The Bouncing Jet: A Newtonian Liquid Rebounding off a Free Surface

We find that a liquid jet can bounce off a bath of the same liquid if the bath is moving horizontally with respect to the jet. Previous observations of jets rebounding off a bath (e.g. Kaye effect) have been reported only for non-Newtonian fluids, while we observe bouncing jets in a variety of Newtonian fluids, including mineral oil poured by hand. A thin layer of air separates the bouncing jet from the bath, and the relative motion replenishes the film of air. Jets with one or two bounces are stable for a range of viscosity, jet flow rate and velocity, and bath velocity. The bouncing phenomenon exhibits hysteresis and multiple steady states.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. submitted to Physical Review

Decreased Anti-Inflammatory Responses to Vitamin D in Neonatal Neutrophils

Neutrophil activity is prolonged in newborns, suggesting decreased exposure and/or responses to immunosuppressive modulators, such as 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-vit D3). We hypothesized that 1,25-vit D3 suppresses neutrophil activation and that this response is impaired in newborns. Consistent with this, 1,25-vit D3 decreased LPS-induced expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-1β and VEGF in adult, but not neonatal, neutrophils. Expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1α-hydroxylase was reduced in neonatal, relative to adult neutrophils. Moreover, 1,25-vit D3 induced VDR gene expression in activated adult, but not neonatal, neutrophils. 1,25-vit D3 also suppressed expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and induced expression of 5-lipoxygenase in LPS-exposed adult neutrophils, while neonatal cells were not affected. 1,25-vit D3 had no effect on respiratory burst in either adult or neonatal cells. Anti-inflammatory activity of vitamin D is impaired in neonatal neutrophils, and this may be due to decreased expression of VDR and 1α-hydroxylase. Insensitivity to 1,25-vit D3 may contribute to chronic inflammation in neonates

Mechanisms of Oxidant Generation by Catalase

The enzyme catalase converts solar radiation into reactive oxidant species (ROS). In this study, we report that several bacterial catalases (hydroperoxidases, HP), including Escherichia coli HP-I and HP-II also generate reactive oxidants in response to ultraviolet B light (UVB). HP-I and HP-II are identical except for the presence of NADPH. We found that only one of the catalases, HPI, produces oxidants in response to UVB light, indicating a potential role for the nucleotide in ROS production. This prompts us to speculate that NADPH may act as a cofactor regulating ROS generation by mammalian catalases. Structural analysis of the NADPH domains of several mammalian catalases revealed that the nucleotide is bound in a constrained conformation and that UVB irradiation induces NADPH oxidation and positional changes. Biochemical and kinetic analysis indicate that ROS formation by the enzyme is enhanced by oxidation of the cofactor. Conformational changes following absorption of UVB light by catalase NADPH have the potential to facilitate ROS production by the enzyme

On the Influence of low-power laser source on the evaporation of single droplets: experimental and numerical approaches

This work investigates the influence of laser power on an evaporating single droplet made from an H2O and NaCl mixture. Heat and mass transfer of a single droplet with the presence of a low-power laser source (as He-Ne laser) is studied both numerically and experimentally in this article. A new model is presented to simulate water droplet evaporation. The model is robust enough to be applied for various initial concentrations and conditions of the droplet, ambient conditions, and dissolved media properties. Moreover, laser energy is taken into consideration as a source term which is a function of the wave length of the source beam and refractive index of the droplet. Considering the involved parameters, the model is implemented in a MATLAB code and validated using experimental data obtained in this study on top of those already available in the literature. Experimental data were collected for droplets with an initial radius of 500μm at room temperature for three initial concentrations of 3%, 5%, and 10% (by mass) of NaCl in water as well as pure water droplet to provide a comprehensive validation dataset. It is shown that low-power laser source significantly increases the evaporation rate (2.7 to 5.64 for 0% and 10% initial concentration of salt, respectively) which must be taken into consideration while using laser based measurement techniques

Wearable and interactive mixed reality solutions for fault diagnosis and assistance in manufacturing systems: Implementation and testing in an aseptic bottling line

Thanks to the spread of technologies stemming from the fourth industrial revolution, also the topic of fault diagnosis and assistance in industrial contexts has benefited. Indeed, several smart tools were developed for assisting with maintenance and troubleshooting, without interfering with operations and facilitating tasks. In line with that, the present manuscript aims at presenting a web smart solution with two possible applications installed on an Android smartphone and Microsoft HoloLens. The solution aims at alerting the operators when an alarm occurs on a machine through notifications, and then at providing the instructions needed for solving the alarm detected. The two devices were tested by the operators of an industrial aseptic bottling line consisting of five machines in real working conditions. The usability of both devices was positively rated by these users based on the System Usability Scale (SUS) and additional appropriate statements. Moreover, the in situ application brought out the main difficulties and interesting issues for the practical implementation of the solutions tested

Virtual Art Therapy. Application of Michelangelo Effect to Neurorehabilitation of Patients with Stroke

In neurorehabilitation, some studies reported the effective use of art therapy for reducing psychological disorders and for enhancing physical functions and cognitive abilities. Neuroaesthetical studies showed that seeing an art masterpiece can spontaneously elicit a widespread brain arousal, also involving motor networks. To combine contemplative and performative benefits of art therapy protocols, we have developed an immersive virtual reality system, giving subjects the illusion that they are able to paint a copy of famous artistic paintings. We previously observed that during this virtual task, subjects perceived less fatigue and performed more accurate movements than when they were asked to color the virtual canvas. We named this upshot the Michelangelo effect. The aim of this study was to test the rehabilitative efficacy of our system. Ten patients with stroke in the subacute phase were enrolled and trained for one month with virtual art therapy (VAT) and physiotherapy. Their data were compared with those of ten patients matched for pathology, age and clinical parameters, trained only with conventional therapy for the same amount of time. The VAT group showed a significantly higher improvements in the Barthel Index score, a measure of independency in activities of daily living (66 ± 33% vs. 31 ± 28%, p = 0.021), and in pinching strength (66 ± 39% vs. 18 ± 33%, p = 0.008), with respect to the group treated with conventional rehabilitation

An International Perspective on Chronic Multimorbidity: Approaching the Elephant in the Room

Multimorbidity is a common and burdensome condition that may affect quality of life, increase medical needs, and make people live more years of life with disability. Negative outcomes related to multimorbidity occur beyond what we would expect from the summed effect of single conditions, as chronic diseases interact with each other, mutually enhancing their negative effects, and eventually leading to new clinical phenotypes. Moreover, multimorbidity mirrors an accelerated global susceptibility and a loss of resilience, which are both hallmarks of aging. Due to the complexity of its assessment and definition, and the lack of clear evidence steering its management, multimorbidity represents one of the main current challenges for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers. The authors of this article recently reflected on these issues during two twin international symposia at the 2016 European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS) meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, and the 2016 Gerontological Society of America (GSA) meeting in New Orleans, USA. The present work summarizes the most relevant aspects related to multimorbidity, with the ultimate goal to identify knowledge gaps and suggest future directions to approach this condition

Abnormal "low grade" transformation zone: current diagnostic gold standard

The aim of this work was to examine different methods of investigation in the diagnosis of the abnormal "low grade" transformation zone of the portio. Over a period of one year 41 patients subjected to colposcopic examination underwent exo-endocervical sampling for oncologic evaluation and for detection of viral and bacterial infections (HPV, HSV. adenovirus, mycoplasmas and chlamydia trachomatis), as well as portio biopsy. A 65.8% correlation was found between cytology and the HPV-DNA test results. while histology and the presence of the HPV virus agreed in 51.4% of cases. In those cases in which minimal histological alterations were found (koilocytosis) a high percentage of HPV negativity was found. In discordant negative cytologic tests that were however positive for HPV by PCR. the genotypes identified were always 6 and 11

Testing the performance of a blind burst statistic

In this work we estimate the performance of a method for the detection of burst events in the data produced by interferometric gravitational wave detectors. We compute the receiver operating characteristics in the specific case of a simulated noise having the spectral density expected for Virgo, using test signals taken from a library of possible waveforms emitted during the collapse of the core of Type II Supernovae.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, Talk given at the GWDAW2002 worksho

Association of prenatal perchlorate, thiocyanate, and nitrate exposure with neonatal size and gestational age

BACKGROUND: Perchlorate and similar anions compete with iodine for uptake into the thyroid by the sodium iodide symporter (NIS). This may restrict fetal growth via impaired thyroid hormone production. METHODS: We collected urine samples from 107 pregnant women and used linear regression to estimate differences in newborn size and gestational age associated with increases in perchlorate, thiocyanate, nitrate, and perchlorate equivalence concentrations (PEC; measure of total NIS inhibitor exposure). RESULTS: NIS inhibitor concentrations were not associated with newborn weight, length, or gestational age. Each 2.62ng/mug creatinine increase in perchlorate was associated with smaller head circumference (0.32cm; 95% CI: -0.66, 0.01), but each 3.38ng/mug increase in PEC was associated with larger head circumference (0.48cm; -0.01, 0.97). CONCLUSIONS: These anions may have effects on fetal development (e.g. neurocognitive) that are not reflected in gross measures. Future research should focus on other abnormalities in neonates exposed to NIS inhibitors