Kinetics of mobile impurities and correlation functions in one-dimensional superfluids at finite temperature

We scrutinize the hydrodynamic approach for calculating dynamical correlations in one-dimensional superfluids near integrability and calculate the characteristic time scale {\tau} beyond which this approach is valid. For time scales shorter than {\tau} hydrodynamics fails and we develop an approach based on kinetics of fermionic quasiparticles described as mobile impurities. New universal results for the dynamical structure factor relevant to experiments in ultracold atomic gases are obtained.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Supplemental material included. Version 3: Minor typos correcte

Epidemiology and In Vitro Activity of Ceftazidime/Avibactam, Meropenem/Vaborbactam and Imipenem/Relebactam against KPC-Producing K. pneumoniae Collected from Bacteremic Patients, 2018 to 2020

The management of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) in bloodstream infections (BSIs) represent a serious clinical challenge. In this study, the aim is to assess the incidence of resistance to novel β-lactams-β-lactamase inhibitor combinations (βL-βLICs), such as ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI), meropenem-vaborbactam (MER-VAB) and imipenem-relebactam (IMI-REL), in KPC-Kp strains collected during a three-year period from patients with bacteremia. KPC-Kp strains resistant to βL-βLICs were selected for whole-genome sequencing. A total of 133 K. pneumoniae strains were isolated, and KPC-Kp strains were the most represented (87.2%). In 2018, resistance to CAZ-AVI and MER-VAB was 6.5% and 14.5%, respectively. In 2019, KPC-Kp resistance to CAZ-AVI and MER-VAB remained at low levels, with values of 12.9% and 3.2%, respectively. During 2020, CAZ-AVI resistance was detected in 2/23 of KPC-Kp strains (8.7%). IMI-REL was the most active βL-βLIC, inhibiting >98% of the isolates, while CAZ-AVI and MER-VAB inhibited 87-93% and 85-97% of the KPC producers, respectively. Correlations between genotypic traits and resistance to βL-βLICs showed that KPC-Kp strains resistant to CAZ-AVI harbored a mutation within the blaKPC-3 gene, while all KPC-Kp strains resistant to CAZ-AVI, MER-VAB and/or IMI-REL carried the blaKPC-3 gene. Moreover, genetic analysis of porin genes showed that 14/16 of KPC-Kp resistant isolates possessed a truncated OmpK35 and glycine (G) and aspartic acid (D) insertions at positions 134-135 within OmpK36, whereas 2/16 displayed truncated OmpK35 and OmpK36 porins. Novel βL-βLICs are promising agents against KPC-Kp infections; however, the emergence of resistance to these agents highlights the need for continuous surveillance and application of enhanced antimicrobial stewardship

Stability Analysis of a Landslide Scarp by Means of Virtual Outcrops: The Mt. Peron Niche Area (Masiere di Vedana Rock Avalanche, Eastern Southern Alps)

We investigated the Mt. Peron niche area of the Masiere di Vedana rock avalanche (BL), one of the major mass movements that affected the Eastern Southern Alps in historical times. So far, a geomechanical characterization and a stability analysis of the niche area, where potential rockfall sources are present, are lacking. The Mt. Peron niche area is a rocky cliff almost inaccessible to field-based measurements. In order to overcome this issue, we performed a geo-structural characterization of a sector of the cliff by means of a UAV-based photogrammetric survey. From the virtual outcrop, we extracted the orientation of 159 fractures that were divided into sets based on a K-means clustering algorithm and field-checked with some measurements collected along a rappelling descent route down to the cliff. Finally, with the aim of evaluating the stability of the volume under investigation, we performed a stability analysis of three rock pillars included in our survey by means of a distinct element numerical simulation. Our results indicate that two out of the three pillars are characterized by a stable state, under the simulation assumptions, whereas the third is close to failure, and for this reason, its condition needs further investigation

Whole Genome Sequencing Provides Information on the Genomic Architecture and Diversity of Cultivated Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata) Broodstock Nuclei

The gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) is a species of relevance for the Mediterranean aquaculture industry. Despite the advancement of genetic tools for the species, breeding programs still do not often include genomics. In this study, we designed a genomic strategy to identify signatures of selection and genomic regions of high differentiation among populations of farmed fish stocks. A comparative DNA pooling sequencing approach was applied to identify signatures of selection in gilthead seabream from the same hatchery and from different nuclei that had not been subjected to genetic selection. Identified genomic regions were further investigated to detect SNPs with predicted high impact. The analyses underlined major genomic differences in the proportion of fixed alleles among the investigated nuclei. Some of these differences highlighted genomic regions, including genes involved in general metabolism and development already detected in QTL for growth, size, skeletal deformity, and adaptation to variation of oxygen levels in other teleosts. The obtained results pointed out the need to control the genetic effect of breeding programs in this species to avoid the reduction of genetic variability within populations and the increase in inbreeding level that, in turn, might lead to an increased frequency of alleles with deleterious effects

Population genomic structures and signatures of selection define the genetic uniqueness of several fancy and meat rabbit breeds

Following the recent domestication process of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), many different breeds and lines, distinguished primarily by exterior traits such as coat colour, fur structure and body size and shape, have been constituted. In this study, we genotyped, with a high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism panel, a total of 645 rabbits from 10 fancy breeds (Belgian Hare, Champagne d'Argent, Checkered Giant, Coloured Dwarf, Dwarf Lop, Ermine, Giant Grey, Giant White, Rex and Rhinelander) and three meat breeds (Italian White, Italian Spotted and Italian Silver). ADMIXTURE analysis indicated that breeds with similar phenotypic traits (e.g. coat colour and body size) shared common ancestries. Signatures of selection using two haplotype-based approaches (iHS and XP-EHH), combined with the results obtained with other methods previously reported that we applied to the same breeds, we identified a total of 5079 independent genomic regions with some signatures of selection, covering about 1777 Mb of the rabbit genome. These regions consistently encompassed many genes involved in pigmentation processes (ASIP, EDNRA, EDNRB, KIT, KITLG, MITF, OCA2, TYR and TYRP1), coat structure (LIPH) and body size, including two major genes (LCORL and HMGA2) among many others. This study revealed novel genomic regions under signatures of selection and further demonstrated that population structures and signatures of selection, left into the genome of these rabbit breeds, may contribute to understanding the genetic events that led to their constitution and the complex genetic mechanisms determining the broad phenotypic variability present in these untapped rabbit genetic resources

Perceived Realism of Pedestrian Crowds Trajectories in VR

Crowd simulation algorithms play an essential role in populating Virtual Reality (VR) environments with multiple autonomous humanoid agents. The generation of plausible trajectories can be a significant computational cost for real-time graphics engines, especially in untethered and mobile devices such as portable VR devices. Previous research explores the plausibility and realism of crowd simulations on desktop computers but fails to account the impact it has on immersion. This study explores how the realism of crowd trajectories affects the perceived immersion in VR. We do so by running a psychophysical experiment in which participants rate the realism of real/synthetic trajectories data, showing similar level of perceived realism

Relationship between the prevalence of hemoglobin S and the ethnic background of blood donors in Paraná state Relação entre prevalência da hemoglobina S e origem étnica de doadores de sangue no estado do Paraná

aBStRaCt Introduction: Hemoglobin S (HbS) is one of the most common inherited hematological disorders in humans. In Brazil, the sickle-cell disease (SCD) has significant epidemiological importance due to its prevalence and the morbidity-mortality and, therefore, it has been identified as a matter of public health. Objective: To determine the prevalence of HbS among Asian Brazilian, Afro Brazilian, and Euro Brazilian individuals of a blood bank in Curitiba. Material and method: The study was conducted from January 2008 to December 2009, and included 83,213 donors seen at the Instituto Paranaense de Hemoterapia e Hematologia. Results and discussion: The prevalence of HbS in the studied population was 0.9%, among them, 0% Asian Brazilians, 2.7% Afro Brazilians, and 0.7% Euro Brazilians. There was a positive association, statistically significant for the sickle cell trait in Afro-descendants, with odds ratio (OR) 4.01; confidence interval (CI) 3.42-4.72; and 95% confidence. Conclusion: This study showed higher rates of sickle cell trait in Afro Brazilians, which corroborates data published in other Brazilian regions and states

Genome-wide association studies for 30 haematological and blood clinical-biochemical traits in Large White pigs reveal genomic regions affecting intermediate phenotypes

Haematological and clinical-biochemical parameters are considered indicators of the physiological/health status of animals and might serve as intermediate phenotypes to link physiological aspects to production and disease resistance traits. The dissection of the genetic variability affecting these phenotypes might be useful to describe the resilience of the animals and to support the usefulness of the pig as animal model. Here, we analysed 15 haematological and 15 clinical-biochemical traits in 843 Italian Large White pigs, via three genome-wide association scan approaches (single-trait, multi-trait and Bayesian). We identified 52 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with 29 out of 30 analysed blood parameters, with the most significant QTL identified on porcine chromosome 14 for basophil count. Some QTL regions harbour genes that may be the obvious candidates: QTLs for cholesterol parameters identified genes (ADCY8, APOB, ATG5, CDKAL1, PCSK5, PRL and SOX6) that are directly involved in cholesterol metabolism; other QTLs highlighted genes encoding the enzymes being measured [ALT (known also as GPT) and AST (known also as GOT)]. Moreover, the multivariate approach strengthened the association results for several candidate genes. The obtained results can contribute to define new measurable phenotypes that could be applied in breeding programs as proxies for more complex traits

Targeted metabolomic profiles of piglet plasma reveal physiological changes over the suckling period

The suckling phase is a critical period for the piglets due to their incomplete immune system development and their rapid growth rates. In this study, we analysed the metabolomic profiles of piglets over this period. Eighteen piglets (nine males and nine females) from three different litters were included in the study. Body weight was recorded at birth (T0), 12 (T1) and 21 (T2) days after birth. Plasma samples were collected at two critical time points of the suckling phase (T1 and T2) and about 180 metabolites of five different biochemical classes (glycerophospholipids, amino acids, biogenic amines, hexoses and acylcarnitines) were analyzed using a target metabolomics approach based on Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Metabolites whose levels could discriminate the plasma profiles at T1 and T2 were identified using the sparse version of Multilevel Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (sMLPLS-DA), coupled with a stability test based on a Leave One Out (LOO) procedure. The level of twenty-three metabolites differed significantly (P < 0.1; both for stability and the effect size) between the two time points. Higher levels of six acylcarnitine (C14:1, C14:1-OH, C16-OH, C4, C5 and C5-OH), serine, threonine and tyrosine, and one phosphatidylcholine (PC ae C42:3) were observed at T1, whereas one biogenic amine (creatinine), eight phosphatidylcholines including PC aa C30:2, PC ae C30:0, PC ae C32:1, PC ae C38:4, PC ae C40:4, PC ae C42:4, PC ae C42:5 and PC ae C44:6, and four sphingomyelins, including SM (OH) C22:1, SM C16:0, SM C16:1 and SM C18:0, were more abundant at T2. The Metabolite Set Enrichment Analysis and the Pathway Analysis modules suggested a perturbation of the \u201cglycine and serine metabolism\u201d and the \u201csphingolipid metabolism\u201d. Differences of these metabolites between these two time points might be related to the rapid growth and immunological maturation phases of the piglets in this period. Our results provided new information that could describe the biological changes of the piglets over the suckling period. The identified metabolites may be useful markers of the developmental processes occurring in the piglets over this critical pre-weaned phase