Overexpression of wild-type human APP in mice causes cognitive déficits and pathological features unrelated to Abeta levels

Transgenic mice expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APP) develop an age-dependent amyloid pathology and memory deficits, but no overt neuronal loss. Here, in mice overexpressing wild-type human APP (hAPPwt) we found an early memory impairment, particularly in the water maze and to a lesser extent in the object recognition task, but β-amyloid peptide (Aβ42) was barely detectable in the hippocampus. In these mice, hAPP processing was basically non-amyloidogenic, with high levels of APP carboxy-terminal fragments, C83 and APP intracellular domain. A tau pathology with an early increase in the levels of phosphorylated tau in the hippocampus, a likely consequence of enhanced ERK1/2 activation, was also observed. Furthermore, these mice presented a loss of synapse-associated proteins: PSD95, AMPA and NMDA receptor subunits and phosphorylated CaMKII. Importantly, signs of neurodegeneration were found in the hippocampal CA1 subfield and in the entorhinal cortex that were associated to a marked loss of MAP2 immunoreactivity. Conversely, in mice expressing mutant hAPP, high levels of Aβ42 were found in the hippocampus, but no signs of neurodegeneration were apparent. The results support the notion of Aβ- independent pathogenic pathways in Alzheimer's disease

Modeling and real-time simulation of a DC shipboard microgrid

This paper illustrates the modelling of a Low Voltage DC ship electrical system, including batteries and variable speed generators, and its implementation on the Opal-RT real-time simulator. There is more and more necessity to represent the full dynamics of the component and relative control to have a proper knowledge of the behavior of the system. The use of digital twin is becoming more and more attractive in order to have a complete and reliable tool to assess the system behavior in all conditions. The coupling of variable speed generator and BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) is an efficient solution in order to improve energy efficiency on board of marine vessel and it is necessary in different SECA areas that have strong environmental requirements. Results show the effectiveness of the proposed simulation platform and the results obtained by the implementation of a droop-based power control strategy

DC Shipboard Microgrid Modeling for Fuel Cell Integration Study

The integration of fuel cell technology in shipboard is essential for real fuel and pollution reduction in the marine sector. This integration can be pushed in the adoption of a dc shipboard power system (SPS). One of the impediments to this integration is the necessity to couple fuel cells (FCs) and battery energy storage systems (BESSs) and control them with a proper power management system (PMS), in order to sustain high load variations due to electric propulsion. In the literature, all these aspects are dealt independently and mostly assuming ideal conditions. The proposed control strategies are derived from the droop and secondary frequency regulation of the ac power system. This paper starts with a brief description on the characteristics of dc SPS along with fuel cell and battery modeling. Subsequently, this paper describes the proposed control strategy. Finally, this paper shows the behavior and principle of the proposed integration and analyzes the performance on a real measurement test case of a ferry. This paper is concluded by identifying the future research for the development of a PMS control strategy for critical marine missions

Acupuncture versus pharmacological approach to reduce Hyperemesis gravidarum discomfort.

Several reports have suggested the use of acupuncture as a useful treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), in particular the effects on nausea intensity was underlined. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of acupuncture sessions plus acupressure with a metoclopramide/vitamin B12 treatment.In this study we randomized 88 pregnant patients suffering from HG to receive either acupuncture sessions plus acupressure (acupuncture group) or metoclopramide infusion (metoclopramide group) supplemented by vitamin B12 complex. Somatic symptoms and the ability to achieve the daily routine activity (functioning) were evaluated. Acupuncture sessions were performed at the hospital twice a week for 2 weeks according to the traditional Chinese medicine criteria. Acupression was applied for 6-8 h/day. In the metoclopramide group, patients received at hospital metoclopramide infusion (20 mg/500 mL saline for 60 min) twice a week for 2 weeks. An oral supplementation with vitamin B12 complex (30 mg/day) was also prescribed.Both treatments reduced vomiting episodes and then nausea intensity with a consequent improvement in the rate of food intake. The effect of acupuncture seems to be progressive, increasing at the end of treatment whereas pharmacological approach has a prompt effect in responders remaining stable thereafter. Moreover, acupuncture was significantly more effective than drugs in improving functioning.In our study for the first time acupuncture, applied accordingly to Chinese formula, was compared to drugs demonstrating the same effect of both treatments on HG symptoms. Interestingly, functioning was significantly improved just by acupuncture. Even if the effect of acupuncture on HG discomfort remains to be confirmed, the reports on the effect of acupuncture on psychosocial variables could represent a further advantage of acupuncture application and provide an incentive to widen the base of the research

On Estimating the Port Power Demands for Cold Ironing Applications

This paper presents an analysis on how ports can estimate the electric power and energy demands due to the implementation of cold ironing, as a solution to minimise the atmospheric pollution provoked by ships at berth. Alternative methods are analysed and discussed. The first one is based on approximate formulae to calculate the power demand as a fraction of the ship installed power. The second one utilizes the monitoring database of ship emissions. A parameters estimation is then realised to show how the approximate method can be tuned to obtain results comparable with those obtained with the emissions analysis

A Collaborative Laboratory for Shipboard Microgrid: Research and Training

The paper presents an on-going activity for the development of a joint laboratory between University of Genova and ABB for training and research within the context of the shipboard power systems. In particular the laboratory has been installed for training courses to satisfy the HV requirements laid out in the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), Manila Amendments. It has been approved by the Italian Minister of Transportation, decree 15 th February 2016 (16A01447). The course defines the mandatory knowledge and training to meet the competence for management of marine High Voltage electrical installations, for engine officers designed to work on vessels equipped with High Voltage devices (>1000V) and Electro Technical Officers (ETO), as per sections A-III/2, AIII/3 e A-III/6 of STCW code. Further, the laboratory and the research activities have been developed towards two main directions. The first aspect is related to the development of Microgrid models in a dedicated platform (OPAL-RT) for Hardware-in-The-Loop (HIL) testing of LV breakers and PMS (Power management system) applications. The second objective is the development of a real small-scale shipboard power system with two emulated gensets rated 7 kVA and different AC drives and loads for training purpose and validation of controllers

Assessment of the Potential Shore to Ship Load Demand: The Italian Scenario

In this paper an investigation and a technical-economical assessment on the application of the port electrification in Italy is presented. The recent opening of the electricity regulations to energy community may represent a possible business case to create an economical solution for cold ironing in Italy. In order to assess this possibility, a methodology to estimate load demand, emissions and economic aspects of the ship's hotelling period in ports, is proposed. Specifically, the analysis is derived from data of Italian's maritime traffic recorded over one year. The estimations consider also fuel quality and ship category (RO-RO, Tanker, Bulk etc.). Based on the results, a first estimation of the potential impact of the operation of cold ironing in Italy is reported

Acupuncture treatment as breastfeeding support: preliminary data.

This article investigates the efficacy of acupuncture for the maintenance of breastfeeding during the first 3 months of a newborn's life.After written informed consent was obtained, 90 women were randomly divided into two groups: acupuncture treatment or observation. Acupuncture sessions were performed twice weekly for 3 weeks (total six sessions). The control group made weekly visits to the clinic and the midwife observed their breastfeeding, giving routine care. In both groups, a semistructured clinical assessment of breastfeeding quality was carried out by the midwife at enrollment and after 3 weeks. Moreover, in both groups a telephone interview was conducted by the midwife at the third month of the infants' lives, regarding the continuation of breastfeeding.No significant difference in the exclusive breastfeeding rate before treatment was observed between acupuncture and observation groups (51.2\% versus 48.8\%). However, at 3 weeks post-enrollment, exclusive breastfeeding was significantly lower in the observation group than in the acupuncture group (60\% versus 100\%; p < 0.03). At the third month of the newborns' lives, breastfeeding was reported in 35\% of the acupuncture group, compared to 15\% of the observation group (p < 0.03).Such preliminary data suggest that 3 weeks of acupuncture treatment were more effective than observation alone in maintaining breastfeeding until the third month of the newborns' lives