Are Coronal Loops Isothermal or Multithermal? Yes!

Surprisingly few solar coronal loops have been observed simultaneously with TRACE and SOHO/CDS, and even fewer analyses of these loops have been conducted and published. The SOHO Joint Observing Program 146 was designed in part to provide the simultaneous observations required for in-depth temperature analysis of active region loops and determine whether these loops are isothermal or multithermal. The data analyzed in this paper were taken on 2003 January 17 of AR 10250. We used TRACE filter ratios, emission measure loci, and two methods of differential emission measure analysis to examine the temperature structure of three different loops. TRACE and CDS observations agree that Loop 1 is isothermal with Log T $=$ 5.85, both along the line of sight as well as along the length of the loop leg that is visible in the CDS field of view. Loop 2 is hotter than Loop 1. It is multithermal along the line of sight, with significant emission between 6.2 $<$ Log T $<$ 6.4, but the loop apex region is out of the CDS field of view so it is not possible to determine the temperature distribution as a function of loop height. Loop 3 also appears to be multithermal, but a blended loop that is just barely resolved with CDS may be adding cool emission to the Loop 3 intensities and complicating our results. So, are coronal loops isothermal or multithermal? The answer appears to be yes

Neon Lights Up a Controversy: the Solar Ne/O Abundance

The standard solar model was so reliable that it could predict the existence of the massive neutrino. Helioseismology measurements were so precise that they could determine the depth of the convection zone. This agreement between theory and observation was the envy of all astrophysics -- until recently when sophisticated three-dimensional hydrodynamic calculations of the solar atmosphere reduced the metal content by a factor of almost two. Antia & Basu (2005) suggested that a higher value of the solar neon abundance, Ne/O = 0.52, would resolve this controversy. Drake & Testa (2005) presented strong evidence in favor of this idea from a sample of 21 Chandra stars with enhanced values of the neon abundance, Ne/O = 0.41. In this paper, we have analyzed solar active region spectra from the archive of the Flat Crystal Spectrometer on Solar Maximum Mission, a NASA mission from the 1980s, as well as full-Sun spectra from the pioneering days of X-ray astronomy in the 1960s. These data seem consistent with the standard neon-to-oxygen abundance value, Ne/O = 0.15 (Grevesse & Sauval 1998). If these results prove to be correct, than the enhanced-neon hypothesis will not resolve the current controversy.Comment: submitted to ApJ Letter

All Coronal Loops are the Same: Evidence to the Contrary

The 1998 April 20 spectral line data from the Coronal Diagnostics Spectrometer (CDS) on the {\it Solar and Heliospheric Observatory} (\SOHO) shows a coronal loop on the solar limb. Our original analysis of these data showed that the plasma was multi-thermal, both along the length of the loop and along the line of sight. However, more recent results by other authors indicate that background subtraction might change these conclusions, so we consider the effect of background subtraction on our analysis. We show Emission Measure (EM) Loci plots of three representative pixels: loop apex, upper leg, and lower leg. Comparisons of the original and background-subtracted intensities show that the EM Loci are more tightly clustered after background subtraction, but that the plasma is still not well represented by an isothermal model. Our results taken together with those of other authors indicate that a variety of temperature structures may be present within loops.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

The Effects of Parathyroid Hormone Applied at Different Regimes on the Trochanteric Region of the Femur in Ovariectomized Rat Model of Osteoporosis

This study aims to investigate the effects of two application frequencies of parathyroid hormone on the trochanteric region of rat femur. Forty-three-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups (n = 10/group). Three groups were ovariectomized, and 8 weeks later they were administered the following treatments (5 weeks): soy-free diet (OVX), subcutaneously injected PTH (0.040 mg/kg) 5 days a week (PTH 5x/w), subcutaneously injected PTH (0.040 mg/kg) every 2 days (PTH e2d), and a sham group. The values of the biomechanical and histomorphometric parameters showed higher results in 5x/w animals in comparison to the OVX and PTH 2ed groups. The ratio between bone diameter/marrow diameter (B.Dm/Ma.Dm) in subtrochanteric cross sections did not show any significant differences between PTH 5x/w and PTH e2d. The increased bone formation rate was observed under PTH treatment in both groups mainly at the endosteal side. The endosteum seems here to be one of the targets of PTH with an accelerate bone formation and a pronounced filling-in of intracortical cavities with higher intensity for the PTH 5x/w in comparison to PTH e2d rats

Soft X-ray coronal spectra at low activity levels observed by RESIK

The quiet-Sun X-ray emission is important for deducing coronal heating mechanisms, but it has not been studied in detail since the Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO) spacecraft era. Bragg crystal spectrometer X-ray observations have generally concentrated on flares and active regions. The high sensitivity of the RESIK (REntgenovsky Spectrometer s Izognutymi Kristalami) instrument on the CORONAS-F solar mission has enabled the X-ray emission from the quiet corona to be studied in a systematic way for the first time. Our aim is to deduce the physical conditions of the non-flaring corona from RESIK line intensities in several spectral ranges using both isothermal and multithermal assumptions. We selected and analyzed spectra in 312 quiet-Sun intervals in January and February 2003, sorting them into 5 groups according to activity level. For each group, the fluxes in selected spectral bands have been used to calculate values parameters for the best-fit that lead to a intensities characteristic of each group. We used both isothermal and multitemperature assumptions, the latter described by differential emission measure (DEM) distributions. RESIK spectra cover the wavelength range (3.3-6.1 A). This includes emission lines of highly ionized Si, S, Cl, Ar, and K, which are suitable for evaluating temperature and emission measure, were used. The RESIK spectra during these intervals of very low solar activity for the first time provide information on the temperature structure of the quiet corona. Although most of the emission seems to arise from plasma with a temperature between 2MK and 3MK, there is also evidence of a hotter plasma (T approx. 10MK) with an emission measure 3 orders smaller than the cooler component. Neither coronal nor photospheric element abundances appear to describe the observed spectra satisfactorily.Comment: Submitting 1 Latex and 7 figure file

TRPV1-expressing primary afferents generate behavioral responses to pruritogens via multiple mechanisms

The mechanisms that generate itch are poorly understood at both the molecular and cellular levels despite its clinical importance. To explore the peripheral neuronal mechanisms underlying itch, we assessed the behavioral responses (scratching) produced by s.c. injection of various pruritogens in PLCβ3- or TRPV1-deficient mice. We provide evidence that at least 3 different molecular pathways contribute to the transduction of itch responses to different pruritogens: 1) histamine requires the function of both PLCβ3 and the TRPV1 channel; 2) serotonin, or a selective agonist, α-methyl-serotonin (α-Me-5-HT), requires the presence of PLCβ3 but not TRPV1, and 3) endothelin-1 (ET-1) does not require either PLCβ3 or TRPV1. To determine whether the activity of these molecules is represented in a particular subpopulation of sensory neurons, we examined the behavioral consequences of selectively eliminating 2 nonoverlapping subsets of nociceptors. The genetic ablation of MrgprD^+ neurons that represent ≈90% of cutaneous nonpeptidergic neurons did not affect the scratching responses to a number of pruritogens. In contrast, chemical ablation of the central branch of TRPV1+ nociceptors led to a significant behavioral deficit for pruritogens, including α-Me-5-HT and ET-1, that is, the TRPV1-expressing nociceptor was required, whether or not TRPV1 itself was essential. Thus, TRPV1 neurons are equipped with multiple signaling mechanisms that respond to different pruritogens. Some of these require TRPV1 function; others use alternate signal transduction pathways

Reactivating TP53 signaling by the novel MDM2 inhibitor DS-3032b as a therapeutic option for high-risk neuroblastoma

Fewer than 50% of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma survive five years after diagnosis with current treatment protocols. Molecular targeted therapies are expected to improve survival. Although MDM2 has been validated as a promising target in preclinical models, no MDM2 inhibitors have yet entered clinical trials for neuroblastoma patients. Toxic side effects, poor bioavailability and low efficacy of the available MDM2 inhibitors that have entered phase I/II trials drive the development of novel MDM2 inhibitors with an improved risk-benefit profile. We investigated the effect of the novel MDM2 small molecular inhibitor, DS-3032b, on viability, proliferation, senescence, migration, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a panel of six neuroblastoma cell lines with different TP53 and MYCN genetic backgrounds, and assessed efficacy in a murine subcutaneous model for high-risk neuroblastoma. Re-analysis of existing expression data from 476 primary neuroblastomas showed that high-level MDM2 expression correlated with poor patient survival. DS-3032b treatment enhanced TP53 target gene expression and induced G1 cell cycle arrest, senescence and apoptosis. CRISPR-mediated MDM2 knockout in neuroblastoma cells mimicked DS-3032b treatment. TP53 signaling was selectively activated by DS-3032b in neuroblastoma cells with wildtype TP53, regardless of the presence of MYCN amplification, but was significantly reduced by TP53 mutations or expression of a dominant-negative TP53 mutant. Oral DS-3032b administration inhibited xenograft tumor growth and prolonged mouse survival. Our in vitro and in vivo data demonstrate that DS-3032b reactivates TP53 signaling even in the presence of MYCN amplification in neuroblastoma cells, to reduce proliferative capacity and cause cytotoxicity