3,667 research outputs found
The Final (Oral Ebola) Vaccine Trial on Captive Chimpanzees?
Could new oral vaccine technologies protect endangered wildlife against a rising tide of infectious disease? We used captive chimpanzees to test oral delivery of a rabies virus (RABV) vectored vaccine against Ebola virus (EBOV), a major threat to wild chimpanzees and gorillas. EBOV GP and RABV GP-specific antibody titers increased exponentially during the trial, with rates of increase for six orally vaccinated chimpanzees very similar to four intramuscularly vaccinated controls. Chimpanzee sera also showed robust neutralizing activity against RABV and pseudo-typed EBOV. Vaccination did not induce serious health complications. Blood chemistry, hematologic, and body mass correlates of psychological stress suggested that, although sedation induced acute stress, experimental housing conditions did not induce traumatic levels of chronic stress. Acute behavioral and physiological responses to sedation were strongly correlated with immune responses to vaccination. These results suggest that oral vaccination holds great promise as a tool for the conservation of apes and other endangered tropical wildlife. They also imply that vaccine and drug trials on other captive species need to better account for the effects of stress on immune response
Characteristics of Subcooled Liquid Methane During Passage Through a Spray-Bar Joule-Thompson Thermodynamic Vent System
NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) conducted liquid methane (LCH4) testing in November 2006 using the multipurpose hydrogen test bed (MHTB) outfitted with a spray-bar thermodynamic vent system (TVS). The basic objective was to identify any unusual or unique thermodynamic characteristics associated with subcooled LCH4 that should be considered in the design of space-based TVSs. Thirteen days of testing were performed with total tank heat loads ranging from 720 W to 420 W at a fill level of approximately 90%. During an updated evaluation of the data, it was noted that as the fluid passed through the Joule Thompson expansion, thermodynamic conditions consistent with the pervasive presence of metastability were indicated. This paper describes the observed thermodynamic conditions that correspond with metastability and effects on TVS performance
Microwave Lens for Polar Molecules
We here report on the implementation of a microwave lens for neutral polar
molecules suitable to focus molecules both in low-field-seeking and in
high-field-seeking states. By using the TE_11m modes of a 12 cm long
cylindrically symmetric microwave resonator, Stark-decelerated ammonia
molecules are transversally confined. We investigate the focusing properties of
this microwave lens as a function of the molecules' velocity, the detuning of
the microwave frequency from the molecular resonance frequency, and the
microwave power. Such a microwave lens can be seen as a first important step
towards further microwave devices, such as decelerators and traps.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Synoptic and meteorological drivers of extreme ozone concentrations over Europe
The present work assesses the relationship between local and synoptic
meteorological conditions and surface ozone concentration over Europe in
spring and summer months, during the period 1998–2012 using a new interpolated
data set of observed surface ozone concentrations over the European domain.
Along with local meteorological conditions, the influence of large-scale
atmospheric circulation on surface ozone is addressed through a set of airflow
indices computed with a novel implementation of a grid-by-grid weather type
classification across Europe. Drivers of surface ozone over the full
distribution of maximum daily 8 h average values are investigated, along with
drivers of the extreme high percentiles and exceedances or air quality
guideline thresholds. Three different regression techniques are applied:
multiple linear regression to assess the drivers of maximum daily ozone,
logistic regression to assess the probability of threshold exceedances and
quantile regression to estimate the meteorological influence on extreme
values, as represented by the 95th percentile. The relative importance of the
input parameters (predictors) is assessed by a backward stepwise regression
procedure that allows the identification of the most important predictors in
each model. Spatial patterns of model performance exhibit distinct variations
between regions. The inclusion of the ozone persistence is particularly
relevant over southern Europe. In general, the best model performance is found
over central Europe, where the maximum temperature plays an important role as
a driver of maximum daily ozone as well as its extreme values, especially
during warmer months
First-principle Wannier functions and effective lattice fermion models for narrow-band compounds
We propose a systematic procedure for constructing effective lattice fermion
models for narrow-band compounds on the basis of first-principles electronic
structure calculations. The method is illustrated for the series of
transition-metal (TM) oxides: SrVO, YTiO, VO, and
YMoO. It consists of three parts, starting from LDA. (i)
construction of the kinetic energy Hamiltonian using downfolding method. (ii)
solution of an inverse problem and construction of the Wannier functions (WFs)
for the given kinetic energy Hamiltonian. (iii) calculation of screened Coulomb
interactions in the basis of \textit{auxiliary} WFs, for which the
kinetic-energy term is set to be zero. The last step is necessary in order to
avoid the double counting of the kinetic-energy term, which is included
explicitly into the model. The screened Coulomb interactions are calculated in
a hybrid scheme. First, we evaluate the screening caused by the change of
occupation numbers and the relaxation of the LMTO basis functions, using the
conventional constraint-LDA approach, where all matrix elements of
hybridization involving the TM orbitals are set to be zero. Then, we switch
on the hybridization and evaluate the screening associated with the change of
this hybridization in RPA. The second channel of screening is very important,
and results in a relatively small value of the effective Coulomb interaction
for isolated bands. We discuss details of this screening and consider
its band-filling dependence, frequency dependence, influence of the lattice
distortion, proximity of other bands, and the dimensionality of the model
Hamiltonian.Comment: 35 pages, 25 figure
Orbit Selection for the Proposed Lynx Observatory Mission
The Advanced Concepts Office design team performed several analyses and trades in support of orbit selection for the proposed Lynx mission, an x-ray observatory being submitted to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey. Though the descriptions in this Technical Memorandum (TM) focus on the Lynx mission, the approach and process for selecting the final orbit is applicable to a variety of proposed science and exploration missions. To select the best orbit for the Lynx science, mission designers assembled a team of subsystem and discipline experts, in addition to mission analysts, to evaluate several candidate orbits. These discipline experts included members of the science and instrument team, power and avionics, thermal, propulsion, and environments. The goal was to clearly show the benefits and weaknesses of each orbit in the trade space and provide sound justification for the final selection. Discipline experts conducted trades and evaluated the results using a variety of methods including engineering judgement, rough estimates, and detailed calculations, and rolled the results into a final grade using a weighted grading method. The orbit options could then be ranked. The principal investigator (PI) for the mission, along with the science team, was given the task of final orbit selection. The result of the trades indicated that a halo orbit about the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (SE-L2), similar to the planned orbit for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), was the best choice for the Lynx mission. Details of how the team arrived at this selection are below
Ebola Virus Localization in the Macaque Reproductive Tract during Acute Ebola Virus Disease.
Sexual transmission of Ebola virus (EBOV) has been demonstrated more than a year after recovery from the acute phase of Ebola virus disease (EVD). The mechanisms underlying EBOV persistence and sexual transmission are not currently understood. Using the acute macaque model of EVD, we hypothesized EBOV would infect the reproductive tissues and sought to localize the infection in these tissues using immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. In four female and eight male macaques that succumbed to EVD between 6 and 9 days after EBOV challenge, we demonstrate widespread EBOV infection of the interstitial tissues and endothelium in the ovary, uterus, testis, seminal vesicle, epididymis, and prostate gland, with minimal associated tissue immune response or organ pathology. Given the widespread involvement of EBOV in the reproductive tracts of both male and female macaques, it is reasonable to surmise that our understanding of the mechanisms underlying sexual transmission of EVD and persistence of EBOV in immune-privileged sites would be facilitated by the development of a nonhuman primate model in which the macaques survived past the acute stage into convalescence
TankSIM: A Cryogenic Tank Performance Prediction Program
Accurate prediction of the thermodynamic state of the cryogenic propellants in launch vehicle tanks is necessary for mission planning and successful execution. Cryogenic propellant storage and transfer in space environments requires that tank pressure be controlled. The pressure rise rate is determined by the complex interaction of external heat leak, fluid temperature stratification, and interfacial heat and mass transfer. If the required storage duration of a space mission is longer than the period in which the tank pressure reaches its allowable maximum, an appropriate pressure control method must be applied. Therefore, predictions of the pressurization rate and performance of pressure control techniques in cryogenic tanks are required for development of cryogenic fluid long-duration storage technology and planning of future space exploration missions. This paper describes an analytical tool, Tank System Integrated Model (TankSIM), which can be used for modeling pressure control and predicting the behavior of cryogenic propellant for long-term storage for future space missions. It is written in the FORTRAN 90 language and can be compiled with any Visual FORTRAN compiler. A thermodynamic vent system (TVS) is used to achieve tank pressure control. Utilizing TankSIM, the following processes can be modeled: tank self-pressurization, boiloff, ullage venting, and mixing. Details of the TankSIM program and comparisons of its predictions with test data for liquid hydrogen and liquid methane will be presented in the final paper
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