Effect of Airfoil Parametrization on the Optimization of Counter Rotating Open Rotors

The present study compares two optimizations performed on Counter Rotating Open Rotors (CRORs) running at the same operating condition. The main difference between the two optimizations is the airfoil profile used to construct the blades. The first, uses the NACA 16 family of airfoils, whereas the second one, uses a parametrized airfoil type, CST. Two independent multi-objective optimizations are carried out using approximately the same computational resources. All the design variables except those concerning the airfoil profile, are kept with the same design freedom so that a fair comparison can be made. Both sets of configurations are aerodynamically optimized for maximum thrust coefficient and efficiency at top of climb conditions. The optimization is performed using multi-objective Differential Evolution (DE) coupled with 3D RANS simulations and Radial Basis Function (RBF) meta-modeling

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome As a Rare Cause of Acute Bilateral Limb and Renal Ischemia

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHS) is a rare and potentially fatal condition, particularly when it is associated with arterial thromboembolic events. We present a case of acute ischemia of both lower limbs and left kidney due to OHS. The clinical presentation included voluminous ascites, pleural effusion, and significant ovarian enlargement. Subsequently, bilateral severe acute limb ischemia and left kidney segmental infarction were established. Surgical thromboembolectomy and muscle débridement of the lower limbs were necessary, and the patient recovered with partial limitations. A high index of suspicion and timely treatment are essential to minimize consequences of arterial thrombosis associated with OHS.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact Of Recent Tilting Pad Thrust Bearing Tests On Steam Turbine Design And Performance

PaperPg. 1-8.Recent test programs on Kings bury type tilting pad thrust bearings have altered application data and required the use of larger thrust bearing sizes with correspondingly larger oil flows and increased power loss. These results have had a significant impact on the design and performance of mechanical drive steam turbines, especially for high horsepower applications where thrust bearings operate in the superlaminar or turbulent flow regime. The authors cite data obtained from separate test programs at General Electric and Kingsbury. Details are presented of a large thrust bearing test facility at the General Electric Mechanical Drive Turbine Products Department capable of testing bearing at speeds up to 14,000 rpm and loadings up to 60,000 pounds. Results of tests on bearings ranging in size from 12 inches to 17 inches are summarized along with the important conclusions relative to power loss, load-carrying capability, and oil flow optimization. Examples are presented to demonstrate the application of the new design data and its effect on the design of mechanical drive steam turbines

Hydrocortisone as an adjunct to brief cognitive-behavioural therapy for specific fear: endocrine and cognitive biomarkers as predictors of symptom improvement

Background: Glucocorticoid (GC) administration prior to exposure-based cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has emerged as a promising approach to facilitate treatment outcome in anxiety disorders. Further components relevant for improved CBT efficacy include raised endogenous GCs and reductions in information-processing biases to threat. Aims: To investigate hydrocortisone as an adjunct to CBT for spider fear and the modulating role of threat bias change and endogenous short-term and long-term GCs for treatment response. Methods: Spider-fearful individuals were randomized to receiving either 20 mg of hydrocortisone (n = 17) or placebo (n = 16) one hour prior to single-session predominantly computerised exposure-based CBT. Spider fear was assessed using self-report and behavioural approach measures at baseline, 1-day and 1-month follow-up. Threat processing was assessed at baseline and 1-day follow-up. Cortisol and cortisone were analysed from hair and saliva samples at baseline. Results/outcomes: Self-report, behavioural and threat processing indices improved following CBT. Hydrocortisone augmentation resulted in greater improvement of self-report spider fear and stronger increase in speed when approaching a spider, but not on threat bias. Neither threat bias nor endogenous GCs predicted symptom change, and no interactive effects with hydrocortisone emerged. Preliminary evidence indicated higher hair cortisone as predictor of a stronger threat bias reduction. Conclusions/interpretation: Our data extend earlier findings by suggesting that GC administration boosts the success of exposure therapy for specific fear even with a low-level therapist involvement. Future studies corroborating our result of a predictive hair GC relationship with threat bias change in larger clinical samples are needed

Prebiotic supplementation does not affect reading and cognitive performance in children: A randomised placebo-controlled study

Based on the emerging interest in the effects of gut microbiota on cognition, this proof-of-concept study assessed how children aged 7 to 9 with low reading scores responded to the ingestion of a 3-month prebiotic supplement versus a placebo. As a secondary aim, the effects of the prebiotic on cognition, sleep, behaviour, mood, anxiety, and cortisol were assessed. In this sample, the prebiotic did not affect any of the outcome measures

Prebiotic supplementation does not affect reading and cognitive performance in children: A randomised placebo-controlled study

Based on the emerging interest in the effects of gut microbiota on cognition, this proof-of-concept study assessed how children aged 7 to 9 with low reading scores responded to the ingestion of a 3-month prebiotic supplement versus a placebo. As a secondary aim, the effects of the prebiotic on cognition, sleep, behaviour, mood, anxiety, and cortisol were assessed. In this sample, the prebiotic did not affect any of the outcome measures

A single administration of the antibiotic, minocycline, reduces fear processing and improves implicit learning in healthy volunteers: analysis of the serum metabolome

Minocycline has shown therapeutic promise in pre-clinical animal models and early phase clinical trials for a variety of psychiatric disorders. Previous studies on minocycline have shown its ability to suppress microglia activity and reduce inflammatory cytokine levels, and its amelioration of depressive-like behaviour in animals and humans. However, the underlying mechanisms that lead to minocycline’s psychotropic effects are not clear. In this study, we investigated the psychological and biochemical effects of an acute dose of minocycline or placebo in 40 healthy adult volunteers. Psychological changes in emotional processing, implicit learning, and working memory were assessed. Plasma inflammatory markers, measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and serum metabolites, measured with proton nuclear magnetic resonance combined with multi-variate analysis techniques, were also studied. Results showed that minocycline administration decreased fear misclassification and increased contextual learning, which suggested that reducing negative biases and improving cognition, respectively, may underlie the antidepressant actions of this agent. An examination of serum metabolites revealed higher levels of lipoproteins, particularly cholesterol, in the minocycline group. Minocycline also decreased circulating concentrations of the inflammatory marker C-Reactive Peptide, which is consistent with previous research. These effects highlight two important psychological mechanisms that may be relevant to the efficacy of minocycline reported in clinical trials, and also suggest a possible largely unexplored lipid-related biochemical pathway for the action of this drug

Variation in serotonin transporter expression modulates fear-evoked hemodynamic responses and theta-frequency neuronal oscillations in the amygdala

Background Gene association studies detect an influence of natural variation in the 5-hydroxytryptamine transporter (5-HTT) gene on multiple aspects of individuality in brain function, ranging from personality traits through to susceptibility to psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. The neural substrates of these associations are unknown. Human neuroimaging studies suggest modulation of the amygdala by 5-HTT variation, but this hypothesis is controversial and unresolved, and difficult to investigate further in humans. Methods We used a mouse model in which the 5-HTT is overexpressed throughout the brain and recorded hemodynamic responses (using a novel in vivo voltammetric monitoring method, analogous to blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging) and local field potentials during Pavlovian fear conditioning. Results Increased 5-HTT expression impaired, but did not prevent, fear learning and significantly reduced amygdala hemodynamic responses to aversive cues. Increased 5-HTT expression was also associated with reduced theta oscillations, which were a feature of aversive cue presentation in controls. Moreover, in control mice, but not those with high 5-HTT expression, there was a strong correlation between theta power and the amplitude of the hemodynamic response. Conclusions Direct experimental manipulation of 5-HTT expression levels throughout the brain markedly altered fear learning, amygdala hemodynamic responses, and neuronal oscillations. © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry.Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Anti-tumor efficacy of a combination therapy with PD-L1 targeted alpha therapy and adoptive cell transfer of PD-1 deficient melanoma-specific human T-lymphocytes

International audienceThe optimization of adoptive transfer approaches of anti-tumor T cells requires both the functional improvement of the injected T cells and the modulation of the tumor microenvironment, favoring the recruitment of these T cells and their activation. We have recently shown the therapeutic benefit of two approaches tested individually in a melanoma model wich were on one hand the adoptive transfer of specific T cells deficient for the expression of the inhibitory receptor PD-1, and on the other hand PD-L1 targeted alpha therapy (TAT). In this study, we sought to investigate the efficacy of these two therapies combined, compared to each monotherapy, in order to evaluate the synergy between these two approaches, in the same melanoma model. Here we used melanoma-specific T-cell clones, previously validated for the edition of PDCD1 gene and with previously demonstrated superior anti-tumor activity than their wild-type counterparts, after adoptive transfer in NSG mice engrafted with PD-L1 expressing human melanoma tumors. We also used a previously validated TAT approach, using a 213Bi-anti-human- PD-L1 mAb, alone or in combination with adoptive cell transfer, in the same mouse model. We confirmed previous results obtained with each monotherapy and documented the safety and the superior ability of a combination between the adoptive transfer of PD-1 deficient T cells and TAT targeting PD-L1 to control the growth of melanoma tumors in NSG mice. This study provides the first proof-of-concept of the efficacy of a combination therapy using TAT, adoptive cell transfer and genomic editing of IC-coding genes