Radiation Modeling for the Reentry of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule

Predicted shock-layer emission signatures during the reentry of the Japanese Hayabusa capsule are presented and compared with flight measurements conducted during an airborne observation mission in NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory. For selected altitudes at 11 points along the flight trajectory of the capsule, lines of sight were extracted from flow field solutions computed using the in-house high-fidelity CFD code, DPLR. These lines of sight were used as inputs for the line-by-line radiation code NEQAIR, and emission spectra of the air plasma were computed in the wavelength range from 300 nm to 1600 nm, a range which covers all of the different experiments onboard the DC-8. In addition, the computed flow field solutions were post-processed with the material thermal response code FIAT, and the resulting surface temperatures of the heat shield were used to generate thermal emission spectra based on Planck radiation. Both spectra were summed and integrated over the flow field. The resulting emission at each trajectory point was propagated to the DC-8 position and transformed into incident irradiance to be finally compared with experimental data

Second Data Release of the 6dF Galaxy Survey

The 6dF Galaxy Survey is measuring around 150000 redshifts and 15000 peculiar velocities from galaxies over the southern sky at |b|>10 degrees. When complete, it will be the largest survey of its kind by more than an order of magnitude. Here we describe the characteristics of the Second Incremental Data Release (DR2) and provide an update of the survey. This follows earlier data made public in December 2002 and March 2004. A total of 83014 sources now have their spectra, redshifts, near-infrared and optical photometry available online and searchable through an SQL database at http://www-wfau.roe.ac.uk/6dFGS/.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to PASA. High resolution versions of the figures can be obtained from http://www.aao.gov.au/local/www/6df/Publication

2020 Year in Review: Pharmacologic Treatments for COVID-19

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, has led to a pandemic of acute respiratory illness. Pharmacologic treatments for COVID-19 have included treatments targeting infection prevention, prevention of viral replication, reducing inflammation and managing symptoms of respiratory failure caused by the disease. This is a review of key pharmacologic treatments for COVID-19 based on peer-reviewed articles from 2020

The influence of a CYP1A2 polymorphism on the ergogenic effects of caffeine

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although caffeine supplementation improves performance, the ergogenic effect is variable. The cause(s) of this variability are unknown. A (C/A) single nucleotide polymorphism at intron 1 of the cytochrome P450 (CYP1A2) gene influences caffeine metabolism and clinical outcomes from caffeine ingestion. The purpose of this study was to determine if this polymorphism influences the ergogenic effect of caffeine supplementation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-five trained male cyclists (age = 25.0 ± 7.3 yrs, height = 178.2 ± 8.8 cm, weight = 74.3 ± 8.8 kg, VO₂max = 59.35 ± 9.72 ml·kg^-1·min^-1) participated in two computer-simulated 40-kilometer time trials on a cycle ergometer. Each test was performed one hour following ingestion of 6 mg·kg^-1of anhydrous caffeine or a placebo administered in double-blind fashion. DNA was obtained from whole blood samples and genotyped using restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction. Participants were classified as AA homozygotes (N = 16) or C allele carriers (N = 19). The effects of treatment (caffeine, placebo) and the treatment × genotype interaction were assessed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Caffeine supplementation reduced 40 kilometer time by a greater (<it>p </it>< 0.05) magnitude in AA homozygotes (4.9%; caffeine = 72.4 ± 4.2 min, placebo = 76.1 ± 5.8 min) as compared to C allele carriers (1.8%; caffeine = 70.9 ± 4.3 min, placebo = 72.2 ± 4.2 min).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results suggest that individuals homozygous for the A allele of this polymorphism may have a larger ergogenic effect following caffeine ingestion.</p

A century-long record of plant evolution reconstructed from a coastal marsh seed bank

Evidence is mounting that climate-driven shifts in environmental conditions can elicit organismal evolution, yet there are sparingly few long-term records that document the tempo and progression of responses, particularly for plants capable of transforming ecosystems. In this study, we “resurrected” cohorts of a foundational coastal marsh sedge (Schoenoplectus americanus) from a time-stratified seed bank to reconstruct a century-long record of heritable variation in response to salinity exposure. Common-garden experiments revealed that S. americanus exhibits heritable variation in phenotypic traits and biomass-based measures of salinity tolerance. We found that responses to salinity exposure differed among the revived cohorts, with plants from the early 20th century exhibiting greater salinity tolerance than those from the mid to late 20th century. Fluctuations in salinity tolerance could reflect stochastic variation but a congruent record of genotypic variation points to the alternative possibility that the loss and gain in functionality are driven by selection, with comparisons to historical rainfall and paleosalinity records suggesting that selective pressures vary according to shifting estuarine conditions. Because salinity tolerance in S. americanus is tightly coupled to primary productivity and other vital ecosystem attributes, these findings indicate that organismal evolution merits further consideration as a factor shaping coastal marsh responses to climate change

A VSA search for the extended Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect in the Corona Borealis Supercluster

We present interferometric imaging at 33 GHz of the Corona Borealis supercluster, using the extended configuration of the Very Small Array. A total area of 24 deg^2 has been imaged, with an angular resolution of 11 arcmin and a sensitivity of 12 mJy/beam. The aim of these observations is to search for Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) detections from known clusters of galaxies in this supercluster and for a possible extended SZ decrement due to diffuse warm/hot gas in the intercluster medium. We measure negative flux values in the positions of the ten richest clusters in the region. Collectively, this implies a 3.0-sigma detection of the SZ effect. In the clusters A2061 and A2065 we find decrements of approximately 2-sigma. Our main result is the detection of two strong and resolved negative features at -70+-12 mJy/beam (-157+-27 microK) and -103+-10 mJy/beam (-230+-23 microK), respectively, located in a region with no known clusters, near the centre of the supercluster. We discuss their possible origins in terms of primordial CMB anisotropies and/or SZ signals related to either unknown clusters or to a diffuse extended warm/hot gas distribution. Our analyses have revealed that a primordial CMB fluctuation is a plausible explanation for the weaker feature (probability of 37.82%). For the stronger one, neither primordial CMB (probability of 0.33%) nor SZ can account alone for its size and total intensity. The most reasonable explanation, then, is a combination of both primordial CMB and SZ signal. Finally, we explore what characteristics would be required for a filamentary structure consisting of warm/hot diffuse gas in order to produce a significant contribution to such a spot taking into account the constraints set by X-ray data.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures. Accepted in MNRA