Simple universal models capture all classical spin physics

Spin models are used in many studies of complex systems---be it condensed matter physics, neural networks, or economics---as they exhibit rich macroscopic behaviour despite their microscopic simplicity. Here we prove that all the physics of every classical spin model is reproduced in the low-energy sector of certain `universal models'. This means that (i) the low energy spectrum of the universal model reproduces the entire spectrum of the original model to any desired precision, (ii) the corresponding spin configurations of the original model are also reproduced in the universal model, (iii) the partition function is approximated to any desired precision, and (iv) the overhead in terms of number of spins and interactions is at most polynomial. This holds for classical models with discrete or continuous degrees of freedom. We prove necessary and sufficient conditions for a spin model to be universal, and show that one of the simplest and most widely studied spin models, the 2D Ising model with fields, is universal.Comment: v1: 4 pages with 2 figures (main text) + 4 pages with 3 figures (supplementary info). v2: 12 pages with 3 figures (main text) + 35 pages with 6 figures (supplementary info) (all single column). v2 contains new results and major revisions (results for spin models with continuous degrees of freedom, explicit constructions, examples...). Close to published version. v3: minor typo correcte

Art rupestre a l’arc mediterrani de la península Ibèrica. Del Cogul a Kyoto

La Roca dels Moros del Cogul és el primer conjunt de pintures prehistòriques documentat a Catalunya i va ser des del moment del seu descobriment, l’any 1908, un referent de l’art prehistòric peninsular; la seva existència adquirí un ressò internacional equiparable a l’assolit pels bisons d’Altamira. La història de la Roca dels Moros del Cogul és la història de l’art rupestre prehistòric del vessant oriental de la península Ibèrica. A partir d’aquest conjunt, es fa una síntesi dels resultats de la investigació sobre l’art rupestre postpaleolític a l’arc mediterrani de la península Ibèrica durant més de cent anys, sense oblidar els esforços realitzats des de les administracions per avançar en la conservació i protecció d’aquest tipus de jaciments arqueològics, cosa que va fer possible la inclusió de l’art rupestre de l’arc mediterrani de la península Ibèrica a la llista del Patrimoni Mundial de la UNESCO

Exploring the Link Between Self-Construal and Distress Among African American and Asian American College Students

The authors investigated ethnicity, self-construal, and distress among African American and Asian American college students. African American students expressed more salient independent self-construals, whereas Asian American students expressed more salient interdependent self-construals. As hypothesized, among African American participants, distress was positively related to interdependent self-construal and negatively associated with independent self-construal. Contrary to prediction, the same pattern was found for Asian American participants. Multicultural clinical practice implications are presented

Art rupestre a l’arc mediterrani de la península Ibèrica. Del Cogul a Kyoto

Roca dels Moros in El Cogul is the first set of prehistoric paintings documented in Catalonia, and since its discovery in 1908 it has been a referent in prehistoric art on the Iberian Peninsula. Its existence garnered international attention on par with the bison of Altamira. The history of Roca dels Moros in El Cogul is the history of prehistoric rock art on the eastern side of the Iberian Peninsula. Based on this site, this article is a synthesis of the results of a study on the post-Palaeolithic rock art of the Mediterranean basin on the Iberian Peninsula for over 100 years, along with a discussion of the public administrations’ efforts to further the conservation and protection of this kind of archaeological site. These efforts have earned the rock art of the Mediterranean basin on the Iberian Peninsula a place on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.La Roca dels Moros del Cogul és el primer conjunt de pintures prehistòriques documentat a Catalunya i va ser des del moment del seu descobriment, l’any 1908, un referent de l’art prehistòric peninsular; la seva existència adquirí un ressò internacional equiparable a l’assolit pels bisons d’Altamira. La història de la Roca dels Moros del Cogul és la història de l’art rupestre prehistòric del vessant oriental de la península Ibèrica. A partir d’aquest conjunt, es fa una síntesi dels resultats de la investigació sobre l’art rupestre postpaleolític a l’arc mediterrani de la península Ibèrica durant més de cent anys, sense oblidar els esforços realitzats des de les administracions per avançar en la conservació i protecció d’aquest tipus de jaciments arqueològics, cosa que va fer possible la inclusió de l’art rupestre de l’arc mediterrani de la península Ibèrica a la llista del Patrimoni Mundial de la UNESCO.Part of this study was conducted under the research project 2009-13723 HAR “VIII-VI millennia cal BC Rock Art, bending and cultural change between the basins of the rivers Júcar and Segura”, funded by the DGICTYT of the Ministries of Science and Technology and Economy

Rock art of the Mediterranean basin on the Iberian Peninsula. From El Cogul to Kyoto

Roca dels Moros in El Cogul is the first set of prehistoric paintings documented in Catalonia, and since its discovery in 1908 it has been a referent in prehistoric art on the Iberian Peninsula. Its existence garnered international attention on par with the bison of Altamira. The history of Roca dels Moros in El Cogul is the history of prehistoric rock art on the eastern side of the Iberian Peninsula. Based on this site, this article is a synthesis of the results of a study on the post-Palaeolithic rock art of the Mediterranean basin on the Iberian Peninsula for over 100 years, along with a discussion of the public administrations’ efforts to further the conservation and protection of this kind of archaeological site. These efforts have earned the rock art of the Mediterranean basin on the Iberian Peninsula a place on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites

Gravity or turbulence? -III. Evidence of pure thermal Jeans fragmentation at ~0.1 pc scale

We combine previously published interferometric and single-dish data of relatively nearby massive dense cores that are actively forming stars to test whether their `fragmentation level' is controlled by turbulent or thermal support. We find no clear correlation between the fragmentation level and velocity dispersion, nor between the observed number of fragments and the number of fragments expected when the gravitationally unstable mass is calculated including various prescriptions for `turbulent support'. On the other hand, the best correlation is found for the case of pure thermal Jeans fragmentation, for which we infer a core formation efficiency around 13 per cent, consistent with previous works. We conclude that the dominant factor determining the fragmentation level of star-forming massive dense cores at 0.1 pc scale seems to be thermal Jeans fragmentation.Comment: accepted in MNRA

Explaining risk for suicidal ideation in adolescent offspring of mothers with depression

Background. It is well-established that offspring of depressed mothers are at increased risk for suicidal ideation. However, pathways involved in the transmission of risk for suicidal ideation from depressed mothers to offspring are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of potential mediators of this association, in-cluding maternal suicide attempt, offspring psychiatric disorder and the parent–child relationship. Method. Data were utilized from a population-based birth cohort (ALSPAC). Three distinct classes of maternal depres-sion symptoms across the first 11 years of the child’s life had already been identified (minimal, moderate, chronic-severe). Offspring suicidal ideation was assessed at age 16 years. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Results. There was evidence for increased risk of suicidal ideation in offspring of mothers with chronic-severe depression symptoms compared to offspring of mothers with minimal symptoms (odds ratio 3.04, 95 % confidence interval 2.19– 4.21). The majority of this association was explained through maternal suicide attempt and offspring psychiatric dis-order. There was also evidence for an independent indirect effect via the parent–child relationship in middle childhood. There was no longer evidence of a direct effect of maternal depression on offspring suicidal ideation after accounting for all three mediators. The pattern of results was similar when examining mechanisms for maternal moderate depression symptoms. Conclusions. Findings highlight that suicide prevention efforts in offspring of depressed mothers should be particularly targeted at both offspring with a psychiatric disorder and offspring whose mothers have made a suicide attempt. Interventions aimed at improving the parent–child relationship may also be beneficial

Inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme by Durian (Durio zibethinus Murray) fruit extract

The scientific basis of the adverse, or at times lethal, effect of ingesting durian (Durio zibethinus Murray) while imbibing alcohol has not been established. Symptoms are reminiscent of the disulfiram–ethanol reaction (DER) arising from the inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Cognizant of the inhibitory effect of sulphur compounds like disulfiram on ALDH and the rich sulphur content of durian, the influence of durian fruit extract on the ALDH-mediated oxidative metabolism of acetaldehyde was investigated. We report a dose-dependent inhibition of yeast ALDH (yALDH), at most 70% at 0.33 ppm (mg extract/l assay mix), by dichloromethane:pentane extracts. Sulphur-rich TLC fruit extract fractions that eluted farthest from the origin effected the greatest inhibitory action. yALDH assay using diethyl disulfide as internal standard further supports the role of durian’s sulfury constituents in the fruit’s ALDH-inhibiting property. Insight into the etiology of DER-like symptoms felt upon simultaneous durian and alcohol consumption is hereby presented

Impaired precursor B cell differentiation in Bruton's tyrosine kinase-deficient mice

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) is a cytoplasmic signaling molecule that is crucial for precursor (pre-B) cell differentiation in humans. In this study, we show that during the transition of large cycling to small resting pre-B cells in the mouse, Btk-deficient cells failed to efficiently modulate the expression of CD43, surrogate L chain, CD2, and CD25. In an analysis of the kinetics of pre-B cell differentiation in vivo, Btk-deficient cells manifested a specific developmental delay within the small pre-B cell compartment of about 3 h, when compared with wild-type cells. Likewise, in in vitro bone marrow cultures, Btk-deficient large cycling pre-B cells showed increased IL-7 mediated expansion and reduced developmental progression into noncycling CD2(+)CD25(+) surrogate L chain-negative small pre-B cells and subsequently into Ig-positive B cells. Furthermore, the absence of Btk resulted in increased proliferative responses to IL-7 in recombination-activating gene-1-deficient pro-B cells. These findings identify a novel role for Btk in the regulation of the differentiation stage-specific modulation of IL-7 responsiveness in pro-B and pre-B cells. Moreover, our results show that Btk is critical for an efficient transit through the small pre-B cell compartment, thereby regulating cell surface phenotype changes during the developmental progression of cytoplasmic mu H chain expressing pre-B cells into immature IgM(+) B cells