Anomalous diffusion, clustering, and pinch of impurities in plasma edge turbulence

The turbulent transport of impurity particles in plasma edge turbulence is investigated. The impurities are modeled as a passive fluid advected by the electric and polarization drifts, while the ambient plasma turbulence is modeled using the two-dimensional Hasegawa--Wakatani paradigm for resistive drift-wave turbulence. The features of the turbulent transport of impurities are investigated by numerical simulations using a novel code that applies semi-Lagrangian pseudospectral schemes. The diffusive character of the turbulent transport of ideal impurities is demonstrated by relative-diffusion analysis of the evolution of impurity puffs. Additional effects appear for inertial impurities as a consequence of compressibility. First, the density of inertial impurities is found to correlate with the vorticity of the electric drift velocity, that is, impurities cluster in vortices of a precise orientation determined by the charge of the impurity particles. Second, a radial pinch scaling linearly with the mass--charge ratio of the impurities is discovered. Theoretical explanation for these observations is obtained by analysis of the model equations.Comment: This article has been submitted to Physics of Plasmas. After it is published, it will be found at http://pop.aip.org/pop

Lipidomics signature in post-COVID patient sera and its influence on the prolonged inflammatory response

Background: The ongoing issues with post-COVID conditions (PCC), where symptoms persist long after the initial infection, highlight the need for research into blood lipid changes in these patients. While most studies focus on the acute phase of COVID-19, there's a significant lack of information on the lipidomic changes that occur in the later stages of the disease. Addressing this knowledge gap is critical for understanding the long-term effects of COVID-19 and could be key to developing personalized treatments for those suffering from PCC. Methods: We employed untargeted lipidomics to analyze plasma samples from 147 PCC patients, assessing nearly 400 polar lipids. Data mining (DM) and machine learning (ML) tools were utilized to decode the results and ascertain significant lipidomic patterns. Results: The study uncovered substantial changes in various lipid subclasses, presenting a detailed profile of the polar lipid fraction in PCC patients. These alterations correlated with ongoing inflammation and immune response. Notably, there were elevated levels of lysophosphatidylglycerols (LPGs) and phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), and reduced levels of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), suggesting these as potential lipid biomarkers for PCC. The lipidomic signatures indicated specific anionic lipid changes, implicating antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in inflammation. Associations between particular medications and symptoms were also suggested. Classification models, such as multinomial regression (MR) and random forest (RF), successfully differentiated between symptomatic and asymptomatic PCC groups using lipidomic profiles. Conclusions: The study's groundbreaking discovery of specific lipidomic disruptions in PCC patients marks a significant stride in the quest to comprehend and combat this condition. The identified lipid biomarkers not only pave the way for novel diagnostic tools but also hold the promise to tailor individualized therapeutic strategies, potentially revolutionizing the clinical approach to managing PCC and improving patient care

Current Advances Research in Nutraceutical Compounds of Legumes, Pseudocereals and Cereals

The increase of the Western-type diet and life-style, with high content of highly processed fats, salt and sugar, as well as sedentary life, is directly linked to an increasing incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases or stroke, and inflammatory-related diseases, which are a great challenge in global health and are usually associated with negative effects of globalization: rapid urbanization, diet and increased sedentary life worldwide. This has brought new interest and increased research into plant-based diets. In this context, the implementation in the diet of legumes, cereals and pseudo-cereals, due to their nutraceutical properties, which is interesting as well as advisable. These foods, in addition of having a high nutritional value themselves, have synergistic properties as part of a balanced diet. For example, most legumes are rich in lysine which is scarce in cereals, and these are rich in sulphur amino acids, such as methionine, while these amino acids are scarce in legumes and are of great importance for the central nervous system development. These foods or part of a food, due to their qualities, and that they provide health benefits can be classified as nutraceuticals. In addition, due to their health benefits beyond nutritional properties, can be classified as functional foods, promoting prevention and treatment for the above mentioned diseases, among others. This double function is due mainly to the proteins and the presence of various secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds in these foods of plant (grain and seed) origin. Last discovered knowledge and research features will be described in the present book chapter

Pressurometry and biomechanical study of the foot in padel

[EN] Padel is a very popular sport in countries like Spain, Argentina and Brazil, but there is a lack of scientific papers analyzing the harmfulness of their practice. Padel movements could potentially damage the foot and ankle joint. Therefore, the objective of this study was the characterization of the foot role during the execution of the most representative padel movements by techniques of pressurometry and video. The study was divided in two parts: pressurometric analysis of two movements (head-on displacement and split-step), and video recording of the foot during two games. The main conclusions of the study are the importance of forefoot zone in the padel movements, the importance of a specific shoe design for padel practice, and the importance of neuromuscular and proprioceptive training of the ankle and plantar flexors.[ES] El pádel es un deporte muy practicado en países como España, Argentina y Brasil, pero existen pocos artículos científicos que muestren la lesividad de su práctica. Los movimientos más frecuentes del pádel pueden incidir de forma lesiva en el pie y en la articulación del tobillo. Por ello, el objetivo del presente estudio fue profundizar en el análisis del rol del pie en la ejecución de los movimientos más representativos del pádel mediante técnicas de video y de presurometría. El estudio fue dividido en dos partes: análisis presurométrico de dos gestos (carrera frontal y el split-step), y filmación del pié en el trascurso de dos partidos. Las principales conclusiones obtenidas del estudio son la importancia del antepié en los movimientos analizados, la importancia de un diseño específico del calzado para el pádel, y la importancia del entrenamiento neuromuscular y propioceptivo del complejo pie-tobillo, especialmente de los flexores plantares.Priego Quesada, JI.; Olaso Melis, J.; Llana-Belloch, S.; Pérez Soriano, P.; Gonzalez Garcia, JC.; Sanchís Almenara, M. (2014). Estudio presurométrico y biomecánico del pie en el pádel. Riccafd. Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte. 3(1):21-26. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/85749S21263

Iturri heated garments for extreme cold conditions

[EN] Biomechanics Institute of Valencia (IBV) participates in the project CENIT INFINITEX, coordinated by the company ITURRI, whose main objective is to develop a new generation of technical textiles, such as multifunctional textiles, which aims to integrate functionalities in a single textile; advanced textiles that offer high performance and specific technical characteristics; and intelligent textiles, capable to react under certain external stimuli. IBV has participated in the generation of specifications for the development of the different research lines; assessment for the development of the new technologies; and the evaluation of the demonstrators of the developed technologies during the Project. This paper presents the work carried out by IBV for ITURRI for the development of heated garments.[ES] El Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) participa en el proyecto CENIT INFINITEX, coordinado por la empresa ITURRI, cuyo objetivo principal es desarrollar una nueva generación de textiles técnicos, entre ellos, textiles multifuncionales, que permiten integrar funcionalidades en un solo textil; textiles avanzados, que ofrecen unas altas prestaciones y tienen unas características técnicas muy específicas y textiles inteligentes, capaces de reaccionar en función de estímulos externos. El IBV ha participado en la generación de especificaciones para las distintas líneas de investigación, el asesoramiento para el desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías y la evaluación de los demostradores de las tecnologías desarrolladas durante el proyecto. En este artículo se presenta el trabajo realizado por el IBV para ITURRI en el desarrollo de prendas calefactables.Agradecemos a la empresa ITURRI su liderazgo eficaz del consorcio, que ha hecho posible llevar este ambicioso proyecto a buen término. El proyecto INFINITEX se enmarca dentro de los proyectos CENIT (Consorcios Estratégicos Nacionales de Investigación Técnica) aprobados por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación a través del Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI).Gil Garcia, M.; Gonzalez Garcia, JC.; Priego Quesada, JI.; Pellicer Chenoll, MT.; Piqueras Fiszman, P.; Baydal Bertomeu, JM.; Dura Gil, J.... (2013). Prendas calefactables de ITURRI para combatir el frío extremo. Revista de biomecánica. 59:27-29. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/38694S27295

The mediating effect of the cyberchondria and anxiety sensitivity in the association between problematic internet use, metacognition beliefs, and fear of COVID-19 among Iranian online population

With the rapid growth of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), individuals may try to find related medical information using the internet to overcome their fears. Under such circumstances, individuals with the features of cyberchondria, anxiety sensitivity, and metacognitive beliefs in negative thoughts may suffer more fears than those without these features. Therefore, the present study proposed a model to understand the associations between problematic internet use (PIU), cyberchondria, anxiety sensitivity, metacognition beliefs, and fear of COVID-19. Utilizing a cross-sectional online survey, 651 Iranians completed the following psychometric scales: Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), Anxiety Sensitivity Questionnaire (ASI), Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Form (CSS-12), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV–19S), and Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale (GPIUS). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the proposed model via several fit indices. The indices include Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), comparative fit index (CFI), standardized root mean square residual (SRMR), and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The fit indices (CFI = 0.948, TLI = 0.938, RMSEA = 0.053, and SRMR = 0.001) indicated the good fit between the data and the proposed model. Moreover, fear of COVID-19 was significantly and directly predicted by cyberchondria (β = 0.479, p < .001) and anxiety sensitivity (β = 0.286, p < .001). The relationship between PIU and cyberchondria with fear of COVID-19 was mediated significantly by anxiety sensitivity and metacognitive beliefs. Because fear of COVID-19 was found to be significantly associated with cyberchondria and anxiety sensitivity, healthcare providers may want to provide additional support for those with cyberchondria and anxiety sensitivity tendencies