54 research outputs found
Aesthetics and Psychological Effects of Fractal Based Design
Highly prevalent in nature, fractal patterns possess self-similar components that repeat at varying size scales. The perceptual experience of human-made environments can be impacted with inclusion of these natural patterns. Previous work has demonstrated consistent trends in preference for and complexity estimates of fractal patterns. However, limited information has been gathered on the impact of other visual judgments. Here we examine the aesthetic and perceptual experience of fractal ‘global-forest’ designs already installed in humanmade spaces and demonstrate how fractal pattern components are associated with positive psychological experiences that can be utilized to promote occupant wellbeing. These designs are composite fractal patterns consisting of individual fractal ‘tree-seeds’ which combine to create a ‘global fractal forest.’ The local ‘tree-seed’ patterns, global configuration of tree-seed locations, and overall resulting ‘global-forest’ patterns have fractal qualities. These designs span multiple mediums yet are all intended to lower occupant stress without detracting from the function and overall design of the space. In this series of studies, we first establish divergent relationships between various visual attributes, with pattern complexity, preference, and engagement ratings increasing with fractal complexity compared to ratings of refreshment and relaxation which stay the same or decrease with complexity. Subsequently, we determine that the local constituent fractal (‘tree-seed’) patterns contribute to the perception of the overall fractal design, and address how to balance aesthetic and psychological effects (such as individual experiences of perceived engagement and relaxation) in fractal design installations. This set of studies demonstrates that fractal preference is driven by a balance between increased arousal (desire for engagement and complexity) and decreased tension (desire for relaxation or refreshment). Installations of these composite mid-high complexity ‘global-forest’ patterns consisting of ‘tree-seed’ components balance these contrasting needs, and can serve as a practical implementation of biophilic patterns in human-made environments to promote occupant wellbeing
Quercetin inhibits intestinal non-haem iron absorption by regulating iron metabolism genes in the tissues
PURPOSE: There is general agreement that some dietary polyphenols block non-haem iron uptake, but the mechanisms by which they achieve this action are poorly understood. Since the polyphenol quercetin is ingested daily in significant amounts, we have investigated the effect of quercetin on duodenal non-haem iron absorption in vivo, as well as its effect on factors known to be involved in systemic iron metabolism. METHODS: Rats were subject to gastric gavage and systemic quercetin administration. Treatments were followed with uptake studies using radiolabeled iron, serum iron and transferrin saturation measurements, LC-MS/MS analysis of quercetin metabolites in serum, determination of tissue non-haem iron content and analysis of gene expression of iron-related proteins. RESULTS: Both oral and intraperitoneal (IP) quercetin caused serum and tissue iron depletion by two means, first by increasing mucosal iron uptake and inhibiting iron efflux from duodenal mucosa, and second by decreasing levels of duodenal DMT1, Dcytb and FPN. Additionally, IP quercetin induced highly significant increased liver expression of hepcidin, a hormone known to inhibit intestinal iron uptake. CONCLUSIONS: Oral quercetin significantly inhibited iron absorption, while IP quercetin significantly affected iron-related genes. These results could lead to development of new effective ways of preventing and treating iron deficiency anaemia, the most widespread nutritional disorder in the world
Retrieval of the dayside atmosphere of WASP-43b with CRIRES+
Accurately estimating the C/O ratio of hot Jupiter atmospheres is a promising
pathway towards understanding planet formation and migration, as well as the
formation of clouds and the overall atmospheric composition. The atmosphere of
the hot Jupiter WASP-43b has been extensively analysed using low-resolution
observations with HST and Spitzer, but these previous observations did not
cover the K band, which hosts prominent spectral features of major
carbon-bearing species such as CO and CH. As a result, the ability to
establish precise constraints on the C/O ratio was limited. Moreover, the
planet has not been studied at high spectral resolution, which can provide
insights into the atmospheric dynamics.
In this study, we present the first high-resolution dayside spectra of
WASP-43b with the new CRIRES spectrograph. By observing the planet in the K
band, we successfully detected the presence of CO and provide evidence for the
existence of HO using the cross-correlation method. This discovery
represents the first direct detection of CO in the atmosphere of WASP-43b.
Furthermore, we retrieved the temperature-pressure profile, abundances of CO
and HO, and a super-solar C/O ratio of 0.78 by applying a Bayesian
retrieval framework to the data. Our findings also shed light on the
atmospheric characteristics of WASP-43b. We found no evidence for a cloud deck
on the dayside, and recovered a line broadening indicative of an equatorial
super-rotation corresponding to a jet with a wind speed of 5 km
s, matching the results of previous forward models and low-resolution
atmospheric retrievals for this planet.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figure
Atmospheric characterization of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33b: Detection of Ti and V emission lines and retrieval of a broadened line profile
Ultra-hot Jupiters are highly irradiated gas giant exoplanets on close-in
orbits around their host stars. We analyzed high-resolution spectra from
CARMENES, HARPS-N, and ESPaDOnS taken over eight observation nights to study
the emission spectrum of WASP-33b and draw conclusions about its atmosphere. By
applying the cross-correlation technique, we detected the spectral signatures
of Ti I, V I, and a tentative signal of Ti II for the first time via emission
spectroscopy. These detections are an important finding because of the
fundamental role of Ti- and V-bearing species in the planetary energy balance.
Moreover, we assessed and confirm the presence of OH, Fe I, and Si I from
previous studies. The spectral lines are all detected in emission, which
unambiguously proves the presence of an inverted temperature profile in the
planetary atmosphere. By performing retrievals on the emission lines of all the
detected species, we determined a relatively weak atmospheric thermal inversion
extending from approximately 3400 K to 4000 K. We infer a supersolar
metallicity close to 1.5 dex in the planetary atmosphere, and find that its
emission signature undergoes significant line broadening with a Gaussian FWHM
of about 4.5 km/s. Also, we find that the atmospheric temperature profile
retrieved at orbital phases far from the secondary eclipse is about 300 K to
700 K cooler than that measured close to the secondary eclipse, which is
consistent with different day- and nightside temperatures. Moreover, retrievals
performed on the emission lines of the individual chemical species lead to
consistent results, which gives additional confidence to our retrieval method.
Increasing the number of species included in the retrieval and expanding the
set of retrieved atmospheric parameters will further advance our understanding
of exoplanet atmospheres.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Development and implementation of a structured intervention for alcohol use disorders for telephone helpline services
A six-session intervention for harmful alcohol use was piloted via a 24-hour alcohol and other drug (AOD) helpline, assessing feasibility of telephone-delivered treatment. The intervention, involving practice elements from Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and node-link mapping, was evaluated using a case file audit (n D 30) and a structured telephone interview
one month after the last session (n D 22). Average scores on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) dropped by more than 50%, and there were significant reductions in psychological distress. Results suggest that, even among dependent drinkers, a telephone intervention offers effective and efficient treatment for those unable or unwilling to access face-to-face treatment
CRIRES+ detection of CO emissions lines and temperature inversions on the dayside of WASP-18b and WASP-76b
The dayside atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters (UHJs) are predicted to possess
temperature inversion layers with extremely high temperatures at high
altitudes. We observed the dayside thermal emission spectra of WASP-18b and
WASP-76b with the new CRIRES+ high-resolution spectrograph at near-infrared
wavelengths. Using the cross-correlation technique, we detected strong CO
emission lines in both planets, which confirms the existence of temperature
inversions on their dayside hemispheres. The two planets are the first UHJs
orbiting F-type stars with CO emission lines detected; previous detections were
mostly for UHJs orbiting A-type stars. Evidence of weak H2O emission signals is
also found for both planets. We further applied forward-model retrievals on the
detected CO lines and retrieved the temperature-pressure profiles along with
the CO volume mixing ratios. The retrieved logarithmic CO mixing ratio of
WASP-18b (-2.2) is slightly higher than the value predicted by the
self-consistent model assuming solar abundance. For WASP-76b, the retrieved CO
mixing ratio (-3.6) is broadly consistent with the value of solar abundance. In
addition, we included the equatorial rotation velocity (Veq ) in the retrieval
when analyzing the line profile broadening. The obtained Veq is 7.0 km/s for
WASP-18b and 5.2 km/s for WASP-76b, which are consistent with the tidally
locked rotational velocities.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures; accepted for publication in A&
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