The effect of mission duration on LISA science objectives

The science objectives of the LISA mission have been defined under the implicit assumption of a 4-years continuous data stream. Based on the performance of LISA Pathfinder, it is now expected that LISA will have a duty cycle of $$\approx 0.75$$ ≈ 0.75 , which would reduce the effective span of usable data to 3 years. This paper reports the results of a study by the LISA Science Group, which was charged with assessing the additional science return of increasing the mission lifetime. We explore various observational scenarios to assess the impact of mission duration on the main science objectives of the mission. We find that the science investigations most affected by mission duration concern the search for seed black holes at cosmic dawn, as well as the study of stellar-origin black holes and of their formation channels via multi-band and multi-messenger observations. We conclude that an extension to 6 years of mission operations is recommended.

Improving Elementary School Students' Knowledge of Electromagnets and their Abilities to Design Science Investigations

The research that studies the improvement of elementary school students' science knowledge and the development of elementary students' abilities to use the scientific and engineering practices is restricted. The purpose of this research is to study the effects of an instructional intervention on the knowledge of the students of elementary school about electromagnets and their abilities to design science investigations. Instructional material about electromagnets was developed, based on an inquiry-based approach using the scientific and engineering practices, which was applied to 76 students of elementary school (12 years old). To evaluate the students' knowledge of electromagnets as well as their abilities to design science investigations, a questionnaire was developed which was completed by the students both before and after the instructional intervention. The data of the research were the answers of the students to the questionnaires. The data analysis showed that the students' knowledge about electromagnets as well as their abilities to design science investigations was improved, through the instructional intervention for electromagnets.

Neutrons “101” – A Primer for Earth Scientists

The fundamental properties of the neutron make it a powerful tool for Earth science investigations because neutrons provide information that cannot be obtained by any other research method. This is because neutrons are magnetically sensitive, nondestructive, and sensitive to the lighter elements, such as hydrogen. They provide a unique, nondestructive method for obtaining information ranging from Ångstrom-scale atomic structures (and related motions) to micron-scale material strain, stress, and texture, and even up to meso-scale porous matrices and defects in materials and functional components. In this article, we introduce neutrons and their unique properties, neutron production and sources, and provide an overview of the different types of neutron methods applicable to the Earth sciences.

Geodesy, Geophysics and Fundamental Physics Investigations of the BepiColombo Mission

In preparation for the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury, thematic working groups had been established for coordinating the activities within the BepiColombo Science Working Team in specific fields. Here we describe the scientific goals of the Geodesy and Geophysics Working Group (GGWG) that aims at addressing fundamental questions regarding Mercury’s internal structure and evolution. This multidisciplinary investigation will also test the gravity laws by using the planet Mercury as a proof mass. The instruments on the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), which are devoted to accomplishing the GGWG science objectives, include the BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA), the Mercury orbiter radio science experiment (MORE), and the MPO magnetometer (MPO-MAG). The onboard Italian spring accelerometer (ISA) will greatly aid the orbit reconstruction needed by the gravity investigation and laser altimetry. We report the current knowledge on the geophysics, geodesy, and evolution of Mercury after the successful NASA mission MESSENGER and set the prospects for the BepiColombo science investigations based on the latest findings on Mercury’s interior. The MPO spacecraft of the BepiColombo mission will provide extremely accurate measurements of Mercury’s topography, gravity, and magnetic field, extending and improving MESSENGER data coverage, in particular in the southern hemisphere. Furthermore, the dual-spacecraft configuration of the BepiColombo mission with the Mio spacecraft at higher altitudes than the MPO spacecraft will be fundamental for decoupling the internal and external contributions of Mercury’s magnetic field. Thanks to the synergy between the geophysical instrument suite and to the complementary instruments dedicated to the investigations on Mercury’s surface, composition, and environment, the BepiColombo mission is poised to advance our understanding of the interior and evolution of the innermost planet of the solar system.

BepiColombo Science Investigations During Cruise and Flybys at the Earth, Venus and Mercury

The dual spacecraft mission BepiColombo is the first joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to explore the planet Mercury. BepiColombo was launched from Kourou (French Guiana) on October 20th, 2018, in its packed configuration including two spacecraft, a transfer module, and a sunshield. BepiColombo cruise trajectory is a long journey into the inner heliosphere, and it includes one flyby of the Earth (in April 2020), two of Venus (in October 2020 and August 2021), and six of Mercury (starting from 2021), before orbit insertion in December 2025. A big part of the mission instruments will be fully operational during the mission cruise phase, allowing unprecedented investigation of the different environments that will encounter during the 7-years long cruise. The present paper reviews all the planetary flybys and some interesting cruise configurations. Additional scientific research that will emerge in the coming years is also discussed, including the instruments that can contribute.

Cardiomyopathy: Getting Bigger All the Time - Lessons Learned about Heart Disease from Tropomyosin

In 1990, John and Christine Seidman uncovered the genetic association between mutations in sarcomeric contractile proteins and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Since then, the increase in knowledge and understanding of this disease has increased exponentially. Although pathologies associated with the various cardiomyopathies are vastly different, in some cases, the same proteins are causative, but with different genetic mutations. The focus of this article will be on hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies, which are often caused by mutations in sarcomeric contractile proteins. Tropomyosin, a thin filament protein, serves as a paradigm to illustrate how different mutations within the same protein can generate the hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathic condition. As such, the significant advances in information derived from basic science investigations has led to the development of novel therapeutics in the treatment of these pathological diseases. This article will illustrate linkages which occur to bridge scientific advances to clinical treatments in cardiomyopathic patients.

Foot index: is it a tool for gender determination among Nepalese population?

Background: The human foot shows variations in its dimensions and shape in different age group of both male and female. It can be used as gender predictor of an individual in forensic science investigations which may have a great value for identification of unknown deceased body. This study was aimed to measure the various dimensions of foot and derive a tool to predict gender of an individual. Methods: This study was the cross-sectional type which consisted of 556 individuals (268 males and 288 females). Foot dimensions (foot length and foot breadth) were measured in centimeter and the foot index was derived for both sexes separately. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics with SPSS vesion 20.0. Results: It was concluded that there were gender differences in foot length and breadth. The foot length and foot breadth were found to be higher among males than females. The bilateral differences of foot dimensions were not recorded in both male and female. There were gender differences in foot index. Conclusions: The male is found having longer and broader foot than female foot. The foot index is not used as an appropriate tool to determine gender.