•Isoparametric Green’s function for general geometries and multi-material solids•Multiresolution wavelet basis with shifted quadrature for GF singularity•Optimal regularization parameter and ...comparison with Conjugate Heat Simulation•Multiresolution detail of heat flux on hypersonic wedge at Mach 6
A multiresolution formulation for the direct and inverse reconstruction of the heat flux from temperature sensors distributed over a multidimensional solid in an hypersonic flow is presented. The thermal response is determined by approximating the system Green’s function with the Galerkin method and optimizing the heat flux distribution by fitting the distributed surface temperature data. Coating and glue layers are treated as separated domains for which the Green’s function is obtained independently. Connection conditions for the system Green’s function are derived by imposing continuity of heat flux and temperature concurrently at all interfaces. The heat flux is decomposed in a space-time basis where the temporal functions are multiresolution wavelet with arbitrary scaling. We develop quadrature formulas for the convolution product between wavelets and Green’s function, a reconstruction approach based on isoparametric mapping of three-dimensional geometries, and boundary wavelets for inverse problems. We validate the approach against turbulent conjugate heat transfer simulations and wind tunnel experiments at Mach 0.8 and 6. The main findings are that multidimensional effects are important near the wedge shoulder in the short time scale, that the L-curve regularization must be locally corrected to analyze transitional flows, and that proper regularization leads to sub-cell resolution of the inverse problem.
We have determined accurate values of the product of the mass-loss rate and the ion fraction of P super(+4), M q(p super(+4)), for a sample of 40 Galactic O-type stars by fitting stellar wind ...profiles to observations of the P V resonance doublet obtained with FUSE, ORFEUS BEFS, and Copernicus, When P super(+4) is the dominant ion in the wind i.e., 0.5 q(P super(+4)) ,1, super(M) q(P super(+4)) approximates the mass-loss rate to within a factor of 2. Theory predicts that P super(+4) is the dominant ion in the winds of 07-09.7 stars, although an empirical estimator suggests that the range 04-07 may be more appropriate. However, we find that the mass-loss rates obtained from P V wind profiles are systematically smaller than those obtained from fits to Ha emission profiles or radio free-free emission by median factors of 6130 (if P super(+4) is dominant between O7 and 09.7) or 620 (if P super(+4) is dominant between 04 and 07). These discordant measurements can be reconciled if the winds of O stars in the relevant temperature range are strongly clumped on small spatial scales. We use a simplified two-component model to investigate the volume filling factors of the denser regions. This clumping implies that mass-loss rates determined from "P super(2)" diagnostics have been systematically overestimated by factors of 10 or more, at least for a subset of O stars. Reductions in the mass-loss rates of this size have important implications for the evolution of massive stars and quantitative estimates of the feedback that hot-star winds provide to their interstellar environments.
IntroductionVitamin B12, folic acid and homocysteine play a key role in cellular functioning as part of “one-carbon metabolism”, a biochemical pathway involved in many essential biological processes, ...such as DNA synthesis. Therefore, imbalance involving these micronutrients might impair neurological functioning as well. Vitamin B12 has been implicated in the onset of a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms/disorders, like mood disorders, anxiety, hallucinations and delirium. Altered levels have been reported in mood disorders (MDs), but available literature particularly focuses on major depression (MDD), while the information in bipolar disorders (BDs) is still limited.ObjectivesThe present study aimed at assessing vitamin B12, homocysteine and folic acid in bipolar inpatients and detecting any relationship with clinical features or outcome measures.MethodsA total sample of 69 inpatients was selected. Diagnoses of bipolar disorder I (BDI), II (BDII), schizoaffective disorders, and MDD, were assessed according to DSM-5 criteria. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI) scales were used to complete the psychopathological evaluation. The blood parameters were measured according to common clinical-chemical methods.ResultsAbout 50 % of bipolar patients (34) showed significantly lower vitamin B12, and 14 higher homocysteine levels than normative values. No differences were noted between genders, except for a slightly higher rate of women showing lower homocysteine, phase of illness, intake of psychotropic drugs, or dietary habits. Folic acid levels were normal in most of the sample. Patients with a family history of suicide showed significantly lower levels of vitamin B12.ConclusionsThese results suggest that implementing the assessment of vitamin B12, homocysteine and folic acid in patients with BD in routine clinical practice could be a useful as well as simple, non-invasive and cheap tool. Although other studies are necessary, the present findings that lower levels of vitamin B12 seem typical of patients with a family history of suicide independently from the phase of illness, suggests that they might constitute a possible predictor of this tragic outcome.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Absorption spectra within the infrared (IR) range of frequencies for nitrosamines in water are calculated using density function theory (DFT). Calculated in this study, are the IR spectra of C
H
N
O, ...C
H
N
O, C
H
N
O, C
H
N
O, C
H
N
O, and C
H
N
O. DFT calculated absorption spectra corresponding to vibration excited states of these molecules in continuous water background can be correlated with additional information obtained from laboratory measurements. The DFT software Gaussian was used for the calculations of excited states presented here. This case study provides proof of concept, viz., that such DFT calculated spectra can be used for their practical detection in environmental samples. Thus, DFT calculated spectra may be used to construct templates, for spectral-feature comparison, and thus detection of spectral-signature features associated with target materials.
IntroductionThe relationship between mood disorders, particularly depression and cognitive impairment is complex. The symptoms of depression in the elderly include confusion, sleep alterations, low ...concentration, cognitive deficits, and somatic complaints that may are also present in dementia, with depression being often a prodrome.ObjectivesThe present study aimed at investigating the presence of cognitive disturbances in outpatients over 65 years of age consulting us for a mood episode, as well as to investigate the possible relationships between cognitive and depressive symptoms.MethodsThe study included 57 older patients attending the Psychiatric Clinic of Pisa, with a diagnosis of a major mood episode according to DSM-5 criteria. The psychometric scales included: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Beck Inventory Scale (BDI), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), to measure the severity of depression; Short Psychiatric Evaluation Schedule (SPES), to assess organic mental deficits; Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), to assess depression in people with dementia; Adult Autism Subthreshold (AdAS) Spectrum, to evaluates the eventual presence of specific features of the autistic spectrum disorder(ASD). Moreover, patients were also assessed for cognitive screening with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).ResultsThe HAM-D total score was 10.18±6.33, that of BDI 12.79± 9.89, that of GDS 12.69±8.25 and that of CSDD 8.35±6.25. The showed a MoCA value was 21.30±4.86, that of FAB 14.12±3.92, and that of MMSE 25.06±4.20. The MoCA total score positively correlated with those of the FAB and of the MMSE, while the FAB score with the MMSE score. A positive correlation was found between SPES and the HAM-D, BDI, CSDD and GDS total scores. The AdAS score positively correlated with that of MMSE. By correlating scores of depressive dimensions with those of cognitive functions, a positive correlation was noted between FAB total score and those of the HAM-D, BDI, CSDD and SPESConclusionsThese findings suggest a possible link between the presence of ASD and depressive symptoms from the one side and cognitive performance and executive functions from the another side.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
The effect of a three-week fructose-rich diet (FRD) upon gene expression, protein and activity levels of liver antioxidant system and carbohydrate metabolism was studied.
Serum glucose (fasting and ...after a glucose load), triglyceride and insulin levels of normal male Wistar rats were measured. In liver, we measured gene/protein expression and enzyme activity of catalase (CAT), copper–zinc–superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx); reduced glutathione (GSH); protein carbonyl content; thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content and microsomal membrane susceptibility to lipid peroxidation; glucokinase (GK), glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) activity; and glycogen, pyruvate, lactate and triglyceride content.
Similar body weights and caloric intake were recorded in both groups. FRD rats had higher serum glucose, insulin and triglyceride levels, molar insulin:glucose ratio, HOMA-IR values and impaired glucose tolerance, whereas CAT, CuZnSOD and GSHPx relative gene expression levels were significantly lower. CAT and CuZnSOD protein expression, CAT activity and GSH content were also lower, while protein carbonyl content was higher. No differences were recorded in CuZnSOD, MnSOD and GSHPx activity, TBARS content and membrane susceptibility to lipid peroxidation. Glycogen, lactate and triglyceride content and GK, G-6-Pase and G-6-PDH activity were significantly higher in FRD rats.
In the presence of oxidative stress, the liver exhibits changes in the carbohydrate and lipid metabolic pathways that would decrease reactive oxygen species production and their deleterious effect, thus inducing little impact on specific antioxidant mechanisms. This knowledge could facilitate the design and implementation of strategies to prevent oxidative stress-induced liver damage.
We present a catalog of 1750 massive stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), with accurate spectral types compiled from the literature, and a photometric catalog for a subset of 1268 of these ...stars, with the goal of exploring their infrared properties. The photometric catalog consists of stars with infrared counterparts in the Spitzer SAGE survey database, for which we present uniform photometry from 0.3 to 24 Delta *mm in the UBVIJHKs +IRAC+MIPS24 bands. The resulting infrared color-magnitude diagrams illustrate that the supergiant Be, red supergiant, and luminous blue variable (LBV) stars are among the brightest infrared point sources in the LMC, due to their intrinsic brightness, and at longer wavelengths, due to dust. We detect infrared excesses due to free-free emission among ~900 OB stars, which correlate with luminosity class. We confirm the presence of dust around 10 supergiant Be stars, finding the shape of their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) to be very similar, in contrast to the variety of SED shapes among the spectrally variable LBVs. The similar luminosities of Be supergiants (log L/L >= 4) and the rare, dusty progenitors of the new class of optical transients (e.g., SN 2008S and NGC 300 OT), plus the fact that dust is present in both types of objects, suggests a common origin for them. We find the infrared colors for Wolf-Rayet stars to be independent of spectral type and their SEDs to be flatter than what models predict. The results of this study provide the first comprehensive roadmap for interpreting luminous, massive, resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies at infrared wavelengths.
To evaluate whether co-administration of R/S-α-lipoic acid can prevent the development of oxidative stress and metabolic changes induced by a fructose-rich diet (F).
We assessed glycemia in the ...fasting state and during an oral glucose tolerance test, triglyceridemia and insulinemia in rats fed with standard diet (control) and fructose without or with R/S-α-lipoic acid. Insulin resistance and hepatic insulin sensitivity were also calculated. In liver, we measured reduced glutathione, protein carbonyl groups, antioxidant capacity by ABTS assay, antioxidant enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase 1 and 2), uncoupling protein 2, PPARδ and PPARγ protein expressions, SREBP-1c, fatty acid synthase and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-1 gene expression, and glucokinase activity.
R/S-α-lipoic acid co-administration to F-fed rats a) prevented hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance, b) improved hepatic insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, c) decreased liver oxidative stress and increased antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzymes expression, d) decreased uncoupling protein 2 and PPARδ protein expression and increased PPARγ levels, e) restored the basal gene expression of PPARδ, SREBP-1c and the lipogenic genes fatty acid synthase and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, and f) decreased the fructose-mediated enhancement of glucokinase activity.
Our results suggest that fructose-induced oxidative stress is an early phenomenon associated with compensatory hepatic metabolic mechanisms, and that treatment with an antioxidant prevented the development of such changes.
This knowledge would help to better understand the mechanisms involved in liver adaptation to fructose-induced oxidative stress and to develop effective strategies to prevent and treat, at early stages, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
► Fructose-induced oxidative stress is an early phenomenon related to compensatory hepatic metabolic mechanisms. ► Modified PPARδ, PPARγ and UCP2 expressions might be hepatic adaptations to fructose-induced oxidative stress. ► Effective prevention of the oxidative stress by lipoic acid suggest its potential clinical treatment value. ► Our data would help to develop effective strategies to prevent and treat, at early stages, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Introduction
Pharmacological and cognitive neuroenhancement refer to the non-medical use of prescription drugs, alcohol, illegal drugs, or the so-called soft enhancers, to enhance cognition, mood, ...work or school performance, or to promote pro-social behaviour. Literature on the topic is meagre, and available data only partially enlightens their use.
Objectives
The aim of this paper is to review and comment on the available literature on pharmacological neuroenhancement and, secondary, on emotional enhancement.
Methods
A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, PsychInfo and Google Scholar databases were accessed to select English language articles, published from 1980 to April 2020. 11746 papers were initially selected and 123 papers were finally included.
Results
Available literature indicates a widespread and increasing use of different kinds of substances, drugs and food supplements mainly with neuroenhancing purposes, especially amongst specific populations of young healthy subjects. The evidence regarding their efficacy is controversial. Further, a limited or no awareness regarding the possible consequences of their abuse/misuse emerges amongst users.
Conclusions
Despite the limited evidence that some substances may improve cognitive functions in healthy subjects and neglecting their detrimental side effects and potential risk of misuse, abuse and addiction, there is an increasing worldwide use of the so-called neuroenhancers, especially in some categories of individuals, such as university students. Further studies are needed to collect reliable data on the effects of neuroenhancers in healthy subjects. Neuroenhancement puts into question the concept of authenticity, so that the problem requires to be analyzed within a complex ethical conceptual frame.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
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