Technology for a Mid-IR Flagship Mission to Characterize Earth-like Exoplanets

The exploration of Earth-like exoplanets will be enabled at mid-infrared wavelengths through technology and engineering advances in nulling interferometry and precision formation flying. Nulling interferometry provides the dynamic range needed for the detection of biomarkers. Formation flying provides the angular resolution required in the mid-infrared to separately distinguish the spectra of planets in multi-planet systems. The flight performance requirements for nulling have been met and must now be validated in a flight-like environment. Formation-flying algorithms have been demonstrated in the lab and must now be validated in space. Our proposed technology program is described

Visual attention and action: How cueing, direct mapping, and social interactions drive orienting

Despite considerable interest in both action perception and social attention over the last 2 decades, there has been surprisingly little investigation concerning how the manual actions of other humans orient visual attention. The present review draws together studies that have measured the orienting of attention, following observation of another’s goal-directed action. Our review proposes that, in line with the literature on eye gaze, action is a particularly strong orienting cue for the visual system. However, we additionally suggest that action may orient visual attention using mechanisms, which gaze direction does not (i.e., neural direct mapping and corepresentation). Finally, we review the implications of these gaze-independent mechanisms for the study of attention to action. We suggest that our understanding of attention to action may benefit from being studied in the context of joint action paradigms, where the role of higher level action goals and social factors can be investigated

Growth of Lumbosacral Perineural (Tarlov) Cysts: A Natural History Analysis

BACKGROUND: Tarlov cysts (TC) are commonly found spinal perineural cysts. Symptomatic TCs are rare, however, and there is no consensus on their pathogenesis and optimal management. OBJECTIVE: To characterize cyst growth in patients with symptomatic TCs. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 28 subjects, evaluated for symptomatic TCs (2011-2017). Each of the subjects had multiple magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) across time and was included in a natural history analysis. RESULTS: A total of 42 TCs were identified across the 28 subjects, of which 7 cysts (17%) across 5 subjects demonstrated growth. Across a mean follow-up of 4.7 ± 1.8 years, TCs grew at a relative rate of 2.9 ± 2.6% in the anteroposterior, 4.3 ± 3.8% in the craniocaudal, and 1.4 ± 1.4% in the transverse dimensions per year. None of the cysts decreased in size between successive MRIs. Symptoms of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypotension (positional headaches) were positive predictors of prior cyst growth on logistic regression (P = 0.02, odds ratio = 10). A total of 2 of the 5 subjects were initially asymptomatic from their TCs, and developed symptoms during the period of cyst growth, whereas 2 others experienced worsening of their symptoms during cyst growth. CONCLUSION: We report on the growth of TCs, which is consistent with a widely-held theory that hydrostatic and pulsatile forces of CSF along with a ball-valve phenomenon allow for continuous dilation of TCs

Magnetic Blocking in a Linear Iron(I) Complex

Single-molecule magnets that contain one spin centre may represent the smallest possible unit for spin-based computational devices. Such applications, however, require the realization of molecules with a substantial energy barrier for spin inversion, achieved through a large axial magnetic anisotropy. Recently, significant progress has been made in this regard by using lanthanide centres such as terbium(III) and dysprosium(III), whose anisotropy can lead to extremely high relaxation barriers. We contend that similar effects should be achievable with transition metals by maintaining a low coordination number to restrict the magnitude of the d-orbital ligand-field splitting energy (which tends to hinder the development of large anisotropies). Herein we report the first two-coordinate complex of iron(I), [Fe(C(SiMe3) 3)2]-, for which alternating current magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal slow magnetic relaxation below 29 K in a zero applied direct-current field. This S =complex exhibits an effective spin-reversal barrier of U eff = 226(4) cm-1, the largest yet observed for a single-molecule magnet based on a transition metal, and displays magnetic blocking below 4.5 K

Structural and electronic dependence of the single-molecule-magnet behavior of dysprosium(III) complexes.

International audienceWe investigate and compare the magnetic properties of two isostructural Dy(III)-containing complexes. The Dy(III) ions are chelated by hexadentate ligands and possess two apical bidendate nitrate anions. In dysprosium(III) N,N'-bis(imine-2-yl)methylene-1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane (1), the ligand's donor atoms are two alkoxo, two pyridine, and two imine nitrogen atoms. Dysprosium(III) N,N'-bis(amine-2-yl)methylene-1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane (2) is identical with 1 except for one modification: the two imine groups have been replaced by amine groups. This change has a minute effect on the structure and a larger effect the magnetic behavior. The two complexes possess slow relaxation of the magnetization in the presence of an applied field of 1000 Oe but with a larger barrier for reorientation of the magnetization for 1 (Ueff/kB = 50 K) than for 2 (Ueff/kB = 34 K). First-principles calculations using the spin-orbit complete active-space self-consistent-field method were performed and allowed to fit the experimental magnetization data. The calculations gave the energy spectrum of the 2J + 1 sublevels issued from the J = 15/2 free-ion ground state. The lowest-lying sublevels were found to have a large contribution of MJ = ±15/2 for 1, while for 2, MJ = ±13/2 was dominant. The observed differences were attributed to a synergistic effect between the electron density of the ligand and the small structural changes provoked by a slight alteration of the coordination environment. It was observed that the stronger ligand field (imine) resulted in complex 1 with a larger energy barrier for reorientation of the magnetization than 2