Genetic survey of alveolar and cystic echinococcoses in Romania: first molecular evidence of Echinococcus multilocularis in humans in the country

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) are considered as one of the most important zoonotic diseases in Romania, where they are subject to mandatory reporting. To obtain more knowledge about the genetic diversity of Echinococcus causative agents of these diseases, 11 isolates from humans and ungulate intermediate hosts from the two regions of Romania were genotyped using mitochondrial markers. In clinical samples of fi ve patients from north-eastern Romania (Iasi, Botosani, Vaslui counties), Echinococcus multilocularis was identifi ed as causal agent by cox1 sequence analysis. To the best of our knowledge this fi nding presents the fi rst molecular evidence of E. multilocularis in humans from Romania. Only two cases of AE in patients were previously documented in the country by serological methods. In our four patients the most widespread European variant E5 of E. multilocularis was recorded, whereas in isolate from Vaslui county three nucleotide substitutions were detected as compared to the most related E5 haplotype. One of these mutations (411T/G) matched N1 and N2 haplotypes described previously from North America. In six CE samples retrieved from western Romania (Caras-Severin and Timis counties), two human isolates were diagnosed as Echinococcus canadensis G7, one as E. granulosus s.s. G1 and one as E. granulosus s.s. G3 using atp6 and rrnS sequencing. In ungulates, the cattle isolate was allocated to E. granulosus s.s. G1 and pig isolate to E. canadensis G7. The two G7 fi ndings in humans reinforced the recent view that G7 was underestimated as compared to the E. granulosus s.s. regarding human CE threat that can be further employed for identifying sources of infections and establishing suitable preventive measures

Essential spectra of difference operators on \sZ^n-periodic graphs

Let (\cX, \rho) be a discrete metric space. We suppose that the group \sZ^n acts freely on $X$ and that the number of orbits of $X$ with respect to this action is finite. Then we call $X$ a \sZ^n-periodic discrete metric space. We examine the Fredholm property and essential spectra of band-dominated operators on $l^p(X)$ where $X$ is a \sZ^n-periodic discrete metric space. Our approach is based on the theory of band-dominated operators on \sZ^n and their limit operators. In case $X$ is the set of vertices of a combinatorial graph, the graph structure defines a Schr\"{o}dinger operator on $l^p(X)$ in a natural way. We illustrate our approach by determining the essential spectra of Schr\"{o}dinger operators with slowly oscillating potential both on zig-zag and on hexagonal graphs, the latter being related to nano-structures

Quantum Simulation of Spin Chains Coupled to Bosonic Modes with Superconducting Circuits

We propose the implementation of a digital quantum simulation of spin chains coupled to bosonic field modes in superconducting circuits. Gates with high fidelities allows one to simulate a variety of Ising magnetic pairing interactions with transverse field, Tavis-Cummings interaction between spins and a bosonic mode, and a spin model with three-body terms. We analyze the feasibility of the implementation in realistic circuit quantum electrodynamics setups, where the interactions are either realized via capacitive couplings or mediated by microwave resonators.Comment: Chapter in R. S. Anderssen et al. (eds.), Mathematics for Industry 11 (Springer Japan, 2015

Classic and modern in the therapy of hepatic hidatid cysts – experience of a general surgery center

Clinica II Chirurgie, Spitalul Județean de Urgențe ”Sf. Spiridon”, Iași UMF ”Gr.T. Popa” Iași, Al XI-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” din Republica Moldova și cea de-a XXXIII-a Reuniune a Chirurgilor din Moldova „Iacomi-Răzeșu” 27-30 septembrie 2011INTRODUCERE. În ultimii 20 de ani, asistăm la o tendință de afirmare a terapiilor mai puțin invazive pentru pacienții cu chist hidatic hepatic (radiologie intervențională, endoscopie intervențională, puncții eco sau CT-ghidate, tehnici chirurgicale laparoscopice precum şi asocieri ale acestora). SCOP. Ne-am propus o comparație între rezultatele după abordul clasic şi cel minim-invaziv pentru tratamentul echinococozei hepatice. MATERIAL ŞI METODĂ. Au fost analizate retrospectiv 180 cazuri de chist hidatic hepatic operate în Clinica I Chirurgie Iaşi, România în perioada 2004-2010. Au fost selectate pentru analiză următoarele variabile: localizarea chistului, tipul acestuia (conform clasificării propuse de Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis), calea de abord, tehnica chirurgicală, durata evoluției postoperatorii, complicațiile survenite, recidivele şi asocierea chimioterapiei antiparazitare. Pentru analiza statistică s-au folosit testele neparametrice Mann-Whitney U şi Spearman cu pragul de semnificație p<0.05. REZULTATE. Leziunile s-au tratat prin puncție echoghidată (n=6;3.3%); pe cale laparoscopică (n= 48;26.6%) şi abord clasic (n=126;70.1%). Pe cale laparoscopică s-au efectuat: inactivare-aspirație-drenaj şi inactivare-aspirație-perichistectomie parțială. Pe cale clasică s-au practicat: inactivare-aspirație-drenaj, inactivare-aspirație-perichistectomie parțială, perichistectomie ideală, hepatectomie reglată, hepatectomie atipică. Abordul minim-invaziv se corelează semnificativ cu tipul I-II al chisturilor (p=0.016) şi cu localizarea acestora în segmentele II, III şi VI (p=0.001). Durata evoluției postoperatorii a fost semnificativ mai redusă după abordul laparoscopic (p=0.003) comparativ cu cea după intervențiile clasice „minimale” (inactivare-aspirație-drenaj şi inactivare-aspirație-perichistectomie parțială) practicate pentru leziunile tip I-III, dar diferența dintre numărul de zile de îngrijiri după abordul laproscopic vs. chirurgie radicală (perichistectomie ideală, hepatectomie) este nesemnificativă. Nu am întâlnit corelații semnificative între apariția recidivelor/complicațiilor şi tipul de abord. Chimioterapia antiparazitară, instituită în 118 de cazuri (65.5%), se corelează semnificativ cu o rată redusă a recidivelor survenite în 9 cazuri (5%). CONCLUZII. Boala hidatică beneficiază astăzi de o terapie multimodală în care chimioterapia, PAIR-ul, videochirurgia şi chirurgia clasică trebuie să se completeze cât mai fericit şi nu să se excludă. Chiar dacă „pierde din indicații”, chirurgia clasică rămâne „rezerva strategică” în terapia chistului hidatic.INTRODUCTION. In the last 20 years, we noticed an outstanding of less invasive therapy for the patients with hidatid disease (interventional radiology, interventional endoscopy, eco- or CT punctions, laparoscopy and association between these). AIM. We intend to compare the results after classic and laparoscopic approach as treatment for hepatic echinococcosis. METHODS. We analysed 180 cases operated in 1st Surgical Clinic, Iasi, Romania, between 2004-200. We recorded the fallowing parameters: location, type (classification approved by Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis), approaching type, surgical technique, postoperative evolution, complications, recurrences and chemotherapy. We used Mann-Whitney U and Spearman tests (p<0.05).RESULTS. The cases were solved by eco guidance punction (n=6; 3.3%); laparoscopic (n= 48; 26.6%) and classic approach (n=126; 70.1%). Minim invasive approach we did inactivation-suction-drainage and partial perichistectomy. Using open approach we did inactivation-suction-drainage, partial perichistectomy, total perichistectomy and hepatectomy. Laparoscopic treatment has significant correlation with type I-II (p=0.016) located in segments II, III and IV (p=0.001). Postoperative evolution is significant lower for laparoscopic methods (p=0.003) comparing with the „minimal” open techniques used for lesions type I-III. There is no significant differentiation between laparoscopic procedures and open radical surgery (total perichistectomy and hepatectomy). We did not register significant correlations about recurrences and complications. Chemotherapy used in 8 cases is correlated with a low rate of recurrence 9 cases (5%).CONCLUSIONS. Hidatid disease has the benefits of a multimodal therapy. Chemotherapy, PAIR, video surgery and open approach are completing themselves and not excluding each other. Even if classic methods are less frequent used, it remains as a „back up solution” in the therapy of hidatid cyst disease

Stable directions for small nonlinear Dirac standing waves

We prove that for a Dirac operator with no resonance at thresholds nor eigenvalue at thresholds the propagator satisfies propagation and dispersive estimates. When this linear operator has only two simple eigenvalues close enough, we study an associated class of nonlinear Dirac equations which have stationary solutions. As an application of our decay estimates, we show that these solutions have stable directions which are tangent to the subspaces associated with the continuous spectrum of the Dirac operator. This result is the analogue, in the Dirac case, of a theorem by Tsai and Yau about the Schr\"{o}dinger equation. To our knowledge, the present work is the first mathematical study of the stability problem for a nonlinear Dirac equation.Comment: 62 page

The Electron Drift Instrument on Cluster: overview of first results

International audienceEDI measures the drift velocity of artificially injected electron beams. From this drift velocity, the perpendicular electric field and the local magnetic field gradients can be deduced when employing different electron energies. The technique requires the injection of two electron beams at right angles to the magnetic field and the search for those directions within the plane that return the beams to their associated detectors after one or more gyrations. The drift velocity is then derived from the directions of the two beams and/or from the difference in their times-of-flight, measured via amplitude-modulation and coding of the emitted electron beams and correlation with the signal from the returning electrons. After careful adjustment of the control parameters, the beam recognition algorithms, and the onboard magnetometer calibrations during the commissioning phase, EDI is providing excellent data over a wide range of conditions. In this paper, we present first results in a variety of regions ranging from the polar cap, across the magnetopause, and well into the magnetosheath

Optical properties of LaNiO3 films tuned from compressive to tensile strain

Materials with strong electronic correlations host remarkable -- and technologically relevant -- phenomena such as magnetism, superconductivity and metal-insulator transitions. Harnessing and controlling these effects is a major challenge, on which key advances are being made through lattice and strain engineering in thin films and heterostructures, leveraging the complex interplay between electronic and structural degrees of freedom. Here we show that the electronic structure of LaNiO3 can be tuned by means of lattice engineering. We use different substrates to induce compressive and tensile biaxial epitaxial strain in LaNiO3 thin films. Our measurements reveal systematic changes of the optical spectrum as a function of strain and, notably, an increase of the low-frequency free carrier weight as tensile strain is applied. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we show that this apparently counter-intuitive effect is due to a change of orientation of the oxygen octahedra.The calculations also reveal drastic changes of the electronic structure under strain, associated with a Fermi surface Lifshitz transition. We provide an online applet to explore these effects. The experimental value of integrated spectral weight below 2 eV is significantly (up to a factor of 3) smaller than the DFT results, indicating a transfer of spectral weight from the infrared to energies above 2 eV. The suppression of the free carrier weight and the transfer of spectral weight to high energies together indicate a correlation-induced band narrowing and free carrier mass enhancement due to electronic correlations. Our findings provide a promising avenue for the tuning and control of quantum materials employing lattice engineering.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure

Measuring multipartite entanglement via dynamic susceptibilities

Entanglement plays a central role in our understanding of quantum many body physics, and is fundamental in characterising quantum phases and quantum phase transitions. Developing protocols to detect and quantify entanglement of many-particle quantum states is thus a key challenge for present experiments. Here, we show that the quantum Fisher information, representing a witness for genuinely multipartite entanglement, becomes measurable for thermal ensembles via the dynamic susceptibility, i.e., with resources readily available in present cold atomic gas and condensed-matter experiments. This moreover establishes a fundamental connection between multipartite entanglement and many-body correlations contained in response functions, with profound implications close to quantum phase transitions. There, the quantum Fisher information becomes universal, allowing us to identify strongly entangled phase transitions with a divergent multipartiteness of entanglement. We illustrate our framework using paradigmatic quantum Ising models, and point out potential signatures in optical-lattice experiments.Comment: 5+5 pages, 3+2 figure

The different paths to entropy

In order to undestand how the complex concept of entropy emerged,we propose a trip towards the past reviewing the works of Clausius, Boltzmann, Gibbs and Planck. In particular, since the Gibbs's work is not very well known, we present a detailed analysis, recalling the three definitions of the entropy that Gibbs gives. May be one of the most important aspect of the entropy is to see it as a thermodynamic potential like the other thermodynamic potentials as proposed by Callen. We close with some remarks on entropy and irreversibility.Comment: 32 page