Some new features of electron density irregularities over SHAR during strong spread F

International audienceAn RH-560 rocket flight was conducted from Sriharikota rocket range (SHAR) (14°N, 80°E, dip latitude 5.5°N) to study electron density and electric field irregularities during spread F. The rocket was launched at 2130 local time (LT) and it attained an apogee of 348 km. Results of electron density fluctuations are presented here. Two extremely sharp layers of very high electron density were observed at 105 and 130 km. The electron density increase in these layers was by a factor of 50 in a vertical extent of 10 km. Large depletions in electron density were observed around 175 and 238 km. Both sharp layers as well as depletions were observed also during the descent. The presence of sharp layers and depletions during the ascent and the descent of the rocket as well as an order of magnitude less electron density, in 150-300 km region during the descent, indicate the presence of strong large-scale horizontal gradients in the electron density. Some of the valley region irregularities (165-178 km), in the intermediate scale size range, observed during this flight, show spectral peaks at 2 km and can be interpreted in terms of the image striation theory suggested by Vickrey et al. The irregularities at 176 km do not exhibit any peak at kilometer scales and appear to be of new type. The growth rate of intermediate scale size irregularities, produced through generalized Rayleigh Taylor instability, was calculated for the 200-330 km altitude, using observed values of electron density gradients and an assumed vertically downward wind of 20 ms-1. These growth rate calculations suggest that the observed irregularities could be produced by the gradient drift instability

Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Pyridostigmine Bromide Attenuates Gut Pathology and Bacterial Dysbiosis in a Murine Model of Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a Th2 infammatory bowel disease characterized by increased IL-5 and IL-13 expression, eosinophilic/neutrophilic infltration, decreased mucus production, impaired epithelial barrier, and bacterial dysbiosis of the colon. Acetylcholine and nicotine stimulate mucus production and suppress Th2 infammation through nicotinic receptors in lungs but UC is rarely observed in smokers and the mechanism of the protection is unclear. Methods In order to evaluate whether acetylcholine can ameliorate UC-associated pathologies, we employed a mouse model of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced UC-like conditions, and a group of mice were treated with Pyridostigmine bromide (PB) to increase acetylcholine availability. The efects on colonic tissue morphology, Th2 infammatory factors, MUC2 mucin, and gut microbiota were analyzed. Results DSS challenge damaged the murine colonic architecture, reduced the MUC2 mucin and the tight-junction protein ZO-1. The PB treatment signifcantly attenuated these DSS-induced responses along with the eosinophilic infltration and the pro-Th2 infammatory factors. Moreover, PB inhibited the DSS-induced loss of commensal Clostridia and Flavobacteria, and the gain of pathogenic Erysipelotrichia and Fusobacteria. Conclusions Together, these data suggest that in colons of a murine model, PB promotes MUC2 synthesis, suppresses Th2 infammation and attenuates bacterial dysbiosis therefore, PB has a therapeutic potential in UC

Radio Aurora Explorer: Mission science and radar system

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95507/1/rds5936.pd

Questionnaire study to gain an insight into the manufacturing and fitting process of artificial eyes in children: an ocularist perspective

Purpose To gain an insight into the manufacturing and fitting of artificial eyes in children and potential improvements to the process. Method An online qualitative survey was distributed to 39 ocularists/prosthetists in Europe and Canada. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling, specifically maximum variation sampling from the researcher’s contacts and an online search. Results The findings highlighted the current impression technique as being the most difficult yet most important part of the current process for both the ocularist and child patient. Negatively affecting obtaining a good impression, the child patients distress can be reduced by their parents by providing encouragement, reassurance, practicing the insertion and removal of the artificial eye and being matter of fact. Whilst improvements to the current process provided mixed views, the incorporation of current technology was perceived as not being able to meet the requirements to produce aesthetically pleasing artificial eyes. Conclusion The current artificial eye process can be seen as an interaction with its success being dependent on the child patient’s acceptance and adjustment which is dependent on the factors associated to the process. Investigation into the needs of the patient and whether technology can improve the process are the next steps in its advancement

What should a quantitative model of masking look like and why would we want it?

Quantitative models of backward masking appeared almost as soon as computing technology was available to simulate them; and continued interest in masking has lead to the development of new models. Despite this long history, the impact of the models on the field has been limited because they have fundamental shortcomings. This paper discusses these shortcomings and outlines what future quantitative models should look like. It also discusses several issues about modeling and how a model could be used by researchers to better explore masking and other aspects of cognition

Complementary Embryonic and Adult Cell Populations Enhance Myocardial Repair in Rat Myocardial Injury Model

We compared the functional outcome of Isl-1+ cardiac progenitors, CD90+ bone marrow-derived progenitor cells, and the combination of the two in a rat myocardial infarction (MI) model. Isl-1+ cells were isolated from embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5) rat hearts and expanded in vitro. Thy-1+/CD90+ cells were isolated from the bone marrow of adult Sprague-Dawley rats by immunomagnetic cell sorting. Six-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent permanent left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation and received intramyocardial injection of either saline, Isl-1+ cells, CD90+ cells, or a combination of Isl-1+ and CD90+ cells, at the time of infarction. Cells were delivered transepicardially to the peri-infarct zone. Left ventricular function was assessed by transthoracic echocardiography at 1- and 4-week post-MI and by Millar catheterization (-dP/dt and +dP/dt) at 4-week post-MI. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (Isl-1+cells) and monochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles labeling (MION; CD90+ cells) were performed to assess biodistribution of transplanted cells. Only the combination of cells demonstrated a significant improvement of cardiac function as assessed by anterior wall contractility, dP/dt (max), and dP/dt (min), compared to Isl-1+ or CD90+ cell monotherapies. In the combination cell group, viable cells were detected at week 4 when anterior wall motion was completely restored. In conclusion, the combination of Isl-1+ cardiac progenitors and adult bone marrow-derived CD90+ cells shows prolonged and robust myocardial tissue repair and provides support for the use of complementary cell populations to enhance myocardial repair

Music Alters Visual Perception

Background: Visual perception is not a passive process: in order to efficiently process visual input, the brain actively uses previous knowledge (e.g., memory) and expectations about what the world should look like. However, perception is not only influenced by previous knowledge. Especially the perception of emotional stimuli is influenced by the emotional state of the observer. In other words, how we perceive the world does not only depend on what we know of the world, but also by how we feel. In this study, we further investigated the relation between mood and perception. Methods and Findings: We let observers do a difficult stimulus detection task, in which they had to detect schematic happy and sad faces embedded in noise. Mood was manipulated by means of music. We found that observers were more accurate in detecting faces congruent with their mood, corroborating earlier research. However, in trials in which no actual face was presented, observers made a significant number of false alarms. The content of these false alarms, or illusory percepts, was strongly influenced by the observers ’ mood. Conclusions: As illusory percepts are believed to reflect the content of internal representations that are employed by the brain during top-down processing of visual input, we conclude that top-down modulation of visual processing is not purely predictive in nature: mood, in this case manipulated by music, may also directly alter the way we perceive the world

The relationship between socioeconomic status and white matter microstructure in pre-reading children: A longitudinal investigation

Reading is a learned skill crucial for educational attainment. Children from families of lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have poorer reading performance and this gap widens across years of schooling. Reading relies on the orchestration of multiple neural systems integrated via specific white-matter pathways, but there is limited understanding about whether these pathways relate differentially to reading performance depending on SES background. Kindergarten white-matter FA and second-grade reading outcomes were investigated in an SES-diverse sample of 125 children. The three left-hemisphere white-matter tracts most associated with reading, and their right-hemisphere homologs, were examined: arcuate fasciculus (AF), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). There was a significant and positive association between SES and fractional anisotropy (FA) in the bilateral ILF in kindergarten. SES moderated the association between kindergarten ILF and second grade reading performance, such that it was positive in lower-SES children, but not significant in higher-SES children. These results have implications for understanding the role of the environment in the development of the neural pathways that support reading