Use of data from space for earth resources exploration and management in Alabama

The University of Alabama, the Geological Survey of Alabama, and the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center are involved in an interagency, interdisciplinary effort to use remotely sensed, multispectral observations to yield improved and timely assessment of earth resources and environmental quality in Alabama. It is the goal of this effort to interpret these data and provide them in a format which is meaningful to and readily usable by agencies, industries, and individuals who are potential users throughout the State

Flight test results for a separate surface stability augmented Beech model 99

A flight evaluation of a Beech model 99 equipped with an attitude command control system incorporating separate surface stability augmentation (SSSA) was conducted to determine whether an attitude command control system could be implemented using separate surface controls, and to determine whether the handling and ride qualities of the aircraft were improved by the SSSA attitude command system. The results of the program revealed that SSSA is a viable approach to implementing attitude command and also that SSSA has the capability of performing less demanding augmentation tasks such as yaw damping, wing leveling, and pitch damping. The program also revealed that attitude command did improve the pilot rating and ride qualities of the airplane while flying an IFR mission in turbulence. Some disadvantages of the system included the necessity of holding aileron force in a banked turn and excessive stiffness in the pitch axis

Requirement of the FATC domain of protein kinase Tel1 for localization to DNA ends and target protein recognition

Two large phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related protein kinases (PIKKs), ATM and ATR, play a central role in the DNA damage response pathway. PIKKs contain a highly conserved extreme C-terminus called the FRAP-ATM-TRRAP-C-terminal (FATC) domain. In budding yeast, ATM and ATR correspond to Tel1 and Mec1, respectively. In this study, we characterized functions of the FATC domain of Tel1 by introducing substitution or truncation mutations. One substitution mutation, termed tel1-21, and a truncation mutation, called tel1- Î"C, did not significantly affect the expression level. The tel1-21 mutation impaired the cellular response to DNA damage and conferred moderate telomere maintenance defect. In contrast, the tel1-Î"C mutation behaved like a null mutation, conferring defects in both DNA damage response and telomere maintenance. Tel1-21 protein localized to DNA ends as effectively as wild-type Tel1 protein, whereas Tel1-Î"C protein failed. Introduction of a hyperactive TEL1-hy mutation suppressed the tel1-21 mutation but not the tel1-Î"C mutation. In vitro analyses revealed that both Tel1-21 and Tel1-Î"C proteins undergo efficient autophosphorylation but exhibit decreased kinase activities toward the exogenous substrate protein, Rad53. Our results show that the FATC domain of Tel1 mediates localization to DNA ends and contributes to phosphorylation of target proteins. © 2015 Ogi, Goto, Ghosh, et al

Rates and Equilibria for a Photoisomerizable Antagonist at the Acetylcholine Receptor of Electrophorus Electroplaques

Voltage-jump and light-flash experiments have been performed on isolated Electrophorus electroplaques exposed simultaneously to nicotinic agonists and to the photoisomerizable compound 2,2'-bis-[α-(trimethylammonium)methyl]-azobenzene (2BQ). Dose-response curves are shifted to the right in a nearly parallel fashion by 2BQ, which suggests competitive antagonism; dose-ratio analyses show apparent dissociation constants of 0.3 and 1 µM for the cis and trans isomers, respectively. Flash-induced trans → cis concentration jumps produce the expected decrease in agonist-induced conductance; the time constant is several tens of milliseconds. From the concentration dependence of these rates, we conclude that the association and dissociation rate constants for the cis-2BQ-receptor binding are approximately ~ 10^8 M^(-1) s^(-1) and 60 s^(-1) at 20ºC; the Q_(10) is 3. Flash-induced cis → trans photoisomerizations produce molecular rearrangements of the ligand-receptor complex, but the resulting relaxations probably reflect the kinetics of buffered diffusion rather than of the interaction between trans-2BQ and the receptor. Antagonists seem to bind about an order of magnitude more slowly than agonists at nicotinic receptors

Identification of the X-ray pulsar in Hercules: A new optical pulsar

A series of photographic, photoelectric, and spectroscopic observations beginning June 1, 1972 has led to the optical identification of Her X-1 (2U 1705 + 34), a pulsed X-ray source in an eclipsing binary system, with the thirteenth magnitude blue variable star HZ Herculis. The detection of optical pulses at the frequency of the X-ray pulsar on three nights makes the identification conclusive and establishes HZ Her as the second known optical pulsar. The strength of the optical pulses may be correlated with the orbital phase but is not obviously related to the high or low intensity states of the X-ray source

Definition of optical atmospheric effects on laser propagation, volume iii

Measurements and limitations of atmospheric effects on laser propagation for space communicatio

Study of the branching instability using a phase field model of inplane crack propagation

In this study, the phase field model of crack propagation is used to study the dynamic branching instability in the case of inplane loading in two dimensions. Simulation results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions and experimental findings. Namely, the critical speed at which the instability starts is about $0.48 c_s$. They also show that a full 3D approach is needed to fully understand the branching instability. The finite interface effects are found to be neglectable in the large system size limit even though they are stronger than the one expected from a simple one dimensional calculation

Weak Wave Turbulence Scaling Theory for Diffusion and Relative Diffusion in Turbulent Surface Waves

We examine the applicability of the weak wave turbulence theory in explaining experimental scaling results obtained for the diffusion and relative diffusion of particles moving on turbulent surface waves. For capillary waves our theoretical results are shown to be in good agreement with experimental results, where a distinct crossover in diffusive behavior is observed at the driving frequency. For gravity waves our results are discussed in the light of ocean wave studies.Comment: 5 pages; for related work visit http://www.imedea.uib.es/~victo

Mixing ratios of trace gases in the austral polar atmosphere during August and September of 1987

Mixing ratios are presented for a number of long-lived trace gases in the austral polar atmosphere during August and September of 1987. The recent discovery of a 12-year trend of increasing depletion of ozone over the Antarctic Continent in the spring of each year led to numerous theoretical interpretations and several scientific expeditions to the region. The results herein were obtained as part of a major effort involving penetration of the region of ozone depletion by NASA's multi-instrumented aircraft. One of the 14 instruments on the high-altitude ER-2 aircraft collected pressurized air samples between latitudes of 53 degrees and 72 degrees south at pressure altitudes up to 21 km in a series of 12 flights from Punta Arenas, Chile, over the Palmer Peninsula. The sampling system, located in the nose section of ER-2, has an inlet tube in the free airstream, a metal-bellows air pump, and 14 specially treated 1.6 l stainless-steel canisters for containing the pressurized air at 350 kPa. A typical flight profile consisted of a southbound path on the 428 K potential temperature surface, a descent to a pressure altitude of 13.7 km, a climb to the 460 K surface, and return on this surface. Mixing ratios for the trace gases were obtained from gas chromatographic analyses of the pressurized air samples. Of the species measured, the mixing ratios for CH4, CO, N2O, CF2 Cl2, CFCl3, CH3, CCl3, CCl4, and C2F3Cl3 are reported here