A new experiment for the determination of the 18F(p,alpha) reaction rate at nova temperatures

The 18F(p,alpha) reaction was recognized as one of the most important for gamma ray astronomy in novae as it governs the early 511 keV emission. However, its rate remains largely uncertain at nova temperatures. A direct measurement of the cross section over the full range of nova energies is impossible because of its vanishing value at low energy and of the short 18F lifetime. Therefore, in order to better constrain this reaction rate, we have performed an indirect experiment taking advantage of the availability of a high purity and intense radioactive 18F beam at the Louvain La Neuve RIB facility. We present here the first results of the data analysis and discuss the consequences.Comment: Contribution to the Classical Novae Explosions conference, Sitges, Spain, 20-24 May 2002, 5 pages, 3 figure

Enhanced auto-scaling incremental conductance MPPT method, implemented on low-cost microcontroller and SEPIC converter

This paper proposes a new maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm for photovoltaic (PV) systems, which is tested in simulations and practical implementations. In the proposed PV-MPPT system, a new control strategy is applied to create two operating areas. In each area, the step-size is different in the function of the closeness to the MPP. Because of this strategy, some drawbacks of the conventional incremental conductance (IncCond) methods are eliminated. A single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC) DC-DC converter is controlled with the proposed MPPT technique. The modified IncCond method is validated under simulation with test data, real data and real scenarios of solar irradiation. The results of the proposed approach show higher MPPT efficiencies and shorter convergence times than the conventional IncCond method even in rapidly changing conditions of solar radiation

Co-activation of the amygdala, hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus during autobiographical memory retrieval.

Abstract Functional MRI was used to investigate the role of medial temporal lobe and inferior frontal lobe regions in autobiographical recall. Prior to scanning, participants generated cue words for 50 autobiographical memories and rated their phenomenological properties using our autobiographical memory questionnaire (AMQ). During scanning, the cue words were presented and participants pressed a button when they retrieved the associated memory. The autobiographical retrieval task was interleaved in an event-related design with a semantic retrieval task (category generation). Region-of-interest analyses showed greater activation of the amygdala, hippocampus, and right inferior frontal gyrus during autobiographical retrieval relative to semantic retrieval. In addition, the left inferior frontal gyrus showed a more prolonged duration of activation in the semantic retrieval condition. A targeted correlational analysis revealed pronounced functional connectivity among the amygdala, hippocampus, and right inferior frontal gyrus during autobiographical retrieval but not during semantic retrieval. These results support theories of autobiographical memory that hypothesize co-activation of frontotemporal areas during recollection of episodes from the personal past

Neural correlates of human fear conditioning and sources of variability in 2199 individuals

Pavlovian fear conditioning is a fundamental process in both health and disease. We investigate its neural correlates and sources of variability using harmonized functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 2199 individuals across nine countries, including 1888 healthy individuals and 311 with anxiety-related or depressive disorders. Using mega-analysis and normative modeling, we show that fear conditioning consistently engages brain regions within the “central autonomic–interoceptive” or “salience” network. Several task variables strongly modulate activity in these regions, contributing to variability in neural responses. Additionally, brain activation patterns differ between healthy individuals and those with anxiety-related or depressive disorders, with distinct profiles characterizing specific disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. While the neural correlates of fear conditioning are highly generalizable at the population level, variability arises from differences in task design and clinical status, highlighting the importance of methodological diversity in capturing fear learning mechanisms

Biodistribution, binding specificity and metabolism of [ 18 F]fluoroethylflumazenil in rodents

Pre-clinical studies were carried out in order to characterize in rodents the biodistribution, the binding specificity and the metabolism of [18F]Fluoroethylflumazenil ([18F]FEF), a potential candidate for in vivo imaging of the benzodiazepine receptors. In vivo competition with flumazenil indicates that [18F]FEF binds specifically to the benzodiazepine receptor in the brain. The accumulation of [18F]FEF was significantly lower than using [3H]Flumazenil. The rather low accumulation in the brain is due to a rapid metabolism of [18F]FEF in hydrophylic metabolites which cannot cross the blood brain barrier, and are rapidly eliminated in the urine. Inhibition of the metabolism by acetaminophen (chemically induced hepatitis) led to a significant increase of the radioactivity found in the circulating blood and in the brain, while these results were not observed using classical inhibitors of the cytochrome CYP450, cimetidine and ketoconazole

Invitro Pharmacological Profile of 3-n-(2-fluoroethyl)spiperone

The binding affinities of spiperone and 3-N-(2-fluoroethyl)spiperone (FESP) have been compared for several rodent brain receptor sites and for inhibition of monoamine release and uptake sites. FESP and spiperone have almost identical profiles, namely a high affinity for dopamine-D2 and serotonin-S2 receptors, a low affinity for α1-adrenergic receptors, and negligible binding to other sites. These results suggest that available data on spiperone binding may be applied to the interpretation of PET data obtained with FESP. </jats:p