Zonal mean and tidal dynamics from space: An empirical examination of aliasing and sampling issues

Interpretations of space-based measurements of atmospheric parameters in the mesosphere and thermosphere are complicated by large local-time variations at these altitudes. For this reason, satellite orbits are often preferred which precess through all local times one or more times per season. However, the local-time structure of the atmosphere is inherently non-stationary, which can lead to sampling and aliasing difficulties when attempting to deconvolve the measurements into zonal mean and tidal components. In the present study, hourly radar measurements of mesopause-region winds are used to form a mock data base which can be used to gain insight into implications of the aforementioned problems; the use of actual measurements introduces a realistic element of geophysical temporal variability. Assuming zonal symmetry (i.e., migrating tides superimposed on a zonal mean circulation), the radar measurements are sampled from the satellite perspective for orbital inclinations of 57° and 70°, and compared to the ground or true perspective. These comparisons provide realistic estimates of the errors to be expected when attempting to derive mean and tidal components from space-based measurements. For both diurnal and semidiurnal components, and the quoted satellite inclinations, acceptable errors (3–4m/srms) are obtained for data covering 24h local time (i.e., ascending plus descending nodes); the corresponding errors for single-node data (12h local-time coverage) are of order 8–11m/s, and therefore may not represent reliable estimates of the actual tidal components. There exist certain caveats in connection with the latter conclusion which are discussed

History of early life adversity is associated with increased food addiction and sex-specific alterations in reward network connectivity in obesity.

Background:Neuroimaging studies have identified obesity-related differences in the brain's resting state activity. An imbalance between homeostatic and reward aspects of ingestive behaviour may contribute to obesity and food addiction. The interactions between early life adversity (ELA), the reward network and food addiction were investigated to identify obesity and sex-related differences, which may drive obesity and food addiction. Methods:Functional resting state magnetic resonance imaging was acquired in 186 participants (high body mass index [BMI]: ≥25: 53 women and 54 men; normal BMI: 18.50-24.99: 49 women and 30 men). Participants completed questionnaires to assess ELA (Early Traumatic Inventory) and food addiction (Yale Food Addiction Scale). A tripartite network analysis based on graph theory was used to investigate the interaction between ELA, brain connectivity and food addiction. Interactions were determined by computing Spearman rank correlations, thresholded at q < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons. Results:Participants with high BMI demonstrate an association between ELA and food addiction, with reward regions playing a role in this interaction. Among women with high BMI, increased ELA was associated with increased centrality of reward and emotion regulation regions. Men with high BMI showed associations between ELA and food addiction with somatosensory regions playing a role in this interaction. Conclusions:The findings suggest that ELA may alter brain networks, leading to increased vulnerability for food addiction and obesity later in life. These alterations are sex specific and involve brain regions influenced by dopaminergic or serotonergic signalling

Performance of forage varieties and strains in New Hampshire 1955-1960, Station Bulletin, no.470

The Bulletin is a publication of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

A Variational Expansion for the Free Energy of a Bosonic System

In this paper, a variational perturbation scheme for nonrelativistic many-Fermion systems is generalized to a Bosonic system. By calculating the free energy of an anharmonic oscillator model, we investigated this variational expansion scheme for its efficiency. Using the modified Feynman rules for the diagrams, we obtained the analytical expression of the free energy up to the fourth order. Our numerical results at various orders are compared with the exact and other relevant results.Comment: 9 pages, 3 EPS figures. With a few typo errors corrected. to appear in J. Phys.

Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the Optical Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source

On 2017 August 17, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo interferometer detected gravitational waves emanating from a binary neutron star merger, GW170817. Nearly simultaneously, the Fermi and INTEGRAL telescopes detected a gamma-ray transient, GRB 170817A. 10.9 hours after the gravitational wave trigger, we discovered a transient and fading optical source, Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), coincident with GW170817. SSS17a is located in NGC 4993, an S0 galaxy at a distance of 40 megaparsecs. The precise location of GW170817 provides an opportunity to probe the nature of these cataclysmic events by combining electromagnetic and gravitational-wave observations.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, published today in Scienc

Vandetanib-eluting Radiopaque Beads: <i>In vivo</i> Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Toxicity Evaluation following Swine Liver Embolization.

To evaluate the plasma and tissue pharmacokinetics, safety and toxicity following intra-arterial hepatic artery administration of Vandetanib (VTB)-eluting Radiopaque Beads (VERB) in healthy swine. In a first phase, healthy swine were treated with hepatic intra-arterial administration of VERB at target dose loading strengths of 36 mg/mL (VERB36), 72 mg/mL (VERB72) and 120 mg/mL (VERB120). Blood and tissue samples were taken and analysed for VTB and metabolites to determine pharmacokinetic parameters for the different dose forms over 30 days. In a second phase, animals were treated with unloaded radiopaque beads or high dose VTB loaded beads (VERB100, 100 mg/mL). Tissue samples from embolized and non-embolized areas of the liver were evaluated at necropsy (30 and 90 days) for determination of VTB and metabolite levels and tissue pathology. Imaging was performed prior to sacrifice using multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and imaging findings correlated with pathological changes in the tissue and location of the radiopaque beads. The peak plasma levels of VTB (C &lt;sub&gt;max&lt;/sub&gt; ) released from the various doses of VERB ranged between 6.19-17.3 ng/mL indicating a low systemic burst release. The plasma profile of VTB was consistent with a distribution phase up to 6 h after administration followed by elimination with a half-life of 20-23 h. The AUC of VTB and its major metabolite N-desmethyl vandetanib (NDM VTB) was approximately linear with the dose strength of VERB. VTB plasma levels were at or below limits of detection two weeks after administration. In liver samples, VTB and NDM VTB were present in treated sections at 30 days after administration at levels above the &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt; IC &lt;sub&gt;50&lt;/sub&gt; for biological effectiveness. At 90 days both analytes were still present in treated liver but were near or below the limit of quantification in untreated liver sections, demonstrating sustained release from the VERB. Comparison of the reduction of the liver lobe size and associated tissue changes suggested a more effective embolization with VERB compared to the beads without drug. Hepatic intra-arterial administration of VERB results in a low systemic exposure and enables sustained delivery of VTB to target tissues following embolization. Changes in the liver tissue are consistent with an effective embolization and this study has demonstrated that VERB100 is well tolerated with no obvious systemic toxicity

The Old Host-Galaxy Environment of SSS17a, the First Electromagnetic Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source

We present an analysis of the host-galaxy environment of Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the discovery of an electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave source, GW170817. SSS17a occurred 1.9 kpc (in projection; 10.2") from the nucleus of NGC 4993, an S0 galaxy at a distance of 40 Mpc. We present a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) pre-trigger image of NGC 4993, Magellan optical spectroscopy of the nucleus of NGC 4993 and the location of SSS17a, and broad-band UV through IR photometry of NGC 4993. The spectrum and broad-band spectral-energy distribution indicate that NGC 4993 has a stellar mass of log (M/M_solar) = 10.49^{+0.08}_{-0.20} and star formation rate of 0.003 M_solar/yr, and the progenitor system of SSS17a likely had an age of >2.8 Gyr. There is no counterpart at the position of SSS17a in the HST pre-trigger image, indicating that the progenitor system had an absolute magnitude M_V > -5.8 mag. We detect dust lanes extending out to almost the position of SSS17a and >100 likely globular clusters associated with NGC 4993. The offset of SSS17a is similar to many short gamma-ray burst offsets, and its progenitor system was likely bound to NGC 4993. The environment of SSS17a is consistent with an old progenitor system such as a binary neutron star system.Comment: ApJL in pres