A variational approach to approximate particle number projection with effective forces

Kamlah's second order method for approximate particle number projection is applied for the first time to variational calculations with effective forces. High spin states of normal and superdeformed nuclei have been calculated with the finite range density dependent Gogny force for several nuclei. Advantages and drawbacks of the Kamlah second order method as compared to the Lipkin-Nogami recipe are thoroughly discussed. We find that the Lipkin-Nogami prescription occasionally may fail to find the right energy minimum in the strong pairing regime and that Kamlah's second order approach, though providing better results than the LN one, may break down in some limiting situations.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

DEFINITION OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE STUDENT PROJECTS FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT IN THE BACHELOR ENGINEERING IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AT UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE VALÈNCIA CAMPUS OF ALCOI

[EN] The Bachelor Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development establishes the final project as a compulsory stage to achieve the degree. Due to the wide range of industrial products that can be designed, there is an extensive number of topics. The students can choose their final project according to the specialization they have studied all along the fourth academic year. At Universitat Politècnica de València ¿ Campus d¿Alcoi, three specializations can be studied: a) Product Design; b) Production and Innovation, and c) Textile and Fashion Design. Due to the multidisciplinary approach, there is a need to define a general index, both for students and lecturers, which contains the minimum contents of every type of project. Part of the work consists of analysing the three types of projects and the basic structure for each one, depending on the specialization. In addition, there is a particular project based on communication issues. A team of lecturers are involved in an education project at Universitat Politècnica de València. There is, at least, one representative for each specialization. The team has been working based on the last five years presented final projects and with a National Standard UNE 157001:2014: general criteria for the formal preparation of the documents constituting a technical project. The aim of this part of the project is to define the main structure for the minimum contents that these projects must include for their assessment. Finally, a document has been prepared as a basic guideline for students and lecturers, with definitions and instructions. Despite being four different topics, results show a common part which must be fulfilled by every project. Apart from the common part, every specialization has defined the particular features to be included. This document is useful for every part in the process: students to focus on the tasks to develop, lecturers to guide the students and introduce the process and the panel of teachers to obtain the basis for the evaluation.Bonet-Aracil, M.; Valor Valor, M.; Jorda-Vilaplana, A.; Sempere Ripoll, S.; Juliá Sanchis, E.; Pla-Ferrando, L.; Picó Silvestre, JF.... (2017). DEFINITION OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE STUDENT PROJECTS FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT IN THE BACHELOR ENGINEERING IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AT UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE VALÈNCIA CAMPUS OF ALCOI. EDULEARN Proceedings (Internet). 9471-9474. doi:10.21125/edulearn.2017.0789S9471947

Strategies to establish the structure and the evaluation system of the student projects in the bachelor engineering in industrial design and product development at Universitat Politècnica de València campus of Alcoi

[EN] The Bachelor Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development is a multidisciplinary degree, in which a wide range of disciplines have a key role in the final projects developed by the students of the fourth grade. At Universitat Politècnica de València ¿ Campus d¿Alcoi, a number of lecturers are involved in an Education Project in order to change and adapt the evaluation system of the student projects. The current model is based on developing the work with the help of a supervisor and the evaluation carried out by other three teachers, who form the panel. In the frame of the Education Project, some teachers are trying to apply new strategies to improve both the supervising process and the evaluation system of the projects. First of all, an index is provided to the students to adapt the structure of their work. Then, it is intended that a number of teachers, each one from a different specialization, supervise the progress of the students weekly. Finally, the same teachers will take part in the evaluation as examiners. All this work must be integrated in the 120 attendance hours established to develop the project, which correspond to the 12 ECTS. In the frame of the new teaching-learning methodologies, the aim of this Education Project is to provide a system to develop and evaluate the student final projects, taking into account the role of students, supervisors and examiners in every stage of the work.Juliá Sanchis, E.; Jorda-Vilaplana, A.; Valor Valor, M.; Pla-Ferrando, L.; Sempere Ripoll, S.; Picó Silvestre, JF.; Bonet-Aracil, M.... (2017). Strategies to establish the structure and the evaluation system of the student projects in the bachelor engineering in industrial design and product development at Universitat Politècnica de València campus of Alcoi. EDULEARN Proceedings (Internet). 249-255. doi:10.21125/edulearn.2017.0106S24925

On the Solution of the Number-Projected Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov Equations

The numerical solution of the recently formulated number-projected Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov equations is studied in an exactly soluble cranked-deformed shell model Hamiltonian. It is found that the solution of these number-projected equations involve similar numerical effort as that of bare HFB. We consider that this is a significant progress in the mean-field studies of the quantum many-body systems. The results of the projected calculations are shown to be in almost complete agreement with the exact solutions of the model Hamiltonian. The phase transition obtained in the HFB theory as a function of the rotational frequency is shown to be smeared out with the projection.Comment: RevTeX, 11 pages, 3 figures. To be published in a special edition of Physics of Atomic Nuclei (former Sov. J. Nucl. Phys.) dedicated to the 90th birthday of A.B. Migda

POS1394 ACCURACY AND PERFORMANCE OF A HANDHELD ULTRASOUND DEVICE TO ASSESS ARTICULAR AND PERIARTICULAR PATHOLOGIES IN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS

Background:Handheld ultrasound (HHUS) devices have increasingly found their way into clinical practice due to several advantages (e.g. portability, significantly lower purchase cost). However, there is no evidence to date on the accuracy and performance of HHUS in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA).Objectives:To assess accuracy and performance of a new HHUS machine in comparison to a conventional cart-based sonographic machine in patients with IA.Methods:Consecutive IA patients of our outpatient clinic with at least one tender and swollen joint in the 66/68 joint count were enrolled. US was performed on clinically affected joints with corresponding tendons/entheses using a cart-based sonographic device ("Samsung HS40") and a HHUS device ("Butterfly iQ") in standard scan positions. One blinded reader scored all images for the presence of following pathologic findings: erosions, bony enlargement, synovial hyperthrophy, joint effusion, bursitis, tenosynovitis and enthesitis. In addition, synovitis was graded (B Mode and power Doppler (PD)) by the 4-level EULAR-OMERACT scale [1]. To avoid bias by the blinded reader, who otherwise would have been tempted to identify pathological findings for each examined joint, we also included 67 joints of two healthy volunteers into the evaluation. We calculated the overall concordance and the concordance by type of joint and type of pathological finding between the two devices (percentage of observation pairs in which the same rating was given by both devices). The Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ) with 95% bootstrap confidence intervals was used to assess the agreement between the two US devices. We also measured the time required for the US examination of one joint with both devices.Results:32 patients (20 rheumatoid arthritis, 10 psoriatic arthritis, 1 gouty arthritis, 1 systemic lupus erythematosus) were included in this study. Mean age of patients was 58.2±13.7 years, 63% were females. In total 186 joints were examined. The overall raw concordance in B-mode between the two devices was 97 %, with an overall κappa for agreement of 0.90, 95% CI (0.89, 0.94). No significant differences were found in relation to type of joint or pathological finding examined. The PD-mode of the HHUS device did not detect any PD-signal, whereas the cart-based device detected a PD-signal in 61 joints (33%). The portable device did not offer any time saving compared to the cart-based device (mean time in seconds per examined region: 47 seconds for the HHUS device versus 46.3 seconds for the cart-based device).Conclusion:The HHUS device "Butterfly iQ" has been shown to be accurate in the assessment of structural joint damage and inflammation in patients with IA, but only in B-mode. Significant improvements are still needed to reliable demonstrate blood flow detection by PD mode.References:[1]D'Agostino, M.A., et al., RMD Open, 2017. 3(1): p. e000428.Table 1.Concordance between a handheld and a conventional cart-based US device in B-modeAgreement by siteN joints (%)Concordance (%)Kappa 95%CIOverall186970.90 (0.89 to 0.94)Wrist32 (17.2)960.86 (0.77 to 0.93)Finger/toe joint (MCP, PIP, DIP, MTP)114 (61.3)970.92 (0.88 to 0.95)Elbows11 (5.9)950.87 (0.75 to 0.97)Shoulder4 (2.2)1001.00 (NA to NA) *Knee20 (10.7)980.96 (0.90 to 1.00)Ankle5 (2.7)1001.00 (NA to NA) *Agreement by pathological findingJoint effusion950.81 (0.68 to 0.92)Synovitis940.87 (0.79 to 0.93)Synovitis OMERACT grade (0– 3)900.84 (0.76 to 0.91)Bone enlargement980.88 (0.71 to 1.00)Erosion980.89 (0.77 to 0.89)Tenosynovitis980.83 (0.61 to 0.96)Entheseopathy1001.00 (NA to NA) *Bursitis970.90 (0.89 to 0.94)* unreliable kappa statistics because of small number of shoulders/ankles examined and small number of entheseopathiesFigure 1.Pathological US findings in MCP joints (1, 2, 3) and wrist (4) depicted by the two different ultrasound devicesB-mode erosive (arrow) and synovial (asterisk) changes could be detected by both devices (1-2), while PD changes of different grades only by the conventional US device (3-4).Acknowledgements:This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG- FOR2886 PANDORA and the CRC1181). Additional funding was received by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF; project METARTHROS, MASCARA), the H2020 GA 810316 - 4D-Nanoscope ERC Synergy Project, the IMI funded project RTCure, the Emerging Fields Initiative MIRACLE of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, the Else Kröner-Memorial Scholarship (DS, no. 2019_EKMS.27) and Innovationsfond Lehre / FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg 2019.Disclosure of Interests:None declare

Ethylene biosynthesis and perception during ripening of loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)

[EN] In order to gain insights into the controversial ripening behavior of loquat fruits, in the present study we have analyzed the expression of three genes related to ethylene biosynthesis (ACS1, ACO1 and ACO2), two ethylene receptors (ERS1a and ERS1b), one signal transduction component (CTR1) and one transcription factor (EIL1) in peel and pulp of loquat fruit during natural ripening and also in fruits treated with ethylene (10 mu LL-1) and 1-MCP (10 mu LL-1), an ethylene action inhibitor. In fruits attached to or detached from the tree, a slight increase in ethylene production was detected at the yellow stage, but the respiration rate declined progressively during ripening. Accumulation of transcripts of ethylene biosynthetic genes did not correlate with changes in ethylene production, since the maximum accumulation of ACS1 and ACO1 mRNA was detected in fully coloured fruits. Expression of ethylene receptor and signaling genes followed a different pattern in peel and pulp tissues. After fruit detachment and incubation at 20 degrees C for up to 6 days, ACS1 mRNA slightly increased, ACO1 experienced a substantial increment and ACO2 declined. In the peel, these changes were advanced by exogenous ethylene and partially inhibited by 1-MCP. In the pulp, 1-MCP repressed most of the changes in the expression of biosynthetic genes, while ethylene had almost no effects. Expression of ethylene perception and signaling genes was barely affected by ethylene or 1-MCP. Collectively, a differential transcriptional regulation of ethylene biosynthetic genes operates in peel and pulp, and support the notion of non-climacteric ripening in loquat fruits. Ethylene action, however, appears to be required to sustain or maintain the expression of specific genes. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier GmbH.Enriqueta Alos was recipient of a post-doctoral contract JAE-DocCSIC (Fondo Social Europeo). The financial support of the researchgrants FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG-2011-303652 (Marie Curie Actions, European Union), AGL-2009-11558 and AGL-2012-34573 (Ministerio Economia y Competitividad, Spain), GV/2012/036 (Generalitat Valenciana, Spain) and PROMETEOII 2014/27 (Generalitat Valenciana) is gratefully acknowledged.Alós, E.; Martinez Fuentes, A.; Reig Valor, C.; Mesejo Conejos, C.; Rodrigo, M.; Agustí Fonfría, M.; Zacarias, L. (2017). Ethylene biosynthesis and perception during ripening of loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.). Journal of Plant Physiology. 210:64-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2016.12.008S647121

Approximate particle number projection for finite range density dependent forces

The Lipkin-Nogami method is generalized to deal with finite range density dependent forces. New expressions are derived and realistic calculations with the Gogny force are performed for the nuclei $^{164}$Er and $^{168}$Er. The sharp phase transition predicted by the mean field approximation is washed out by the Lipkin-Nogami approach; a much better agreement with the experimental data is reached with the new approach than with the Hartree-Fock_Bogoliubov one, specially at high spins.Comment: 5 pages, RevTeX 3.0, 3 postscript figures included using uufiles. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Involvement of ethylene in color changes and carotenoid biosynthesis in loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. cv. Algerie)

[EN] In loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl cv. Algerie) fruit, despite the non-climacteric ripening behaviour, evidence suggest that ethylene may participate in the regulation of several ripening- and postharvest-related processes. Color changes and carotenoid profile were analyzed in fruit at three developmental stages (breaker, yellow and colored fruits). At early stages, the fruit peel contained phytoene, phytofluene and other typical chloroplastic carotenoids that decreased during ripening, to accumulate ß-carotene, violaxanthin and ß-cryptoxanthin in mature fruits. In the pulp, carotenoid concentration increased during ripening to become predominant phytoene, followed by ß-carotene and ß-cryptoxanthin. Expression of the carotenoid biosynthetic genes (PSY, PDS, ZDS, CYCB and BCH) was downregulated in the peel during maturation, but increased in the pulp with the exception of BCH. The involvement of ethylene in the regulation of pigmentation was further evaluated by treating fruits at the three ripening stages with ethylene or its action inhibitor 1-MCP. At breaker fruit, ethylene accelerated and 1-MCP delayed fruit coloration, but the effect was progressively lost as fruit matured. Ethylene and 1-MCP produced different changes in carotenoids content and gene expression in peel and pulp. Application of ethylene enhanced ß-carotene content in both tissues whereas ß-cryptoxanthin was only stimulated in the pulp. 1-MCP suppressed these changes in carotenoid composition in the pulp but had little effect in the peel. A differential transcriptional level the pulp was more responsive to downregulated gene expression than the peel. Collectively, results indicate that: 1) ethylene is involved in the regulation of pigmentation and carotenoid biosynthesis in loquat fruits, 2) a differential regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis and response to ethylene appear to operate in the peel and the pulp, and 3) ß-carotene hydroxylase (BCH) is a key step in the regulation of carotenoid content and composition in both tissues of loquat fruit.Dr. E. Alos was recipient a post-doctoral contract JAE-Doc-CSIC (Fondo Social Europeo). The financial support of the research grants FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG-2011-303652 (Marie Curie Actions, European Union), AGL-2015-70218 (Ministerio Economia y Competitividad, Spain), GV/2012/036 (GeneralitatValenciana, Spain) and PROMETEO-II 2014/27 (Generalitat Valenciana) are gratefully acknowledged. MJR and LZ are members of Eurocaroten (COST_Action CA15136) and CaRed (Spanish Carotenoid Network, BIO2015-71703-REDT and BIO2017-90877-REDT).Alós, E.; Martinez Fuentes, A.; Reig Valor, C.; Mesejo Conejos, C.; Zacarias, L.; Agustí Fonfría, M.; Rodrigo-Esteve, MJ. (2019). Involvement of ethylene in color changes and carotenoid biosynthesis in loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. cv. Algerie). Postharvest Biology and Technology. 149:129-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2018.11.022S12913814

Moments of Inertia of Nuclei in the Rare Earth Region: A Relativistic versus Non-Relativistic Investigation

A parameter free investigation of the moments of inertia of ground state rotational bands in well deformed rare-earth nuclei is carried out using Cranked Relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (CRHB) and non-relativistic Cranked Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (CHFB) theories. In CRHB theory, the relativistic fields are determined by the non-linear Lagrangian with the NL1 force and the pairing interaction by the central part of finite range Gogny D1S force. In CHFB theory, the properties in particle-hole and particle-particle channels are defined solely by Gogny D1S forces. Using an approximate particle number projection before variation by means of the Lipkin Nogami method improves the agreement with the experimental data, especially in CRHB theory. The effect of the particle number projection on the moments of inertia and pairing energies is larger in relativistic than in non-relativistic theory.Comment: 18 pages + 2 PostScript figure

Transcriptional correlates of the pathological phenotype in a Huntington’s disease mouse model

Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder without a cure that is caused by an aberrant expansion of CAG repeats in exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Although a negative correlation between the number of CAG repeats and the age of disease onset is established, additional factors may contribute to the high heterogeneity of the complex manifestation of symptoms among patients. This variability is also observed in mouse models, even under controlled genetic and environmental conditions. To better understand this phenomenon, we analysed the R6/1 strain in search of potential correlates between pathological motor/cognitive phenotypical traits and transcriptional alterations. HD-related genes (e.g., Penk, Plk5, Itpka), despite being downregulated across the examined brain areas (the prefrontal cortex, striatum, hippocampus and cerebellum), exhibited tissue-specific correlations with particular phenotypical traits that were attributable to the contribution of the brain region to that trait (e.g., striatum and rotarod performance, cerebellum and feet clasping). Focusing on the striatum, we determined that the transcriptional dysregulation associated with HD was partially exacerbated in mice that showed poor overall phenotypical scores, especially in genes with relevant roles in striatal functioning (e.g., Pde10a, Drd1, Drd2, Ppp1r1b). However, we also observed transcripts associated with relatively better outcomes, such as Nfya (CCAAT-binding transcription factor NF-Y subunit A) plus others related to neuronal development, apoptosis and differentiation. In this study, we demonstrated that altered brain transcription can be related to the manifestation of HD-like symptoms in mouse models and that this can be extrapolated to the highly heterogeneous population of HD patients