Dynamics Of Different Types Research Articles

The Spatiotemporal Variations in and Propagation of Meteorological, Agricultural, and Groundwater Droughts in Henan Province, China

As the global climate changes and droughts become more frequent, understanding the characteristics and propagation dynamics of drought is critical for monitoring and early warning. This study utilized the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), and Groundwater Drought Index (GDI) to identify meteorological drought (MD), agricultural drought (AD), and groundwater drought (GD), respectively. Sen’s slope method and Mann–Kendall trend analysis were used to examine drought trends. The Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) and theory of run were utilized to identify the propagation times between different types of droughts. Cross-wavelet transform (XWT) and wavelet coherence (WTC) were applied to investigate the linkages among the three types of droughts. The results showed that, from 2004 to 2022, the average durations of MD, AD, and GD in Henan Province were 4.55, 8.70, and 29.03 months, respectively. MD and AD were gradually alleviated, while GD was exacerbated. The average propagation times for the different types of droughts were as follows: 6.1 months (MD-AD), 4.4 months (MD-GD), and 16.3 months (AD-GD). Drought propagation exhibited significant seasonality, being shorter in summer and autumn than in winter and spring, and there were close relationships among MD, AD, and GD. This study revealed the characteristics and propagation dynamics of different types of droughts in Henan Province, providing scientific references for alleviating regional droughts and promoting the sustainable development of agriculture and food production.

Dynamic of the B Chromosome’s System in the Population of the Korean Field Mouse Apodemus Peninsulae (Mammalia, Rodentia) from the Northern Region of the Teletskaya Taiga of Altai Mountains Over a 36-Year Period

The process of changes of the number and morphology of B-chromosomes in the populations of mice (Apodemus peninsulae) in the northern region of the Teletskaya taiga of Altai Mountains: over a 36-year period (1978‒2014) was traced. Three time’s phases can be distinguished. From 1978 to 2002 (24 years) – a phase of steady growth in the number of B chromosomes, with a relatively uniform average increase of 1.4 chromosomes per decade (from 3.17 ± 0.2 to 6.5 ± 0.54). The stabilization’s phase of the indicator in a narrow range of 6.3‒6.9 (2002‒2012), but at more than a twofold high level compared to the beginning of the 1980s (differences are significant) and the period (2012‒2014) of the emerging trend towards a decrease in the number of additional chromosomes (differences are also significant). The change in the index of the conditional mass of B chromosomes (mB) also has similar dynamics, and during the period of stabilization it was at its maximum for the species. The dynamics of different types of B-chromosomes shows an unequal contribution to the overall dynamics. The main contribution is made by macro-B-metacentrics. Micro-B-chromosomes and acrocentrics are absent in the growth phase and appear in the stabilization phase at the maximum of other indicators.

Russian regions in wartime: fiscal and economic effects of the Russo-Ukrainian war

ABSTRACT This article addresses the economic and fiscal consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine for subnational governments in Russia. Using annual fiscal and economic data, we study how different groups of regions have been affected by the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. Despite the Russian economy being more resilient to a sanctions shock than initially predicted, we document several important negative tendencies at the regional level, sometimes overlooked in policy discussions and the literature on economic sanctions. In this article, we present new regional data and focus on the effects of the war on overall regional tax collections in 2022–2023, as well as the dynamics of different types of regional and federal taxes. We identify several groups of “winners” (oil- and gas-extracting regions, weapons-producing regions, and the largest city-regions) and “losers” (regions that share a border with Ukraine and regions with sanctions-prone industrial specializations) and discuss the prospects of their resilience.

Automated Symbolic Processes for Dynamic Modeling of Redundant Manipulator Robots

In this study, groundbreaking software has been developed to automate the generation of equations of motion for manipulator robots with varying configurations and degrees of freedom (DoF). The implementation of three algorithms rooted in the Lagrange–Euler (L-E) formulation is achieved through the utilization of .m files in MATLAB R2020a software.This results in the derivation of a symbolic dynamic model for industrial manipulator robots. To comprehend the unique features and advantages of the developed software, dynamic simulations are conducted for two 6- and 9-DoF redundant manipulator robots as well as for a 3-DoF non-redundant manipulator robot equipped with prismatic and rotational joints, which is used to simplify the dynamic equations of the redundant prototypes. Notably, for the 6-DoF manipulator robot, model predictive control (MPC) is employed using insights gained from the dynamic model. This enables optimal control by predicting the future evolution of state variables: specifically, the values of the robot’s joint variables. The software is executed to model the dynamics of different types of robots, and the CPU time for a MacBook Pro with a 3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 processor is less than a minute. Ultimately, the theoretical findings are validated through response graphs and performance indicators of the MPC, affirming the accurate functionality of the developed software. The significance of this work lies in the automation of motion equation generation for manipulator robots, paving the way for enhanced control strategies and facilitating advancements in the field of robotics.

Problem-solving activity during the foreign language writing process: A proposal for categorisation and visualisation of source use and a new take on fluency in multilingual writing

Writing processes constitute a complex interplay of planning, formulation and revision. Ideas take shape through the activation of previous knowledge and, when permitted, also its synthesis with information from sources that help to complement it and resolve doubts and shortcomings arising during writing. The possibility to use external help can be especially useful to those writing in a foreign language, and questions about the nature of the sources consulted can contribute new insights into language processing in the multilingual mind, as well as expand our notion of fluency. While leaving the target text is often considered a distraction, a ‘breakdown’ in fluency, it is, in fact, a part of language processing and text creation. This article proposes a novel way to use keylogging data from Inputlog (Leijten and Van Waes 2013) to visualise the crosslinguistic nature of solving language and content problems in L3+ writing: creating process graphs to display the temporal dynamics of different types of sources used. The example data comes from a university-level course on Spanish linguistics, where Spanish was a third or subsequent language for the participants. Evidently, the vast majority of their external activity was language-related and brief, and, interestingly, a great part of it recurs to a lingua franca, English. Some social context and reasoning is offered to explain such an observation.

Experimental investigation of free-rising characteristics of spilled oil droplets in natural waters

This work focuses on investigating the dynamics of different types of oil droplets rising freely in water columns. Fifteen different types of oils were selected to cover most of the conventional oils. The particle size range of the study is 1.41∼13.58 mm, which can cover the largest oil droplet size that may occur in the real environment. Investigation results show that oil droplet characteristics greatly influence the dynamics process of oil droplet motion. The characteristics which play a dominant role will change as the oil droplet particle size increases. Meanwhile, a set of computational models applicable to the terminal velocity and drag coefficient of oil droplets in the range of 20 < Re < 1200 in a non-pure system are obtained by organizing the experimental data and comparing with the traditional correlation equation, respectively. The models involve dimensionless parameters such as Eo, Mo, and We numbers with fitting coefficients up to 0.984.

Complex dynamics of the passive biped robot with flat feet: Gait bifurcation, intermittency and crisis

During the past decades, the walking dynamics of different types of passive biped robots have garnered significant attention. This paper investigates the complex dynamics of a passive flat-footed robot, encompassing both the local bifurcation of limit cycles and global bifurcation, resulting in significant changes in the system’s walking pattern. To identify the robot’s dynamic behavior, the Lyapunov Exponents (LEs) are calculated using the small orthogonal perturbation vectors method. The obtained LEs diagram also unveils several subtle periodic windows scattered within the chaotic region, where interior crisis and intermittency occur. Moreover, two new kinds of gaits that coexist with the traditional period-1 ones are found. Of particular significance is the discovery of the double boundary crisis that caused by the critical period-3 unstable periodic orbit, and this crisis serves as the fundamental reason to the falling down on slopes of the flat-footed robots. By gaining a better understanding of the nature of passive dynamic walking, it becomes possible to design more efficient controllers that impose less stringent torque requirements on biped walking robots.

Bulk and single-cell alternative splicing analyses reveal roles of TRA2B in myogenic differentiation.

Alternative splicing (AS) disruption has been linked to disorders of muscle development, as well as muscular atrophy. However, the precise changes in AS patterns that occur during myogenesis are not well understood. Here, we employed isoform long-reads RNA-seq (Iso-seq) and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) to investigate the AS landscape during myogenesis. Our Iso-seq data identified 61,146 full-length isoforms representing 11,682 expressed genes, of which over 52% were novel. We identified 38,022 AS events, with most of these events altering coding sequences and exhibiting stage-specific splicing patterns. We identified AS dynamics in different types of muscle cells through scRNA-seq analysis, revealing genes essential for the contractile muscle system and cytoskeleton that undergo differential splicing across cell types. Gene-splicing analysis demonstrated that AS acts as a regulator, independent of changes in overall gene expression. Two isoforms of splicing factor TRA2B play distinct roles in myogenic differentiation by triggering AS of TGFBR2 to regulate canonical TGF-β signalling cascades differently. Our study provides a valuable transcriptome resource for myogenesis and reveals the complexity of AS and its regulation during myogenesis.

Conceptual design of a new experimental setup to simulate aircraft tyre spin-up dynamics

PurposeThe first touchdown moment of aircraft tyres on a runway is the critical phase where maximum of the vertical and horizontal ground loads is produced. Some valuable drop tests have been performed at Langley research centre to simulate the touchdown and the spin-up dynamics. However, a long impact basin and a huge power source to accelerate and decelerate the landing gear mechanism have been used. Based on a centrifugal mechanism, the purpose of this paper is to propose the conceptual design of a new experimental setup to simulate the spin-up dynamics.Design/methodology/approachA schematic view of the proposed mechanism is presented, and its components are introduced. Operating condition of the system and the test procedure are discussed in detail. Finally, tyre spin-up dynamics of Boeing 747 is considered as a case study, and operating condition of the system and the related test parameters are extracted.FindingsIt is shown that the aircraft tyre spin-up dynamics can be simulated in a limited laboratory space with low energy consumption. The proposed setup enables the approach velocity, sink rate and vertical ground load to be adjusted by low power actuators. Hence, the proposed mechanism can be used to simulate the tyre spin-up dynamics of different types of aircraft.Research limitations/implicationsIt is important to note that more details of the setup, including the braking and actuating mechanisms together with their control procedures, should be clarified in practice. In addition, the curved path introduced as the runway will cause errors in the results. Hence, a compromise should be made between the tyre pressure, path curvature, the induced error and the cost of the experimental setup.Practical implicationsThe proposed experimental setup could be constructed in a limited space and at a relatively low cost. Low power actuators are used in the proposed system. Hence, in addition to the performance tests, fatigue tests of the landing gear mechanism will also be possible.Originality/valueBased on a centrifugal mechanism, the conceptual design of a new experimental setup is presented for simulating the tyre spin-up dynamics of aircraft. Considering that the drag load developed during tyre spin-up following initial touchdown is an important factor governing the design of the landing gear mechanism and aircraft structure, the authors hope this paper encourages engineers to continuously make efforts to increase the transparency of the touchdown process, enabling optimisation of landing gear design.

Unraveling the Peculiar Features of Mitochondrial Metabolism and Dynamics in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in Western countries. Mitochondria, the "powerhouse" of cells, undergo distinctive metabolic and structural dynamics in different types of cancer. PCa cells experience peculiar metabolic changes during their progression from normal epithelial cells to early-stage and, progressively, to late-stage cancer cells. Specifically, healthy cells display a truncated tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and inefficient oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) due to the high accumulation of zinc that impairs the activity of m-aconitase, the enzyme of the TCA cycle responsible for the oxidation of citrate. During the early phase of cancer development, intracellular zinc levels decrease leading to the reactivation of m-aconitase, TCA cycle and OXPHOS. PCa cells change their metabolic features again when progressing to the late stage of cancer. In particular, the Warburg effect was consistently shown to be the main metabolic feature of late-stage PCa cells. However, accumulating evidence sustains that both the TCA cycle and the OXPHOS pathway are still present and active in these cells. The androgen receptor axis as well as mutations in mitochondrial genes involved in metabolic rewiring were shown to play a key role in PCa cell metabolic reprogramming. Mitochondrial structural dynamics, such as biogenesis, fusion/fission and mitophagy, were also observed in PCa cells. In this review, we focus on the mitochondrial metabolic and structural dynamics occurring in PCa during tumor development and progression; their role as effective molecular targets for novel therapeutic strategies in PCa patients is also discussed.

THE FRACTAL MATHEMATICAL MODELS FOR SPONTANEOUS AND FORCED IMBIBITION WITH DIFFERENT CROSS-SECTION SHAPES IN SHALE OIL RESERVOIR

Large-scale hydraulic fracturing is the critical technology for effective shale oil production. However, the imbibition flow mechanisms of fracturing fluid in shale micropores and the influence of shale microstructure and physical properties are still indistinct, which makes the optimization goal of fracturing flowback unclear and restricts the enhancement of shale oil recovery. Therefore, based on SEM and XRD experiments, it is analyzed that shale has the characteristics of multiple pores, which are divided into organic pores, brittle mineral pores, and clay pores. Nonetheless, how the tube cross-section controls the interface displacement is not well discussed in the available literature, especially in irregular triangles, rectangles and other non-circular shapes. This paper studies the influence of cross-section shapes on the capillary force by considering the corner flow of the wetting phase, and it analyzes the imbibition dynamics of different types of pores. Using the shale multi-pores physical model and fractal theory, the shale semi-analytical solution models of SI and FI are established. Theoretical analysis of the water imbibition mechanisms shows that the key factors controlling SI and FI volume include imbibition time, fluid properties, pore cross-section shapes, tortuosity, and forced pressure.

Lixiviação e disponibilidade de potássio no solo afetadas por fontes de fertilizantes convencionais e revestidos

ABSTRACT The use of coated fertilizers is a strategy for improving fertilization efficiency and crop yield. However, further studies are needed to understand the dynamics of different types of coated K fertilizers in the soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate K dynamics in soil columns after the application of conventional KCl and other K sources with coating (KCl-C) and compaction (KCl-CC) combined with the use of additives and polymers. The experiment comprised four treatments, consisting of three sources of K [conventional KCl, KCl coated with additives and polymers (KCl-C), and KCl compacted and coated with additives and polymers (KCl-CC)], and a control without K application, with four repetitions. The K concentration was evaluated in the leached solution collected from the soil columns for 28 days. After this period, the K concentration in the soil was determined. The absence of K fertilization in the soil led to a 26.5% reduction in the K concentration. The coated sources had lower granule hardness and higher K leaching than conventional KCl. The amounts of K leached were 62.2%, 68.5%, and 54.0% for KCl-CC, KCl-C, and conventional KCl, respectively. However, at the end of the experiment, the soil K concentration was higher under the KCl-C treatment.

Different environmental factors drive the concentrations of microcystin in particulates, dissolved water, and sediments peaked at different times in a large shallow lake

Global distribution and health threats of microcystins (MCs) have received much more attention, but there are still significant knowledge gaps in the peak periods and driving factors of MC in different phases of freshwater ecosystems. Thus, we systematically analyzed the annual variation of different MC congeners (-LR, -RR, and -YR, where L, R, and Y respectively represent leucine, arginine, and tyrosine) in particulates, dissolved water, and sediments in three eutrophic bays of Lake Taihu, China. The results indicated that particulate MCs concentration was the highest, followed by dissolved and sediment MC, with the mean concentration of 7.58 μg/L, 1.48 μg/L, and 0.15 μg/g (DW), respectively. Except for particulate MC, the concentrations of the other two types of MC showed significant differences among the three bays. The dominant congeners of the three types of MCs were different, with the highest proportion of MC-LR being observed in sediment MCs and the lowest in particulate MCs. The peak period of the three types of MC was also different, with particulate MCs reaching their peak in July and October, dissolved MCs in May to July and October, and sediment MCs reaching their peak in September. Consistent with our hypothesis, the dynamics of different types of MCs were driven by different environmental factors. Particulate MCs were primarily related to biological parameters, followed by TP and dissolved carbon. By contrast, dissolved MCs strongly correlated with water temperature and dissolved oxygen. While sediment MCs were primarily driven by properties of sediments, followed by different forms of nitrogen in the water column. Our results suggested that particulate and dissolved MCs in northern Lake Taihu pose high health threats, especially in the peak period. Moreover, a more detailed and targeted risk management strategy should be designed to prevent the possible hazards posed by different types of MC.

Analysis of the manifestation frequency of different variants of calcifications in the mammary glands in women of mature and old age according to screening mammography data

The relevance of the problem of early diagnosis of pathological changes in the mammary glands (MG) of women of different ages is due to the fact that in the world rankings of neoplasms localization, both benign and malignant, the MG occupies a leading position today. According to multiple information sources, more than 80% of women of reproductive age are diagnosed with various MG diseases. For the purpose of early detection of pathological changes developing in MG today, mammography is widely used, which allows easy visualization of calcifications, MG and obtaining their complete characteristics.The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency of detection and to study the age-related dynamics of different types of calcifications in the mammary glands of mature and elderly women according to the mammography results.Material and methods. In the course of the research, a randomized sample of archival anonymized mammograms of 100 women (50 mature and 50 elderly) who underwent screening or preventive examination was processed. Examinations were performed on the Fujifilm Amulet Innovality device (Japan) in direct (SS) and medial-lateral oblique (MLO) projections. Calcifications were assessed by shape, number, and size.Research results. It was determined that in a randomized sample of examined women, only 34% of adults and 28% of elderly people did not have calcifications in the mammary glands. In 24% of adults and 48% of elderly people, calcifications were detected in the mammary glands bilaterally, in another 42% of adults and 24% of elderly people - in only one of the the mammary glands. Among women of mature age, the largest specific share in the examined sample belongs to persons without calcifications in the mammary glands; among the elderly, the largest share is women with calcifications in both mammary glands. According to the results of the conducted research in a randomized sample of mature and elderly women, the following was found: isolated scattered punctate calcifications (35% of the examined); single punctate/round calcifications (23% of the examined); annular calcifications (11% of the examined); multiple calcifications (19% of the examined); calcifications larger than 1 mm (14% of the examined); calcified vessels (4% of the examined).Conclusions. Digital mammography is a highly informative method of examining the mammary glands, which allows us to visualize calcifications and differentiate them by size, shape and number. According to the results of the analysis of a randomized examination sample of 100 mature and elderly women, various variants of calcifications were found as single, diffuse, punctate; single punctate/round; annular; multiple; greater than 1 mm; as well as calcified vessels. With age, the frequency of mammary gland calcifications increases.

An Exploratory Analysis of the Number of Corruption Crimes in Romania from 2014 to 2020

Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a crime that is undertaken by a person or organization entrusted with a position of authority to gain illicit benefits or abuse power for personal gain. Corruption can involve many activities that include bribery, influence peddling and embezzlement and can also involve practices that are legal in many countries. There is a consensus regarding the presence of this phenomenon since ancient times, but this consensus is not maintained regarding the definition or motivation of this phenomenon. The objectives of this paper are to highlight the dynamics of different types of corruption crimes that occurred between 2014 and 2020 in Romania which may help the law enforcement agencies in the fight against corruption. The methodology used for this paper is principal component analysis.

Determination of double- and single-stranded DNA breaks in bovine sperm is predictive of their fertilizing capacity

BackgroundThe analysis of chromatin integrity has become an important determinant of sperm quality. In frozen-thawed bovine sperm, neither the sequence of post-thaw injury events nor the dynamics of different types of sperm DNA breaks are well understood. The aim of the present work was to describe such sperm degradation aftermath focusing on DNA damage dynamics, and to assess if this parameter can predict pregnancy rates in cattle.ResultsA total of 75 cryopreserved ejaculates from 25 Holstein bulls were evaluated at two post-thawing periods (0-2 h and 2-4 h), analyzing global and double-stranded DNA damage through alkaline and neutral Comet assays, chromatin deprotamination and decondensation, sperm motility, viability, acrosomal status, and intracellular levels of total ROS, superoxides and calcium. Insemination of 59,605 females was conducted using sperm from the same bulls, thus obtaining the non-return to estrus rates after 90 d (NRR). Results showed an increased rate of double-stranded breaks in the first period (0-2 h: 1.29 ± 1.01%/h vs. 2-4 h: 0.13 ± 1.37%/h; P < 0.01), whereas the rate of sperm with moderate + high single-stranded breaks was higher in the second period (0-2 h: 3.52 ± 7.77 %/h vs. 2-4h: 21.06 ± 11.69 %/h; P < 0.0001). Regarding sperm physiology, viability decrease rate was different between the two periods (0-2 h: − 4.49 ± 1.79%/h vs. 2-4 h: − 2.50 ± 3.39%/h; P = 0.032), but the progressive motility decrease rate was constant throughout post-thawing incubation (0-2 h: − 4.70 ± 3.42%/h vs. 2-4 h: − 1.89 ± 2.97%/h; P > 0.05). Finally, whereas no correlations between bull fertility and any dynamic parameter were found, there were correlations between the NRR and the basal percentage of highly-damaged sperm assessed with the alkaline Comet (Rs = − 0.563, P = 0.003), between NRR and basal progressive motility (Rs = 0.511, P = 0.009), and between NRR and sperm with high ROS at 4 h post-thaw (Rs = 0.564, P = 0.003).ConclusionThe statistically significant correlations found between intracellular ROS, sperm viability, sperm motility, DNA damage and chromatin deprotamination suggested a sequence of events all driven by oxidative stress, where viability and motility would be affected first and sperm chromatin would be altered at a later stage, thus suggesting that bovine sperm should be used for fertilization within 2 h post-thaw. Fertility correlations supported that the assessment of global DNA damage through the Comet assay may help predict bull fertility.

Comparison of growth dynamics in different types of MPS: an attempt to explain the causes

BackgroundMucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a group of lysosomal storage disorders caused by deficient activity of enzymes responsible for the catabolism of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), resulting in progressive damage to various tissues and organs. Affected individuals present with skeletal deformities, bone growth impairment, joint stiffness and frequently mental retardation.ResultsThe objective of the study was to summarise over 30 years of observations of the growth dynamics in patients with different types of MPS, performed at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute (CMHI, Warsaw, Poland). A retrospective analysis of anthropometric data collected from 1989 to 2020 was performed for 195 patients with MPS I, MPS II, MPS III, MPS IVA and MPS VI. Mean values for birth body length were statistically significantly greater than in the general population. The mean z-scores for other MPS groups showed that until the 24th month of life, the growth pattern for all patients was similar, and the average z-scores for body height were greater than in reference charts. Afterwards, growth patterns began to differentiate for MPS groups.ConclusionsThe long-term follow up showed that the growth pattern in patients with all types of mucopolysaccharidoses significantly deviates from the general population. Patients with MPS IVA had the most severe growth impairments compared to other patients in the study group. Neuropathic MPS I and II demonstrated severe growth impairments compared to other patients in this study. Patients with MPS III showed the mildest growth impairments compared to other MPS patients and reached the 3rd percentile last.

Circulating cell clusters aggravate the hemorheological abnormalities in COVID-19

Microthrombi and circulating cell clusters are common microscopic findings in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at different stages in the disease course, implying that they may function as the primary drivers in disease progression. Inspired by a recent flow imaging cytometry study of the blood samples from patients with COVID-19, we perform computational simulations to investigate the dynamics of different types of circulating cell clusters, namely white blood cell (WBC) clusters, platelet clusters, and red blood cell clusters, over a range of shear flows and quantify their impact on the viscosity of the blood. Our simulation results indicate that the increased level of fibrinogen in patients with COVID-19 can promote the formation of red blood cell clusters at relatively low shear rates, thereby elevating the blood viscosity, a mechanism that also leads to an increase in viscosity in other blood diseases, such as sickle cell disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We further discover that the presence of WBC clusters could also aggravate the abnormalities of local blood rheology. In particular, the extent of elevation of the local blood viscosity is enlarged as the size of the WBC clusters grows. On the other hand, the impact of platelet clusters on the local rheology is found to be negligible, which is likely due to the smaller size of the platelets. The difference in the impact of WBC and platelet clusters on local hemorheology provides a compelling explanation for the clinical finding that the number of WBC clusters is significantly correlated with thrombotic events in COVID-19 whereas platelet clusters are not. Overall, our study demonstrates that our computational models based on dissipative particle dynamics can serve as a powerful tool to conduct quantitative investigation of the mechanism causing the pathological alterations of hemorheology and explore their connections to the clinical manifestations in COVID-19.

Silicon Modeling of Spiking Neurons With Diverse Dynamic Behaviors

Since spiking neural networks (SNNs) can effectively simulate the information processing mechanism of the biological cortex, they are expected to bridge the gap between neuroscience and machine learning. The hardware simulation of large-scale SNNs requires a simple and versatile silicon neuron model framework. In this article, a spiking neuron circuit as the core device of SNNs is presented. The proposed neuron circuit can mimic the dynamics of different types of biological neurons by adjusting the bias voltage. In order to facilitate the implementation of the spiking neuron circuit based on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) and reduce the overhead of the circuit area, a modified Mihalas–Niebur (MN) mathematical model is adopted. The improved MN model is biologically plausible and can still successfully display all dynamic behaviors observed in biology. The function of the proposed neuron circuit has been verified by the phase diagram analysis method. The simulation results show the designed neuron circuit can successfully replicate 15 of the 20 firing patterns exhibited by the biological cortex, which proves that the neuron can act as a universal spiking neuron in very large-scale integrated circuit (VLSI) neuromorphic networks.

Efficacy of sibutramine in different types of eating behavior in obese patients

Introduction. One of the key factors contributing to the development and progression of obesity is impairment eating behavior (EB). Therefore, drug therapy for obesity should not only reduce hunger, contributing to weight loss, but also reducing the severity of EB disorders.Aim. Assess the representation of different types of EB in obese patients, the effect of sibutramine therapy on dynamics EB by The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and for hunger/satiety on a visual analog scale (VAS). Quality life of patients, adherence to treatment of obese patients and their weight dynamics in different types of EB during therapy with sibutramine was also assessed.Materials and methods. The study included 36 obese patients (30 women and 6 men), mean age 38.7 ± 10.8 years, mean body weight 102.8 ± 16.4 kg, body mass index (BMI) 36.8 ± 4.6 kg/m2, receiving therapy with sibutramine at a dose of 10 mg per day once in the morning before meals in combination with hypocaloric nutrition.Results and discussion. The study showed the prevalence of the emotiogenic type of eating disorders in patients. However, it was pointed out that sibutramine therapy combined with hypocaloric nutrition proved its efficacy in any type of eating disorders. Positive dynamics anxiety/depression in subclinical conditions during treatment with sibutramine was also revealed.Conclusion. Sibutramine treatment may be recommended for the development of a new EB model in obese patients because it is effective in reducing weight in any type of EB disorder.