Fractality of tics as a quantitative assessment tool for Tourette syndrome

Tics manifest as brief, purposeless and unintentional movements or noises that, for many individuals, can be suppressed temporarily with effort. Previous work has hypothesized that the chaotic temporal nature of tics could possess an inherent fractality, that is, have neighbour-to-neighbour correlation at all levels of timescale. However, demonstrating this phenomenon has eluded researchers for more than two decades, primarily because of the challenges associated with estimating the scale-invariant, power law exponent—called the fractal dimension D_f—from fractional Brownian noise. Here, we confirm this hypothesis and establish the fractality of tics by examining two tic time series datasets collected 6–12 months apart in children with tics, using random walk models and directional statistics. We find that D_f is correlated with tic severity as measured by the YGTTS total tic score, and that D_f is a sensitive parameter in examining the effect of several tic suppression conditions on the tic time series. Our findings pave the way for using the fractal nature of tics as a robust quantitative tool for estimating tic severity and treatment effectiveness, as well as a possible marker for differentiating typical from functional tics.     

Effect of two stage pressure molding on surface quality of sheet molding compounds

The goal of this work was to investigate the effect of two stage pressure molding on the compression molding of a sheet molding compound (SMC). It has been shown in previous studies that a rapid drop in pressure during SMC curing significantly reduced severity of sink marks. This study concentrated on a method of predicting the optimum time during curing to release pressure by examining material behavior through process data from in-mold sersors. A simple control scheme was them applied for automatic pressure release at the optimum time corresponding with the peak of the material expansion and the onset of the reaction exotherm.     

Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Biomarkers,Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines,and Histological Changes in Experimental Hypertension,Dyslipidemia, and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

The present study aims to compare the oxidative stress biomarkers, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and histological changes induced by three cardiovascular risk factors, namely, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Hypertension was induced with 40 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) of N omega-nitro-L-arginine-methyl (L-NAME) administered orally. Dyslipidemia was induced by the administration of a diet with a high cholesterol (2%) content. Diabetes mellitus was induced by intraperitoneal administration of a single dose of streptozocin (65 mg/kg). Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total oxidative status (TOS) are increased by all three cardiovascular risk factors (up to 207%). The indirect assessment of NO synthesis (NOx) is observed to be reduced after L-NAME administration (43%), and dyslipidemia induction (16%), while type 1 diabetes mellitus is associated with the highest levels of NOx (increased 112%). Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 1 diabetes reduced the total antioxidative capacity (TAC) and total thiol (SH) levels (up to 57%). The values of evaluated pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), assessed from the ascending aorta were elevated by all three cardiovascular risk factors, with the highest levels induced by type 1 diabetes mellitus (up to 259%). The histopathological examination of the ascending and descending aorta revealed reversible pro-atherogenic changes consisting of the accumulation of lipid droplets in the subendothelial connective tissue on rats with hypertension and dyslipidemia. Irreversible pro-atherogenic changes consisting of a reduction of the specific elasticity of the arteries were observed in rats with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes mellitus demonstrates an alteration of the oxidative stress parameters, the elevation of tissue levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and causing irreversible pro-atherogenic changes on the aortic wall.     

An Atomistic Understanding of Allosteric Inhibition of Glutamate Racemase: a Dampening of Native Activation Dynamics

Glutamate racemases (GR) are members of the family of bacterial enzymes known as cofactor-independent racemases and epimerases and catalyze the stereoinversion of glutamate. D-amino acids are universally important for the proper construction of viable bacterial cell walls, and thus have been repeatedly validated as attractive targets for novel antimicrobial drug design. Significant aspects of the mechanism of this challenging stereoinversion remain unknown. The current study employs a combination of MD and QM/MM computational approaches to show that the GR from H. pylori must proceed via a pre-activation step, which is dependent on the enzyme's flexibility. This mechanism is starkly different from previously proposed mechanisms. These findings have immediate pharmaceutical relevance, as the H. pylori GR enzyme is a very attractive allosteric drug target. The results presented in this study offer a distinctly novel understanding of how AstraZeneca's lead series of inhibitors cripple the H. pylori GR's native motions, via prevention of this critical chemical pre-activation step. Our experimental studies, using SPR, fluorescence and NMR WaterLOGSY, show that H. pylori GR is not inhibited by the uncompetitive mechanism originally put forward by Lundqvist et al.. The current study supports a deep connection between native enzyme motions and chemical reactivity, which has strong relevance to the field of allosteric drug discovery.     

Fabrication of core–shell MIL-101(Cr)@UiO-66(Zr) nanocrystals for hydrogen storage

The fabrication of core–shell nanocrystals by incorporating microporous UiO-66 into mesoporous MIL-101 is reported. The growth of the core–shell MIL-101@UiO-66 nanocrystals was observed and supported by TEM and PXRD. The accessible pore volumes of the individual metal-organic framework (MOF) components and the core–shell hybrid crystals were also characterized. The hydrogen storage capacity exhibited by the resulting core–shell nanocrystals was 26% and 60% higher than those of pure phase MIL-101 and UiO-66, respectively. Finally, the fabricated core–shell MIL-101@UiO-66 structure exhibited a high degree of moisture tolerance.     

Antibacterial Activity of Copper Nanoparticles against Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria in Tomato Plants

Copper-based bactericides have appeared as a new tool in crop protection and offer an effective solution to combat bacterial resistance. In this work, two copper nanoparticle products that were previously synthesized and evaluated against major bacterial and fungal pathogens were tested on their ability to control the bacterial spot disease of tomato. Growth of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, the causal agent of the disease, was significantly suppressed by both nanoparticles, which had superior function compared to conventional commercial formulations of copper. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry measurements in tomato leaves revealed that bioavailability of copper is superior in the case of nanoparticles compared to conventional formulations and is dependent on synthesis rather than size. This is the first report correlating bioavailability of copper to nanoparticle efficacy.     

The processing of exogenous cholesterol in the alveolar compartment of the rat lung

We have examined the esterification of [³H]cholesterol following the intratracheal instillation of a tracer amount into the isolated rat lung perfused with Krebs bicarbonate containing 4.5% albumin. At 5, 30 and 60 min after instillation, lungs were lavaged at 2°C with 3×10 ml of 0.15 M NaCl, each volume instilled and withdrawn three times. Each lung was lavaged at only one time point. The saline recovered was centrifuged at 150 g (5 min) to sediment the macrophage-rich fraction, leaving the surfactant in the supernatant. The amounts and specific activity of cholesterol and cholesteryl ester were measured following isolation by high performance liquid chromatography of the free cholesterol and the hydrolyzed ester-derived cholesterol. There was a rapid fall in [³H]cholesterol in the surfactant fraction, accompanied by a reciprocal increase in [³H]cholesteryl ester. Likewise, there was a rapid increase in [³H]cholesteryl ester in the macrophage-rich fraction, while the level of free [³H]cholesterol in that fraction remained very low. These data are consistent with exogenous cholesterol being rapidly esterified in the alveolus, and the ester then being cleared by the macrophages. We were unable to locate the actual site of esterification. Lipids     

Model‐based control addition to prescribe DFIG wind turbine fast frequency response

This paper investigates the physical capability of double‐fed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbines for inertial support of frequency response. Frequency stability is modeled using the DFIG electromechanical and generator controller dynamics, and a destabilizing effect is demonstrated in low‐inertia systems. To improve response, a synchronous reference frame DFIG controller is proposed that acts by following low‐frequency grid dynamics and adds a fast acting proportional plus integral (PI)‐controlled frequency‐responsive component to existing qd current commands. The proposed controller is derived in a straightforward manner using only the DFIG dynamic equations and is designed using pole/zero placement techniques. Laboratory experiments using a micro‐scale DFIG wind turbine with hub‐emulating flywheel prove better capability for transient frequency regulation even under extreme load change. The result is a DFIG controller that balances the appearance of transients in electrical and mechanical systems. Value is achieved in providing immediate continuous inertial response to support load change. The proposed frequency response can improve the use of existing physical inertia from wind turbines.     

CeO2−CoO Phase Diagram

Phase equilibria in the CeO₂−CoO system at temperatures above 1500°C were investigated. The microstructures and the phase compositions of the DTA (differential thermal analysis) samples and the quenched solid pellets were analyzed using SEM (scanning electron microscope), EDX (energy dispersive X-ray), and WDX (wavelength dispersive X-ray). A eutectic reaction was found at 1645 ± 5°C. The eutectic point was calculated to be at 82 ± 1.5 mol% CoO. The eutectic phases were the CeO₂-rich phase (containing <5 mol% CoO) and the CoO-rich phase (containing ∼0.5 mol% CeO₂). At 1580°C, the solubility of CoO in CeO₂ was ∼3 mol%.