Clusters of cyclones encircling Jupiter's poles.

The familiar axisymmetric zones and belts that characterize Jupiter's weather system at lower latitudes give way to pervasive cyclonic activity at higher latitudes. Two-dimensional turbulence in combination with the Coriolis ß-effect (that is, the large meridionally varying Coriolis force on the giant planets of the Solar System) produces alternating zonal flows. The zonal flows weaken with rising latitude so that a transition between equatorial jets and polar turbulence on Jupiter can occur. Simulations with shallow-water models of giant planets support this transition by producing both alternating flows near the equator and circumpolar cyclones near the poles. Jovian polar regions are not visible from Earth owing to Jupiter's low axial tilt, and were poorly characterized by previous missions because the trajectories of these missions did not venture far from Jupiter's equatorial plane. Here we report that visible and infrared images obtained from above each pole by the Juno spacecraft during its first five orbits reveal persistent polygonal patterns of large cyclones. In the north, eight circumpolar cyclones are observed about a single polar cyclone; in the south, one polar cyclone is encircled by five circumpolar cyclones. Cyclonic circulation is established via time-lapse imagery obtained over intervals ranging from 20 minutes to 4 hours. Although migration of cyclones towards the pole might be expected as a consequence of the Coriolis ß-effect, by which cyclonic vortices naturally drift towards the rotational pole, the configuration of the cyclones is without precedent on other planets (including Saturn's polar hexagonal features). The manner in which the cyclones persist without merging and the process by which they evolve to their current configuration are unknown.

Juno's Close Encounter With Ganymede-An Overview.

The Juno spacecraft has been in orbit around Jupiter since 2016. Two flybys of Ganymede were executed in 2021, opportunities realized by evolution of Juno's polar orbit over the intervening 5 years. The geometry of the close flyby just prior to the 34th perijove pass by Jupiter brought the spacecraft inside Ganymede's unique magnetosphere. Juno's payload, designed to study Jupiter's magnetosphere, had ample dynamic range to study Ganymede's magnetosphere. The Juno radio system was used both for gravity measurements and for study of Ganymede's ionosphere. Remote sensing of Ganymede returned new results on geology, surface composition, and thermal properties of the surface and subsurface.

Adjuvant chemotherapy in average-risk adult medulloblastoma patients improves survival: a long term study.

BACKGROUND: Medulloblastoma is extremely rare in adults. The role of chemotherapy for average-risk adult patients remains controversial. Surgery and radiotherapy provide a significant disease control and a good prognosis, but about 25% of average-risk patients have a relapse and die because of disease progression. No data in average-risk adult patients are available to compareradiotherapy alone and radiotherapyfollowed byadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: We analyzed 48 average-risk patients according to Chang classification diagnosed from 1988 to 2016. RESULTS: Median age was 29 years (range 16-61). Based on histological subtypes, 15 patients (31.3%) had classic, 15 patients (31.3%) had desmoplastic, 5 patients (10.4%) had extensive nodularity and 2 patients (4.2%) had large cells/anaplastic medulloblastoma. Twenty-four patients (50%) received adjuvant radiotherapy alone and 24 (50%) received radiotherapy and chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of 12.5 years, we found that chemotherapyincreases progression-free survival (PFS-15 82.3 ± 8.0% in patients treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapyvs. 38.5% ± 13.0% in patients treated with radiotherapy alone p = 0.05) and overall survival (OS-15 89.3% ± 7.2% vs. 52.0% ± 13.1%, p = 0.02). Among patients receiving chemotherapy, the reported grade ≥ 3 adverse events were: 9 cases of neutropenia (6 cases of G3 neutropenia [25%] and 3 cases of G4 neutropenia [13%]), 1 case of G3 thrombocytopenia (4%) and 2 cases of G3 nausea (8%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study with a long follow up period suggests that adding adjuvant chemotherapy to radiotherapy might improve PFS and OS in average-risk adult medulloblastoma patients.

JUNO/JIRAM's view of Jupiter's H3+ emissions.

The instrument JIRAM (Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper), on board the NASA spacecraft Juno, is both an imager and a spectrometer. Two distinct detectors are used for imaging and spectroscopy. The imager acquires Jupiter images in two bands, one of which (L band, 3.3-3.6 µm) is devoted to monitor the H3+ emission. The spectrometer covers the spectral region from 2 to 5 µm (average spectral resolution 9 nm) with a 256 pixels slit that can observe the same scene of the L band imager with some delay. JIRAM scientific goals are the exploration of the Jovian aurorae and the planet's atmospheric structure, dynamics and composition. Starting early July 2016 Juno is orbiting around Jupiter. Since then, JIRAM has provided an unprecedented amount of measurements, monitoring both Jupiter's atmosphere and aurorae. In particular, the camera has monitored Jupiter's poles with very high spatial resolution, providing new insights in both its aurorae and the polar dynamic. The main findings obtained by the L imager are detailed pictures of Jupiter's aurorae showing an extremely complex morphology of the H3+ distribution in the main oval and in the moon's footprints. The spectrometer has enabled the measure the distribution of both H3+ concentration and temperature. The analysis of the north auroral region limb observations shows that the peak density of H3+ is above 750 km and that often it is anticorrelated to the temperature, confirming the infrared cooling effect of H3+. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Advances in hydrogen molecular ions: H3+, H5+ and beyond'.

Effects of delayed mating on the reproductive biology of the vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae).

The effect of increasing mating delay on the reproductive performance and population growth rates of the vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), was investigated under laboratory conditions. Virgin females were mated at 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after emergence and reproductive and life table parameters were estimated. The pre-oviposition period (number of days between mating and the onset of oviposition) significantly decreased in females mated within 7 days, whereas females mated at older ages showed equivalent pre-oviposition periods (7 days, as shorter delays in mating did not reduce the population growth rates.

In-field Raman amplification on coherent optical fiber links for frequency metrology.

Distributed Raman amplification (DRA) is widely exploited for the transmission of broadband, modulated signals used in data links, but not yet in coherent optical links for frequency metrology, where the requirements are rather different. After preliminary tests on fiber spools, in this paper we deeper investigate Raman amplification on deployed in-field optical metrological links. We actually test a Doppler-stabilized optical link both on a 94 km-long metro-network implementation with multiplexed ITU data channels and on a 180 km-long dedicated fiber haul connecting two cities, where DRA is employed in combination with Erbium-doped fiber amplification (EDFA). The performance of DRA is detailed in both experiments, indicating that it does not introduce noticeable penalties for the metrological signal or for the ITU data channels. We hence show that Raman amplification of metrological signals can be compatible with a wavelength division multiplexing architecture and that it can be used as an alternative or in combination with dedicated bidirectional EDFAs. No deterioration is noticed in the coherence properties of the delivered signal, which attains frequency instability at the 10(-19) level in both cases. This study can be of interest also in view of the undergoing deployment of continental fiber networks for frequency metrology.

Doppler-stabilized fiber link with 6 dB noise improvement below the classical limit.

It is known that temperature variations and acoustic noise affect ultrastable frequency dissemination along optical fiber. Active stabilization techniques are adopted to compensate for the fiber-induced phase noise. However, despite this compensation, the ultimate link performances are limited by the delay-unsuppressed noise that is related to the propagation delay of the light in the fiber. We demonstrate a post-processing approach which enables us to overcome this limit. We implement a subtraction algorithm between the optical signal delivered at the remote link end and the round-trip signal. In this way, a 6 dB improvement beyond the delay-unsuppressed noise is obtained. We confirm the prediction with experimental data obtained on a 47 km metropolitan fiber link and propose how to extend this method for frequency dissemination.

Frequency transfer via a two-way optical phase comparison on a multiplexed fiber network.

We performed a two-way remote optical phase comparison on optical fiber. Two optical frequency signals were launched in opposite directions in an optical fiber and their phases were simultaneously measured at the other end. In this technique, the fiber noise is passively canceled, and we compared two optical frequencies at the ultimate 10(-21) stability level. The experiment was performed on a 47 km fiber that is part of the metropolitan network for Internet traffic. The technique relies on the synchronous measurement of the optical phases at the two ends of the link, which is here performed by digital electronics. This scheme offers some advantages with respect to active noise cancellation schemes, as the light travels only once in the fiber.

Large-area fiber-optic gyroscope on a multiplexed fiber network.

We describe a fiber-optic gyroscope based on the Sagnac effect, realized on a multiplexed telecom fiber network. Our loop encloses an area of 20 km² and coexists with Internet data traffic. This Sagnac interferometer is capable of detecting signals that are larger than 10(-8) (rad/s)/√Hz, thus approaching ring laser gyroscopes without using a narrow-linewidth laser or sophisticated optics. The proposed gyroscope could be useful for seismic applications, opening new possibilities for this kind of optical fiber sensor.

BepiColombo mission confirms stagnation region of Venus and reveals its large extent.

The second Venus flyby of the BepiColombo mission offer a unique opportunity to make a complete tour of one of the few gas-dynamics dominated interaction regions between the supersonic solar wind and a Solar System object. The spacecraft pass through the full Venusian magnetosheath following the plasma streamlines, and cross the subsolar stagnation region during very stable solar wind conditions as observed upstream by the neighboring Solar Orbiter mission. These rare multipoint synergistic observations and stable conditions experimentally confirm what was previously predicted for the barely-explored stagnation region close to solar minimum. Here, we show that this region has a large extend, up to an altitude of 1900 km, and the estimated low energy transfer near the subsolar point confirm that the atmosphere of Venus, despite being non-magnetized and less conductive due to lower ultraviolet flux at solar minimum, is capable of withstanding the solar wind under low dynamic pressure.

Inner southern magnetosphere observation of Mercury via SERENA ion sensors in BepiColombo mission.

Mercury's southern inner magnetosphere is an unexplored region as it was not observed by earlier space missions. In October 2021, BepiColombo mission has passed through this region during its first Mercury flyby. Here, we describe the observations of SERENA ion sensors nearby and inside Mercury's magnetosphere. An intermittent high-energy signal, possibly due to an interplanetary magnetic flux rope, has been observed downstream Mercury, together with low energy solar wind. Low energy ions, possibly due to satellite outgassing, were detected outside the magnetosphere. The dayside magnetopause and bow-shock crossing were much closer to the planet than expected, signature of a highly eroded magnetosphere. Different ion populations have been observed inside the magnetosphere, like low latitude boundary layer at magnetopause inbound and partial ring current at dawn close to the planet. These observations are important for understanding the weak magnetosphere behavior so close to the Sun, revealing details never reached before.

SERENA: Particle Instrument Suite for Determining the Sun-Mercury Interaction from BepiColombo.

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric particle dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with solar wind, solar radiation, and interplanetary dust. The particle instrument suite SERENA (Search for Exospheric Refilling and Emitted Natural Abundances) is flying in space on-board the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and is the only instrument for ion and neutral particle detection aboard the MPO. It comprises four independent sensors: ELENA for neutral particle flow detection, Strofio for neutral gas detection, PICAM for planetary ions observations, and MIPA, mostly for solar wind ion measurements. SERENA is managed by a System Control Unit located inside the ELENA box. In the present paper the scientific goals of this suite are described, and then the four units are detailed, as well as their major features and calibration results. Finally, the SERENA operational activities are shown during the orbital path around Mercury, with also some reference to the activities planned during the long cruise phase.

T cell development and T cell responses in mice with mutations affecting tyrosines 292 or 315 of the ZAP-70 protein tyrosine kinase.

After stimulation of the T cell receptor (TCR), the tyrosine residues 292 and 315 in interdomain B of the protein tyrosine kinase ZAP-70 become phosphorylated and plausibly function as docking sites for Cbl and Vav1, respectively. The two latter proteins have been suggested to serve as substrates for ZAP-70 and to fine-tune its function. To address the role of these residues in T cell development and in the function of primary T cells, we have generated mice that express ZAP-70 molecules with Tyr to Phe substitution at position 292 (Y292F) or 315 (Y315F). When analyzed in a sensitized TCR transgenic background, the ZAP-70 Y315F mutation reduced the rate of positive selection and delayed the occurrence of negative selection. Furthermore, this mutation unexpectedly affected the constitutive levels of the CD3-zeta p21 phosphoisoform. Conversely, the ZAP-70 Y292F mutation upregulated proximal events in TCR signaling and allowed more T cells to produce interleukin 2 and interferon gamma in response to a given dose of antigen. The observation that ZAP-70 Y292F T cells have a slower rate of ligand-induced TCR downmodulation suggests that Y292 is likely involved in regulating the duration activated TCR reside at the cell surface. Furthermore, we showed that Y292 and Y315 are dispensable for the TCR-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Cbl and Vav1, respectively. Therefore, other molecules present in the TCR signaling cassette act as additional adaptors for Cbl and Vav1. The present in vivo analyses extend previous data based on transformed T cell lines and suggest that residue Y292 plays a role in attenuation of TCR signaling, whereas residue Y315 enhances ZAP-70 function.

Metastases to the breast: role of fine needle cytology samples. Our experience with nine cases in 2 years.

BACKGROUND: The increased survival due to the introduction of effective antineoplastic regimens has caused a modification of the natural history of numerous malignancies. Follow-up of neoplastic patients often includes the evaluation of masses in various body sites by fine needle cytology (FNC) in order to rule out cancer recurrence. Besides primary neoplasms, the breast can host a number of metastases: these rarely do have a typical presentation, so FNC is requested for their cytomorphological assessment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This report describes nine consecutive cases in which a cytopathological diagnosis of metastasis to the breast was carried out on FNC samples. RESULTS: Primary sites were identified on cytomorphological and immunocytochemical bases and were represented by the ovary (three cases), melanoma (two cases), endocervix (one case), endometrium (one case), lung (one case) and prostate (one case). CONCLUSION: The cytopathological diagnosis of metastatic neoplasms to the breast is not always straightforward, especially in the absence of a clinical history of cancer. The usage of improved cytopathological criteria combined with immunocytochemistry may be of great diagnostic help in the identification of breast metastases.

Structural changes and aggregation process of Cu/containing amine oxidase in the presence of 2,2,2'-trifluoroethanol.

Conformational and structural changes of lentil seedlings amine oxidase (LSAO) were studied in the presence of trifluoroethanol (TFE) by spectroscopic and analytical techniques. At TFE concentrations up to 5%, the induction of a structural transition from beta-sheet to alpha-helix and up to 10% TFE a structural transition from alpha-helix to beta-sheet as well as inactivation of the enzyme are observed. At TFE concentrations between 10-35%, LSAO proves to be prone to aggregation and beyond 35% TFE leads to a non-native protein structure with a high alpha-helix content. The obtained results revealed that the aggregation of LSAO is strongly linked to the nature of secondary structures.

Activity and structural changes of Euphorbia characias peroxidase in the presence of trifluoroethanol.

Activity assays, conformational changes and transitional switches between secondary structures of a peroxidase from Euphorbia characias were studied in the presence of trifluoroethanol and in the presence or absence of calcium ions. The addition of trifluoroethanol up to 10-20% first induced a drastic decrease of alpha-helix content followed by an increase of tryptophan fluorescence emission intensity, a progressive re-induction of the formation of alpha-helical elements concomitant with loss of enzyme activity. In the presence of calcium ions, the fluorescence of the enzyme almost remained unchanged in the trifluoroethanol concentration range 5-20%. Further increase in trifluoroethanol concentration led to a protein structure characterized by a progressive re-induction of alpha-helical elements, a remarkable increase of the tryptophan fluorescence and a loss of enzyme activity. These results indicate that calcium ions in Euphorbia peroxidase play an essential role in maintaining the hydrophobic interactions on the protein structure preserving enzymatic activity.

Androgen receptor immunoreactivity in rat occipital cortex after callosotomy.

Gonadal steroidogenesis can be influenced by direct neural links between the central nervous system and the gonads. It is known that androgen receptor (AR) is expressed in many areas of the rat brain involved in neuroendocrine control of reproduction,such as the cerebral cortex.It has been recently shown that the occipital cortex exerts an inhibitory effect on testicular stereoidogenesis by a pituitary-independent neural mechanism. Moreover, the complete transection of the corpus callosum leads to an increase in testosterone (T) secretion of hemigonadectomized rats. The present study was undertaken to analyze the possible corticocortical influences regulating male reproductive activities. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: 1) intact animals as control; 2) rats undergoing sham callosotomy; 3) posterior callosotomy; 4) gonadectomy and posterior callosotomy. Western blot analysis showed no remarkable variations in cortical AR expression in any of the groups except in group I where a significant decrease in AR levels was found. Similarly, both immunocytochemical study and cell count estimation showed a lower AR immunoreactivity in occipital cortex of callosotomized rats than in other groups. In addition, there was no difference in serum T and LH concentration between sham-callosotomized and callosotomized rats. In conclusion, our results showthat posterior callosotomy led to a reduction in AR in the right occipital cortex suggesting a putative inhibiting effect of the contralateral cortical area.

Tratamiento endovascular de aneurismas con anatomía aórtica compleja / Endovascular treatment of aneurysms with complex aortic anatomy

RESUMEN Introducción: la anatomía arterial es la principal limitante para el abordaje aórtico endovascular estándar. Presentamos nuestra experiencia para la reparación endovascular de aneurismas aórticos complejos. Material y métodos: estudio observacional retrospectivo en pacientes con aneurismas complejos (yuxta/pararrenales y toracoabdominales) tratados en forma consecutiva mediante: endoprótesis fenestradas (FEVAR), ramificadas (BEVAR), con EndoAnchors (ESAR), o en chimenea (ChEVAR). La decisión de la técnica fue determinada con base en la anatomía arterial. Resultados: se evaluaron los últimos 50 procedimientos (6 mujeres; edad promedio 71,3 años; diámetro 69,6mm; 3 pacientes con aneurismas complicados), de los cuales 22 recibieron FEVAR (2,8 fenestraciones / paciente), 11 BEVAR, 11 ESAR y 6 ChEVAR (1,8 chimeneas /paciente). La tasa de éxito técnico fue del 100% (ausencia de endoleak I o III con permeabilidad adecuada de los vasos viscerales). A 30 días 3 pacientes fallecieron (6%). Durante el seguimiento, 5 pacientes presentaron oclusión de la arteria renal, repermeabilizada en 4. Cuatro pacientes desarrollaron un endoleak tipo IA (3 ESAR secundarios y un ChEVAR), un paciente un endoleak IC y un cuarto uno IIIB (22%, 3 de los 11 ESAR, ninguno de los FEVAR industriales). En el análisis de supervivencia, la supervivencia global fue del 88,6% al año, y libre de reoperación del 86,5%. Conclusiones: se trata de la primera publicación en nuestro medio que muestra un enfoque global del paciente con un aneurisma de aorta complejo, de acuerdo con sus características anatómicas. Estas tecnologías ya desempeñan un papel primario en el tratamiento de estos pacientes.

ABSTRACT Background: Arterial anatomy is the main limiting factor for standard endovascular aortic (EVAR) approach. We present our experience for endovascular repair of complex aortic aneurysms. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study in patients with complex aneurysms (juxta/pararenal and thoracoabdominal) treated consecutively with: fenestrated (FEVAR), branched (BEVAR), EndoAnchors (ESAR), or chimney (ChEVAR) stents. The decision of the technique was determined based on the arterial anatomy. Results: The last 50 procedures were evaluated (6 women; mean age 71.3 years; diameter 69.6 mm; and 3 patients with complicated aneurysms), among whom 22 received FEVAR (2.8 fenestrated stents/patient), 11 BEVAR, 11 ESAR and 6 ChEVAR (1.8 chimney stents/patient). Technical success rate was 100% (absence of type I or III endoleak with adequate patency of the visceral vessels). Three patients died within the first 30 days (6%). During follow-up, 5 patients presented with renal artery occlusion, treated successfully in 4 cases. Four patients developed type IA endoleak (3 secondary ESAR and one ChEVAR), one patient IC endoleak and almost a quarter of cases type IIIB endoleak (22%, 3 out of 11 patients receiving ESAR, none of the industrial FEVAR group). In survival analysis, overall survival analysis was 88.6% at one year, and 86.5% of cases were free from reoperation. Conclusions: This is the first publication in our setting that shows a global approach to the patient with complex aortic aneurysm, according to the anatomical characteristics. These technologies already play a primary role in the treatment of these patients.

Juno observations of spot structures and a split tail in Io-induced aurorae on Jupiter.

Jupiter's aurorae are produced in its upper atmosphere when incoming high-energy electrons precipitate along the planet's magnetic field lines. A northern and a southern main auroral oval are visible, surrounded by small emission features associated with the Galilean moons. We present infrared observations, obtained with the Juno spacecraft, showing that in the case of Io, this emission exhibits a swirling pattern that is similar in appearance to a von Kármán vortex street. Well downstream of the main auroral spots, the extended tail is split in two. Both of Ganymede's footprints also appear as a pair of emission features, which may provide a remote measure of Ganymede's magnetosphere. These features suggest that the magnetohydrodynamic interaction between Jupiter and its moon is more complex than previously anticipated.