Extremely wideband signal shaping using one- and two-dimensional nonuniform nonlinear transmission lines

We propose a class of electrical circuits for extremely wideband (EWB) signal shaping. A one-dimensional, nonlinear, nonuniform transmission line is proposed for narrow pulse generation. A two-dimensional transmission lattice is proposed for EWB signal combining. Model equations for the circuits are derived. Theoretical and numerical solutions of the model equations are presented, showing that the circuits can be used for the desired application. The procedure by which the circuits are designed exemplifies a modern, mathematical design methodology for EWB circuits

X-Raying the Dark Side of Venus - Scatter from Venus Magnetotail?

This work analyzes the X-ray, EUV and UV emission apparently coming from the Earth-facing (dark) side of Venus as observed with Hinode/XRT and SDO/AIA during a transit across the solar disk occurred in 2012. We have measured significant X-Ray, EUV and UV flux from Venus dark side. As a check we have also analyzed a Mercury transit across the solar disk, observed with Hinode/XRT in 2006. We have used the latest version of the Hinode/XRT Point Spread Function (PSF) to deconvolve Venus and Mercury X-ray images, in order to remove possible instrumental scattering. Even after deconvolution, the flux from Venus shadow remains significant while in the case of Mercury it becomes negligible. Since stray-light contamination affects the XRT Ti-poly filter data from the Venus transit in 2012, we performed the same analysis with XRT Al-mesh filter data, which is not affected by the light leak. Even the Al-mesh filter data show residual flux. We have also found significant EUV (304 A, 193 A, 335 A) and UV (1700 A) flux in Venus shadow, as measured with SDO/AIA. The EUV emission from Venus dark side is reduced when appropriate deconvolution methods are applied; the emission remains significant, however. The light curves of the average flux of the shadow in the X-ray, EUV, and UV bands appear different as Venus crosses the solar disk, but in any of them the flux is, at any time, approximately proportional to the average flux in a ring surrounding Venus, and therefore proportional to the average flux of the solar regions around Venus obscuring disk line of sight. The proportionality factor depends on the band. This phenomenon has no clear origin; we suggest it may be due to scatter occurring in the very long magnetotail of Venus.Comment: This paper has been accepted in The Astrophysical Journa

Effects of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Executive Functions, Emotion Regulation, and Mindfulness in Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent depression, manic, and hypomanic episodes. Patients with BD are also likely to experience difficulties with executive functions and emotion regulation. The literature review states that little research has been done on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for BD, and there has not been an examination of this therapy on BD patients� executive functions and emotion regulation. The present study addresses this absence of research with a pilot study on 60 BD patients. Participants in the intervention group received twelve 90-min sessions adapted from a standard DBT protocol for BD and the control group was on a wait-list for treatment. Participants completed measures of mental wellbeing and executive functioning at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 3 months later as a follow-up. Results showed that the intervention group improved over time, having lower scores in mania, depression, and emotion disregulation than the control group post-treatment. Further, the intervention group had higher scores in mindfulness, planning, problem-solving, and cognitive flexibility than the control group. The findings highlight that DBT, alongside prescription medication, can be an effective therapy for BD as well as leading to reduced manic and depression symptoms and improved executive functions, emotion regulation, and mindfulness. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Cell cycle controls: potential targets for chemical carcinogens?

The progression of the cell cycle is controlled by the action of both positive and negative growth regulators. The key players in this activity include a family of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases, which are themselves regulated by other kinases and phosphatases. Maintenance of balanced cell cycle controls may be directly linked to genomic stability. Loss of the check-points involved in cell cycle control may result in unrepaired DNA damage during DNA synthesis or mitosis leading to genetic mutations and contributing to carcinogenesis

Controversies regarding mobilisation and rehabilitation following acute spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury is a debilitating condition associated with significant physical and emotional burden for the patients and families involved. Despite advances in care of patients following spinal cord injury, rehabilitation following injury remains an underfunded area of research that is in need of significant change. Although bed rest has been suggested to improve spinal cord perfusion after acute cord injury, there is no data to suggest that long periods of bed rest following spinal cord injury (in the absence of haemodynamic or biomechanical instability) leads to better outcome. Despite paucity of evidence, prolonged flat bed rest is still practiced in many spinal cord injury rehabilitation units across United Kingdom with no consensus on timing of mobilisation. Here we review some of the controversies on mobilisation and rehabilitation following spinal cord injury with the aim to emphasise on the benefits of early mobilisation following spinal cord injury and to challenge the old practice of long periods of flat bed rest

Accuracy and precision of gravitational-wave models of inspiraling neutron star -- black hole binaries with spin: comparison with numerical relativity in the low-frequency regime

Coalescing binaries of neutron stars (NS) and black holes (BH) are one of the most important sources of gravitational waves for the upcoming network of ground based detectors. Detection and extraction of astrophysical information from gravitational-wave signals requires accurate waveform models. The Effective-One-Body and other phenomenological models interpolate between analytic results and $10-30$ orbit numerical relativity (NR) merger simulations. In this paper we study the accuracy of these models using new NR simulations that span $36-88$ orbits, with mass-ratios and black hole spins $(q,\chi_{BH}) = (7, \pm 0.4), (7, \pm 0.6)$, and $(5, -0.9)$. We find that: (i) the recently published SEOBNRv1 and SEOBNRv2 models of the Effective-One-Body family disagree with each other (mismatches of a few percent) for black hole spins $\geq 0.5$ or $\leq -0.3$, with waveform mismatch accumulating during early inspiral; (ii) comparison with numerical waveforms indicate that this disagreement is due to phasing errors of SEOBNRv1, with SEOBNRv2 in good agreement with all of our simulations; (iii) Phenomenological waveforms disagree with SEOBNRv2 over most of the NSBH binary parameter space; (iv) comparison with NR waveforms shows that most of the model's dephasing accumulates near the frequency interval where it switches to a phenomenological phasing prescription; and finally (v) both SEOBNR and post-Newtonian (PN) models are effectual for NSBH systems, but PN waveforms will give a significant bias in parameter recovery. Our results suggest that future gravitational-wave detection searches and parameter estimation efforts targeted at NSBH systems with $q\lesssim 7$ and $\chi_\mathrm{BH} \approx [-0.9, +0.6]$ will benefit from using SEOBNRv2 templates. For larger black hole spins and/or binary mass-ratios, we recommend the models be further investigated as suitable NR simulations become available.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figure

The Effect of the Open and Closed System Suctions on Cardiopulmonary Parameters: Time and Costs in Patients Under Mechanical Ventilation

Background: One of the measures to keep the airway open is suctioning of endotracheal tube in patients under ventilation. This procedure can be accompanied with some complications. Selection of appropriate method of suctioning can prevent incidence of acute complications. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of the open and closed system suctioning methods on blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, percentage of arterial oxygen saturation, time, and costs in patients under mechanical ventilation. Patients and Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on 40 patients in ICU. Patients’ blood pressure, heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation, related costs, and length of suctioning procedure were measured and recorded immediately before and one, five, ten, and fifteen minutes after suctioning. Data were analyzed using paired t test and repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: No significant differences were observed between the two suctioning methods in terms of mean systolic blood pressure (P = 0.075), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.405), and mean arterial pressure (P = 0.257) in the five consecutive measurements. However, significant changes were observed in heart rate (P = 0.025) and percentage of arterial oxygen saturation (P < 0.001). The mean lengths of time in open and closed suctioning methods were 5.59 ± 0.211 and 4.34 ± 0.039 seconds, respectively (P < 0.001). The cost of the closed system was lower than the open method for the patients who were admitted to ICU for longer than two days. Conclusions: Closed suction caused fewer disturbances in patients’ hemodynamic condition, took shorter time, and is more economical. Therefore, this method can replace open suction method in caring of severely critically ill patients

The correlation between alexithymia and anxiety, depression in asthma

Background: Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by the inability to identify and describe emotions. Only few researches have studied the correlation between alexithymia and health factors in psychosomatic disorders. This study aimed to determine the correlation between alexithymia and anxiety, depression in asthmatic patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all asthmatic patients referred to Khorram Abad medical centers. Among them 100 cases were chosen using the convenience sampling. The tools were Alexithymia Scale )TAS-20( along with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale )HADS(. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and Multivariate Regression. Results: A significant positive relationship was seen between aalexithymia, its factors and anxiety/depression. In addition, multiple multivariate regression analysis showed that difficulty in identifying feelings and describing feelings can predict the anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Findings showed that difficulty in identifying and describing emotions as two factors of Alexithymia in asthmatic patients can predict the depression and anxiety. So, considering the emotional aspects of asthma, effective approaches should be taken into account in the treatment of these patients' mental health problems