scholarly journals The role of post-sunset vertical drifts at the equator in predicting the onset of VHF scintillations during high and low sunspot activity years

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1609-1616 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Tulasi Ram ◽  
P. V. S. Rama Rao ◽  
K. Niranjan ◽  
D. S. V. V. D. Prasad ◽  
R. Sridharan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drift Velocity ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Magnetic Activity ◽  
Sunspot Activity ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Equatorial Station ◽  
Vertical Drift ◽  
Ionospheric Scintillations

Abstract. The day-to-day variability in the occurrence of ionospheric scintillations, which are of serious concern in the trans-ionospheric communications, makes their prediction still a challenging problem. This paper reports on a systematic study in quantitatively identifying the precursors responsible, such as pre-reversal E×B drift velocity, geo-magnetic activity index (Kp) and the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) gradient, for the onset of VHF scintillations over a low-latitude station, Waltair (20° N dip), during high (2001) and low (2004) sunspot activity years. The percentage of occurrences of VHF scintillations over Waltair show a good correlation with the monthly mean post-sunset vertical drift velocities at the equator, during both the high and low sunspot activity years. During the days on which intense (>10 dB) scintillations occur, the ionization anomaly gradient (dN/dL), measured from ionosonde data of an equatorial (Trivandrum, 0.9° N dip) and an off-equatorial station (Waltair, 20° N dip) shows an enhancement in the gradient prior to the onset of the scintillations. However, this enhancement is not seen on days when the scintillations are weak (<10 dB) or absent. The day-to-day post sunset enhancement in the E×B drift is found to decrease with increasing Kp-index and this decrease is more prominent in the equinoxes, less in winter and insignificant in the summer months. On a day-to-day basis, it is found that the value of the upward drift velocity at the equator should be ≥30 m/s for the onset of strong scintillations over Waltair for magnetically quiet days with average Kp≤2 (6 h prior to the local sunset) during the high sunspot year, 2001. This threshold value of the upward drift reduces to 20 m/s with the decrease in the sunspot activity during 2004. Further, these conditions for the onset of intense scintillations is well defined in equinoxes, less in winter and least in the summer solstices.

scholarly journals The persistence of equatorial spread F – an analysis on seasonal, solar activity and geomagnetic activity aspects

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 503-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Sreeja ◽  
C. V. Devasia ◽  
R. Sridharan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Geomagnetic Activity ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Magnetic Activity ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Equatorial Spread F ◽  
Vertical Drift ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Spread F ◽  
Advance Information

Abstract. The persistence (duration) of Equatorial Spread F (ESF), which has significant impact on communication systems, is addressed. Its behavior during different seasons and geomagnetic activity levels under the solar maximum (2001) and minimum (2006) conditions, is reported using the data from the magnetic equatorial location of Trivandrum (8.5° N; 77° E; dip 0.5° N) in India. The study reveals that the persistence of the irregularities can be estimated to a reasonable extent by knowing the post sunset F region vertical drift velocity (Vz) and the magnetic activity index Kp. Any sort of advance information on the possible persistence of the ionospheric irregularities responsible for ESF is important for understanding the scintillation morphology, and the results which form the first step in this direction are presented and discussed.

Characteristics of VHF scintillations in the equatorial anomaly crest region in India

1995 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 730-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. N. Pathak ◽  
R. D. Jivrajani ◽  
H. P. Joshi ◽  
K. N. Iyer
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Solar Cycle ◽  
Magnetic Activity ◽  
Summer Season ◽  
Equatorial Anomaly ◽  
Equatorial Station ◽  
F Region ◽  
Ionospheric Scintillations

Abstract. The characteristics of ionospheric scintillations at Rajkot in the equatorial anomaly crest region in India are described for the years 1987–1991 by monitoring the 244-MHz transmission from the satellite FLEETSAT. This period covers the ascending phase of solar cycle 22. Scintillations occur predominantly in the pre-midnight period during equinoxes and winter seasons and in the post-midnight period during summer season. During equinoxes and winter, scintillation occurrence increases with solar activity, whilst in summer it is found to decrease with solar activity. Statistically, scintillation occurrence is suppressed by magnetic activity. The characteristics observed during winter and equinoxes are similar to those seen at the equatorial station, Trivandrum. This, coupled with the nature of the post-sunset equatorial F-region drift and h'F variations, supports the view that at the anomaly crest station, scintillations are of equatorial origin during equinox and winter, whilst in summer they may be of mid-latitude type. The variations in scintillation intensity (in dB) with season and solar activity are also reported.

scholarly journals Psychological Correlates of Self-reported Disease Activity in Ankylosing Spondylitis

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 829-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
TAMAR F. BRIONEZ ◽  
SHERVIN ASSASSI ◽  
JOHN D. REVEILLE ◽  
CHARLES GREEN ◽  
THOMAS LEARCH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Ankylosing Spondylitis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Disease Activity Index ◽  
Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽  
Passive Coping ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Psychological Measures

Objective.To investigate the role of psychological variables in self-reported disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), while controlling for demographic and medical variables.Methods.Patients with AS (n = 294) meeting modified New York criteria completed psychological measures evaluating depression, resilience, active and passive coping, internality, and helplessness. Demographic, clinical, and radiologic data were also collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were completed to determine the strength of the correlation of psychological variables with disease activity, as measured by the Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI).Results.In the multivariate regression analysis, the psychological variables contributed significantly to the variance in BASDAI scores, adding an additional 33% to the overall R-square beyond that accounted for by demographic and medical variables (combined R-square 18%). Specifically, arthritis helplessness and depression accounted for the most significant portion of the variance in BASDAI scores in the final model.Conclusion.Arthritis helplessness and depression accounted for significant variability in self-reported disease activity beyond clinical and demographic variables in patients with AS. These findings have important clinical implications in the treatment and monitoring of disease activity in AS, and suggest potential avenues of intervention.

THE ROLE OF MYELOPEROXIDASE AND NEUTROPHIL EXTRACELLULAR TRAPS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S4-S4
Author(s):  
Belal Chami ◽  
Gulfam Ahmad ◽  
Angie Schroder ◽  
Patrick San Gabriel ◽  
Paul Witting
Keyword(s):  
Disease Severity ◽  
Hypochlorous Acid ◽  
Tissue Injury ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Neutrophil Migration ◽  
Sodium Sulphate ◽  
Host Tissue ◽  
Neutrophil Extracellular Trap

Abstract Neutrophils are short-lived immune cells that represent the major cell type recruited to the inflamed bowel releasing their azurophilic granules containing enzymes myeloperoxidase (MPO). Fecal and serum MPO levels has previously been shown to correlate to disease severity in IBD patients. MPO, in the presence of H2O2 and free Cl- undergoes a halogenation cycle, yielding the two-electron oxidant, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) - a potent bactericidal agent. However, chronic intestinal exposure to MPO/HOCl due to perpetual inflammation may cause secondary host-tissue injury and cell death. Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (NET)osis is a specialised form of neutrophil death where MPO is entrapped in a DNA scaffold and continues to elicit HOCl activity and may further contribute to host-tissue injury. We investigated the presence of NETs in surgically excised ileum samples from CD and healthy patients using advanced confocal microscopic techniques and found MPO, Neutrophil Elastase (NE) and Citrullinated Histone h3 (CitH3) - critical components of NET formation, individually positively correlate to the severity of histopathological intestinal injury. Furthermore, multiplex Opal™ IHC performed using LMS880 Airyscan-moduled microscopy with z-stacking revealed colocalization of NE, MPO, CitH3 and DAPI indicating the extensive presence of NETs in severely affected CD tissue. Using two pharmacological inhibitors of MPO in a dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) model of murine colitis, we demonstrated the pathological role of MPO in experimental colitis. MPO inhibitors, TEMPOL and AZD3241 delivered via daily i.p significantly rescued the course of colitis by abrogating clinical indices including body weight loss, disease activity index, inhibiting serum peroxidation, and preserving colon length, while significantly mitigating histoarchitectural damage associated with DSS-induced colitis. We also showed that MPO inhibition decreased neutrophil migration to the gut, suggesting MPO may play a role in perpetuating the inflammatory cell by further recruiting cells to the inflamed gut. Collectively, we have shown for the first time that MPO is not only an important clinical marker of disease severity but may also play a critical role in perpetuating host-tissue damage and inflammation.

The role of slow magnetostrophic waves in dipole formation in rapidly rotating dynamos

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Varma ◽  
Binod Sreenivasan
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Dipole Field ◽  
Wave Frequency ◽  
Alfven Wave ◽  
Inertial Waves ◽  
Axial Dipole ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Magnetic Field

&lt;p&gt;It is known that the columnar structures in rapidly rotating convection are affected by the magnetic field in ways that enhance their helicity. This may explain the dominance of the axial dipole in rotating dynamos. Dynamo simulations starting from a small seed magnetic field have shown that the growth of the field is accompanied by the excitation of convection in the energy-containing length scales. Here, this process is studied by examining axial wave motions in the growth phase of the dynamo for a wide range of thermal forcing. In the early stages of evolution where the field is weak, fast inertial waves weakly modified by the magnetic field are abundantly present. As the field strength(measured by the ratio of the Alfven wave to the inertial wave frequency) exceeds a threshold value, slow magnetostrophic waves are spontaneously generated. The excitation of the slow waves coincides with the generation of helicity through columnar motion, and is followed by the formation of the axial dipole from a chaotic, multipolar state. In strongly driven convection, the slow wave frequency is attenuated, causing weakening of the axial dipole intensity. Kinematic dynamo simulations at the same parameters, where only fast inertial waves are present, fail to produce the axial dipole field. The dipole field in planetary dynamos may thus be supported by the helicity from slow magnetostrophic waves.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Study of spatial and temporal characteristics of L-band scintillations over the Indian low-latitude region and their possible effects on GPS navigation

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1567-1580 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. V. S. Rama Rao ◽  
S. Gopi Krishna ◽  
K. Niranjan ◽  
D. S. V. V. D. Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Indian Region ◽  
Sunspot Activity ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Positional Accuracy ◽  
Band Frequency ◽  
Latitude Range ◽  
Ionospheric Scintillations ◽  
Simultaneous Study ◽  
L Band ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract. The scintillation data (S4-index) at the L-band frequency of 1.575GHz, recorded from a total of 18 GPS receivers installed at different locations in India under the GAGAN project, have provided us with a unique opportunity, for the first time in the Indian region, to make a simultaneous study of spatio-temporal and intensity characteristics of the trans-ionospheric scintillations during the 18-month, low sunspot activity (LSSA) period from January 2004 to July 2005. During this period, the occurrence of scintillations is found to be maximum around the pre-midnight hours of equinox months, with very little activity during the post-midnight hours. No significant scintillation activity is observed during the summer and winter months of the period of observation. The intensity (S4 index) of the scintillation activity is stronger around the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) region in the geographic latitude range of 15° to 25° N in the Indian region. These scintillations are often accompanied by the TEC depletions with durations ranging from 5 to 25 min and magnitudes from 5 to 15 TEC units which affect the positional accuracy of the GPS by 1 to 3 m. Further, during the intense scintillation events (S4>0.45≈10 dB), the GPS receiver is found to lose its lock for a short duration of 1 to 4 min, increasing the error bounds effecting the integrity of the SBAS operation. During the present period of study, a total of 395 loss of lock events are observed in the Indian EIA region; this number is likely to increase during the high sunspot activity (HSSA) period, creating more adverse conditions for the trans-ionospheric communications and the GPS-based navigation systems.

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