The influence of leading edge sheet cavitation and supercavitation on the added mass effects experienced by a 2-D NACA0009 truncated hydrofoil has been experimentally investigated in a hydrodynamic ...tunnel. A non-intrusive excitation and measuring system based on piezoelectric patches mounted on the hydrofoil surface was used to determine the natural frequencies of the fluid–structure system. The appropriate hydrodynamic conditions were selected to generate a range of stable partial cavities of various sizes and also to minimize the effects of other sources of flow noise and vibrations. The main tests were performed for different sigma values under a constant flow velocity of 14m/s and for incident angles of both 1° and 2°. Additionally, a series of experiments in which the hydrofoil was submerged in air, partially and completely submerged in still water and without cavitation at 7 and 14m/s were also performed. The maximum added mass effect occurs with still water. When cavitation appears, the added mass decreases because the cavity length is increased, and the added mass is minimum for supercavitation. A linear correlation is found between the added mass coefficients and the entrained mass that accounts for the mean density of the cavity, its dimensions and its location relative to the specific mode shape deformation.
Structural optimisation of a wind turbine blade is presented in this work. The optimisation was performed using a multi-objective genetic algorithm and finite element modelling to determine the ...optimal structural design for a glass fibre-reinforced polypropylene composite blade. A candidate blade design from the Pareto efficient set was manufactured and tested for a range of structural characteristics, including: mass, centre of gravity, deflections, strains and natural frequencies. Static testing was carried out using a Whiffle tree test rig and a laser scanner was used to determine the deflection of the blade to a high degree of accuracy. The finite element model results for the custom-made design are compared to the measured blade response. The FE model predictions for strains, mass and natural frequencies are in relatively good agreement with the test results; however, notable deviations in the deflections predictions are attributed to modifications to the blade for manufacture and the shell-based modelling approach. The differences are discussed in detail and recommendations for future design work are outlined. The test results of the bespoke blade are also compared to two additional designs to determine the level of improvement afforded by the genetic algorithm approach. The bespoke glass fibre blade demonstrated an improvement in tip deflection of 16% relative to the original blade design, with a slight decrease in mass.
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease characterised by proliferation of abnormal smooth muscle-like cells (LAM cells) leading to progressive cystic destruction of the lung, lymphatic ...abnormalities and abdominal tumours. It affects predominantly females and can occur sporadically or in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex. This review describes the recent progress in our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of the disease and LAM cell biology. It also summarises current therapeutic approaches and the most promising areas of research for future therapeutic strategies.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a generalized, widespread chronic pain disorder affecting 2.7% of the general population. In recent years, different studies have observed a strong association between FM and ...psychological trauma. Therefore, a trauma-focused psychotherapy, such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), combined with a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, such as multifocal transcranial current stimulation (MtCS), could be an innovative adjunctive treatment option. This double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) analyzes if EMDR therapy is effective in the reduction of pain symptoms in FM patients and if its potential is boosted with the addition of MtCS.
Forty-five patients with FM and a history of traumatic events will be randomly allocated to Waiting List, EMDR + active-MtCS, or EMDR + sham-MtCS. Therapists and patients will be kept blind to MtCS conditions, and raters will be kept blind to both EMDR and MtCS. All patients will be evaluated at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up at 6 months after post-treatment. Evaluations will assess the following variables: sociodemographic data, pain, psychological trauma, sleep disturbance, anxiety and affective symptoms, and wellbeing.
This study will provide evidence of whether EMDR therapy is effective in reducing pain symptoms in FM patients, and whether the effect of EMDR can be enhanced by MtCS.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04084795 . Registered on 2 August 2019.
Ectopic calcifications in intervertebral discs (IVDs) are known characteristics of IVD degeneration that are not commonly reported but may be implicated in structural failure and dysfunctional IVD ...cell metabolic responses. This study investigated the novel hypothesis that ectopic calcifications in the IVD are associated with advanced glycation end products (AGEs) via hypertrophy and osteogenic differentiation. Histological analyses of human IVDs from several degeneration stages revealed areas of ectopic calcification within the nucleus pulposus and at the cartilage endplate. These ectopic calcifications were associated with cells positive for the AGE methylglyoxal-hydroimidazolone-1 (MG-H1). MG-H1 was also co-localised with Collagen 10 (COL10) and Osteopontin (OPN) suggesting osteogenic differentiation. Bovine nucleus pulposus and cartilaginous endplate cells in cell culture demonstrated that 200 mg/mL AGEs in low-glucose media increased ectopic calcifications after 4 d in culture and significantly increased COL10 and OPN expression. The receptor for AGE (RAGE) was involved in this differentiation process since its inhibition reduced COL10 and OPN expression. We conclude that AGE accumulation is associated with endochondral ossification in IVDs and likely acts via the AGE/RAGE axis to induce hypertrophy and osteogenic differentiation in IVD cells. We postulate that this ectopic calcification may play an important role in accelerated IVD degeneration including the initiation of structural defects. Since orally administered AGE and RAGE inhibitors are available, future investigations on AGE/RAGE and endochondral ossification may be a promising direction for developing non-invasive treatment against progression of IVD degeneration.
In plants, the establishment of broad and long-lasting immunity is based on programs that control systemic resistance and immunological memory or "priming". Despite not showing activated defenses, a ...primed plant induces a more efficient response to recurrent infections. Priming might involve chromatin modifications that allow a faster/stronger activation of defense genes. The
chromatin regulator "
" (MOM1) has been recently suggested as a priming factor affecting the expression of immune receptor genes. Here, we show that
mutants exacerbate the root growth inhibition response triggered by the key defense priming inducers azelaic acid (AZA), β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) and pipecolic acid (PIP). Conversely,
mutants complemented with a minimal version of MOM1 (
plants) are insensitive. Moreover,
is unable to induce systemic resistance against
sp. in response to these inducers. Importantly, AZA, BABA and PIP treatments reduce the
expression, but not
transcript levels, in systemic tissues. Consistently, several MOM1-regulated immune receptor genes are upregulated during the activation of systemic resistance in WT plants, while this effect is not observed in
. Taken together, our results position MOM1 as a chromatin factor that negatively regulates the defense priming induced by AZA, BABA and PIP.
•The effect of a nearby solid wall on the added mass is numerically investigated.•The effect of partial submergence on the added mass is numerically investigated.•Both cases show good agreement with ...experimental results.•Wall effects are well captured by a 2nd order law for bending and torsion modes.•Partial submergence effects depend on the wetted surface displacements.
The influence of the boundary conditions on the added mass of a NACA0009 cantilever hydrofoil has been numerically and experimentally investigated. The study has been focused on the effects of a lateral solid wall close to the hydrofoil tip side and of a partially wetted vertical hydrofoil at different levels with the free surface parallel to the span. A detailed fluid–structure model has been built for both cases and a modal analysis has been carried out. The numerical three first natural frequencies have been used to calculate the added mass coefficients. These coefficients have been compared with the results of the analogous experiments carried out by means of an onboard excitation and response system based on piezoelectric patches. The obtained results are in reasonable good agreement with experimental data. The proximity of a lateral solid wall provokes an increase of the added mass experienced by the hydrofoil which can be approximated by a 2nd order polynomial function for both bending and torsion modes. On the other hand, the increase of the added mass with the level of partial submergence is found to be dependent on the relative displacements of the hydrofoil submerged part and hence on the mode shape.
Primordial odontogenic tumour (POT) is a relatively newly described entity with well-defined clinicopathological features. Since its initial description in 2014, 22 cases of POT have been reported in ...the literature. Only five cases of POT have arisen in the maxilla. This article describes an additional patient with a POT of the maxilla and provides a review of the literature on POT.
Serotonin 2C receptors (5HT2C) are involved in serotonin-driven dynamic equilibrium adjustments responsible for homeostatic stability in brain structures that modulate behavior and emotions. Single ...nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the serotonin 2C receptor gene (HTR2C) have been associated with several neurological and mental disorders, including abnormalities in cognitive and emotional processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the rs6318 SNP of the HTR2C gene and behavioral characteristics exhibited by children and adolescents based on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/6-18) inventory. Eighty-five psychiatric outpatients between 8 and 18 years of age underwent genotyping of the rs6318 SNP. The CBCL/6-18 scale was administered to their caregivers. The chi-squared test was used to assess differences in the frequency of C and G alleles of the rs6318 SNP relative to the grouped CBCL/6-18 scores; significance level was 5%. The presence of the G allele of rs6318 was found to be associated with characteristics of aggressive behavior and social problems, and aggressive behavior was found to be associated with heterozygosis in females. These findings contribute to the identification of mental and behavioral phenotypes associated with gene expression.
Co-processing experiments of straight run gas oil (SRGO) with used cooking oil (UCO), and category three animal fat were performed in a hydrotreatment pilot plant. Liquids and gaseous products ...obtained were analysed and quantified. The aim of the work was the study of the effect of the triglycerides feedstocks co-processing with the diesel fuel on the desulphurized gasoil properties, as well as their impact on the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) catalyst activities. These results were compared with the co-processing test of refined palm oil. Experiments were performed in a pilot plant that reproduced the hydrotreatment of diesel oil with a conventional NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst, under the following conditions: 350 °C 5.5 MPa, LHSV 2 h−1 and a H2 to feed oil ratio of 340 NL/L. The ratio SRGO/triglycerides feedstock was always 80/20 wt.%. At these operating conditions, linear paraffins (nC15–nC18) were the main reaction product (79–85 wt.%), followed by light gases (CO, CO2 and C3H8) and water as by-products. The increment in paraffin content of the liquid product produced a significant variation of some of gasoil properties (density at 15 °C and cetane index). A decrease in the catalytic activity (HDS/HDN) was also observed in the co-processing stages, particularly when animal fat was co-processed.
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