368 research outputs found
Metabolic alterations in experimental models of depression
Introduction: Major depressive disorder is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and is associated with a severe impact on the personal functioning, thus with incurring significant direct and indirect costs. The presence of depression in patients with medical comorbidities increases the risks of myocardial infarction and decreases diabetes control, and adherence to treatment. The mechanism through which these effects are produced is still uncertain. Objectives of this study were to evaluate the metabolic alterations in female Wistar rats with induced depression, with and without administration of Agomelatine. The methods included two experiments. All data were analyzed by comparison with group I (control), and with each other. In the first experiment we induced depression by: exposure to chronic mild stress-group II; olfactory bulbectomy-group III; and exposure to chronic mild stress and hyperlipidic/ hyper caloric diet-group IV. The second experiment was similar with the first but the rats received Agomelatine (0.16mg/ animal): group V (depression induced through exposure to chronic mild stress), VI (depression induced through olfactory bulbectomy) and VII (depression induced through exposure to chronic mild stressing hyperlipidic/ hypercaloric diet). Weight, cholesterol, triglycerides and glycaemia were measured at day 0 and 28, and leptin value was measured at day 28. The results in the 1st experiment revealed significant differences (pconclusion, significant correlations were found between high level of triglycerides and depression induced by chronic stress and olfactory bulbectomy. Agomelatine groups had a lower increase of triglycerides levels
Development of microwave superconducting microresonators for neutrino mass measurement in the HOLMES framework
The European Research Council has recently funded HOLMES, a project with the
aim of performing a calorimetric measurement of the electron neutrino mass
measuring the energy released in the electron capture decay of 163Ho. The
baseline for HOLMES are microcalorimeters coupled to Transition Edge Sensors
(TESs) read out with rf-SQUIDs, for microwave multiplexing purposes. A
promising alternative solution is based on superconducting microwave
resonators, that have undergone rapid development in the last decade. These
detectors, called Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs), are
inherently multiplexed in the frequency domain and suitable for even
larger-scale pixel arrays, with theoretical high energy resolution and fast
response. The aim of our activity is to develop arrays of microresonator
detectors for X-ray spectroscopy and suitable for the calorimetric measurement
of the energy spectra of 163Ho. Superconductive multilayer films composed by a
sequence of pure Titanium and stoichiometric TiN layers show many ideal
properties for MKIDs, such as low loss, large sheet resistance, large kinetic
inductance, and tunable critical temperature . We developed Ti/TiN
multilayer microresonators with within the range from 70 mK to 4.5 K and
with good uniformity. In this contribution we present the design solutions
adopted, the fabrication processes and the characterization results
Large area Si low-temperature light detectors with Neganov-Luke effect
Next generation calorimetric experiments for the search of rare events rely
on the detection of tiny amounts of light (of the order of 20 optical photons)
to discriminate and reduce background sources and improve sensitivity.
Calorimetric detectors are the simplest solution for photon detection at
cryogenic (mK) temperatures. The development of silicon based light detectors
with enhanced performance thanks to the use of the Neganov-Luke effect is
described. The aim of this research line is the production of high performance
detectors with industrial-grade reproducibility and reliability.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Новые подходы при определении степени ограничения жизнедеятельности с использованием Международной Классификации Функционирования, ограничений жизнедеятельности и здоровья
Department of Economy, Management and Psychopedagogy in medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Nicolae Testemitanu State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Congresul III al Medicilor de Familie din Republica Moldova 17–18 mai, 2012, Chişinău, Republica MoldovaIn the medical model, disability has predominantly been viewed as the consequence of disease or injury in the form of functional losses or impairments.
The onus has been on the individual to make efforts to become ‘rehabilitated,’ restore their function, or to cope effectively with their disabling condition.
The core characteristics of the so-called ‘social model of disability’ – in contrast to the other models stress on (a) how individuals views, experiences and
priorities can be effectively recognized, and (b) how the outcome of medical support and intervention is not necessarily cure or symptom management, but
social participation. Disability is human experience of impaired body function and structure activity limitation participation restriction in the interaction
with health conditions, personal and environmental factors. ICF provides an international common language and universal conceptual framework for
describing functioning, disability and health, comprehensive, biological-psychological-social model of disability and health, consisting from medical
and social aspects.
Медицинская модель рассматривает “инвалидность” как свойство, присущее человеку в результате болезни, травмы или иного воздействия
на состояние здоровья, которое требует медицинской помощи в виде непосредственного лечения у специалистов. Инвалидность по этой модели
требует медицинского или иного вмешательства или лечения с тем, чтобы «исправить» проблему человека. Социальная модель рассматривает
инвалидность как социальную проблему, а не как свойство человека. Согласно социальной модели, инвалидность требует социального
вмешательства, так как проблема возникает из-за неприспособленности окружающей среды, вызываемой отношением и другими свойствами
социального окружения. Инвалидность всегда представляет собой взаимодействие между свойствами человека и свойствами окружения, в
котором этот человек проживает, но некоторые аспекты инвалидности являются полностью внутренними для человека, другие же, наоборот,
только внешними. Наилучшая модель инвалидности, таким образом, будет представлять собой синтез всего лучшего из медицинской и
социальной моделей. Такая более выгодная модель инвалидности может называться биопсихосоциальной моделью. МКФ основывается на
такой модели, совмещающей медицинский и социальный аспекты
Classification of cancer cell lines using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and statistical analysis
Over the past decade, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time‑of‑flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‑TOF MS) has been established as a valuable platform for microbial identification, and it is also frequently applied in biology and clinical studies to identify new markers expressed in pathological conditions. The aim of the present study was to assess the potential of using this approach for the classification of cancer cell lines as a quantifiable method for the proteomic profiling of cellular organelles. Intact protein extracts isolated from different tumor cell lines (human and murine) were analyzed using MALDI‑TOF MS and the obtained mass lists were processed using principle component analysis (PCA) within Bruker Biotyper® software. Furthermore, reference spectra were created for each cell line and were used for classification. Based on the intact protein profiles, we were able to differentiate and classify six cancer cell lines: two murine melanoma (B16‑F0 and B164A5), one human melanoma (A375), two human breast carcinoma (MCF7 and MDA‑MB‑231) and one human liver carcinoma (HepG2). The cell lines were classified according to cancer type and the species they originated from, as well as by their metastatic potential, offering the possibility to differentiate non‑invasive from invasive cells. The obtained results pave the way for developing a broad‑based strategy for the identification and classification of cancer cell
Transformer coupling and its modelling for the flux-ramp modulation of rf-SQUIDs
Microwave frequency domain multiplexing is a suitable technique to read out a
large number of detector channels using only a few connecting lines. In the
HOLMES experiment this is based on inductively coupled rf-SQUIDs
(Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices) fed by TES (Transition Edge
Sensors). Biasing of the whole rf-SQUID chain is provided with a single
transmission line by means of the recently introduced flux-ramp modulation
technique, a sawtooth signal which allows signal reconstruction while operating
the rf-SQUIDs in open loop condition. Due to the crucial role of the sawtooth
signal, it is very important that it does not suffer from ground loop
disturbances and EMI. Introducing a transformer between the biasing source and
the SQUIDs is very effective in suppressing disturbances. The sawtooth signal
has slow and fast components, and the period can vary between a few kHz up to
MHz depending on the TES signal and SQUID characteristics. A transformer able
to face such a broad range of conditions must have very stringent
characteristics and needs to be custom designed. Our solution exploits standard
commercial, and inexpensive, transformers for LAN networks used in a suitable
combination. A model that allows to take care of the low as well as of the high
frequency operating range has been developed
The Douglas-Fir Genome Sequence Reveals Specialization of the Photosynthetic Apparatus in Pinaceae.
A reference genome sequence for Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco (Coastal Douglas-fir) is reported, thus providing a reference sequence for a third genus of the family Pinaceae. The contiguity and quality of the genome assembly far exceeds that of other conifer reference genome sequences (contig N50 = 44,136 bp and scaffold N50 = 340,704 bp). Incremental improvements in sequencing and assembly technologies are in part responsible for the higher quality reference genome, but it may also be due to a slightly lower exact repeat content in Douglas-fir vs. pine and spruce. Comparative genome annotation with angiosperm species reveals gene-family expansion and contraction in Douglas-fir and other conifers which may account for some of the major morphological and physiological differences between the two major plant groups. Notable differences in the size of the NDH-complex gene family and genes underlying the functional basis of shade tolerance/intolerance were observed. This reference genome sequence not only provides an important resource for Douglas-fir breeders and geneticists but also sheds additional light on the evolutionary processes that have led to the divergence of modern angiosperms from the more ancient gymnosperms
CUPID-0: the first array of enriched scintillating bolometers for 0decay investigations
The CUPID-0 detector hosted at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy, is the first large array of enriched scintillating cryogenic detectors for the investigation of82Se neutrinoless double-beta decay (0). CUPID-0 aims at measuring a background index in the region of interest (RoI) for 0at the level of 10- 3 counts/(keV kg years), the lowest value ever measured using cryogenic detectors. CUPID-0 operates an array of Zn82Se scintillating bolometers coupled with bolometric light detectors, with a state of the art technology for background suppression and thorough protocols and procedures for the detector preparation and construction. In this paper, the different phases of the detector design and construction will be presented, from the material selection (for the absorber production) to the new and innovative detector structure. The successful construction of the detector lead to promising preliminary detector performance which is discussed here
First array of enriched ZnSe bolometers to search for double beta decay
The R&D activity performed during the last years proved the potential of ZnSe
scintillating bolometers to the search for neutrino-less double beta decay,
motivating the realization of the first large-mass experiment based on this
technology: CUPID-0. The isotopic enrichment in Se, the ZnSe
crystals growth, as well as the light detectors production have been
accomplished, and the experiment is now in construction at Laboratori Nazionali
del Gran Sasso (Italy). In this paper we present the results obtained testing
the first three ZnSe crystals operated as scintillating bolometers, and
we prove that their performance in terms of energy resolution, background
rejection capability and intrinsic radio-purity complies with the requirements
of CUPID-0
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