Observation of Replica Symmetry Breaking in the 1D Anderson Localization Regime in an Erbium-Doped Random Fiber Laser

The analogue of the paramagnetic to spin-glass phase transition in disordered magnetic systems, leading to the phenomenon of replica symmetry breaking, has been recently demonstrated in a two-dimensional random laser consisting of an organic-based amorphous solid-state thin film. We report here the first demonstration of replica symmetry breaking in a one-dimensional photonic system consisting of an erbium-doped random fiber laser operating in the continuous-wave regime based on a unique random fiber grating system, which plays the role of the random scatterers and operates in the Anderson localization regime. The clear transition from a photonic paramagnetic to a photonic spin glass phase, characterized by the probability distribution function of the Parisi overlap, was verified and characterized. In this unique system, the radiation field interacts only with the gain medium, and the fiber grating, which provides the disordered feedback mechanism, does not interfere with the pump

Turbulence Hierarchy in a Random Fibre Laser

Turbulence is a challenging feature common to a wide range of complex phenomena. Random fibre lasers are a special class of lasers in which the feedback arises from multiple scattering in a one-dimensional disordered cavity-less medium. Here, we report on statistical signatures of turbulence in the distribution of intensity fluctuations in a continuous-wave-pumped erbium-based random fibre laser, with random Bragg grating scatterers. The distribution of intensity fluctuations in an extensive data set exhibits three qualitatively distinct behaviours: a Gaussian regime below threshold, a mixture of two distributions with exponentially decaying tails near the threshold, and a mixture of distributions with stretched-exponential tails above threshold. All distributions are well described by a hierarchical stochastic model that incorporates Kolmogorov's theory of turbulence, which includes energy cascade and the intermittence phenomenon. Our findings have implications for explaining the remarkably challenging turbulent behaviour in photonics, using a random fibre laser as the experimental platform.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Methodology used in studies reporting chronic kidney disease prevalence: a systematic literature review

Background Many publications report the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general population. Comparisons across studies are hampered as CKD prevalence estimations are influenced by study population characteristics and laboratory methods. Methods For this systematic review, two researchers independently searched PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE to identify all original research articles that were published between 1 January 2003 and 1 November 2014 reporting the prevalence of CKD in the European adult general population. Data on study methodology and reporting of CKD prevalence results were independently extracted by two researchers. Results We identified 82 eligible publications and included 48 publications of individual studies for the data extraction. There was considerable variation in population sample selection. The majority of studies did not report the sampling frame used, and the response ranged from 10 to 87%. With regard to the assessment of kidney function, 67% used a Jaffe assay, whereas 13% used the enzymatic assay for creatinine determination. Isotope dilution mass spectrometry calibration was used in 29%. The CKD-EPI (52%) and MDRD (75%) equations were most often used to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR). CKD was defined as estimated GFR (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 in 92% of studies. Urinary markers of CKD were assessed in 60% of the studies. CKD prevalence was reported by sex and age strata in 54 and 50% of the studies, respectively. In publications with a primary objective of reporting CKD prevalence, 39% reported a 95% confidence interval. Conclusions The findings from this systematic review showed considerable variation in methods for sampling the general population and assessment of kidney function across studies reporting CKD prevalence. These results are utilized to provide recommendations to help optimize both the design and the reporting of future CKD prevalence studies, which will enhance comparability of study result

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Josephson-induced hysteretical behavior of vortex matter in layered BSCCO samples with columnar defects: Bose glass phase and the melting process

We present Monte Carlo simulations of three-dimensional systems of vortex lines in the presence of random columnar defects using the Lawrence-Doniach model with BSCCO parameters. In particular, we study the structure factor and the vortex-vortex correlation length along the field (B) direction, for both intermediate and high fields. Two representative initial conditions at zero temperature (T) are used: the Abrikosov lattice and a random vortex lattice, mimicking possible configurations in a zero-field-cooled (ZFC) protocol, both characterized by smooth plane decoupling transitions (formation of pancake-like vortex structure), with exponential decay with T of the correlation length around the melting transition. The very relevant case of field-cooling (FC) from a melted configuration is also considered. In this case, as T decreases for intermediate B, the system evolves through states of an unpinned vortex lattice phase and metastable states of a phase of unpinned vortices in a Bose glass (BG) background; lastly, the system reaches a FC robust BG phase down to very low T. On the other hand, for high fields and under the ZFC protocol, the melting transition is practically concurrent with the discontinuous decoupling of planes; while, under FC, the vortex lattice decouples much before the melting transition. Indeed, we identify that the exchange between flux lines is the underlying mechanism for plane decoupling and the formation of a pancake-like vortex structure. We stress that the correspondent phase diagram B vs. T is in good agreement with previous experimental results in BSCCO

Perspectives and challenges in statistical physics and complex systems for the next decade

Statistical Physics (SP) has followed an unusual evolutionary path in science. Originally aiming to provide a fundamental basis for another important branch of Physics, namely Thermodynamics, SP gradually became an independent field of research in its own right. But despite more than a century of steady progress, there are still plenty of challenges and open questions in the SP realm. In fact, the area is still rapidly evolving, in contrast to other branches of science, which already have well defined scopes and borderlines of applicability. This difference is due to the steadily expanding nu