An overview of the first results on the solar array materials passive LDEF experiment (sample), A0171

Power degradation in the solar cells was consistent with the exposure environment and appears to be produced principally by the radiation and atomic oxygen environments. Atomic oxygen erosion was generally as expected; atomic oxygen effects dominated for the most part in materials that were both atomic oxygen and ultraviolet vulnerable. Silicone coatings appear to protect Kapton, and adhesive systems contained under photon opaque materials were surprisingly environmentally resistant. A high density of small micro-meteroid/space debris impacts were observed on mirrors, protective coatings, paints, and composites. New synergistic effects of the space environment were noted in the interaction of atomic oxygen and copious amounts of contamination and in the induced luminescence of many materials

Survey of Federal Whistleblower and Anti-Retaliation Laws

This report provides an overview of federal whistleblower and anti-retaliation laws. In general, these laws protect employees who report misconduct by their employers or who engage in various protected activities, such as participating in an investigation or filing a complaint. In recent years, Congress has expanded employee protections for a variety of private-sector workers. Eleven of the forty laws reviewed in this report were enacted after 1999. Among these laws are the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The report focuses on key aspects of the federal whistleblower and anti-retaliation laws. For each law, the report summarizes the activities that are protected, how the law’s protections are enforced, whether the law provides a private right of action, the remedies prescribed by the law, and the year the law’s whistleblower or anti-retaliation provisions were adopted and amended. With regard to amendment dates, the report identifies only dates associated with substantive amendments. For enactments after 2001, the report provides information on congressional sponsorship and votes

Reconciling the observed star-forming sequence with the observed stellar mass function

We examine the connection between the observed star-forming sequence (SFR $\propto$ $M^{\alpha}$) and the observed evolution of the stellar mass function between $0.2 < z < 2.5$. We find the star-forming sequence cannot have a slope $\alpha$ $\lesssim$ 0.9 at all masses and redshifts, as this would result in a much higher number density at $10 < \log(\mathrm{M/M_{\odot}}) < 11$ by $z=1$ than is observed. We show that a transition in the slope of the star-forming sequence, such that $\alpha=1$ at $\log(\mathrm{M/M_{\odot}})<10.5$ and $\alpha=0.7-0.13z$ ({Whitaker} {et~al.} 2012) at $\log(\mathrm{M/M_{\odot}})>10.5$, greatly improves agreement with the evolution of the stellar mass function. We then derive a star-forming sequence which reproduces the evolution of the mass function by design. This star-forming sequence is also well-described by a broken-power law, with a shallow slope at high masses and a steep slope at low masses. At $z=2$, it is offset by $\sim$0.3 dex from the observed star-forming sequence, consistent with the mild disagreement between the cosmic SFR and recent observations of the growth of the stellar mass density. It is unclear whether this problem stems from errors in stellar mass estimates, errors in SFRs, or other effects. We show that a mass-dependent slope is also seen in other self-consistent models of galaxy evolution, including semi-analytical, hydrodynamical, and abundance-matching models. As part of the analysis, we demonstrate that neither mergers nor hidden low-mass quiescent galaxies are likely to reconcile the evolution of the mass function and the star-forming sequence. These results are supported by observations from {Whitaker} {et~al.} (2014).Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, accepted to ApJ Oct 31st 201

Characterization of the Mycobacteriophage Ukulele Integration System; Identification of Integration Site Attp and the Role of the Integrase in Lysogeny Regulation

Mycobacteriophage (phage) are a group of viruses that infect bacteria in the genus Mycobacterium. Two phage lifestyles are lytic and temperate. Lytic phage only carry out the lytic life cycle, resulting in host cell lysis. Temperate phage are capable of completing both lytic and lysogenic life cycles. During the lysogenic life cycle, a phage-encoded integrase facilitates integration at sites attP in the phage genome and attB in the host to form a lysogen. The cluster E mycobacteriophage integration system is poorly understood. Ukulele, a lysogenic cluster E phage, is being used to identify the Cluster E attP and characterize lysogeny regulation. A putative attP containing sequence was identified in the Ukulele genome by computational analysis. To confirm the presence of attP, this sequence will be inserted into a plasmid and transferred into integrase expressing M. smegmatis (pST-KT-int). Cells will be screened for plasmid integrated into the genome. To characterize the role of the integrase in lysogeny regulation, we will determine the impact of integrase expression levels on induction event frequency in M. smegmatis (pST-KT-int) – Ukulele lysogens

Establishment of Wood Plants on Roadsides (Southeastern Kentucky)

Recommendations for woody plant materials to be used in direct seeding are given on the basis of the plant\u27s ability to regenerate from roots and natural seedings. Species are recommended for each of the relief and drainage subdivisions of the study area, southeastern Kentucky. Plant information on recommended native species has been summarized to provide basic data relevant to or needed by the highway landscape designer in selecting native plant combinations to be used in direct seeding

Anglo-I atin\u27s Scholarlyeolleagues: Editing the Oxford Medieval Texts: Review of \u3ci\u3eThe Book of the Foundation of Walden Monastery\u3c/i\u3e. Diana Greenway and Leslie Watkiss, ed. and trans.

The Book of the Foundation of Walden Monastery contains at least two stories. The overt story is of marginalized medieval monks trying to secure their assets. This story--told in Latin with a translation on facing pages, normalized spelling, and twentieth-century punctuation-makes a lively read for anyone interested in human behavior. It concerns a twe1fthcentuty nobleman who founds an abbey using some of his least promising land, subsequently gets himself excommunicated and then killed in a pique over injustices done to him, and is succeeded by an array of kin, including a presumed bastard (Geoffrey fitz Peter), who allegedly subtract rather than add to the prestige of the abbey. A heroic though not flawless prior appeals surreptitiously to the king, securing Walden\u27s status as a monastery rather than an abbey and also securing the wrath of the remaining kin of the founder. All this information comes to us in the voice of someone who seems as familiar with these events as the biblical author was with David\u27s conduct toward Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite. The covert story is of late-twentieth-century scholars striving to transmit Anglo-Latin texts in scholarly editions and translations. The Oxford Medieval Texts series, the continuation of Nelson\u27s Medieval Texts, specializes in the publication of documents that both students and scholars need. As Barbara Harvey wrote for Oxford University Press\u27s web site, a stated aim of the series [is] to publish \u27Latin texts pertinent to the cultural history of medieval Europe.\u27 In doing so, Oxford Medieval Texts recognizes that some members of its target audience lack facility with the languages of the Middle Ages. As a result of the hybrid audience, volumes such as The Book o/the Foundation of Walden Monastery simultaneously contain too much and too little for an individual reader. For example, readers of Medieval Latin may find Leslie Watkiss\u27s description of the author\u27s style obvious. At the same time, anyone reading only the facing-page translation will benefit from this same description. For me, expanded access to the physical evidence--two late-sixteenth-century transcriptions of a document apparently composed no earlier than the last decade of the twelfth century-would have been useful. The materials Greenway and Watkiss have furnished on pages lxvii--lxxiii are tantalizing

Design of thrust vectoring exhaust nozzles for real-time applications using neural networks

Thrust vectoring continues to be an important issue in military aircraft system designs. A recently developed concept of vectoring aircraft thrust makes use of flexible exhaust nozzles. Subtle modifications in the nozzle wall contours produce a non-uniform flow field containing a complex pattern of shock and expansion waves. The end result, due to the asymmetric velocity and pressure distributions, is vectored thrust. Specification of the nozzle contours required for a desired thrust vector angle (an inverse design problem) has been achieved with genetic algorithms. This approach is computationally intensive and prevents the nozzles from being designed in real-time, which is necessary for an operational aircraft system. An investigation was conducted into using genetic algorithms to train a neural network in an attempt to obtain, in real-time, two-dimensional nozzle contours. Results show that genetic algorithm trained neural networks provide a viable, real-time alternative for designing thrust vectoring nozzles contours. Thrust vector angles up to 20 deg were obtained within an average error of 0.0914 deg. The error surfaces encountered were highly degenerate and thus the robustness of genetic algorithms was well suited for minimizing global errors

Application of digital control to a magnetic model suspension and balance model

The feasibility of using a digital computer for performing the automatic control functions for a magnetic suspension and balance system (MSBS) for use with wind tunnel models was investigated. Modeling was done using both a prototype MSBS and a one dimensional magnetic balance. A microcomputer using the Intel 8080 microprocessor is described and results are given using this microprocessor to control the one dimensional balance. Hybrid simulations for one degree of freedom of the MSBS were also performed and are reported. It is concluded that use of a digital computer to control the MSBS is eminently feasible and should extend both the accuracy and utility of the system