Has there been a recent shallowing of tropical cyclones?

Many aspects of tropical cyclone (TC) properties at the surface have been changing but any systematic vertical changes are unknown. Here, we document a recent trend of high thick clouds of TCs. The global inner-core high thick cloud fraction measured by satellite has decreased from 2002 to 2021 by about 10% per decade. The TC inner-core surface rain rate is also found to have decreased during the same period by a similar percentage. This suppression of high thick clouds and rain has been largest during the intensification phase of the strongest TCs. Hence, these two independent and consistent observations suggest that the TC inner-core convection has weakened and that TCs have become shallower recently at least. For this period, the lifetime maximum intensity of major TCs has not changed and this suggests an increased efficiency of the spin-up of TCs

Use of lipids of Chlorella microalgae in poultry meat marinades and sauces recipes

ArticleThe aim of this study is to develop formulations and technologies for fermented poultry meat products with the addition of whey and lipid extracts obtained from Chlorella microalgae. Lyophilized microalgal biomass was obtained from cell suspensions of Chlorella sorokiniana (strain 211-8k) cultivated in a closed photobioreactor under laboratory conditions. For the cell wall disintegration, the biomass samples were homogenized using a high-speed homogenizer at 10,000 vol min-1 for 5 minutes. The lipid extraction was performed on a Sohxlet apparatus Buchi E-812 SOX with the solvent extraction system ethanol: n-hexane (1: 9). The higher fatty acids composition of the obtained microalgal lipid extracts was determined by gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection using nitrogen as a carrier gas. The ω-3 and ω-6 content represented 26.59% and 19.05% respectively, which indicates that these lipid extracts have high nutritional values. The curd whey was obtained from cow's milk of summer and winter production from 2017 to 2018 (Lomonosov district auxiliary farm, Leningrad region); and lyophilized Direct Vat Set (DVS) cultures (Ch. Hansen, Denmark). The organic acids and carbohydrate content in the serum was determined by ion-exclusion HPLC. The FD-DVS CHN-19 culture was selected to produce a serum with improved organoleptic characteristics and a lower propionic acid content (0.01 g L -1 ). To obtain an optimal ω-3 / ω-6 ratio, a phyto-additive mixture based on sunflower oil and lipid extracts from C. sorokiniana microalgae at a ratio of 5–10: 1 is proposed to be used in recipes and technologies of sauces and marinades. It is established that the use of curd whey marinades allow to increase the water-holding capacity (WHC) by 6−8% and to reduce losses during heat treatment of poultry meat from 2 to 11%

Positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia: A longitudinal analysis using latent variable structural equation modelling

BACKGROUND: Recent network models of schizophrenia propose it is the consequence of mutual interaction between its symptoms. While cross-sectional associations between negative and positive symptoms are consistent with this idea, they may merely reflect their involvement in the diagnostic process. Longitudinal analyses however may allow the identification of possible causal relationships. The European Schizophrenia Cohort (EuroSC) provides data suitable for this purpose. METHODS: EuroSC includes 1208 patients randomly sampled from outpatient services in France, Germany and the UK. Initial measures were repeated after 12 and 24 months. Latent variable structural equation modelling was used to investigate the direction of effect between positive and negative symptoms assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, controlling for the effects of depressed mood and antipsychotic medication. RESULTS: The structural model provided acceptable overall fit [χ2 (953) = 2444.32, P < 0.001; CFI = 0.909; RMSEA = 0.046 (90% CI: 0.043, 0.048); SRMR = 0.052]. Both positive and negative symptoms were persistent, and strongly auto-correlated. There were also persistent cross-sectional associations between positive and negative symptoms. While the path from latent positive to negative symptoms from T1 to T2 approached conventional levels of statistical significance (P = 0.051), that from T2 to T3 did not (P = 0.546). Pathways in the reverse direction were uniformly non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence that negative symptoms predict later positive symptoms. The prediction of negative symptoms by positive symptoms was ambiguous. We discuss implications for conceptualization of schizophrenic processes

Fistule carotido-caverneuse post-traumatique

Introduction : La fistule carotido-caverneuse (FCC) est une complication rare, mais grave des traumatismes craniofaciaux pouvant engager le pronostic fonctionnel oculaire et le pronostic vital. elle réalise une communication anormale entre le système artériel carotidien et le sinus caverneux.Buts : Rapporter un cas de FCC directe post-traumatique et étudier les aspects cliniques, diagnostiques et thérapeutiques de cette pathologie.Observation : Nous rapportons un cas de FCC apparue dans les suites d’un traumatisme craniofacial et survenue chez un homme de 25 ans ayant été victime d’un accident de la voie publique. Le diagnostic a été suspecté devant l’apparition, au 19ème jour d’hospitalisation, d’une exophtalmie unilatérale gauche pulsatile associée à un important chémosis et à une pupille aréflectique. Une artériographie cérébrale pratiquée 9 jours après la constatation de l’exophtalmie a objectivé une large FCC gauche. Une embolisation au moyen de deux ballonnets intravasculaires largables et de l’injection de colle biologique a été réalisée au même temps sans incidents permettant d’obtenir l’occlusion complète de la fistule. L’évolution a été marquée par la régression de l’exophtalmie et du chémosis et par l’amélioration partielle de l’acuité visuelle.Conclusion : Le traitement des FCC est urgent et est principalement basé sur la neuroradiologie interventionnelle. en effet, l’angiographie cérébrale constitue l’examen clé et possède un double intérêt diagnostique et thérapeutique.Mots clés : fistule carotido-caverneuse, traumatisme craniofacial, artériographie cérébrale, embolisation

Cultural Variations in Public Beliefs about Mental Disorders: A Comparison between Tunisia and Germany

In recent years there is a growing interest in public beliefs about mental disorders. Numerous representative population-based studies have been conducted around the globe, also in European countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. However, relatively little is known about public beliefs in countries in Northern Africa. To fill this gap by comparing public beliefs about mental disorders in Tunisia and Germany, focusing on causal beliefs, help-seeking recommendations and treatment preferences. Representative national population-based surveys have been conducted in Tunisia in 2012 (N = 811) and in Germany in 2011 (N = 1852), using the same interview mode and the same fully structured interview starting with a vignette depicting a person suffering from either schizophrenia or depression. In Tunisia, the public was more likely to adopt psychosocial and to reject biogenetic explanations than in Germany. Correspondingly, psychological treatments were more frequently recommended and biological ones more frequently advised against. There was also a strong inclination to share religious beliefs and to recommend seeking religious advice. Tunisians tended much more than Germans to hold moralistic views and to blame the afflicted person for his or her illness. In Tunisia, the public tended less to differentiate between schizophrenia and depression than in Germany. Marked differences between Tunisia and Germany exist in public beliefs about the causes of mental disorders and their treatment, which correspond to differences in cultural orientations prevailing in these countries. Mental health professionals need to be sensitive to the particular cultural context in which they operate, in order to be able to reach those they intend to care for

A shortening of the life-cycle of major tropical cyclones

In this study a comprehensive picture of the changing intensity life cycle of major (Category 3 and higher) tropical cyclones (TCs) is presented. Over the past decades, the lifetime maximum intensity has increased, but there has also been a significant decrease in duration of time spent at intensities greater than Category 1. These compensating effects have maintained a stable global mean‐accumulated cyclone energy of individual major TCs. The global mean duration of major TCs has shortened by about 1 day from 1982 to 2018. There has been both faster intensification (Categories 1 to 3) and weakening (Categories 3 to 1) by about 40%. The probabilities of rapid intensification and rapid weakening have both risen in the period 2000–2018 compared to 1982–1999. A statistically significant anticorrelation is found between the lifetime maximum intensity and the following duration of the final weakening. This suggests an element of self‐regulation of TC life cycles

Equilibria-based Probabilistic Model Checking for Concurrent Stochastic Games

Probabilistic model checking for stochastic games enables formal verification of systems that comprise competing or collaborating entities operating in a stochastic environment. Despite good progress in the area, existing approaches focus on zero-sum goals and cannot reason about scenarios where entities are endowed with different objectives. In this paper, we propose probabilistic model checking techniques for concurrent stochastic games based on Nash equilibria. We extend the temporal logic rPATL (probabilistic alternating-time temporal logic with rewards) to allow reasoning about players with distinct quantitative goals, which capture either the probability of an event occurring or a reward measure. We present algorithms to synthesise strategies that are subgame perfect social welfare optimal Nash equilibria, i.e., where there is no incentive for any players to unilaterally change their strategy in any state of the game, whilst the combined probabilities or rewards are maximised. We implement our techniques in the PRISM-games tool and apply them to several case studies, including network protocols and robot navigation, showing the benefits compared to existing approaches

Phase appearance or disappearance in two-phase flows

This paper is devoted to the treatment of specific numerical problems which appear when phase appearance or disappearance occurs in models of two-phase flows. Such models have crucial importance in many industrial areas such as nuclear power plant safety studies. In this paper, two outstanding problems are identified: first, the loss of hyperbolicity of the system when a phase appears or disappears and second, the lack of positivity of standard shock capturing schemes such as the Roe scheme. After an asymptotic study of the model, this paper proposes accurate and robust numerical methods adapted to the simulation of phase appearance or disappearance. Polynomial solvers are developed to avoid the use of eigenvectors which are needed in usual shock capturing schemes, and a method based on an adaptive numerical diffusion is designed to treat the positivity problems. An alternate method, based on the use of the hyperbolic tangent function instead of a polynomial, is also considered. Numerical results are presented which demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed solutions

Capturing the value of vaccination within health technology assessment and health economics:Country analysis and priority value concepts

Background: A value of vaccination framework for economic evaluation (EE) identified unique value concepts for the broad benefits vaccination provides to individuals, society, healthcare systems and national economies. The objectives of this paper were to work with experts in developed countries to objectively identify three priority concepts to extend current EE. Methods: The previously developed classification of value concepts in vaccination distinguished 18 concepts, categorised as conventional payer and societal perspective concepts and novel broader societal concepts. Their inclusion in current EE guidelines was assessed. Experts identified eight criteria relevant to decision-making and measurement feasibility, which were weighted and used to score each concept. The relative ranking of concepts by importance and the gaps in guidelines were used to identify three priority concepts on which to focus immediate efforts to extend EE. Results: The EE guidelines review highlighted differences across countries and between guidelines and practice. Conventional payer perspective concepts (e.g., individual and societal health gains and medical costs) were generally included, while gaps were evident for conventional societal perspective concepts (e.g., family/caregiver health and economic gains). Few novel broader societal benefits were considered, and only in ad hoc cases. The top-three concepts for near-term consideration: macroeconomic gains (e.g., benefiting the economy, tourism), social equity and ethics (e.g., equal distribution of health outcomes, reduced health/financial equity gaps) and health systems strengthening, resilience and security (e.g., efficiency gains, reduced disruption, increased capacity). Conclusions: Gaps, inconsistencies and limited assessment of vaccination value in EE can lead to differences in policy and vaccination access. The three priority concepts identified provide a feasible approach for capturing VoV more broadly in the near-term. Robust methods for measuring and valuing these concepts in future assessments will help strengthen the evidence used to inform decisions, improving access to vaccines that are demonstrably good value for money from society's point of view. (C) 2022 GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals S.A. Published by Elsevier Ltd