Analysis techniques in the measurements of e+, e− fluxes variation in time

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a Cosmic Rays (CRs) detector. Thanks to the its large acceptance is possible to study electrons and positrons fluxes variation, due to the solar modulation. This will help in the understanding of solar physics and in the propagation of CRs in the Heliosphere environment. In this contribution, the employed analysis techniques in the measurements of electrons and positrons fluxes variation in time will be discussed

The flight calibration of the ECAL of AMS-02 on ISS

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a Cosmic Ray (CR) detector installed on the International space Station (ISS) on May 19th, 2011. The large statistics of events collected and the high resolution of the detector allow a precision measurement of rare component of CR, like e− and e+, essential for the indirect search of Dark Matter. The key detector in such measurement is the Electromagnetic CALorimeter (ECAL), both for its discrimination capabilities and, more important, to accurately measure the particle energy. In this contribution the flight calibration of the energy scale will be reviewed

Status of the measurement of the e− and e+ in Cosmic Rays with the AMS-02 experiment

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a Cosmic Ray (CR) detector, installed on the International Space Station (ISS) on 19 May 2011. The large statistics of events collected and the high resolution of the detector allow a precision measurement of rare component of CR, like e− and e+. The latest results of e+, e− together with the used analysis technique will be discussed

Interval Fuzzy Model for Robust Aircraft IMU Sensors Fault Detection

This paper proposes a data-based approach for a robust fault detection (FD) of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors of an aircraft. Fuzzy interval models (FIMs) have been introduced for coping with the significant modeling uncertainties caused by poorly modeled aerodynamics. The proposed FIMs are used to compute robust prediction intervals for the measurements provided by the IMU sensors. Specifically, a nonlinear neural network (NN) model is used as central prediction of the sensor response while the uncertainty around the central estimation is captured by the FIM model. The uncertainty has been also modelled using a conventional linear Interval Model (IM) approach; this allows a quantitative evaluation of the benefits provided by the FIM approach. The identification of the IMs and of the FIMs was formalized as a linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimization problem using as cost function the (mean) amplitude of the prediction interval and as optimization variables the parameters defining the amplitudes of the intervals of the IMs and FIMs. Based on the identified models, FD validation tests have been successfully conducted using actual flight data of a P92 Tecnam aircraft by artificially injecting additive fault signals on the fault free IMU readings

Air Data Sensor Fault Detection with an Augmented Floating Limiter

Although very uncommon, the sequential failures of all aircraft Pitot tubes, with the consequent loss of signals for all the dynamic parameters from the Air Data System, have been found to be the cause of a number of catastrophic accidents in aviation history. This paper proposes a robust data-driven method to detect faulty measurements of aircraft airspeed, angle of attack, and angle of sideslip. This approach first consists in the appropriate selection of suitable sets of model regressors to be used as inputs of neural network-based estimators to be used online for failure detection. The setup of the proposed fault detection method is based on the statistical analysis of the residual signals in fault-free conditions, which, in turn, allows the tuning of a pair of floating limiter detectors that act as time-varying fault detection thresholds with the objective of reducing both the false alarm rate and the detection delay. The proposed approach has been validated using real flight data by injecting artificial ramp and hard failures on the above sensors. The results confirm the capabilities of the proposed scheme showing accurate detection with a desirable low level of false alarm when compared with an equivalent scheme with conventional “a priori set” fixed detection thresholds. The achieved performance improvement consists mainly in a substantial reduction of the detection time while keeping desirable low false alarm rates

Changes in Plasma \u3b2-NGF and Its Receptors Expression on Peripheral Blood Monocytes During Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Progression

Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is characterized by the deposition of extracellular amyloid-\u3b2 (A\u3b2) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and by neuroinflammation. During the pathogenesis of AD, monocyte-macrophage lineage cells become increasingly ineffective in clearing A\u3b2 deposits, less able to differentiate, and shift toward pro-inflammatory processes. Beta-nerve growth factor (\u3b2-NGF) and its receptors, TrKA and p75NTR, produce several biological responses, including cell apoptosis and survival, and inflammation. In the central nervous system, the involvement of these receptors in several critical hallmarks of AD is well known, but their role in circulating monocytes during the progression of dementia is unclear. We investigated the relationship between plasma \u3b2-NGF concentration and TrkA/p75NTR receptor expression in monocytes of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), mild AD, and severe AD. We observed that plasma \u3b2-NGF concentration was increased with a higher expression of TrKA, but not of p75NTR, in monocytes from patients with MCI and mild AD, whereas \u3b2-NGF concentration and TrKA expression were decreased and p75NTR expression was increased, associated with caspase 3-mediated apoptosis, in patients with severe AD. In our study, we show evidence of variation in plasmatic \u3b2-NGF and monocytic TrkA/p75NTR receptor expression during the progression of dementia. These novel findings add evidence to support the hypothesis for the involvement of \u3b2-NGF and its receptors on monocytes during AD progression

Development of a New Tool for 3D Modeling for Regenerative Medicine

The effectiveness of therapeutic treatment based on regenerative medicine for degenerative diseases (i.e., neurodegenerative or cardiac diseases) requires tools allowing the visualization and analysis of the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of target drugs within the tissue. Here, we present a new computational procedure able to overcome the limitations of visual analysis emerging by the examination of a molecular signal within images of serial tissue/organ sections by using the conventional techniques. Together with the 3D anatomical reconstitution of the tissue/organ, our framework allows the detection of signals of different origins (e.g., marked generic molecules, colorimetric, or fluorimetric substrates for enzymes; microRNA; recombinant protein). Remarkably, the application does not require the employment of specific tracking reagents for the imaging analysis. We report two different representative applications: the first shows the reconstruction of a 3D model of mouse brain with the analysis of the distribution of the β-Galactosidase, the second shows the reconstruction of a 3D mouse heart with the measurement of the cardiac volume

A comparison of lysosomal enzymes expression levels in peripheral blood of mild- and severe-Alzheimer’s disease and MCI patients: implications for regenerative medicine approaches

The association of lysosomal dysfunction and neurodegeneration has been documented in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Herein, we investigate the association of lysosomal enzymes with AD at different stages of progression of the disease (mild and severe) or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We conducted a screening of two classes of lysosomal enzymes: glycohydrolases (β-Hexosaminidase, β-Galctosidase, β-Galactosylcerebrosidase, β-Glucuronidase) and proteases (Cathepsins S, D, B, L) in peripheral blood samples (blood plasma and PBMCs) from mild AD, severe AD, MCI and healthy control subjects. We confirmed the lysosomal dysfunction in severe AD patients and added new findings enhancing the association of abnormal levels of specific lysosomal enzymes with the mild AD or severe AD, and highlighting the difference of AD from MCI. Herein, we showed for the first time the specific alteration of β-Galctosidase (Gal), β-Galactosylcerebrosidase (GALC) in MCI patients. It is notable that in above peripheral biological samples the lysosomes are more sensitive to AD cellular metabolic alteration when compared to levels of Aβ-peptide or Tau proteins, similar in both AD groups analyzed. Collectively, our findings support the role of lysosomal enzymes as potential peripheral molecules that vary with the progression of AD, and make them useful for monitoring regenerative medicine approaches for AD

A comparison of lysosomal enzymes expression levels in peripheral blood of mild- and severe-Alzheimer's disease and MCI patients: implications for regenerative medicine approaches

The association of lysosomal dysfunction and neurodegeneration has been documented in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Herein, we investigate the association of lysosomal enzymes with AD at different stages of progression of the disease (mild and severe) or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We conducted a screening of two classes of lysosomal enzymes: glycohydrolases (\u3b2-Hexosaminidase, \u3b2-Galctosidase, \u3b2-Galactosylcerebrosidase, \u3b2-Glucuronidase) and proteases (Cathepsins S, D, B, L) in peripheral blood samples (blood plasma and PBMCs) from mild AD, severe AD, MCI and healthy control subjects. We confirmed the lysosomal dysfunction in severe AD patients and added new findings enhancing the association of abnormal levels of specific lysosomal enzymes with the mild AD or severe AD, and highlighting the difference of AD from MCI. Herein, we showed for the first time the specific alteration of \u3b2-Galctosidase (Gal), \u3b2-Galactosylcerebrosidase (GALC) in MCI patients. It is notable that in above peripheral biological samples the lysosomes are more sensitive to AD cellular metabolic alteration when compared to levels of A\u3b2-peptide or Tau proteins, similar in both AD groups analyzed. Collectively, our findings support the role of lysosomal enzymes as potential peripheral molecules that vary with the progression of AD, and make them useful for monitoring regenerative medicine approaches for AD

Precision Measurement of the Boron to Carbon Flux Ratio in Cosmic Rays from 1.9 GV to 2.6 TV with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station

Knowledge of the rigidity dependence of the boron to carbon flux ratio (B/C) is important in understanding the propagation of cosmic rays. The precise measurement of the B/C ratio from 1.9 GV to 2.6 TV, based on 2.3 million boron and 8.3 million carbon nuclei collected by AMS during the first 5 years of operation, is presented. The detailed variation with rigidity of the B/C spectral index is reported for the first time. The B/C ratio does not show any significant structures in contrast to many cosmic ray models that require such structures at high rigidities. Remarkably, above 65 GV, the B/C ratio is well described by a single power law R[superscript Δ] with index Δ=-0.333±0.014(fit)±0.005(syst), in good agreement with the Kolmogorov theory of turbulence which predicts Δ=-1/3 asymptotically.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grants 1455202 and 1551980)Wyle Research (Firm) (Grant 2014/T72497)United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship Grant HELIO15F-0005