Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulation of Blood Flow in Two Coronary Stents.

The aim of the present study is to carry out Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations in a realistic three dimensional geometry of two stent under physiological conditions. The two stent, similar to real coronary ones, are both made of 12 rings but are differing as far as the position of the struts is concerned. One type has parallel-connectors and the other transverse-ones. The artery is modeled as rigid cylinder and the fluid is assumed as incompressible Newtonian fluid in laminar flow with the average physical properties of blood. The commercial computational fluid dynamic code FLUENT is used with the mesh made of non-uniform tetrahedrons. The mesh independence is proved using the steady state results of the wall shear stress. The parameters correlated to neo-intimal hyperplasia, such as wall shear stress, magnitude of wall shear stress gradient, and oscillatory shear index, are investigated. Time variation of the parameters is investigated with the conclusion that the stent with parallel-connectors has a better fluid dynamic behavior

Two new differential equations of turbulent dissipation rate and apparent viscosity for non-Newtonian fluids.

A new equation for the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy is derived exactly in conservative form for a Generalized Newtonian Fluid (GNF). The transport equations for mass, momentum, and turbulent kinetic energy are written along to the transport equation for the shear rate. A new transport equation for the apparent viscosity is derived assuming the viscosity as dependent only on the shear rate. The assumption is of incompressible two-dimensional GNF flow

Emotional imagination of negative situations: Functional neuroimaging in anorexia and bulimia

AimThe present study aims to extend the knowledge of the neural correlates of emotion processing in first episode subjects affected by anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN). We applied an emotional distress paradigm targeting negative emotions thought to be relevant for interpersonal difficulties and therapeutic resistance mechanisms.MethodsThe current study applied to 44 female participants with newly diagnosed AN or BN and 20 matched controls a neuroimaging paradigm eliciting affective responses. The measurements also included an extensive assessment comprising clinical scales, neuropsychological tests, measures of emotion processing and empathy.ResultsAN and BN did not differ from controls in terms of emotional response, emotion matching, self-reported empathy and cognitive performance. However, eating disorder and psychopathological clinical scores, as well as alexithymia levels, were increased in AN and BN. On a neural level, no significant group differences emerged, even when focusing on a region of interest selected a priori: the amygdala. Some interesting findings put in relation the hippocampal activity with the level of Body Dissatisfaction of the participants, the relative importance of the key nodes for the common network in the decoding of different emotions (BN = right amygdala, AN = anterior cingulate area), and the qualitative profile of the deactivations.ConclusionsOur data do not support the hypothesis that participants with AN or BN display reduced emotional responsiveness. However, peculiar characteristics in emotion processing could be associated to the three different groups. Therefore, relational difficulties in eating disorders, as well as therapeutic resistance, could be not secondary to a simple difficulty in feeling and identifying basic negative emotions in AN and BN participants

Restraint of appetite and reduced regional brain volumes in anorexia nervosa: a voxel-based morphometric study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies of people with anorexia nervosa (AN) have shown differences in brain structure. This study aimed to provide preliminary extensions of this data by examining how different levels of appetitive restraint impact on brain volume.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Voxel based morphometry (VBM), corrected for total intracranial volume, age, BMI, years of education in 14 women with AN (8 RAN and 6 BPAN) and 21 women (HC) was performed. Correlations between brain volume and dietary restraint were done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Increased right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and reduced right anterior insular cortex, bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus, left cerebellum and right posterior cingulate volumes in AN compared to HC. RAN compared to BPAN had reduced left orbitofrontal cortex, right anterior insular cortex, bilateral parahippocampal gyrus and left cerebellum. Age negatively correlated with right DLPFC volume in HC but not in AN; dietary restraint and BMI predicted 57% of variance in right DLPFC volume in AN.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In AN, brain volume differences were found in appetitive, somatosensory and top-down control brain regions. Differences in regional GMV may be linked to levels of appetitive restraint, but whether they are state or trait is unclear. Nevertheless, these discrete brain volume differences provide candidate brain regions for further structural and functional study in people with eating disorders.</p

Correlational structure of ‘frontal’ tests and intelligence tests indicates two components with asymmetrical neurostructural correlates in old age

AbstractBoth general fluid intelligence (gf) and performance on some ‘frontal tests’ of cognition decline with age. Both types of ability are at least partially dependent on the integrity of the frontal lobes, which also deteriorate with age. Overlap between these two methods of assessing complex cognition in older age remains unclear. Such overlap could be investigated using inter-test correlations alone, as in previous studies, but this would be enhanced by ascertaining whether frontal test performance and gf share neurobiological variance. To this end, we examined relationships between gf and 6 frontal tests (Tower, Self-Ordered Pointing, Simon, Moral Dilemmas, Reversal Learning and Faux Pas tests) in 90 healthy males, aged ~73years. We interpreted their correlational structure using principal component analysis, and in relation to MRI-derived regional frontal lobe volumes (relative to maximal healthy brain size). gf correlated significantly and positively (.24≤r≤.53) with the majority of frontal test scores. Some frontal test scores also exhibited shared variance after controlling for gf. Principal component analysis of test scores identified units of gf-common and gf-independent variance. The former was associated with variance in the left dorsolateral (DL) and anterior cingulate (AC) regions, and the latter with variance in the right DL and AC regions. Thus, we identify two biologically-meaningful components of variance in complex cognitive performance in older age and suggest that age-related changes to DL and AC have the greatest cognitive impact

On a new passive scalar equation with variable mass diffusivity

The present work investigates the mass conservation equation of a Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid in turbulent flow with variable mass diffusivity. The mass conservation equation is considered with the fluctuating terms in the concentration as well as in the mass diffusivity and is written for the average concentration, for the fluctuating concentration one as well as for the square of the fluctuating concentration. A new term appears in the form of product of the fluctuating mass diffusivity to the space gradient of the concentration fluctuation. This new term is interpreted and introduced in the mass conservation equation of the square of the fluctuating concentration where other new terms are also appearing. A possible physical interpretation is given to the different terms. Assuming several relations between mass diffusivity and concentration it is then possible to write expressions for the average and the fluctuating mass concentration which can be simplified on the basis of physical and mathematical considerations. Specifically, the mass flux is then expressed as the product of the derivative of the mass diffusivity to the gradient of the square of the mass fluctuation. Further considerations make possible to write a new mass conservation equation of the average concentration which include a new term which takes into account the space gradient of the mass flux. The mass conservation equation can be solved with the coupled solution of the equation of the square of the concentration fluctuation

RANS modelling of a new turbulent energy equation with variable and fluctuating thermal conductivity.

This work presents numerical results for turbulent flow of a fluid with variable and fluctuating thermal conductivity. The equations solved numerically are the classical ones for the mean motion, i.e. mass conservation, turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate, and the new energy conservation equation. This new energy equation, obtained with mathematical and physical considerations in [1], contains a new term for heat flux due to the variation of thermal conductivity, i.e. the product of the square of fluctuating temperature and the temperature gradient of thermal conductivity. This new heat flux term, obtained in conservative form, transfers energy from large to small scales of turbulence. The present model, to be considered as a new three-equation-RANS model, has never been proposed before in the classical RANS modelling. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the influence of Prandtl number in the two-dimensional turbulent flow between parallel plates