Monte Carlo studies of antiferromagnetic spin models in three dimensions

We study several antiferromagnetic formulations of the O(3) spin model in three dimensions by means of Monte Carlo simulations. We discuss about the vacua properties and analyze the phase transitions. Using Finite Size Scaling analysis we conclude that all phase transitions found are of first orderComment: 4 pages, 2 Postscript figures. Contribution to Lattice '9

Projecting more sustainable product and service designs

Product and service development based on sustainable criteria is one of the poles of innovation in design activity. Public policies, consumer preferences, and corporate social responsibility lead to the growing importance of applying sustainability principles in the current design process. However, to make this practice widespread, sustainability assessment must be included in the curricula of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in design, so that the graduates have the precise tools to use when they start their professional careers. Furthermore, sustainable design methods have mainly been applied to improve only the environmental behavior of products. In this work, a methodology that simultaneously evaluates environmental, economic, and social aspects was applied to project more sustainable designs of products and services. This approach was implemented in higher education to develop Bachelor’s and Master’s degree final projects by design engineering students. Collaboration with different companies and institutions allowed the study of a number of cases. The production process of a cash management machine, the service provided by a public nursery school, and the development of an itinerary exhibition were addressed. In each case, product and service requirements were analyzed, sustainability indicators were obtained, and more sustainable designs could be proposed. This experience is also part of a global strategy at the University of Zaragoza to support the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, enhancing sustainability education. The intention of this paper is to present a methodology for more sustainable design, and examples of its application that other teachers can easily follow when teaching design of products or services. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

An AER to CAN Bridge for Spike-Based Robot Control

Address-Event-Representation (AER) is a bio-inspired communication protocol between chips. A set of AER sensors (retina and cochleas), processors (convolvers, WTA, mappers, …) and actuators can be found in the literature that have been specifically designed for mimicking the communication principle in the brain: spikes. The problem when developing complex robots based on AER (or spikes) is to command actuators (motors) directly with spikes. Commercial robots are usually based on commercial standards (CAN) that do not allow powering actuators directly with spikes. This paper presents a co-design FPGA and embedded computer system that implements a bridge between these two protocols: CAN and AER. The bridge has been analyzed under the Spanish project VULCANO1 with an arm robot and a Shadow anthropomorphic hand.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-0

Force Spectroscopy Imaging and Constriction Assays Reveal the Effects of Graphene Oxide on the Mechanical Properties of Alginate Microcapsules

Microencapsulation of cells in hydrogel-based porous matrices is an approach that has demonstrated great success in regenerative cell therapy. These microcapsules work by concealing the exogenous cells and materials in a robust biomaterial that prevents their recognition by the immune system. A vast number of formulations and additives are continuously being tested to optimize cell viability and mechanical properties of the hydrogel. Determining the effects of new microcapsule additives is a lengthy process that usually requires extensive in vitro and in vivo testing. In this paper, we developed a workflow using nanoindentation (i.e., indentation with a nanoprobe in an atomic force microscope) and a custom-built microfluidic constriction device to characterize the effect of graphene oxide (GO) on three microcapsule formulations. With our workflow, we determined that GO modifies the microcapsule stiffness and surface properties in a formulation-dependent manner. Our results also suggest, for the first time, that GO alters the conformation of the microcapsule hydrogel and its interaction with subsequent coatings. Overall, our workflow can infer the effects of new additives on microcapsule surfaces. Thus, our workflow can contribute to diminishing the time required for the validation of new microcapsule formulations and accelerate their clinical translation

Perception of the inltlation and evolutlon of symptomatology in hospitalized patients with cancer of the digestive tract

El estudio de las características del intervalo entre el primer síntoma y el diagnóstico del cáncer viene condicionado por la forma en que el paciente percibe y refiere la aparición de los signos y síntomas iniciales. El propósito de este estudio fue analizar los factores que influyen en dicha percepción. Para ello se entrevistaron 68 pacientes con neoplasia máligna del tubo digestivo, sintomáticos, ingresados en el Hospital del Mar de Barcelona, mediante un cuestionario estandarizado. El tiempo de aparición de toda la sintomatología fue de una semana en el 38 % de los pacientes, igual o inferior a un mes en el 53 %, e igual o inferior a 3 meses en el 75 %. Un 76 % de los enfermos acudieron al médico por el primer síntoma. Los síntomas que con mayor frecuencia motivaron la primera visita al médico por el proceso neoplásico fueron los hemorrágicos y los de aparición brusca o violenta; los síntomas menos asociados a la primera visita fueron el dolor abdominal y la anorexia. Sólo 5 enfermos manifestaron haber asociado el síntoma inicial a una enfermedad nueva y grave, el 61 % manifestaron no haber atribuido ninguna importancia al primer síntoma, un 15 % lo asociaron a otra enfermedad anterior, y un 17 % a una enfermedad nueva pero de carácter leve. Las mujeres refirieron 4 síntomas de mediana frente a 2 en los hombres (p<0,04). Mientras que el número de síntomas fue discretamente superior entre los pacientes no fumadores y en los afectos de un cáncer de estómago, no guardó relación con el nivel de estudios ni con el grado de diseminación de la neoplasia. Los primeros síntomas producidos por una enfermedad cancerosa no suelen relacionarse con una situación grave por el paciente, lo cual retrasa el diagnóstico. Es importante prestar atención a la percepción de los síntomas por los pacientes, así como a su forma de comunicarlos

Simulating spin systems on IANUS, an FPGA-based computer

We describe the hardwired implementation of algorithms for Monte Carlo simulations of a large class of spin models. We have implemented these algorithms as VHDL codes and we have mapped them onto a dedicated processor based on a large FPGA device. The measured performance on one such processor is comparable to O(100) carefully programmed high-end PCs: it turns out to be even better for some selected spin models. We describe here codes that we are currently executing on the IANUS massively parallel FPGA-based system.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures; submitted to Computer Physics Communication

Spanish Research Report for 2019

Spanish catch and effort information used in this Report is based on the preliminary logbook data contributed by the Spanish Administration. The logbooks information for 2019 was available haul by haul. Table 1 presents the preliminary Spanish catches by species and Division in 2019 in NAFO Regulatory Area. Total effort of the Spanish fleet in 2019 was 1,272 fishing days. In 2019, IEO scientific observers were on board 257 fishing days that it means 20 % of the Spanish total effort. All length, age and biological information presented in this paper is based on sampling carried out by IEO scientific observers. In 2019, 376 samples were taken with 45,831 individuals of different species examined (Table 2)

Crustal structure of the Spanish Central System: Constraints from ambient noise autocorrelation and controlled source data

This presentation provides an image of the crustal structure underneath the Central System, in the Central Iberian Zone, by means of seismic noise autocorrelation and wide angle seismic dat

Immediate effects of dasatinib on the migration and redistribution of naïve and memory lymphocytes associated with lymphocytosis in chronic myeloid leukemia patients

Introduction: Dasatinib is a dual SRC/ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is known to have unique immunomodulatory effects. In particular, dasatinib intake typically causes lymphocytosis, which has been linked to better clinical response. Since the underlying mechanisms are unknown and SRC family kinases are involved in many cell motility processes, we hypothesized that the movement and migration of lymphocytes is modulated by dasatinib. Patients, Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood samples from CML patients treated with second-line dasatinib were collected before and 2 h after the first dasatinib intake, and follow-up samples from the same patients 3 and 6 months after the start of therapy. The migratory capacity and phenotype of lymphocytes and differential blood counts before and after drug intake were compared for all study time-points. Results: We report here for the first time that dasatinib intake is associated with inhibition of peripheral blood T-cell migration toward the homeostatic chemokines CCL19 and CCL21, which control the trafficking toward secondary lymphoid organs, mainly the lymph nodes. Accordingly, the proportion of lymphocytes in blood expressing CCR7, the chemokine receptor for both CCL19 and CCL21, decreased after the intake including both naïve CD45RA+ and central memory CD45RO+ T-cells. Similarly, naïve B-cells diminished with dasatinib. Finally, such changes in the migratory patterns did not occur in those patients whose lymphocyte counts remained unchanged after taking the drug. Discussion: We, therefore, conclude that lymphocytosis induced by dasatinib reflects a pronounced redistribution of naïve and memory populations of all lymphocyte subsets including CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells and B-cells

Associated factors to serious infections in a large cohort of juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus from Lupus Registry (RELESSER).

Objective: To assess the incidence of serious infection (SI) and associated factors in a large juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) retrospective cohort. Methods: All patients in the Spanish Rheumatology Society Lupus Registry (RELESSER) who meet =4 ACR-97 SLE criteria and disease onset <18 years old (jSLE), were retrospectively investigated for SI (defined as either the need for hospitalization with antibacterial therapy for a potentially fatal infection or death caused by the infection). Standardized SI rate was calculated per 100 patient years. Patients with and without SI were compared. Bivariate and multivariate logistic and Cox regression models were built to calculate associated factors to SI and relative risks. Results: A total of 353 jSLE patients were included: 88.7% female, 14.3 years (± 2.9) of age at diagnosis, 16.0 years (± 9.3) of disease duration and 31.5 years (±10.5) at end of follow-up. A total of 104 (29.5%) patients suffered 205 SI (1, 55.8%; 2-5, 38.4%; and =6, 5.8%). Incidence rate was 3.7 (95%CI: 3.2–4.2) SI per 100 patient years. Respiratory location and bacterial infections were the most frequent. Higher number of SLE classification criteria, SLICC/ACR DI score and immunosuppressants use were associated to the presence of SI. Associated factors to shorter time to first infection were higher number of SLE criteria, splenectomy and immunosuppressants use. Conclusions: The risk of SI in jSLE patients is significant and higher than aSLE. It is associated to higher number of SLE criteria, damage accrual, some immunosuppressants and splenectomy