Numerical simulations of long-range open quantum many-body dynamics with tree tensor networks

Open quantum systems provide a conceptually simple setting for the exploration of collective behavior stemming from the competition between quantum effects, many-body interactions, and dissipative processes. They may display dynamics distinct from that of closed quantum systems or undergo nonequilibrium phase transitions which are not possible in classical settings. However, studying open quantum many-body dynamics is challenging, in particular in the presence of critical long-range correlations or long-range interactions. Here, we make progress in this direction and introduce a numerical method for open quantum systems, based on tree tensor networks. Such a structure is expected to improve the encoding of many-body correlations and we adopt an integration scheme suited for long-range interactions and applications to dissipative dynamics. We test the method using a dissipative Ising model with power-law decaying interactions and observe signatures of a first-order phase transition for power-law exponents smaller than one.Comment: 7+3 pages, 4 figure

New Aerodynamic Studies of an Adaptive Winglet Application on the Regional Jet CRJ700

This study aims to evaluates how an adaptive winglet during flight can improve aircraft aerodynamic characteristics of the CRJ700. The aircraft geometry was slightly modified to integrate a one-rotation axis adaptive winglet. Aerodynamic characteristics of the new adaptive design were computed using a validated high-fidelity aerodynamic model developed with the open-source code OpenFoam. The aerodynamic model successively uses the two solvers simpleFoam and rhoSimpleFoam based on Reynold Averaged Navier Stokes equations. Characteristics of the adaptive winglet design were studied for 16 flight conditions, representative of climb and cruise usually considered by the CRJ700. The adaptive winglet can increase the lift-to-drag ratio by up to 6.10% and reduce the drag coefficient by up to 2.65%. This study also compared the aerodynamic polar and pitching moment coefficients variations of the Bombardier CRJ700 equipped with an adaptive versus a fixed winglet

Numerical simulation of long-range open quantum many-body dynamics with tree tensor networks

Open quantum systems provide a conceptually simple setting for the exploration of collective behavior stemming from the competition between quantum effects, many-body interactions, and dissipative processes. They may display dynamics distinct from that of closed quantum systems or undergo nonequilibrium phase transitions which are not possible in classical settings. However, studying open quantum many-body dynamics is challenging, in particular in the presence of critical long-range correlations or long-range interactions. Here, we make progress in this direction and introduce a numerical method for open quantum systems, based on tree tensor networks. Such a structure is expected to improve the encoding of many-body correlations and we adopt an integration scheme suited for long-range interactions and applications to dissipative dynamics. We test the method using a dissipative Ising model with power-law decaying interactions and observe signatures of a first-order phase transition for power-law exponents smaller than one

Investigation of Brain Activation Patterns Related to the Feminization or Masculinization of Body and Face Images across Genders

Previous studies demonstrated sex-related differences in several areas of the human brain, including patterns of brain activation in males and females when observing their own bodies and faces (versus other bodies/faces or morphed versions of themselves), but a complex paradigm touching multiple aspects of embodied self-identity is still lacking. We enrolled 24 healthy individuals (12 M, 12 F) in 3 different fMRI experiments: the vision of prototypical body silhouettes, the vision of static images of the face of the participants morphed with prototypical male and female faces, the vision of short videos showing the dynamic transformation of the morphing. We found differential sexual activations in areas linked to self-identity and to the ability to attribute mental states: In Experiment 1, the male group activated more the bilateral thalamus when looking at sex congruent body images, while the female group activated more the middle and inferior temporal gyrus. In Experiment 2, the male group activated more the supplementary motor area when looking at their faces; the female group activated more the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). In Experiment 3, the female group activated more the dmPFC when observing either the feminization or the masculinization of their face. The defeminization produced more activations in females in the left superior parietal lobule and middle occipital gyrus. The performance of all classifiers built using single ROIs exceeded chance level, reaching an area under the ROC curves > 0.85 in some cases (notably, for Experiment 2 using the V1 ROI). The results of the fMRI tasks showed good agreement with previously published studies, even if our sample size was small. Therefore, our functional MRI protocol showed significantly different patterns of activation in males and females, but further research is needed both to investigate the gender-related differences in activation when observing a morphing of their face/body, and to validate our paradigm using a larger sample

Fatality rate and predictors of mortality in an Italian cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Clinical features and natural history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) differ widely among different countries and during different phases of the pandemia. Here, we aimed to evaluate the case fatality rate (CFR) and to identify predictors of mortality in a cohort of COVID-19 patients admitted to three hospitals of Northern Italy between March 1 and April 28, 2020. All these patients had a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection by molecular methods. During the study period 504/1697 patients died; thus, overall CFR was 29.7%. We looked for predictors of mortality in a subgroup of 486 patients (239 males, 59%; median age 71 years) for whom sufficient clinical data were available at data cut-off. Among the demographic and clinical variables considered, age, a diagnosis of cancer, obesity and current smoking independently predicted mortality. When laboratory data were added to the model in a further subgroup of patients, age, the diagnosis of cancer, and the baseline PaO2/FiO2 ratio were identified as independent predictors of mortality. In conclusion, the CFR of hospitalized patients in Northern Italy during the ascending phase of the COVID-19 pandemic approached 30%. The identification of mortality predictors might contribute to better stratification of individual patient risk

Insight from an Italian Delphi Consensus on EVAR feasibility outside the instruction for use: the SAFE EVAR Study

BACKGROUND: The SAfety and FEasibility of standard EVAR outside the instruction for use (SAFE-EVAR) Study was designed to define the attitude of Italian vascular surgeons towards the use of standard endovascular repair (EVAR) for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) outside the instruction for use (IFU) through a Delphi consensus endorsed by the Italian Society of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (Societa Italiana di Chirurgia Vascolare ed Endovascolare - SICVE). METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of 26 statements was developed, validated by an 18 -member Advisory Board, and then sent to 600 Italian vascular surgeons. The Delphi process was structured in three subsequent rounds which took place between April and June 2023. In the first two rounds, respondents could indicate one of the following five degrees of agreement: 1) strongly agree; 2) partially agree; 3) neither agree nor disagree; 4) partially disagree; 5) strongly disagree; while in the third round only three different choices were proposed: 1) agree; 2) neither agree nor disagree; 3) disagree. We considered the consensus reached when >70% of respondents agreed on one of the options. After the conclusion of each round, a report describing the percentage distribution of the answers was sent to all the participants. RESULTS: Two -hundred -forty-four (40.6%) Italian Vascular Surgeons agreed to participate the first round of the Delphi Consensus; the second and the third rounds of the Delphi collected 230 responders (94.3% of the first -round responders). Four statements (15.4%) reached a consensus in the first rounds. Among the 22 remaining statements, one more consensus (3.8%) was achieved in the second round. Finally, seven more statements (26.9%) reached a consensus in the simplified last round. Globally, a consensus was reached for almost half of the proposed statements (46.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The relatively low consensus rate obtained in this Delphi seems to confirm the discrepancy between Guideline recommendations and daily clinical practice. The data collected could represent the source for a possible guidelines' revision and the proposal of specific Good Practice Points in all those aspects with only little evidence available