A Statistical Comparison of Zonal Mean and Tidal Signatures in FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC and Ground-Based GPS TECs

Atmospheric tidal components in the ionosphere can reflect either the in-situ generated quiet-time variation in the ionosphere, or vertically propagating tidal components generated through coupling to lower or middle atmosphere phenomena. Frequency-wavenumber tidal decomposition is a valuable tool for isolating the primary tidal components that drive the dynamics of the middle and upper atmosphere, allowing temporal and spatial variability to be quantified in a systematic manner, provided sufficient local time sampling. To date, two commonly used data sources for such tidal studies in the ionosphere are the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (F3/C) satellite constellation and ground-based GPS-derived Global Ionosphere Maps (GIMs). In this study, the migrating diurnal and semidiurnal tidal components, the nonmigrating diurnal eastward 3 (DE3) component, as well as the zonal mean component that dominate quiet-time ionospheric variability are extracted from 2008 F3/C and GIM Total Electron Content (TEC) data, using integration times of 20 days. We find that the zonal mean and tidal TEC components in F3/C and ground-based GIM data show qualitatively similar seasonal variability and spatial structure. However, the maximum amplitudes of the zonal mean and migrating tidal components computed from F3/C are consistently smaller than those from the ground-based GIMs, revealing a systematic difference between the two datasets. Conversely, the DE3 amplitudes are generally larger in F3/C compared to GIM, potentially due to the higher zonal wavenumber of that component

The impact of FORMOSAT-5/AIP observations on the ionospheric space weather

This paper assimilates the in-situ O+ fluxes observations obtained from the Advanced Ionospheric Probe (AIP) onboard the upcoming FORMOSAT-5 (FS-5) satellite and evaluates its possible impact on the ionospheric space weather forecast model. The Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE), designed for the global O+ fluxes, is shown to improve the electron density specification in the vicinity of satellite orbits. The root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of the ionospheric electron density obtained from assimilating the daytime O+ fluxes could be improved by ~10 and ~5% for the forecast and nowcast, respectively. Although the improvement of nighttime O+ flux assimilation is less significant compared to the daytime assimilation, it still reveals impacts on the model result. This suggests that nighttime observations might not be sufficient to alter the model trajectory in the positive direction as with the daytime result. Alternative data assimilation approaches, such as assimilation of the empirical model built by using the nighttime FS-5/AIP together with other existing satellite observations of O+ flux could obtain better accuracy of the electron density forecast

Spontaneous arterial thrombosis in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection: Successful treatment with pharmacomechanical thrombectomy

AbstractPatients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have various coagulation abnormalities as well as increased risk for development of clinical thrombosis and subsequent embolic events. We report acute lower leg ischemia caused by spontaneous atheroembolism with no identifiable source in a young patient with HIV infection. Treatment included percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy and thrombolysis, which reversed the arterial ischemia. Physicians should be aware of thromboembolic disease as a possible complication of HIV

J/Psi Propagation in Hadronic Matter

We study J/$\psi$ propagation in hot hadronic matter using a four-flavor chiral Lagrangian to model the dynamics and using QCD sum rules to model the finite size effects manifested in vertex interactions through form factors. Charmonium breakup due to scattering with light mesons is the primary impediment to continued propagation. Breakup rates introduce nontrivial temperature and momentum dependence into the J/$\psi$ spectral function.Comment: 6 Pages LaTeX, 3 postscript figures. Proceedings for Strangeness in Quark Matter 2003, Atlantic Beach, NC, March 12-17, 2003; minor corrections in version 2, to appear in J. Phys.

Dysregulation of the haem-haemopexin axis is associated with severe malaria in a case-control study of Ugandan children.

BACKGROUND: Malaria is associated with haemolysis and the release of plasma haem. Plasma haem can cause endothelial injury and organ dysfunction, and is normally scavenged by haemopexin to limit toxicity. It was hypothesized that dysregulation of the haem-haemopexin pathway contributes to severe and fatal malaria infections. METHODS: Plasma levels of haemin (oxidized haem), haemopexin, haptoglobin, and haemoglobin were quantified in a case-control study of Ugandan children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Levels at presentation were compared in children with uncomplicated malaria (UM; n = 29), severe malarial anaemia (SMA; n = 27) or cerebral malaria (CM; n = 31), and evaluated for utility in predicting fatal (n = 19) vs non-fatal (n = 39) outcomes in severe disease. A causal role for haemopexin was assessed in a pre-clinical model of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM), following disruption of mouse haemopexin gene (hpx). Analysis was done using Kruskall Wallis tests, Mann-Whitney tests, log-rank tests for survival, and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: In Ugandan children presenting with P. falciparum malaria, haemin levels were higher and haemopexin levels were lower in SMA and CM compared to children with UM (haemin, p \u3c 0.01; haemopexin, p \u3c 0.0001). Among all cases of severe malaria, elevated levels of haemin and cell-free haemoglobin at presentation were associated with subsequent mortality (p \u3c 0.05). Compared to ECM-resistant BALB/c mice, susceptible C57BL/6 mice had lower circulating levels of haemopexin (p \u3c 0.01), and targeted deletion of the haemopexin gene, hpx, resulted in increased mortality compared to their wild type littermates (p \u3c 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that plasma levels of haemin and haemopexin measured at presentation correlate with malaria severity and levels of haemin and cell-free haemoglobin predict outcome in paediatric severe malaria. Mechanistic studies in the ECM model support a causal role for the haem-haemopexin axis in ECM pathobiology

Production of intermediate-mass dileptons in relativistic heavy ion collisions

The production of intermediate mass dileptons in ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions at SPS energies is studied. The acceptance and detector resolution inherent to measurements by the NA50 experimental collaboration are accurately modeled. The measured centrality dependence of the intermediate mass lepton pair excess is also addressed.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, ReVTe

Natural History of Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Results from the Prospective Proxima A and B Clinical Trials.

Abstract Purpose To better characterize visual function decline and geographic atrophy (GA) progression secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Design Proxima A (NCT02479386) and Proxima B (NCT02399072) were global, prospective, non-interventional, observational clinical trials. Participants Eligible patients were aged ≥50 years. Patients in Proxima A had bilateral GA without choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in either eye (N=295). Patients in Proxima B had GA with no CNV in the study eye and CNV±GA in the fellow eye (fellow eye CNV cohort, n=168); or GA with no CNV in the study eye, without CNV/GA in the fellow eye (fellow eye intermediate AMD cohort, n=32). Methods Changes in visual function and imaging/anatomic parameters were evaluated over time using a Mixed Model for Repeated Measurement (MMRM) accounting for key baseline characteristics. Main Outcome Measures Pre-specified endpoints included change in GA area from baseline, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) score assessed by ETDRS, and BCVA under low-luminance conditions (LLVA). Results At 24 months, the adjusted mean (standard error; SE) change in GA lesion area from baseline was 3.87 (0.15) mm2 in participants with bilateral GA (Proxima A), 3.55 (0.16) mm2 in the fellow eye CNV cohort (Proxima B), and 2.96 (0.25) mm2 in the fellow eye intermediate AMD cohort (Proxima B). GA progression was greater in patients with baseline non-subfoveal (vs. subfoveal) GA lesions, and tended to increase as baseline low-luminance deficit increased (Proxima A; Proxima B, all patients). Conversion to GA or CNV in the fellow eye occurred in 30% and 6.7% of participants, respectively, in the Proxima B intermediate AMD cohort at month 12. Adjusted mean (SE) changes in BCVA and LLVA (ETDRS letters) in the study eye from baseline to 24 months: −13.88 (1.40) and −7.64 (1.20) in Proxima A, −9.49 (1.29) and −7.57 (1.26) in the Proxima B fellow eye CNV cohort, −11.48 (3.39) and −8.37 (3.02) in the Proxima B fellow eye intermediate AMD cohort, respectively. Conclusions The prospective Proxima A and B studies highlight the severe functional impact of GA and the rapid rate of GA lesion progression over a 2-year period, including in patients with unilateral GA at baseline

Habitual intake of flavonoid subclasses and risk of colorectal cancer in two large prospective cohorts

Background: Flavonoids inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells in vitro. In a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, the Polyp Prevention Trial, a higher intake of one sub-class, flavonols, was significantly associated with reduced risk of recurrent advanced adenoma. Most previous prospective studies on colorectal cancer evaluated only a limited number of flavonoid sub-classes and intake ranges, yielding inconsistent results.  Objective: To examine whether higher habitual dietary intakes of flavonoid subclasses (flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols and anthocyanins) are associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer.  Design: Using data from validated food frequency questionnaires administered every four years and an updated flavonoid food composition database flavonoid intakes were calculated for 42,478 male participants from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and for 76,364 female participants from the Nurses’ Health Study.  Results: During up to 26 years of follow-up, 2,519 colorectal cancer cases (1,061 in men, 1,458 in women) were documented. Intakes of flavonoid subclasses were not associated with risk of colorectal cancer in either cohort. Pooled multivariable adjusted relative risks (95% confidence interval) comparing the highest with the lowest quintile were 1.04 (0.91, 1.18) for flavonols; 1.01 (0.89, 1.15) for flavones; 0.96 (0.84, 1.10) for flavanones; 1.07 (0.95, 1.21) for flavan-3-ols; and 0.98 (0.81, 1.19) for anthocyanins (all p-values for heterogeneity by sex >0.19). In subsite analyses, flavonoid intake was also not associated with colon or rectal cancer risk.  Conclusion: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that a higher habitual intake of any flavonoid sub-class decreases the risk of colorectal cancer

Large mass dileptons from the passage of jets through quark gluon plasma

We calculate the emission of large mass dileptons originating from the annihilation of quark jets passing through quark gluon plasma. Considering central collisions of heavy nuclei at SPS, RHIC and LHC energies, we find that the yield due to the jet-plasma interaction gets progressively larger as the collision energy increases. We find it to be negligible at SPS energies, of the order of the Drell-Yan contribution and much larger than the normal thermal yield at RHIC energies and up to a factor of ten larger than the Drell-Yan contribution at LHC energies. An observation of this new dilepton source would confirm the occurrence of jet-plasma interactions and of conditions suitable for jet-quenching to take place.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures; references added, improved calculation, conclusions unchange