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One of the fundamental tasks in behavioral neurophysiology is the study of movement control. During past decades, methodological arsenal in this field was limited to the expert's visual observation, especially in the open field paradigm when animals can move, groom, rare or explore objects. In the past few years, the massive adoption of machine learning and artificial intelligence has led to revolutionary changes in the field. Here we present a new and user friendly approach to the analysis of the behavior of rodents, based on a pre-trained and continuing to learn neural network, which is capable of exhibiting a high degree of flexibility and good level of performance. Open field behavior of two groups (juvenile and adult) female wistar rats has been recorded. Human expert identified several behavioral patterns for farther deep machine learning, based on open source Orange SqueezeNet, a pre-trained neural network. In addition, we used the transfer learning technique with three more layers over SqueezeNet with 10-fold cross validation. The correctness of the assessments, made by the neural network consisted 92 ± 3% based on unbiased and double-blinded expert evaluation. Moreover, younger and older rat groups revealed significant difference in such behavioral patterns as moving and hole testing, identified by the network. We conclude that our system is demonstrative, does not require high programming skills, looks intuitive, easy to use, is based on an open source resource, therefore, can be recommended as behavioral research tool and an educational platform.

It is known that in the small quantum parameter regime the Breit-Wheeler electron-positron pair creation cross section is extremely sensitive on the photon energy and on the background field. We present the dependence of positron yield on laser intensity in shaped laser under/over dense (gas/foil) plasma interactions with the help of analytical modeling and PIC simulations. This allows for establishing in situ laser intensity diagnostic by measuring the positron yield in experiments where multi PW lasers are used.

Acceleration of electrons in laser-driven plasma wakefields has been extended up to the ∼8 GeV energy within a distance of tens of centimeters. However, in applications, requiring small energy spread within the electron bunch, only a small portion of the bunch can be used and often the low-energy electrons represent undesired background in the spectrum. We present a compact and tunable scheme providing clean and mono-energetic electron bunches with less than one percent energy spread and with central energy on the GeV level. It is a two-step process consisting of ionization injection with attosecond pulses and acceleration in a capillary plasma wave-guide. Semi-analytical theory and particle-in-cell simulations are used to accurately model the injection and acceleration steps.

Background: Dementia is a spectrum of neurological diseases characterized by memory impairment and cognitive decline with the pathogenesis and effective management remaining elusive. Several studies have identified a correlation between anemia and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD); however, anemia subtypes and association with ADRD have yet to be studied conclusively. Objective: To study an association between ADRD and anemia of chronic inflammation. Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study of the patients, diagnosed with ADRD at Brookdale Hospital. Pair-wise comparisons between means of controls and cases in terms of iron studies and laboratory results were performed using a Mann–Whitney U test. Pair-wise comparisons between anemia subgroups (moderate and severe) were performed using a Two Sample proportion Z-Test, where for each couple of normally distributed population. Results: There was a total of 4,517 (1,274 ADRD group; 3,243 Control group) patients. There was significant difference in hemoglobin 10.15 versus 11.04 [p-value

The characteristic lines K-α, Ly-α and He-α X-ray source for diagnostics of the compressed state of laser plasma was proposed, and its optimal parameters were calculated under the conditions required for nuclear fusion [1]. Such a source operating in a pulsed regime can be used for determining the spatial distribution of laser- plasma density with high temporal resolution by means of multi-frame backlight imaging of the main target by X-ray pulses obtained by picosecond laser pulses irradiation of a secondary target. In the present report, we analyze the scheme with Ly-α/He-α line emission, found quantitative parameters of a multi-frame X-ray source for radiography of compressed state nuclear-fusion target, and describe images of the target in the case of spherically (elliptically) symmetric compression.

We analyse the possibility of directed scattering and angular filtering of intense short wavelength radiation (laser harmonics) in the XUV range by Mie scattering in the suitable cluster jet

Here we evaluated the efficacy of bone repair using various native bovine biomaterials (refined hydroxyapatite (HA), demineralised bone matrix (DBM), and purified bone collagen (COLL)) as compared with commercially available bone mineral and bone autografts. We employed a conventional critical-sized (8 mm diameter) rat calvarial defect model (6-month-old male Sprague&ndash, Dawley rats, n = 72 in total). The artificial defect was repaired using HA, DBM, COLL, commercially available bone mineral powder, bone calvarial autograft, or remained unfilled (n = 12 animals per group). Rats were euthanised 4 or 12 weeks postimplantation (n = 6 per time point) with the subsequent examination to assess the extent, volume, area, and mineral density of the repaired tissue by means of microcomputed tomography and hematoxylin and eosin staining. Bovine HA and DBM powder exhibited excellent repair capability similar to the autografts and commercially available bone mineral powder while COLL showed higher bone repair rate. We suggest that HA and DBM powder obtained from bovine bone tissue can be equally applied for the repair of bone defects and demonstrate sufficient potential to be implemented into clinical studies.

Levetiracetam is a widely used, effective and usually well-tolerated anti-epileptic medicine. It is mostly excreted by kidneys and requires dose adjustment according to the glomerular filtration rate. Very few case reports have been published in the literature about levetiracetam causing acute kidney injury (AKI). We present a case of a 26-year-old male with a seizure disorder on levetiracetam, presented with status epilepticus requiring intubation for airway protection. He received 4 g of intravenous levetiracetam as a loading dose and continued with a maintenance dose of 750 mg intravenous every 12 hours. He had signs of AKI on day two and creatinine eventually reached a maximum level of 12.2 mg/dL. His kidney function improved to his new baseline in a period of 30 days without requiring renal replacement therapy. He did not have significant rhabdomyolysis and his kidney function started improving right after his anti-epileptic therapy was switched to valproic acid pointing towards levetiracetam as the primary cause of kidney injury. Clinicians should be aware that levetiracetam can cause AKI on patients with a seizure disorder, especially when administered in high doses. Kidney function should be monitored closely and patients should be treated aggressively with intravenous fluids when they have any signs of rhabdomyolysis to prevent further kidney damage.

An analytical model is presented, which calculates recombination radiation in He and Ly characteristic plasma lines formed as a result of irradiating a solid target with an intense picosecond laser pulse. For calibration, this model is compared with the computer FLYCHK code. According to the results of the comparison, the region of the model applicability lies in the temperature range of the main plasma volume of 200–2000 eV and the electron density of 1023–1024 cm–3. The advantage of this analytical model is its simplicity, which makes it possible to be used for quick estimates of the luminosity of the characteristic plasma lines at a given temperature and density, or, vice versa, to determine the density and temperature of a plasma source from the relative height and structure of the emitted lines.

Profound effects of spaceflight on the physiology of humans and non-human animals are well-documented but incompletely explored. Current goals to undertake interplanetary missions increase the urgency to learn more about adaptation to prolonged spaceflight and readaptation to Earth-normal conditions, especially with the inclusion of radiation exposures greater than those confronted in traditional, orbital flights. The 30-day-long Bion M-1 biosatellite flight was conducted at a relatively high orbit, exposing the mice to greater doses of radiation in addition to microgravity, a combination of factors relevant to Mars missions. Results of the present studies with mice provide insights into the consequences on brain function of long-duration spaceflight. After landing, mice showed profound deficits in vestibular responses during aerial drop tests. Spaceflown mice displayed reduced grip strength, rotarod performance, and voluntary wheel running, each, which improved gradually but incompletely over the 7-days of post-flight testing. Continuous monitoring in the animals’ home cage activity, in combination with open-field and other tests of motor performance, revealed indices of altered affect, expressed as hyperactivity, potentiated thigmotaxis, and avoidance of open areas which, together, presented a syndrome of persistent anxiety-like behavior. A learned, operant response acquired before spaceflight was retained, whereas the acquisition of a new task was impaired after the flight. We integrate these observations with other results from Bion-M1’s program, identifying deficits in musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems, as well as in the brain and spinal cord, including altered gene expression patterns and the accompanying neurochemical changes that could underlie our behavioral findings.

Bites of tiger spiders belonging to Poecilotheria genus cause moderate to severe pain and long-lasting local or generalized muscle cramps in humans. Bites occur in regions of the spiders' natural habitat, India and Sri Lanka, but the popularity of these colorful tarantulas as pets leads to reports of envenomation cases worldwide. Treatment is predominantly symptomatic and often inadequate since there is almost no clinical or toxicology research data available, and physicians outside India or Sri Lanka typically have no experience in treating such cases. We report toxicity studies of venom from nine Poecilotheria species in laboratory mice (Mus musculus Balb/C males). LD50 values are 5-14 mg of lyophilized crude venom per 1 kg (i.v.). The major symptoms of envenomation include tonic-clonic seizures, jerks, characteristic motor stereotypy, and hyperalgesia and point to voltage-gated sodium channels as a potential target of the venom components. Poecilotheria fasciata venom effects were studied in detail at a sub-lethal dose of 5 mg/kg (LD50 = 12 mg/kg). 13 widely used pharmacological agents (atropine, chloropyramine, chlorpromazine, diazepam, ethanol, flupirtine, haloperidol, ketotifen, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, tolperisone, xylazine, and CaCl2) were checked for ability to suppress the envenomation symptoms. Chlorpromazine (10 mg/kg, i.p.), oxcarbazepine (60 mg/kg, p.o.), tolperisone (50 mg/kg, s.c.) and xylazine (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) were found effective as a pretreatment to mitigate muscle cramps and motor stereotypy. When administered after envenomation chlorpromazine (5 mg/kg, i.v.) effectively reduced the cramps, while oxcarbazepine (30 mg/kg, i.v.) and xylazine (1 mg/kg, i.v.) suppressed the stereotypy.

Aerobic exercise training is associated with adaptive changes in skeletal muscles and their vascular bed; such changes in individual muscles may vary depending on their characteristics and recruitment. This study was aimed at comparing the effects of eight-week treadmill training on the locomotor and respiratory muscles in rats. The training course increased the aerobic performance in rats, which was evidenced by an increase in maximum O2 consumption and a decrease in the blood lactate concentration in ramp test. The succinate dehydrogenase activity was increased in the red portion of the gastrocnemius muscle, but not in the diaphragm of trained rats. Arterial segments were isolated from feed arteries and studied by wire myography. The relaxation in response to acetylcholine in gastrocnemius arteries in trained animals was higher as compared with controls (due to higher NO production), while contractile responses to noradrenaline (in the presence of propranolol) were not changed. On the contrary, the endothelial function of diaphragm arteries was not affected by training, but contractile responses to activation of α-adrenoceptors were markedly increased. Thus, aerobic training may increase the blood supply rate to both locomotor and respiratory muscles, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms are different. The results obtained allow us to reveal the physiological mechanisms that determine the physical performance of the body under conditions of compromised functioning of the respiratory system.

Introduction Implantable telemetry enables continuous monitoring of physiological functions in freely moving animals and can greatly complement pharmacological research. Despite its miniaturization, a sensor/transmitter constitutes 5% or more of a mouse's bodyweight. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether factors related to the presence of a probe/transmitter influence the ambulatory activity, strength, agility, or operant, motivated behaviors of this small rodent. Methods Adult male mice (C57BL/6 N, 22–25 g, 9–10 weeks; implanted n = 26, intact n = 45) were evaluated during week-long tests, conducted three and eight weeks after surgical implantation of the PA-C10 blood pressure probe. An open field test, grip force measurement, Rotarod test were performed, followed by 7-day continuous monitoring of spontaneous wheel running activity and positively reinforced operant conditioning in an automated data collection system. Results An implanted blood pressure transmitter did not affect behavior of mice in the open field test, on the Rotarod or their grip force, compared to unoperated controls. Voluntary wheel running distance was reduced three, but not eight weeks after implantation. Three weeks after the surgery, performance in the positively reinforced operant conditioning in operated mice was slightly decreased compared to intact animals, while retention and acquisition of a 2nd, reversal-learning task eight weeks after the surgery were unaffected. Discussion We conclude that an implantable transmitter may have detectable effects in the first few weeks following implantation on some elements of mouse behavior. With sufficient recovery, mice perform comparably to unoperated controls in tests of strength, endurance, agility and learned operant behavior.

Wellens’ syndrome, also regarded as left anterior descending coronary T-wave syndrome, is an electrocardiography (EKG) pattern that indicates critical proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD) stenosis. It is characterized by deeply inverted T-waves or biphasic T-waves in the anterior precordial chest leads in a patient with unstable angina. Patients typically present with symptoms consistent with acute coronary syndrome. We present a unique case of Wellens’ syndrome with no angiographic findings of significant stenosis in the proximal LAD but with significant occlusion of the proximal circumflex artery and initial presentation with a chief complaint of epigastric pain and syncope. Physicians need to recognize these characteristic EKG changes during the pre-infarction stage, as they represent myocardial necrosis. Many of these patients eventually develop extensive anterior myocardial infarction with marked left ventricular dysfunction and death if coronary angiography and coronary revascularization are not performed within a few weeks. If Wellens’ is seen, patients should undergo urgent cardiac catheterization.

The process of high energy electron acceleration along the surface of grating targets (GTs) that were irradiated by a relativistic, high-contrast laser pulse at an intensity $I=2.5\times 10^{20}~\text{W}/\text{cm}^{2}$ was studied. Our experimental results demonstrate that for a GT with a periodicity twice the laser wavelength, the surface electron flux is more intense for a laser incidence angle that is larger compared to the resonance angle predicted by the linear model. An electron beam with a peak charge of ${\sim}2.7~\text{nC}/\text{sr}$ , for electrons with energies ${>}1.5~\text{MeV}$ , was measured. Numerical simulations carried out with parameters similar to the experimental conditions also show an enhanced electron flux at higher incidence angles depending on the preplasma scale length. A theoretical model that includes ponderomotive effects with more realistic initial preplasma conditions suggests that the laser-driven intensity and preformed plasma scale length are important for the acceleration process. The predictions closely match the experimental and computational results.

The potential of laser-driven ion beam applications is limited by high quality requirements. The excellent "point-source" characteristics of the laser accelerated proton beam in a broad energy range were found by using proton radiographs of a mesh. The "virtual source" of protons, the point where the proton trajectories are converging and form a waist, gradually decreases and moves asymptotically to the target with increasing particles' energy. Computer simulations confirmed that the beam profile at the center is fully conserved, the virtual source of higher energy protons gradually moves closer to the target, and if the particle energy is further increased, the virtual source will be located on the target front surface (for portions above 13 MeV, in this case) with a size comparable to the laser spot size. The laser ponderomotive force pushes the electrons deep into the target creating a bipolar charge structure, i.e., an electron cavity and spike which produces strong accelerating field, realizing a point-size source of accelerated protons. This behavior has not previously been predicted. These results contribute to the development of next generation laser-accelerators suitable for many applications.

Femtosecond lasers are a proven source of hard X-rays for ultrafast probing applications; however, such X-ray sources do not offer significant advantages over accelerator-based photon sources. In this paper, the use of the proposed 100-kHz two-cycle ALPS-HR laser at the ELI-ALPS facility to drive a femtosecond hard X-ray source is investigated and target-related issues for high repetition rates are also discussed. A particle-in-cell simulation is used to determine the optimal plasma scale length for the investigated laser parameters to generate the necessary hot electron spectrum. Electron transport and photon creation are simulated using a Monte Carlo method in liquid droplet targets. The generated photon characteristics are postprocessed to build the synthetic X-ray spectrum and temporal pulse shape. The X-ray source characteristics are compared with other similar laser plasma X-ray sources. The parameters for the preliminary experiments are also discussed.

The stopping power of warm dense matter (WDM) is estimated by means of the individual contributions of free electrons and bound electrons existing in this special kind of matter, located between classical and degenerate plasmas. For free electrons, the dielectric formalism, well described in our studies, is used to estimate the free electron stopping power. For bound electrons, the mean excitation energy of ions is used. Excitation energies are obtained through atomic calculations of the whole atom or, shell by shell in order to estimate their stopping power. Influence of temperature and density is analyzed in case of an impinging projectile. This influence becomes important for low projectile velocities and is negligible for high ones. Using free and bound electron analysis, the stopping power of an extended WDM is inferred from a dynamical calculation of energy transferred from the projectile to the plasma, where the stopping range is calculated. Finally, this theoretical framework is used to study a typical plasma density profile of a WDM heated by lasers.

Interaction of an ultrashort and ultraintense laser pulse with overdense/underdense plasmas is considered. Efficient conversion of fundamental laser radiation into sub-femtosecond XUV/X-ray radiation and its significant amplification in laser plasmas are obtained. The results of the simulations were compared with the experimental data and have shown a good coexistence.

Russian Abstract: Сжигание попутного нефтяного газа (ПНГ) является экономически и экологически нерациональным способом его утилизации. Доступность данных по сжиганию ПНГ меняется в зависимости от страны; часто статистика ограничена или нерелевантна. На сегодняшний день спутниковый мониторинг является единственным инструментальным методом измерения объёмов сжигания газа, не связанным с деятельностью нефтегазовых компаний. Однако разработка методики мониторинга сталкивается с необходимостью обработки больших массивов данных и введения алгоритма оценки объёмов сожжённого газа. В данной работе описан алгоритм, разработанный для сенсора VIIRS, и приведён анализ полученных данных по территории России за период наблюдений. English Abstract: Incineration of associated petroleum gas (APG) is an economically and environmentally unsustainable way to utilize it. Availability of APG incineration data varies by country; often statistics are limited or irrelevant. At present, satellite monitoring is the only instrumental method for measuring gas flaring volumes that is not related to the activities of oil and gas companies. However, the development of a monitoring methodology is faced with the need to process large amounts of data and introduce an algorithm for estimating volumes of burned gas. This paper describes an algorithm developed for the VIIRS sensor, and an analysis of the data obtained on the territory of Russia for the observation period.

Russian Abstract: Лавинообразное увеличение объема спутниковых данных, получаемых современными сенсорами, стало основным препятствием к их использованию для ручного обнаружения рыболовных судов промысловыми агентствами и другими организациями. В связи с этим потребовалась разработка алгоритма и реализующей его автоматической системы детектирования ночных судовых огней по спутниковым данным и анализа их распределения. В данной работе представлен алгоритм детектирования ночных судовых огней по спутниковым данным сенсора VIIRS, описана программная система, реализующая разработанный алгоритм, описаны разработанные методы и средства анализа распределения ночных судовых огней, представлены результаты апробации разработанных методов. English Abstract: The avalanche increase in the amount of satellite data received by modern sensors has become a major obstacle to their use for manual detection of fishing vessels by fishing agencies and other organizations. In this regard, it was necessary to develop an algorithm and an automatic system for detecting night ship lights using satellite data and analyzing their distribution. This paper presents an algorithm for detecting night ship lights using satellite data from the VIIRS sensor, describes a software system that implements the developed algorithm, describes the developed methods and tools for analyzing the distribution of night ship lights, and presents the results of testing the developed methods.

High frequency modulations appearing in the kinetic energy distribution of laser accelerated ions are proposed for retrieving the acceleration field dynamics at femtosecond time scale. Such an approach becomes possible if the laser-cycling field modulates the particle density in the ion spectra and produces quasi time stamps for analysis. We investigate target and laser parameters determining this effect and discuss the dependencies of the observed modulation. Our findings refine a basic mechanism, the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration, where an intense and ultrafast laser pulse produces a very strong electrical field at a plasma-vacuum interface. The field decays rapidly due to energy dissipation and forms a characteristic spectrum of fast ions streaming away from the interface. We show that the derived decay function of the field is in accordance with model predictions of the accelerating field structure. Our findings are supported by 2-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The knowledge of the femtosecond field dynamics helps to rerate optimization strategies for laser ion acceleration., 7 figures

This is a review of results from studying ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) of a new type developed for fast low-voltage displays and light modulators. These materials are helix-free FLCs, which are characterized by spatially periodic deformation of smectic layers and a small value of spontaneous polarization (less than 50 nC/cm2). The FLC director is reoriented due to the motion of solitons at the transition to the Maxwellian mechanism of energy dissipation. A theoretical model is proposed for describing the FLC deformation and director reorientation. The frequency and field dependences of the optical response time are studied experimentally for modulation of light transmission, scattering, and phase delay with a high rate. The hysteresis-free nature and smooth dependence of the optical response on the external electric field in the frequency range up to 6 kHz is demonstrated, as well as bistable light scattering with memorization of an optical state for a time exceeding the switching time by up to 6 orders of magnitude. Due to the spatially inhomogeneous light phase delay, the ability of a laser beam to cause interference is effectively suppressed. The fastest FLCs under study are compatible with 3D, FLC on Silicon (FLCoS), and Field Sequential Colors (FSC) technologies.

Increasing the laser energy absorption into energetic particle beams represents a longstanding quest in intense laser-plasma physics. During the interaction with matter, part of the laser energy is converted into relativistic electron beams, which are the origin of secondary sources of energetic ions, γ-rays and neutrons. Here we experimentally demonstrate that using multiple coherent laser beamlets spatially and temporally overlapped, thus producing an interference pattern in the laser focus, significantly improves the laser energy conversion efficiency into hot electrons, compared to one beam with the same energy and nominal intensity as the four beamlets combined. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations support the experimental results, suggesting that beamlet interference pattern induces a periodical shaping of the critical density, ultimately playing a key-role in enhancing the laser-to-electron energy conversion efficiency. This method is rather insensitive to laser pulse contrast and duration, making this approach robust and suitable to many existing facilities., Enhanced coupling of laser energy to the target particles is a fundamental issue in laser-plasma interactions. Here the authors demonstrate increased photon absorption leading into higher laser to electron and proton energy transfer through the interference of multiple coherent beamlets.

Plasma-based charged particle accelerators have been intensively investigated in the past three decades due to their capability to open up new horizons in accelerator science and particle physics yielding electric field accelerating gradient more than three orders of magnitudes higher than in conventional devices. At the current stage the most advanced and reliable mechanism for accelerating electrons is based on the propagation of an intense laser pulse or a relativistic electron beam in a low density gaseous target. In this paper we concentrate on the electron beam-driven plasma wake-field acceleration and demonstrate using 3D PiC simulations that a train of electron micro-bunches with ∼10 fs period can be generated behind the driving beam propagating in a density down-ramp. We will discuss the conditions and properties of the micro-bunches generated aiming at understanding and study of multi-bunch mechanism of injection. It is show that the periodicity and duration of micro-bunches can be controlled by adjusting the plasma density gradient and driving beam charge.

In this work, we present the analytical model, which can calculate laser plasma emission in Ly and He lines. Comparison of our model with FLYCHK simulation code shows their good agreement. This model is easy to learn and it could be used for fast estimation to determine the plasma parameters from its emission spectrum.

An analytical formula describing the temporal profile of the ultrashort chirped pulse after reflection from a preformed overdense plasma has been presented. The frequency chirp is noticed to act as damping factor which ultimately reduces the intensity (power) of the pulse after reflection.

The electron-positron pair creation occurring near the laser-plasma interface is studied with the help of Particle-in-Cell 1D and 2D simulations. We present the angular distribution of positrons which can help in their detection in real experiments. This technique can be used to measure the intensity and duration of the laser pulses with higher precision.

Background Penile erection is a complex reflex under spinal control and modulated by the brain. The hemodynamic events under autonomic control and the perineal muscles somatic activity are interconnected during the reflex erection at the spinal level, however if the afferent feedback on the corpus cavernosum pressure during an erection affects the somatic activity (perineal muscles contractions) and vice versa is not known. This study was aimed to test this hypothesis using a rat model. Methods Intracavernous pressure (ICP) and bulbocavernosus (BC) muscle EMG were recorded during reflex erections elicited with dorsal penile nerve (DNP) electrical stimulation in anaesthetized acutely spinalized SD rats with surgically (bilateral cavernous nerve section, CnX, n = 8) and pharmacologically (trimetaphan infusion, TMPh, n = 8) abolished pressor response, or with surgically (bilateral section of the motor branch of the pudendal nerve, PnX, n = 7) and pharmacologically (1 mg/kg d-tubocurarine, n = 8) blocked perineal muscles contractions, or with interrupted afferent input from the penis (bilateral crush of the dorsal penile nerve, DPnX, n = 7). Control rats (n = 8) received no intervention. Results Moderate positive correlations were found between net parameters of pressor and somatic activity during DNP-stimulation induced reflex erection in spinal rats, particularly the speed of pressor response development was positively correlated to EMG parameters. No changes of EMG activity were found in CnX rats, while the decrease of BC EMG in TMPh-treated males can be attributed to direct inhibitory action of TMPh on neuromuscular transmission. Pressor response latency was increased and ICP front slope decreased in dTK and PnX rats, indicating that perineal muscles contraction augment pressor response. DPN crush had little effect on ICP and EMG. Conclusion Afferent input on the level of intracavernous pressure and the perineal muscles activity has minimal impact on, correspondingly, the somatic and the autonomic components of the reflex erection in spinal males, once the reflex has been initiated. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12894-018-0352-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cardiovascular system is adapted to gravity, and reactions to its vanishing in space are presumably dependent on body size. Dependency of hematological parameters and body fluids reaction to simulated microgravity have never been studied as an allometric function before. Thus we estimated RBC, blood and extracellular fluid volumes in hindlimb-unloaded (HLU) or control (ATT) mice, rats and rabbits.RBC decrease was found to be size-independent, and the allometric dependency for red blood loss in HLU and ATT animals shared a common power (−0.054±0.008) but differrent Y0 (8.66±0.40 and 10.73±0.49 correspondingly, pOur data underscore the importance of size-independent mechanisms of cardiovascular adaptation to weightlessness. Despite use of mice hampers application of a straightforward translational approach, this species is useful for gravitational biology as a tool to investigate size-independent mechanisms of mammalian adaptation to microgravity.

Myasthenic crisis is a life-threatening condition commonly associated with respiratory failure and may present in unusual ways. However, there is paucity in the literature about the cardiac manifestations of myasthenia gravis. We present a case of a 61-year-old male who presented to the emergency room with upper respiratory infection symptoms who soon thereafter suffered sudden cardiac arrest. He was found to have shortened PR interval pre and post arrest onelectrocardiogram (EKG). Only past medical history, discovered post cardiac arrest, was myastenia gravis. All other causes of cardiac arrest were ruled out, and it was deemed to be due to a manifestation of myastenia gravis. The patient was treated with intravenous steroids and plasmapheresis with resolution of shortened PR interval. It is hypothesized that striatial muscle antibodies may trigger inflammation in cardiac muscle and cause conduction abnormalities. In addition, anti-Kv1.4 antibodies have been associated with EKG abnormalities, including QT prolongation and T-wave inversion. To our knowledge, we are the first to report myasthenic crisis manifesting with isolated cardiac arrest with pulseless electrical activity and a shortened PR interval.

Numerical simulations were made of the interaction of a relativistically intense laser pulse with a target consisting of nanometre fibres. Fast electrons were shown to execute forced betatron oscillations in the electrostatic fibre field and the laser field. The fibre diameter was determined whereby the amplitude of betatron electron oscillations is resonantly increased. The power of coherent X-ray betatron radiation of the electron bunch was calculated outside of the resonance domain and in the resonance case. We showed that the laser-to-X-ray betatron radiation conversion coefficient in the resonance case amounts to a few percent and the target made up of nanometre fibres may be regarded as an efficient laser-driven source of coherent X- and gamma-ray radiation.

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common autoimmune diseases. Many antioxidants have been tested in arthritis, but their efficacy was, at best, marginal. In this study, a novel mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, plastoquinonyl-decyl-triphenylphosphonium bromide (SkQ1), was testedin vivoto prevent and cure experimental autoimmune arthritis. In conventional Wistar rats, SkQ1 completely prevented the development of clinical signs of arthritis if administered with food before induction. Further, SkQ1 significantly reduced the fraction of animals that developed clinical signs of arthritis and severity of pathological lesions if administration began immediately after induction of arthritis or at the onset of first symptoms (day 14 after induction). In specific pathogen-free Wistar rats, SkQ1 administered via gavage after induction of arthritis did not reduce the fraction of animals with arthritis but decreased the severity of lesions upon pathology examination in a dose-dependent manner. Efficacious doses of SkQ1 were in the range of 0.25–1.25 nmol/kg/day (0.13–0.7 μg/kg/day), which is much lower than doses commonly used for conventional antioxidants. SkQ1 promoted apoptosis of neutrophilsin vitro, which may be one of the mechanisms underlying its pharmacological activity. Considering its low toxicity and the wide therapeutic window, SkQ1 may be a valuable additional therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

The dependence of energy of an ion accelerated from a thin laser target on its charge is investigated numerically and analytically. It is demonstrated that this dependence is determined by the values of ionization potentials of the target atoms and has a sharper character than those obtained in previous models of ion acceleration. The physical origin of sharper dependence is the relation of ion charge to its initial position in the ionized target. As a result, more highly charged ions turn out to be in the region of stronger accelerating field and thus attain higher energy. For a laser target made of a gold foil, the results obtained with an analytical model are compared to those obtained by means of a two-dimensional simulation, which demonstrated agreement between theoretical and calculated dependences of ion energy on its charge.

The efficient transfer of angular orbital momentum from circularly polarized laser pulses into ions of solid density targets is investigated with different geometries using particle-in-cell simulations. The detailed electron and ion dynamics presented focus upon the energy and momentum conversion efficiency. It is found that the momentum transfer is more efficient for spiral targets and the maximum value is obtained when the spiral step is equal to twice the laser wavelength. This study reveals that the angular momentum distribution of ions strongly depends up on the initial target shape and density.

A mathematical model of proton image formation is developed, and minimum size of objects visible under proton irradiation (resolution of proton radiography) is estimated. Due to ion flux being laminar, micron-sized objects smaller than the ion emission spot size are detected. The results of simulation are in good agreement with the experiment.

A new method to determine the peak intensity of focused relativistic laser pulses is experimentally justified. It is based on the measurement of spectra of electrons, accelerated in the beam waist. The detected electrons were emitted from the plasma, generated by nonlinear ionization of low-density gases (helium, argon, and krypton) in the focal area of a laser beam with the peak intensity >1020 W/cm2. The measurements revealed generation of particles with the maximum energy of a few MeV, observed at a small angle relative to the beam axis. The results are supported by numerical particle-in-cell simulations of a laser–low-density plasma interaction. The peak intensity in the focal region derived from experimental data reaches the value of 2.5 × 1020 W/cm2.

In the present report, we discussed our recent results concerning the investigations of high energy density matter. By using of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic measurements and kinetic simulations, we demonstrate that the energy of femtosecond laser pulses is efficiently converted to X-ray radiation and produces exotic states in solid density plasma regions. It is shown that exotic hollow multicharged ions states can be obtained and studied not only by ultra-intense X-ray radiation of XFEL lasers, but also upon using optical laser technology. We have concluded that observable features of the hollow-ion spectra are sensitive to such plasma parameters as density, temperature, hot-electron fraction, and intensity of the X-ray pumping radiation and could be used for effective diagnostics of warm dense matter parameters.

At strong-coupling and weak-field limit, the scalar Schwinger effect is studied by the field-theoretical method of worldline instantons for dynamic fields of single-pulse and sinusoidal types. By examining the Wilson loop along the closed instanton path, corrections to the results obtained from weak-coupling approximations are discovered. They show that this part of contribution for production rate becomes dominant as Keldysh parameter increases, it makes the consideration at strong coupling turn out to be indispensable for dynamic fields. Moreover a breaking of weak-field condition similar to constant field also happens around the critical field, defined as a point of vacuum cascade. In order to make certain whether the vacuum cascade occurs beyond the weak-field condition, following Semenoff and Zarembo's proposal, the Schwinger effects of dynamic fields are studied with an $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang--Mills theory in the Coulomb phase. With the help of the gauge/gravity duality, the vacuum decay rate is evaluated by the string action with instanton worldline as boundary, which is located on a probe D3-brane. The corresponding classical worldsheets are estimated by perturbing the integrable case of a constant field., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, two columns. Revision according to review. Appendices for proofs added

Deliverable D4.3 of work package 4 (SIMEX) in EUCALL

Deliverable D4.3 of work package 4 (SIMEX) in EUCALL

Milestone M4.1 for work package 4 (SIMEX) of EUCALL