130,439 research outputs found
A simplified math approach to predict ICU beds and mortality rate for hospital emergency planning under Covid-19 pandemic
No full textThe different stages of Covid-19 pandemic can be described by two key-variables: ICU patients and deaths in hospitals. We propose simple models that can be used by medical doctors and decision makers to predict the trends on both short-term and long-term horizons. Daily updates of the models with real data allow forecasting some key indicators for decision-making (an Excel file in the Supplemental material allows computing them). These are beds allocation, residence time, doubling time, rate of renewal, maximum daily rate of change (positive/negative), halfway points, maximum plateaus, asymptotic conditions, and dates and time intervals when some key thresholds are overtaken. Doubling time of ICU beds for Covid-19 emergency can be as low as 2–3 days at the outbreak of the pandemic. The models allow identifying the possible departure of the phenomenon from the predicted trend and thus can play the role of early warning systems and describe further outbreaks
S-2-type parametric surfaces with prescribed mean curvature and minimal energy
No full textGiven a function H in C^1(R^3),
asymptotic to a constant at infinity, we investigate the existence of nontrivial, conformal surfaces parametrized by the sphere, with mean curvature H and minimal energ
The Dirichlet Problem for H -Systems with Small Boundary Data: BlowUp Phenomena and Nonexistence Results
No full textGiven H: R^3 → R of class C^1 and bounded, we consider a sequence (u_n) of solutions of the H-system
Δu = 2H(u)u_x ∧ u_y
in the unit open disc D satisfying the boundary condition u_n = y_n on ∂D. In the first part of this paper, assuming that (u_n) is bounded in H^1 (D, R^3) we study the behavior of (u_n) when the boundary data γ_n shrink to zero. We show that either u_n → 0 strongly in H^1 (D, R^3) or u_n blows up at least one H-bubble ω, namely a nonconstant, conformal solution of the H-system on R^2. Under additional assumptions on H, we can obtain more precise information on the blow up. In the second part of this paper we investigate the multiplicity of solutions for the Dirichlet problem on the disc with small boundary datum. We detect a family of nonconstant functions H (even close to a nonzero constant in any reasonable topology) for which the Dirichlet problem cannot admit a "large" solution at a mountain pass level when the boundary datum is small
Psychotic versus non-psychotic major depressive disorder : a comparative naturalistic study
No full textOBJECTIVE: Psychotic depressed patients were found to have more severe cognitive deficits, poorer treatment response and higher suicidal risk respect to non-psychotic depressives. Aim of the present research was to compare clinical variables and outcome between psychotic and non-psychotic major depressive patients.
METHOD: A sample of 36 major depressed patients was divided into two groups according to the presence of psychotic symptoms. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID-I) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) were administered to the patients at baseline by trained raters. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVAs) and chi-square tests were performed to compare the two groups. Binary logistic regression was performed to assess the risk of lack of response/remission in patients with psychotic symptoms and the risk of developing psychotic symptoms in major depressives with a family history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
RESULTS: Psychotic major depressives presented more severe illness as showed by HAM-D baseline scores (F=17.20, p<0.001), a longer duration of hospitalization (F=7.64, p=0.009) and they were more frequently treated with clomipramine (χ(2)=16.22, p=0.027). Psychotic symptoms were predictive of lack of remission (OR=4.09, p=0.05) and family history of schizophrenia/psychotic bipolar disorder was associated with psychotic major depression (OR=10.81, p=0.04).
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with psychotic symptoms present a more severe course of illness as showed by long hospitalizations and lower rates of remission. Psychotic depressives show more frequently a family history of "major psychoses" suggesting a continuum in psychotic disorders and a genetic association of major psychotic depression with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
The effect of tDCS on EEG profile during a semantic motor task divided in a correct and incorrect ways
No full textIn this experimental we investigated the cortical neuromodulation during a tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) section to induce a temporary inhibition of the frontal area. The induced effect of brain modulation was tested on the EEG (electroencephalography) and ERPs (event-related potentials) profile when subjects performed a task in which they had to respond if the object represented in the sequence was correctly or incorrectly used. It was shown that an increased negative peak deflection (N400) is observable in case of semantic anomalies. We attended a significant reduction of this ERPs deflections when tDCS was applied to frontal area. During the detection task, participants were asked to evaluate the semantic correctness of some motor sequences that manipulated simple objects. EEG were registered during the tDCS or no tDCS stimulation. Significant differences between the two conditions and a reduction of the peak amplitude were observed in case of tDCS stimulation
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