Parker Solar Probe observations of suprathermal electron flux enhancements originating from coronal hole boundaries

Reconnection between pairs of solar magnetic flux elements, one open and the other a closed loop, is theorised to be a crucial process for both maintaining the structure of the corona and producing the solar wind. This 'interchange reconnection' is expected to be particularly active at the open-closed boundaries of coronal holes (CHs). Previous analysis of solar wind data at 1AU indicated that peaks in the flux of suprathermal electrons at slow-fast stream interfaces may arise from magnetic connection to the CH boundary, rather than dynamic effects such as compression. Further, offsets between the peak and stream interface locations are suggested to be the result of interchange reconnection at the source. As a preliminary test of these suggestions, we analyse two solar wind streams observed during the first Parker Solar Probe (PSP) perihelion encounter, each associated with equatorial CH boundaries (one leading and one trailing with respect to rotation). Each stream features a peak in suprathermal electron flux, the locations and associated plasma properties of which are indicative of a solar origin, in agreement with previous suggestions from 1AU observations. Discrepancies between locations of the flux peaks and other features suggest these peaks may too be shifted by source region interchange reconnection. Our interpretation of each event is compatible with a global pattern of open flux transport, although random footpoint motions or other explanations remain feasible. These exploratory results highlight future opportunities for statistical studies regarding interchange reconnection and flux transport at CH boundaries with modern near-Sun missions

Navigating the Looking Glass:Severing the Lawyer's Head in <i>Arkham Asylum</i>

Reading Arkham Asylum jurisprudentially, we encounter a story of the meeting of reason and unreason in the context of justice – of conscious law and its unconscious threat. Batman’s exploration of the Asylum is symbolic of the legal unconscious, and reflects the processes of repression that can be seen in dominant legal knowledge. A threat to this dominant knowledge can be seen in Two-Face’s reliance on his coin to ‘judge’ his victims. Moreover, Arkham Asylum configures the threat of law’s unconscious as the lawyer’s severed head inside the house of law. Ultimately, Batman’s journey through Arkham Asylum reminds law of the aesthetic and irrational contexts that it strives to deny and from which it seeks to defend itself – and that cultural legal studies explores. It recalls the unreason outside law’s logic, the chaos outside its order, the madness outside its sanity. The lesson of Batman’s encounters in the Asylum is that we should remember the ‘madness’ outside the legal order, and thus recognise that law is always already more than its conscious ‘sanity’ can contain

Rethinking energy, climate and security: a critical analysis of energy security in the US

Understanding the complicated relationship between energy, climate and security is vital both to the study of international relations and to ensure the continued survival of a world increasingly threatened by environmental change. Climate change is largely caused by burning fossil fuels for energy, but while discussions on the climate consider the role of energy, energy security debates largely overlook climate concerns. This article traces the separation between energy and climate through an analysis of US energy security discourse and policy. It shows that energy security is continually constructed as national security, which enables very particular policy choices and prioritises it above climate concerns. Thus, in many cases, policies undertaken in the name of energy security contribute directly to climate insecurity. The article argues that the failure to consider securing the climate as inherently linked to energy security is not just problematic, but, given global warming, potentially harmful. Consequently, any approach to dealing with climate change has to begin by rethinking energy security and security more broadly, as national (energy) security politics no longer provides security in any meaningful sense

Profit versus Quality: The Enigma of Scientific Wellness

The “best of both worlds” is not often the case when it comes to implementing new health models, particularly in community settings. It is often a struggle between choosing or balancing between two components: depth of research or financial profit. This has become even more apparent with the recent shift to move away from a traditionally reactive model of medicine toward a predictive/preventative one. This has given rise to many new concepts and approaches with a variety of often overlapping aims. The purpose of this perspective is to highlight the pros and cons of the numerous ventures already implementing new concepts, to varying degrees, in community settings of quite differing scales—some successful and some falling short. Scientific wellness is a complex, multifaceted concept that requires integrated experimental/analytical designs that demand both high-quality research/healthcare and significant funding. We currently see the more likely long-term success of those ventures in which any profit is largely reinvested into research efforts and health/healthspan is the primary focus

Enhanced Fluorescence Imaging of Live Cells by Effective Cytosolic Delivery of Probes

Background Microscopic techniques enable real-space imaging of complex biological events and processes. They have become an essential tool to confirm and complement hypotheses made by biomedical scientists and also allow the re-examination of existing models, hence influencing future investigations. Particularly imaging live cells is crucial for an improved understanding of dynamic biological processes, however hitherto live cell imaging has been limited by the necessity to introduce probes within a cell without altering its physiological and structural integrity. We demonstrate herein that this hurdle can be overcome by effective cytosolic delivery. Principal Findings We show the delivery within several types of mammalian cells using nanometre-sized biomimetic polymer vesicles (a.k.a. polymersomes) that offer both highly efficient cellular uptake and endolysomal escape capability without any effect on the cellular metabolic activity. Such biocompatible polymersomes can encapsulate various types of probes including cell membrane probes and nucleic acid probes as well as labelled nucleic acids, antibodies and quantum dots. Significance We show the delivery of sufficient quantities of probes to the cytosol, allowing sustained functional imaging of live cells over time periods of days to weeks. Finally the combination of such effective staining with three-dimensional imaging by confocal laser scanning microscopy allows cell imaging in complex three-dimensional environments under both mono-culture and co-culture conditions. Thus cell migration and proliferation can be studied in models that are much closer to the in vivo situation

Serum MMP‐3 and its association with central arterial stiffness among young adults is moderated by smoking and BMI

Central arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. It is characterized by a marked reduction in the elastin-collagen ratio of the arterial wall extracellular matrix (ECM), and is largely the result of degradation of various ECM components. Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) may contribute to central arterial stiffness via its involvement in ECM homeostasis and remodeling. This study examined the association between serum MMP-3 concentrations and central arterial stiffness and potential interactions of MMP-3 and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in a population of healthy young adults. A total of 206 participants (n = 109 females) aged 19–25 years were included in the current study. Central arterial stiffness was measured non-invasively as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) (m/s). MMP-3 concentrations (ng/ml) were measured using ELISA techniques. Regression analyses were used to examine the association between cfPWV and MMP-3, adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), instantaneous mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate, and serum C-reactive protein. Interactions between MMP-3 with smoking, BMI, sex, and MAP were analyzed in subsequent regression models. MMP-3 was an independent predictor of cfPWV (β = 0.187, p = 0.007), and significant interactions between MMP-3 and regular smoking (β = 0.291, p = 0.022), and MMP-3 and BMI (β = 0.210, p = 0.013) were observed. Higher serum MMP-3 concentrations were associated with a faster cfPWV and thus, greater central arterial stiffness. Interactions between MMP-3 and smoking, and MMP-3 and BMI may, in part, drive the association between MMP-3 and central arterial stiffness.Canadian Institutes of Health Researc

Characterization of sclerostin’s response within white adipose tissue to an obesogenic diet at rest and in response to acute exercise in male mice

This study examined the effect of a high-fat diet (HFD) on sclerostin content within subcutaneous inguinal visceral white adipose tissue (iWAT), and visceral epididymal WAT (eWAT) depots at rest and in response to acute aerobic exercise. Male C57BL/6 mice (n=40, 18 weeks of age) underwent 10 weeks of either a low-fat diet (LFD) or HFD. Within each diet group, mice were assigned to either remain sedentary (SED) or perform 2h of endurance treadmill exercise at 15 m·min-1 with 5° incline (EX), creating 4 groups: LFD+SED (N=10), LFD+EX (N=10), HFD+SED (N=10), and HFD+EX (N=10). Serum and WAT depots were collected 2h post-exercise. Serum sclerostin showed a diet-by-exercise interaction, reflecting HFD+EX mice having higher concentration than HFD-SED (+31%, p=0.03), and LFD mice being unresponsive to exercise. iWAT sclerostin content decreased post-exercise in both 28 kDa (-31%, p=0.04) and 30 kDa bands (-36%, main effect for exercise, p=0.02). iWAT b-catenin (+44%, p=0.03) and GSK3b content were elevated in HFD mice compared to LFD (+128%, main effect for diet, p=0.005). Monomeric sclerostin content was abolished in eWAT of HFD mice (-96%, main effect for diet, p<0.0001), was only detectable as a 30 kDa band in LFD mice and was unresponsive to exercise. b-catenin and GSK3b were both unresponsive to diet and exercise within eWAT. These results characterized sclerostin’s mobilization to WAT depots in response to acute exercise, which appears to be specific to a reduction in iWAT and identified a differential regulation of sclerostin’s form/post-translational modifications depending on diet and WAT depot.This research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC grant to P. Klentrou # 2020-00014). N. Kurgan, B. Baranowski and Joshua Stoikos hold NSERC doctoral scholarships