Coronal kink oscillations and photospheric driving : Combining SolO/EUI and SST/CRISP high-resolution observations

Context. The driving and excitation mechanisms of decay-less kink oscillations in coronal loops remain under active debate. The photospheric dynamics may provide the continuous energy supply required to sustain these oscillations. Aims. We aim to quantify and provide simple observational constraints on the photospheric driving of coronal loops in a few typical active region configurations: sunspot, plage, pores, and enhanced-network regions. We then aim to investigate the possible interplay between the photospheric driving and the properties of kink oscillations in the connected coronal loops. Methods. We analysed two unique datasets of the corona and photosphere taken at a high spatial and temporal resolution during the first coordinated observation campaign between Solar Orbiter and the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST). We applied a local correlation tracking method on the SST/CRISP data to quantify the photospheric motions at the base of coronal loops. The same loops were then analysed in the corona by exploiting data from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on Solar Orbiter and by using a wavelet analysis to characterise the detected kink oscillations. Results. Each type of photospheric region shows varying dynamics but with an overall increase in strength going from pore to plage to enhanced-network to sunspot regions. Differences can also be seen in the amplitudes of the fundamental kink mode measured in the corresponding coronal loops. This suggests the photosphere is involved in the driving of coronal kink oscillations. However, the few samples available do not allow the excitation mechanism to be further established yet. Conclusions. Despite oscillating coronal loops being anchored in seemingly a statica strong magnetic field regions, as seen from coronal EUV observations, photospheric observations provide evidence for a continuous and significant driving at their base. The precise connection between photospheric driving and coronal kink oscillations remains to be further investigated. Upcoming coordinated observations between Solar Orbiter and ground-based telescopes will provide crucial additional observational constraints, with this pilot study serving as a baseline for future works. Finally, this study provides critical constraints on both the quasi-steady and broadband photospheric driving that can be tested in existing numerical models of coronal loops.</p

Towards personalized prostate cancer treatment with docetaxel in indonesia : a pharmacogenomics perspective

Prostate cancer remains a significant global health issue, ranking as a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men, with rising incidence rates. Docetaxel (DOC) is a primary chemotherapeutic agent for treating this cancer. However, the practical implementation of personalized pharmacogenetic-guided DOC therapy in clinical settings is still in progress. This study aims to explore pharmacogenomic approaches in analyzing the impact of genetic variations in key genes involved in drug metabolism, including cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP3A4, CYP3A5, CYP1B1), ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCB1, ABCC2, ABCG2), and solute carrier family members (SLCO1B1/OATP1B1, SLCO1B3/OATP1B3), on the efficacy of DOC in prostate cancer treatment. A narrative review was conducted (2004–2024) on genetic variations affecting docetaxel (DOC) metabolism in prostate cancer, using searches in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Focused on clinical and genetic studies, highlighting personalized treatment strategies. The review highlights the influence of genetic variations in drug metabolism pathways, particularly in genes such as CYP3A4, ABCB1, and SLCO1B1, on DOC efficacy, toxicity, and overall survival. Additional genes like GSTP1, MDR1, CHST3, and KDM5D also play crucial roles. Furthermore, this study underscores the importance of localized pharmacogenomic research in Indonesia to identify region-specific genetic variations that could refine treatment strategies. Personalized prostate cancer treatment based on pharmacogenomic insights can enhance therapeutic outcomes and reduce side effects. Localized research in Indonesia is essential to optimize DOC-based therapy and improve patient care.</p

Searching for hot water world candidates with CHEOPS : Refining the radii and analysing the internal structures and atmospheric lifetimes of TOI-238 b and TOI-1685 b

Studying the composition of exoplanets is one of the most promising approaches to observationally constrain planet formation and evolution processes. However, this endeavour is complicated for small exoplanets by the fact that a wide range of compositions are compatible with their observed bulk properties. To overcome this issue, we identify triangular regions in the mass-radius space where part of this intrinsic degeneracy is lifted for close-in planets, since low-mass H/He envelopes would not be stable due to high-energy stellar irradiation. Planets in these Hot Water World triangles need to contain at least some heavier volatiles and are therefore interesting targets for atmospheric follow-up observations. We perform a demographic study to show that only few well-characterised planets in these regions are currently known and introduce our CHEOPS GTO programme aimed at identifying more of these potential hot water worlds. Here, we present CHEOPS observations for the first two targets of our programme, TOI-238 b and TOI-1685 b. Combined with TESS photometry and published RVs, we use the precise radii and masses of both planets to study their location relative to the corresponding Hot Water World triangles, perform an interior structure analysis, and study the possible lifetimes of H/He and waterdominated atmospheres under these conditions. We find that TOI-238 blies, at the 1σ level, inside the corresponding triangle. While a pure H/He atmosphere would have evaporated after 0.4-1.3 Myr, it is likely that a water-dominated atmosphere would have survived until the current age of the system, which makes TOI-238 ba promising candidate for a hot water world. Conversely, TOI-1685 b lies below the mass-radius model for a pure silicate planet, meaning that even though a water-dominated atmosphere would be compatible both with our internal structure and evaporation analysis, we cannot rule out the planet being a bare core.</p

Gothenburg direct observation tool for assessing person-centred care (GDOT-PCC): evaluation of inter-rater reliability

Objective: To assess the inter-rater reliability of the Gothenburg direct observation tool-person-centred care in assessing healthcare professionals' competency in delivering person-centred care (PCC). Design: Observational, fully-crossed inter-rater reliability study. Setting: The study was conducted between October and December 2022 at the participants' homes or offices. Participants and methods: Six health professionals individually rated 10 video-recorded, simulated consultations against the 53-item, 15-domain tool covering four major areas: PCC activities, clinician manner, clinician skills and PCC goals. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency. Intraclass correlations (ICC) and 95% CI were computed for the domains. Results: Two domains (planning and documentation and documentation) were excluded from analyses due to insufficient evaluable data. Cronbach's alpha was acceptable (>0.70) for all evaluated domains. ICC values were high (ICC >= 0.75) for 11 of the 13 domains; however, CIs were generally wide and the lower bounds fell within the good range (ICC=0.60-0.74) for six domains and fair agreement (ICC=0.40-0.59) for the remaining six. The ICC for the domain patient perspective was non-informative due to its wide CIs (ICC=0.74 (0.39-0.92)). Conclusion: ICC estimates for most domains were comparable to or exceeded those reported for similar direct observation tools for assessing PCC, suggesting that they may reliably be used in, for example, education and quality improvement applications. Reliability for the domains planning and documentation and documentation needs to be assessed in studies sampling more documentation behaviours. Reliability for the patient perspective domain may owe to methodological issues and should be reassessed in larger, better-designed studies

Noninvasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review

BackgroundWhile pharmacologic interventions remain the mainstay of Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment, alternative approaches such as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) have drawn attention for their potential in managing PD symptoms.ObjectiveWe aimed to conduct a systematic review to comprehensively evaluate the safety and efficacy of VNS for motor and nonmotor symptoms of PD.Materials and methodsA systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for relevant journal articles published up to October 2024. The findings were descriptively reported to evaluate the overall safety and efficacy of VNS in addressing both motor and nonmotor features of PD.ResultsA total of 12 journal articles with data from 287 participants were included. Ten studies reported that VNS significantly improved gait characteristics. Category fluency significantly declined in one study. Additionally, nonsignificant changes were observed in gastroenteric symptoms, fatigue, and both sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiac activity, with each of these outcomes reported in a separate study.ConclusionsNoninvasive VNS demonstrated favorable safety and efficacy for gait impairments in patients with PD, indicating its potential as a versatile intervention capable of addressing multiple aspects of the disease pathology. However, further research is necessary to reveal the underlying mechanisms, optimize stimulation parameters, and assess the long-term safety and efficacy of VNS as a therapeutic strategy for PD

Modelling the effect of climate-substrate interactions on soil organic matter decomposition with the Jena Soil Model

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon pool, but it is still uncertain how it will respond to climate change. Specifically, the fate of SOC due to concurrent changes in soil temperature and moisture is uncertain. It is generally accepted that microbially driven SOC decomposition will increase with warming, provided that sufficient soil moisture (and hence sufficient C substrate) is available for microbial decomposition. We use a mechanistic, microbially explicit SOC decomposition model, the Jena Soil Model (JSM), and focus on the depolymerisation of litter and microbial residues by microbes at different soil depths as well as the sensitivities of the depolymerisation of litter and microbial residues to soil warming and different drought intensities. In a series of model experiments, we test the effects of soil warming and droughts on SOC stocks, in combination with different temperature sensitivities (Q10 values) for the half-saturation constant Km (Q10,Km) associated with the breakdown of litter or microbial residues. We find that soil warming can lead to SOC losses at a timescale of a century and that these losses are highest in the topsoil (compared with the subsoil). Droughts can alleviate the effects of soil warming and reduce SOC losses, by posing strong microbial limitation on the depolymerisation rates, and even lead to SOC accumulation, provided that litter inputs remain unchanged. While absolute SOC losses were highest in the topsoil, we found that the temperature and moisture sensitivities of Km were important drivers of SOC losses in the subsoil – where microbial biomass is low and mineral-associated OC is high. Furthermore, a combination of drought and different Q10,Km values associated with different enzymes for the breakdown of litter or microbial residues had counteracting effects on the overall SOC balance. In this study, we show that, while absolute SOC changes driven by soil warming and drought are highest in the topsoil, SOC in the subsoil is more sensitive to warming and drought due to the intricate interplay between Km, temperature, soil moisture, and mineral-associated SOC.</p

Experimental study and simulation of metallic melt infiltration into porous media

Modeling corium melt infiltration into porous debris beds is crucial for predicting and mitigating severe accidents in nuclear power plants. A comprehensive understanding of melt infiltration requires both experimental and numerical approaches. Experimentally, two key studies are conducted: One quantifies the wettability of various surfaces by metallic melt, while the other examines one-dimensional melt infiltration dynamics in porous media composed of corresponding materials (MRSPOD-1D). The results indicate that wettability significantly influences infiltration dynamics, with wettable surfaces facilitating initial infiltration and non-wettable surfaces impeding it. Numerically, a multiscale modeling framework is employed, spanning from an interface- resolved (pore-scale) method to a space-averaged (macroscopic) approach. The numerical study of this thesis first focuses on developing and validating a pore-scale numerical model that simulates molten metal relocation using interface tracking methods. The model integrates the Level-Set (LS) method to track the metal-gas interface and the enthalpy-porosity approach to account for phase changes. Validation is performed using REMCOD-E8 and REMCOD-E9 experimental data. Building on the experimental and pore-scale findings, a macroscopic model is developed by coupling the LS method with the Brinkman equations. The macroscopic model is validated against MRSPOD-1D and REMCOD experiments and further assessed through comparisons with pore-scale simulations. The multiscale modeling approach reveals the complex interplay among particle surface wettability, pore size, the melt pressure head, melt superheat, and particulate bed temperature on the dynamics of the melt infiltration: (1) enhanced surface wettability consistently promotes melt infiltration and heat transfer across all Bond numbers, though it can also trigger early solidification, particularly at low Bond numbers; (2) melt infiltration becomes more sensitive to the wettability as pore size decreases, occurring in non-wettable media only when melt pressure overcomes capillary resistance, while this sensitivity diminishes as pore size increases; (3) at high Bond numbers, infiltration rates strongly depend on the initial melt pressure head, which drives faster infiltration until the melt layer atop the bed is depleted; (4) higher initial particulate bed temperatures and melt superheat enhance infiltration, whereas lower temperatures may cause solidification arrest, indicating that additional heat sources in reactor-relevant scenarios could promote remelting and facilitate deeper infiltration; (5) pore-scale simulations more accurately capture infiltration dynamics when solidification occurs, whereas both pore-scale and macroscopic models yield comparable results in high-temperature cases without solidification. This thesis advances the understanding of melt infiltration mechanisms and provides validated tools for severe accident modeling, which are critical for enhancing severe accident management strategies. Att modellera koriumsmältinfiltration i porösa brusbädd är kritiskt för att förutsäga och mildra svåra haverier i kärnkraftverk. En omfattande förståelse av smältinfiltration kräver både experimentella och numeriska metoder. Experimentellt genomförs två huvudstudier: Den ena kvantifierar vätningen hos olika ytor av metalliska smältor, medan den andra undersöker endimensionell smältinfiltrationsdynamik i porösa medier sammansatta av motsvarande material (MRSPOD-1D). Resultaten indikerar att vätbarheten signifikant påverkar infiltrationsdynamiken, med vätbara ytor som underlättar initial infiltration och icke vätbara ytor som hindrar den. Numeriskt används ett flerskaligt modelleringsramverk, som spänner från en upplösning i skalan av gränssnittet mellan porerna och fluiden, till en rymdgenomsnittlig metod i makroskopisk skala. Den numeriska studien av denna avhandling fokuserar först på att utveckla och validera en numerisk modell i porskala som simulerar förflyttningen av smält metall med metoder som spårar gränssnittet. Modellen integrerar metoden Level-Set (LS) för att spåra metall-gas-gränssnittet och entalpi-porositetsmetoden för att ta hänsyn till fasförändringar. Validering utförs med hjälp av REMCOD-E8- och REMCOD-E9-experiment. Med utgångspunkt i de experimentella fynden och fynden i porskalan utvecklas en makroskopisk modell genom att koppla LS-metoden med Brinkman-ekvationerna för att approximera smältinfiltrationsdynamiken. Modellen valideras gentemot MRSPOD-1D och REMCOD-experiment och utvärderas vidare genom jämförelser med simuleringar i porskala. Den flerskaliga modelleringsmetoden avslöjar det komplexa samspelet mellan partikelytornas vätbarhet, porstorlek, smältans tryckhöjd, smältans fallhöjd, smältöverhettning och partikelbäddtemperatur på dynamiken i smältinfiltrationen: (1) förbättrad ytvätningsförmåga främjar konsekvent smältinfiltration och värmeöverföring över alla Bondtal, även om den också kan orsaka tidig förstelning, särskilt vid låga Bondtal; (2) smältinfiltration blir mer känslig för vätningsförmågan när porstorleken minskar, och inträffar i icke-vätbara medier endast när smälttrycket övervinner kapillärmotståndet, medan denna känslighet minskar när porstorleken ökar; (3) vid höga Bondtal beror infiltrationshastigheterna starkt på det initiala smälttryckspelaren, vilket driver snabbare infiltration tills smältlagret ovanpå bädden är uttömt; (4) förhöjda initiala temperaturer i partikelbädden och smältans överhettning främjar infiltrationen, medan lägre temperaturer kan leda till stelning som avbryter processen, vilket tyder på att ytterligare värmekällor i reaktorrelevanta scenarier skulle kunna främja omsmältning och underlätta djupare infiltration; (5) porskalesimuleringar fångar infiltrationsdynamiken mer exakt när förstelning inträffar, medan både porskale- och makroskopiska modeller ger jämförbara resultat i högtemperaturfall utan stelning. Denna avhandling främjar förståelsen av smältinfiltrationsmekanismer och tillhandahåller validerade verktyg för modellering av svåra haverier, som är avgörande för att förbättra strategier för hantering av svåra haverier. </p

Adding a Twist to Lateral Flow Immunoassays : A Direct Replacement of Antibodies with Helical Affibodies, from Selection to Application

Immunoreagents, most commonly antibodies, are integral components of lateral flow immunoassays. However, the use of antibodies comes with limitations, particularly relating to their reproducible production, and poor thermal and chemical stability. Here, we employ phage display to develop affibodies, a class of nonimmunoglobulin affinity proteins based on a small three-helix bundle scaffold, against SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Subsequently, we demonstrate the utility and viability of affibodies to directly replace antibodies in lateral flow immunoassays. In addition, we highlight several physiochemical advantages of affibodies, including their ability to withstand exposure to high temperature and humidity while maintaining superior performance compared to their antibody counterparts. Furthermore, we investigate the adsorption mechanism of affibodies to the surface of gold nanoparticle probes via a His6-tag, introduced to also facilitate recombinant purification. Through molecular dynamics simulations, we elucidate the structural and physical characteristics of affibody dimers which result in high-performing detection probes when immobilized on nanoparticle surfaces. This work demonstrates that affibodies can be used as direct replacements to antibodies in immunoassays and should be further considered as alternatives owing to their improved physiochemical properties and modular design.</p

Societal Costs Associated With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Subgroups: A Study Utilizing Linked National Registries

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a heterogenic diagnosis including idiopathic and hereditary PAH (IPAH/HPAH) and groups associated to connective tissue disease (APAH-CTD) and congenital heart disease (APAH-CHD). Pre- and post-diagnosis societal costs in PAH subgroups are not well known. By linking Swedish national databases, societal costs in a national PAH cohort 5 years before and 5 years after diagnosis were estimated and compared to an age, sex, and geographically matched control group (1:5 match). Incident patients diagnosed 2008-2019 were included (patient/control; IPAH/HPAH = 393/1965, APAH-CTD = 261/1305, APAH-CHD = 89/445). Pre-diagnosis mean societal costs were 2.9, 3.4, and 4.3 times higher for IPAH/HPAH, APAH-CTD and APAH-CHD patients, respectively, than controls. Post-diagnosis, mean costs had increased 3.1, 2.0, and 1.6 times further for IPAH/HPAH, APAH-CTD and APAH-CHD respectively, while it decreased in all control groups. Main cost driver pre-diagnosis were indirect costs (productivity loss) in both patient and control groups, however, 2.7-4.5 times higher in the patient groups. Post-diagnosis, the main cost driver for all groups were health care costs (in- and outpatient-care, drugs) that had increased 7.8, 5.4 and 6.8 times for IPAH/HPAH, APAH-CTD and APAH-CHD, respectively. Corresponding increase for controls were 17%-48%. For the PAH groups, drug treatment accounted for 70%-81% of the direct costs, while hospitalizations were the main driver for the control groups. In conclusion, PAH was associated with large societal costs. Pre-diagnosis, APAH-CHD had the highest societal costs, both in relation to their control group and compared to the other patient groups. Post-diagnosis, highest societal costs were seen in IPAH/HPAH.</p