Thermal Protection System with Staggered Joints

The thermal protection system disclosed herein is suitable for use with a spacecraft such as a reentry module or vehicle, where the spacecraft has a convex surface to be protected. An embodiment of the thermal protection system includes a plurality of heat resistant panels, each having an outer surface configured for exposure to atmosphere, an inner surface opposite the outer surface and configured for attachment to the convex surface of the spacecraft, and a joint edge defined between the outer surface and the inner surface. The joint edges of adjacent ones of the heat resistant panels are configured to mate with each other to form staggered joints that run between the peak of the convex surface and the base section of the convex surface

Differential efficacy of vaccinia virus envelope proteins administered by DNA immunisation in protection of BALB/c mice from a lethal intranasal poxvirus challenge

DNA vaccines might offer an alternative to the live smallpox vaccine in providing protective efficacy in an orthopoxvirus (OPV) lethal respiratory challenge model. BALB/c mice were immunised with DNA vaccines coding for 10 different single vaccinia virus (VACV) membrane proteins. After an intranasal challenge with the VACV IHD strain, three gene candidates B5R, A33R and A27L produced > or =66% survival. The B5R DNA vaccine consistently produced 100% protection and exhibited greatest efficacy after three 50 microg intramuscular doses in this model. Sero-conversion to these vaccines was often inconsistent, implying that antibody itself was not a correlate of protection. The B5R DNA vaccine induced a strong and consistent gamma interferon (IFNgamma) response in BALB/c mice given a single DNA vaccine dose. Strong IFNgamma responses were also measured in pTB5R immunised C57BL6 mice deficient for MHC class I molecules, suggesting that the memory response was mediated by a CD4+ T cell population

Hepatitis B in Sub-Saharan Africa

No Abstrac

Symmetry Representations in the Rigged Hilbert Space Formulation of Quantum Mechanics

We discuss some basic properties of Lie group representations in rigged Hilbert spaces. In particular, we show that a differentiable representation in a rigged Hilbert space may be obtained as the projective limit of a family of continuous representations in a nested scale of Hilbert spaces. We also construct a couple of examples illustrative of the key features of group representations in rigged Hilbert spaces. Finally, we establish a simple criterion for the integrability of an operator Lie algebra in a rigged Hilbert space

Spatial dependency between task positive and task negative networks

Functional neuroimaging reveals both relative increases (task-positive) and decreases (task-negative) in neural activation with many tasks. There are strong spatial similarities between many frequently reported task-negative brain networks, which are often termed the default mode network. The default mode network is typically assumed to be a spatially-fixed network; however, when defined by task-induced deactivation, its spatial distribution it varies depending on what specific task is being performed. Many studies have revealed a strong temporal relationship between task-positive and task-negative networks that are important for efficient cognitive functioning and here. Here, using data from four different cognitive tasks taken from two independent datasets, we test the hypothesis that there is also a fundamental spatial relationship between them. Specifically, it is hypothesized that the distance between task positive and negative-voxels is preserved despite different spatial patterns of activation and deactivation being evoked by different cognitive tasks. Here, we show that there is lower variability in the distance between task-positive and task-negative voxels across four different sensory, motor and cognitive tasks than would be expected by chance - implying that deactivation patterns are spatially dependent on activation patterns (and vice versa) and that both are modulated by specific task demands. We propose that this spatial relationship may be the macroscopic analogue of microscopic neuronal organization reported in sensory cortical systems, and we speculate why this spatial organization may be important for efficient sensorimotor and cognitive functioning.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Monte-Carlo Simulations of Globular Cluster Evolution - I. Method and Test Calculations

We present a new parallel supercomputer implementation of the Monte-Carlo method for simulating the dynamical evolution of globular star clusters. Our method is based on a modified version of Henon's Monte-Carlo algorithm for solving the Fokker-Planck equation. Our code allows us to follow the evolution of a cluster containing up to 5x10^5 stars to core collapse in < 40 hours of computing time. In this paper we present the results of test calculations for clusters with equal-mass stars, starting from both Plummer and King model initial conditions. We consider isolated as well as tidally truncated clusters. Our results are compared to those obtained from approximate, self-similar analytic solutions, from direct numerical integrations of the Fokker-Planck equation, and from direct N-body integrations performed on a GRAPE-4 special-purpose computer with N=16384. In all cases we find excellent agreement with other methods, establishing our new code as a robust tool for the numerical study of globular cluster dynamics using a realistic number of stars.Comment: 35 pages, including 8 figures, submitted to ApJ. Revised versio

Hepatic encephalopathy : novel insights into classification, pathophysiology and therapy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent and serious complication of both chronic liver disease and acute liver failure. HE manifests as a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric abnormalities, from subclinical changes (mild cognitive impairment) to marked disorientation, confusion and coma. The clinical and economic burden of HE is considerable, and it contributes greatly to impaired quality of life, morbidity and mortality. This review will critically discuss the latest classification of HE, as well as the pathogenesis and pathophysiological pathways underlying the neurological decline in patients with end-stage liver disease. In addition, management strategies, diagnostic approaches, currently available therapeutic options and novel treatment strategies are discussed

A uniqueness theorem for degenerate Kerr-Newman black holes

We show that the domains of dependence of stationary, $I^+$-regular, analytic, electrovacuum space-times with a connected, non-empty, rotating, degenerate event horizon arise from Kerr-Newman space-times

Spitzer View of Young Massive Stars in the LMC HII Complex N44

The HII complex N44 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) provides an excellent site to perform a detailed study of star formation in a mild starburst, as it hosts three regions of star formation at different evolutionary stages and it is not as complicated and confusing as the 30 Doradus giant HII region. We have obtained Spitzer Space Telescope observations and complementary ground-based 4m uBVIJK observations of N44 to identify candidate massive young stellar objects (YSOs). We further classify the YSOs into Types I, II, and III, according to their spectral energy distributions (SEDs). In our sample of 60 YSO candidates, ~65% of them are resolved into multiple components or extended sources in high-resolution ground-based images. We have modeled the SEDs of 36 YSOs that appear single or dominant within a group. We find good fits for Types I and I/II YSOs,but Types II and II/III YSOs show deviations between their observed SEDs and models that do not include PAH emission. We have also found that some Type III YSOs have central holes in their disk components. YSO counterparts are found in four ultracompact HII regions and their stellar masses determined from SED model fits agree well with those estimated from the ionization requirements of the HII regions. The distribution of YSOs is compared with those of the underlying stellar population and interstellar gas conditions to illustrate a correlation between the current formation of O-type stars and previous formation of massive stars. Evidence of triggered star formation is also presented.Comment: 63 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication for ApJ; some figures in jpeg format to meet the size limit; preprint with high resolution images can be found at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~cc5ye/n44yso.pd

A deformation of AdS_5 x S^5

We analyse a one parameter family of supersymmetric solutions of type IIB supergravity that includes AdS_5 x S^5. For small values of the parameter the solutions are causally well-behaved, but beyond a critical value closed timelike curves (CTC's) appear. The solutions are holographically dual to N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on a non-conformally flat background with non-vanishing R-currents. We compute the holographic energy-momentum tensor for the spacetime and show that it remains finite even when the CTC's appear. The solutions, as well as the uplift of some recently discovered AdS_5 black hole solutions, are shown to preserve precisely two supersymmetries.Comment: 16 pages, v2: typos corrected and references adde