Scanning electron microscopy of Rydberg-excited Bose-Einstein condensates

We report on the realization of high resolution electron microscopy of Rydberg-excited ultracold atomic samples. The implementation of an ultraviolet laser system allows us to excite the atom, with a single-photon transition, to Rydberg states. By using the electron microscopy technique during the Rydberg excitation of the atoms, we observe a giant enhancement in the production of ions. This is due to $l$-changing collisions, which broaden the Rydberg level and therefore increase the excitation rate of Rydberg atoms. Our results pave the way for the high resolution spatial detection of Rydberg atoms in an atomic sample

Who receives treatment for alcohol use disorders in the European Union? A cross-sectional representative study in primary and specialized health care

Background Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are highly prevalent in Europe, but only a minority of those affected receive treatment. It is therefore important to identify factors that predict treatment in order to reframe strategies aimed at improving treatment rates. Methods Representative cross-sectional study with patients aged 18\u201364 from primary health care (PC, six European countries, n = 8476, data collection 01/13\u201301/14) and from specialized health care (SC, eight European countries, n = 1762, data collection 01/13\u201303/14). For descriptive purposes, six groups were distinguished, based on type of DSM-IV AUD and treatment setting. Treatment status (yes/no) for any treatment (model 1), and for SC treatment (model 2) were main outcome measures in logistic regression models. Results AUDs were prevalent in PC (12-month prevalence: 11.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 11.2\u201312.5%), with 17.6% receiving current treatment (95%CI: 15.3\u201319.9%). There were clear differences between the six groups regarding key variables from all five predictor domains. Prediction of any treatment (model 1) or SC treatment (model 2) was successful with high overall accuracy (both models: 95%), sufficient sensitivity (model 1: 79%/model 2: 76%) and high specificity (both models: 98%). The most predictive single variables were daily drinking level, anxiety, severity of mental distress, and number of inpatient nights during the last 6 months. Conclusions Variables from four domains were highly predictive in identifying treatment for AUD, with SC treatment groups showing very high levels of social disintegration, drinking, comorbidity and functional losses. Earlier intervention and formal treatment for AUD in PC should be implemented to reduce these high levels of adverse outcomes

Generalized Totalizer Encoding for Pseudo-Boolean Constraints

Pseudo-Boolean constraints, also known as 0-1 Integer Linear Constraints, are used to model many real-world problems. A common approach to solve these constraints is to encode them into a SAT formula. The runtime of the SAT solver on such formula is sensitive to the manner in which the given pseudo-Boolean constraints are encoded. In this paper, we propose generalized Totalizer encoding (GTE), which is an arc-consistency preserving extension of the Totalizer encoding to pseudo-Boolean constraints. Unlike some other encodings, the number of auxiliary variables required for GTE does not depend on the magnitudes of the coefficients. Instead, it depends on the number of distinct combinations of these coefficients. We show the superiority of GTE with respect to other encodings when large pseudo-Boolean constraints have low number of distinct coefficients. Our experimental results also show that GTE remains competitive even when the pseudo-Boolean constraints do not have this characteristic.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables. To be published in 21st International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming 201

MaxPre : An Extended MaxSAT Preprocessor

We describe MaxPre, an open-source preprocessor for (weighted partial) maximum satisfiability (MaxSAT). MaxPre implements both SAT-based and MaxSAT-specific preprocessing techniques, and offers solution reconstruction, cardinality constraint encoding, and an API for tight integration into SAT-based MaxSAT solvers.Peer reviewe

Wireless recording of the calls of Rousettus aegyptiacus and their reproduction using electrostatic transducers

Bats are capable of imaging their surroundings in great detail using echolocation. To apply similar methods to human engineering systems requires the capability to measure and recreate the signals used, and to understand the processing applied to returning echoes. In this work, the emitted and reflected echolocation signals of Rousettus aegyptiacus are recorded while the bat is in flight, using a wireless sensor mounted on the bat. The sensor is designed to replicate the acoustic gain control which bats are known to use, applying a gain to returning echoes that is dependent on the incurred time delay. Employing this technique allows emitted and reflected echolocation calls, which have a wide dynamic range, to be recorded. The recorded echoes demonstrate the complexity of environment reconstruction using echolocation. The sensor is also used to make accurate recordings of the emitted calls, and these calls are recreated in the laboratory using custom-built wideband electrostatic transducers, allied with a spectral equalization technique. This technique is further demonstrated by recreating multi-harmonic bioinspired FM chirps. The ability to record and accurately synthesize echolocation calls enables the exploitation of biological signals in human engineering systems for sonar, materials characterization and imaging

Classifying national drinking patterns in Europe between 2000 and 2019: A clustering approach using comparable exposure data

Background and aims: Previously identified national drinking patterns in Europe lack comparability and might be no longer be valid due to changes in economic conditions and policy frameworks. We aimed to identify the most recent alcohol drinking patterns in Europe based on comparable alcohol exposure indicators using a data-driven approach, as well as identifying temporal changes and establishing empirical links between these patterns and indicators of alcohol-related harm. Design: Data from the World Health Organization's monitoring system on alcohol exposure indicators were used. Repeated cross-sectional hierarchical cluster analyses were applied. Differences in alcohol-attributable harm between clusters of countries were analyzed via linear regression. Setting: European Union countries, plus Iceland, Norway and Ukraine, for 2000, 2010, 2015 and 2019. Participants/Cases: Observations consisted of annual country data, at four different time points for alcohol exposure. Harm indicators were only included for 2019. Measurements: Alcohol exposure indicators included alcohol per capita consumption (APC), beverage-specific consumption and prevalence of drinking status indicators (lifetime abstainers, current drinkers, former drinkers and heavy episodic drinking). Alcohol-attributable harm was measured using age-standardized alcohol-attributable Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost and deaths per 100 000 people. Findings: The same six clusters were identified in 2019, 2015 and 2010, mainly characterized by type of alcoholic beverage and prevalence drinking status indicators, with geographical interpretation. Two-thirds of the countries remained in the same cluster over time, with one additional cluster identified in 2000, characterized by low APC. The most recent drinking patterns were shown to be significantly associated with alcohol-attributable deaths and DALY rates. Compared with wine-drinking countries, the mortality rate per 100 000 people was significantly higher in Eastern Europe with high spirits and ‘other’ beverage consumption [(Formula presented.) = 90, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 55–126], and in Eastern Europe with high lifetime abstainers and high spirits consumption ((Formula presented.) = 42, 95% CI = 4–78). Conclusions: European drinking patterns appear to be clustered by level of beverage-specific consumption, with heavy episodic drinkers, current drinkers and lifetime abstainers being distinguishing factors between clusters. Despite the overall stability of the clusters over time, some countries shifted between drinking patterns from 2000 to 2019. Overall, patterns of drinking in the European Union seem to be stable and partly determined by geographical proximity. © 2024 World Health Organization; licensed by Society for the Study of Addiction. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.We thank Alexandra Fleischmann, Ilinca Radu, Dag Rekve and Vladimir Poznyak for establishing and maintaining the WHO global monitoring framework for alcohol and health and the regular updates of the Global Information System on Alcohol and Health; the data analyzed as part of this contribution were collected within this monitoring framework. We also like to express our gratitude to all nominated focal points from Member States, who have filled out the surveys and provided the needed data, as well as to Sergei Bychkov and Sumudu Kasturiarachchi for their overall support with the coordination of data collection and validation procedures in the WHO/Europe. The research leading to these results or outcomes has received funding from the EU4Health under contribution agreement no. SANTE/2022/SI2.883729 (Addressing alcohol harm—capacity building, raising awareness and implementation of best practices in the Union). Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. J.R. and K.D.S. were in part supported by a contract by the WHO from the WHO/PAHO Collaboration Centre. J.R. was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR FRN 477887)

Computational reconstruction and analysis of structural models of avian cryptochrome 4

A recent study by Xu et al. (Nature,2021, 594, 535−540) provided strongevidence that cryptochrome 4 (Cry4) is a key protein to endow migratory birds with the magneticcompass sense. The investigation compared the magneticfield response of Cry4 from migratoryand nonmigratory bird species and suggested that a difference in magnetic sensitivity could exist.Thisfinding prompted an in-depth investigation into Cry4 protein differences on the structuraland dynamic levels. In the present study, the pigeon Cry4 (ClCry4) crystal structure was used toreconstruct the missing avian Cry4 protein structures via homology modeling for carefullyselected bird species. The reconstructed Cry4 structure from European robin, Eurasian blackcap,zebrafinch, chicken, and pigeon were subsequently simulated dynamically and analyzed. Thestudied avian Cry4 structures showflexibility in analogous regions pointing to similar activationmechanisms and/or signaling interaction partners. It can be concluded that the experimentallyrecorded difference in the magneticfield sensitivity of Cry4 from different birds is unlikely to bedue to solely intrinsic dynamics of the proteins but requires additional factors that have not yet been identified