Contamination control program for the Cosmic Background Explorer: An overview

Each of the three state of the art instruments flown aboard NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) were designed, fabricated, and integrated using unique contamination control procedures to ensure accurate characterization of the diffuse radiation in the universe. The most stringent surface level cleanliness specifications ever attempted by NASA were required by the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DRIBE) which is located inside a liquid helium cooled dewar along with the Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS). The DRIBE instrument required complex stray radiation suppression that defined a cold primary optical baffle system surface cleanliness level of 100A. The cleanliness levels of the cryogenic FIRAS instrument and the Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR) which were positioned symmetrically around the dewar were less stringent ranging from 300 to 500A. To achieve these instrument cleanliness levels, the entire flight spacecraft was maintained at level 500A throughout each phase of development. The COBE contamination control program is described along with the difficulties experienced in maintaining the cleanliness quality of personnel and flight hardware throughout instrument assembly

Cryogenic shutter

A magnetically operated shutter mechanism is provided that will function in cryogenic or cryogenic zero gravity environments to selectively block radiation such as light from passing through a window to a target object such as a mirror or detector located inside a cryogenic container such as a dewar. The mechanism includes a shutter paddle blade that is moved by an electromagnetically actuated torquing device between an open position where the target object is exposed to ambient radiation or light and a closed position where the shutter paddle blade shields the ambient radiation or light from the target object. The purpose of the shuttering device is to prevent the mirror or other target object from being directly exposed to radiation passing through the window located on the side wall of the dewar, thereby decreasing or eliminating any temperature gradient that would occur within the target object due to exposure to the radiation. A special nylon bearing system is utilized to prevent the device from binding during operation and the paddle blade is also thermally connected to a reservoir containing cryogen to further reduce the internal temperature

A Pedagogical Introduction to the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter

Physics at the LHC requires extremely high performance detectors. The CMS electromagnetic calorimeter ( ECAL) has been designed to facilitate the discovery of the Higgs boson, thought to be responsible for the spontaneous symmetry breaking observed in the electroweak sector of the Standard Model. This report outlines the particular physics requirements that govern the choice and design of the CMS ECAL and describes in some detail the properties of the Lead Tungstate crystals used in the ECAL, the readout system and the Preshower detectors. Testbeam results are presented which illustrate the progress that has been made during the past few years and which highlight the features of the CMS ECAL

Mapping land cover from satellite images: A basic, low cost approach

Simple, inexpensive methodologies developed for mapping general land cover and land use categories from LANDSAT images are reported. One methodology, a stepwise, interpretive, direct tracing technique was developed through working with university students from different disciplines with no previous experience in satellite image interpretation. The technique results in maps that are very accurate in relation to actual land cover and relative to the small investment in skill, time, and money needed to produce the products

Two Trapping Systems to Determine Incidence and Duration of Migration of Adult Alfalfa Weevils, \u3ci\u3eHypera Postica\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Emergence and flight traps were used to study the pre- and post-diapause movements of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica. The emergence traps proved to be an excellent tool in determining the time of diapause termination and in providing an accurate accounting of the number of weevils per unit area in aestivation sites. The flight traps showed when diapause flights to and from alfalfa fields took place. Both trapping systems can be utilized in a pest control program to locate more closely where the alfalfa weevil aestivates and when diapause related movements occur

Fall Termination of Aestivation and Field Dispersal of the Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Illinois

Emergence traps, flight traps, sweeping, and egg sampling were employed to determine fall termination of aestivation of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica, and patterns and timing of field reentry, and subsequent fall oviposition. Adult alfalfa weevils were found to terminate aestivation in wood edge field borders in mid-late October. Field reentry began in late October as a gradual process, starting at wooded field borders, with the field population equally dispersed by mid-November

Effect on Constant Versus Fluctuating Temperature Regimes on \u3ci\u3eBathyplectes Curculionis\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) Activity

Individual female Bathyplectes curculionis parasites were exposed to either a series of constant or fluctuating temperature regimes and supplied with a new group of host Hypera postica larvae every day. The fluctuating temperatures were calculated from an average of weekly air temperatures during a period of actual field oviposition by the parasite. The rearing of adult parasites under a constant versus fluctuating temperature regime resulted in no significant difference in parasitism, longevity, or fecundity. The threshold for B. curculionis activity was estimated to be 6-8°C

A COMPROMISED LIVER ALTERS PCB TOXICITY AND NUTRIENT METABOLISM

Environmental contamination is a public health concern. In particular persistent organic pollutants like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) have been associated with multiple chronic inflammatory diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD prevalence has steadily increased and is expected to continue to rise with an estimated 25% of the world’s population and 80-100 million people affected in the United States alone. Importantly, the liver is the primary site for endobiotic and xenobiotic metabolism, hence its proper function is critical for the body’s response to innate and extrinsic molecules. One way to combat the deleterious effects of PCB toxicity and fatty liver disease is by increasing consumption of beverages and foods that contain beneficial bioactive nutrients, like dietary polyphenols. However, the biological properties of these dietary compounds are subject to their bioavailability which is directly dependent on the activity of the liver. The first aim of this dissertation was to test the hypothesis that in the presence of a compromised liver, PCB-126 toxicity is altered. Indeed, hepatic and systemic PCB-126 toxicity was exacerbated in this severe liver injury mouse model with an observed increase in hepatic inflammation, systemic inflammation, and early markers of endothelial cell dysfunction. Interestingly, we also observed an increase in the novel gut-liver axis derived cardiovascular disease (CVD) marker trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). Taken altogether, aim 1 proved that a compromised liver can alter PCB toxicity, with implications of the gut microbiota in disease pathology. In aim 2 we investigated whether GTE can protect against MCD-induced hepatic toxicity and development of NAFLD. Results indicated that MCD mice exhibited severe liver injury and gut dysbiosis and unexpectedly, GTE had no protective effects. Interestingly MCD mice displayed differential epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) metabolism at the hepatic and gut microbiota level, which may alter polyphenol bioavailability and therapeutic potential. Overall, the results provide insight into how a dysfunctional liver and gut dysbiosis can alter polyphenol metabolism, possibly reducing its therapeutic efficiency. In aim 3 we sought to determine potential protective effects of a prebiotic in this mouse model. MCD-fed mice were exposed to PCB-126 with or without inulin supplementation. Although findings from this study are preliminary, our evidence indicates that inulin restores body weight and body composition in this MCD+PCB mouse model and alters the expression of Cyp1a1 in PCB exposed mice, suggesting that inulin’s protective effects may be a result of its ability to interact with the AhR pathway. However further analysis will need to be done to examine the effects of inulin on hepatic, systemic, and gut microbiota endpoints. Overall the data contained in this dissertation suggests that in the presence of a compromised liver both pollutant toxicity and nutrient metabolism are altered, with implications of the gut-microbiota in disease risk. These findings suggest that individuals with end stage liver injury may be more susceptible to pollutant-induced toxicity and nutritional intervention may be unsuccessful at mitigating disease risk

Data assimilation for the Martian atmosphere using MGS Thermal Emission Spectrometer observations

From the introduction: Given the quantity of data expected from current and forthcoming spacecraft missions to Mars, it is now possible to use data assimilation as a means of atmospheric analysis for the first time for a planet other than the Earth. Several groups have described plans to develop assimilation schemes for Mars [Banfield et al., 1995; Houben, 1999; Lewis and Read, 1995; Lewis et al., 1996, 1997; Zhang et al., 2001]. Data assimilation is a technique for the analysis of atmospheric observations which combines currently valid information with prior knowledge from previous observations and dynamical and physical constraints, via the use of a numerical model. Despite the number of new missions, observations of the atmosphere of Mars in the near future are still likely to be sparse when compared to those of the Earth, perhaps comprising one orbiter and a few surface stations at best at any one time. Data assimilation is useful as a means to extract the maximum information from such observations, both by a form of interpolation in space and time using model constraints and by the combination of information from different observations, e.g. temperature profiles and surface pressure measurements which may be irregularly distributed. The procedure can produce a dynamically consistent set of meteorological fields and can be used directly to test and to refine an atmospheric model against observations