Estimates for mild solutions to semilinear Cauchy problems

The existence (and uniqueness) results on mild solutions of the abstract semilinear Cauchy problems in Banach spaces are well known. Following the results of Tartar (2008) and Burazin (2008) in the case of decoupled hyperbolic systems, we give an alternative proof, which enables us to derive an estimate on the mild solution and its time of existence. The nonlinear term in the equation is allowed to be time-dependent. We discuss the optimality of the derived estimate by testing it on three examples: the linear heat equation, the semilinear heat equation that models dynamic deflection of an elastic membrane, and the semilinear Schr\uf6dinger equation with time-dependent nonlinearity, that appear in the modelling of numerous physical phenomena

Imagery enhancements increase the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for social anxiety disorder: A benchmarking study

Emerging evidence suggests that imagery-based techniques may enhance the effectiveness of traditional verbal-linguistic cognitive interventions for emotional disorders. This study extends an earlier pilot study by reporting outcomes from a naturalistic trial of an imagery-enhanced cognitive behavioural group therapy (IE-CBGT, n=53) protocol for social anxiety disorder (SAD), and comparing outcomes to historical controls who completed a predominantly verbally-based group protocol (n=129). Patients were consecutive referrals from health professionals to a community clinic specialising in anxiety and mood disorders. Both treatments involved 12, two-hour group sessions plus a one-month follow-up. Analyses evaluated treatment adherence, predictors of dropout, treatment effect sizes, reliable and clinically significant change, and whether self-reported tendencies to use imagery in everyday life and imagery ability predicted symptom change. IE-CBGT patients were substantially more likely to complete treatment than controls (91% vs. 65%). Effect sizes were very large for both treatments, but were significantly larger for IE-CBGT. A higher proportion of the IE-CBGT patients achieved reliable change, and better imagery ability was associated with larger symptom change. Outcomes compared very favourably to published group and individual treatments for SAD, suggesting that IE-CBGT may be a particularly effective and efficient mode of treatment delivery

Uphill walking at iso-efficiency speeds

Uphill walking gait has been extensively studied, but the optimal uphill speed able to enhance the metabolic demand without increasing fatigability has so far received little attention. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the metabolic/kinematic demand at constant speed (6 km\ub7h 121 G0 level, G2 2% uphill, G7 7% uphill) and at iso-efficiency speeds (G2IES 5.2 km\ub7h 121 2% uphill and G7IES 3.9 km\ub7h 121 7% uphill). For this aim, physically active women (n:24, Age 33.40 \ub1 4.97 years, BMI 21.62 \ub1 2.06 kg/m-2) after an 8-min warm-up were studied on a treadmill for 10\u2b9 for every walking condition with a 5\u2b9 rest in between. Average heart rate (AVG-HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and kinematic variables (stance time, swing time, stride length, stride cycle, stride-length variability, stride-cycle variability and internal work) were studied. Modif\ufeffications in stance time, stride length and stride cycle (p<0.005), and lower internal-work values (p<0.001) occurred in G7IES in comparison to the other conditions. Swing time was significantly modified only in G7IES compared to G0 and G7 (p<0.001 and p<0.005, respectively). Stride-length variability and stride-cycle variability were higher in G7IES compared to the other conditions (p<0.001). G7 induced the highest AVG-HR (p<0.005) and RPE (p<0.001) compared to the other conditions. This study demonstrates that by applying the equation for uphill walking gait, it is possible to maintain a similar metabolic demand and RPE at iso-efficiency speeds during uphill compared to level walking, inducing at the same time a modification of the kinematic parameters of walking gait performed at the same slope condition

Single-molecule super-resolution imaging of chromosomes and in situ haplotype visualization using Oligopaint FISH probes

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a powerful single-cell technique for studying nuclear structure and organization. Here we report two advances in FISH-based imaging. We first describe the in situ visualization of single-copy regions of the genome using two single-molecule super-resolution methodologies. We then introduce a robust and reliable system that harnesses single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to visually distinguish the maternal and paternal homologous chromosomes in mammalian and insect systems. Both of these new technologies are enabled by renewable, bioinformatically designed, oligonucleotide-based Oligopaint probes, which we augment with a strategy that uses secondary oligonucleotides (oligos) to produce and enhance fluorescent signals. These advances should substantially expand the capability to query parent-of-origin-specific chromosome positioning and gene expression on a cell-by-cell basis

The Incidence and Seasonal Variations of Acute Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma

The incidence and seasonal variations of acute primary angle-closure glaucoma (APACG) was studied. It was based on a retrospective chart review of 121 hospital patients in Split, Croatia for the fifteen-year period from 1985 through 1999. The average incidence was 4.1 cases per 100,000 per year in the total population and 7.1 per 100,000 in those aged 30 years and older. APACG affects women almost twice more often than men. The incidence rate increased with age. No seasonal variations in the occurrence of APACG and no correlation with the mean duration of light exposure per season were found

Group metacognitive therapy for repetitive negative thinking in primary and non-primary generalized anxiety disorder: An effectiveness trial

Background Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common and highly comorbid anxiety disorder characterized by repetitive negative thinking (RNT). Treatment trials tend to exclude individuals with non-primary GAD, despite this being a common presentation in real world clinics. RNT is also associated with multiple emotional disorders, suggesting that it should be targeted regardless of the primary disorder. This study evaluated the acceptability and effectiveness of brief group metacognitive therapy (MCT) for primary or non-primary GAD within a community clinic. Methods Patients referred to a specialist community clinic attended six, two-hour weekly sessions plus a one-month follow-up (N=52). Measures of metacognitive beliefs, RNT, symptoms, positive and negative affect, and quality of life were completed at the first, last, and follow-up sessions. Results Attrition was low and large intent-to-treat effects were observed on most outcomes, particularly for negative metacognitive beliefs and RNT. Treatment gains increased further to follow-up. Benchmarking comparisons demonstrated that outcomes compared favorably to longer disorder-specific protocols for primary GAD. Limitations No control group or independent assessment of protocol adherence. Conclusions Brief metacognitive therapy is an acceptable and powerful treatment for patients with primary or non-primary GAD

A model of a small open economy integrated in a monetary union

This paper develops a model of a small open economy integrated in a monetary union, which is a nontrivial technical extension of the existing small open economy model. The model is used to study the monetary transmission mechanism in Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

First look at the multiphase interstellar medium using synthetic observations from low-frequency Faraday tomography

Faraday tomography of radio polarimetric data below 200 MHz from the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) has been providing new perspectives on the diffuse and magnetized interstellar medium (ISM). One aspect of particular interest is the unexpected discovery of Faraday-rotated synchrotron polarization associated with structures of neutral gas, as traced by atomic hydrogen (HI) and dust. Here, we present the first in-depth numerical study of these LOFAR results. We produced and analyzed comprehensive synthetic observations of low-frequency synchrotron polarization from magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) simulations of colliding super shells in the multiphase ISM from the literature. Using an analytical approach to derive the ionization state of the multiphase gas, we defined five distinct gas phases over more than four orders of magnitude in gas temperature and density, ranging from hot, and warm fully ionized gas to a cold neutral medium. We focused on establishing the contribution of each gas phase to synthetic observations of both rotation measure and synchrotron polarized intensity below 200 MHz. We also investigated the link between the latter and synthetic observations of optically thin HI gas. We find that it is not only the fully ionized gas, but also the warm partially ionized and neutral phases that strongly contribute to the total rotation measure and polarized intensity. However, the contribution of each phase to the observables strongly depends on the choice of the integration axis and the orientation of the mean magnetic field with respect to the shell collision axis. A strong correlation between the HI synthetic data and synchrotron polarized intensity, reminiscent of the LOFAR results, is obtained with lines of sight perpendicular to the mean magnetic field direction. Our study suggests that multiphase modeling of MHD processes is needed in order to interpret observations of the radio sky at low frequencies. This work is a first step toward understanding the complexity of low-frequency synchrotron emission that will be soon revolutionized thanks to large-scale surveys with LOFAR and the Square Kilometre Array