Very-wide-field camera. Proposal of Space Astronomy Laboratory for second Spacelab mission

A proposal is made for inclusion of a very wide field camera onboard Spacelab. Its scientific program is outlined: detection and photometry, spectrography, and star and starlike object photography. The optics, receptor, and mechanical structure are described. Scientific and technical constraints are discussed, and a development plan is detailed. The dust contamination of Spacelab using the camera was also studied

Decay of Quasi-Particle in a Quantum Dot: the role of Energy Resolution

The disintegration of quasiparticle in a quantum dot due to the electron interaction is considered. It was predicted recently that above the energy \eps^{*} = \Delta(g/\ln g)^{1/2} each one particle peak in the spectrum is split into many components ($\Delta$ and $g$ are the one particle level spacing and conductance). We show that the observed value of \eps^{*} should depend on the experimental resolution \delta \eps. In the broad region of variation of \delta \eps the $\ln g$ should be replaced by \ln(\Delta/ g\delta \eps). We also give the arguments against the delocalization transition in the Fock space. Most likely the number of satellite peaks grows continuously with energy, being $\sim 1$ at \eps \sim \eps^{*}, but remains finite at \eps > \eps^{*}. The predicted logarithmic distribution of inter-peak spacings may be used for experimental confirmation of the below-Golden-Rule decay.Comment: 5 pages, REVTEX, 2 eps figures, version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Keratin 71 Mutations: From Water Dogs to Woolly Hair

The study of rare genetic disorders of the hair follicle has resulted in the identification of many causative genes, leading to the potential for the development of novel therapeutic approaches for both inherited and acquired hair disorders. In this issue, Fujimoto et al. identify a missense mutation within the keratin 71 (KRT71) gene as the cause for autosomal dominant woolly hair/hypotrichosis in a Japanese family. This represents the first human mutation in KRT71 to be linked to a hair disorder, establishing this gene as an important determinant of mammalian hair texture. Moreover, this finding provides new insight into the relationship between similar phenotypes resulting from mutations in distinct regulatory pathways and underscores the role of the inner root sheath in human hair growth

Spatial distribution of unidentified infrared bands and extended red emission in the compact galactic HII region Sh 152

We present visible and near IR images of the compact HII region Sh 152. Some of these images reveal the presence of Extended Red Emission (ERE) around 698 nm and emission from Unidentified Infra Red Bands (UIRBs) at 3.3 and 6.2 micron. Other images show the near infrared (7-12 micron) continuous emission of the nebula. The ERE emission is found to coincide with the ionized region and significantly differ from the UIRBs location. Also some evidence is found in favor of grains as carriers for ERE.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the colloquium "The universe as seen by ISO" help in Paris, October 20-23, 1998 ; available in html format at http://www.obs-hp.fr/preprints.htm