Identification of Noise Sources During Rocket Engine Test Firings and a Rocket Launch Using a Microphone Phased-Array

A 70 microphone, 10-foot by 10-foot, microphone phased array was built for use in the harsh environment of rocket launches. The array was setup at NASA Wallops launch pad 0A during a static test firing of Orbital Sciences' Antares engines, and again during the first launch of the Antares vehicle. It was placed 400 feet away from the pad, and was hoisted on a scissor lift 40 feet above ground. The data sets provided unprecedented insight into rocket noise sources. The duct exit was found to be the primary source during the static test firing; the large amount of water injected beneath the nozzle exit and inside the plume duct quenched all other sources. The maps of the noise sources during launch were found to be time-dependent. As the engines came to full power and became louder, the primary source switched from the duct inlet to the duct exit. Further elevation of the vehicle caused spilling of the hot plume, resulting in a distributed noise map covering most of the pad. As the entire plume emerged from the duct, and the ondeck water system came to full power, the plume itself became the loudest noise source. These maps of the noise sources provide vital insight for optimization of sound suppression systems for future Antares launches

Acute stress impairs sensorimotor gating via the neurosteroid allopregnanolone in the prefrontal cortex

Ample evidence indicates that environmental stress impairs information processing, yet the underlying mechanisms remain partially elusive. We showed that, in several rodent models of psychopathology, the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (AP) reduces the prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle, a well-validated index of sensorimotor gating. Since this GABAA receptor activator is synthesized in response to acute stress, we hypothesized its participation in stress-induced PPI deficits. Systemic AP administration reduced PPI in C57BL/6J mice and Long-Evans, but not Sprague-Dawley rats. These effects were reversed by isoallopregnanolone (isoAP), an endogenous AP antagonist, and the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline and mimicked by AP infusions in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Building on these findings, we tested AP's implication in the PPI deficits produced by several complementary regimens of acute and short-term stress (footshock, restraint, predator exposure, and sleep deprivation). PPI was reduced by acute footshock, sleep deprivation as well as the combination of restraint and predator exposure in a time- and intensity-dependent fashion. Acute stress increased AP concentrations in the mPFC, and its detrimental effects on PPI were countered by systemic and intra-mPFC administration of isoAP. These results collectively indicate that acute stress impairs PPI by increasing AP content in the mPFC. The confirmation of these mechanisms across distinct animal models and several acute stressors strongly supports the translational value of these findings and warrants future research on the role of AP in information processing

Multi-Channel SQUID System for MEG and Ultra-Low-Field MRI

A seven-channel system capable of performing both magnetoencephalography (MEG) and ultra-low-field magnetic resonance imaging (ULF MRI) is described. The system consists of seven second-order SQUID gradiometers with 37 mm diameter and 60 mm baseline, having magnetic field resolution of 1.2-2.8 fT/rtHz. It also includes four sets of coils for 2-D Fourier imaging with pre-polarization. The system's MEG performance was demonstrated by measurements of auditory evoked response. The system was also used to obtain a multi-channel 2-D image of a whole human hand at the measurement field of 46 microtesla with 3 by 3 mm resolution.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of 2006 Applied Superconductivity Conferenc

Microtesla MRI of the human brain combined with MEG

One of the challenges in functional brain imaging is integration of complementary imaging modalities, such as magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). MEG, which uses highly sensitive superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) to directly measure magnetic fields of neuronal currents, cannot be combined with conventional high-field MRI in a single instrument. Indirect matching of MEG and MRI data leads to significant co-registration errors. A recently proposed imaging method - SQUID-based microtesla MRI - can be naturally combined with MEG in the same system to directly provide structural maps for MEG-localized sources. It enables easy and accurate integration of MEG and MRI/fMRI, because microtesla MR images can be precisely matched to structural images provided by high-field MRI and other techniques. Here we report the first images of the human brain by microtesla MRI, together with auditory MEG (functional) data, recorded using the same seven-channel SQUID system during the same imaging session. The images were acquired at 46 microtesla measurement field with pre-polarization at 30 mT. We also estimated transverse relaxation times for different tissues at microtesla fields. Our results demonstrate feasibility and potential of human brain imaging by microtesla MRI. They also show that two new types of imaging equipment - low-cost systems for anatomical MRI of the human brain at microtesla fields, and more advanced instruments for combined functional (MEG) and structural (microtesla MRI) brain imaging - are practical.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures - accepted by JM

A Precision Photometric Comparison between SDSS-II and CSP Type Ia Supernova Data

Consistency between Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP) and SDSS-II supernova (SN) survey ugri measurements has been evaluated by comparing SDSS and CSP photometry for nine spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernova observed contemporaneously by both programs. The CSP data were transformed into the SDSS photometric system. Sources of systematic uncertainty have been identified, quantified, and shown to be at or below the 0.023 magnitude level in all bands. When all photometry for a given band is combined, we find average magnitude differences of equal to or less than 0.011 magnitudes in ugri, with rms scatter ranging from 0.043 to 0.077 magnitudes. The u band agreement is promising, with the caveat that only four of the nine supernovae are well-observed in u and these four exhibit an 0.038 magnitude supernova-to-supernova scatter in this filter.Comment: This paper has been accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

DHODH modulates transcriptional elongation in the neural crest and melanoma

Melanoma is a tumour of transformed melanocytes, which are originally derived from the embryonic neural crest. It is unknown to what extent the programs that regulate neural crest development interact with mutations in the BRAF oncogene, which is the most commonly mutated gene in human melanoma1. We have used zebrafish embryos to identify the initiating transcriptional events that occur on activation of human BRAF(V600E) (which encodes an amino acid substitution mutant of BRAF) in the neural crest lineage. Zebrafish embryos that are transgenic for mitfa:BRAF(V600E) and lack p53 (also known as tp53) have a gene signature that is enriched for markers of multipotent neural crest cells, and neural crest progenitors from these embryos fail to terminally differentiate. To determine whether these early transcriptional events are important for melanoma pathogenesis, we performed a chemical genetic screen to identify small-molecule suppressors of the neural crest lineage, which were then tested for their effects on melanoma. One class of compound, inhibitors of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), for example leflunomide, led to an almost complete abrogation of neural crest development in zebrafish and to a reduction in the self-renewal of mammalian neural crest stem cells. Leflunomide exerts these effects by inhibiting the transcriptional elongation of genes that are required for neural crest development and melanoma growth. When used alone or in combination with a specific inhibitor of the BRAF(V600E) oncogene, DHODH inhibition led to a marked decrease in melanoma growth both in vitro and in mouse xenograft studies. Taken together, these studies highlight developmental pathways in neural crest cells that have a direct bearing on melanoma formation

Multi-sensor system for simultaneous ultra-low-field MRI and MEG

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging at ultra-low fields (ULF MRI) are two methods based on the ability of SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) sensors to detect femtotesla magnetic fields. Combination of these methods will allow simultaneous functional (MEG) and structural (ULF MRI) imaging of the human brain. In this paper, we report the first implementation of a multi-sensor SQUID system designed for both MEG and ULF MRI. We present a multi-channel image of a human hand obtained at 46 microtesla field, as well as results of auditory MEG measurements with the new system.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of 15th International Conference on Biomagnetis