Ultrafast Dynamics of Liquid Water and Ice

In the present contribution we summarize our observations concerning the ultrafast non-equilibrium dynamics of water, in both the liquid and crystalline phase. Our experimental tool is two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy, which combines structural information on a molecular level with femtosecond time resolution. In the case of liquid and supercooled water we are able to extract the timescales of hydrogen bonding dynamics, whereas in the ice form we can probe the change of the hydrogen bond properties under excitation and observe the influence of intermolecular mode excitations in the crystal

Zero-sum Polymatrix Markov Games: Equilibrium Collapse and Efficient Computation of Nash Equilibria

The works of (Daskalakis et al., 2009, 2022; Jin et al., 2022; Deng et al., 2023) indicate that computing Nash equilibria in multi-player Markov games is a computationally hard task. This fact raises the question of whether or not computational intractability can be circumvented if one focuses on specific classes of Markov games. One such example is two-player zero-sum Markov games, in which efficient ways to compute a Nash equilibrium are known. Inspired by zero-sum polymatrix normal-form games (Cai et al., 2016), we define a class of zero-sum multi-agent Markov games in which there are only pairwise interactions described by a graph that changes per state. For this class of Markov games, we show that an $\epsilon$-approximate Nash equilibrium can be found efficiently. To do so, we generalize the techniques of (Cai et al., 2016), by showing that the set of coarse-correlated equilibria collapses to the set of Nash equilibria. Afterwards, it is possible to use any algorithm in the literature that computes approximate coarse-correlated equilibria Markovian policies to get an approximate Nash equilibrium.Comment: Added missing proofs for the infinite-horizo

Substitution of natural sensory input by artificial neurostimulation of an amputated trigeminal nerve does not prevent the degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic circuits projecting to the somatosensory cortex

Peripheral deafferentation downregulates acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis in sensory cortices. However, the responsible neural circuits and processes are not known. We irreversibly transected the rat infraorbital nerve and implanted neuroprosthetic microdevices for proximal stump stimulation, and assessed cytochrome-oxidase and choline- acetyl-transferase (ChAT) in somatosensory, auditory and visual cortices; estimated the number and density of ACh-neurons in the magnocellular basal nucleus (MBN); and localized down-regulated ACh-neurons in basal forebrain using retrograde labeling from deafferented cortices. Here we show that nerve transection, causes down regulation of MBN cholinergic neurons. Stimulation of the cut nerve reverses the metabolic decline but does not affect the decrease in cholinergic fibers in cortex or cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain. Artifical stimulation of the nerve also has no affect of ACh-innervation of other cortices. Cortical ChAT depletion is due to loss of corticopetal MBN ChAT-expressing neurons. MBN ChAT downregulation is not due to a decrease of afferent activity or to a failure of trophic support. Basalocortical ACh circuits are sensory specific, ACh is provided to each sensory cortex “on demand” by dedicated circuits. Our data support the existence of a modality-specific cortex-MBN-cortex circuit for cognitive information processing

Neural activity in the lower pathway of the somatosensory system in the presence of silicon interfaces

In this communication, we present results of experimental work carried out in the frame of the ROSANA project aiming at the investigation of the interactions between sensory inputs and the activity of Central Nervous System (CNS) neurons in the creation of the internal representations of real-world stimuli. We implanted sieve microelectrodes in the peripheral nerve of rats and we obtained functional regeneration of the sensory nerves. We recorded the electrical activity of the regenerated nerve fibers and also of the relay neurons of the first station of the somatosensory pathway. Finally we developed mathematical models of the oscillatory neurons involved in the information processing that fit well with our experimental data

ECDB - European Crew Database in the perspective of the electronic tools

The EU directive on the recognition of professional qualifications in inland navigation foresees harmonized procedures and models for Union certificates of qualifications, service record books (SRB) and logbooks (LBK) and facilitates the electronic exchange of information through the setting up of a database. In doing so, it paves the way for the introduction of electronic tools, for which the European Parliament and the Council have asked the Commission to submit an assessment. In this context, JRC assisted DG MOVE for the characterization of options for an architecture covering, as a minimum, electronic SRB and LBK, concluded with a final report on July 2106. Following-up these activities, a new administrative arrangement between JRC and DG MOVE became operational at the beginning of January 2017. Its main scope is to provide technical and scientific support on two main objectives: 1. Technical requirements, characteristics and conditions of use of the database provided for in the Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications in inland navigation (ECDB - European Crew Database). 2. Options for an electronic system based on Inland Workers Cards and Inland Vessel Units, serving as service record books and logbooks but also recording the resting and working time as per Council Directive 2014/112/EU including considerations on the Digital Inland Navigation Area (DINA). The work of the JRC during 2017 and 2018 focuses on the European Crew Database (ECDB). The goal is a future-proof ECDB that fully meets the requirements of Directive 2017/2397/EU and, at the same time, accommodates the anticipated eIWT operational requirements. The current document is the mid-term report of the eIWT 2107 AA between DG MOVE and JRC. It outlines the ECDB objectives, structure and dataset and describes the main operational use-cases assuming a fully implemented eIWT system and during the initial non-electronic phase. In view of a Commission delegated regulation on the ERCDB implementation, the current document serves as a basis for discussion with the members of the Commission expert group on social issues in inland navigation and other IWT stakeholders, focusing in particular on the immediate requirements that are object of the delegated regulation, that is the initial phase, transitory to a fully digital one, where ECDB and the MS registries are operational but all documents (qualification certificates, SRBs and LBKs) are still on paper.JRC.E.3-Cyber and Digital Citizens' Securit

Dependence of Neuroprosthetic Stimulation on the Sensory Modality of the Trigeminal Neurons Following Nerve Injury. Implications in the Design of Future Sensory Neuroprostheses for Correct Perception and Modulation of Neuropathic Pain

Amputation of a sensory peripheral nerve induces severe anatomical and functional changes along the afferent pathway as well as perception alterations and neuropathic pain. In previous studies we showed that electrical stimulation applied to a transected infraorbital nerve protects the somatosensory cortex from the above-mentioned sensory deprivation-related changes. In the present study we focus on the initial tract of the somatosensory pathway and we investigate the way weak electrical stimulation modulates the neuroprotective-neuroregenerative and functional processes of trigeminal ganglia primary sensory neurons by studying the expression of neurotrophins (NTFs) and Glia-Derived Neurotrophic Factors (GDNFs) receptors. Neurostimulation was applied to the proximal stump of a transected left infraorbitary nerve using a neuroprosthetic micro-device 12 h/day for 4 weeks in freely behaving rats. Neurons were studied by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry against RET (proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase “rearranged during transfection”), tropomyosin-related kinases (TrkA, TrkB, TrkC) receptors and IB4 (Isolectin B4 from Griffonia simplicifolia). Intra-group (left vs. right ganglia) and inter-group comparisons (between Control, Axotomization and Stimulation-after-axotomization groups) were performed using the mean percentage change of the number of positive cells per section [100∗(left–right)/right)]. Intra-group differences were studied by paired t-tests. For inter-group comparisons ANOVA test followed by post hoc LSD test (when P < 0.05) were used. Significance level (α) was set to 0.05 in all cases. Results showed that (i) neurostimulation has heterogeneous effects on primary nociceptive and mechanoceptive/proprioceptive neurons; (ii) neurostimulation affects RET-expressing small and large neurons which include thermo-nociceptors and mechanoceptors, as well as on the IB4- and TrkB-positive populations, which mainly correspond to non-peptidergic thermo-nociceptive cells and mechanoceptors respectively. Our results suggest (i) electrical stimulation differentially affects modality-specific primary sensory neurons (ii) artificial input mainly acts on specific nociceptive and mechanoceptive neurons (iii) neuroprosthetic stimulation could be used to modulate peripheral nerve injuries-induced neuropathic pain. These could have important functional implications in both, the design of effective clinical neurostimulation-based protocols and the development of neuroprosthetic devices, controlling primary sensory neurons through selective neurostimulation

Προσομοίωση λειτουργίας χημικού αισθητήρα τύπου χωρητικότητας

Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο--Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία. Διεπιστημονικό-Διατμηματικό Πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) “Μικροσυστήματα και Νανοδιατάξεις

ECDB - European Crew Database D.3 Implementation options

Directive 2017/2397/EU on the recognition of professional qualifications in inland navigation foresees harmonized procedures and models for Union certificates of qualifications, service record books (SRB) and logbooks (LBK) and facilitates the electronic exchange of information through the setting up of a database, paving the way for the introduction of electronic tools, for which the European Parliament and the Council have asked the Commission, as a first step, to submit an impact assessment study. Directive 2017/2397/EU foresees a European Crew Database (ECDB) and MS Registries, to be implemented through a specific Delegated Regulation within the next 2-3 years, covering the ECDB and the MS registries requirements as foreseen in the Directive. ECDB and the MS registries will be at the center of the IWT digitalization and the future electronic tools (eIWT) that will implement the e-governance and the DSM strategy in the IWT sector. Hence, the design and implementation of both the ECDB and the MS registries should be such that: • They fully implement the requirements of Directive 2017/2397/EU as above, hereon referred as 1st phase or initial phase requirements. • They are future proof, in the sense that they can fulfil their anticipated functions in the ‘digital era’, that is when the electronic tools will be implemented, hereon referred as 2nd phase or electronic/digital phase requirements. JRC assisted DG MOVE for the characterization of options for an electronic tools (eIWT) architecture covering, as a minimum, electronic SRB and LBK, concluding with a final report on July 2106. Following-up these activities, a new administrative arrangement between JRC and DG MOVE became operational at the beginning of January 2017, aiming at the technical requirements, characteristics and conditions of use of the ECDB and the MS Registries. In view of a Commission delegated regulation on the ECDB implementation, the current document serves as a basis for discussion with the members of the Commission expert group on social issues in inland navigation and other IWT stakeholders, focusing in particular on the immediate requirements that are object of the delegated regulation, that is the initial phase, transitory to a fully digital one, where ECDB and the MS registries are operational but all documents (qualification certificates, SRBs and LBKs) are still on paper. In particular, this document outlines the various ECDB implementation options in terms of a federative approach (as per the recent Commission guidelines) versus the centralized implementation foreseen in eIWT.JRC.E.3-Cyber and Digital Citizens' Securit

Treatment process evaluation: the role of personality functioning

Background: Treatment engagement is a major factor contributing to favourable outcome of drug treatment, but high dropout rates persist. It has remained difficult to draw conclusions regarding specific predictors of engagement, but there is a clear need to identify and target clients’ major attrition vulnerabilities. Despite evidence of the association of personality with drug misuse, little is known about its role in the treatment process. Aims: This study set out to examine whether, and to what extent, personality functioning contributes to or hinders individuals’ treatment journeys. The study examined service users’ personality characteristics as potential determinants of treatment initiation, engagement and completion and whether characteristic adaptations are malleable during treatment. Methodology: A longitudinal multi-site design was utilized, examining the therapy process in a naturalistic setting in outpatient and inpatient treatment centres. The first part of the study examined whether service users’ personality traits (TPQue) and characteristic adaptations (SIPP-118) predict treatment initiation (CEST-Intake), involving n = 200 from 5 outpatient preparation treatment centres. The second part examined whether characteristic adaptations predict treatment engagement (CEST) and completion involving n = 340 participants from 6 inpatient centres. Multivariate regression analyses were applied for hypotheses testing. The final part of the study explored the malleability of characteristic adaptations and examined whether clinically significant change occurred in dysfunctional characteristic adaptations (n = 70). A series of mixed between-within subject analyses of variance were conducted to compare service users who dropped out and those who completed treatment across the two-time periods. Results: Findings indicated that certain dysfunctional characteristic adaptations are associated with treatment initiation (RQ1) and drop out (RQ3). Broad and facet level characteristic adaptation emerged as strong predictors on different segments of treatment engagement (RQ2). Dysfunctional levels on Self-control and Relational capacities significantly predicted low counselling rapport and treatment participation. The analyses at the facet level provided additional insight of the important role of Identity and Relational capacities on initiation, engagement and treatment completion. The final step shed light on the malleability of characteristic adaptations during treatment and revealed that completers had more functional characteristic adaptations at baseline and had higher levels of significant clinical improvement (RQ4). Only Social concordance remained unchanged at the second inpatient time point. This has important clinical implications considering that Social concordance and especially the Aggression regulation facet was the strongest predictor of treatment initiation, counselling rapport and treatment completion. Conclusions: These findings extend our knowledge of the predictive role of characteristic adaptations in the treatment process, and suggest it may be important to capture these individual differences early on. Delineating the role of characteristic adaptations in treatment engagement and their sensitivity to change under treatment may provide the basis for enhancing treatment specificity through individualized interventions that are scientifically-driven and empirically-validated. This is of major clinical relevance, since it provides a node-link mapping of early warning signs of individuals’ maladaptive areas that require clinical attention and may open new avenues for the scientific enquiry of personality and treatment

Comparative analysis of innovative minimally invasive reconstructive techniques of abdominal-wall hernias: ventral TAPP versus laparoscopic IPOM

Die laparoskopische Reparation von Bauchwandbrüchen ist seit Jahren Bestandteil der Hernienchirurgie. Als Standardtechnik gilt das lap. IPOM Verfahren, welches sich aufgrund seiner vergleichsweise einfachen und standardisierten Operationstechnik sowie der guten Langzeitergebnisse bezüglich eines Rezidivs etabliert hat. Diese Methode wird jedoch aufgrund von nicht unerheblichen postoperativen Schmerzen und der Tatsache, dass die Netzeinlage intraabdominell erfolgt und somit direkten Kontakt zu den viszeralen Organen hat, in der aktuellen Literatur zunehmend kontrovers diskutiert. In der Chirurgischen Klinik Charité Campus Mitte / Campus Virchow-Klinikum wird seit 2014 neben der etablierten lap. IPOM Methode die ventral TAPP für ventrale Hernien kleiner bis mittlerer Größe durchgeführt. Dieses ebenfalls minimalinvasive Verfahren erlaubt eine präperitoneale Netzplatzierung. Gegenstand dieser Arbeit ist es, die lap. IPOM Methode mit der innovativen ventral TAPP Technik im Anwendungsgebiet von ventralen Hernien kleiner bis mittlerer Größe zu vergleichen. Diesbezüglich wurden sämtliche Fälle, die zwischen 2014 und 2020 am Campus Mitte / Campus Virchow-Klinikum mit den beiden Operationstechniken behandelt wurden, aus der prospektiv geführten Datenbank extrahiert und retrospektiv aufgearbeitet. Dies ergab nach Anwendung der Exklusionskriterien 180 Fälle. Patienten mit einer Herniengröße von mehr als 5 cm wurden ausgeschlossen, da die ventral TAPP hier nicht zur Anwendung kam. Anschließend wurde eine Propensity-Score-Analyse durchgeführt. Hieraus ergaben sich Kohorten von jeweils 27 Patienten, welche in Bezug auf ihre perioperativen Daten, postoperativen Ergebnisse und Kosteneffektivität analysiert wurden. Die statistische Auswertung der erhobenen Daten zeigte signifikant erhöhte Werte in Bezug auf die postoperative Einnahme von Opiaten in der lap. IPOM Gruppe im Vergleich zu den ventral TAPP Patienten (p=0,001). Weiterhin war die objektivierte postoperative Schmerzempfindung anhand des VAS nach einer lap. IPOM Hernienreparation sowohl in ihrem maximalen Ausmaß (p=0,004) als auch bei Bewegung (p=0,008) und in Ruhe (p=0,023) signifikant höher. Hernienrezidive wurden über einen Nachbeobachtungszeitraum von 31.96 ± 27.57 (lap. IPOM) sowie 14.70 ± 15.76 (ventral TAPP) Monaten in keiner der beiden Gruppen festgestellt. Bezüglich der Materialkosten ist die ventral TAPP (34,37 ± 0,47 €) deutlich günstiger als die lap. IPOM Methode (742,57 ± 128,44 €; p=0,001). Auch war die Dauer des stationären Aufenthaltes bei der lap. IPOM Kohorte signifikant länger (2.81 ± 0.88 versus 2.37 ± 0.69 Tage; p=0,043). Insgesamt zeigte der Vergleich der beiden Methoden, dass die ventral TAPP eine alternative Technik zur etablierten lap. IPOM Hernienreparation bietet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die postoperativen Schmerzen, die Materialkosten und der stationäre Krankenhausaufenthalt der ventral TAPP Kohorte im Vergleich zur lap. IPOM signifikant niedriger waren.Laparoscopic repair of abdominal wall hernias has been an essential part of hernia surgery for many years. The lap. IPOM has established itself due to its comparatively simple and standardized surgical technique as well as good long-term results with regard to recurrence. However, this method is controversially discussed in the current literature due to considerable postoperative pain and the fact that the mesh is placed intraabdominally and thus has direct contact to the visceral organs. In addition to the established lap. IPOM method, the innovative ventral TAPP for ventral hernias of small to medium size has been performed at the Department of Surgery Charité Campus Mitte / Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin since 2014. This procedure, also minimally invasive, allows for preperitoneal mesh placement. The purpose of this study is to compare the lap. IPOM method with this innovative technique (ventral TAPP) for treatment of ventral hernias of small to medium size. In this regard, all cases between 2014 and 2020 at Charité Campus Mitte / Campus Virchow-Klinikum treated with either one of these surgical techniques were extracted from the prospectively maintained database and retrospectively analyzed. 180 cases were identified after application of the exclusion criteria. Subsequently, patients with hernia size greater than 5 cm were excluded because the ventral TAPP method is not suitable for larger hernias. A propensity-score matching was performed. This resulted in cohorts of 27 patients each, which were analyzed in terms of their perioperative data, surgical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness. Statistical analysis of the collected data showed significant higher values in terms of postoperative opiate use in the lap. IPOM group compared to the ventral TAPP patients (p=0.001). Furthermore, objectified postoperative pain perception using the VAS was significantly elevated after lap. IPOM hernia repair. Data was showed higher values during maximum extent (p=0.004) and during movement (p=0.008) as well as at rest (p=0.023). Hernia recurrences were not observed in either group over a follow-up period of 31.96 ± 27.57 months (lap. IPOM) and 14.70 ± 15.76 months (ventral TAPP). Regarding material costs, the ventral TAPP (34,37 ± 0,47 €) is significantly cheaper than the lap. IPOM method (742.57 ± 128.44 €; p=0.001). Also, the length of inpatient stay was significantly longer in the lap. IPOM cohort (2.81 ± 0.88 versus 2.37 ± 0.69 days; p=0,043). Overall, the comparison of the two methods showed that the ventral TAPP method is an alternative technique to the established lap. IPOM hernia repair. In particular the results show that postoperative pain, material costs and inpatient hospital stay were significantly lower in the ventral TAPP cohort compared with lap. IPOM cohort