Aristoxenus and Music Therapy: Fr. 26 Wehrli within the Tradition on Music and Catharsis.

The importance of music for the ancient Pythagoreans, together with recognition of its therapeutic function, favoured the rise of a long tradition relating to the Pythagoreans and music therapy, which in two Neoplatonic works, Vita Pythagorae by Porphyry of Tyre (c. 234-305 AD) and De vita pythagorica by Iamblichus of Chalcis (ca. 245-325 AD), has its best-known testimonies and the ones richest in details. Although the most ancient sources on Pythagoras tell us nothing on the subject, the tradition relating to the Pythagorean use of music therapy at all events dates back to long before the two Neoplatonics, as is shown by a brief and well-known fragment by Aristoxenus (fr. 26 Wehrli) saying that \u201cthe Pythagoreans used medicine for the purification of the body, and music for that of the soul\u201d. This testimony seems, more than any other, to have determined the almost undisputed acceptance of a true theory of musical catharsis, also seen in an ethical sense, worked out by the ancient Pythagoreans and such as to represent a model for Aristotle. In this connection, I try to highlight that behind the fragment it is instead easy to recognize the religious-ritual sphere of traditional catharsis, and the widespread belief in the beneficial effects of music on ethos. So the fragment reflects common beliefs, and can also be connected to some Presocratic texts and to Aristoxenus' Pythagorean Precepts

Web navigation for individuals with dyslexia: An exploratory study

In this paper, we present an exploratory study of the web navigation experiences of dyslexic users. Findings indicate that dyslexics exhibit distinctive web navigation behaviour and preferences. We believe that the outcomes of this study add to our understanding of the particular needs of this web user population and have implications for the design of effective navigation structures

An active magnetic bearing with high T(sub c) superconducting coils and ferromagnetic cores

A proof-of-feasibility demonstration showed that high-T(sub c) superconductor (HTS) coils can be used in a high-load, active magnetic bearing in LN2. A homopolar radial bearing with commercially wound HTS (Bi 2223) bias and control coils produced over 890 N (200 lb) radial load capacity (measured non-rotatings) and supported a shaft to 14,000 rpm. The goal was to show that HTS coils can operate stably with ferromagnetic cores in a feedback controlled system at a current density similar to that for Cu in LN2. The bias coil, wound with non-twisted, multifilament HTS conductor, dissipated negligible power for its direct current. The control coils, wound with monofilament HTS sheathed in Ag, dissipated negligible power for direct current. AC losses increased rapidly with frequency and quadratically with AC amplitude. Above about 2 Hz, the effective resistance of the control coils exceeds that of the silver which is in electrical parallel with the oxide superconductor. These results show that twisted multifilament conductor is not needed for stable levitation but may be desired to reduce control power for sizable dynamic loads

An active homopolar magnetic bearing with high temperature superconductor (HTS) coils and ferromagnetic cores

A proof-of-feasibility demonstration showed that high temperature superconductor (HTS) coils can be used in a high-load, active magnetic bearing in liquid nitrogen. A homopolar radial bearing with commercially wound HTS (Bi 2223) bias and control coils produced over 200 lb (890 N) radial load capacity (measured non-rotating) and supported a shaft to 14000 rpm. The goal was to show that HTS coils can operate stably with ferromagnetic cores in a feedback controlled system at a current density similar to that in Cu in liquid nitrogen. Design compromises permitted use of circular coils with rectangular cross section. Conductor improvements will eventually permit coil shape optimization, higher current density and higher bearing load capacity. The bias coil, wound with non-twisted, multifilament HTS conductor, required negligible power to carry its direct current. The control coils were wound with monofilament HTS sheathed in Ag. These dissipated negligible power for direct current (i.e. for steady radial load components). When an alternating current (AC) was added, the AC component dissipated power which increased rapidly with frequency and quadratically with AC amplitude. In fact at frequencies above about 2 hz, the effective resistance of the control coil conductor actually exceeds that of the silver which is in electrical parallel with the oxide superconductor. This is at least qualitatively understandable in the context of a Bean-type model of flux and current penetration into a Type II superconductor. Fortunately the dynamic currents required for bearing stability are of small amplitude. These results show that while twisted multifilament conductor is not needed for stable levitation, twisted multifilaments will be required to reduce control power for sizable dynamic loads, such as those due to unbalance

Increasing the Neutralino Relic Abundance with Slepton Coannihilations: Consequences for Indirect Dark Matter Detection

We point out that if the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is a Higgsino- or Wino-like neutralino, the net effect of coannihilations with sleptons is to increase the relic abundance, rather than producing the usual suppression, which takes place if the LSP is Bino-like. The reason for the enhancement lies in the effective thermally averaged cross section at freeze-out: sleptons annihilate (and co-annihilate) less efficiently than the neutralino(s)-chargino system, therefore slepton coannihilations effectively act as parasite degrees of freedom at freeze-out. Henceforth, the thermal relic abundance of LSP's corresponds to the cold Dark Matter abundance for smaller values of the LSP mass, and larger values of the neutralino pair annihilation cross section. In turn, at a given thermal neutralino relic abundance, this implies larger indirect detection rates, as a result of an increase in the fluxes of antimatter, gamma rays and neutrinos from the Sun orginating from neutralino pair annihilations.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, references added, typos corrected, matches with the published versio

Ecotoxicity of basil (Ocimum Basilicum) extract in aquaculture feeds: Is it really eco-safe for the aquatic environment?

Plant extract and essential oils are gaining application in aquaculture, but data about their environmental impact are limited and their potential effects on aquatic organisms are largely unknown. For this study, ecotoxicity tests were performed under standardized conditions on fish feed supplemented with 3 % w/w of a basil supercritical extract (F1-BEO; substance A), F1-BEO extract (substance B), and fish feed without F1-BEO extract (substance C) on three model species of different trophic levels (bacteria, primary producer, primary consumer) considered representative for freshwater (Aliivibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata, Daphnia magna) and marine (A. fischeri, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Paracentrotus lividus) ecosystems. Ecotoxicological response was largely comparable within the same trophic level (whichever the ecosystem). EC50 was not calculable in the concentration range here tested (3.9–500 mg/L) for freshwater and marine microalgae, suggesting that none of the substances were toxic for primary producers. Reduction of A. fischeri bioluminescence at the tested concentration (0.5–10 mg/L) was observed only for substance A (EC50 9.53 mg/L and 9 mg/L for freshwater and marine ecosystems, respectively). Notably, in P. lividus embryotoxicity was higher for substances A (EC50 1.80 mg/L) and C (EC50 4.6 mg/L) than for substance B (EC50 7.10 mg/L), suggesting a toxic effect due to feed dissolution. In contrast, substance B was more toxic (EC50 0.34 mg/L) in D. magna than substances A (EC50 3.98 mg/L) and C (EC50 5.50 mg/L). Based on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, all substances were categorized Acute 2, except for substance A which was categorized Acute 1 for D. magna. Overall, the substances were found to be potentially toxic for an aquatic ecosystem, especially for primary consumer. Further study of plant extract and essential oils is needed to better understand their effects and fate on the aquatic environment

Conditioned Flavor Aversion: A Mechanism for Goats to Avoid Condensed Tannins in Blackbrush

It has been hypothesized that herbivores instinctively avoid tannin-containing plant parts in response to the adverse effects of tannins on forage digestion. However, we found that goats learned to avoid condensed tannins (CTs) from blackbrush current season\u27s growth by associating the flavor of foods containing CTs with aversive postingestive consequences. The aversive consequences experienced by goats apparently are not related to digestion inhibition and may depend on the structure of CTs and on how CTs are bound with other cell constituents. These observations suggest several areas of inquiry related to the interaction between CTs and herbivores. A better understanding of the physiological effects of CTs and how herbivores perceive these effects is essential to our knowledge of chemically mediated interactions between plants and mammalian herbivores. With few exceptions, the effects of food flavor have not been separated from those associated with postingestive consequences, even though our data show that postingestive consequences strongly influence palatability. We also need to know how herbivores learn which plant species to eat and which to avoid while foraging in areas that contain a variety of plant species and parts with different kinds and concentrations of CTs. Condensed tannins are pervasive in nature and can defend plants from herbivory, but since many important forages contain high levels of tannins, the presence or absence of tannins per se does not reliably indicate food quality. To predict the ability of a tannin-producing plant to deter herbivores requires a full understanding of how changes in CT structure and binding affect herbivores

Prevalence and Profile of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Lean Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Data on prevalence and profile of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among individuals who are lean (normal body mass index) is unclear. Published data from studies comparing lean with obese NAFLD or with healthy subjects on prevalence, comorbidities, liver chemistry and histology, and metabolic/inflammatory markers were analyzed. Data were reported as odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for categorical variables and difference of means for continuous variables. Analysis of 53 studies on 65,029 subjects with NAFLD (38,084 lean) and 249,544 healthy subjects showed a prevalence of lean NAFLD at 11.2% in the general population. Among individuals with NAFLD, the prevalence of lean NAFLD was 25.3%. Lean NAFLD versus healthy subjects had higher odds for abnormalities on metabolic profile, including metabolic syndrome and its components, renal and liver function, and patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) G allele; and inflammatory profile, including uric acid and C-reactive protein. The abnormalities were less severe among lean versus obese NAFLD on metabolic syndrome with its components, renal and liver chemistry, liver stiffness measurement, PNPLA3 and transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 polymorphisms, and uric acid levels as markers of inflammation. Lean NAFLD had less severe histologic findings, including hepatocyte ballooning, lobular inflammation, NAFLD activity score, and fibrosis stage. Limited data also showed worse outcomes between obese versus lean NAFLD. Conclusion: Lean NAFLD is a distinct entity with metabolic, biochemical, and inflammatory abnormalities compared to healthy subjects and a more favorable profile, including liver histology of steatohepatitis and fibrosis stage, compared to obese NAFLD. We suggest that prospective multicenter studies examine long-term hepatic and extrahepatic outcomes in individuals with lean NAFLD

Mussel watch program for microplastics in the Mediterranean sea: Identification of biomarkers of exposure using Mytilus galloprovincialis

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants that have also been detected in the aquatic ecosystems at high concentrations. The use of shellfish as bioindicators is widespread for assessing and monitoring the environmental quality in both freshwater and marine environments. On this path, biomarkers represent an effective tool in monitoring programs. This minireview would broaden the existing knowledge on biomarkers of MPs in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. This species was selected as it is widely distributed across the Mediterranean Sea and used as a bioindicator to monitor the presence of MPs in the marine environment. The literature search returned only 11 studies, mainly related to oxidative stress biomarkers. Although certain biomarkers were explored to estimate the effects of MPs on M. galloprovincialis, a battery of standardized and validated biomarkers as well as the inclusion of new ones are needed in future studies to obtain more comparable and robust findings across the Mediterranean Sea

Laser Displacement Measurements of Fan Blades in Resonance and Flutter During the Boundary Layer Ingesting Inlet and Distortion-Tolerant Fan Test

NASA's Advanced Air Transport Technology Project is investigating boundary layer ingesting propulsors for future subsonic commercial aircraft to improve aircraft efficiency, thereby reducing fuel burn. To that end, a boundary layer ingesting inlet and distortion-tolerant fan stage was designed, fabricated, and tested within the 8' x 6' Supersonic Wind Tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center. Because of the distortion in the air flow over the fan, the blades were designed to withstand a much higher aerodynamic forcing than for a typical clean flow. The blade response for several resonance modes were measured during start-up and shutdown, as well as at near 85% design speed. Flutter in the first bending mode was also observed in the fan at the design speed, at an off-design condition, although instabilities were difficult to instigate with this fan in general. Blade vibrations were monitored through twelve laser displacement probes that were placed around the inner circumference of the casing, at the blade leading and trailing edges. These probes captured the movement of all the blades during the entire test. Results are presented for various resonance mode amplitudes, frequencies and damping, as well as flutter amplitudes and frequency. Benefits and disadvantages of laser displacement probe measurements versus strain gage measurements are discussed