Electrodynamic Dust Shields on the International Space Station: Exposure to the space environment

Electrodynamic Dust Shields (EDS) have been in development at NASA as a dust mitigation method for lunar and Martian missions. An active dust mitigation strategy, such as that provided by the EDS, that can remove dust from surfaces, is of crucial importance to the planetary exploration program. We report on the development of a flight experiment to fully expose four EDS panels to the space environment. This flight experiment is part of the Materials International Space Station experiment X (MISSE-X), an external platform on the International Space Station that will expose materials to the space environment.     

Temperature dependent photoluminescence down to 4.2 K in EuTFC

The temperature dependence of photoluminescence in Europium tris[3-(trifluoro-methylhydroxymethylene)-(+)-camphorate] (EuTFC) embedded in polymer films has been examined from 40 K down to 4.2 K with the goal of preparing sensor films for low-temperature thermal imaging. The behavior of EuTFC showed significant difference when based on polystyrene compared to poly(n-alkyl methacrylate)s. In poly(n-alkyl methacrylate)s prepared by standard methods for imaging applications, the photoluminescence is fully saturated below 30 K, whereas in polystyrene films there is a strong temperature dependence even down to 4.2 K. By optimizing the preparation procedure for films made of poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) and poly(methyl methacrylate), also these polymers became very sensitive down to liquid helium temperature. The maximum temperature sensitivity of EuTFC in PBMA is found to be 1.0%/K at 4.2 K. The problem of delamination and cracking of the polymer film at cryogenic temperature is also avoided by the special preparation method.     

Search for beta-delayed proton emission from $$^{11}$$Be

The European Physical Journal A - A deterministic treatment of sequential neutron emission, based on recursive equations of the residual temperatures, was applied to numerous fission cases (i.e. 49...     

Access to the Bis‐benzene Cobalt(I) Sandwich Cation and its Derivatives: Synthons for a “Naked” Cobalt(I) Source?

The synthesis and structural characterization of the hitherto unknown parent Co(bz)₂⁺ (bz=benzene) complex and several of its derivatives are described. Their synthesis starts either from a CoCO₅⁺ salt, or directly from Co₂(CO)₈ and a Ag⁺ salt. Stability and solubility of these complexes was achieved by using the weakly coordinating anions (WCAs) [Al(OR^F)₄]^? and [F{Al(OR^F)₃}₂]^? {R^F=C(CF₃)₃} and the solvent ortho‐difluorobenzene (o‐DFB). The magnetic properties of Co(bz)₂⁺ were measured and compared in the condensed and gas phases. The weakly bound Co(o‐dfb)₂⁺ salts are of particular interest for the preparation of further Co^I salts, for example, the structurally characterized low‐coordinate 12 valence electron Co(P^tBu₃)₂⁺ and Co(NHC)₂⁺ salts.     

Form factor π0 → γ* + γ* at different photon virtualities

The π⁰ γγ vertex for virtual photons of squared masses q ₁ ² and q ₂ ² plays a vital rôle in several physical processes; for example for q ₁ ² < 0, q ₂ ² < 0, in the two-photon physics reaction e ⁺ e ^? → e ⁺ e ^?π⁰, and for q ₁ ² > 0, q ₂ ² > 0, in the annihilation process e ⁺ e ^? → π⁰ l ⁺l^?. It is also of interest because of its link to the axial anomaly. We suggest a new approach to this problem. We have obtained a closed analytic expression for the vertex in the limit in which at least one of ¦q ₁ ² ¦ and ¦q ₂ ² ¦ is large for arbitrary fixed values of the ratio q ₁ ² /q ₂ ² . We compare our results with those obtained previously by Brodsky and Lepage. It should be straightforward to test our predictions experimentally.     

Critical ruptures

The fracture of materials is a catastrophic phenomenon of considerable technological and scientific importance. Here, we analysed experiments designed for industrial applications in order to test the concept that, in heterogeneous materials such as fiber composites, rocks, concrete under compression and materials with large distributed residual stresses, rupture is a genuine critical point, i.e., the culmination of a self-organization of damage and cracking characterized by power law signatures. Specifically, we analyse the acoustic emissions recorded during the pressurisation of spherical tanks of kevlar or carbon fibers pre-impregnated in a resin matrix wrapped up around a thin metallic liner (steel or titanium) fabricated and instrumented by Aérospatiale-Matra Inc. These experiments are performed as part of a routine industrial procedure which tests the quality of the tanks prior to shipment. We find that the seven acoustic emission recordings of seven pressure tanks which was brought to rupture exhibit clear acceleration in agreement with a power law “divergence” expected from the critical point theory. In addition, we find strong evidence of log-periodic corrections that quantify the intermittent succession of accelerating bursts and quiescent phases of the acoustic emissions on the approach to rupture. An improved model accounting for the cross-over from the non-critical to the critical region close to the rupture point exhibits interesting predictive potential. Received 6 July 2000     

Magneto-optic study of spatial magnetic-field distribution relaxation in an HTSC film strip after transport current turn-on

The paper provides the first demonstration of the efficiency of applying the magneto-optic method to studies of the spatial and temporal magnetic-field relaxation in an YBa₂Cu₃O₇ film strip after the transport current is switched on. It is shown that the evolution of magnetic flux distribution is adequately described in terms of a modified Bean model with time-dependent critical current. At a time 50 ms after the current is switched on, the critical current of the samples studied decreases by ≈15%. This proves the significance of thermally activated magnetic flux motion (creep) in the regime investigated. The magnetic vortex pinning energy has been estimated as U ₀≈20 kT. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 965–968 (June 1999)     

Inhibition of Cytosolic Phospholipase A2α Induces Apoptosis in Multiple Myeloma Cells

Cytosolic phospholipase A2α (cPLA2α) is the rate-limiting enzyme in releasing arachidonic acid and biosynthesis of its derivative eicosanoids. Thus, the catalytic activity of cPLA2α plays an important role in cellular metabolism in healthy as well as cancer cells. There is mounting evidence suggesting that cPLA2α is an interesting target for cancer treatment; however, it is unclear which cancers are most relevant for further investigation. Here we report the relative expression of cPLA2α in a variety of cancers and cancer cell lines using publicly available datasets. The profiling of a panel of cancer cell lines representing different tissue origins suggests that hematological malignancies are particularly sensitive to the growth inhibitory effect of cPLA2α inhibition. Several hematological cancers and cancer cell lines overexpressed cPLA2α, including multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is an incurable hematological cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow with an emerging requirement of therapeutic approaches. We show here that two cPLA2α inhibitors AVX420 and AVX002, significantly and dose-dependently reduced the viability of multiple myeloma cells and induced apoptosis in vitro. Our findings implicate cPLA2α activity in the survival of multiple myeloma cells and support further studies into cPLA2α as a potential target for treating hematological cancers, including multiple myeloma.     

l‐Valyl‐l‐serine trihydrate

The valine side chains in the crystal structure of the title compound [systematic name: 2‐(2‐ammonio‐3‐methyl­butan­amido)‐3‐hydroxy­propano­ate tri­hydrate], C₈H₁₆N₂O₄·3H₂O, stack along an a axis of 4.77 Å to form hydro­phobic columns surrounded by remarkable water/hydroxyl shells. The peptide main chains are connected by hydrogen bonds in two‐dimensional layers. The peptide mol­ecules in each layer are related only by translation, and generate a very rare pattern. This is rendered possible through the formation of the shortest C^α—H·O(carboxyl­ate) inter­action ever recorded.     

Interaction theory of hypersonic laminar near-wake flow behind an adiabatic circular cylinder

The separation and shock wave formation on the aft-body of a hypersonic adiabatic circular cylinder were studied numerically using the open source software OpenFOAM. The simulations of laminar flow were performed over a range of Reynolds numbers (\(8\times 10^3 < Re < 8\times 10^4\)) at a free-stream Mach number of 5.9. Off-body viscous forces were isolated by controlling the wall boundary condition. It was observed that the off-body viscous forces play a dominant role compared to the boundary layer in displacement of the interaction onset in response to a change in Reynolds number. A modified free-interaction equation and correlation parameter has been presented which accounts for wall curvature effects on the interaction. The free-interaction equation was manipulated to isolate the contribution of the viscous–inviscid interaction to the overall pressure rise and shock formation. Using these equations coupled with high-quality simulation data, the underlying mechanisms resulting in Reynolds number dependence of the lip-shock formation were investigated. A constant value for the interaction parameter representing the part of the pressure rise due to viscous–inviscid interaction has been observed at separation over a wide range of Reynolds numbers. The effect of curvature has been shown to be the primary contributor to the Reynolds number dependence of the free-interaction mechanism at separation. The observations in this work have been discussed here to create a thorough analysis of the Reynolds number-dependent nature of the lip-shock.