Magnetic properties of commensurate Bose-Bose mixtures in one-dimensional optical lattices

We investigate magnetic properties of strongly interacting bosonic mixtures confined in one dimensional geometries, focusing on recently realized Rb-K gases with tunable interspecies interactions. By combining analytical perturbation theory results with density-matrix-renormalization group calculations, we provide quantitative estimates of the ground state phase diagram as a function of the relevant microscopic quantities, identifying the more favorable experimental regimes in order to access the various magnetic phases. Finally, we qualitatively discuss the observability of such phases in realistic setups when finite temperature effects have to be considered.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, to be published in EPJ ST special issue on "Novel Quantum Phases and Mesoscopic Physics in Quantum Gases

Does a high level of multimodality mean less car use? An exploration of multimodality trends in England

Some existing studies have suggested that a higher level of multimodality—the use of more than one transport mode within a given period of time—may be desirable to achieve societies less dependent on cars. The aim of this study was to investigate the trends in individual multimodality in England. In addition, we explored whether these trends were homogenous, i.e. similar between socio-economic characteristics, and whether changes in multimodality corresponded with changes in car use and the use of other transport modes. Our analyses showed that in contrast to reported trends in existing research, the level of multimodality in England decreased between 1995 and 2015. These trends stratified by income were diverging, which may imply that inequality in transport opportunities may be increasing. In contrast, the trends for age and gender were converging. In addition, we found that the car mode share remained fairly stable and absolute car use decreased since 2004, whilst multimodality decreased. This suggests that there is no necessary relationship between aggregate levels of car use and the average individual level of multimodality. Moreover, our analyses showed that these trends were very similarly independent of which indicator was applied. This indicates that for analysing trends in multimodality, the choice of indicator may not be that important, and indicators that are elementary to calculate and easy to interpret, e.g. number of modes used, highlight trends that are highly consistent with more sophisticated metrics. This paper finishes with a discussion of the implications of these findings

A calcareous nannofossil and organic geochemical study of marine palaeoenvironmental changes across the Sinemurian/Pliensbachian (early Jurassic, ~191Ma) in Portugal

The Sinemurian/Pliensbachian boundary (~ 191 Ma) is acknowledged as one of the most important steps in the radiation of planktonic organisms, especially primary producers such as dinoflagellates and coccolithophores. To date, there is no detailed study documenting changes in planktonic assemblages related to palaeoceanographic changes across this boundary. The aim of this study is to characterize the palaeoenvironmental changes occurring across the Sinemurian/Pliensbachian boundary at the São Pedro de Moel section (Lusitanian Basin, Portugal) using micropalaeontology and organic geochemistry approaches. Combined calcareous nannofossil assemblage and lipid biomarker data document for a decrease in primary productivity in relation to a major sea-level rise occurring above the boundary. The Lusitanian Basin was particularly restricted during the late Sinemurian with a relatively low sea level, a configuration that led to the recurrent development of black shales. After a sharp sea-level fall, the basin became progressively deeper and more open during the earliest Pliensbachian, subsequently to a major transgression. This sea-level increase seems to have been a global feature and could have been related to the opening of the Hispanic Corridor that connected the Tethys and palaeo-Pacific oceans. The palaeoceanographic and palaeoclimatic changes induced by this opening may have played a role in the diversification of coccolithophores with the first occurrence or colonization of Tethyan waters by placolith-type coccoliths

A New Calcareous Nannofossil Record from the Lower Jurassic of Kermanshah, Western Iran: Implications for Biostratigraphy and Evolutionary Reconstructions

Calcareous nannofossils are used here for the first time in order to establish a precise biostratigraphic framework for the Kermanshah Radiolarite Formation, an outcropping in Western Iran. The new data presented here challenge the previous tentative age interpretations (Pliensbachian to early Toarcian) based upon radiolarians. Calcareous nannofossil assemblages and events unequivocally indicated that the pelagic limestones and marls are late Sinemurian in age (NJT 3b nannofossil subzone), and that these are thrusted over shales and cherts dated as uppermost Sinemurian (NJT 3b-c nannofossil subzone) and lowermost Pliensbachian (NJT 4 nannofossil zone). This result leads not only to reconsideration of the age of the radiolarite formations, which are widespread in the Zagros orogenic system, but also a better understanding of the stratigraphic relationships between the various lithological units known in the area. Besides these new stratigraphic inferences, the calcareous nannofossil assemblages of the uppermost Sinemurian– lowermost Pliensbachian successions revealed the common presence of new morphologies of the Mitrolithus genus, never described before. These findings allow for the description of three new species, M. montgolfieri, M. pseudonannoconus, and M. tethysiensis, and reveal the existence of homeomorphy between the spine structure of conical Lower Jurassic coccoliths and the widespread Cretaceous nannoconids. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

ACTH4 -10, Substance P, and Dizolcipine (Mk-801) Accelerate Functional Recovery After Hemilabyrinthectomy in Goldfish

In this study, we evaluated the goldfish model of hemilabyrinthectomy for investigating potential recovery-promoting drugs. In this lesion model, the unilateral removal of the labyrinth induces a postural imbalance in response to light (Dorsal Light Reflex), from which the animals can recover over time. The behavioral effects of two neuropeptides were tested–namely, of substance P and ACTH4-10, both of which are known to promote functional recovery in several other lesion models. Furthermore, the effect of MK- 801, an antagonist of the glutamatergic NMDAreceptor subtype, was tested because this substance has also been shown to exert a neuroprotective effect. After lesion of the right labyrinth, the animals (n=12) were treated intraperitoneally daily either with vehicle (n=12), substance P (n=11) , ACTH4-10 (n=12) , or MK- 801 (n=12) . Another group(n=11) , which served as a non-lesion control, did not receive hemilabyrinthectomy or systemic injections. The lesion group, treated post-operatively with vehicle, did not recover from the postural deviation over the 24-d testing period. In contrast, all three test substances accelerated the functional recovery after unilateral labyrinthectomy. The decrease of the dorsal light reflex persisted even after cessation of drug treatment after 20d. The results indicate that using the dorsal light reflex in the model of hemilabyrinthectomy in goldfish provides a useful approach to studying the ability of potential new neurotrophic or neuroprotective drugs to promote functional recovery

Calcareous nannofossil assemblages across the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary at the Peniche section (Ponta do Trovão, Lusitanian Basin)

The Peniche section has revealed moderately-to-well preserved calcareous nannofossil assemblages across the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary. This good record has allowed the proposition of a refined biostratigraphic scheme. The stage boundary, as defined by ammonites, is comprised within the NJ5b C. impontus (NW Europe; BOWN & COOPER, 1998) or the NJT5b L. sigillatus (Mediterranean Tethys; MATTIOLI & ERBA, 1999) nannofossil subzones. Since in the Lusitanian Basin a mixing of N- and S-Tethyan taxa is observed, both biozonation schemes can be applied. Some nannofossil events (mainly first occurrences) are observed earlier in Portugal than in other Tethyan settings. It is still unclear if these events are real first occurrences. A diversification phase occurred across the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary. This phase is well recorded at Peniche, where a change is observed passing from the Pliensbachian, when assemblages are dominated by muroliths, to the Toarcian showing assemblages where placoliths are abundant. A quantification of nannofossils per gram of rock shows that absolute abundances are the highest across the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary. Indeed, Peniche exhibits nannofossil abundances very high with respect to correlative levels in other Tethyan settings. The pelagic carbonate fraction (produced by nannofossils) is important in the marly hemi-couplets of Peniche. In some levels, nannofossils account for more than 50% of the total carbonate fraction

Perfectionism or Perfectionisms in Orthorexia Nervosa

Purpose: Perfectionism is considered a transdiagnostic construct that characterises eating disorders (EDs) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and that could also depict orthorexia nervosa (ON). The principal aim of this study was to investigate what dimensions of perfectionism mostly represent ON. Moreover, it was evaluated if dieting impacted the presence of orthorexic features and perfectionistic behaviour. Methods: The sample consisted of two groups-the "Diet" (n = 93), and the "No Diet" (n = 94) groups-composed of people with high and low orthorexic tendencies, respectively. Participants filled out self-report questionnaires to investigate orthorexic tendencies and different facets of perfectionism. Results: Analyses highlighted that people with high orthorexic tendencies showed higher perfectionistic features and that ON had a significant relationship with different facets of perfectionism. No interactions with diet were found. Therefore, no other differences were highlighted when the group type (Diet/No Diet) was considered. Conclusions: Regardless of diet, different facets of perfectionism characterise ON: perfectionism as a personality trait and perfectionism related to EDs and to obsessive-compulsive features. Our results evidenced that perfectionism could also be considered a useful construct in the conceptualization of orthorexia nervosa

Dissecting the supramolecular dispersion of fullerenes by proteins/peptides: Amino acid ranking and driving forces for binding to c60

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to quantitatively investigate the interactions between the twenty proteinogenic amino acids and C60. The conserved amino acid backbone gave a constant energetic interaction ~5.4 kcal mol−1, while the contribution to the binding due to the amino acid side chains was found to be up to ~5 kcal mol−1 for tryptophan but lower, to a point where it was slightly destabilizing, for glutamic acid. The effects of the interplay between van der Waals, hydrophobic, and polar solvation interactions on the various aspects of the binding of the amino acids, which were grouped as aromatic, charged, polar and hydrophobic, are discussed. Although π–π interactions were dominant, surfactant‐like and hydrophobic effects were also observed. In the molecular dynamics simulations, the interacting residues displayed a tendency to visit configura-tions (i.e., regions of the Ramachandran plot) that were absent when C60 was not present. The amino acid backbone assumed a “tepee‐like” geometrical structure to maximize interactions with the fullerene cage. Well‐defined conformations of the most interactive amino acids (Trp, Arg, Met) side chains were identified upon C60 binding

Deep-well ultrafast manipulation of a SQUID flux qubit

Superconducting devices based on the Josephson effect are effectively used for the implementation of qubits and quantum gates. The manipulation of superconducting qubits is generally performed by using microwave pulses with frequencies from 5 to 15 GHz, obtaining a typical operating clock from 100MHz to 1GHz. A manipulation based on simple pulses in the absence of microwaves is also possible. In our system a magnetic flux pulse modifies the potential of a double SQUID qubit from a symmetric double well to a single deep well condition. By using this scheme with a Nb/AlOx/Nb system we obtained coherent oscillations with sub-nanosecond period (tunable from 50ps to 200ps), very fast with respect to other manipulating procedures, and with a coherence time up to 10ns, of the order of what obtained with similar devices and technologies but using microwave manipulation. We introduce the ultrafast manipulation presenting experimental results, new issues related to this approach (such as the use of a feedback procedure for cancelling the effect of "slow" fluctuations), and open perspectives, such as the possible use of RSFQ logic for the qubit control.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure