Noncommuting conserved charges in quantum thermodynamics and beyond

Thermodynamic systems typically conserve quantities ("charges") such as energy and particle number. The charges are often assumed implicitly to commute with each other. Yet quantum phenomena such as uncertainty relations rely on observables' failure to commute. How do noncommuting charges affect thermodynamic phenomena? This question, upon arising at the intersection of quantum information theory and thermodynamics, spread recently across many-body physics. Charges' noncommutation has been found to invalidate derivations of the thermal state's form, decrease entropy production, conflict with the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis, and more. This Perspective surveys key results in, opportunities for, and work adjacent to the quantum thermodynamics of noncommuting charges. Open problems include a conceptual puzzle: Evidence suggests that noncommuting charges may hinder thermalization in some ways while enhancing thermalization in others.Comment: 9.5 pages (3 figures) + appendices (10 pages

Coordinated Emergence of Hippocampal Replay and Theta Sequences during Post-natal Development

Hippocampal place cells encode an animal's current position in space during exploration [1]. During sleep, hippocampal network activity recapitulates patterns observed during recent experience: place cells with overlapping spatial fields show a greater tendency to co-fire ("reactivation") [2], and temporally ordered and compressed sequences of place cell firing observed during wakefulness are reinstated ("replay") [3-5]. Reactivation and replay may underlie memory consolidation [6-10]. Compressed sequences of place cell firing also occur during exploration: during each cycle of the theta oscillation, the set of active place cells shifts from those signaling positions behind to those signaling positions ahead of an animal's current location [11, 12]. These "theta sequences" have been linked to spatial planning [13]. Here, we demonstrate that, before weaning (post-natal day [P]21), offline place cell activity associated with sharp-wave ripples (SWRs) reflects predominantly stationary locations in recently visited environments. By contrast, sequential place cell firing, describing extended trajectories through space during exploration (theta sequences) and subsequent rest (replay), emerge gradually after weaning in a coordinated fashion, possibly due to a progressive decrease in the threshold for experience-driven plasticity. Hippocampus-dependent learning and memory emerge late in altricial mammals [14-17], appearing around weaning in rats and slowly maturing thereafter [14,15]. In contrast, spatially localized firing is observed 1 week earlier (with reduced spatial tuning and stability) [18-21]. By examining the development of hippocampal reactivation, replay, and theta sequences, we show that the coordinated maturation of offline consolidation and online sequence generation parallels the late emergence of hippocampal memory in the rat

Thermo-magnetic-fluid dynamics analysis of an OsNAN distribution transformer cooled with mineral oil and biodegradable esters

This work introduces a coupled electromagnetic, thermal and fluid flow analysis of an oil-natural air-natural distribution transformer in order to study the changes in the heat dissipation performance when a biodegradable ester is used to cool the device instead of mineral oil. The transformer has a rated power of 315kVA and a voltage ratio of 13.2kV / 0.4kV. The heat losses in the magnetic core and the windings are computed with the ANSYS® Maxwell software and they are transferred as volume heat source terms to compute the heat conduction. The natural convection of the fluid flow is taken into account using a temperature-dependent density. The heat conduction through the solid walls and radiators panels are also considered. The thermo–hydraulic problem is solved with the software Code_Saturne. Data from experimental tests carried out with mineral oil are used to validate the numerical simulations. Equivalent and anisotropic thermal conductivities in the core and the windings are calculated both with a semi-analytic procedure and finite element simulations to simplify the heat conduction model in the active parts. It is found that, after reaching a steady state, the transformer cooled with the ester shows a temperature difference between specific locations at the top and the bottom higher than that cooled with mineral oil. The magnetic core and the windings also work hotter when ester is used. Finally, the analysis of the flow through the cooling ducts of the windings confirms that the oil velocity is, on average, 25% higher than the ester one.Fil: Garelli, Luciano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones en Métodos Computacionales. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Centro de Investigaciones en Métodos Computacionales; ArgentinaFil: Rios Rodriguez, Gustavo Adolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones en Métodos Computacionales. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Centro de Investigaciones en Métodos Computacionales; ArgentinaFil: Kubiczek, K.. Silesian University Of Technology; PoloniaFil: Lasek, P.. Silesian University Of Technology; PoloniaFil: Stepien, M.. Silesian University Of Technology; PoloniaFil: Smolka, J.. Silesian University Of Technology; PoloniaFil: Storti, Mario Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones en Métodos Computacionales. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Centro de Investigaciones en Métodos Computacionales; ArgentinaFil: Pessolani, F.. No especifíca;Fil: Amadei, M.. No especifíca

Molecular characterisation of protist parasites in human-habituated mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), humans and livestock, from Bwindi impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Over 60 % of human emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, and there is growing evidence of the zooanthroponotic transmission of diseases from humans to livestock and wildlife species, with major implications for public health, economics, and conservation. Zooanthroponoses are of relevance to critically endangered species; amongst these is the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of Uganda. Here, we assess the occurrence of Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Giardia, and Entamoeba infecting mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Uganda, using molecular methods. We also assess the occurrence of these parasites in humans and livestock species living in overlapping/adjacent geographical regions

Genetic and Pharmacologic Manipulation of TLR4 Has Minimal Impact on Ethanol Consumption in Rodents

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a critical component of innate immune signaling and has been implicated in alcohol responses in preclinical and clinical models. Members of the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA-Neuroimmune) consortium tested the hypothesis that TLR4 mediates excessive ethanol drinking using the following models: (1) Tlr4 knock-out (KO) rats, (2) selective knockdown of Tlr4 mRNA in mouse nucleus accumbens (NAc), and (3) injection of the TLR4 antagonist (+)-naloxone in mice. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) decreased food/water intake and body weight in ethanol-naive and ethanol-trained wild-type (WT), but not Tlr4 KO rats. There were no consistent genotypic differences in two-bottle choice chronic ethanol intake or operant self-administration in rats before or after dependence. In mice, (+)-naloxone did not decrease drinking-in-the-dark and only modestly inhibited dependence-driven consumption at the highest dose. Tlr4 knockdown in mouse NAc did not decrease drinking in the two-bottle choice continuous or intermittent access tests. However, the latency to ethanol-induced loss of righting reflex increased and the duration decreased in KO versus WT rats. In rat central amygdala neurons, deletion of Tlr4 altered GABAA receptor function, but not GABA release. Although there were no genotype differences in acute ethanol effects before or after chronic intermittent ethanol exposure, genotype differences were observed after LPS exposure. Using different species and sexes, different methods to inhibit TLR4 signaling, and different ethanol consumption tests, our comprehensive studies indicate that TLR4 may play a role in ethanol-induced sedation and GABAA receptor function, but does not regulate excessive drinking directly and would not be an effective therapeutic target., SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a key mediator of innate immune signaling and has been implicated in alcohol responses in animal models and human alcoholics. Members of the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA-Neuroimmune) consortium participated in the first comprehensive study across multiple laboratories to test the hypothesis that TLR4 regulates excessive alcohol consumption in different species and different models of chronic, dependence-driven, and binge-like drinking. Although TLR4 was not a critical determinant of excessive drinking, it was important in the acute sedative effects of alcohol. Current research efforts are directed at determining which neuroimmune pathways mediate excessive alcohol drinking and these findings will help to prioritize relevant pathways and potential therapeutic targets

The UEFA Champions League seeding is not strategy-proof since the 2015/16 season

Fairness has several interpretations in sports, one of them being that the rules should guarantee incentive compatibility, namely, a team cannot be worse off due to better results in any feasible scenario. The current seeding regime of the most prestigious annual European club football tournament, the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League, is shown to violate this requirement since the 2015/16 season. In particular, if the titleholder qualifies for the first pot by being a champion in a high-ranked league, its slot is given to a team from a lower-ranked association, which can harm a top club from the domestic championship of the titleholder. However, filling all vacancies through the national leagues excludes the presence of perverse incentives. UEFA is encouraged to introduce this policy from the 2021-24 cycle onwards.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl

An Evolutionary Conserved Role for Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase in Behavioral Responses to Ethanol

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (Alk) is a gene expressed in the nervous system that encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase commonly known for its oncogenic function in various human cancers. We have determined that Alk is associated with altered behavioral responses to ethanol in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, in mice, and in humans. Mutant flies containing transposon insertions in dAlk demonstrate increased resistance to the sedating effect of ethanol. Database analyses revealed that Alk expression levels in the brains of recombinant inbred mice are negatively correlated with ethanol-induced ataxia and ethanol consumption. We therefore tested Alk gene knockout mice and found that they sedate longer in response to high doses of ethanol and consume more ethanol than wild-type mice. Finally, sequencing of human ALK led to the discovery of four polymorphisms associated with a low level of response to ethanol, an intermediate phenotype that is predictive of future alcohol use disorders (AUDs). These results suggest that Alk plays an evolutionary conserved role in ethanol-related behaviors. Moreover, ALK may be a novel candidate gene conferring risk for AUDs as well as a potential target for pharmacological intervention

CAG Repeats Determine Brain Atrophy in Spinocerebellar Ataxia 17: A VBM Study

Abnormal repeat length has been associated with an earlier age of onset and more severe disease progression in the rare neurodegenerative disorder spinocerebellar ataxia 17 (SCA17).To determine whether specific structural brain degeneration and rate of disease progression in SCA17 might be associated with the CAG repeat size, observer-independent voxel-based morphometry was applied to high-resolution magnetic resonance images of 16 patients with SCA17 and 16 age-matched healthy controls. The main finding contrasting SCA17 patients with healthy controls demonstrated atrophy in the cerebellum bilaterally. Multiple regression analyses with available genetic data and also post-hoc correlations revealed an inverse relationship again with cerebellar atrophy. Moreover, we found an inverse relationship between the CAG repeat length and rate of disease progression.Our results highlight the fundamental role of the cerebellum in this neurodegenerative disease and support the genotype-phenotype relationship in SCA17 patients. Genetic factors may determine individual susceptibility to neurodegeneration and rate of disease progression