The influence of dose, dose-rate and particle fragmentation on cataract induction by energetic iron ions.

Because activities in space necessarily involve chronic exposure to a heterogeneous charged particle radiation field it is important to assess the influence of dose-rate and the possible modulating role of heavy particle fragmentation on biological systems. Using the well-studied cataract model, mice were exposed to plateau 600 MeV/amu 56Fe ions either as acute or fractionated exposures at total doses of 5 - 504 cGy. Additional groups of mice received 20, 360 and 504 cGy behind 50 mm of polyethylene, which simulates body shielding. The reference radiation consisted of 60Co gamma radiation. The animals were examined by slit lamp biomicroscopy over their three year life spans. In accordance with our previous observations with heavy particles, the cataractogenic potential of the 600 MeV/amu 56Fe ions was greater than for low-LET radiation and increased with decreasing dose relative to gamma-rays. Fractionation of a given dose of 56Fe ions did not reduce the cataractogenicity of the radiation compared to the acute regimen. Fragmentation of the beam in the polyethylene did not alter the cataractotoxicity of the ions, either when administered singly or in fractions.     

Analyses of exobiological and potential resource materials in the Martian soil.

Potential Martian soil components relevant to exobiology include water, organic matter, evaporites, clays, and oxides. These materials are also resources for human expeditions to Mars. When found in particular combinations, some of these materials constitute diagnostic paleobiomarker suites, allowing insight to be gained into the probability of life originating on Mars. Critically important to exobiology is the method of data analysis and data interpretation. To that end we are investigating methods of analysis of potential biomarker and paleobiomarker compounds and resource materials in soils and rocks pertinent to Martian geology. Differential thermal analysis coupled with gas chromatography is shown to be a highly useful analytical technique for detecting this wide and complex variety of materials.     

A method for improving extended Kalman filter performance forangle-only passive ranging

A relatively simple method is presented which eliminates previously reported (Oct. 1985) erratic estimation performance associated with Cartesian formulations of the extended Kalman filter (EKF) for the 2D angle-only emitter location problem. The technique is based on an initialization procedure which combines a priori probability density function (pdf) information with single measurement a posteriori pdf information in a manner which is more efficient than the EKF. Simulation results are presented which demonstrate the utility of the technique as compared with a previously offered modified gain EKF     

Circumstellar chemistry from microwave and mm-wave spectroscopy.

Stars in their late stages of evolution often shed matter in the form of a cool wind which is molecular in composition. These winds are a major source of replenishment of the interstellar gas and dust, so they furnish a large part of the raw materials for new generations of stars and planets. The chemistry of the circumstellar envelope depends strongly on the photospheric abundances of the elements, especially C and O. If C/O > 1, a rich organic chemistry is observable in the microwave and mm-wavelength emission lines of the reactions products. This paper reviews the observational evidence for the presence of organic molecules and their formation pathways in circumstellar envelopes, with special emphasis on rotational spectra at microwave and millimeter wavelengths.     

MTI data clustering and formation recognition

Image exploitation technology approaches have generally focused on the detection and spatial analysis of stationary groups of objects on the ground using various sensors. While spatial arrangement is clearly necessary in analyzing military formations, it is usually not sufficient. Typically the arrangement must be examined within some context in order to interpret a pattern of deployment. For moving objects the spatial arrangement of the group relative to the direction of motion is key to recognizing the formation. By examining ground moving target indicator (MTI) radar data over time, motion can be inferred and used to establish a context for interpreting the spatial arrangement of the data. New techniques that exploit the multitemporal nature of MTI data are described. The first is a space-time clustering technique that locates compact groups of objects that persist in time. The technique Is an application of Marr and Hildreth's edge detection methodology to the dual problem of region segmentation, or more accurately, volumetric segmentation of space-time. The second technique is based on the use of the Hough transform for recognizing moving formations such as columns, wedges, and lines abreast by analyzing the shape of clustered MTI detections (specifically the orientation of linear arrangements within the group) with respect to their direction of motion. Preliminary results from simulated MTI data sets are presented     

Forecasting the 23 and 24 solar cycles on the basis of MGM spectrum

A new method of nonlinear spectral analysis (called the method of global minimum: MGM), based on the best presentation (in sense of minimal squares) of a given time data set as a sum of sinusoids whose frequencies, amplitudes and phases are to be determined, has been used to find periodicities in annual Wolf sunspot numbers (W) during the period 1700–1995. The possible future behaviour of the 11-year solar cycle (based on an extrapolation of the calculated model) is also presented. The main characteristics of the 23^rd solar cycle are as follows: the W maximum occurs about 2004, with a peak of nearly 220. An unusually large value of W will occur during the 23^rd cycle, which should be characterised by the longest maximum, specifically, W will be greater than 100 during the 11-year period from 1997 to 2007. The first sharp rise will occur during the period 1996–1998, the second sharp during 2002–2004. The main features of the 24 year cycle are as follows: the next minimum in W, associated with the 24^th solar cycle, should occur in the year 2008 and the maximum in 2014. W is expected to peak at about 180. The minimum value for the 25^th year cycle is expected to occur in the year 2019. It is shown that the accuracy of these predictions depends, first of all, on the extrapolation of the hyperlong harmonic of the calculated polyharmonic model fit of observed annual sunspot numbers during the period 1700–1995. The error bars in the definition of the maximum and minimum epochs can be as large as two years.     

Lower and upper limits to comet p/halley solid material loss rate

A radiative hydrodynamic model of comet P/Halley is used to investigate quantitatively the constraints imposed onto the Comet loss rate in solids by both the in-situ data and the remote sensing data. In particular, for the first time, the in-situ data are used to fit composite spectra extending from near-IR wavelengths to the microwave region. Also, for the first time the uncertainty affecting the ejection velocity of large grains is taken into account. The results suggest that only future rendez-vous studies of the grain density in the vicinity of a comet would be able to provide definitely reliable values of the comet loss rate.     

EUV emission from normal galaxies

Using data from the Wide Field Camera EUV all-sky survey, we have established upper limits to the EUV flux from a sample of 30 bright, nearby, non-active spiral galaxies. These galaxies were chosen to be those most likely to be detected in the EUV on the basis of (i) low interstellar absorption within our own galaxy, (ii) brightness in other wavebands, (iii) high star formation activity, and (iv) proximity. The derived EUV upper limits are restrictive, and establish for the first time that the EUV flux escaping from galaxies does not constitute a major component of their bolometric luminosity, and in particular that it cannot be the sink for the energy injected into the interstellar medium by supernova explosions, as had been suggested following the failure to detect this power in the X-ray band.