Cross-validation of the reduced form of the food craving questionnaire -trait using confirmatory factor analysis

Objective: The Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait (FCQ-T) is commonly used to assess habitual food cravings among individuals. Previous studies have shown that a brief version of this instrument (FCQ-T-r) has good reliability and validity. This article is the first to use Confirmatory factor analysis to examine the psychometric properties of the FCQ-T-r in a cross-validation study. Method: Habitual food cravings, as well as emotion regulation strategies, affective states, and disordered eating behaviors, were investigated in two independent samples of non-clinical adult volunteers (Sample 1: N = 368; Sample 2: N = 246). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to simultaneously test model fit statistics and dimensionality of the instrument. FCQ-T-r reliability was assessed by computing the composite reliability coefficient. Results: Analysis supported the unidimensional structure of the scale and fit indices were acceptable for both samples. The FCQ-T-r showed excellent reliability and moderate to high correlations with negative affect and disordered eating. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the FCQ-T-r scores can be reliably used to assess habitual cravings in an Italian non-clinical sample of adults. The robustness of these results is tested by a cross-validation of the model using two independent samples. Further research is required to expand on these findings, particularly in children and adolescents

Distinct subsets of unmyelinated primary sensory fibers mediate behavioral responses to noxious thermal and mechanical stimuli

Behavioral responses to painful stimuli require peripheral sensory neurons called nociceptors. Electrophysiological studies show that most C-fiber nociceptors are polymodal (i.e., respond to multiple noxious stimulus modalities, such as mechanical and thermal); nevertheless, these stimuli are perceived as distinct. Therefore, it is believed that discrimination among these modalities only occurs at spinal or supraspinal levels of processing. Here, we provide evidence to the contrary. Genetic ablation in adulthood of unmyelinated sensory neurons expressing the G protein-coupled receptor Mrgprd reduces behavioral sensitivity to noxious mechanical stimuli but not to heat or cold stimuli. Conversely, pharmacological ablation of the central branches of TRPV1+ nociceptors, which constitute a nonoverlapping population, selectively abolishes noxious heat pain sensitivity. Combined elimination of both populations yielded an additive phenotype with no additional behavioral deficits, ruling out a redundant contribution of these populations to heat and mechanical pain sensitivity. This double-dissociation suggests that the brain can distinguish different noxious stimulus modalities from the earliest stages of sensory processing

One-step synthesis of pyridines and dihydropyridines in a continuous flow microwave reactor

The Bohlmann–Rahtz pyridine synthesis and the Hantzsch dihydropyridine synthesis can be carried out in a microwave flow reactor or using a conductive heating flow platform for the continuous processing of material. In the Bohlmann–Rahtz reaction, the use of a Brønsted acid catalyst allows Michael addition and cyclodehydration to be carried out in a single step without isolation of intermediates to give the corresponding trisubstituted pyridine as a single regioisomer in good yield. Furthermore, 3-substituted propargyl aldehydes undergo Hantzsch dihydropyridine synthesis in preference to Bohlmann–Rahtz reaction in a very high yielding process that is readily transferred to continuous flow processing

Class of PPT bound entangled states associated to almost any set of pure entangled states

We analyze a class of entangled states for bipartite $d \otimes d$ systems, with $d$ non-prime. The entanglement of such states is revealed by the construction of canonically associated entanglement witnesses. The structure of the states is very simple and similar to the one of isotropic states: they are a mixture of a separable and a pure entangled state whose supports are orthogonal. Despite such simple structure, in an opportune interval of the mixing parameter their entanglement is not revealed by partial transposition nor by the realignment criterion, i.e. by any permutational criterion in the bipartite setting. In the range in which the states are Positive under Partial Transposition (PPT), they are not distillable; on the other hand, the states in the considered class are provably distillable as soon as they are Nonpositive under Partial Transposition (NPT). The states are associated to any set of more than two pure states. The analysis is extended to the multipartite setting. By an opportune selection of the set of multipartite pure states, it is possible to construct mixed states which are PPT with respect to any choice of bipartite cuts and nevertheless exhibit genuine multipartite entanglement. Finally, we show that every $k$-positive but not completely positive map is associated to a family of nondecomposable maps.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Single cell analysis reveals the involvement of the long non-coding RNA Pvt1 in the modulation of muscle atrophy and mitochondrial network

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as important players in the regulation of several aspects of cellular biology. For a better comprehension of their function, it is fundamental to determine their tissue or cell specificity and to identify their subcellular localization. In fact, the activity of lncRNAs may vary according to cell and tissue specificity and subcellular compartmentalization. Myofibers are the smallest complete contractile system of skeletal muscle influencing its contraction velocity and metabolism. How lncRNAs are expressed in different myofibers, participate in metabolism regulation and muscle atrophy or how they are compartmentalized within a single myofiber is still unknown. We compiled a comprehensive catalog of lncRNAs expressed in skeletal muscle, associating the fiber-type specificity and subcellular location to each of them, and demonstrating that many lncRNAs can be involved in the biological processes de-regulated during muscle atrophy. We demonstrated that the lncRNA Pvt1, activated early during muscle atrophy, impacts mitochondrial respiration and morphology and affects mito/autophagy, apoptosis and myofiber size in vivo. This work corroborates the importance of lncRNAs in the regulation of metabolism and neuromuscular pathologies and offers a valuable resource to study the metabolism in single cells characterized by pronounced plasticity

Inspiratory muscle training and its effect on indices of physiological and perceived stress during incremental walking exercise in normobaric hypoxia

This study evaluated the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on inspiratory muscle fatigue (IMF) and physiological and perceptual responses during trekking-specific exercise. An 8-week IMT program was completed by 21 males (age 32.4 ± 9.61 years, VO2peak 58.8 ± 6.75 mL/kg/min) randomised within matched pairs to either the IMT group (n = 11) or the placebo group [(P), n = 9]. Twice daily, participants completed 30 (IMT) or 60 (P) inspiratory efforts using a Powerbreathe initially set at a resistance of 50% (IMT) or used at 15% (P) of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) throughout. A loaded (12.5 kg) 39-minute incremental walking protocol (3–5 km/hour and 1–15% gradient) was completed in normobaric hypoxia (PIO2 = 110 mmHg, 3000 m) before and after training. MIP increased from 164 to 188 cmH2O (18%) and from 161 to 171 cmH2O (6%) in the IMT and P groups (P = 0.02). The 95% CI for IMT showed a significant improvement in MIP (5.21±43.33 cmH2O), but not for P. IMF during exercise (MIP) was*5%, showing no training effect for either IMT or P (P = 0.23). Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was consistently reduced (*1) throughout exercise following training for IMT, but not for P (P = 0.03). The mean blood lactate concentration during exercise was significantly reduced by 0.26 and 0.15 mmol/L in IMT and P (P = 0.00), with no differences between groups (P = 0.34). Rating of dyspnoea during exercise decreased (*0.4) following IMT but increased (*0.3) following P (P = 0.01). IMT may attenuate the increased physiological and perceived exercise stress experienced during normobaric hypoxia, which may benefit moderate altitude expedition

La comunicazione della patologia fetale. Il punto di vista della donna, del medico e dell’équipe

La comunicazione della patologia fetale riveste una serie di significati con implicazioni psicologiche e sociali importanti che richiedono al medico capacità comunicativa, attitudine alla comprensione della paziente e delle dinamiche istituzionali. La donna: la patologia ostetrica è una crisi dentro la crisi. Nella patologia ostetrica le aspettative di vivere la nuova condizione di madre e di sentirsi più compiutamente famiglia vengono frustrate e tradite. In seguito alla diagnosi di patologia, alla perdita del bambino immaginario può seguire la perdita del bambino reale. Nel caso in cui la coppia decida di proseguire la gravidanza, il sentimento di lutto può prolungarsi per tutta la vita. Il medico: dal momento della prima diagnosi per la donna inizia l’elaborazione del lutto. Anche il medico che comunica la diagnosi vive questo momento con disagio. Inoltre, il medico sente il disagio dell’incertezza: l’incertezza può essere accolta e ascoltata. Raramente in questa situazione è possibile comunicare in modo efficace le informazioni necessarie. È importante comunicare gradualmente e dedicare un secondo incontro alle richieste di spiegazioni. L’équipe: è importante che gli operatori possano condividere questa esperienza all’interno dell’equipe. L’equipe che si occupa di diagnosi prenatale dovrebbe essere composta da persone che hanno scelto liberamente di occuparsi di questo aspetto della medicina. L’equipe diviene un contenitore per le emozioni estreme delle pazienti e degli operatori

Block Gauss and anti-Gauss quadrature with application to networks

Approximations of matrix-valued functions of the form WT f(A)W, where A ∈Rm×m is symmetric, W ∈ Rm×k, with m large and k ≪ m, has orthonormal columns, and f is a function, can be computed by applying a few steps of the symmetric block Lanczos method to A with initial block-vector W ∈ Rm×k. Golub and Meurant have shown that the approximants obtained in this manner may be considered block Gauss quadrature rules associated with a matrix-valued measure. This paper generalizes anti-Gauss quadrature rules, introduced by Laurie for real-valued measures, to matrix-valued measures, and shows that under suitable conditions pairs of block Gauss and block anti-Gauss rules provide upper and lower bounds for the entries of the desired matrix-valued function. Extensions to matrix-valued functions of the form WT f(A)V , where A ∈ Rm×m may be nonsymmetric, and the matrices V, W ∈ Rm×k satisfy VT W = Ik also are discussed. Approximations of the latter functions are computed by applying a few steps of the nonsymmetric block Lanczos method to A with initial block-vectors V and W. We describe applications to the evaluation of functions of a symmetric or nonsymmetric adjacency matrix for a network. Numerical examples illustrate that a combination of block Gauss and anti-Gauss quadrature rules typically provides upper and lower bounds for such problems. We introduce some new quantities that describe properties of nodes in directed or undirected networks, and demonstrate how these and other quantities can be computed inexpensively with the quadrature rules of the present paper

Transition pathways in participatory plant breeding programs: a farm-level network analysis

According to the literature on regime transition, niches are sources of innovation that may lead to the transformation of the dominant regime, if processes at other level of the system – the landscape and the mainstream regime - are supportive. A focus on actors involved in the transition process and the analysis of their specific role in knowledge networks can help assessing the robustness of a specific niche and its growth potential. Knowledge systems, and in particular the dynamics of local and expert knowledge, have in fact a key role in innovation mod-els. Different trajectories characterize the transition process, leading to different results: from co-optation and gain in efficiency of the mainstream regime to its radical transformation. Our assumption is that leading actors in the farms' knowledge networks will influ-ence a specific transition trajectory, shaping its direc-tion and transformative potential