Chimera: A Low Cost Solution to Small Satellite Space Access

In the Proceedings of the 17th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, UT State University Logan, UT, August 11 -14, 2003.The Chimera rocket was designed to enter the small satellite market by offering an affordable and flexible alternative to the Pegasus launch vehicle. A number of design concepts were evaluated, and one was selected to undergo detailed analysis. This included disciplinary analyses in aerodynamics, propulsion, trajectory, aeroheating, structures, weights, operations, and cost. The baseline vehicle, consisting of a Minuteman 2-2 first stage, a PAM-S second stage, and a new third stage carries a 100 and 50 kg payload to a 700 km altitude, at inclinations of 60° and 110° respectively. At this point a Monte Carlo Simulation was performed to determine how well the system met its price goals. The baseline vehicle fails to meet the desired launch price of $5 million to a reasonable confidence level. However, either the implementation of a cost reduction in the cost of the first stage, or the infusion of appropriate structural and propellant technologies in the design of the third stage, help to make the desired launch price viable

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Ochratoxin A Extraction and Analysis

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are considered as polymeric materials that mimic the functionality of antibodies. MIPs have been utilized for a wide variety of applications in chromatography, solid phase extraction, immunoassays, and sensor recognition. In this article, recent advances of MIPs for the extraction and analysis of ochratoxins are discussed. Selection of functional monomers to bind ochratoxin A (OTA) with high affinities, optimization of extraction procedures, and limitations of MIPs are compared from different reports. The most relevant examples in the literature are described to clearly show how useful these materials are. Strategies on MIP preparation and schemes of analytical methods are also reviewed in order to suggest the next step that would make better use of MIPs in the field of ochratoxin research. The review ends by outlining the remaining issues and impediments

Computer simulation and preparation of molecularly imprinted polymer membranes with chlorogenic acid as template

A computational approach was developed for screening functional monomers for rational design of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membranes. It was based on a comparison of the binding energy of complexes between a template and various functional monomers. According to the results of theoretical calculations, MIP membranes with chlorogenic acid as a template were prepared with a UV irradiation polymerization method, using 4-vinylpyridine as a functional monomer and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker, with poly(vinylidene fluoride) microfiltration membranes as the support. Membranes covered with a thin layer of imprinted polymer selective to chlorogenic acid were then obtained and tested using the equilibrium-adsorption method. The high affinity of these synthetic membranes to chlorogenic acid, together with their straightforward and inexpensive preparation, provides a good basis for the development of applications of imprinted polymers in separation processes such as solid-phase extraction. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industr

Chimera - A Low Cost Solution to Small Satellite Space Access

The Chimera rocket was designed to enter the small satellite market by offering an affordable and flexible alternative to the Pegasus launch vehicle. A number of design concepts were evaluated, and one was selected to undergo detailed analysis. This included disciplinary analyses in aerodynamics, propulsion, trajectory, aeroheating, structures, weights, operations, and cost. The baseline vehicle, consisting of a Minuteman 2-2 first stage, a PAM-S second stage, and a new third stage carries a 100 and 50 kg payload to a 700 km altitude, at inclinations of 60° and 110° respectively. At this point a Monte Carlo Simulation was performed to determine how well the system met its price goals. The baseline vehicle fails to meet the desired launch price of $5 million to a reasonable confidence level. However, either the implementation of a cost reduction in the cost of the first stage, or the infusion of appropriate structural and propellant technologies in the design of the third stage, help to make the desired launch price viable

Bio-Mimetic Sensors Based on Molecularly Imprinted Membranes

An important challenge for scientific research is the production of artificial systems able to mimic the recognition mechanisms occurring at the molecular level in living systems. A valid contribution in this direction resulted from the development of molecular imprinting. By means of this technology, selective molecular recognition sites are introduced in a polymer, thus conferring it bio-mimetic properties. The potential applications of these systems include affinity separations, medical diagnostics, drug delivery, catalysis, etc. Recently, bio-sensing systems using molecularly imprinted membranes, a special form of imprinted polymers, have received the attention of scientists in various fields. In these systems imprinted membranes are used as bio-mimetic recognition elements which are integrated with a transducer component. The direct and rapid determination of an interaction between the recognition element and the target analyte (template) was an encouraging factor for the development of such systems as alternatives to traditional bio-assay methods. Due to their high stability, sensitivity and specificity, bio-mimetic sensors-based membranes are used for environmental, food, and clinical uses. This review deals with the development of molecularly imprinted polymers and their different preparation methods. Referring to the last decades, the application of these membranes as bio-mimetic sensor devices will be also reported