A unified approach to computer analysis and modeling of spacecraft environmental interactions

A new, coordinated, unified approach to the development of spacecraft plasma interaction models is proposed. The objective is to eliminate the unnecessary duplicative work in order to allow researchers to concentrate on the scientific aspects. By streamlining the developmental process, the interchange between theories and experimentalists is enhanced, and the transfer of technology to the spacecraft engineering community is faster. This approach is called the UNIfied Spacecraft Interaction Model (UNISIM). UNISIM is a coordinated system of software, hardware, and specifications. It is a tool for modeling and analyzing spacecraft interactions. It will be used to design experiments, to interpret results of experiments, and to aid in future spacecraft design. It breaks a Spacecraft Ineraction analysis into several modules. Each module will perform an analysis for some physical process, using phenomenology and algorithms which are well documented and have been subject to review. This system and its characteristics are discussed

Make it so! Jean-Luc Picard, Bart Simpson and the design of e-public services

In this paper, we report on a project applying participatory design methods to include people who have experience of social exclusion (in one form or another) in designing possible technologies for e-(local)-government services. The work was part of a project for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the UK, and was concerned with ‘access tokens’ that can provide personal identification for individuals accessing public services, based on technologies such as multi-functional smartcards, flash memory sticks, mobile phone SIMs or similar devices. In particular we report on our experience using the ‘pastiche scenarios’ technique recently developed by Mark Blythe. Our findings indicate that the technique can be effective and engaging in helping people to create realistic scenarios of future technology use and highlight some possible pitfalls to consider when using this technique.</p

Investigation of additives for improvement of adhesive and elastomer performance Final report

Improvement additives for adhesive and elastomer performanc

In-vivo magnetic resonance imaging of hyperpolarized silicon particles

Silicon-based micro and nanoparticles have gained popularity in a wide range of biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability in-vivo, as well as a flexible surface chemistry, which allows drug loading, functionalization and targeting. Here we report direct in-vivo imaging of hyperpolarized 29Si nuclei in silicon microparticles by MRI. Natural physical properties of silicon provide surface electronic states for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), extremely long depolarization times, insensitivity to the in-vivo environment or particle tumbling, and surfaces favorable for functionalization. Potential applications to gastrointestinal, intravascular, and tumor perfusion imaging at sub-picomolar concentrations are presented. These results demonstrate a new background-free imaging modality applicable to a range of inexpensive, readily available, and biocompatible Si particles.Comment: Supplemental Material include

Patterns, causes, and consequences of marine larval dispersal

Quantifying the probability of larval exchange among marine populations is key to predicting local population dynamics and optimizing networks of marine protected areas. The pattern of connectivity among populations can be described by the measurement of a dispersal kernel. However, a statistically robust, empirical dispersal kernel has been lacking for any marine species. Here, we use genetic parentage analysis to quantify a dispersal kernel for the reef fish Elacatinus lori, demonstrating that dispersal declines exponentially with distance. The spatial scale of dispersal is an order of magnitude less than previous estimates—the median dispersal distance is just 1.7 km and no dispersal events exceed 16.4 km despite intensive sampling out to 30 km from source. Overlaid on this strong pattern is subtle spatial variation, but neither pelagic larval duration nor direction is associated with the probability of successful dispersal. Given the strong relationship between distance and dispersal, we show that distance-driven logistic models have strong power to predict dispersal probabilities. Moreover, connectivity matrices generated from these models are congruent with empirical estimates of spatial genetic structure, suggesting that the pattern of dispersal we uncovered reflects long-term patterns of gene flow. These results challenge assumptions regarding the spatial scale and presumed predictors of marine population connectivity. We conclude that if marine reserve networks aim to connect whole communities of fishes and conserve biodiversity broadly, then reserves that are close in space (<10 km) will accommodate those members of the community that are short-distance dispersers.We thank Diana Acosta, Alben David, Kevin David, Alissa Rickborn, and Derek Scolaro for assistance with field work; Eliana Bondra for assistance with molecular work; and Peter Carlson for assistance with otolith work. We are grateful to Noel Anderson, David Lindo, Claire Paris, Robert Warner, Colleen Webb, and two anonymous reviewers for comments on this manuscript. This work was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant OCE-1260424, and C.C.D. was supported by NSF Graduate Research Fellowship DGE-1247312. All work was approved by Belize Fisheries and Boston University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. (OCE-1260424 - National Science Foundation (NSF); DGE-1247312 - NSF Graduate Research Fellowship)Published versio

Proceedings of a Workshop on Antarctic Meteorite Stranding Surfaces

The discovery of large numbers of meteorites on the Antarctic Ice Sheet is one of the most exciting developments in polar science in recent years. The meteorites are found on areas of ice called stranding surfaces. Because of the sudden availability of hundreds, and then thousands, of new meteorite specimens at these sites, the significance of the discovery of meteorite stranding surfaces in Antarctica had an immediate and profound impact on planetary science, but there is also in this discovery an enormous, largely unrealized potential to glaciology for records of climatic and ice sheet changes. The glaciological interest derives from the antiquity of the ice in meteorite stranding surfaces. This exposed ice covers a range of ages, probably between zero and more than 500,000 years. The Workshop on Antarctic Meteorite Stranding Surfaces was convened to explore this potential and to devise a course of action that could be recommended to granting agencies. The workshop recognized three prime functions of meteorite stranding surfaces. They provide: (1) A proxy record of climatic change (i.e., a long record of climatic change is probably preserved in the exposed ice stratigraphy); (2) A proxy record of ice volume change; and (3) A source of unique nonterrestrial material

Evaluation of Salmon (<i>Salmo salar</i>) and Rainbow Trout (<i>Oncorhynchus mykiss</i>) pin bones using textural analysis and micro X-ray computational tomography

Industrially, common problems arise with the deboning pin bone process, where Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets, post rigor, are subjected to a pulling process to remove the pin bones from the fillet. This study measured the length of pin bones from two species of fish and two different industrial graded weights, and then used a texture analyser and lCT X-ray to measure the pulling force, break point and volume of the pin bones of both species of fish. Results showed that salmon pin bones required significantly higher pulling force to remove pin bones from the fish fillet when compared with Trout pin bones. Interestingly Trout pin bones were significantly longer and stronger than Salmon pin bones, but had significantly lower volume. This research has progressed the issues surrounding pin boning industrially, however, more studies are required in order to understand if these differences affect the overall deboning pin bone process

The Upregulation of α2δ-1 Subunit Modulates Activity-Dependent Ca2+ Signals in Sensory Neurons.

As auxiliary subunits of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, the α2δ proteins modulate membrane trafficking of the channels and their localization to specific presynaptic sites. Following nerve injury, upregulation of the α2δ-1 subunit in sensory dorsal root ganglion neurons contributes to the generation of chronic pain states; however, very little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here we show that the increased expression of α2δ-1 in rat sensory neurons leads to prolonged Ca(2+) responses evoked by membrane depolarization. This mechanism is coupled to CaV2.2 channel-mediated responses, as it is blocked by a ω-conotoxin GVIA application. Once initiated, the prolonged Ca(2+) transients are not dependent on extracellular Ca(2+) and do not require Ca(2+) release from the endoplasmic reticulum. The selective inhibition of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake demonstrates that α2δ-1-mediated prolonged Ca(2+) signals are buffered by mitochondria, preferentially activated by Ca(2+) influx through CaV2.2 channels. Thus, by controlling channel abundance at the plasma membrane, the α2δ-1 subunit has a major impact on the organization of depolarization-induced intracellular Ca(2+) signaling in dorsal root ganglion neurons