Exact Refined Buckling Solutions for Laminated Plates Under Uniaxial and Biaxial Loads

This paper presents a unified Lévy-type solution procedure for the buckling analysis of both thin and thick composite plates under biaxial loads. The plates are simply-supported at two opposite edges, while the two remaining sides are subjected to any combination of simply-supported, clamped and free conditions. The problem is formulated in the context of a variable-kinematic approach, offering the advantage of automatically handling theories of various order. Both layerwise and equivalent single layer theories are considered. The governing equilibrium equations are derived analytically from the Principle of Virtual Displacements (PVD), and are solved exactly referring to the Lévy-type procedure. The accuracy of the predictions is demonstrated by comparison with results available in literature, including exact 3D solutions. A comprehensive set of benchmark results is provided for plates subjected to different loading and boundary conditions and characterized by various width-to-thickness ratios

NPY1R (neuropeptide Y receptor Y1)

Review on NPY1R (neuropeptide Y receptor Y1), with data on DNA, on the protein encoded, and where the gene is implicated

Building an ecologically valid facial expression database – Behind the scenes

Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, together with a general increased computational performance, allow nowadays exploring the use of Facial Expression Recognition (FER) as a method of recognizing human emotion through the use of neural networks. The interest in facial emotion and expression recognition in real-life situations is one of the current cutting-edge research challenges. In this context, the creation of an ecologically valid facial expression database is crucial. To this aim, a controlled experiment has been designed, in which thirty-five subjects aged 18–35 were asked to react spontaneously to a set of 48 validated images from two affective databases, IAPS and GAPED. According to the Self-Assessment Manikin, participants were asked to rate images on a 9-points visual scale on valence and arousal. Furthermore, they were asked to select one of the six Ekman’s basic emotions. During the experiment, an RGB-D camera was also used to record spontaneous facial expressions aroused in participants storing both the color and the depth frames to feed a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to perform FER. In every case, the prevalent emotion pointed out in the questionnaires matched with the expected emotion. CNN obtained a recognition rate of 75.02%, computed comparing the neural network results with the evaluations given by a human observer. These preliminary results have confirmed that this experimental setting is an effective starting point for building an ecologically valid database

Hypertension in adult Fabry's disease: is cardiotrophin-1 a diagnostic biomarker?

Background: Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1), a cytokine produced by cardiomyocytes and non-cardiomyocytes in conditions of stress, can be used as a biomarker of left ventricular hypertrophy and dysfunction in hypertensive patients. Hypertension is one of the main adverse events in the third and last phase of Fabry's disease (FD). We measured CT-1 in order to examine its correlation with the vascular and cardiac alterations at different ages and assess its potential for use as a biomarker of hypertension in FD. Findings: The level of CT-1 was clearly higher in hypertensive adults than in adult FD patients. FD patients show a small, non-significant decrease in plasma CT-1 with age, while in hypertensive patients CT-1 in plasma rises strongly and highly significantly with age. Conclusions: CT-1 can be considered a good biomarker of the progression of hypertension with age, but particular care is needed when following hypertension in FD patients, since CT-1 does not correlate the same way with this disease

PCSK9 Expression in Epicardial Adipose Tissue : Molecular Association with Local Tissue Inflammation

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has the unique property to release mediators that nourish the heart in healthy conditions, an effect that becomes detrimental when volume expands and proinflammatory cytokines start to be produced. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a proinflammatory mediator involved in atherosclerosis, is also produced by visceral fat. Due to the correlation of inflammation with PCSK9 and EAT enlargement, we evaluated whether PCSK9 was expressed in EAT and associated with EAT inflammation and volume. EAT samples were isolated during surgery. EAT thickness was measured by echocardiography. A microarray was used to explore EAT transcriptoma. The PCSK9 protein levels were measured by Western Blot in EAT and ELISA in plasma. PCSK9 was expressed at both the gene and protein levels in EAT. We found a positive association with EAT thickness and local proinflammatory mediators, in particular, chemokines for monocytes and lymphocytes. No association was found with the circulating PCSK9 level. The expression of PCSK9 in EAT argues that PCSK9 is part of the EAT secretome and EAT inflammation is associated with local PCSK9 expression, regardless of circulating PCSK9 levels. Whether reducing EAT inflammation or PCSK9 local levels may have beneficial effects on EAT metabolism and cardiovascular risk needs further investigations

Correlative study on impaired prostaglandin E2 regulation in EAT and maladaptive cardiac remodeling via EPAC2 and ST2 signaling in overweight CVD subjects

There is recent evidence that the dysfunctional responses of a peculiar visceral fat deposit known as epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) can directly promote cardiac enlargement in the case of obesity. Here, we observed a newer molecular pattern associated with LV dysfunction mediated by prostaglandin E2 (PGE(2)) deregulation in EAT in a cardiovascular disease (CVD) population. A series of 33 overweight CVD males were enrolled and their EAT thickness, LV mass, and volumes were measured by echocardiography. Blood, plasma, EAT, and SAT biopsies were collected for molecular and proteomic assays. Our data show that PGE(2) biosynthetic enzyme (PTGES-2) correlates with echocardiographic parameters of LV enlargement: LV diameters, LV end diastolic volume, and LV masses. Moreover, PTGES-2 is directly associated with EPAC2 gene (r = 0.70, p < 0.0001), known as a molecular inducer of ST2/IL-33 mediators involved in maladaptive heart remodelling. Furthermore, PGE(2) receptor 3 (PTEGER3) results are downregulated and its expression is inversely associated with ST2/IL-33 expression. Contrarily, PGE(2) receptor 4 (PTGER4) is upregulated in EAT and directly correlates with ST2 molecular expression. Our data suggest that excessive body fatness can shift the EAT transcriptome to a pro-tissue remodelling profile, may be driven by PGE(2) deregulation, with consequent promotion of EPAC2 and ST2 signalling

Hypertrophic Epicardial Adipose Tissue is a Source of EPAC Proteins Directly Associate to ST2 Production and Heart Dilation and may be Potential Index of Heart Remodeling in CVDs Patients

Introduction: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a myocardial fat from which released molecules can directly reach the heart. In pathological conditions, the ubiquitously tissue hypertrophy mediators are the exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (EPACs), named EPAC1 and EPAC2. In the heart the main protective signalling against detrimental remodelling is the ST2 and IL33 molecules. ST2 exists both as transmembrane receptor (ST2L) and soluble (sST2) form and in case of physiological stretch ST2L bind IL33 promoting anti-fibrotic signals. Contrarily in CVDs, sST2 is up regulated functioning as scavenger of IL33 and promoting heart dilatation. Interesting is that ST2 can be also produced by adipose tissue in normal condition. Due to EPACs properties to induce hyperplasia, our hypothesis is that larger EAT cells may also produce sST2 that can local amplify its detrimental role on myocardium. For these reasons we want to verified in CVDs patients first if larger EAT cells are able to up regulate EPAC proteins and second if EPACs may be associate to sST2 EAT production and heart dilatation. Methods: 50 CVD patients are enrolled and stratified according to EAT median thickness (8mm). plasma and EAT biopsies are collected during surgery. Indexed left ventricular mass (hLVM), end-diastolic posterior wall (EDPW), relative wall thickness (RWT), left ventricular mass (LVM) values are used as cardiac dilatation indexes commonly approved in clinical practice. Gene expression and protein assays are performed to investigate EPACs, ST2, IL33 mRNA and protein production. Results: Our data demonstrated that CVDs patients with EAT >8mm have significantly positive correlation with RWT and they also presented higher EPAC1 and ST2 mRNA and protein levels than CVDs patients 8mm and up-regulated in CVDs patients < 8mm. CVDs patients with hypertrophic EAT both EPAC1 and EPAC2presented positive correlation with hLVM, EDPW, LVM indexes and ST2 mRNA levels. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that EPACs are directly associate to EAT hyperplasia and sST2 local production suggesting their implication in detrimental heart hyperplasia. From these results we can suggest that EAT thickness can be a potential newer parameter of detrimental heart remodelling in the prevention of CVDs complications