Superfluid and Pseudo-Goldstone Modes in Three Flavor Crystalline Color Superconductivity

We study the bosonic excitations in the favorite cubic three flavor crystalline LOFF phases of QCD. We calculate in the Ginzburg-Landau approximation the masses of the eight pseudo Nambu-Goldstone Bosons (NGB) present in the low energy theory. We also compute the decay constants of the massless NGB Goldstones associated to superfluidity as well as those of the eight pseudo NGB. Differently from the corresponding situation in the Color-Flavor-Locking phase, we find that meson condensation phases are not expected in the present scenario.Comment: 10 pages, RevTeX4 class. Section IIIA enlarged, to appear on Phys. Rev.

Miscible displacement fronts of shear thinning fluids inside rough fractures

The miscible displacement of a shear-thinning fluid by another of same rheological properties is studied experimentally in a transparent fracture by an optical technique imaging relative concentration distributions. The fracture walls have complementary self-affine geometries and are shifted laterally in the direction perpendicular to the mean flow velocity {\bf U} : the flow field is strongly channelized and macro dispersion controls the front structure for P\'{e}clet numbers above a few units. The global front width increases then linearly with time and reflects the velocity distribution between the different channels. In contrast, at the local scale, front spreading is similar to Taylor dispersion between plane parallel surfaces. Both dispersion mechanisms depend strongly on the fluid rheology which shifts from Newtonian to shear-thinning when the flow rate increases. In the latter domain, increasing the concentration enhances the global front width but reduces both Taylor dispersion (due to the flattening of the velocity profile in the gap of the fracture) and the size of medium scale front structures

Phase sensitive detection of dipole radiation in a fiber-based high numerical aperture optical system

We theoretically study the problem of detecting dipole radiation in an optical system of high numerical aperture in which the detector is sensitive to \textit{field amplitude}. In particular, we model the phase sensitive detector as a single-mode cylindrical optical fiber. We find that the maximum in collection efficiency of the dipole radiation does not coincide with the optimum resolution for the light gathering instrument. The calculated results are important for analyzing fiber-based confocal microscope performance in fluorescence and spectroscopic studies of single molecules and/or quantum dots.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Nonlinear diffusion & thermo-electric coupling in a two-variable model of cardiac action potential

This work reports the results of the theoretical investigation of nonlinear dynamics and spiral wave breakup in a generalized two-variable model of cardiac action potential accounting for thermo-electric coupling and diffusion nonlinearities. As customary in excitable media, the common Q10 and Moore factors are used to describe thermo-electric feedback in a 10-degrees range. Motivated by the porous nature of the cardiac tissue, in this study we also propose a nonlinear Fickian flux formulated by Taylor expanding the voltage dependent diffusion coefficient up to quadratic terms. A fine tuning of the diffusive parameters is performed a priori to match the conduction velocity of the equivalent cable model. The resulting combined effects are then studied by numerically simulating different stimulation protocols on a one-dimensional cable. Model features are compared in terms of action potential morphology, restitution curves, frequency spectra and spatio-temporal phase differences. Two-dimensional long-run simulations are finally performed to characterize spiral breakup during sustained fibrillation at different thermal states. Temperature and nonlinear diffusion effects are found to impact the repolarization phase of the action potential wave with non-monotone patterns and to increase the propensity of arrhythmogenesis

Rhythmic TMS as a Feasible Tool to Uncover the Oscillatory Signatures of Audiovisual Integration

Multisensory integration is quintessential to adaptive behavior, with clinical populations showing significant impairments in this domain, most notably hallucinatory reports. Interestingly, altered cross-modal interactions have also been reported in healthy individuals when engaged in tasks such as the Sound-Induced Flash-Illusion (SIFI). The temporal dynamics of the SIFI have been recently tied to the speed of occipital alpha rhythms (IAF), with faster oscillations entailing reduced temporal windows within which the illusion is experienced. In this regard, entrainment-based protocols have not yet implemented rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rhTMS) to causally test for this relationship. It thus remains to be evaluated whether rhTMS-induced acoustic and somatosensory sensations may not specifically interfere with the illusion. Here, we addressed this issue by asking 27 volunteers to perform a SIFI paradigm under different Sham and active rhTMS protocols, delivered over the occipital pole at the IAF. Although TMS has been proven to act upon brain tissues excitability, results show that the SIFI occurred for both Sham and active rhTMS, with the illusory rate not being significantly different between baseline and stimulation conditions. This aligns with the discrete sampling hypothesis, for which alpha amplitude modulation, known to reflect changes in cortical excitability, should not account for changes in the illusory rate. Moreover, these findings highlight the viability of rhTMS-based interventions as a means to probe the neuroelectric signatures of illusory and hallucinatory audiovisual experiences, in healthy and neuropsychiatric populations

Strong extinction of a far-field laser beam by a single quantum dot

Through the utilization of index-matched GaAs immersion lens techniques we demonstrate a record extinction (12%) of a far-field focused laser by a single InAs/GaAs quantum dot. This contrast level enables us to report for the first time resonant laser transmission spectroscopy on a single InAs/GaAs quantum dot without the need for phase-sensitive lock-in detection

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI): Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

Introduction More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. Methods and analysis EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. Ethics and dissemination EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369