Toward the assessment of the susceptibility of a digital system to lightning upset

Accomplishments and directions for further research aimed at developing methods for assessing a candidate design of an avionic computer with respect to susceptability to lightning upset are reported. Emphasis is on fault tolerant computers. Both lightning stress and shielding are covered in a review of the electromagnetic environment. Stress characterization, system characterization, upset detection, and positive and negative design features are considered. A first cut theory of comparing candidate designs is presented including tests of comparative susceptability as well as its analysis and simulation. An approach to lightning induced transient fault effects is included

Brain, cognition, and language development in spinal muscular atrophy type 1: a scoping review

Aim: To summarize the current knowledge on brain involvement in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1, focusing on brain pathology, cognition, and speech/language development. / Method: A scoping review was performed using the methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Five databases and references from relevant articles were searched up to December 2019. Articles were screened on the basis of titles and abstracts. Full‐text papers published in peer‐reviewed journals in English were selected. / Results: Nineteen articles met eligibility criteria. Eight case series/reports on brain pathology showed abnormalities in few SMA type 0/1 cases, supported by findings in three post‐mortem examinations in mice. Four studies (three case–control, one cross‐sectional) on cognition reported contradictory results, with impaired cognitive performances in recent, small groups with SMA type 1. Four studies (three cross‐sectional, one observational) on speech/language showed that untreated SMA type 1 patients rarely achieve functional and intelligible speech, with data limited to parent reports/non‐formal evaluations. / Interpretation: Brain involvement is an under‐investigated aspect of SMA type 1, requiring further exploration in longitudinal studies. A deeper knowledge of brain involvement would improve the interpretation of clinical phenotypes and the personalization of rehabilitation programmes supporting patients' autonomies and quality of life. Additionally, it may help to define further outcome measures testing the efficacy of current and new developing drugs on this domain

Neutral carbon in the Egg Nebula (AFGL 2688)

A search for sub-mm C I emission from seven stars that are surrounded by dense molecular gas shells led to the detection, in the case of the "Egg Nebula' (AFGL 2688), of an 0.9 K line implying a C I/CO value greater than 5. The material surrounding this star must be extremely carbon-rich, and it is suggested that the apparently greater extent of the C I emission region may be due to the effects of the galactic UV field on the shell's chemistry, as suggested by Huggins and Glassgold (1982)

ETS-1 and ETS-2 are upregulated in a transgenic mouse model of pigmented ocular neoplasm

Purpose: Choroidal melanoma is the most common primary malignant ocular tumor in human adults. Relevant mouse models of human uveal melanoma still remain to be developed. We have studied the transgenic mouse strain, Tyrp-1-TAg, to try to gain insight into possible molecular mechanisms common to pigmented ocular neoplasms occurring spontaneously in the eyes of these mice and human choroidal melanoma. The role of two members of the ETS (E26 avian leukemia oncogene) family of transcription factors, ETS-1 and ETS-2, has been investigated in many cancers but has not yet been studied in ocular tumors. Methods: This is the first study describing the production and distribution of ETS-1 and ETS-2 mRNAs and proteins using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in murine ocular tissue sections of normal control eyes and tumoral eyes from mice of the same age. Using semi-quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) and western blots experiments, we compared changes in ETS-1 and ETS-2 expression, their protein levels, and the regulation of some of their target gene expressions at different stages of the ocular tumoral progression in the transgenic mouse model, Tyrp-1-TAg, with those in normal eyes from control mice of the same age. Results: In normal control adult mouse eyes, ETS-1 was mostly present in the nuclei of all neuroretinal layers whereas ETS-2 was mostly localized in the cytosol of the cell bodies of these layers with a smaller amount present in the nuclei. Both were found in the retinal pigmentary epithelium (RPE). ETS-1 and ETS-2 mRNA and protein levels were much higher in the ocular tissues of Tyrp-1-TAg mice than in control ocular tissues from wild-type mice. This upregulation was correlated with tumor progression. We also demonstrated upregulation of ETS-1 and ETS-2 target expressions in Tyrp-1-TAg mice when comparing with the same target expressions in control mice. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ETS-1 and ETS-2 are upregulated in ocular tumors derived from the retinal epithelium and may be involved in one or several signaling pathways that activate the expression of a set of genes involved in ocular tumor progression such as those encoding ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1), PAI-1 (Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1), MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and p16 (Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A)

Vortex in Maxwell-Chern-Simons models coupled to external backgrounds

We consider Maxwell-Chern-Simons models involving different non-minimal coupling terms to a non relativistic massive scalar and further coupled to an external uniform background charge. We study how these models can be constrained to support static radially symmetric vortex configurations saturating the lower bound for the energy. Models involving Zeeman-type coupling support such vortices provided the potential has a "symmetry breaking" form and a relation between parameters holds. In models where minimal coupling is supplemented by magnetic and electric field dependant coupling terms, non trivial vortex configurations minimizing the energy occur only when a non linear potential is introduced. The corresponding vortices are studied numericallyComment: LaTeX file, 2 figure

Non-Hermitian matrix description of the PT symmetric anharmonic oscillators

Schroedinger equation H \psi=E \psi with PT - symmetric differential operator H=H(x) = p^2 + a x^4 + i \beta x^3 +c x^2+i \delta x = H^*(-x) on L_2(-\infty,\infty) is re-arranged as a linear algebraic diagonalization at a>0. The proof of this non-variational construction is given. Our Taylor series form of \psi complements and completes the recent terminating solutions as obtained for certain couplings \delta at the less common negative a.Comment: 18 pages, latex, no figures, thoroughly revised (incl. title), J. Phys. A: Math. Gen., to appea

Modular Groups, Visibility Diagram and Quantum Hall Effect

We consider the action of the modular group $\Gamma (2)$ on the set of positive rational fractions. From this, we derive a model for a classification of fractional (as well as integer) Hall states which can be visualized on two ``visibility" diagrams, the first one being associated with even denominator fractions whereas the second one is linked to odd denominator fractions. We use this model to predict, among some interesting physical quantities, the relative ratios of the width of the different transversal resistivity plateaus. A numerical simulation of the tranversal resistivity plot based on this last prediction fits well with the present experimental data.Comment: 17 pages, plain TeX, 4 eps figures included (macro epsf.tex), 1 figure available from reques

Expansion of W 3(OH)

A direct measurement of the expansion of W 3(OH) is made by comparing Very Large Array images taken about 10 yr apart. The expansion is anisotropic with a typical speed of 3 to 5 km/s, indicating a dynamical age of only 2300 yr. These observations are inconsistent with either the freely expanding shell model or a simple bow shock model. The most favored model is a slowly expanding shell-like HII region, with either a fast rarefied flow or another less massive diffuse ionized region moving towards the observer. There is also a rapidly evolving source near the projected center of emission, perhaps related to the central star.Comment: LaTeX file, 28 pages, includes 8 figures. To appear in ApJ in December 10 (1998) issue. Also available at http://www.submm.caltech.edu/~kawamura/w3oh_pp.p

Osteological and Biomolecular Evidence of a 7000-Year-Old Case of Hypertrophic Pulmonary Osteopathy Secondary to Tuberculosis from Neolithic Hungary

Seventy-one individuals from the late Neolithic population of the 7000-year-old site of Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa were examined for their skeletal palaeopathology. This revealed numerous cases of infections and non-specific stress indicators in juveniles and adults, metabolic diseases in juveniles, and evidence of trauma and mechanical changes in adults. Several cases showed potential signs of tuberculosis, particularly the remains of the individual HGO-53. This is an important finding that has significant implications for our understanding of this community. The aim of the present study was to seek biomolecular evidence to confirm this diagnosis. HGO-53 was a young male with a striking case of hypertrophic pulmonary osteopathy (HPO), revealing rib changes and cavitations in the vertebral bodies. The initial macroscopic diagnosis of HPO secondary to tuberculosis was confirmed by analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex specific cell wall lipid biomarkers and corroborated by ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis. This case is the earliest known classical case of HPO on an adult human skeleton and is one of the oldest palaeopathological and palaeomicrobiological tuberculosis cases to date