1.5V fully programmable CMOS Membership Function Generator Circuit with proportional DC-voltage control

A Membership Function Generator Circuit (MFGC) with bias supply of 1.5 Volts and independent DC-voltage programmable functionalities is presented. The realization is based on a programmable differential current mirror and three compact voltage-to-current converters, allowing continuous and quasi-linear adjustment of the center position, height, width and slopes of the triangular/trapezoidal output waveforms. HSPICE simulation results of the proposed circuit using the parameters of a double-poly, three metal layers, 0.5 μm CMOS technology validate the functionality of the proposed architecture, which exhibits a maximum deviation of the linearity in the programmability of 7 %

Relationship between the gut microbiome and osteoarthritis pain: Review of the literature

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of chronic pain in Europe (34%), representing a great economic and social cost to society. There are studies that suggest an intestine–brain–articulation axis and hint at the existence of low-grade intestinal inflammation in OA, which would be related to an alteration of the microbiota and to the impairment of the epithelial barrier, with leakage of the microbial components. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review the association between gut microbiome and pain in the OA population through a review of the literature. Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify all available studies on the association between the gut microbiome and pain in the OA population, with no publication date limit until September 2020 and no language limit, in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. Results: Only three of 2084 studies detected and analyzed by performing the proposed searches in the detailed databases, were finally selected for this review, of which one was with and two were without intervention. These studies only weakly support a relationship between the gut microbiome and OA, specifically a correlation between certain taxa or microbial products and the inflammatory landscape and severity of OA symptoms, including knee pain. Conclusions: Despite encouraging results, this review highlights the paucity of high-quality studies addressing the potential role of the gut microbiome in OA-re-lated pain, along with the disparity of the techniques used so far, making it impossible to draw firm conclusions on the topic

Discovery of a wide companion near the deuterium burning mass limit in the Upper Scorpius association

We present the discovery of a companion near the deuterium burning mass limit located at a very wide distance, at an angular separation of 4.6+/-0.1 arcsec (projected distance of ~ 670 AU) from UScoCTIO108, a brown dwarf of the very young Upper Scorpius association. Optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy confirm the cool nature of both objects, with spectral types of M7 and M9.5, respectively, and that they are bona fide members of the association, showing low gravity and features of youth. Their masses, estimated from the comparison of their bolometric luminosities and theoretical models for the age range of the association, are 60+/-20 and 14^{+2}_{-8} MJup, respectively. The existence of this object around a brown dwarf at this wide orbit suggests that the companion is unlikely to have formed in a disk based on current planet formation models. Because this system is rather weakly bound, they did not probably form through dynamical ejection of stellar embryos.Comment: 10 pages, including 4 figures and 2 table

Octopus maya white body show sex-specific transcriptomic profiles during the reproductive phase, with high differentiation in signaling pathways

White bodies (WB), multilobulated soft tissue that wraps the optic tracts and optic lobes, have been considered the hematopoietic organ of the cephalopods. Its glandular appearance and its lobular morphology suggest that different parts of the WB may perform different functions, but a detailed functional analysis of the octopus WB is lacking. The aim of this study is to describe the transcriptomic profile of WB to better understand its functions, with emphasis on the difference between sexes during reproductive events. Then, validation via qPCR was performed using different tissues to find out tissue-specific transcripts. High differentiation in signaling pathways was observed in the comparison of female and male transcriptomic profiles. For instance, the expression of genes involved in the androgen receptor-signaling pathway were detected only in males, whereas estrogen receptor showed higher expression in females. Highly expressed genes in males enriched oxidation-reduction and apoptotic processes, which are related to the immune response. On the other hand, expression of genes involved in replicative senescence and the response to cortisol were only detected in females. Moreover, the transcripts with higher expression in females enriched a wide variety of signaling pathways mediated by molecules like neuropeptides, integrins, MAPKs and receptors like TNF and Toll-like. In addition, these putative neuropeptide transcripts, showed higher expression in females' WB and were not detected in other analyzed tissues. These results suggest that the differentiation in signaling pathways in white bodies of O. maya influences the physiological dimorphism between females and males during the reproductive phase

An X-ray study of the SNR G344.7-0.1 and the central object CXOU J170357.8-414302

Aims. We report results of an X-ray study of the supernova remnant (SNR) G344.7-0.1 and the point-like X-ray source located at the geometrical center of the SNR radio structure. Methods. The morphology and spectral properties of the remnant and the central X-ray point-like source were studied using data from the XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites. Archival radio data and infrared Spitzer observations at 8 and 24 $\mu$m were used to compare and study its multi-band properties at different wavelengths. Results. The XMM-Newton and Chandra observations reveal that the overall X-ray emission of G344.7-0.1 is extended and correlates very well with regions of bright radio and infrared emission. The X-ray spectrum is dominated by prominent atomic emission lines. These characteristics suggest that the X-ray emission originated in a thin thermal plasma, whose radiation is represented well by a plane-parallel shock plasma model (PSHOCK). Our study favors the scenario in which G344.7-0.1 is a 6 x 10^3 year old SNR expanding in a medium with a high density gradient and is most likely encountering a molecular cloud on the western side. In addition, we report the discovery of a soft point-like X-ray source located at the geometrical center of the radio SNR structure. The object presents some characteristics of the so-called compact central objects (CCO). However, its neutral hydrogen absorption column (N_{H}) is inconsistent with that of the SNR. Coincident with the position of the source, we found infrared and optical objects with typical early-K star characteristics. The X-ray source may be a foreground star or the CCO associated with the SNR. If this latter possibility were confirmed, the point-like source would be the farthest CCO detected so far and the eighth member of the new population of isolated and weakly magnetized neutron stars.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Higher resolution figures can be seen on A&

Switching from natalizumab to fingolimod: an observational study

Background – Multiple sclerosis patients who discontinue using natalizumab are at risk of a rebound in disease activity. However, the optimal alternative therapy is not currently known. Aims of the study – We report on clinical and MRI data and patient safety in a group of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis patients who tested seropositive for the JC virus and who have switched from natalizumab to fingolimod because of concerns regarding PML risks. Methods – The test for JC virus antibodies was performed in 18 relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis patients who were being treated with natalizumab for more than 1 year. Eight seropositive patients switched to fingolimod while the seronegative patients continued with natalizumab. Results – After switching to fingolimod, five of eight patients (63%) experienced clinical relapses, and MRI activity was detected in six of eight patients (75%). Neither clinical relapses nor MRI activity was observed in the patients who continued with natalizumab. No serious adverse effects were detected. Conclusions – Natalizumab is an effective treatment for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, but its discontinuation continues to be a complex problem. All of the therapies tried thus far, including fingolimod, have been unable to control the reactivation of the disease. Further studies addressing alternative therapies after natalizumab discontinuation are necessary

Wind Resource Assessment on Puna Island

Puna Island, located in the Pacific Ocean off the southern coast of Ecuador, has a population of approximately 3344 inhabitants. However, not all inhabitants have access to electricity, which is largely supplied by diesel generators. Therefore, to identify a renewable, sustainable, environmentally friendly and low-cost alternative, a 40-m-high anemometer tower was installed for wind resource assessment and to determine the possibility of generating electricity from wind energy. Based on mathematical models for electricity generation from wind energy, data were analyzed using the software Windographer and WAsP, to determine a long-term wind speed of 4.8 m/s and a mean wind power density of 272 W/m(2). By simulating the use of a 3.3-MW wind turbine, we demonstrated that as much as 800 kWh could be generated during the hours when the wind reaches its highest speed. In addition to demonstrating the technical feasibility of meeting the electricity demands of Puna Island through wind power, this study exemplifies a method that can be used for wind resource assessment in any location

Electrical properties of bismuth ferrites:Bi2Fe4O9 and Bi25FeO39

Bi2Fe4O9 was prepared by solid-state reaction and the electrical properties measured by impedance spectroscopy. After annealing in O2 at 900 °C, Bi2Fe4O9 is an electrically-homogeneous insulator. Its high frequency permittivity is constant (∼14.1) over the temperature range 300–400 °C and shows no evidence of incipient ferroelectricity at lower temperatures. On annealing in N2 at 900 °C, the pellets gradually decompose. Bi25FeO39 was prepared by both solid-state reaction and mechanosynthesis. It showed a modest amount of mixed conduction of both oxide ions and holes. Impedance analysis showed a complex response that best fitted an equivalent circuit consisting of a parallel combination of long-range conduction and short range dielectric relaxation elements. The electrical conductivity of both Bi2Fe4O9 and Bi25FeO39 is less than that of BiFeO3 prepared by solid-state reaction, which indicates that any leakage conductivity of BiFeO3 is not due to the possible presence of small amounts of these secondary phases

Comparative Distribution of Relaxin-3 Inputs and Calcium-Binding Protein-Positive Neurons in Rat Amygdala

The neural circuits involved in mediating complex behaviors are being rapidly elucidated using various newly developed and powerful anatomical and molecular techniques, providing insights into the neural basis for anxiety disorders, depression, addiction, and dysfunctional social behaviors. Many of these behaviors and associated physiological processes involve the activation of the amygdala in conjunction with cortical and hippocampal circuits. Ascending subcortical projections provide modulatory inputs to the extended amygdala and its related nodes (or ‘hubs’) within these key circuits. One such input arises from the nucleus incertus (NI) in the tegmentum, which sends amino acid- and peptide-containing projections throughout the forebrain. Notably, a distinct population of GABAergic NI neurons expresses the highly-conserved neuropeptide, relaxin-3, and relaxin-3 signaling has been implicated in the modulation of reward/motivation and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in rodents via actions within the extended amygdala. Thus, a detailed description of the relaxin-3 innervation of the extended amygdala would provide an anatomical framework for an improved understanding of NI and relaxin-3 modulation of these and other specific amygdala-related functions. Therefore, in this study, we examined the distribution of NI projections and relaxin-3-positive elements (axons/fibers/terminals) within the amygdala, relative to the distribution of neurons expressing the calcium-binding proteins, parvalbumin, calretinin and/or calbindin. Anterograde tracer injections into the NI revealed a topographic distribution of NI efferents within the amygdala that was near identical to the distribution of relaxin-3-immunoreactive fibers. Highest densities of anterogradely-labeled elements and relaxin-3-immunoreactive fibers were observed in the medial nucleus of the amygdala, medial divisions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and in the endopiriform nucleus. In contrast, sparse anterogradely-labeled and relaxin-3-immunoreactive fibers were observed in other amygdala nuclei, including the lateral, central and basal nuclei and the nucleus accumbens lacked any innervation. Using synaptophysin as a synaptic marker, we identified relaxin-3 positive synaptic terminals in the medial amygdala, BST and endopiriform nucleus of amygdala. Our findings demonstrate the existence of topographic NI and relaxin-3-containing projections to specific nuclei of the extended amygdala, consistent with a likely role for this putative integrative arousal system in the regulation of amygdala-dependent social and emotional behaviors