10,306 research outputs found
Dissecting bombs and bursts: non-LTE inversions of low-atmosphere reconnection in SST and IRIS observations
Ellerman bombs and UV bursts are transient brightenings that are ubiquitously
observed in the lower atmospheres of active and emerging flux regions. Here we
present inversion results of SST/CRISP and CHROMIS, as well as IRIS data of
such transient events. Combining information from the Mg II h & k, Si IV and Ca
II 8542A and Ca II H & K lines, we aim to characterise their temperature and
velocity stratification, as well as their magnetic field configuration. We find
average temperature enhancements of a few thousand kelvin close to the
classical temperature minimum, but localised peak temperatures of up to
10,000-15,000 K from Ca II inversions. Including Mg II generally dampens these
temperature enhancements to below 8000 K, while Si IV requires temperatures in
excess of 10,000 K at low heights, but may also be reproduced with secondary
temperature enhancements of 35,000-60,000 K higher up. However, reproducing Si
IV comes at the expense of overestimating the Mg II emission. The line-of-sight
velocity maps show clear bi-directional jet signatures and strong correlation
with substructure in the intensity images, with slightly larger velocities
towards the observer than away. The magnetic field parameters show an
enhancement of the horizontal field co-located with the brightenings at similar
heights as the temperature increase. We are thus able to largely reproduce the
observational properties of Ellerman bombs with UV burst signature with
temperature stratifications peaking close to the classical temperature minimum.
Correctly modelling the Si IV emission in agreement with all other diagnostics
is, however, an outstanding issue. Accounting for resolution differences,
fitting localised temperature enhancements and/or performing spatially-coupled
inversions is likely necessary to obtain better agreement between all
considered diagnostics.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. 24 pages, 17
figure
THE CYTOPLASMIC TAIL OF MHC CLASS I MOLECULES PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN DENDRITIC CELL-INDUCED T CELL IMMUNITY
The presentation of MHC class I (MHC-I)/peptide complexes by dendritic cells (DCs) is critical for the maintenance of central tolerance to self and for the regulation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL)-mediated adaptive immune responses against pathogens and cancer cells. Interestingly, several findings have suggested that the cytoplasmic tail of MHC class I plays a functional role in the regulation of CTL immune responses. For example, our previous studies demonstrated that exon 7-deleted MHC-I molecules not only showed extended DC cell surface half-lives but also induced significantly increased CTL responses to viral challange invivo. Although exon 7-deleted variant of MHC-I does not occur naturally in humans, the animal studies prompted us to examine whether exon 7-deleted MHC-I molecules could generate augmented CTL responses in a therapeutic DC-based vaccine setting. To examine the stimulatory capacity of exon 7-deleted MHC-I molecules, we generated a lentivirus-mediated gene transfer system to induce the expression of different MHC-I cytoplasmic tail isoforms in both mouse and human DCs. These DCs were then used as vaccines in a melanoma mouse tumor model and in a human invitro co-culture system.
In this thesis, we show that DCs expressing exon 7-deleted MHC-I molecules, stimulated remarkably higher levels of T-cell cytokine production and significantly increased the proliferation of meanoma-specific (Pmel-1) T cells compared with DCs expressing wild type MHC-I. We also demonstrate that, in combination with adoptive transfer of Pmel-1 T-cell, DCs expressing exon 7-deleted Db molecules induced greater anti-tumor responses against established B16 melanoma tumors, significantly extending mouse survival as compared to DCs expressing wild-type Db molecules. Moreover, we also observed that human DCs expressing exon 7-deleted HLA-A2 molecules showed similarly augmented CTL stimulatory ability. Mechanistic studies suggest that exon 7-deleted MHC-I molecules showed impaired lateral membrane movement and extended cell surface half-lives within the DC/T-cell interface, leading to increased spatial availability of MHC-I/peptide complexes for recognition by CD8+ T cells. Collectively, these results suggesr that targeting exon 7 within the cytoplasmic tail of MHC-I molecules in DC vaccines has the potential to enhance CD8+ T cell stimulatory capacity and improve clinical outcomes in patients with cancer or viral infections
Analytical results for a Bessel function times Legendre polynomials class integrals
When treating problems of vector diffraction in electromagnetic theory, the
evaluation of the integral involving Bessel and associated Legendre functions
is necessary. Here we present the analytical result for this integral that will
make unnecessary numerical quadrature techniques or localized approximations.
The solution is presented using the properties of the Bessel and associated
Legendre functions.Comment: 4 page
Stratification of canopy magnetic fields in a plage region. Constraints from a spatially-regularized weak-field approximation method
The role of magnetic fields in the chromospheric heating problem remains
greatly unconstrained. Most theoretical predictions from numerical models rely
on a magnetic configuration, field strength and connectivity whose details have
not been well established with observational studies. High-resolution studies
of chromospheric magnetic fields in plage are very scarce or non-existent in
general. Our aim is to study the stratification of the magnetic field vector in
plage regions. We use high-spatial resolution full-Stokes observations acquired
with CRISP instrument at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope in the Mg I
5173, Na I 5896 and Ca II 8542 lines. We have
developed a spatially-regularized weak-field approximation (WFA) method based
on the idea of spatial regularization. This method allows for a fast
computation of magnetic field maps for an extended field of view. The fidelity
of this new technique has been assessed using a snapshot from a realistic 3D
magnetohydrodynamics simulation. We have derived the depth-stratification of
the line-of-sight component of the magnetic field from the photosphere to the
chromosphere in a plage region. The magnetic fields are concentrated in the
intergranular lanes in the photosphere and expand horizontally toward the
chromosphere, filling all the space and forming a canopy. Our results suggest
that the lower boundary of this canopy must be located around 400-600 km from
the photosphere. The mean canopy total magnetic field strength in the lower
chromosphere ( km) is 658 G. At km we estimate
G. We propose a modification to the WFA that
improves its applicability to data with worse signal-to-noise ratio. These
methods provide a quick and reliable way of studying multi-layer magnetic field
observations without the many difficulties inherent to other inversion methods.Comment: Accepted for publication on 2020-08-2
CRISP Spectropolarimetric Imaging of Penumbral Fine Structure
We discuss penumbral fine structure in a small part of a pore, observed with
the CRISP imaging spectropolarimeter at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST),
close to its diffraction limit of 0.16 arcsec. Milne-Eddington inversions
applied to these Stokes data reveal large variations of field strength and
inclination angle over dark-cored penumbral intrusions and a dark-cored light
bridge. The mid-outer part of this penumbra structure shows 0.3 arcsec wide
spines, separated by 1.6 arcsec (1200 km) and associated with 30 deg
inclination variations. Between these spines, there are no small-scale magnetic
structures that easily can be be identified with individual flux tubes. A
structure with nearly 10 deg more vertical and weaker magnetic field is seen
midways between two spines. This structure is co-spatial with the brightest
penumbral filament, possibly indicating the location of a convective upflow
from below.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL 17 Oct 2008. One Figure adde
Enzymatic synthesis of SFAEs using the commercial ionic liquid CYPHOS 104
Sugar fatty acid esters (SFAEs) are compounds formed by a carbohydrate linked to one or more fatty acid (FA) chains. These molecules present interesting technological properties and are commonly used as biodegradable surfactants and emulsifiers in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries [1]. Recently, the synthesis of SFAEs using enzymes as biocatalysts proved to be a greener alternative. The main problem associated with the synthesis of SFAEs is the different chemical nature of the substrates, which can significantly affect the effectiveness of the enzymatic synthesis and greatly compromise the yield of the process. Lipases are quite stable biocatalysts and have been successfully used in traditional media and alternative media containing ionic liquids (ILs) [2,3]. ILs present an interesting strategy to overcome the process limitations since they generally increase enzyme stability and can be tailored to improve the solubility of a wide range of substrates. Moreover, ILs are non-volatile, non-flammable, chemically and thermally stable and biocompatible being greener alternatives to the hazardous and volatile organic solvents commonly applied [4].
In the present work, the enzymatic synthesis of SFAEs in the commercial IL CYPHOS 104 was followed and qualitatively evaluated by thin layer chromatography. The esterification between a disaccharide and vinyl laurate was performed by immobilized Lipase B from Candida antarctica, at 60 °C, using two agitation strategies (rotatory and orbital). The results showed that SFAEs were successfully biosynthesized in the IL CYPHOS 104 using a rotatory agitation.We thank the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do estado de São Paulo (process 2018/07522-6; 2014/50884-5), and Conselho Nacional de Dsenvolvimento Científico (process 301963/2017-7; 465319/2014-9).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Gamit! Icing on the Cake for Mathematics Gamification
Indexado en ScopusGamification has permeated education as a strategy to improve the teaching-learning process. Research shows that gamified reward systems based on badges, leaderboards, and avatars modifies the learning environment and student attitudes. This research aimed primarily to assess the change in attitude towards mathematics in high school students through a gamified methodology involving a reward system managed through a web platform called Gamit! This platform was developed by professors from two Latin American universities to manage gamification in a way that ensured that the anonymity of the class rankings was maintained. A mixed (QUAN-Qual) and quasi-experimental methodological approach was used for this study; two questionnaires were applied to 454 high school students and a focus group was performed with a group of seven professors. The quantitative analysis was processed with SPSS and consisted of ANOVAS and post hoc tests for more than two samples, while the focus group analysis was performed through inductive analysis. Results show benefits for professors and learners. Students improved their attitudes toward mathematics, reducing anxiety and improving willingness, while professors found a dynamic and optimal way to manage gamification on Gamit!.Revisión por pare
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