High performance microwave photonic response of superstructured fibre Bragg grating with designed apodisation function

The microwave photonic responses based on the superstructure fibre Bragg gratings with designed apodisation profile are investigated. The rejection level of more than 60 dB for a bandpass filtering response is demonstrated.

Acute mobile phone operation affects neural function in humans

OBJECTIVES: Mobile phones (MP) are used extensively and yet little is known about the effects they may have on human physiology. There have been conflicting reports regarding the relation between MP use and the electroencephalogram (EEG). The present study suggests that this conflict may be due to methodological differences such as exposure durations, and tests whether exposure to an active MP affects EEG as a function of time. METHODS: Twenty-four subjects participated in a single-blind fully counterbalanced cross-over design, where both resting EEG and phase-locked neural responses to auditory stimuli were measured while a MP was either operating or turned off. RESULTS: MP exposure altered resting EEG, decreasing 1-4 Hz activity (right hemisphere sites), and increasing 8-12 Hz activity as a function of exposure duration (midline posterior sites). MP exposure also altered early phase-locked neural responses, attenuating the normal response decrement over time in the 4-8 Hz band, decreasing the response in the 1230 Hz band globally and as a function of time, and increasing midline frontal and lateral posterior responses in the 30-45 Hz band. CONCLUSIONS: Active MPs affect neural function in humans and do so as a function of exposure duration. The temporal nature of this effect may contribute to the lack of consistent results reported in the literature.

Can the Q Link Ally,® a form of sympathetic resonance technology (SRT™), sttenuate scute mobile phone-related changes to neural function?

OBJECTIVES: Exposure to active mobile phones (MP) has been shown to affect human neural function as shown by the electroencephalogram (EEG). Although it has not been determined whether such effects are harmful, a number of devices have been developed that attempt to minimize these MP-related effects. One such device, the Q Link Ally® (QL; Clarus Products, International, L.L.C., San Rafael, CA), is argued to affect the human organism in such a way as to attenuate the effect of MPs. The present pilot study was designed to determine whether there is any indication that QL does alter MP-related effects on the human EEG. DESIGN: Twenty-four (24) subjects participated in a single-blind, fully counterbalanced crossover design in which subjects' resting EEG and phase-locked neural responses to auditory stimuli were assessed under conditions of either active MP or active MP plus QL. RESULTS: The addition of QL to the MP condition increased resting EEG in the gamma range and did so as a function of exposure duration, and it attenuated MP-related effects in the delta and alpha range (at trend-level). The addition of the QL also affected phase-locked neural responses, with a laterality reversal in the alpha range and an alteration to changes over time in the delta range, a reduction of the MP-related beta decrease over time at fronto-posterior sites, and a global reduction in the gamma range that increased as a function of exposure duration. No unambiguous relations were found between these changes and either performance or psychologic state. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that the addition of the QL to active MP-exposure does affect neural function in humans, altering both resting EEG patterns and the evoked neural response to auditory stimuli, and that there is a tendency for some MP-related changes to the EEG to be attenuated by the QL.

An almond-enriched diet increases plasma α-tocopherol and improves vascular function but does not affect oxidative stress markers or lipid levels

Vascular dysfunction is one of the major causes of cardiovascular (CV) mortality and increases with age. Epidemiological studies suggest that Mediterranean diets and high nut consumption reduce CV disease risk and mortality while increasing plasma α-tocopherol. Therefore, we have investigated whether almond supplementation can improve oxidative stress markers and CV risk factors over 4 weeks in young and middle-aged men. Healthy middle-aged men (56 ± 5.8 years), healthy young men (22.1 ± 2.9 years) and young men with two or more CV risk factors (27.3 ± 5 years) consumed 50 g almond/day for 4 weeks. A control group maintained habitual diets over the same period. Plasma α-tocopherol/cholesterol ratios were not different between groups at baseline and were significantly elevated by almond intervention with 50 g almond/day for 4 weeks (p < 0.05). Plasma protein oxidation and nitrite levels were not different between groups whereas, total-, HDL- and LDL-cholesterols and triglycerides were significantly higher in healthy middle-aged and young men with CV risk factors but were not affected by intake. In the almond-consuming groups, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) improved and systolic blood pressure reduced significantly after 50 g almonds/day for 4 weeks, but diastolic blood pressure reduced only in healthy men. In conclusion, a short-term almond-enriched diet can increase plasma α-tocopherol and improve vascular function in asymptomatic healthy men aged between 20 and 70 years without any effect on plasma lipids or markers of oxidative stress. © 2014 Informa UK, Ltd.

Novel glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog (Val8)GLP-1 results in significant improvements of glucose tolerance and pancreatic β-cell function after 3-week daily administration in obese diabetic (ob/ob) mice

This study evaluates the antidiabetic potential of an enzyme-resistant analog, (Val8)GLP-1. The effects of daily administration of a novel dipeptidyl peptidase IV-resistant glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, (Val8)GLP-1, on glucose tolerance and pancreatic β-cell function were examined in obese-diabetic (ob/ob) mice. Acute intraperitoneal administration of (Val8)GLP-1 (6.25-25 nmol/kg) with glucose increased the insulin response and reduced the glycemic excursion in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of (Val8)GLP-1 were greater and longer lasting than native GLP-1. Once-daily subcutaneous administration of (Val8)GLP-1 (25 nmol/kg) for 21 days reduced plasma glucose concentrations, increased plasma insulin, and reduced body weight more than native GLP-1 without a significant change in daily food intake. Furthermore, (Val8)GLP-1 improved glucose tolerance, reduced the glycemic excursion after feeding, increased the plasma insulin response to glucose and feeding, and improved insulin sensitivity. These effects were consistently greater with (Val8)GLP-1 than with native GLP-1, and both peptides retained or increased their acute efficacy compared with initial administration. (Val8)GLP-1 treatment increased average islet area 1.2-fold without changing the number of islets, resulting in an increased number of larger islets. These data demonstrate that (Val8)GLP-1 is more effective and longer acting than native GLP-1 in obese-diabetic ob/ob mice.

Involutivity and Symple Waves in R^2

A strictly hyperbolic quasi-linear 2×2 system in two independent variables with C2 coefficients is considered. The existence of a simple wave solution in the sense that the solution is a 2-dimensional vector-valued function of the so called Riemann invariant is discussed. It is shown, through a purely geometrical approach, that there always exists simple wave solution for the general system when the coefficients are arbitrary C^2 functions depending on both, dependent and independent variables.

Body iron is associated with cognitive executive planning function in college women

Evidence of the relationship between altered cognitive function and depleted Fe status is accumulating in women of reproductive age but the degree of Fe deficiency associated with negative neuropsychological outcomes needs to be delineated. Data are limited regarding this relationship in university women in whom optimal cognitive function is critical to academic success. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between body Fe, in the absence of Fe-deficiency anaemia, and neuropsychological function in young college women. Healthy, non-Anaemic undergraduate women (n 42) provided a blood sample and completed a standardised cognitive test battery consisting of one manual (Tower of London (TOL), a measure of central executive function) and five computerised (Bakan vigilance task, mental rotation, simple reaction time, immediate word recall and two-finger tapping) tasks. Women's body Fe ranged from - 4·2 to 8·1 mg/kg. General linear model ANOVA revealed a significant effect of body Fe on TOL planning time (P= 0.002). Spearman's correlation coefficients showed a significant inverse relationship between body Fe and TOL planning time for move categories 4 (r - 0.39, P= 0.01) and 5 (r - 0.47, P= 0.002). Performance on the computerised cognitive tasks was not affected by body Fe level. These findings suggest that Fe status in the absence of anaemia is positively associated with central executive function in otherwise healthy college women. Copyright © The Authors 2012.

Fractional Calculus of the Generalized Wright Function

Mathematics Subject Classification: 26A33, 33C20.

Numerical Results for the Generalized Mittag-Leffler Function

Mathematics Subject Classification: 33E12, 33FXX PACS (Physics Abstracts Classification Scheme): 02.30.Gp, 02.60.Gf