Application of multiple criteria decision methods in space exploration initiative design and planning

Fellowship activities were directed towards the identification of opportunities for application of the Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques in the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) domain. I identified several application possibilities and proposed demonstration application in these three areas: evaluation and ranking of SEI architectures, space mission planning and selection, and space system design. Here, only the first problem is discussed. The most meaningful result of the analysis is the wide separation between the two top ranked architectures, indicating a significant preference difference between them. It must also be noted that the final ranking reflects, to some extent, the biases of the evaluators and their understanding of the architecture

An Analysis of Four-quark Energies in SU(2) Lattice Monte Carlo using the Flux-tube Symmetry:

Energies of four-quark systems calculated by the static quenched SU(2) lattice Monte Carlo method are analyzed in $2\times 2$ bases for square, rectangle, tilted rectangle, linear and quadrilateral geometry configurations and in $3\times 3$ bases for a non-planar geometry configuration. For small interquark distances, a lattice effect is taken into account by considering perimeter dependent terms which are characterized by the cubic symmetry. It is then found that a parameter $f$ - that can be identified as a gluon field overlap factor - is rather well described by the form $exp(-[b_sE{\cal A}+\sqrt{b_s}F{\cal P}])$, where ${\cal A}$ and ${\cal P}$ are the area and perimeter mainly defined by the positions of the four quarks, $b_s$ is the string constant in the 2-quark potentials and $E,F$ are constants.Comment: (19 pages of Latex - 1 page of figures not included - sent on request). Preprint HU-TFT-94-2

Effect of Cypermethrin on some hematological parameters and prediction of their recovery in a freshwater Teleost, Cyprinus carpio

The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the lethality of cypermethrin “pyrethroid” (25% EC with 100% purity) on common carp, Cyprinus carpio (fingerlings). The effect was assessed on the basis of impact of short term exposures of its below safe concentrations (1/2 (0.05 μl/L) and 1/10 (0.01 μl/L) parts of safe concentration) on some hematological parameters. The sub-lethal exposure studies were done on the same day and after 7 days of exposure. Hematological recovery was also studied by maintaining the pesticide-exposed fish in a fresh water system for an additional 7 days. The hematological analysis showed significant reduction in red blood cells (RBCs) count and hemoglobin (Hb) value while total white blood cells (WBCs) count were significantly increased in the fish C. carpio. Complete recovery was obtained in all the parameters after a recovery period of 7 days.Key words: Cypermethrin, Cyprinus carpio, hematology, recover

Macrophage-pathogen interactions in infectious diseases: new therapeutic insights from the zebrafish host model

Studying macrophage biology in the context of a whole living organism provides unique possibilities to understand the contribution of this extremely dynamic cell subset in the reaction to infections, and has revealed the relevance of cellular and molecular processes that are fundamental to the cell-mediated innate immune response. In particular, various recently established zebrafish infectious disease models are contributing substantially to our understanding of the mechanisms by which different pathogens interact with macrophages and evade host innate immunity. Transgenic zebrafish lines with fluorescently labeled macrophages and other leukocyte populations enable non-invasive imaging at the optically transparent early life stages. Furthermore, there is a continuously expanding availability of vital reporters for subcellular compartments and for probing activation of immune defense mechanisms. These are powerful tools to visualize the activity of phagocytic cells in real time and shed light on the intriguing paradoxical roles of these cells in both limiting infection and supporting the dissemination of intracellular pathogens. This Review will discuss how several bacterial and fungal infection models in zebrafish embryos have led to new insights into the dynamic molecular and cellular mechanisms at play when pathogens encounter host macrophages. We also describe how these insights are inspiring novel therapeutic strategies for infectious disease treatment