Many-nodes/many-links spinfoam: the homogeneous and isotropic case

I compute the Lorentzian EPRL/FK/KKL spinfoam vertex amplitude for regular graphs, with an arbitrary number of links and nodes, and coherent states peaked on a homogeneous and isotropic geometry. This form of the amplitude can be applied for example to a dipole with an arbitrary number of links or to the 4-simplex given by the compete graph on 5 nodes. All the resulting amplitudes have the same support, independently of the graph used, in the large j (large volume) limit. This implies that they all yield the Friedmann equation: I show this in the presence of the cosmological constant. This result indicates that in the semiclassical limit quantum corrections in spinfoam cosmology do not come from just refining the graph, but rather from relaxing the large j limit.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Summary of the CMS Discovery Potential for the MSSM SUSY Higgses

This work summarises the present understanding of the expected MSSM SUSY Higgs reach for CMS. Many of the studies presented here result from detailed detector simulations incorporating final CMS detector design and response. With 30 fb-1 the h -> gamma,gamma and h -> bb channels allow to cover most of the MSSM parameter space. For the massive A,H,H+ MSSM Higgs states the channels A,H -> tau,tau and H+ -> tau,nu turn out to be the most profitable ones in terms of mass reach and parameter space coverage. Consequently CMS has made a big effort to trigger efficiently on taus. Provided neutralinos and sleptons are not too heavy, there is an interesting complementarity in the reaches for A,H -> tau,tau and A,H -> chi,chi.Comment: 19 pages, 27 figure

Lack of Temporal Impairment in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

In the present study, we investigate possible temporal impairment in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the amount of temporal distortions caused by the presentation of emotional facial expressions (anger, shame, and neutral) in MCI patients and controls. Twelve older adults with MCI and 14 healthy older adults were enrolled in the present study. All participants underwent a complete neuropsychological evaluation. We used three timing tasks to tap temporal abilities, namely time bisection (standard intervals lasting 400 and 1600 ms), finger-tapping (free and 1 s), and simple reaction-time tasks. The stimuli used in the time bisection task were facial emotional stimuli expressing anger or shame to investigate a possible contribution of emotional information as previously observed in healthy adults. MCI patients showed temporal abilities comparable to controls. We observed an effect of facial emotional stimuli on time perception when data were analyzed in terms of proportion of long responses, and this result was mainly driven by the temporal overestimation when a facial expression of anger was presented in controls. Results seem to suggest that the severity of the cognitive dysfunction accounts more for subjective temporal impairment than a compromised internal clock

Projection-based measurement and identification

A recently developed Projection-based Digital Image Correlation (P-DVC) method is here extended to 4D (space and time) displacement field measurement and mechanical identification based on a single radiograph per loading step instead of volumes as in standard DVC methods. Two levels of data reductions are exploited, namely, reduction of the data acquisition (and time) by a factor of 1000 and reduction of the solution space by exploiting model reduction techniques. The analysis of a complete tensile elastoplastic test composed of 127 loading steps performed in 6 minutes is presented. The 4D displacement field as well as the elastoplastic constitutive law are identified. Keywords: Image-based identification, Model reduction, Fast 4D identification, In-situ tomography measurements. INTRODUCTION Identification and validation of increasingly complex mechanical models is a major concern in experimental solid mechanics. The recent developments of computed tomography coupled with in-situ tests provide extremely rich and non-destructive analyses [1]. In the latter cases, the sample was imaged inside a tomograph, either with interrupted mechanical load or with a continuously evolving loading and on-the-fly acquisitions (as ultra-fast X-ray synchrotron tomography, namely, 20 Hz full scan acquisition for the study of crack propagation [2]). Visualization of fast transformations, crack openings, or unsteady behavior become accessible. Combined with full-field measurements, in-situ tests offer a quantitative basis for identifying a broad range of mechanical behavior.Comment: SEM 2019, Jun 2019, Reno, United State

Genome-wide analysis reveals the patterns of genetic diversity and population structure of 8 Italian local chicken breeds

The aim of this study was to conduct a genome-wide comparative analysis of 8 local Italian chicken breeds (Ermellinata di Rovigo, Millefiori di Lonigo [PML], Polverara Bianca, Polverara Nera, Padovana, Pepoi [PPP], Robusta Lionata, and Robusta Maculata), all under a conservation plan, to understand their genetic diversity and population structure. A total of 152 animals were analyzed using the Affymetrix Axiom 600 K Chicken Genotyping Array. The levels of genetic diversity were highest and lowest in PML and PPP, respectively. The results of genomic inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity (ROH; FROH) showed marked differences among breeds and ranged from 0.161 (PML) to 0.478 (PPP). Furthermore, in all breeds, short ROH (<4 Mb in length) were more frequent than long segments. Patterns of genetic differentiation, model-based clustering, and neighbor networks showed that most breeds formed nonoverlapping clusters and were clearly separate populations. The 2 Polverara breeds shared a similar genetic background and showed the lowest genetic differentiation in comparison with purebred lines; the local populations showed separated groups. PPP and PML were closer to the group of the purebred broiler lines (BRSA, BRSB, BRDA, and BRDB). Six genomic regions are presented as hotspots of autozygosity among the Italian chicken breeds, with candidate genes involved in multiple morphological phenotypes as breast muscle, muscle dry matter content, and body weight. This study is the first exhaustive genome-wide analysis of the diversity of these Italian local chickens from Veneto region. We conclude that breeds have conserved authentic genetic patterns. The results are of significant importance because they will help design and implement conservation strategies. In fact, the conservation of these breeds may also have positive impacts on the local economy, niche traditional markets, and offering a source of high-quality products to consumers. In this context, genomic information may play a crucial role in the management of local breeds

BAFF Index and CXCL13 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid associate respectively with intrathecal IgG synthesis and cortical atrophy in multiple sclerosis at clinical onset

Abstract Background B lymphocytes are thought to play a relevant role in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology. The in vivo analysis of intrathecally produced B cell-related cytokines may help to clarify the mechanisms of B cell recruitment and immunoglobulin production within the central nervous system (CNS) in MS. Methods Paired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum specimens from 40 clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS or early-onset relapsing-remitting MS patients (CIS/eRRMS) and 17 healthy controls (HC) were analyzed for the intrathecal synthesis of IgG (quantitative formulae and IgG oligoclonal bands, IgGOB), CXCL13, BAFF, and IL-21. 3D-FLAIR, 3D-DIR, and 3D-T1 MRI sequences were applied to evaluate white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) lesions and global cortical thickness (gCTh). Results Compared to HC, CIS/eRRMS having IgGOB (IgGOB+, 26 patients) had higher intrathecal IgG indexes ( p \u2009<\u20090.01), lower values of BAFF Index (11.9\u2009\ub1\u20096.1 vs 17.5\u2009\ub1\u20095.2, p \u2009<\u20090.01), and higher CSF CXCL13 levels (27.7\u2009\ub1\u200933.5 vs 0.9\u2009\ub1\u20091.5, p \u2009<\u20090.005). In these patients, BAFF Index but not CSF CXCL13 levels inversely correlated with the intrathecal IgG synthesis ( r \u2009>\u20090.5 and p \u2009<\u20090.05 for all correlations). CSF leukocyte counts were significantly higher in IgGOB+ compared to IgGOB\u2212 ( p \u2009<\u20090.05) and HC ( p \u2009<\u20090.01), and correlated to CSF CXCL13 concentrations ( r 0.77, p \u2009<\u20090.001). The gCTh was significantly lower in patients with higher CSF CXCL13 levels (2.41\u2009\ub1\u20090.1 vs 2.49\u2009\ub1\u20090.1\ua0mm, p \u2009<\u20090.05), while no difference in MRI parameters of WM and GM pathology was observed between IgGOB+ and IgGOB\u2212. Conclusions The intrathecal IgG synthesis inversely correlated with BAFF Index and showed no correlation with CSF CXCL13. These findings seem to indicate that intrathecally synthesized IgG are produced by long-term PCs that have entered the CNS from the peripheral blood, rather than produced by PCs developed in the meningeal follicle-like structures (FLS). In this study, CXCL13 identifies a subgroup of MS patients characterized by ..

Introduction

Introductory chapter to the book The State of Open Data: Histories and Horizons

NMR profiling of grape musts from some Italian regions

With wine fraud, being a widespread problem [1], the need for more sophisticated and precise analytical methods of its detection remains ever persistent. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been widely used for analysis of wine in recent years [2,3], but wine musts were much less studied; in fact, only one paper dealt with the NMR spectra of actual musts [4]. Difficulties arise mostly because grape musts are “live” objects, which undergo rapid fermentation at room temperature, if not inhibited either by freezing or chemical preservative; but even such measures are not sufficient to halt it completely [5]. We have investigated over 300 samples of grape must from 17 of 20 different Italian regions using 1H NMR spectroscopy with water signal suppression, postprocessing in the MatLab software with dynamic alignment [6] and optimized binning [7] to alleviate the effect of fermentation on the chemical shifts of mobile protons. After that, multivariate statistics was performed with techniques such as PCA, PLS-DA and OPLS-DA with respect to various group parameters such as regions, vitivinicultural zones, harvest periods and grape varieties. Advantages and drawbacks of each method were addresse

Hospital Adauto Botelho: Controle Social e Mulheres - Vitória-ES (1954-1956)

Esta dissertação versa sobre as internações de mulheres, ocorridas no Hospital Psiquiátrico Adauto Botelho, localizado em Cariacica, município que compõe a atual região metropolitana de Vitória, no Espírito Santo. Essas internações possuem um caráter intrigante, uma vez que poderiam servir para reprimir comportamentos femininos considerados antissociais perante a sociedade para simplesmente silenciar quem incomodava os demais. Por isso, o hospício, muitas vezes foi considerado um cemitério de vivos, pois ele era capaz de incapacitar, anular e matar socialmente quem destoasse do interesse de alguém com mais poder. Seu poder de coerção era maior do que o de cuidado, pois a cura era descartada em quase todas as hipóteses. Por meio dos prontuários das mulheres internadas no Hospital Adauto Botelho, relatórios de governo do Estado do Espírito Santo, revistas e jornais que ditam os padrões morais e monografias de médicos psiquiatras do século XX, foi possível reconstruir parte do pensamento psiquiátrico brasileiro e sua vertente punitiva e que, em outras épocas, servia ao dito progresso da nação. Palavras-chaves: Mulheres; Controle social; Hospital Psiquiátrico Adauto Botelho

La hipoglucemia incrementa el gasto en salud y deteriora la productividad de pacientes con diabetes tipo 1 y tipo 2

La hipoglucemia es la dificultad más temida del tratamiento con insulina, con posible impacto social y sobre la utilización de recursos en salud, aspectos evaluados infrecuentemente. Objectivos: Describir el impacto de la hipoglucemia sobre el desempeño social y el uso de recursos en salud, en pacientes argentinos del estudio HAT. Metodologías: Estudio internacional, no intervencional que evaluó hipoglucemia severa (HS) y no severa (HNS) en pacientes con DM1 y DM2 tratados con insulina, mediante cuestionarios de autoreporte: el 1° transversal retrospectivo sobre periodos de 6 meses (HS) y 4 semanas (HNS) y el 2° prospectivo de 28 días (HS e HNS). Resultados: Participaron 1253 pacientes (DM1: 433, DM2: 823); en promedio, edad 41.7 y 63 años, duración de la diabetes 17.6 y 15.4 años y HbA1c 8.1% y 7.8% para DM1 y DM2 respectivamente. En el período retrospectivo 82.7% (DM1) y 48.6% (DM2) informaron al menos 1 HNS; 37.9% y 16.3% comunicaron HS. En el período prospectivo, 88.1% y 44.6% reportaron HNS, 21.5% y 8.5% HS para DM1 y DM2 respectivamente. En el período retrospectivo, 24(6.1%) pacientes y 16(3.2%) requirieron admisión hospitalaria, 13(3.4%) y 23(5%) asistieron a consultas adicionales y 75(19.6%) y 84(18.2%) se comunicaron telefónicamente con algún integrante del sistema de salud, debido a una hipoglucemia para DM1 y DM2, respectivamente. Desempeño laboral (período retrospectivo) los pacientes faltaron 3.1(3) y 5.8(7.9), llegaron tarde 3.5(3.9) y 6.9(9.4), se retiraron antes 10.5(53.5) y 4.7(8.4) (días en promedio [DS]) para DM1 y DM2 respectivamente. En el período prospectivo faltaron 2.5(3) y 2.7(1.2), llegaron tarde 1.4(0.9) y 1.3(0.5), se retiraron antes 1.7(1) y 1.3(0.5) días para DM1/DM2 respectivamente. Conclusiones: En una muestra de personas de la Argentina con DM1 y DM2 tratados con insulina, la hipoglucemia generó mayor uso de recursos en salud y deterioró el desempeño laboral/académico de los pacientes.Facultad de Ciencias Médica