Description: It is important to study the `concentrated? electrostatic solitary waves/structures (ESWs) associated with the magnetic reconnection. In the literature published as regards this topic, very few studies have reported the observation of such a large number of ESWs in a single magnetic reconnection event. In this work, we report our observation of a large number of ESWs around the magnetic null-pairs within the magnetic reconnection ion diffusion region of Earth's magnetosphere on 10 September 2001. With more than 9,600 cases of ESWs observed around magnetic null-pairs and more than 97,600 cases observed during the ion diffusion region crossing time span, the observation of such a large number of ESWs in the diffusion region has not been reported often in published works. We further perform single-event-based statistical analysis of the characteristics of the ESWs around magnetic null-pairs. Based on the statistical result, we speculate that the two-stream instability originating from the magnetic null and traveling outward along the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) is the candidate mechanism of the large number of observed ESWs. Our observation and analysis in this work suggests that even with the presence of a complex magnetic structure around a magnetic null-pair in the three-dimensional regime, concentrated ESWs can be observed. This single-reconnection-event-based statistical result of ESWs around the magnetic null-pairs can aid in understanding the microdynamics associated with three-dimensional (3D) magnetic reconnection.

Description: We present an in situ evidence of electron beam-associated symmetric bipolar electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) on the current sheet-side of the separatrix of the magnetic reconnection in the near-Earth magnetotail by multi-spacecraft observation of Cluster. Within one spin period, 42 cases of symmetric ESWs are continuously observed during 2 s by SC2 while other spacecrafts do not “detect” them. And the Plasma Electron and Current Experiment (PEACE) spinPAD mode data exhibits unidirectional electron beam antiparallel to the ambient field, and no electron beam-like distribution is found by other spacecrafts without ESW observation. Though the electron beam is strongly associated with the ESWs in observation by multiple spacecraft differentiation, however, the relationship between the counter-directed electron beam and the simultaneously observed ESWs remains unclear and open to the next study.

Description: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 is implicated in learning and memory. Experimental studies have suggested that the IGF-1 system is beneficial in cognition, especially in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), by opposing Aβ amyloid processing and hyperphosphorylated tau toxicity. Low IGF-I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 serum levels are significantly associated with AD. To assess the relationship between circulating IGF-I and IGFBP3 levels and change of postoperative cognition. The study was performed in patients scheduled for elective head and neck carcinoma surgery under general anesthesia. On the day before the operation and postoperative days 1, 3 and 7, mini-mental state examination (MMSE) was performed by the same doctor, and blood samples were collected at 08:00 h after overnight fasting. The circulating levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP3 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. One hundred and two patients completed all four MMSE tests and forty-four of them completed all the four blood samples collection. Postoperative circulating IGF-1 level, ratio of IGF-1/IGFBP3 and MMSE score significantly decreased, whereas IGFBP3 level significantly increased compared with preoperative values in total patients. The change trends of circulating IGF-1 level and MMSE score were similar. Preoperative circulating IGF-1 level, ratio and MMSE score were significantly lower in POCD group compared to non-POCD group. There was no significant difference in preoperative level of circulating IGFBP3 between the two groups. Preoperative circulating IGF-1 level was negatively correlated with age and positively with MMSE. Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower preoperative IGF-1 level and elderly patients increased the odds of POCD. Down-regulation of circulating IGF-1 level may be involved in the mechanism of postoperative cognitive dysfunction. Older patients had lower circulating IGF-1 levels and were more susceptible to POCD.

Description: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlations between risk factors such as hypertension and the complex degrees of coronary arterial lesions (CAL).