Space probe/satellite ejection apparatus for spacecraft

An ejection apparatus for spinning and propelling objects for ejection from a spacecraft at a desired velocity and rotational speed is discussed. The apparatus includes a launch cradle on which the space object to be ejected rests. The cradle is rotatably supported by a central hub secured to the upper end of the pneumatic cylinder piston shaft. Release mechanisms consisting of a retractable pin and locking lug is utilized to hold the cradle and object to be ejected. The release mechanism has a fixed barrier member which holds the retractable pin in engagement with the locking lug until release by upward movement of the launch cradle beyond the barrier height

Relativistic J-matrix method

The relativistic version of the J-matrix method for a scattering problem on the potential vanishing faster than the Coulomb one is formulated. As in the non-relativistic case it leads to a finite algebraic eigenvalue problem. The derived expression for the tangent of phase shift is simply related to the non-relativistic case formula and gives the latter as a limit case. It is due to the fact that the used basis set satisfies the ``kinetic balance condition''.Comment: 21 pages, RevTeX, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

The Central Region in M100: Observations and Modeling

We present new high-resolution observations of the center of the late-type spiral M100 (NGC 4321) supplemented by 3D numerical modeling of stellar and gas dynamics, including star formation (SF). NIR imaging has revealed a stellar bar, previously inferred from optical and 21 cm observations, and an ovally-shaped ring-like structure in the plane of the disk. The K isophotes become progressively elongated and skewed to the position angle of the bar (outside and inside the `ring') forming an inner bar-like region. The galaxy exhibits a circumnuclear starburst in the inner part of the K `ring'. Two maxima of the K emission have been observed to lie symmetrically with respect to the nucleus and equidistant from it slightly leading the stellar bar. We interpret the twists in the K isophotes as being indicative of the presence of a double inner Lindblad resonance (ILR) and test this hypothesis by modeling the gas flow in a self-consistent gas + stars disk embedded in a halo, with an overall NGC4321-like mass distribution. We have reproduced the basic morphology of the region (the bar, the large scale trailing shocks, two symmetric K peaks corresponding to gas compression maxima which lie at the caustic formed by the interaction of a pair of trailing and leading shocks in the vicinity of the inner ILR, both peaks being sites of SF, and two additional zones of SF corresponding to the gas compression maxima, referred usually as `twin peaks').Comment: 31 pages, postscript, compressed, uuencoded. 21 figures available in postscript, compressed form by anonymous ftp from ftp://asta.pa.uky.edu/shlosman/main100 , mget *.ps.Z. To appear in Ap.

Fluctuating surface pressure characteristics on slender cones in subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic Mach-number flow

A program is presented to determine the flow-induced unsteady aerodynamic loads on space-shuttle orbiter configurations in the early reentry phase. Experiments on 8 degree half-angle cone/flat-base configurations were conducted at free-stream Mach numbers of 6 and 15 and Reynolds numbers corresponding to shuttle reentry. Data are available at free-stream Mach-numbers of 0.67, 2.5, 3, 4, 6, 15, and 22. It is shown that empirical expressions could be developed for the Mach-number dependence of the overall fluctuation pressure under an attached turbulent boundary layer and under a separated base-flow region

Plasmid Injection and Application of Electric Pulses Alter Endogenous mRNA and Protein Expression in B16.F10 Mouse Melanomas

The application of electric pulses to tissues causes cell membrane destabilization, allowing exogenous molecules to enter the cells. This delivery technique can be used for plasmid gene therapy. Reporter gene expression after plasmid delivery with eight representative published protocols was compared in B16.F10 mouse melanoma tumors. This expression varied significantly based on the pulse parameters utilized for delivery. To observe the possible influence of plasmid injection and/or pulse application on endogenous gene expression, levels of stress-related mRNAs 4 and 24 h after delivery were determined by PCR array. Increases in mRNA levels for several inflammatory chemokines and cytokines were observed in response to plasmid injection, electric pulses alone or the combination. This upregulation was confirmed by individual real-time reverse transcription TaqMan PCR assays. Proteins were extracted at the same time points from identically treated tumors and inflammatory protein levels were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by a custom multiplex bead array. Increases in inflammatory protein levels generally paralleled mRNA levels. Some differences were observed, which may have been due to differing expression kinetics. The observed upregulated expression of these cytokines and chemokines may aid or inhibit the therapeutic effectiveness of immune-based cancer gene therapies

Chiral crossover, deconfinement and quarkyonic matter within a Nambu-Jona Lasinio model with the Polyakov loop

We study the interplay between the chiral and the deconfinement transitions, both at high temperature and high quark chemical potential, by a non local Nambu-Jona Lasinio model with the Polyakov loop in the mean field approximation and requiring neutrality of the ground state. We consider three forms of the effective potential of the Polyakov loop: two of them with a fixed deconfinement scale, cases I and II, and the third one with a $\mu$ dependent scale, case III. In the cases I and II, at high chemical potential $\mu$ and low temperature $T$ the main contribution to the free energy is due to the Z(3)-neutral three-quark states, mimicking the quarkyonic phase of the large $N_c$ phase diagram. On the other hand in the case III the quarkyonic window is shrunk to a small region. Finally we comment on the relations of these results to lattice studies and on possible common prospects. We also briefly comment on the coexistence of quarkyonic and color superconductive phases.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, RevTeX4. Some typos corrected, references adde