Harvesting entanglement from the gravitational vacuum

We study how quantum systems can harvest entanglement from the quantum degrees of freedom of the gravitational field. Concretely, we describe in detail the interaction of non-relativistic quantum systems with linearized quantum gravity, and explore how two spacelike separated probes can harvest entanglement from the gravitational field in this context. We provide estimates for the harvested entanglement for realistic probes which can be experimentally relevant in the future, since entanglement harvesting experiments can provide evidence for the existence of quantum degrees of freedom of gravity.Comment: 18 pages + appendices, 16 figures, revTex 4.

Compartment and cell-type specific hypoxia responses in the developing Drosophila brain

Material suplementario: https://bio.biologists.org/lookup/doi/10.1242/bio.053629.supplementalEnvironmental factors such as the availability of oxygen are instructive cues that regulate stem cell maintenance and differentiation. We used a genetically encoded biosensor to monitor the hypoxic state of neural cells in the larval brain of Drosophila. The biosensor reveals brain compartment and cell-type specific levels of hypoxia. The values correlate with differential tracheolation that is observed throughout development between the central brain and the optic lobe. Neural stem cells in both compartments show the strongest hypoxia response while intermediate progenitors, neurons and glial cells reveal weaker responses. We demonstrate that the distance between a cell and the next closest tracheole is a good predictor of the hypoxic state of that cell. Our study indicates that oxygen availability appears to be the major factor controlling the hypoxia response in the developing Drosophila brain and that cell intrinsic and cell-type specific factors contribute to modulate the response in an unexpected manner.ANII: FCE_3_2013_1_10073

Gait recognition from corrupted silhouettes: a robust statistical approach

This paper introduces a method based on robust statistics to build reliable gait signatures from averaging silhouette descriptions, mainly when gait sequences are affected by severe and persistent defects. The term robust refers to the ability of reducing the impact of silhouette defects (outliers) on the average gait pattern, while taking advantage of clean silhouette regions. An extensive experimental framework was defined based on injecting three types of realistic defects (salt and pepper noise, static occlusion, and dynamic occlusion) to clean gait sequences, both separately in an easy setting and jointly in a hard setting. The robust approach was compared against two other operation modes: (1) simple mean (weak baseline) and (2) defect exclusion (strong benchmark). Three gait representation methods based on silhouette averaging were used: Gait Energy Image (GEI), Gradient Histogram Energy Image (GHEI), and the joint use of GEI and HOG descriptors. Quality of gait signatures was assessed by their discriminant power in a large number of gait recognition tasks. Nonparametric statistical tests were applied on recognition results, searching for significant differences between operation modes.This work has been supported by the grants P1-1B2012-22 and PREDOC/2012/05 from Universitat Jaume I, PROMETEOII/2014/062 from Generalitat Valenciana, and TIN2013-46522-P from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

Gamma Irradiation of Magnetoresistive Sensors for Planetary Exploration

A limited number of Anisotropic Magnetoresistive (AMR) commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) magnetic sensors of the HMC series by Honeywell, with and without integrated front-end electronics, were irradiated with gamma rays up to a total irradiation dose of 200 krad (Si), following the ESCC Basic Specification No. 22900. Due to the magnetic cleanliness required for these tests a special set-up was designed and successfully employed. Several parameters of the sensors were monitored during testing and the results are reported in this paper. The authors conclude that AMR sensors without front-end electronics seem to be robust against radiation doses of up to 200 krad (Si) with a dose rate of 5 krad (Si)/hour and up to a resolution of tens of nT, but sensors with an integrated front-end seem to be more vulnerable to radiation

Esencias florales de Bach y reflexión personal sobre el aprendizaje

We conducted a randomized double blind-placebo with the aim of evaluating the efficacy of the methodology for the development of personal reflection in students of first year psychology as well as the catalytic action of flower essences on it. The sample consisted of 32 volunteers, divided into two groups of 16 students each. It was determined that the methodology was effective for the development of indicators of personal reflection on learning in psychology students. The formula CHB-WAL-WOA was effective for self-assessment indicator of the personal qualities of the learning activity, and favorably affects the indicator objective criticism on the acquired knowledge.Se realizó un estudio aleatorizado a doble ciego-placebo con el objetivo de valorar la efectividad de la metodología para el desarrollo de la reflexión personal en estudiantes de primer año de Psicología, así como la acción catalizadora de las esencias florales sobre la misma. La muestra estuvo conformada por 32 voluntarios, divididos en dos grupos de 16 estudiantes cada uno. Se pudo determinar que la metodología empleada resultó efectiva para el desarrollo de los indicadores del proceso de reflexión personal sobre el aprendizaje en estudiantes de psicología. La fórmula CHB-WAL-WOA demostró ser efectiva para el indicador autovaloración de las cualidades personales sobre la actividad de aprendizaje, e influir favorablemente en el indicador crítica objetiva acerca del conocimiento obtenido

The embodied typist: Bimanual actions are modulated by words’ implied motility and number of evoked limbs

The planning and execution of manual actions can be influenced by concomitant processing of manual action verbs. However, this phenomenon manifests in varied ways throughout the literature, ranging from facilitation to interference effects. Suggestively, stimuli across studies vary randomly in two potentially relevant variables: verb motility and effector quantity (i.e., the amount of movement and the number of hands implied by the word, respectively). Here we examine the role of these factors during keyboard typing, a strategic bimanual task validated in previous works. Forty-one participants read and typed high and low motility items from four categories: bimanual, unimanual, and non-manual action verbs, as well as minimally motoric verbs. Motor planning and execution were captured by first-letter lag (the lapse between word presentation and first keystroke) and whole-word lag (the lapse between the first and last keystroke). We found that verb motility modulated action planning and execution, both stages being delayed by high (relative to low) motility verbs. Effector quantity also influenced both stages, which were facilitated by bimanual verbs relative to unimanual verbs and non-manual verbs (this effect being confined to high motility items during action execution). Accordingly, motor-language coupling effects seem sensitive to words’ implied motility and number of evoked limbs. These findings refine our understanding of how semantics influences bodily movement.Fil: Rolán, Katia. Universidad de La Laguna; España. Universidad de Vigo; EspañaFil: Sánchez Borges, Iván. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Kogan, Boris. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Humanidades. Departamento de Filosofía; Argentina. Centro de Neurociencias Cognitivas ; Rectorado ; Universidad de San Andres;Fil: García Marco, Enrique. Universidad de La Laguna; España. Universidad de Huelva; EspañaFil: Álvarez, Carlos J.. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: de Vega, Manuel. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: García, Adolfo Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Centro de Neurociencias Cognitivas ; Rectorado ; Universidad de San Andres; . University of California; Estados Unidos. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; Chil

Nucleolar release of rDNA repeats for repair involves SUMO-mediated untethering by the Cdc48/p97 segregase

Ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) are highly unstable and susceptible to rearrangement due to their repetitive nature and active transcriptional status. Sequestration of rDNA in the nucleolus suppresses uncontrolled recombination. However, broken repeats must be first released to the nucleoplasm to allow repair by homologous recombination. Nucleolar release of broken rDNA repeats is conserved from yeast to humans, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are currently unknown. Here we show that DNA damage induces phosphorylation of the CLIP-cohibin complex, releasing membrane-tethered rDNA from the nucleolus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Downstream of phosphorylation, SUMOylation of CLIP-cohibin is recognized by Ufd1 via its SUMO-interacting motif, which targets the complex for disassembly through the Cdc48/p97 chaperone. Consistent with a conserved mechanism, UFD1L depletion in human cells impairs rDNA release. The dynamic and regulated assembly and disassembly of the rDNA-tethering complex is therefore a key determinant of nucleolar rDNA release and genome integrity

Intervenciones Placebo Para Incrementar el Rendimiento Deportivo: un Tema Revisitado

Las intervenciones psicológicas para incrementar el rendimiento de los deportistas han ganado gran popularidad. En este artículo se realizó una revisión de la utilización de intervenciones placebo para potenciar el rendimiento deportivo, a partir de la cual se concluyó que el contexto de aplicación, los rasgos de personalidad del deportista y el ritual de intervención han sido propuestos como los factores más relevantes a tomar en consideración. Se estima que, a pesar de las limitaciones, las intervenciones placebo constituyen alternativas eficaces que tienen distintos modos de aplicación. La utilización de vías conscientes y no-conscientes para activar el efecto placebo se materializa en el empleo de las potencialidades que brindan tanto la sugestión verbal como el priming

Predictores de la supresión de pensamientos en jóvenes y adultos mayores: preocupación y vivencias

El artículo presenta los resultados de la investigación “Predictores de la supresión de pensamientos en jóvenes y adultos mayores: preocupación y vivencias”, adscrita al proyecto del Centro de Bienestar Universitario (cbu) y llevada acabo por estudiantes y profesores de la Facultad de Psicología de la Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas (uclv) en el periodo mayo-julio del 2010. La Supresión de Pensamientos (sp) es un tema de gran actualidad, en el que el rol de la vivencia a través de la edad resulta poco abordado, cuestión que constituye el objetivo central del presente estudio. Se llevó a cabo un estudio ex pos facto en 1.994 individuos (773 estudiantes universitarios y 1.221 adultos mayores, evaluados mediante el Autorreporte Vivencial y el Inventario de Supresión del Oso Blanco). La intensidad de las molestias provocadas por las preocupaciones y las vivencias de ansiedad-miedo, constituyeron predictores constantes de la sp. En los adultos mayores, se añadieron al modelo las vivencias depresivas, con una mayor tendencia al uso de la sp. Los resultados obtenidos parecen sugerir que con el incremento de la edad, la incorporación progresiva de vivencias depresivas (combinadas con las preocupaciones y las vivencias de ansiedad-miedo), pudieran explicar el aumento del uso de la sp