Discovery of a Magnetic DZ White Dwarf with Zeeman-Split Lines of Heavy Elements

A spectroscopic survey of previously-unstudied Luyten Half Second proper motion stars has resulted in the discoveries of two new cool magnetic white dwarfs. One (LHS 2273) is a routine DA star, T= 6,500K, with Zeeman-split H alpha and H beta, for which a simple model suggests a polar field strength of 18.5 MG viewed close to equator-on. However, the white dwarf LHS 2534 proves to be the first magnetic DZ showing Zeeman-split Na I and Mg I components, as well as Ca I and Ca II lines for which Zeeman components are blended. The Na I splittings result in a mean surface field strength estimate of 1.92 MG. Apart from the magnetic field, LHS 2534 is one of the most heavily-blanketed and coolest DZ white dwarfs at T ~ 6,000K.Comment: 7 pages, Astrophysical Journal (Letters), in pres

An advanced technology space station for the year 2025, study and concepts

A survey was made of potential space station missions that might exist in the 2020 to 2030 time period. Also, a brief study of the current state-of-the-art of the major subsystems was undertaken, and trends in technologies that could impact the subsystems were reviewed. The results of the survey and study were then used to arrive at a conceptual design of a space station for the year 2025. Factors addressed in the conceptual design included requirements for artificial gravity, synergies between subsystems, and the use of robotics. Suggestions are made relative to more in-depth studies concerning the conceptual design and alternative configurations

Analysis of a rotating advanced-technology space station for the year 2025

An analysis is made of several aspects of an advanced-technology rotating space station configuration generated under a previous study. The analysis includes examination of several modifications of the configuration, interface with proposed launch systems, effects of low-gravity environment on human subjects, and the space station assembly sequence. Consideration was given also to some aspects of space station rotational dynamics, surface charging, and the possible application of tethers

Some operational aspects of a rotating advanced-technology space station for the year 2025

The study of an Advanced Technology Space Station which would utilize the capabilities of subsystems projected for the time frame of the years 2000 to 2025 is discussed. The study includes tradeoffs of nuclear versus solar dynamic power systems that produce power outputs of 2.5 megawatts and analyses of the dynamics of the spacecraft of which portions are rotated for artificial gravity. The design considerations for the support of a manned Mars mission from low Earth orbit are addressed. The studies extend to on-board manufacturing, internal gas composition effects, and locomotion and material transfer under artificial gravity forces. The report concludes with an assessment of technology requirements for the Advanced Technology Space Station

Explosive Flux Compression: 50 Years of Los Alamos Activities

Los Alamos flux compression activities are surveyed, mainly through references in view of space limitations. However, two plasma physics programs done with Sandia National Laboratory are discussed in more detail

Radio Weak Gravitational Lensing with VLA and MERLIN

We carry out an exploratory weak gravitational lensing analysis on a combined VLA and MERLIN radio data set: a deep (3.3 micro-Jy beam^-1 rms noise) 1.4 GHz image of the Hubble Deep Field North. We measure the shear estimator distribution at this radio sensitivity for the first time, finding a similar distribution to that of optical shear estimators for HST ACS data in this field. We examine the residual systematics in shear estimation for the radio data, and give cosmological constraints from radio-optical shear cross-correlation functions. We emphasize the utility of cross-correlating shear estimators from radio and optical data in order to reduce the impact of systematics. Unexpectedly we find no evidence of correlation between optical and radio intrinsic ellipticities of matched objects; this result improves the properties of optical-radio lensing cross-correlations. We explore the ellipticity distribution of the radio counterparts to optical sources statistically, confirming the lack of correlation; as a result we suggest a connected statistical approach to radio shear measurements.Comment: 16 pages with 19 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS; Minor corrections to section 6.3; 2 references adde

Alternate assembly sequence databook for the Tier 2 Bus-1 option of the International Space Station

The JSC International Space Station program office requested that SSB prepare a databook to document the alternate space station assembly sequence known as Tier 2, which assumes that the Russian participation has been eliminated and that the functions that were supplied by the Russians (propulsion, resupply, initial attitude control, communications, etc.) are now supplied by the U.S. Tier 2 utilizes the Lockheed Bus-l to replace much of the missing Russian functionality. The space station at each stage of its buildup during the Tier 2 assembly sequence is characterized in terms of of properties, functionality, resource balances, operations, logistics, attitude control, microgravity environment and propellant usage. The assembly sequence as analyzed was defined by JSC as a first iteration, with subsequent iterations required to address some of the issues that the analysis in this databook identified. Several significant issues were identified, including: less than desirable orbit lifetimes, shortage of EVA, large flight attitudes, poor microgravity environments, and reboost propellant shortages. Many of these issues can be resolved but at the cost of possible baseline modifications and revisions in the proposed Tier 2 assembly sequence

Single-cell RNA sequencing uncovers the nuclear decoy lincRNA PIRAT as a regulator of systemic monocyte immunity during COVID-19

The systemic immune response to viral infection is shaped by master transcription fac-tors, such as NF-κB, STAT1, or PU.1. Although long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)have been suggested as important regulators of transcription factor activity, their contri-butions to the systemic immunopathologies observed during SARS-CoV-2 infectionhave remained unknown. Here, we employed a targeted single-cell RNA sequencingapproach to reveal lncRNAs differentially expressed in blood leukocytes during severeCOVID-19. Our results uncover the lncRNA PIRAT (PU.1-induced regulator of alar-min transcription) as a major PU.1 feedback-regulator in monocytes, governing the pro-duction of the alarmins S100A8/A9, key drivers of COVID-19 pathogenesis. Knockoutand transgene expression, combined with chromatin-occupancy profiling, characterizedPIRATasanucleardecoyRNA,keepingPU.1frombindingtoalarminpromotersandpromoting its binding to pseudogenes in naïve monocytes. NF-κB–dependent PIRATdown-regulation during COVID-19 consequently releases a transcriptional brake, fuelingalarmin production. Alarmin expression is additionally enhanced by the up-regulation ofthe lncRNA LUCAT1, which promotes NF-κB–dependentgeneexpressionattheexpenseof targets of the JAK-STAT pathway. Our results suggest a major role of nuclear noncod-ing RNA networks in systemic antiviral responses to SARS-CoV-2 in humans

LOFAR/H-ATLAS: The low-frequency radio luminosity - star-formation rate relation

This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.Radio emission is a key indicator of star-formation activity in galaxies, but the radio luminosity-star formation relation has to date been studied almost exclusively at frequencies of 1.4 GHz or above. At lower radio frequencies the effects of thermal radio emission are greatly reduced, and so we would expect the radio emission observed to be completely dominated by synchrotron radiation from supernova-generated cosmic rays. As part of the LOFAR Surveys Key Science project, the Herschel-ATLAS NGP field has been surveyed with LOFAR at an effective frequency of 150 MHz. We select a sample from the MPA-JHU catalogue of SDSS galaxies in this area: the combination of Herschel, optical and mid-infrared data enable us to derive star-formation rates (SFRs) for our sources using spectral energy distribution fitting, allowing a detailed study of the low-frequency radio luminosity--star-formation relation in the nearby Universe. For those objects selected as star-forming galaxies (SFGs) using optical emission line diagnostics, we find a tight relationship between the 150 MHz radio luminosity ($L_{150}$) and SFR. Interestingly, we find that a single power-law relationship between $L_{150}$ and SFR is not a good description of all SFGs: a broken power law model provides a better fit. This may indicate an additional mechanism for the generation of radio-emitting cosmic rays. Also, at given SFR, the radio luminosity depends on the stellar mass of the galaxy. Objects which were not classified as SFGs have higher 150-MHz radio luminosity than would be expected given their SFR, implying an important role for low-level active galactic nucleus activity.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Malnutrition Has No Effect on the Timing of Human Tooth Formation

The effect of nutrition on the timing of human tooth formation is poorly understood. Delays and advancements in dental maturation have all been reported as well as no effect. We investigated the effect of severe malnutrition on the timing of human tooth formation in a large representative sample of North Sudanese children. The sample (1102 males, 1013 females) consisted of stratified randomly selected healthy individuals in Khartoum, Sudan, aged 2-22 years using a cross-sectional design following the STROBE statement. Nutritional status was defined using WHO criteria of height and weight. Body mass index Z-scores and height for age Z-scores of ≤-2 (cut-off) were used to identify the malnourished group (N = 474) while the normal was defined by Z-scores of ≥0 (N = 799). Clinical and radiographic examination of individuals, with known ages of birth was performed including height and weight measurements. Mandibular left permanent teeth were assessed using eight crown and seven root established tooth formation stages. Mean age at entry and mean age within tooth stages were calculated for each available tooth stage in each group and compared using a t-test. Results show the mean age at entry and mean age within tooth stages were not significantly different between groups affected by severe malnutrition and normal children (p>0.05). This remarkable finding was evident across the span of dental development. We demonstrate that there is little measurable effect of sustained malnutrition on the average timing of tooth formation. This noteworthy finding supports the notion that teeth have substantial biological stability and are insulated from extreme nutritional conditions compared to other maturing body systems