Theory of rigid-plane phonon modes in layered crystals

The lattice dynamics of low-frequency rigid-plane modes in metallic (graphene multilayers, GML) and in insulating (hexagonal boron-nitride multilayers, BNML) layered crystals is investigated. The frequencies of shearing and compression (stretching) modes depend on the layer number {\EuScript N} and are presented in the form of fan diagrams. The results for GML and BNML are very similar. In both cases only the interactions (van der Waals and Coulomb) between nearest-neighbor planes are effective, while the interactions between more distant planes are screened. A comparison with recent Raman scattering results on low-frequency shear modes in GML [Tan {\it et al.}, arXiv:1106.1146v1 (2011)] is made. Relations with the low-lying rigid-plane phonon dispersions in the bulk materials are established. Master curves which connect the fan diagram frequencies for any given {\EuScript N} are derived. Static and dynamic thermal correlation functions for rigid-layer shear and compression modes are calculated. The results might be of use for the interpretation of friction force experiments on multilayer crystals

Modal mineralogy of planetary surfaces from visible and near-infrared spectral data

Real planetary surfaces are composed of several to many different minerals and ices. Deconvolving a reflectance spectrum to material abundance in an unambiguous way is difficult, because the spectra are complex nonlinear functions of grain size, abundance, and material opacity. Multiple scattering models can provide approximate solutions to the radiative transfer in a particulate medium. The paper examines the different approaches which deal with the theory of radiative transfer on atmosphereless bodies. We present the relative merits of two scattering theories based on the equivalent slab model: the extensively used Hapke theory [1] and the Shkuratov theory [2]. The performances of the two models for determining mineral abundance in multicomponent mixtures are also evaluated using laboratory data. Finally, one application on real planetary surfaces will be shown

Spectral and stratigraphic mapping of hydrated sulfate and phyllosilicate-bearing deposits in northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars

We present detailed stratigraphic and spectral analyses that focus on a region in northern Sinus Meridiani located between 1°N to 5°N latitude and 3°W to 1°E longitude. Several stratigraphically distinct units are defined and mapped using morphologic expression, spectral properties, and superposition relationships. Previously unreported exposures of hydrated sulfates and Fe/Mg smectites are identified using MRO CRISM and MEX OMEGA near‐infrared (1.0 to 2.5 µm) spectral reflectance observations. Layered deposits with monohydrated and polyhydrated sulfate spectral signatures that occur in association with a northeast‐southwest trending valley are reexamined using highresolution CRISM, HiRISE, and CTX images. Layers that are spectrally dominated by monohydrated and polyhydrated sulfates are intercalated. The observed compositional layering implies that multiple wetting events, brine recharge, or fluctuations in evaporation rate occurred. We infer that these hydrated sulfate‐bearing layers were unconformably deposited following the extensive erosion of preexisting layered sedimentary rocks and may postdate the formation of the sulfate‐ and hematite‐bearing unit analyzed by the MER Opportunity rover. Therefore, at least two episodes of deposition separated by an unconformity occurred. Fe/Mg phyllosilicates are detected in units that predate the sulfateand hematite‐bearing unit. The presence of Fe/Mg smectite in older units indicates that the relatively low pH formation conditions inferred for the younger sulfate‐ and hematitebearing unit are not representative of the aqueous geochemical environment that prevailed during the formation and alteration of earlier materials. Sedimentary deposits indicative of a complex aqueous history that evolved over time are preserved in Sinus Meridiani, Mars

Recovery of surface reflectance spectra and evaluation of the optical depth of aerosols in the near-IR using a Monte-Carlo approach: Application to the OMEGA observations of high latitude regions of Mars

We present a model of radiative transfer through atmospheric particles based on Monte Carlo methods. This model can be used to analyze and remove the contribution of aerosols in remote sensing observations. We have developed a method to quantify the contribution of atmospheric dust in near-IR spectra of the Martian surface obtained by the OMEGA imaging spectrometer on board Mars Express. Using observations in the nadir pointing mode with significant differences in solar incidence angles, we can infer the optical depth of atmospheric dust, and we can retrieve the surface reflectance spectra free of aerosol contribution. Martian airborne dust properties are discussed and constrained from previous studies and OMEGA data. We have tested our method on a region at 90{\deg}E and 77{\deg}N extensively covered by OMEGA, where significant variations of the albedo of ice patches in the visible have been reported. The consistency between reflectance spectra of ice-covered and ice-free regions recovered at different incidence angles validates our approach. The optical depth of aerosols varies by a factor 3 in this region during the summer of Martian year 27. The observed brightening of ice patches does not result from frost deposition but from a decrease in the dust contamination of surface ice and (to a lower extent) from a decrease in the optical thickness of atmospheric dust. Our Monte Carlo-based model can be applied to recover the spectral reflectance characteristics of the surface from OMEGA spectral imaging data when the optical thickness of aerosols can be evaluated. It could prove useful for processing image cubes from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

Clinical Characteristics of Suicidal Youths and Adults: A One-Year Retrospective Study

Suicide is a major mental health problem, particularly during youth, when it is the second leading cause of death. Since young people at risk of suicide are often cared for by the adult health system, we sought to identify the specificities and similarities between suicidal youths and adults in order to further inform the potential need for adaptations in taking care of suicidal youths. For this study, we used the following data: mental disorders, treatments, previous hospitalization, and reasons for current hospitalization, that were collected from November 2016 to October 2017 among people hospitalized for a suicidal crisis in a specialized psychiatric unit. First, we compared the data from the youth group with those from the adult group, and then we tried to determine if there were any associations between variables. Analyses showed that youths were more similar to adults than expected. In particular, we found comparable rates of personality disorders (especially borderline) and relapse, and similar profiles of reasons for hospitalization in suicidal crisis. Remarkably, among youth, neuroleptics appeared to be associated with fewer hospitalizations for behavioral than ideational reasons, but with more relapses. Results of this study suggest that young people could benefit from brief psychotherapeutic interventions implemented for adult

The Protective Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid in an in vitro model of the Human Fetal Heart occurs via Targeting Cardiac Fibroblasts

Bile acids are elevated in the blood of women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and this may lead to fetal arrhythmia, fetal hypoxia and potentially fetal death in utero. The bile acid taurocholic acid (TC) causes abnormal calcium dynamics and contraction in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a drug clinically used to treat ICP, prevents adverse effects of TC. During development, the fetus is in a state of relative hypoxia. Although this is essential for the development of the heart and vasculature, resident fibroblasts can transiently differentiate into myofibroblasts and form gap junctions with cardiomyocytes in vitro, resulting in cardiomyocyte depolarization. We expanded on previously published work using an in vitro hypoxia model to investigate the differentiation of human fetal fibroblasts into myofibroblasts.Recent evidence shows that potassium channels are involved in maintaining the membrane potential of ventricular fibroblasts and that ATP-dependent potassium (KATP) channel subunits are expressed in cultured fibroblasts. KATP channels are a valuable target as they are thought to have a cardioprotective role during ischaemic and hypoxic conditions. We investigated whether UDCA could modulate fibroblast membrane potential.We established the isolation and culture of human fetal cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts to investigate the effect of hypoxia, TC and UDCA on human fetal cardiac cells.UDCA hyperpolarized myofibroblasts and prevented TC-induced depolarisation, possibly through the activation of KATP channels that are expressed in cultured fibroblasts. Also, similar to the rat model, UDCA can counteract TC-induced calcium abnormalities in human fetal cultures of cardiomyocytes and myofibroblasts. Under normoxic conditions, we found a higher number of myofibroblasts in cultures derived from human fetal hearts compared to cells isolated from neonatal rat hearts, indicating a possible increased number of myofibroblasts in human fetal hearts. Hypoxia further increased the number of human fetal and rat neonatal myofibroblasts. However, chronically administered UDCA reduced the number of myofibroblasts and prevented hypoxia-induced depolarisation.In conclusion, our results show that the protective effect of UDCA involves both the reduction of fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts, and hyperpolarisation of myofibroblasts, most likely through the stimulation of potassium channels, i.e. KATP channels. This could be important in validating UDCA as an antifibrotic and antiarrhythmic drug for treatment of failing hearts and fetal arrhythmia

Intrinsic activity in the fly brain gates visual information during behavioral choices

The small insect brain is often described as an input/output system that executes reflex-like behaviors. It can also initiate neural activity and behaviors intrinsically, seen as spontaneous behaviors, different arousal states and sleep. However, less is known about how intrinsic activity in neural circuits affects sensory information processing in the insect brain and variability in behavior. Here, by simultaneously monitoring Drosophila's behavioral choices and brain activity in a flight simulator system, we identify intrinsic activity that is associated with the act of selecting between visual stimuli. We recorded neural output (multiunit action potentials and local field potentials) in the left and right optic lobes of a tethered flying Drosophila, while its attempts to follow visual motion (yaw torque) were measured by a torque meter. We show that when facing competing motion stimuli on its left and right, Drosophila typically generate large torque responses that flip from side to side. The delayed onset (0.1-1 s) and spontaneous switch-like dynamics of these responses, and the fact that the flies sometimes oppose the stimuli by flying straight, make this behavior different from the classic steering reflexes. Drosophila, thus, seem to choose one stimulus at a time and attempt to rotate toward its direction. With this behavior, the neural output of the optic lobes alternates; being augmented on the side chosen for body rotation and suppressed on the opposite side, even though the visual input to the fly eyes stays the same. Thus, the flow of information from the fly eyes is gated intrinsically. Such modulation can be noise-induced or intentional; with one possibility being that the fly brain highlights chosen information while ignoring the irrelevant, similar to what we know to occur in higher animals

Study of the ηπo\eta\pi^o system in the mass range up to 1200 MeV

The reaction $\pi^-p \to \eta\pi^o n$ has been studied with GAMS-2000 spectrometer in the secondary 38 GeV/c $\pi^-$-beam of the IHEP U-70 accelerator. Partial wave analysis of the reaction has been performed in the $\eta\pi^o$ mass range up to 1200 MeV. The $a_0(980)$-meson is seen as a sharp peak in S-wave. The $t$-dependence of $a_0(980)$ production cross section has been studied. Dominant production of the $a_0(980)$ at a small transfer momentum $t$ confirms the hypothesis of Achasov and Shestakov about significant contribution of the $\rho_2$ exchange ($I^GJ^{PC}=1^+2^{--}$) in the mechanism of $a_0(980)$ meson production in $t$-channel of the reaction.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, talk given at HADRON'9