Ultrabroadband THz spectroscopy of disordered materials

We perform THz spectroscopic investigations of the dielectric function of disordered materials in the THz region. Specifically, we consider amorphous materials and perform ultrabroadband THz spectroscopy of chalcogenide glasses where we observe the transition from universal scaling of the absorption at low frequencies to medium-range order and local order at higher frequencies

Artificial Intelligent Model for Parkinson’s Disease Management

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by both motor and non-motor features. The disease has a significant clinical impact on patients, families, and caregivers through its progressive degenerative effects on mobility and muscle control. Therefore, it is important to discuss the early diagnosis of PD to control the disease of PD patients and prolong their life. The primary objective of our research work was the early diagnosis of patients using Artificial Intelligence (AI). To accomplish that, we developed an Artificial Intelligence Model (model) that diagnoses PD using data collected from patient’s walks. This model is represented by a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) that finds patterns of Parkinson’s disease in the collected data. The data is represented by multiple images (correlation plots) that are generated from raw data collected using a physiograph created by our team. For the model training, we used data from twelve patients and three healthy people that proved the accuracy of our model. To achieve better results from our AI model, we decided to augment our data by using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) that we modeled to generate images containing biomechanical information that represents healthy and patient patterns of Parkinson’s disease. After many hours of training and a series of changes applied to the model architecture, the GAN model demonstrated remarkable advancements in its ability to generate high-quality images that are very similar to the real data collected by us from our study group and generates real patterns of Parkinson’s disease represented in the images. The faithful replication of the correlations matrices by our GAN model helps our classification model to learn the Parkinson’s disease symptoms and patterns represented in the correlation matrices we generated. In the future, we want to increase the complexity of the GAN model and train it to generate specific patterns of Parkinson’s disease based on different inputs, to have a more complex generated dataset that will help us to develop future models

A Site Evaluation Campaign for a Ground Based Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope in Romania

Around the world, several scientific projects share the interest of a global network of small Cherenkov telescopes for monitoring observations of the brightest blazars - the DWARF network. A small, ground based, imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope of last generation is intended to be installed and operated in Romania as a component of the DWARF network. To prepare the construction of the observatory, two support projects have been initiated. Within the framework of these projects, we have assessed a number of possible sites where to settle the observatory. In this paper we submit a brief report on the general characteristics of the best four sites selected after the local infrastructure, the nearby facilities and the social impact criteria have been applied.Comment: 6 pages, 5 Postscript figure

Ultrabroadband terahertz spectroscopy of chalcogenide glasses

Chalcogenide glasses are receiving a lot of attention due to their unique optical properties. In this paper we study the optical properties of As2S3 and GaLaS glasses in a broad terahertz (THz) frequency range (0.2-18 THz). Complex dispersion behavior with drastic changes of refractive index and absorption coefficient is found for both glasses. We observe the breakdown of the universal power-law dependence of the absorption coefficient due to atomic vibrations observed at low THz frequencies in disordered materials, and see the transition to localized vibrational dynamics for the As2S3 compound at higher frequencies. In addition, As2S3 displays two transparency regions, at 7-8 THz and 12.2 THz, of potential interest for future nonlinear applications in the THz rang

Development

Among the three embryonic germ layers, the mesoderm plays a central role in the establishment of the vertebrate body plan. The mesoderm is specified by secreted signaling proteins from the FGF, Nodal, BMP and Wnt families. No new classes of extracellular mesoderm-inducing factors have been identified in more than two decades. Here, we show that the pinhead (pnhd) gene encodes a secreted protein that is essential for the activation of a subset of mesodermal markers in the Xenopus embryo. RNA sequencing revealed that many transcriptional targets of Pnhd are shared with those of the FGF pathway. Pnhd activity was accompanied by Erk phosphorylation and required FGF and Nodal but not Wnt signaling. We propose that during gastrulation Pnhd acts in the marginal zone to contribute to mesoderm heterogeneity via an FGF receptor-dependent positive feedback mechanism. © 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Lt

Personal Autonomy as Quality of Life Predictor for Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, severe disease, characterized by a progressive alteration in neuronal transmission, which decreases personal independence and quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between QoL and personal autonomy in patients with MS, as well as its correlation with age, educational level, and diseases severity. Twenty-six MS patients were followed-up for six months. All patients completed the 15D questionnaire two times: at T0, when they started a new treatment, and at T1 after six months of treatment. At the end point, all patients completed the Personal Autonomy Questionnaire. The average patient age was 43 years (SD = 10), and 89% of them were female. The mean severity and duration of MS were 3.5 (SD = 1.75) and 9.5 (SD = 5.1), respectively. The average QoL of MS patients at T0 was 0.66 (SD = 0.18), and that at T1 was 0.71 (SD = 0.16). The scores of patients with different types of MS, i.e., relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) or secondary progressive MS (SPMS), were compared. SPMS patients were older than RRMS patients (mean age 47.5 vs. 39.7 years; p = 0.032), and more RRMS patients were working (0.014). SPMS patients described the same QoL and personal autonomy as RRMS patients. Results from bivariate correlation analyses showed a significant relationship between QoL and age, education, and severity of MS. Also, the analysis showed no significant correlation between QoL and personal autonomy

Personal Autonomy as Quality of Life Predictor for Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, severe disease, characterized by a progressive alteration in neuronal transmission, which decreases personal independence and quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between QoL and personal autonomy in patients with MS, as well as its correlation with age, educational level, and diseases severity. Twenty-six MS patients were followed-up for six months. All patients completed the 15D questionnaire two times: at T0, when they started a new treatment, and at T1 after six months of treatment. At the end point, all patients completed the Personal Autonomy Questionnaire. The average patient age was 43 years (SD = 10), and 89% of them were female. The mean severity and duration of MS were 3.5 (SD = 1.75) and 9.5 (SD = 5.1), respectively. The average QoL of MS patients at T0 was 0.66 (SD = 0.18), and that at T1 was 0.71 (SD = 0.16). The scores of patients with different types of MS, i.e., relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) or secondary progressive MS (SPMS), were compared. SPMS patients were older than RRMS patients (mean age 47.5 vs. 39.7 years; p = 0.032), and more RRMS patients were working (0.014). SPMS patients described the same QoL and personal autonomy as RRMS patients. Results from bivariate correlation analyses showed a significant relationship between QoL and age, education, and severity of MS. Also, the analysis showed no significant correlation between QoL and personal autonomy