Molecular outflows in the young open cluster IC348

We present a wide-field survey of the young open cluster IC348 for molecular H2 outflows. Outflow activity is only found at its south-western limit, where a new subcluster of embedded sources is in an early phase of its formation. If the IC348 cluster had been built up by such subclusters forming at different times, this could explain the large age-spread that Herbig (1998) found for the IC348 member stars. In addition to several compact groups of H2 knots, our survey reveals a large north-south oriented outflow, and we identify the newly discovered far-infrared and mm-object IC348MMS as its source. New deep images in the 1-0 S(1) line of molecular hydrogen trace the HH211 jet and counterjet as highly-collimated chains of knots, resembling the interferometric CO and SiO jets. This jet system appears rotated counter-clockwise by about 3 degrees with respect to the prominent H2 bow shocks. Furthermore, we resolve HH211-mm as a double point-like source in the mm-continuum.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Reliability of 2D ultrasound imaging associated with transient ShearWave Elastography method to analyze spastic gastrocnemius medialis muscle architecture and viscoelastic properties

PurposeThe aim of the study was to assess the reliability of pennation angle (PA) and muscle thickness (MT) 2D measurements and of shear elastic modulus measurement, using ultrasound imaging (US). Those measurements were made on spastic gastrocnemius medialis muscle at rest and at maximal passive stretching, in post-stroke hemiplegic patients. The paretic side measurements were compared to non-paretic side.Material and methodsFourteen patients took part in 2 inter-session reliability experiments, realized at a 7 days interval by the same operator. The Aixplorer® Supersonic US scanner with the transient ShearWave Elastography (SWE) software was used. The stretching experiments were made manually and controlled by a goniometer.ResultsThe reliability of the 2D measurements was good. The coefficient of variation (CV) was 6.30% for MT measurement at rest, 6.40% and 8.26% for PA at rest and at maximal passive stretching respectively. The reliability of the shear elastic modulus measurement in the sagittal plane was good only at rest with a CV of 9.86%, versus 40.58% at stretching. None of the shear elastic modulus measurements in the axial plane were good. At rest, MT and PA were weaker on the paretic side (14.25±3.12mm and 17.32±5.10°) versus non-paretic side (16.30±3.19mm and 21.08±5.05°) (P<0.0001 and P=0.006). At rest, there was a small difference in the shear elastic modulus between the paretic side and the non-paretic side (5.40±1.67kPa versus 6.20±2.18kPa, P=0.041).DiscussionThis is the first description of muscle spastic structure using SWE with Supersonic Shear Imaging. 2D US associated with SWE shows promise in terms of muscular atrophy quantification and muscle histological quality assessment. These structural properties reflect some of the functional abilities regardless of motor control. It should enable further research on therapies, which impact muscle tissue quality, such as botulinum neurotoxin injections

Microclimat sous bâche à plat et son impact sur une culture de pomme de terre

Deux traitements ont été effectués dans un dispositif en blocs aléatoires complets avec quatre répétitions. Le premier sans bâche sert de témoin et le second utilise la bâche à plat comme couverture de la culture. La bâche en film polyéthylène perforé a été installée quinze jours après la plantation d’une culture de pomme de terre (Solanum tuberosum cv. Nicola) ayant reçu un traitement préventif contre le mildiou. La bâche a été retirée juste avant la récolte de la pomme de terre. Sous bâche à plat, les températures et les hygrométries de l’air ainsi que les températures du sol ont été supérieures à celles de l’extérieur. Les gouttelettes de condensation formées sous bâche ont réduit considérablement la transmission lumineuse. Les résultats agronomiques sont, par conséquent, affectés par ces conditions climatiques. Une nette amélioration de la croissance végétative de la pomme de terre a été observée sous bâche, mais l’attaque du mildiou a été plus importante sous bâche à plat que dans les parcelles témoins non couvertes qui ont été bien traitées. Ceci a affecté le rendement de pomme de terre sous bâche qui a enregistré une perte de 23% par rapport au témoin non couvert

Normalization of Red Cell Enolase Level Following Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation in a Child with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia

We describe a girl with Diamond-Blackfan anemia with accompanying red cell enolase deficiency. At the age of 9 yr old, the patient received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from her HLA-identical sister who had normal red cell enolase activity. While the post transplant DNA analysis with short tandem repeat has continuously demonstrated a stable mixed chimerism on follow-up, the patient remains transfusion independent and continues to show a steady increase in red cell enolase activity for over two and a half years following bone marrow transplantation

A Study of the Luminosity and Mass Functions of the Young IC 348 Cluster using FLAMINGOS Wide-Field Near-Infrared Images

We present wide-field near-infrared (JHK) images of the young, 2 Myr IC 348 cluster taken with FLAMINGOS. We use these new data to construct an infrared census of sources, which is sensitive enough to detect a 10 Mjup brown dwarf seen through an extinction of Av=7mag. We examine the cluster's structure and relationship to the molecular cloud and construct the cluster's K band luminosity function. Using our model luminosity function algorithm, we derive the cluster's initial mass function throughout the stellar and substellar regimes and find that the IC 348 IMF is very similar to that found for the Trapezium Cluster with both cluster IMFs having a mode between 0.2 - 0.08 Msun. In particular we find that, similar to our results for the Trapezium, brown dwarfs constitute only 1 in 4 of the sources in the IC 348 cluster. We show that a modest secondary peak forms in the substellar IC 348 KLF, corresponding to the same mass range responsible for a similar KLF peak found in the Trapezium. We interpret this KLF peak as either evidence for a corresponding secondary IMF peak at the deuterium burning limit, or as arising from a feature in the substellar mass-luminosity relation that is not predicted by current theoretical models. Lastly, we find that IC 348 displays radial variations of its sub-solar (0.5 - 0.08 Msun) IMF on a parsec scale. Whatever mechanism that is breaking the universality of the IMF on small spatial scales in IC 348 does not appear to be acting upon the brown dwarf population, whose relative size does not vary with distance from the cluster center.Comment: 53 pages, 20 figures, AASTeX5.0. Color version of Figure 1 made available in jpg format. Figure(s) 2,3,5 are reduced in resolution. Accepted 14 Jan 2003 to the Astronomical Journa

Structure and density of Fe-C liquid alloys under high pressure

International audienceThe density and structure of liquid Fe-C alloys have been measured up to 58 GPa and 3,200 K by in situ X-ray diffraction using a Paris-Edinburgh press and laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Study of the pressure evolution of the local structure inferred by X-ray diffraction measurements is important to understand the compression mechanism of the liquid. Obtained data show that the degree of compression is greater for the first coordination sphere than the second and third coordination spheres. The extrapolation of the measured density suggests that carbon cannot be the only light element alloyed to iron in the Earth's core, as 8-16 at % C (1.8-3.7 wt % C) would be necessary to explain the density deficit of the outer core relative to pure Fe. This concentration is too high to account for outer core velocity. The presence of other light elements (e.g., O, Si, S, and H) is thus required

Asbestos-related pleural and lung fibrosis in patients with retroperitoneal fibrosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a rare fibroinflammatory disease that leads to hydronephrosis and renal failure. In a case-control study, we have recently shown that asbestos exposure was the most important risk factor for RPF in the Finnish population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation of asbestos exposure to radiologically confirmed lung and pleural fibrosis among patients with RPF.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) was performed on 16 unexposed and 22 asbestos-exposed RPF patients and 18 asbestos-exposed controls. Parietal pleural plaques (PPP), diffuse pleural thickening (DPT) and parenchymal fibrosis were scored separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the asbestos-exposed RPF patients and half of the asbestos-exposed controls had bilateral PPP, but only a few had lung fibrosis. Minor bilateral plaques were detected in two of the unexposed RPF patients, and none had lung fibrosis. DPT was most frequent and thickest in the asbestos-exposed RPF-patients. In three asbestos-exposed patients with RPF we observed exceptionally large pleural masses that were located anteriorly in the pleural space and continued into the anterior mediastinum.</p> <p>Asbestos exposure was associated with DPT in comparisons between RPF patients and controls (case-control analysis) as well as among RPF patients (case-case analysis).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The most distinctive feature of the asbestos-exposed RPF patients was a thick DPT. An asbestos-related pleural finding was common in the asbestos-exposed RPF patients, but only a few of these patients had parenchymal lung fibrosis. RPF without asbestos exposure was not associated with pleural or lung fibrosis. The findings suggest a shared etiology for RPF and pleural fibrosis and furthermore possibly a similar pathogenetic mechanisms.</p