Evolutions in first-order viscous hydrodynamics

Motivated by the physics of the quark-gluon plasma created in heavy-ion collision experiments, we use holography to study the regime of applicability of various theories of relativistic viscous hydrodynamics. Using the microscopic description provided by holography of a system that relaxes to equilibrium, we obtain initial data with which we perform real-time evolutions in 2+1 dimensional conformal fluids using the first-order viscous relativistic hydrodynamics theory of Bemfica, Disconzi, Noronha and Kovtun (BDNK), BRSSS and ideal hydrodynamics. By initializing the hydrodynamics codes at different times, we can check the constitutive relations and assess the predictive power and accuracy of each of these theories.Peer reviewe

Disruption of the GAS1 gene of Pichia pastoris confers a supersecretory phenotype for Rhizopus oryzae lipase, but not for human trypsinogen

Poster presentation from The 4th Recombinant Protein Production Meeting: a comparative view on host physiology, Barcelona, Spain. 2123 September 2006(VLID)89927

Revisiting the Mapping of Quantum Circuits: Entering the Multi-Core Era

Quantum computing represents a paradigm shift in computation, offering the potential to solve complex problems intractable for classical computers. Although current quantum processors already consist of a few hundred of qubits, their scalability remains a significant challenge. Modular quantum computing architectures have emerged as a promising approach to scale up quantum computing systems. This paper delves into the critical aspects of distributed multi-core quantum computing, focusing on quantum circuit mapping, a fundamental task to successfully execute quantum algorithms across cores while minimizing inter-core communications. We derive the theoretical bounds on the number of non-local communications needed for random quantum circuits and introduce the Hungarian Qubit Assignment (HQA) algorithm, a multi-core mapping algorithm designed to optimize qubit assignments to cores with the aim of reducing inter-core communications. Our exhaustive evaluation of HQA against state-of-the-art circuit mapping algorithms for modular architectures reveals a $4.9\times$ and $1.6\times$ improvement in terms of execution time and non-local communications, respectively, compared to the best performing algorithm. HQA emerges as a very promising scalable approach for mapping quantum circuits into multi-core architectures, positioning it as a valuable tool for harnessing the potential of quantum computing at scale.Comment: Accepted to ACM Transaction in Quantum Computin

Intracellular Persisting Staphylococcus aureus Is the Major Pathogen in Recurrent Tonsillitis

BACKGROUND: The two major indications for tonsillectomy are recurrent tonsillitis (RT) and peritonsillar abscess (PTA). Unlike PTAs, which are primarily treated surgically, RT is often cured by tonsillectomy only after a series of failed drug therapy attempts. Although the bacteriological background of RT has been studied, the reason for the lack of success of conservative therapeutic approaches is not well understood. METHODS: In a prospective study, tonsil specimens from 130 RT patients and 124 PTA patients were examined for the presence of extra- and intracellular bacteria using antibiotic protection assays. Staphylococcus aureus isolates from RT patients were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), spa-typing and MSCRAMM-gene-PCR. Their ability for biofilm formation was tested and their cell invasiveness was confirmed by a flow cytometric invasion assay (FACS), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry. FINDINGS: S. aureus was the predominant species (57.7%) in RT patients, whereas Streptococcus pyogenes was most prevalent (20.2%) in PTA patients. Three different assays (FACS, FISH, antibiotic protection assay) showed that nearly all RT-associated S. aureus strains were located inside tonsillar cells. Correspondingly, the results of the MSCRAMM-gene-PCRs confirmed that 87% of these S. aureus isolates were invasive strains and not mere colonizers. Based upon PFGE analyses of genomic DNA and on spa-gene typing the vast majority of the S. aureus isolates belonged to different clonal lineages. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that intracellular residing S. aureus is the most common cause of RT and indicate that S. aureus uses this location to survive the effects of antibiotics and the host immune response. A German translation of the Abstract is provided as supplementary material (Abstract S1)

Durability extension in PVC-P liners used for waterproofing irrigation reservoirs with lacquering technology

[SPA] Las geomembranas de PVC-P se han utilizado para impermeabilizar obras hidráulicas desde los años 40 del siglo XX. En España, las balsas para riego agrícola han sido uno de los campos en los que se ha utilizado este material con mayor profusión. Las barreras geosintéticas han permitido construir balsas impermeables con unos costes muy competitivos y unos niveles de seguridad elevados, pero en ciertos casos con una vida útil limitada, por lo que la durabilidad de los materiales se ha convertido en una cuestión clave a la hora de asegurar la viabilidad de los proyectos de construcción de balsas. A día de hoy, existe un stock importante de láminas instaladas en balsas con 30 y 40 años de antigüedad, lo cual ha permitido (1) conocer los principales procesos de degradación de estos materiales e (2) introducir mejoras en el diseño y fabricación de estos materiales. La tecnología de lacado, consistente en la aplicación de una fina película en la superficie de la lámina, ha permitido aumentar la durabilidad de las geomembranas de PVC de manera radical. Ensayos de envejecimiento acelerado demuestran que la aplicación de estas lacas puede llegar a doblar la vida útil de la lámina, ya que son capaces de desacelerar distintos procesos de degradación. Las balsas de Llanos de Mesa y Valle Molina, en la isla de Tenerife, han adoptado esta tecnología, lo cual ha permitido a sus propietarios disponer de garantías de hasta 20 años de duración, maximizando el retorno de la inversión y resultando en una mayor eficiencia en el uso de recursos. [ENG] PVC-P geomembranes have been used to waterproof hydraulic works since the 1940s. In Spain, agricultural irrigation reservoirs has been one of the fields in which this material has been used with greatest profusion. Geosynthetic barriers have enabled the construction of watertight reservoirs with very competitive costs and high levels of safety, but in certain cases with a limited service life, so the durability of the materials has become a key issue when appraising the viability of reservoir construction projects. To date, there is an important stock of liners installed in rafts 30 and 40 years old, which has allowed (1) to understand the main degradation processes of these materials and (2) to introduce improvements in the design and manufacturing of these materials. Lacquering technology, consisting of the application of a thin film on the surface of the sheet, has made it possible to radically increase the durability of PVC geomembranes. Accelerated aging tests show that the application of these lacquers can double the useful life of the sheet, since they are capable of slowing down different degradation processes. The Llanos de Mesa and Valle Molina rafts, on the island of Tenerife, have adopted this technology, which has allowed their owners to have guarantees of up to 20 years, maximizing the return on investment and resulting in a greater efficiency in the use of resources