Enhancing the iterative smoothed particle hydrodynamics method

Motivated by recent research on the iterative approach proposed for the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (ISPH) method, some ideas to improve the process are introduced. The standard procedure is enhanced iterating on the residuals preserving the matrix-free nature of the process. The method is appealing providing reasonable results with disordered data distribution too and no kernel variations are needed in the approximation. This work moves forward with a novel formulation requiring a lower number of iterations to reach a desired accuracy. The computational procedure is described and some results are introduced to appreciate the proposed formulation

A CUDA-based implementation of an improved SPH method on GPU

We present a CUDA-based parallel implementation on GPU architecture of a modified version of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. This modified formulation exploits a strategy based on the Taylor series expansion, which simultaneously improves the approximation of a function and its derivatives with respect to the standard formulation. The improvement in accuracy comes at the cost of an additional computational effort. The computational demand becomes increasingly crucial as problem size increases but can be addressed by employing fast summations in a parallel computational scheme. The experimental analysis showed that our parallel implementation significantly reduces the runtime, with speed-ups of up to 90,when compared to the CPU-based implementation

The enriched multinode Shepard collocation method for solving elliptic problems with singularities

In this paper, the multinode Shepard method is adopted for the first time to numerically solve a differential problem with a discontinuity in the boundary. Starting from previous studies on elliptic boundary value problems, here the Shepard method is employed to catch the singularity on the boundary. Enrichments of the functional space spanned by the multinode cardinal Shepard basis functions are proposed to overcome the difficulties encountered. The Motz's problem is considered as numerical benchmark to assess the method. Numerical results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Mangosteen Extract Shows a Potent Insulin Sensitizing Effect in Obese Female Patients: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

There is a widely acknowledged association between insulin resistance and obesity/type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and insulin sensitizing treatments have proved effective in preventing diabetes and inducing weight loss. Obesity and T2DM are also associated with increased inflammation. Mangosteen is a tropical tree, whose fruits—known for their antioxidant properties—have been recently suggested having a possible further role in the treatment of obesity and T2DM. The objective of this pilot study has been to evaluate safety and efficacy of treatment with mangosteen extract on insulin resistance, weight management, and inflammatory status in obese female patients with insulin resistance. Twenty-two patients were randomized 1:1 to behavioral therapy alone or behavioral therapy and mangosteen and 20 completed the 26-week study. The mangosteen group reported a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity (homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, HOMA-IR −53.22% vs. −15.23%, p = 0.004), and no side effect attributable to treatment was reported. Given the positive preliminary results we report and the excellent safety profile, we suggest a possible supplementary role of mangosteen extracts in the treatment of obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation

Tadalafil modulates aromatase activity and androgen receptor expression in a human osteoblastic cell in vitro model

Purpose Phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor (PDE5i) tadalafil administration in men with erectile dysfunction is associated with increased testosterone/estradiol ratio, leading to hypothesize a potential increased effect of androgen action on target tissues. We aimed to characterize, in a cellular model system in vitro, the potential modulation of aromatase and sex steroid hormone receptors upon exposure to tadalafil (TAD). Methods Human osteoblast-like cells SAOS-2 were chosen as an in vitro model system since osteoblasts are target of steroid hormones. Cells were tested for viability upon TAD exposure, which increased cell proliferation. Then, cells were treated with/without TAD for several times to evaluate potential modulation in PDE5, aromatase (ARO), androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER) receptor expression. Results Osteoblasts express significant levels of both PDE5 mRNA and protein. Exposure of cells to increasing concentrations of TAD (10−8–10−7 M) decreased PDE5 mRNA and protein expression. Also, TAD inhibited ARO mRNA and protein expression leading to an increase in testosterone levels in the supernatants. Interestingly, TAD increased total AR mRNA and protein expression and decreased ERα, with an increased ratio of AR/ER, suggesting preferential androgenic vs estrogenic pathway activation. Conclusions Our results demonstrate for the first time that TAD decreases ARO expression and increases AR protein expression in human SAOS-2, strongly suggesting a new control of steroid hormones pathway by PDE5i. These findings might represent the first evidence of translational actions of PDE5i on AR, which leads to hypothesize a growing relevance of this molecule in men with prostate cancer long-term treated with TAD for sexual rehabilitation. Keywords Tadalafil · Osteoblasts · Aromatase · Androgen receptor · Estrogen recepto

A Meshfree Solver for the MEG Forward Problem

Noninvasive estimation of brain activity via magnetoencephalography (MEG) involves an inverse problem whose solution requires an accurate and fast forward solver. To this end, we propose the Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS) as a meshfree alternative to the Boundary Element Method (BEM). The solution of the MEG forward problem is obtained, via the Method of Particular Solutions (MPS), by numerically solving a boundary value problem for the electric scalar potential, derived from the quasi-stationary approximation of Maxwell’s equations. The magnetic field is then computed by the Biot-Savart law. Numerical experiments have been carried out in a realistic single-shell head geometry. The proposed solver is compared with a state-of-the-art BEM solver. A good agreement and a reduced computational load show the attractiveness of the meshfree approach