Effects of combined nimodipine and metrifonate on rat cognition and cortical EEG

The present study investigated if short-term treatment with an L-type Ca2+-channel inhibitor, nimodipine, can stimulate cognitive functioning and cortical electroencephalograph (EEG) arousal, and potentiate the effect of a cholinesterase inhibitor, metrifonate. Pretraining administration of nimodipine (3, 10 and 30 mg/kg, p.o.) had no effect on water maze and passive avoidance behavior of young neurologically intact controls, or water maze and passive avoidance performance failure induced by scopolamine pretreatment (i.p.; 0.4 mg/kg during the water maze and 2.0 mg/kg during the passive avoidance study), medial septal lesioning, or aging. Furthermore, nimodipine (3, 10 and 30 mg/kg, p.o.) had no effect on the improvement by metrifonate (10 mg/kg, p.o.) of the water maze and passive avoidance failure induced by scopolamine pretreatment or medial septal lesioning, nor did it affect the potential of metrifonate (30 mg/kg. p.o.) to improve the water maze or passive avoidance behavior of aged rats. Finally, nimodipine (3, 10 and 30 mg/kg, p.o.) had no effect on spontaneously occurring thalamically generated neocortical high-voltage spindles or spectral EEG activity of young controls, nor did it alleviate the spectral EEG abnormality induced by scopolamine (0.2 mg/kg, i.p.) administration. Also, the combination of nimodipine 3 or 10 mg/kg and a subthreshold dose of metrifonate 10 mg/kg could not suppress high-voltage spindles or scopolamine treatment-induced spectral EEG activity abnormalities. According to the present results, short-term treatment with nimodipine does not stimulate cognitive functions or increase cortical EEG arousal, and does not block or potentiate the propensity of metrifonate to improve cognitive performance of rats.     

On the crystal structure and magnetic properties of the ternary rare earth compounds RETSb2 with RE rare earth and T Ni, Pd, Cu and Au

Novel compounds RETSb₂ have been prepared and characterized for T Cu (RE rare earth from La to Lu), Ni (RE La to Ho), Pd (RE La to Tb) and Au (RE La to Sm). From X-ray powder diffraction analyses all compounds were found to crystallize as the ZrCuSi₂ type. Magnetic susceptibilities were generally measured in the temperature range from 4 to 100 K. YCuSb₂ and LaTSb_z are temperature-independent paramagnets. RETSb₂ compounds are found to order antiferromagnetically below T = 20 K. PrPdSb₂ and TbPdSb₂ undergo metamagnetic transitions, whereas PrCuSb₂ and ErCuSb₂ are simple ferromagnets. The Sm-containing compounds are typical Van Vleck paramagnets owing to the closely spaced multiplets.     

Correlation relations for estimating the content of plutonium isotopes in fallout due to the Chernobyl accident

The possibility of determining the total α activity A(^239,240Pu) of ²³⁹Pu + ²⁴⁰Pu according to the γ radiation of ¹⁰³Ru and ¹⁰⁶Ru is examined. The statistical properties of the experimental ratios of the activities ρ = A(¹⁰⁶Ru)/A(¹⁰³Ru) are investigated. The distribution of the experimental ratios is similar to the theoretical ratios for fuel and close to a Gaussian distribution with average value 〈p〉 = 0.22 and standard deviation Δ ∼ 0.06. This ratio is used to obtain a relation for estimating A(^239,240Pu) from the γ activity A(¹⁰³Ru). A theoretical analysis is made of the experimental data for the southern raions of Gomel oblast. It is shown that given a good statistical sample of measurements of the γ activity of ¹⁰³Ru it is possible to estimate the average value of the γ activity A(^239,240Pu) and with probability 0.95 the interval of the possible values of this activity. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 103, No. 4, pp. 255–259, October, 2007.     

Allotype-associated differences in concentrations of human IgA2

A prospective clinical trial comparing adverse postmyelographic effects and myelographic quality of metrizamide and iohexol was conducted. Using a predetermined, randomized assignment, 24 horses exhibiting neurologic signs were administered either metrizamide (180 mgl/ml) or iohexol (180 mgl/ml) via cerebellomedullary puncture. Each horse was evaluated postmyelographically for adverse effects. Myelographic quality was assessed by a numerical scoring method. Adverse effects were observed more frequently with metrizamide (21) compared with iohexol (6) myelography (p < 0.05). Seizures, intensification of preexisting neurologic signs and prolonged anesthetic recovery were the most common complications after myelography. There was no difference in myelographic quality (p > 0.05). We conclude that iohexol is safer than metrizamide for equine myelography and that quality myelograms can be obtained with either contrast medium.     

A novel chaotic Henry gas solubility optimization algorithm for solving real-world engineering problems

The paper proposes a novel metaheuristic based on integrating chaotic maps into a Henry gas solubility optimization algorithm (HGSO). The new algorithm is named chaotic Henry gas solubility optimization (CHGSO). The hybridization is aimed at enhancement of the convergence rate of the original Henry gas solubility optimizer for solving real-life engineering optimization problems. This hybridization provides a problem-independent optimization algorithm. The CHGSO performance is evaluated using various conventional constrained optimization problems, e.g., a welded beam problem and a cantilever beam problem. The performance of the CHGSO is investigated using both the manufacturing and diaphragm spring design problems taken from the automotive industry. The results obtained from using CHGSO for solving the various constrained test problems are compared with a number of established and newly invented metaheuristics, including an artificial bee colony algorithm, an ant colony algorithm, a cuckoo search algorithm, a salp swarm optimization algorithm, a grasshopper optimization algorithm, a mine blast algorithm, an ant lion optimizer, a gravitational search algorithm, a multi-verse optimizer, a Harris hawks optimization algorithm, and the original Henry gas solubility optimization algorithm. The results indicate that with selecting an appropriate chaotic map, the CHGSO is a robust optimization approach for obtaining the optimal variables in mechanical design and manufacturing optimization problems.

     

Exporting water wave optimization concepts to modified simulated annealing algorithm for size optimization of truss structures with natural frequency constraints

This paper proposes an improved version of a recently proposed modified simulated annealing algorithm (MSAA) named as an improved MSAA (I-MSAA) to tackle the size optimization of truss structures with frequency constraint. This kind of problem is problematic because its feasible region is non-convex while the boundaries are highly non-linear. The main motivation is to improve the exploitative behavior of MSAA, taking concept from water wave optimization metaheuristic (WWO). An interesting concept of WWO is its breaking operation. Thirty functions extracted from the CEC2014 test suite and four benchmark truss optimization problems with frequency constraints are explored for the validity of the proposed algorithm. Numerical results indicate that I-MSAA is more reliable, stable and efficient than those found by other existing metaheuristics in the literature.

     

Identifying the criterion spontaneously minimized during the take-off phase of a sub-maximal long jump through optimal synthesis

Optimal synthesis of human movement or the prediction of the kinematics of a new movement require not only that the multi-body system be modeled but also that a performance criterion is specified. For sub-maximal movements the selection of a suitable performance criterion, able to generate realistic dynamic behavior is difficult. A two-dimensional simulation model of the take-off phase of a sub-maximal long jump was developed to study the effect of criterion choice on the realism of simulated movements. A parametric optimization technique was employed to obtain solutions to the constrained equations of motion. Seven different criteria were evaluated, by comparing simulated movements with an actual performance, to identify the criterion which most closely approximated that spontaneously minimized by the athlete. Synthesis of the take-off phase of a sub-maximal long jump was found to be sensitive to the chosen criterion, with a criterion based on minimizing joint intersegmental forces found to perform well.