On the Statistics of Elsasser Increments in Solar Wind and Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence

We investigate the dependency with scale of the empirical probability distribution functions (PDF) of Elsasser increments using large sets of WIND data (collected between 1995 and 2017) near 1 au. The empirical PDF are compared to the ones obtained from high-resolution numerical simulations of steadily driven, homogeneous Reduced MHD turbulence on a $2048^3$ rectangular mesh. A large statistical sample of Alfv\'enic increments is obtained by using conditional analysis based on the solar wind average properties. The PDF tails obtained from observations and numerical simulations are found to have exponential behavior in the inertial range, with an exponential decrement that satisfies power-laws of the form $\alpha_l\propto l^{-\mu}$, where $l$ the scale size, with $\mu$ around 0.2 for observations and 0.4 for simulations. PDF tails were extrapolated assuming their exponential behavior extends to arbitrarily large increments in order to determine structure function scaling laws at very high orders. Our results points to potentially universal scaling laws governing the PDF of Elsasser increments and to an alternative methodology to investigate high-order statistics in solar wind observations.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter

Exploration of Solar Cosmic Ray Sources by Means of Particle Energy Spectra

Through the analysis of the energy spectrum of 12 ground level enhancements (GLE) of solar protons, a contribution in the understanding of the generation process of flare particles is attempted. Theoretical spectra of protons are derived by considering either they do not lose energy within the acceleration volume or that they are decelerated during the acceleration process. By comparing the theoretical source spectra with the experimental spectra, it is claimed that the generation process of solar particles develops under three main temperature regimes: the efficiency of particles acceleration is relatively high in cold-regimens decreasing while increasing the temperature of the medium. It is shown that in some events energy losses are able to modulate the acceleration spectrum within the source during the short time scale of the phenomenon, whereas in other events energy losses are completely negligible during the acceleration. It is argued that acceleration takes place in closed magnetic field lines and predicted the expansion and compression of the source material in association with the generation process of particles. This study allows us to estimate the range of variation from event to event of several parameters of the source and the acceleration process itself

In vitro modeling of dysfunctional glial cells in neurodegenerative diseases using human pluripotent stem cells

Most neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by a complex and mostly still unresolved pathology. This fact, together with the lack of reliable models, have precluded the development of effective therapies counteracting the disease progression. In the past few years, several studies have evidenced that lack of proper functionality of glial cells (astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes) has a key role in the pathology of several neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer´s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis among others. However, this glial dysfunction is poorly modelled by available animal models, and we hypothesize that patientderived cells can serve as a better platform where to study this glial dysfunction. In this sense, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has revolutionized the field allowing the generation of disease-relevant neural cell types that can be used for disease modelling, drug screening and, possibly, cell transplantation purposes. In the case of the generation of oligodendrocytes (OLs) from hPSCs, we have developed a fast and robust protocol to generate surface antigen O4-positive (O4+) and myelin basic protein-positive OLs from hPSCs in only 22 days, including from patients with multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The generated cells resemble primary human OLs at the transcriptome level and can myelinate neurons in vivo. Using in vitro OLneuron co-cultures, effective myelination of neurons can also be demonstrated. This platform is being translated as well to the generation of the other glial cell types, allowing the derivation of patient-specific glial cells where to model disease-specific dysfunction. This methodology can be used for elucidating pathogenic pathways associated with neurodegeneration and to identify therapeutic targets susceptible of drug modulation, contributing to the development of novel and effective drugs for these devastating disorders.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Supported by PI18/01557 (to AG) and P18/1556 (to JV) grants from ISCiii of Spain co-financed by FEDER funds from European Union, and PI-0276-2018 grant (to JAGL) from Consejeria de Salud of Junta de Andalucia. JAGL held a postdoctoral contract from the I Research Plan Propio of the University of Malaga. CV and KE were supported by IWT-SBO-150031-iPSCAF and the Thierry Lathran Foundation grant – ALS-OL, and KN by FWO1166518

Auditory and Spatial Assessment in Inattentive Children Using Smart Devices and Gesture Interaction

We present an interactive game for assessing auditory and spatial memory. We compared the performance of children with and without inattention using the game and using a variety of classical tools for assessment of auditory and spatial memory. The children with inattention showed statistically worse performance in the game. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups for the satisfaction and interaction outcomes. Therefore, our game could be a good tool for distinguishing performances of children with and without inattention

A virtual object-location task for children: Gender and videogame experience influence navigation; age impacts memory and completion time

The use of virtual reality-based tasks for studying memory has increased considerably. Most of the studies that have looked at child population factors that influence performance on such tasks have been focused on cognitive variables. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of non-cognitive skills. In the present paper, we tested 52 typically-developing children aged 5-12 years in a virtual object-location task. The task assessed their spatial short-term memory for the location of three objects in a virtual city. The virtual task environment was presented using a 3D application consisting of a 120" stereoscopic screen and a gamepad interface. Measures of learning and displacement indicators in the virtual environment, 3D perception, satisfaction, and usability were obtained. We assessed the children's videogame experience, their visuospatial span, their ability to build blocks, and emotional and behavioral outcomes. The results indicate that learning improved with age. Significant effects on the speed of navigation were found favoring boys and those more experienced with videogames. Visuospatial skills correlated mainly with ability to recall object positions, but the correlation was weak. Longer paths were related with higher scores of withdrawal behavior, attention problems, and a lower visuospatial span. Aggressiveness and experience with the device used for interaction were related with faster navigation. However, the correlations indicated only weak associations among these variables

Colorless devices and reception techniques for polarization multiplexed communications

Future optical networks call for flexible, high performance and low cost coherent optical receivers. We present here several advances towards such receivers, including integrated optical couplers with ultra-broad bandwidth, as well as novel reception techniques and architectures that will enable high performance coherent reception without filtering and polarization splitting elements.Universidad de Málaga - Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Spanish Ministry of Science under project TEC2013-46917-C2-1-

VariaMos: an extensible tool for engineering (dynamic) product lines

International audienceThis paper presents the new release of VariaMos, a Java-based tool for defining variability modeling languages, modeling (dynamic) product lines and cyber-physical self-adaptive systems, and supporting automated verification, analysis, configuration and simulation of these models. In particular, we describe the characteristics of this new version regarding its first release: (1) the capability to create languages for modeling systems with variability, even with different views; (2) the capability to use the created language to model (dynamic) product lines; (3) the capability to analyze and configure these models according to the changing context and requirements; and (4) the capability to execute them over several simulation scenarios. Finally, we show how to use VariaMos with an example, and we compare it with other tools found in the literature

Barriers to adherence to COPD guidelines among primary care providers

Background: Despite efforts to disseminate guidelines for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), adherence to COPD guidelines remains suboptimal. Barriers to adhering to guidelines remain poorly understood. Methods: Clinicians from two general medicine practices in New York City were surveyed to identify barriers to implementing seven recommendations from the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines. Barriers assessed included unfamiliarity, disagreement, low perceived benefit, low self-efficacy, and time constraints. Exact conditional regression was used to identify barriers independently associated with non-adherence. Results: The survey was completed by 154 clinicians. Adherence was lowest to referring patients with a forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV_1) <80% predicted to pulmonary rehabilitation (5%); using FEV_1 to guide management (12%); and ordering pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in smokers (17%). Adherence was intermediate to prescribing inhaled corticosteroids when FEV1 <50% predicted (41%) and long-acting bronchodilators when FEV1 <80% predicted (54%). Adherence was highest for influenza vaccination (90%) and smoking cessation counseling (91%). In unadjusted analyses, low familiarity with the guidelines, low self-efficacy, and time constraints were significantly associated with non-adherence to ≥2 recommendations. In adjusted analyses, low self-efficacy was associated with less adherence to prescribing inhaled corticosteroids (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.74) and time constraints were associated with less adherence to ordering PFTs in smokers (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.99). Conclusions: Poor familiarity with recommendations, low self-efficacy, and time constraints are important barriers to adherence to COPD guidelines. This information can be used to develop tailored interventions to improve guideline adherence