Observing Ultra High Energy Cosmic Particles from Space: SEUSO, the Super Extreme Universe Space Observatory Mission

The experimental search for ultra high energy cosmic messengers, from $E\sim 10^{19}$ eV to beyond $E\sim 10^{20}$ eV, at the very end of the known energy spectrum, constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to explore a largely unknown aspect of our universe. Key scientific goals are the identification of the sources of ultra high energy particles, the measurement of their spectra and the study of galactic and local intergalactic magnetic fields. Ultra high energy particles might, also, carry evidence of unknown physics or of exotic particles relics of the early universe. To meet this challenge a significant increase in the integrated exposure is required. This implies a new class of experiments with larger acceptances and good understanding of the systematic uncertainties. Space based observatories can reach the instantaneous aperture and the integrated exposure necessary to systematically explore the ultra high energy universe. In this paper, after briefly summarising the science case of the mission, we describe the scientific goals and requirements of the SEUSO concept. We then introduce the SEUSO observational approach and describe the main instrument and mission features. We conclude discussing the expected performance of the mission

TTRV30M oligomeric aggregates inhibit proliferation of renal progenitor cells but maintain their capacity to differentiate into podocytes in vitro

Publicado em: The Proceedings of the XIIIth International Symposium on Amyloidosis, May 6-10, 2012, Groningen, The NetherlandsIn Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy, the amyloid deposition of mutant transthyretin TTR V30M can lead to renal complications. An unexplored mechanism is the toxicity of oligomeric TTR aggregates. A subset of renal progenitor cells (RPC) in the adult human kidney can induce regeneration of podocytes and tubular structures of the nephron, which can be critical for preventing irreversible renal failure. We assessed whether RPC are vulnerable, in vitro, to TTRV30M oligomers. RPC proliferation was reduced by 16.3±9.7% and 32.6±6.3% after 48 and 72 hours, respectively, in the presence of the oligomers. However, oligomers did not induce apoptosis or alterations in cell cycle to any significant extent, and did not influence RPC differentiation into podocytes. From this first attempt, we can say that TTRV30M oligomers inhibit RPC proliferation but do not influence their capacity to differentiate into mature podocytes, and thus should not compromise tissue regeneration.FC

Ultrathin Tropical Tropopause Clouds (UTTCs) : I. Cloud morphology and occurrence

Subvisible cirrus clouds (SVCs) may contribute to dehydration close to the tropical tropopause. The higher and colder SVCs and the larger their ice crystals, the more likely they represent the last efficient point of contact of the gas phase with the ice phase and, hence, the last dehydrating step, before the air enters the stratosphere. The first simultaneous in situ and remote sensing measurements of SVCs were taken during the APE-THESEO campaign in the western Indian ocean in February/March 1999. The observed clouds, termed Ultrathin Tropical Tropopause Clouds (UTTCs), belong to the geometrically and optically thinnest large-scale clouds in the Earth´s atmosphere. Individual UTTCs may exist for many hours as an only 200--300 m thick cloud layer just a few hundred meters below the tropical cold point tropopause, covering up to 105 km2. With temperatures as low as 181 K these clouds are prime representatives for defining the water mixing ratio of air entering the lower stratosphere