Individuals with ASD are known to have a tendency to have tactile sensory processing issues that could be associated with their impairment as regards social communication. The alterations in tactile ...processing in autistic subjects are usually accompanied by hypersensitivity and other unpleasant emotions induced by tactile contact. In our study, we investigated the impact of the velocity and the force of a tactile stroke received impersonally by a custom-built robotic device. A total of 21 adults with ASD and 22 adults from a control group participated in our study. The participants' responses were assessed according to subjective scales, EEG changes, and the dynamics of saliva antioxidants and oxytocin. It was found that the oxytocin level was significantly lower in subjects with ASD but increased after tactile stimulation. However, contrary to expectations, the increase in the oxytocin level in the target group negatively correlated with the subjective pleasantness of tactile stimulation and was probably associated with a stress-induced effect. The basic levels of antioxidants did not differ between the TD and ASD groups; however, these had significantly increased in individuals with ASD by the end of the study. The EEG findings, which revealed enhanced antioxidant levels, contributed to the relief of the cognitive control during the study.
Present experimental and astrophysical limits do not exclude that the neutron (
n
) oscillation into mirror neutron (
n
′
), a sterile state exactly degenerate in mass with the neutron, can be a very ...fast process, in fact faster than the neutron decay itself, in which case it would have very interesting implications in cosmology and astrophysics. This process is sensitive to the magnetic field. Namely, if the mirror magnetic field
B
′
exists at the Earth,
n
-
n
′
oscillation probability can be suppressed or resonantly amplified by the applied magnetic field
B
, depending on its strength and on the angle
β
between
B
and
B
′
. We present the results of ultra-cold neutron storage measurements aiming to check the anomalies observed in previous experiments which could be a signal for
n
-
n
′
oscillation in the presence of mirror magnetic field
B
′
∼
0.1
G. From the analysis of the experimental data new lower limits on
n
-
n
′
oscillation time as a function of
B
′
were obtained, assuming that the mirror magnetic field is constant in time:
τ
n
n
′
>
17
s (95 % C.L.) for any
B
′
between 0.08 and 0.17 G, and
τ
n
n
′
/
cos
β
>
27
s (95 % C.L.) for any
B
′
in the interval (
0.06
÷
0.25
) G.
Affective touch plays an important role in human social bonding, affiliative behavior, and in general emotional well-being. A system of unmyelinated low-threshold mechanosensitive C-type afferents ...innervating hairy skin (C-tactile or CT system) is postulated to provide the neurophysiological background of affective touch perception. C-tactile afferents respond optimally to soft and slow strokes, and this response correlates positively with pleasure ratings of tactile stimuli. As gentle touch is consistently associated with oxytocin release further promoting prosocial behavior, it has been suggested that this effect is mediated by the response of C-tactile afferents. This study assesses a possible link between CT-optimal touch, its subjective pleasantness, EEG indices of cortical arousal, and peripheral oxytocin response. EEG was recorded in 28 healthy volunteers during resting state and tactile stimulationgentle slow brush strokes on forearm (CT-targeted touch) and palm (non-CT-targeted touch). Saliva samples were collected before and after the touch stimulation. Oxytocin concentration increase was significantly associated with greater subjective ratings of CT-targeted touch but not of non-CT-targeted touch, and with lower peak alpha frequency values indicating decreased cortical arousal. The findings suggest that CT-targeted stimulation triggers oxytocin release but only when the touch is perceived at an individual level as having clearly positive affective salience. This corresponds to previous studies reporting that oxytocin response to touch can be related to different personality factors, and bears important implications for planning touch-based interventions in social and medical care.
Hypophysitis is defined as inflammation of the pituitary gland that is primary or secondary to a local or systemic process. Differential diagnosis is broad (including primary tumors, metastases, and ...lympho-proliferative diseases) and multifaceted. Patients with hypophysitis typically present with headaches, some degree of anterior and/or posterior pituitary dysfunction, and enlargement of pituitary gland and/or stalk, as determined by imaging. Most hypophysitis causes are autoimmune, but other etiologies include inflammation secondary to sellar tumors or cysts, systemic diseases, and infection or drug-induced causes. Novel pathologies such as immunoglobulin G4-related hypophysitis, immunotherapy-induced hypophysitis, and paraneoplastic pituitary-directed autoimmunity are also included in a growing spectrum of this rare pituitary disease. Typical magnetic resonance imaging reveals stalk thickening and homogenous enlargement of the pituitary gland; however, imaging is not always specific. Diagnosis can be challenging, and ultimately, only a pituitary biopsy can confirm hypophysitis type and rule out other etiologies. A presumptive diagnosis can be made often without biopsy. Detailed history and clinical examination are essential, notably for signs of underlying etiology with systemic manifestations. Hormone replacement and, in selected cases, careful observation is advised with imaging follow-up. High-dose glucocorticoids are initiated mainly to help reduce mass effect. A response may be observed in all auto-immune etiologies, as well as in lymphoproliferative diseases, and, as such, should not be used for differential diagnosis. Surgery may be necessary in some cases to relieve mass effect and allow a definite diagnosis. Immunosuppressive therapy and radiation are sometimes also necessary in resistant cases.
The isomorphism of S-bearing feldspathoids belonging to the cancrinite, sodalite, tugtupite, vladimirivanovite, bystrite, marinellite and scapolite structure types has been investigated using a ...multimethodical approach based on infrared, Raman and electron spin resonance (ESR), as well as ultraviolet, visible and near infrared (UV–Vis–near IR) absorption spectroscopy methods and involving chemical and X-ray diffraction data. Sapozhnikovite Na8(Al6Si6O24)(HS)2 and sulfite and thiosulfate analogues of cancrinite are synthesized hydrothermally and characterized by means of electron microprobe analyses, powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The possibility of the incorporation of significant amounts of SO42−, S4 and SO32− in the crystal structures of cancrisilite, sulfhydrylbystrite and marinellite, respectively, has been established for the first time. Thermal conversions of S-bearing groups in the synthetic sulfite cancrinite and sapozhnikovite analogues as well as natural vladinirivanovite and S4-bearing haüyne under oxidizing and reducing conditions have been studied using the multimethodical approach. The SO42− and S2− anions and the S3•– radical anion are the most stable S-bearing species under high-temperature conditions (in the range of 700–800 °C); their ratio in the heated samples is determined by the redox conditions and charge-balance requirement. The HS− and S52− anions are stable only under highly reducing conditions.
The reliability of the cross sections obtained for (
) and (
) partial photoneutron reactions on
Ni nuclei in experiments with beams of both bremsstrahlung gamma radiation and quasimonoenergetic ...annihilation photons was studied by means of objective physical criteria. It is found that data obtained using bremsstrahlung gamma radiation do not satisfy these physical criteria and are obviously unreliable. At the same time, the reliability of data obtained using quasimonoenergetic photons is questionable. Partial reaction cross sections for
Ni that satisfy the above physical criteria were evaluated by means of the experimental–theoretical method within which one employs experimental data only on the neutron yield cross section and the results obtained by calculating partial reaction cross sections on the basis of the combined photonuclear reaction model, which are independent of the problems of experimentally determining neutron multiplicities. It is shown that the discrepancies between the evaluated and experimental cross sections are due to systematic uncertainties appearing in experimental data because of determining the multiplicities of neutrons by their measured energies. It is also found that the competitions of evaluated and experimental data for the neighboring nuclei
Ni and
Ni differ significantly, which is caused by special features of the processes of their photodisintegration—first of all, by significant distinctions between the energy thresholds and absolute values of the cross sections of (
) and (
) reactions on these nuclei.
Reference database for photon strength functions Goriely, S.; Dimitriou, P.; Wiedeking, M. ...
The European physical journal. A, Hadrons and nuclei,
10/2019, Letnik:
55, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
.
Photon strength functions describing the average response of the nucleus to an electromagnetic probe are key input information in the theoretical modelling of nuclear reactions. Consequently they ...are important for a wide range of fields such as nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, medical isotope production, fission and fusion reactor technologies. They are also sources of information for widely used reaction libraries such as the IAEA Reference Input Parameter Library and evaluated data files such as EGAF. In the past two decades, the amount of reaction gamma-ray data measured to determine photon strength functions has grown rapidly. Different experimental techniques have led to discrepant results and users are faced with the dilemma of which (if any) of the divergent data to adopt. We report on a coordinated effort to compile and assess the existing experimental data on photon strength functions from the giant dipole resonance region to energies below the neutron separation energy. The assessment of the discrepant data at energies around or below the neutron separation energy has been possible only in a few cases where adequate information on the model-dependent analysis and estimation of uncertainties was available. In the giant dipole resonance region, we adopt the recommendations of the new IAEA photonuclear data library. We also present global empirical and semi-microscopic models that describe the photon strength functions in the entire energy region and reproduce reasonably well most of the experimental data. The compiled experimental photon strengths and recommended model calculations are available from the PSF database hosted at the IAEA (
http://www-nds.iaea.org/PSFdatabase
).
The reliability of experimental data on the cross sections (
) and (
) partial reaction cross sections measured for
Ni nuclei in beams of bremsstrahlung gamma radiation and beams of ...quasimonoenergetic annihilation photons is analyzed on the basis of objective physical criteria. It is found that the data obtained using bremsstrahlung gamma radiation do not satisfy physical criteria and are obviously unreliable. At the same time, it is shown that the reliability of the data obtained with beams of quasimonoenergetic photons by means of photoneutron multiplicity sorting is questionable. New cross sections of partial and total photoneutron reactions on
Ni nuclei were obtained by the experimental–theoretical evaluation method based on simultaneously employing the experimental neutron yield cross section, which is independent of the problems of experimental determination of neutron multiplicities, and the results of calculations within the combined photonuclear reaction model (CPNRM). Significant discrepancies between experimentally measured and evaluated cross sections are analyzed in detail. It is shown that the discrepancies in question are due primarily to misinterpreting a significant number of neutrons from the (
) reaction as those that originate from the (
) reaction.
Data for partial photoneutron reactions (
) and (
) cross sections and those for total photoneutron (
) and neutron yield (
) reactions were obtained for
Tb using the quasimonoenergetic annihilation ...photons beams and the method of neutron multiplicity sorting at Livermore (USA) and Saclay (France). Additionally (
) reaction cross section was obtained at Saclay. There are significant disagreements between data of both laboratories. The ratios of integrated cross sections
for reactions (
) and (
) obtained up to energy 27.4 MeV are equal, correspondingly, to 1.07 and 0.70. Using the experimental–theoretical method of partial reaction cross section evaluation based on the objective physical criteria of data reliability it was shown before that the reasons for such differences are the systematic uncertainties of the method for determination of neutron multiplicity because of noticeable differences in efficiency of used detectors for one, two and three neutron detection. The new measurements were carried out using the laser Compton-scattering (LCS)
-ray beam and the novel technique of direct neutron-multiplicity sorting with a flat-efficiency detector (FED). Because cross sections for all partial and total reactions under discussion, (
), (
), (
), (
), and (
), deviate from previously obtained ones, new data for
Tb were evaluated using the experimental–theoretical method and the new neutron yield cross section
(
). It was obtained that new partial reaction cross-section data agree with evaluated ones. It means that using the new experimental method reliable partial reaction cross section data free from shortcomings typical for the method of neutron multiplicity sorting could be obtained.
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