Hi-GAL, theHerschelinfrared Galactic Plane Survey: photometric maps and compact source catalogues

Aims. We present the first public release of high-quality data products (DR1) from Hi-GAL, the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey. Hi-GAL is the keystone of a suite of continuum Galactic plane surveys from the near-IR to the radio and covers five wavebands at 70, 160, 250, 350 and 500 µm, encompassing the peak of the spectral energy distribution of cold dust for 8 < T < 50 K. This first Hi-GAL data release covers the inner Milky Way in the longitude range 68◦ > t > −70◦ in a |b| ≤ 1◦ latitude strip. ∼ ∼ ∼ ∼ Methods. Photometric maps have been produced with the ROMAGAL pipeline, which optimally capitalizes on the excellent sensitivity and stability of the bolometer arrays of the Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometric cameras. It delivers images of exquisite quality and dynamical range, absolutely calibrated with Planck and IRAS, and recovers extended emission at all wavelengths and all spatial scales, from the point-spread function to the size of an entire 2◦ × 2◦ “tile” that is the unit observing block of the survey. The compact source catalogues were generated with the CuTEx algorithm, which was specifically developed to optimise source detection and extraction in the extreme conditions of intense and spatially varying background that are found in the Galactic plane in the thermal infrared. Results. Hi-GAL DR1 images are cirrus noise limited and reach the 1σ-rms predicted by the Herschel Time Estimators for parallel-mode obser- vations at 6011 s−1 scanning speed in relatively low cirrus emission regions. Hi-GAL DR1 images will be accessible through a dedicated web-based image cutout service. The DR1 Compact Source Catalogues are delivered as single-band photometric lists containing, in addition to source posi- tion, peak, and integrated flux and source sizes, a variety of parameters useful to assess the quality and reliability of the extracted sources. Caveats and hints to help in this assessment are provided. Flux completeness limits in all bands are determined from extensive synthetic source experiments and greatly depend on the specific line of sight along the Galactic plane because the background strongly varies as a function of Galactic longitude. Hi-GAL DR1 catalogues contain 123210, 308509, 280685, 160972, and 85460 compact sources in the five bands

Annexin-V positive extracellular vesicles level is increased in severe COVID-19 disease

ObjectivesTo evaluate extracellular vesicles levels in a cohort of SARS-CoV-2’s patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit with and without COVID-19 associated thromboembolic events.MethodsIn this study, we aim to assess endothelial and platelet membrane-derived extracellular vesicles levels in a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 patients with and without COVID-19-associated thromboembolic events who were hospitalized in an intensive care unit. Annexin-V positive extracellular vesicles levels were prospectively assessed by flow cytometry in one hundred twenty-three critically ill adults diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with a SARS-CoV-2 infection, ten adults diagnosed for moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection and 25 healthy volunteers.ResultsOn our critically ill patients, thirty-four patients (27.6%) had a thromboembolic event, Fifty-three (43%) died. Endothelial and platelet membrane-derived extracellular vesicles were drastically increased in SARS-CoV-2 patients hospitalized in the ICU compared to healthy volunteers. Moreover a slighty higher small/large ratio for platelets membrane-derived extracellular vesicles in patients was linked to thrombo-embolic events.ConclusionA comparison between total annexin-V positive extracellular vesicles levels in severe and moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection and healthy controls showed a significant increase in patients with severe infection and their sizes could be considered as biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 associated thrombo-embolic events

Annexin-V positive extracellular vesicles level is increased in severe COVID-19 disease

International audienceObjectives To evaluate extracellular vesicles levels in a cohort of SARS-CoV-2’s patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit with and without COVID-19 associated thromboembolic events. Methods In this study, we aim to assess endothelial and platelet membrane-derived extracellular vesicles levels in a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 patients with and without COVID-19-associated thromboembolic events who were hospitalized in an intensive care unit. Annexin-V positive extracellular vesicles levels were prospectively assessed by flow cytometry in one hundred twenty-three critically ill adults diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with a SARS-CoV-2 infection, ten adults diagnosed for moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection and 25 healthy volunteers. Results On our critically ill patients, thirty-four patients (27.6%) had a thromboembolic event, Fifty-three (43%) died. Endothelial and platelet membrane-derived extracellular vesicles were drastically increased in SARS-CoV-2 patients hospitalized in the ICU compared to healthy volunteers. Moreover a slighty higher small/large ratio for platelets membrane-derived extracellular vesicles in patients was linked to thrombo-embolic events. Conclusion A comparison between total annexin-V positive extracellular vesicles levels in severe and moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection and healthy controls showed a significant increase in patients with severe infection and their sizes could be considered as biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 associated thrombo-embolic events

The science of EChO

The science of extra-solar planets is one of the most rapidly changing areas of astrophysics and since 1995 the number of planets known has increased by almost two orders of magnitude. A combination of ground-based surveys and dedicated space missions has resulted in 560-plus planets being detected, and over 1200 that await confirmation. NASA's Kepler mission has opened up the possibility of discovering Earth-like planets in the habitable zone around some of the 100,000 stars it is surveying during its 3 to 4-year lifetime. The new ESA's Gaia mission is expected to discover thousands of new planets around stars within 200 parsecs of the Sun. The key challenge now is moving on from discovery, important though that remains, to characterisation: what are these planets actually like, and why are they as they are? In the past ten years, we have learned how to obtain the first spectra of exoplanets using transit transmission and emission spectroscopy. With the high stability of Spitzer, Hubble, and large ground-based telescopes the spectra of bright close-in massive planets can be obtained and species like water vapour, methane, carbon monoxide and dioxide have been detected. With transit science came the first tangible remote sensing of these planetary bodies and so one can start to extrapolate from what has been learnt from Solar System probes to what one might plan to learn about their faraway siblings. As we learn more about the atmospheres, surfaces and near-surfaces of these remote bodies, we will begin to build up a clearer picture of their construction, history and suitability for life. The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory, EChO, will be the first dedicated mission to investigate the physics and chemistry of Exoplanetary Atmospheres. By characterising spectroscopically more bodies in different environments we will take detailed planetology out of the Solar System and into the Galaxy as a whole

Early effects of embryonic movement: ‘a shot out of the dark’

It has long been appreciated that studying the embryonic chick in ovo provides a variety of advantages, including the potential to control the embryo's environment and its movement independently of maternal influences. This allowed early workers to identify movement as a pivotal factor in the development of the locomotor apparatus. With an increasing focus on the earliest detectable movements, we have exploited this system by developing novel models and schemes to examine the influence of defined periods of movement during musculoskeletal development. Utilizing drugs with known neuromuscular actions to provoke hyperactivity (4-aminopyridine, AP) and either rigid (decamethonium bromide, DMB) or flaccid (pancuronium bromide, PB) paralysis, we have examined the role of movement in joint, osteochondral and muscle development. Our initial studies focusing on the joint showed that AP-induced hyperactivity had little, if any, effect on the timing or scope of joint cavity elaboration, suggesting that endogenous activity levels provide sufficient stimulus, and additional mobilization is without effect. By contrast, imposition of either rigid or flaccid paralysis prior to cavity formation completely blocked this process and, with time, produced fusion of cartilaginous elements and formation of continuous single cartilaginous rods across locations where joints would ordinarily form. The effect of these distinct forms of paralysis differed, however, when treatment was initiated after formation of an overt cavity; rigid, but not flaccid, paralysis partly conserved precavitated joints. This observation suggests that ‘static’ loading derived from ‘spastic’ rigidity can act to preserve joint cavities. Another facet of these studies was the observation that DMB-induced rigid paralysis produces a uniform and specific pattern of limb deformity whereas PB generated a diverse range of fixed positional deformities. Both also reduced limb growth, with different developmental periods preferentially modifying specific osteochondral components. Changes in cartilage and bone growth induced by 3-day periods of flaccid immobilization, imposed at distinct developmental phases, provides support for a diminution in cartilage elaboration at an early phase and for a relatively delayed influence of movement on osteogenesis, invoking critical periods during which the developing skeleton becomes receptive to the impact of movement. Immobilization also exerts differential impact along the proximo-distal axis of the limb. Finally, our preliminary results support the possibility that embryonic hyperactivity influences the potential for postnatal muscle growth