Similarities and differences of functional connectivity in drug-naïve, first-episode adolescent and young adult with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are considered two distinct psychiatric disorders. Yet, they have considerable overlap in symptomatology and clinical features, particularly in the initial phases of illness. The amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC) appear to have critical roles in these disorders; however, abnormalities appear to manifest differently. In our study forty-nine drug-naïve, first-episode MDD, 45 drug-naïve, first-episode SZ, and 50 healthy control (HC) participants from 13 to 30 years old underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Functional connectivity (FC) between the amygdala and PFC was compared among the three groups. Significant differences in FC were observed between the amygdala and ventral PFC (VPFC), dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC), and dorsal anterior cingulated cortex (dACC) among the three groups. Further analyses demonstrated that MDD showed decreased amygdala-VPFC FC and SZ had reductions in amygdala-dACC FC. Both the diagnostic groups had significantly decreased amygdala-DLPFC FC. These indicate abnormalities in amygdala-PFC FC and further support the importance of the interaction between the amygdala and PFC in adolescents and young adults with these disorders. Additionally, the alterations in amygdala-PFC FC may underlie the initial similarities observed between MDD and SZ and suggest potential markers of differentiation between the disorders at first onset

Inverse radiation analysis in an absorbing, emitting and non-gray participating medium

a b s t r a c t This paper presents a new inverse radiation analysis approach in an absorbing, emitting and non-gray participating medium. The inverted unknowns are treated as the optimization variables, and the errors to be minimized are the differences between the calculated temperatures and the experimental ones. The measured temperatures are simulated by the solution of the direct problem, in which a modified zonal method is employed to solve the radiative transfer equation, and the Edwards exponential wide-band model together with the Leckner series is adopted to obtain the radiative property of the non-gray medium. The contribution is to introduce the complex-variable-differentiation method into inverse radiation problems for calculating sensitivity coefficients. The least-square method is employed in the inverse problem. The effectiveness and efficiency of the inverse problem are demonstrated by an example. In addition, the effects of the measurement error and the thermal operating parameters on the inverse analysis are investigated

A preliminary exploration of the regression equation for performance in amateur half-marathon runners: a perspective based on respiratory muscle function

This document presents a study on the relationship between physical characteristics, respiratory muscle capacity, and performance in amateur half-marathon runners. The aim of this study was to establish a preliminary predictive model to provide insights into training and health management for runners. Participants were recruited from the 2023 Beijing Olympic Forest Park Half-Marathon, comprising 233 individuals. Personal information including age, gender, height, weight, and other relevant factors were collected, and standardized testing methods were used to measure various parameters. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between gender, height, weight, maximum expiratory pressure, maximal inspiratory pressure, and half-marathon performance. Several regression equations were developed to estimate the performance of amateur marathon runners, with a focus on gender, weight, maximum expiratory pressure, and height as predictive factors. The study found that respiratory muscle training can delay muscle fatigue and improve athletic performance. Evaluating the level of respiratory muscle capacity in marathon athletes is crucial for defining the potential speed limitations and achieving optimal performance. The information from this study can assist amateur runners in optimizing their training methods and maintaining their physical wellbeing

Laboratory experimental study of water drag force exerted on ridge keel

With the diminishing Arctic sea ice, the dynamic energy-exchange process between sea ice and ocean gains in importance. Concerning how the ice bottom topography affects the drift of sea ice, it is unclear how the ridge–keel-drag force exerted by seawater changes the momentum balance of sea ice. We thus conducted laboratory experiments to investigate how the local drag coefficient of the ridge keel depends on keel shape and on the relative velocity of ice with respect to seawater. A dimensional analysis is used to obtain the relationship between the local drag coefficient Cr, the Reynolds number Re, the dimensionless keel depth h0, and the keel slope angle φ. The results indicate that the local drag coefficient Cr is only relevant to Re when Re < 4000 and the flow is in the laminar regime. With increasing Re, Cr depends on h0 and φ, which are independent variables, as the flow transitions to the turbulent regime. The parameterization formulas for Cr are also provided

Development of an analytical method to detect cyanide in Chinese liquor by ion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

Objective This study aimed to develop an ion chromatography-pulse amperometry (IC-PAD) technique for the identification and quantification of cyanide in Chinese liquor. Methods The real samples from local markets were diluted to 1∶10 with ultrapure water before being injected to IC-PAD. Potassium hydroxide (12 mmol/L) was introduced for gradient elution. Silver electrode was utilized with Ag/AgCl composite reference electrode mode. Three potential wave forms were also involved in the study. Results This method showed good linear responses ranging from 5 to 200 μg/L with satisfactory linear correlation coefficient of 0.999 9. The limit of detection (LOD) was 3.5 μg/L, and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 9.5 μg/L in Chinese liquor samples. For different types of Chinese liquor, the recoveries of cyanide in fortified samples (10, 30, 50 μg/L) were from 91.7% to 102.0%. The intra-day relative standard deviation (RSD) was from 2.2% to 4.8%, and the inter-day RSD ranged from 1.5% to 1.9%. The comparison between this proposed method and the GB 5009.36-2016 method showed no statistical difference (P>0.05). Conclusion This technique was performer-friendly and exhibited high reliability and accuracy, which was suitable for the detection of cyanide in real samples

A real-world observation of antipsychotic effects on brain volumes and intrinsic brain activity in schizophrenia

Background: The confounding effects of antipsychotics that led to the inconsistencies of neuroimaging findings have long been the barriers to understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SZ). Although it is widely accepted that antipsychotics can alleviate psychotic symptoms during the early most acute phase, the longer-term effects of antipsychotics on the brain have been unclear. This study aims to look at the susceptibility of different imaging measures to longer-term medicated status through real-world observation. Methods: We compared gray matter volume (GMV) with amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFFs) in 89 medicated-schizophrenia (med-SZ), 81 unmedicated-schizophrenia (unmed-SZ), and 235 healthy controls (HC), and the differences were explored for relationships between imaging modalities and clinical variables. We also analyzed age-related effects on GMV and ALFF values in the two patient groups (med-SZ and unmed-SZ). Results: Med-SZ demonstrated less GMV in the prefrontal cortex, temporal lobe, cingulate gyri, and left insula than unmed-SZ and HC ( Conclusion: GMV loss appeared to be pronounced to longer-term antipsychotics, whereby imbalanced alterations in regional low-frequency fluctuations persisted unaffected by antipsychotic treatment. Our findings may help to understand the disease course of SZ and potentially identify a reliable neuroimaging feature for diagnosis