One-shot valve may be remotely actuated

One-shot valve, with spring-loaded plunger and sealing diaphragm, incorporates an emergency release actuated by a remote sensor. The plunger is released by the electrical melting of a fuse link and pierces the valve seal. The valve lowers fluid pressure in a container without losing the contained fluid

Analysis and design of ion thruster for large space systems

Design analyses showed that an ion thruster of approximately 50 cm in diameter will be required to produce a thrust of 0.5 N using xenon or argon as propellants, and operating the thruster at a specific impulse of 3530 sec or 6076 sec respectively. A multipole magnetic confinement discharge chamber was specified

Ion engine thrust vector study Quarterly report

Thrust stand and thruster designs for ion engine

Light-regulated plant growth and development.

Plants are sessile and photo-autotrophic; their entire life cycle is thus strongly influenced by the ever-changing light environment. In order to sense and respond to those fluctuating conditions higher plants possess several families of photoreceptors that can monitor light from UV-B to the near infrared (far-red). The molecular nature of UV-B sensors remains unknown, red (R) and far-red (FR) light is sensed by the phytochromes (phyA-phyE in Arabidopsis) while three classes of UV-A/blue photoreceptors have been identified: cryptochromes, phototropins, and members of the Zeitlupe family (cry1, cry2, phot1, phot2, ZTL, FKF1, and LKP2 in Arabidopsis). Functional specialization within photoreceptor families gave rise to members optimized for a wide range of light intensities. Genetic and photobiological studies performed in Arabidopsis have shown that these light sensors mediate numerous adaptive responses (e.g., phototropism and shade avoidance) and developmental transitions (e.g., germination and flowering). Some physiological responses are specifically triggered by a single photoreceptor but in many cases multiple light sensors ensure a coordinated response. Recent studies also provide examples of crosstalk between the responses of Arabidopsis to different external factors, in particular among light, temperature, and pathogens. Although the different photoreceptors are unrelated in structure, in many cases they trigger similar signaling mechanisms including light-regulated protein-protein interactions or light-regulated stability of several transcription factors. The breath and complexity of this topic forced us to concentrate on specific aspects of photomorphogenesis and we point the readers to recent reviews for some aspects of light-mediated signaling (e.g., transition to flowering)

The Jury Sunshine Project: Jury Selection Data as a Political Issue

In this Article, the authors look at jury selection from the viewpoint of citizens and voters, standing outside the limited boundaries of constitutional challenges. They argue that the composition of juries in criminal cases deserves political debate outside the courtroom. Voters should use the jury selection habits of judges and prosecutors to assess the overall health of local criminal justice: local conditions are unhealthy when the full-time courtroom professionals build juries that exclude parts of the local community, particularly when they exclude members of traditionally marginalized groups such as racial minorities. Every sector of society should participate in the administration of criminal justice. This political problem starts as a public records problem. Poor access to records is the single largest reason why jury selection cannot break out of the litigator\u27s framework to become a normal topic for political debate. As described in Part III, the authors worked with dozens of students, librarians, and court personnel to collect jury selection documents from individual case files and assembled them into a single database, which we call The Jury Sunshine Project. The database encompasses more than 1,300 felony trials and almost 30,000 prospective jurors. Part IV presents some initial findings from the Jury Sunshine Project to illustrate how public data might generate political debate beyond the courtroom. Part V explores the possible explanations for the racial patterns observed in jury selection. Some accounts of this data point to benign non-racial factors as the real explanation for the patterns observed. Other interpretations of the data treat these patterns as a new type of proof of discriminatory intent: evidence that cuts across many cases might shed new light on the likely intent of prosecutors, defense attorneys, or judges in a single case. A third perspective emphasizes the community effects of exclusion from jury service. Finally, Part VI generalizes from the data about the race of jurors to ask more generally how accessible public records could transform criminal justice. Sunshine will open up serious community debates about what is possible and desirable in local criminal justice systems

Advanced electrostatic ion thruster for space propulsion

The suitability of the baseline 30 cm thruster for future space missions was examined. Preliminary design concepts for several advanced thrusters were developed to assess the potential practical difficulties of a new design. Useful methodologies were produced for assessing both planetary and earth orbit missions. Payload performance as a function of propulsion system technology level and cost sensitivity to propulsion system technology level are among the topics assessed. A 50 cm diameter thruster designed to operate with a beam voltage of about 2400 V is suggested to satisfy most of the requirements of future space missions