Evaluation of performance impairment by spacecraft contaminants

The environmental contaminants (isolated as off-gases in Skylab and Apollo missions) were evaluated. Specifically, six contaminants were evaluated for their effects on the behavior of juvenile baboons. The concentrations of contaminants were determined through preliminary range-finding studies with laboratory rats. The contaminants evaluated were acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), trichloroethylene (TCE), heptane and Freon 21. When the studies of the individual gases were completed, the baboons were also exposed to a mixture of MEK and TCE. The data obtained revealed alterations in the behavior of baboons exposed to relatively low levels of the contaminants. These findings were presented at the First International Symposium on Voluntary Inhalation of Industrial Solvents in Mexico City, June 21-24, 1976. A preprint of the proceedings is included

How Do Nonlinear Voids Affect Light Propagation ?

Propagation of light in a clumpy universe is examined. As an inhomogeneous matter distribution, we take a spherical void surrounded by a dust shell where the ``lost mass'' in the void is compensated by the shell. We study how the angular-diameter distance behaves when such a structure exists. The angular-diameter distance is calculated by integrating the Raychaudhuri equation including the shear. An explicit expression for the junction condition for the massive thin shell is calculated. We apply these results to a dust shell embedded in a Friedmann universe and determine how the distance-redshift relation is modified compared with that in the purely Friedmann universe. We also study the distribution of distances in a universe filled with voids. We show that the void-filled universe gives a larger distance than the FRW universe by $\sim 5$ at $z \sim 1$ if the size of the void is $\sim 5$ of the Horizon radius.Comment: To appear in Prog. Theor. Phys. 10

General technique for the integration of MIC/MMIC'S with waveguides

A technique for packaging and integrating of a microwave integrated circuit (MIC) or monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) with a waveguide uses a printed conductive circuit pattern on a dielectric substrate to transform impedance and mode of propagation between the MIC/MMIC and the waveguide. The virtually coplanar circuit pattern lies on an equipotential surface within the waveguide and therefore makes possible single or dual polarized mode structures

Local Phonon Density of States in an Elastic Substrate

The local, eigenfunction-weighted acoustic phonon density of states (DOS) tensor is calculated for a model substrate consisting of a semi-infinite isotropic elastic continuum with a stress-free surface. On the surface, the local DOS is proportional to the square of the frequency, as for the three-dimensional Debye model, but with a constant of proportionality that is considerably enhanced compared to the Debye value, a consequence of the Rayleigh surface modes. The local DOS tensor at the surface is also anisotropic, as expected. Inside the substrate the local DOS is both spatially anisotropic and non-quadratic in frequency. However, at large depths, the local DOS approaches the isotropic Debye value. The results are applied to a Si substrate.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, RevTe

Tidally Triggered Star Formation in Close Pairs of Galaxies: Major and Minor Interactions

We study star formation in a sample of 345 galaxies in 167 pairs and compact groups drawn from the original CfA2 Redshift Survey and from a follow-up search for companions. We construct our sample with attention to including pairs with luminosity contrast |\Delta m_R| >= 2. These 57 galaxies with |\Delta m_R| >= 2 provide a set of nearby representative cases of minor interactions, a central feature of the hierarchical galaxy formation model. Here we report the redshifts and positions of the 345 galaxies in our sample, and of 136 galaxies in apparent pairs that are superpositions. In the pairs sample as a whole, there are strong correlations between the equivalent width of the H\alpha emission line and the projected spatial and the line-of-sight velocity separation of the pair. For pairs of small luminosity contrast, |\Delta m_R| < 2, the member galaxies show a correlation between the equivalent width of H\alpha and the projected spatial separation of the pair. However, for pairs with large luminosity contrast, |\Delta m_R| >= 2, we detect no correlation between the equivalent width of H\alpha and the projected spatial separation. The relative luminosity of the companion galaxy is more important in a gravitational tidal interaction than the intrinsic luminosity of the galaxy. Central star formation across the entire pairs sample depends strongly on the luminosity ratio, |\Delta m_R|, a reasonable proxy for the mass ratio of the pair; pairs composed of similarly luminous galaxies produce the strongest bursts of star formation. Pairs with |\Delta m_R| >= 2 rarely have EW(H\alpha) >~ 70 Ang.Comment: Minor revisions following journal proof

Continuous Wavelets on Compact Manifolds

Let $\bf M$ be a smooth compact oriented Riemannian manifold, and let $\Delta_{\bf M}$ be the Laplace-Beltrami operator on ${\bf M}$. Say 0 \neq f \in \mathcal{S}(\RR^+), and that $f(0) = 0$. For $t > 0$, let $K_t(x,y)$ denote the kernel of $f(t^2 \Delta_{\bf M})$. We show that $K_t$ is well-localized near the diagonal, in the sense that it satisfies estimates akin to those satisfied by the kernel of the convolution operator $f(t^2\Delta)$ on \RR^n. We define continuous ${\cal S}$-wavelets on ${\bf M}$, in such a manner that $K_t(x,y)$ satisfies this definition, because of its localization near the diagonal. Continuous ${\cal S}$-wavelets on ${\bf M}$ are analogous to continuous wavelets on \RR^n in \mathcal{S}(\RR^n). In particular, we are able to characterize the H$\ddot{o}$lder continuous functions on ${\bf M}$ by the size of their continuous ${\mathcal{S}}-$wavelet transforms, for H$\ddot{o}$lder exponents strictly between 0 and 1. If $\bf M$ is the torus \TT^2 or the sphere $S^2$, and $f(s)=se^{-s}$ (the ``Mexican hat'' situation), we obtain two explicit approximate formulas for $K_t$, one to be used when $t$ is large, and one to be used when $t$ is small

Improved Long-term Expression from Helper Virus-free HSV-1 Vectors Packaged Using Combinations of Mutated HSV-1 Proteins that Include the UL13 Protein Kinase and Specific Components of the VP16 Transcriptional Complex

Background: Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1) gene expression is thought to shut off recombinant gene expression from HSV-1 vectors; however, in a helper virus-free HSV-1 vector system, a number of promoters support only short-term expression. These results raise the paradox that recombinant gene expression remains short-term even in the absence of almost all (~99%) of the HSV-1 genome, HSV-1 genes, and HSV-1 gene expression. To resolve this paradox, we hypothesized that specific proteins in the HSV-1 virus particle shut off recombinant gene expression. In two earlier studies, we examined the effects on recombinant gene expression of packaging vectors using specific mutated HSV-1 proteins. We found that vectors packaged using mutated UL13 (a protein kinase), or VP16, or UL46 and/or UL47 (components of the VP16 transcriptional complex) supported improved long-term expression, and vectors packaged using mutated UL46 and/or UL47 also supported improved gene transfer (numbers of cells at 4 days). These results suggested the hypothesis that specific proteins in the HSV-1 particle act by multiple pathways to reduce recombinant gene expression. To test this hypothesis, we examined combinations of mutated proteins that included both UL13 and specific components of the VP16 transcriptional complex. Results: A HSV-1 vector containing a neuronal-specific promoter was packaged using specific combinations of mutated proteins, and the resulting vector stocks were tested in the rat striatum. For supporting long-term expression, the preferred combination of mutated HSV-1 proteins was mutated UL13, UL46, and UL47. Vectors packaged using this combination of mutated proteins supported a higher efficiency of gene transfer and high levels expression for 3 months, the longest time examined. Conclusion: Vector particles containing this combination of mutated HSV-1 proteins improve recombinant gene expression. Implications of these results for strategies to further improve long-term expression are discussed. Moreover, long-term expression will benefit specific gene therapy applications

Phase-Coherent Transport through a Mesoscopic System: A New Probe of Non-Fermi-Liquid Behavior

A novel chiral interferometer is proposed that allows for a direct measurement of the phase of the transmission coefficient for transport through a variety of mesoscopic structures in a strong magnetic field. The effects of electron-electron interaction on this phase is investigated with the use of finite-size bosonization techniques combined with perturbation theory resummation. New non-Fermi-liquid phenomena are predicted in the FQHE regime that may be used to distinguish experimentally between Luttinger and Fermi liquids.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Revte