillac : Persévérance, détermination et promesse Pendant des années, on a considéré que le système des écoles catholiques aux États-Unis était l\u27institution éducative prépondérante, notamment pour les élèves pauvres et marginalisés, à bas revenus, vivant dans des cités. Maintenant qu\u27un grand nombre d\u27écoles ont fermé, l\u27objectif à long terme des écoles catholiques consistant à enseigner aux élèves économiquement défavorisés dans les cités est en péril. Dans cette étude, les chercheurs ont examiné l\u27académie de Marillac, un collège catholique sans frais de scolarité, situé dans le district Tenderloin, à San Francisco, en Californie, pour repérer ce que les élèves avaient appris et les facteurs organisationnels en place qui avaient contribué au succès de ces élèves issus d\u27un milieu urbain, au lycée et au-delà Les auteurs ont évoqué la manière dont ce qu\u27Angela Duckworth appelle avoir du cran et la notion d\u27élèves à promesse établie par Swadener et Lubeck, contribuent en partie à la réussite scolaire des élèves. Ils proposent également un point de vue sur la meilleure manière d\u27enseigner le cran à l\u27école. Mots-clés : écoles catholiques en milieu urbain, écoles de San Miguel, avoir du cran, élèves à promess

Determinants of the intention to adopt digital-only banks in Malaysia: The extension of environmental concern

Digital-only banks have not achieved adoption expectations despite being one of the latest innovations in fintech. Several digital-only banks in the United States and Japan have gone bankrupt, and others continue to operate at a loss. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct this study in Malaysia to understand customers’ behavior, particularly regarding the adoption of digital-only banks. With climate change, environmental-friendly behavior, which has been ignored in digital-only bank literature, is becoming increasingly pertinent. This study addresses the lack of an integrated model that investigates the effect of external factors (i.e., critical mass, number of services, and environmental concerns), customer self-determination factors (i.e., trust), and mental perceptions of technology adoption (i.e., convenience, economic efficiency, functional and security risks, as well as perceived value) on the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Data were collected through an online survey targeting Klang Valley residents in the prime age range of 25–54 years old using stratified random sampling. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling by performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and SEM path analysis in AMOS.v26 software. The results show that convenience, economic efficiency, number of services, trust, perceived value, and environmental concern all have positive significant relationships with the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Further, environmental concern is the strongest indicator of behavioral intention. In contrast, functional and security risks have a negative but non-significant relationship with the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Finally, critical mass has a positive but non-significant effect on the behavioral intention. This study is among the first to examine the influence of environmental concern on behavioral intentions in a digital-only banking context. It also contributes to an expanding body of research investigating environmental sustainability by presenting empirical results in the context of digital-only banks

NASA's interstellar probe mission

NASA's Interstellar Probe will be the first spacecraft designed to explore the nearby interstellar medium and its interaction with our solar system. As envisioned by NASA's Interstellar Probe Science and Technology Definition Team, the spacecraft will be propelled by a solar sail to reach >200 AU in 15 years. Interstellar Probe will investigate how the Sun interacts with its environment and will directly measure the properties and composition of the dust, neutrals and plasma of the local interstellar material which surrounds the solar system. In the mission concept developed in the spring of 1999, a 400-m diameter solar sail accelerates the spacecraft to ~15 AU/year, roughly 5 times the speed of Voyager 1&2. The sail is used to first bring the spacecraft to ~0.25 AU to increase the radiation pressure before heading out in the interstellar upwind direction. After jettisoning the sail at ~5 AU, the spacecraft coasts to 200–400 AU, exploring the Kuiper Belt, the boundaries of the heliosphere, and the nearby interstellar medium