Observations of the lunar plasma wake from the WIND spacecraft on December 27, 1994

On December 27, 1994, the WIND spacecraft crossed the lunar wake at a distance of 6.5 lunar radii ( RL ) behind the moon. The observations made were the first employing modem instruments and a high data rate. The SWE plasma instrument on WIND observed new aspects of the interaction between the solar wind and unmagnetized dielectric bodies. The plasma density decreased exponentially from the periphery of the wake towards its center as predicted by simple theory. Behind the moon two distinct cold ion beams were observed refilling the lunar cavity. The ions were accelerated along the direction of the magnetic field by an electric field of the order 2 × 10−4 volts/m. The region of plasma depletion was observed to extend beyond the light shadow, consistent with a rarefaction wave moving out from the wake into the undisturbed solar wind

The biomechanics of amnion rupture: an X-ray diffraction study

Pre-term birth is the leading cause of perinatal and neonatal mortality, 40% of which are attributed to the pre-term premature rupture of amnion. Rupture of amnion is thought to be associated with a corresponding decrease in the extracellular collagen content and/or increase in collagenase activity. However, there is very little information concerning the detailed organisation of fibrillar collagen in amnion and how this might influence rupture. Here we identify a loss of lattice like arrangement in collagen organisation from areas near to the rupture site, and present a 9% increase in fibril spacing and a 50% decrease in fibrillar organisation using quantitative measurements gained by transmission electron microscopy and the novel application of synchrotron X-ray diffraction. These data provide an accurate insight into the biomechanical process of amnion rupture and highlight X-ray diffraction as a new and powerful tool in our understanding of this process

Management approach for recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax in consecutive pregnancies based on clinical and radiographic findings

OBJECTIVE: To describe management and clinical features observed in a patient's seven spontaneous pneumothoraces that developed during two consecutive pregnancies involving both hemithoraces. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 21 year old former smoker developed three spontaneous left pneumothoraces in the index pregnancy, having already experienced four right pneumothorax events in a prior pregnancy at age 19. RESULTS: Chest tubes were required in several (but not all) hospitalizations during these two pregnancies. Following her fourth right pneumothorax, thoracoscopic excision of right apical lung blebs and mechanical pleurodesis was performed. The series of left pneumothoraces culminated in mini-thoracotomy and thoracoscopically directed mechanical pleurodesis. For both pregnancies unassisted vaginal delivery was performed with no adverse perinatal sequelae. With the exception of multiple pneumothoraces, there were no additional pregnancy complications. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous pneumothorax in pregnancy is believed to be a rare phenomenon, yet the exact incidence is unknown. Here we present the first known case of multiple spontaneous pneumothoraces in two consecutive pregnancies involving both hemithoraces. Clinical management coordinated with obstetrics and surgical teams facilitated a satisfactory outcome for both pregnancies. The diagnosis of pneumothorax should be contemplated in any pregnant patient with dyspnea and chest pain, followed by radiographic confirmation

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor alpha (PPAR alpha) down-regulation in cystic fibrosis lymphocytes

Background: PPARs exhibit anti-inflammatory capacities and are potential modulators of the inflammatory response. We hypothesized that their expression and/or function may be altered in cystic fibrosis (CF), a disorder characterized by an excessive host inflammatory response. Methods: PPARα, β and γ mRNA levels were measured in peripheral blood cells of CF patients and healthy subjects via RT-PCR. PPARα protein expression and subcellular localization was determined via western blot and immunofluorescence, respectively. The activity of PPARα was analyzed by gel shift assay. Results: In lymphocytes, the expression of PPARα mRNA, but not of PPARβ, was reduced (-37%; p < 0.002) in CF patients compared with healthy persons and was therefore further analyzed. A similar reduction of PPARα was observed at protein level (-26%; p < 0.05). The transcription factor was mainly expressed in the cytosol of lymphocytes, with low expression in the nucleus. Moreover, DNA binding activity of the transcription factor was 36% less in lymphocytes of patients (p < 0.01). For PPARα and PPARβ mRNA expression in monocytes and neutrophils, no significant differences were observed between CF patients and healthy persons. In all cells, PPARγ mRNA levels were below the detection limit. Conclusion: Lymphocytes are important regulators of the inflammatory response by releasing cytokines and antibodies. The diminished lymphocytic expression and activity of PPARα may therefore contribute to the inflammatory processes that are observed in CF

Evaluation of a fiberoptic-based system for measurement of optical properties in highly attenuating turbid media

BACKGROUND: Accurate measurements of the optical properties of biological tissue in the ultraviolet A and short visible wavelengths are needed to achieve a quantitative understanding of novel optical diagnostic devices. Currently, there is minimal information on optical property measurement approaches that are appropriate for in vivo measurements in highly absorbing and scattering tissues. We describe a novel fiberoptic-based reflectance system for measurement of optical properties in highly attenuating turbid media and provide an extensive in vitro evaluation of its accuracy. The influence of collecting reflectance at the illumination fiber on estimation accuracy is also investigated. METHODS: A neural network algorithm and reflectance distributions from Monte Carlo simulations were used to generate predictive models based on the two geometries. Absolute measurements of diffuse reflectance were enabled through calibration of the reflectance system. Spatially-resolved reflectance distributions were measured in tissue phantoms at 405 nm for absorption coefficients (μ(a)) from 1 to 25 cm(-1 )and reduced scattering coefficients ([Formula: see text]) from 5 to 25 cm(-1). These data and predictive models were used to estimate the optical properties of tissue-simulating phantoms. RESULTS: By comparing predicted and known optical properties, the average errors for μ(a )and [Formula: see text] were found to be 3.0% and 4.6%, respectively, for a linear probe approach. When bifurcated probe data was included and samples with μ(a )values less than 5 cm(-1 )were excluded, predictive errors for μ(a )and [Formula: see text] were further reduced to 1.8% and 3.5%. CONCLUSION: Improvements in system design have led to significant reductions in optical property estimation error. While the incorporation of a bifurcated illumination fiber shows promise for improving the accuracy of [Formula: see text] estimates, further study of this approach is needed to elucidate the source of discrepancies between measurements and simulation results at low μ(a )values

Somatic ‘Soluble’ Adenylyl Cyclase Isoforms Are Unaffected in Sacytm1Lex/Sacytm1Lex ‘Knockout’ Mice

BACKGROUND: Mammalian Soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC, Adcy10, or Sacy) represents a source of the second messenger cAMP distinct from the widely studied, G protein-regulated transmembrane adenylyl cyclases. Genetic deletion of the second through fourth coding exons in Sacy(tm1Lex)/Sacy(tm1Lex) knockout mice results in a male sterile phenotype. The absence of any major somatic phenotype is inconsistent with the variety of somatic functions identified for sAC using pharmacological inhibitors and RNA interference. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We now use immunological and molecular biological methods to demonstrate that somatic tissues express a previously unknown isoform of sAC, which utilizes a unique start site, and which 'escapes' the design of the Sacy(tm1Lex) knockout allele. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These studies reveal increased complexity at the sAC locus, and they suggest that the known isoforms of sAC play a unique function in male germ cells

Control of Jupiter's radio emission and aurorae by the solar wind

Radio emissions from Jupiter provided the first evidence that this giant planet has a strong magnetic field(1,2) and a large magnetosphere(3). Jupiter also has polar aurorae(4), which are similar in many respects to Earth's aurorae(5). The radio emissions are believed to be generated along the high-latitude magnetic field lines by the same electrons that produce the aurorae, and both the radio emission in the hectometric frequency range and the aurorae vary considerably(6,7). The origin of the variability, however, has been poorly understood. Here we report simultaneous observations using the Cassini and Galileo spacecraft of hectometric radio emissions and extreme ultraviolet auroral emissions from Jupiter. Our results show that both of these emissions are triggered by interplanetary shocks propagating outward from the Sun. When such a shock arrives at Jupiter, it seems to cause a major compression and reconfiguration of the magnetosphere, which produces strong electric fields and therefore electron acceleration along the auroral field lines, similar to the processes that occur during geomagnetic storms at the Earth.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62740/1/415985a.pd

Incipient Resistance of Helicoverpa punctigera to the Cry2Ab Bt Toxin in Bollgard II® Cotton

Combinations of dissimilar insecticidal proteins (“pyramids”) within transgenic plants are predicted to delay the evolution of pest resistance for significantly longer than crops expressing a single transgene. Field-evolved resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) transgenic crops has been reported for first generation, single-toxin varieties and the Cry1 class of proteins. Our five year data set shows a significant exponential increase in the frequency of alleles conferring Cry2Ab resistance in Australian field populations of Helicoverpa punctigera since the adoption of a second generation, two-toxin Bt cotton expressing this insecticidal protein. Furthermore, the frequency of cry2Ab resistance alleles in populations from cropping areas is 8-fold higher than that found for populations from non-cropping regions. This report of field evolved resistance to a protein in a dual-toxin Bt-crop has precisely fulfilled the intended function of monitoring for resistance; namely, to provide an early warning of increases in frequencies that may lead to potential failures of the transgenic technology. Furthermore, it demonstrates that pyramids are not ‘bullet proof’ and that rapid evolution to Bt toxins in the Cry2 class is possible

Balanced translocation linked to psychiatric disorder, glutamate and cortical structure/function

Rare genetic variants of large effect can help elucidate the pathophysiology of brain disorders. Here we expand the clinical and genetic analyses of a family with a (1;11)(q42;q14.3) translocation multiply affected by major psychiatric illness and test the effect of the translocation on the structure and function of prefrontal, and temporal brain regions. The translocation showed significant linkage (LOD score 6.1) with a clinical phenotype that included schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and recurrent major depressive disorder. Translocation carriers showed reduced cortical thickness in the left temporal lobe, which correlated with general psychopathology and positive psychotic symptom severity. They showed reduced gyrification in prefrontal cortex, which correlated with general psychopathology severity. Translocation carriers also showed significantly increased activation in the caudate nucleus on increasing verbal working memory load, as well as statistically significant reductions in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex glutamate concentrations. These findings confirm that the t(1;11) translocation is associated with a significantly increased risk of major psychiatric disorder and suggest a general vulnerability to psychopathology through altered cortical structure and function, and decreased glutamate levels