An empirical polytrope law for solar wind thermal electrons between 0.45 and 4.76 AU: Voyager 2 and Mariner 10

Empirical evidence is presented that solar wind thermal electrons obey a polytrope law with polytrope index gamma = 1.175 plus or minus 0.03. The Voyager 2 and Mariner 10 data used as evidence are compared and discussed. The theoretical predictions that solar wind thermal electrons in the asymptotic solar wind should obey a polytrope law with polytrope index gamma = 1.16 plus or minus. The widespread impressions in the literature that solar wind electrons behave more like an isothermal than adiabatic gas, and the arguments that Coulomb collisions are the dominant stochastic process shaping observed electron distribution functions in the solar wind are reexamined, reviewed and evaluated. The assignment of the interplanetary potential as equal to approximately seven times the temperature of the thermal electrons is discussed

Survey of low energy plasma electrons in Saturn's magnetosphere: Voyagers 1 and 2

The low energy plasma electron environment within Saturn's magnetosphere was surveyed by the Plasma Science Experiment (PLS) during the Voyager encounters with Saturn. Over the full energy range of the PLS instrument (10 eV to 6 keV) the electron distribution functions are clearly non-Maxwellian in character; they are composed of a cold (thermal) component with Maxwellian shape and a hot (suprathermal) non-Maxwellian component. A large scale positive radial gradient in electron temperature is observed, increasing from less than 1 eV in the inner magnetosphere to as high as 800 eV in the outer magnetosphere. Three fundamentally different plasma regimes were identified from the measurements: (1) the hot outer magnetosphere, (2) the extended plasma sheet, and (3) the inner plasma torus

Survey of the plasma electron environment of Jupiter: A view from Voyager

The plasma environment within Jupiter's bow shock is considered in terms of the in situ, calibrated electron plasma measurements made between 10 eV and 5.95 keV by the Voyager plasma science experiment (PLS). Measurements were analyzed and corrected for spacecraft potential variations; the data were reduced to nearly model independent macroscopic parameters of the local electron density and temperature. It is tentatively concluded that the radial temperature profile within the plasma sheet is caused by the intermixing of two different electron populations that probably have different temporal histories and spatial paths to their local observation. The cool plasma source of the plasma sheet and spikes is probably the Io plasma torus and arrives in the plasma sheet as a result of flux tube interchange motions or other generalized transport which can be accomplished without diverting the plasma from the centrifugal equator. The hot suprathermal populations in the plasma sheet have most recently come from the sparse, hot mid-latitude "bath" of electrons which were directly observed juxtaposed to the plasma sheet

Feline hypersomatotropism and acromegaly tumorigenesis: a potential role for the AIP gene

Acromegaly in humans is usually sporadic, however up to 20% of familial isolated pituitary adenomas are caused by germline sequence variants of the aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene. Feline acromegaly has similarities to human acromegalic families with AIP mutations. The aim of this study was to sequence the feline AIP gene, identify sequence variants and compare the AIP gene sequence between feline acromegalic and control cats, and in acromegalic siblings. The feline AIP gene was amplified through PCR using whole blood genomic DNA from 10 acromegalic and 10 control cats, and 3 sibling pairs affected by acromegaly. PCR products were sequenced and compared with the published predicted feline AIP gene. A single nonsynonymous SNP was identified in exon 1 (AIP:c.9T > G) of two acromegalic cats and none of the control cats, as well as both members of one sibling pair. The region of this SNP is considered essential for the interaction of the AIP protein with its receptor. This sequence variant has not previously been reported in humans. Two additional synonymous sequence variants were identified (AIP:c.481C > T and AIP:c.826C > T). This is the first molecular study to investigate a potential genetic cause of feline acromegaly and identified a nonsynonymous AIP single nucleotide polymorphism in 20% of the acromegalic cat population evaluated, as well as in one of the sibling pairs evaluated

Prospective evaluation of a protocol for transitioning porcine lente insulintreated diabetic cats to human recombinant protamine zinc insulin

Objectives The objective was to evaluate a nadir-led protocol for transitioning porcine lente insulin suspension (PLIS)-treated diabetic cats onto human recombinant protamine zinc insulin (PZIR). Methods Recently diagnosed (<5 months) diabetic cats, treated with PLIS q12h for 6 weeks, were recruited. Fructosamine, 24 h blood glucose curve (BGC), quality of life assessment (DIAQoL-pet score) and Diabetic Clinical Score (DCS) were assessed at enrolment (PLIS-treated) and 2, 4 and 12 weeks after transitioning to PZIR (starting dose 0.2-0.7 U/kg q12h). Short duration of insulin action was defined as <9 h. Linear mixed effects modelling assessed for change in fructosamine, mean blood glucose (MBG) during BGCs, DIAQoL-pet score, DCS and q12h insulin dose. McNemar's tests compared the proportion of cats with hypoglycaemia at week 0 (PLIS-treated) and week 4 (PZIR-treated). Results Twenty-two cats were recruited. Median PLIS dose at enrolment was 0.5 U/kg (interquartile range 0.3-0.7 U/kg) q12h, equalling median PZIR starting dose (0.5 U/kg; interquartile range 0.3-0.7 U/kg q12h). Transitioning was followed by significant decreases in fructosamine (P = 0.00007), insulin dose (P = 0.02), DCS (P = 8.1 x 10(-8)) and DIAQoL-pet score (P = 0.003), indicating improved quality of life. MBG did not alter significantly (P = 0.1). Five cats (22.7%) achieved remission. Hypoglycaemia was recorded in 30/190 12 h BGCs (15.8%) and five cats experienced clinical hypoglycaemia. The proportion of cats with hypoglycaemia did not differ between PLIS (week 0) and PZIR (week 4) (P = 1.0). Duration of action was analysed in 19 cats. Six cats (31.6%) showed short duration of action on PLIS, compared with two cats (10.5%) after 4 weeks on PZIR. All six cats with short PLIS duration showed duration of 9 h on PZIR. Conclusions and relevance Used alongside a low-carbohydrate diet, transitioning to PZIR was associated with significantly improved clinical signs and quality of life, with some cats achieving remission. Transition to PZIR should be considered for cats with short duration of action on PLIS

Large parallel and perpendicular electric fields on electron spatial scales in the terrestrial bow shock

Large parallel ($\leq$ 100 mV/m) and perpendicular ($\leq$ 600 mV/m) electric fields were measured in the Earth's bow shock by the vector electric field experiment on the Polar satellite. These are the first reported direct measurements of parallel electric fields in a collisionless shock. These fields exist on spatial scales comparable to or less than the electron skin depth (a few kilometers) and correspond to magnetic field-aligned potentials of tens of volts and perpendicular potentials up to a kilovolt. The perpendicular fields are amongst the largest ever measured in space, with energy densities of $\epsilon_0 E^2/ n k_b T_e$ of order 10%. The measured parallel electric field implies that the electrons can be demagnetized, which may result in stochastic (rather than coherent) electron heating

Serum anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations before and after treatment of an ovarian granulosa cell tumour in a cat

Case summary A 15-year-old female cat was presented for investigation of progressive behavioural changes, polyuria, polydipsia and periuria. An ovarian granulosa cell tumour was identified and the cat underwent therapeutic ovariohysterectomy (OHE). The cat’s clinical signs resolved, but 6 months later it was diagnosed as having an anaplastic astrocytoma and was euthanased. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentration prior to OHE was increased vs a control group of entire and neutered female cats. Following OHE, serum AMH concentration decreased to <1% of the original value. Relevance and novel information Serum AMH measurement may represent a novel diagnostic and monitoring tool for functional ovarian neoplasms in cats

Interaction of the solar wind with Venus

Two topics related to the interaction of the solar wind with Venus are considered. First, a short review of the experimental evidence with particular attention to plasma measurements carried out on Mariner-5 and Mariner-10 is given. Secondly, the results of some recent theoretical work on the interaction of the solar wind with the ionosphere of Venus are summarized