Study of shuttle imaging microwave system antenna. Volume 1: Conceptual design

A detailed preliminary design and complete performance evaluation are presented of an 11-channel large aperture scanning radiometer antenna for the shuttle imaging microwave system (SIMS) program. Provisions for interfacing the antenna with the space shuttle orbiter are presented and discussed. A program plan for hardware development and a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost are also included. The conceptual design of the antenna is presented. It consists of a four-meter diameter parabolic torus main reflector, which is a graphite/epoxy shell supported by a graphite/epoxy truss. A rotating feed wheel assembly supports six Gregorian subreflectors covering the upper eight frequency channels from 6.6 GHz through 118.7 GHz, and two three-channel prime forms feed assemblies for 0.6, 1.4, and 2.7 GHz. The feed wheel assembly also holds the radiometers and power supplies, and a drive system using a 400 Hz synchronous motor is described. The RF analysis of the antenna is performed using physical optics procedures for both the dual reflector Gregorian concept and the single reflector prime focus concept. A unique aberration correcting feed for 2.7 GHz is analyzed. A structural analysis is also included. The analyses indicate that the antenna will meet system requirements

Hydrogen contamination in Ge-doped SiO[sub 2] thin films prepared by helicon activated reactive evaporation

Germanium-doped silicon oxidethin films were deposited at low temperature by using an improved helicon plasma assisted reactive evaporation technique. The origins of hydrogen contamination in the film were investigated, and were found to be H incorporation during deposition and postdeposition water absorption. The H incorporation during deposition was avoided by using an effective method to eliminate the residual hydrogen present in the depositionsystem. The microstructure, chemical bonds, chemical etch rate, and optical index of the films were studied as a function of the deposition conditions. Granular microstructures were observed in low-density films, and were found to be the cause of postdeposition water absorption. The granular microstructure was eliminated and the film was densified by increasing the helicon plasma power and substrate bias during deposition. A high-density film was shown to have no postdeposition water absorption and no OH detected by using a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer

Molecular quality engineering for low cost vaccine production

Vaccines based on recombinant proteins provide a compelling case for low cost products with broad global accessibility. Protein immunogens are typically derived directly from native sequences found in bacterial or viral pathogens, and may not be well-suited for efficient expression in recombinant hosts. Native immunogens may also suffer from numerous challenges during expression that impact their quality or efficient production, including truncation, aggregation and poor stability. These challenges can lead to inefficiencies in manufacturing of subunit protein vaccines. Typically, recombinant vaccine manufacturing processes are complex, serial batch operations requiring extensive quality testing throughout to ensure product integrity. In response to the Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenge for Innovations in Vaccine Manufacturing for Global Markets, we are co-developing the ULTRA program for flexible, low cost vaccine products. This program aims to develop platform processes for production of recombinant vaccines. We believe that molecular design of the antigens provides a critical handle in improving antigen quality, manufacturability, and product stability, all of which could enable potent, low-cost vaccines. Addressing potential manufacturing challenges early on in product development should enable simple integrated processes for antigen production while minimizing costs associated with quality testing. To this end, we are demonstrating our platform approach with a recombinant trivalent subunit vaccine for rotavirus currently in clinical development. We chose to express the three VP8 subunits in Pichia pastoris to take advantage of the high titers of secreted proteins and minimal process-related contaminants typically experienced with this organism—critical features when developing simple intensified processes to meet our cost targets of $0.15/dose. Initial expression results showed the rotavirus antigens were poorly expressed and suffered from N-terminal truncation and aggregation—all of which were also observed in a previously developed E. coli-based process. We have deployed a two-pronged approach toward improving the manufacturability of these antigens. First, we used a functional genomics approach to identify bottlenecks experienced during cellular expression of the antigens. RNA-sequencing is a mature, inexpensive and acccessible technique for yeast that can indicate host- or sequence-derived bottlenecks in antigen transcription, translation and expression. Second, we made direct sequence changes to the antigens to mitigate specific quality challenges, such as aggregation. Iterations of this approach have enabled robust titers of rotavirus antigens with improved quality. This framework for incorporation of molecular engineering early in development provides a useful model for improving target product profiles that include manufacturability for low-costs, while maintaining immunogenicity

Starsat: A space astronomy facility

Preliminary design and analyses of a versatile telescope for Spacelab missions are presented. The system is an all-reflective Korsch three-mirror telescope with excellent performance characteristics over a wide field and a broad spectral range, making it particularly suited for ultraviolet observations. The system concept is evolved around the utilization of existing hardware and designs which were developed for other astronomy space projects

Identifying the best Pichia pastoris base strain using functional genomics

Market sizes for novel breakthrough therapies and growing demand for existing treatments in emerging markets promise to challenge the current capacity for production of biologics. These trends dictate the need for a concomitant paradigm shift in biomanufacturing toward greater productivity for lower cost. Strain engineering is a promising means to realize the greatest returns by increasing the product titer going into downstream processes. Current cellular hosts are approaching saturation of optimal productivity due to lack of deep biological understanding or limitations of the host’s intrinsic secretion capacity. We demonstrate an approach informed by functional genomics to understand key performance differences between interchangeably-used variants of the host, Pichia pastoris. Genomic variant calling on all USDA-banked and commercially-available strains revealed varying numbers of SNPs relative to the WT strain, Y-11430. Combining transcriptomics and traditional phenotypic assays, the functional impact of these SNPs can inform which host strain is best suited for a given application. Taken together, we have identified key, beneficial SNPs that can be introduced into a WT background to create an IP-free host primed for optimal protein production

Management of Lantana, an invasive alien weed, in forest ecosystems of India

Lantana is one of the world's worst weeds of South American origin that threatens native biodiversity of forest ecosystems across India. It was introduced into India as a garden ornamental and or a biohedge plant in the early part of the 19th century and now it has virtually invaded all the tropical and subtropical regions of India. Although attempts have been made to control Lantana by physical, chemical and biological methods, there is no success either in its control or the prevention of its spread. No effective management strategy is yet available for the containment of this obnoxious alien weed. On the basis of critical assessment of the biological and ecological attributes of Lantana that enabled it to overcome all the existing management practices, we have developed a new management strategy. The new strategy involves (i) its removal by cut rootstock method, (ii) weeding of saplings from beneath the trees used for perching by generalist birds that disperse the seeds throughout their home range and from surface drainage channels originating from the area covered by such trees and (iii) ecological restoration of weed-free landscapes, preferably to the grassland, or forest communities according to the needs of stakeholders to prevent reinvasion of the same species or secondary invasion by another alien species. The new strategy developed has been implemented successfully in demonstration plots of 2-5 hectares at the Corbett Tiger Reserve (Uttarakhand), Kalesar National Park (Haryana) and Satpura Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh). The advantages of the new management strategy over other control methods currently used are: (i) cost effectiveness, (ii) simple and easy to adopt and (iii) ensures successful control of Lantana without using chemicals and exotic biological control agents, and with minimum disturbance of soil

Spin observables and the determination of the parity of Θ+\Theta^+ in photoproduction reactions

Spin observables in the photoproduction of the $\Theta^+$ are explored for the purpose of determining the parity of the $\Theta^+$. Based on reflection symmetry in the scattering plane, we show that certain spin observables in the photoproduction of the $\Theta^+$ can be related directly to its parity. We also show that measurements of both the target nucleon asymmetry and the $\Theta^+$ polarization may be useful in determining the parity of $\Theta^+$ in a model-independent way. Furthermore, we show that no combination of spin observables involving only the polarization of the photon and/or nucleon in the initial state can determine the parity of $\Theta^+$ unambiguously.Comment: LaTeX, 11 pages, minor revisio

Multistability of free spontaneously-curved anisotropic strips

Multistable structures are objects with more than one stable conformation, exemplified by the simple switch. Continuum versions are often elastic composite plates or shells, such as the common measuring tape or the slap bracelet, both of which exhibit two stable configurations: rolled and unrolled. Here we consider the energy landscape of a general class of multistable anisotropic strips with spontaneous Gaussian curvature. We show that while strips with non-zero Gaussian curvature can be bistable, strips with positive spontaneous curvature are always bistable, independent of the elastic moduli, strips of spontaneous negative curvature are bistable only in the presence of spontaneous twist and when certain conditions on the relative stiffness of the strip in tension and shear are satisfied. Furthermore, anisotropic strips can become tristable when their bending rigidity is small. Our study complements and extends the theory of multistability in anisotropic shells and suggests new design criteria for these structures.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figure

Relativistic theory of tidal Love numbers

In Newtonian gravitational theory, a tidal Love number relates the mass multipole moment created by tidal forces on a spherical body to the applied tidal field. The Love number is dimensionless, and it encodes information about the body's internal structure. We present a relativistic theory of Love numbers, which applies to compact bodies with strong internal gravities; the theory extends and completes a recent work by Flanagan and Hinderer, which revealed that the tidal Love number of a neutron star can be measured by Earth-based gravitational-wave detectors. We consider a spherical body deformed by an external tidal field, and provide precise and meaningful definitions for electric-type and magnetic-type Love numbers; and these are computed for polytropic equations of state. The theory applies to black holes as well, and we find that the relativistic Love numbers of a nonrotating black hole are all zero.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, many tables; final version to be published in Physical Review