Exoplanet Predictions Based on Harmonic Orbit Resonances

The current exoplanet database includes 5454 confirmed planets and candidate planets observed with the KEPLER mission. We find 932 planet pairs from which we extract distance and orbital period ratios. While earlier studies used the Titius-Bode law or a generalized version with logarithmic spacing, which both lack a physical model, we employ here the theory of harmonic orbit resonances, which contains quantized ratios instead, to explain the observed planet distance ratios and to predict undetected exoplanets. We find that the most prevailing harmonic ratios are (2:1), (3:2), and (5:3), in 73\% of the cases, while alternative harmonic ratios of (5:4), (4:3), (5:2), (3:1) occur in 27\% of the other cases. Our orbital predictions includes 171 exoplanets, 2 Jupiter moons, one Saturn moon, 3 Uranus moons, and 4 Neptune moons. The accuracy of the predicted planet distances amounts to a few percent, which fits the data significantly better than the Titius-Bode law or a logarithmic spacing. This information may be useful for targeted exoplanet searches with Kepler data and to estimate the number of live-carrying planets in habitable zones.Comment: 9 pages, 7 Figure

Particles and fragments in unused disposable face masks: A microscopic analysis

Introduction: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments mandated the wearing of face masks by law. New research shows that these masks contain and release microplastics. Methods: In the present work, five samples of surgical masks were examined microscopically for the presence of particles and fragments. The masks were purchased from two of the largest supermarket chains in Switzerland. Results: Particles and fragments were found on the fiber surfaces in the inner layer of all face masks examined. The size of these objects varied in the range of about 2-40 µm, with dark spots and particles on the fibers having a smaller diameter than the more transparent fragments. Conclusions: In this work, it was shown that particles and fragments in the micrometer range can be found on the inside of commercially available surgical face masks purchased in supermarkets in Switzerland. The health significance of the presence of particles and fragments in the micrometer range as demonstrated by the current investigation of surgical face masks needs to be further investigated

False positives and false negatives in functional near-infrared spectroscopy: issues, challenges, and the way forward

We highlight a significant problem that needs to be considered and addressed when performing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies, namely the possibility of inadvertently measuring fNIRS hemodynamic responses that are not due to neurovascular coupling. These can be misinterpreted as brain activity, i.e., "false positives" (errors caused by wrongly assigning a detected hemodynamic response to functional brain activity), or mask brain activity, i.e., "false negatives" (errors caused by wrongly assigning a not observed hemodynamic response in the presence of functional brain activity). Here, we summarize the possible physiological origins of these issues and suggest ways to avoid and remove them

Meningeal lymphatic vessels in the human head: Examples of in vivo visualization with high-resolution 3T MRI

In 2015, meningeal lymphatic vessels (mLVs) were (re)discovered in mice and human dura specimens. Two years later, the first report was published showing that mLVs can be detected in humans in vivo by high-resolution 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In 2017 and 2018, two further studies reported the successful MRI-based detection of mLVs in vivo in humans. The aim of our study was to provide further evidence of the possibility to detect mLVs in vivo with MRI in humans. To this end, MR images already available from one subject (the first author) were analyzed. We detected mLVs in the coronal plane at the bilateral superior lateral corners of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) as well as below the SSS, in agreement with the two other published reports about the in vivo detection of mLVS in humans with MRI. Our report is thus, to the best of our knowledge, the fourth published report about in vivo MR imaging of human mLVs

Changes in Water Properties in Human Tissue after Double Filtration Plasmapheresis-A Case Study

Double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) is a blood cleaning technique that enables the removal of unwanted substances from the blood. In our case study, we performed near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy measurements on the human hand tissue before and after a specific DFPP treatment (INUSpheresis with a TKM58 filter), along with NIR measurements of the substances extracted via DFPP (eluate). The spectral data were analyzed using the aquaphotomics approach. The analysis showed that the water properties in the tissue change after DFPP treatment, i.e., an increase in small water clusters, free water molecules and a decrease in hydroxylated water as well as superoxide in hydration shells was noted. The opposite effect was observed in the eluates of both DFPP treatments. Our study is the first that documents changes in water spectral properties after DFPP treatments in human tissue. The changes in tissue water demonstrated by our case study suggest that the positive physiological effects of DFPP in general, and of INUSpheresis with the TKM58 filter in particular, may be associated with improvements in water quality in blood and tissues

COVID-19, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS, "long COVID") and post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (PCVS, "post-COVIDvac-syndrome"): Similarities and differences

Worldwide there have been over 760 million confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, and over 13 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered as of April 2023, according to the World Health Organization. An infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can lead to an acute disease, i.e. COVID-19, but also to a post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS, "long COVID"). Currently, the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are increasingly being noted and studied. Here, we summarise the currently available indications and discuss our conclusions that (i) these side effects have specific similarities and differences to acute COVID-19 and PACS, that (ii) a new term should be used to refer to these side effects (post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome, PCVS, colloquially "post-COVIDvac-syndrome"), and that (iii) there is a need to distinguish between acute COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (ACVS) and post-acute COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (PACVS) - in analogy to acute COVID-19 and PACS ("long COVID"). Moreover, we address mixed forms of disease caused by natural SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination. We explain why it is important for medical diagnosis, care and research to use the new terms (PCVS, ACVS and PACVS) in order to avoid confusion and misinterpretation of the underlying causes of disease and to enable optimal medical therapy. We do not recommend to use the term "Post-Vac-Syndrome" as it is imprecise. The article also serves to address the current problem of "medical gaslighting" in relation to PACS and PCVS by raising awareness among the medical professionals and supplying appropriate terminology for disease