Quantum Hamiltonians with Quasi-Ballistic Dynamics and Point Spectrum

Consider the family of Schr\"odinger operators (and also its Dirac version) on $\ell^2(\mathbb{Z})$ or $\ell^2(\mathbb{N})$ $$H^W_{\omega,S}=\Delta + \lambda F(S^n\omega) + W, \quad \omega\in\Omega,$$ where $S$ is a transformation on (compact metric) $\Omega$, $F$ a real Lipschitz function and $W$ a (sufficiently fast) power-decaying perturbation. Under certain conditions it is shown that $H^W_{\omega,S}$ presents quasi-ballistic dynamics for $\omega$ in a dense $G_{\delta}$ set. Applications include potentials generated by rotations of the torus with analytic condition on $F$, doubling map, Axiom A dynamical systems and the Anderson model. If $W$ is a rank one perturbation, examples of $H^W_{\omega,S}$ with quasi-ballistic dynamics and point spectrum are also presented.Comment: 17 pages; to appear in Journal of Differential Equation

Dynamical Delocalization for the 1D Bernoulli Discrete Dirac Operator

An 1D tight-binding version of the Dirac equation is considered; after checking that it recovers the usual discrete Schr?odinger equation in the nonrelativistic limit, it is found that for two-valued Bernoulli potentials the zero mass case presents absence of dynamical localization for specific values of the energy, albeit it has no continuous spectrum. For the other energy values (again excluding some very specific ones) the Bernoulli Dirac system is localized, independently of the mass.Comment: 9 pages, no figures - J. Physics A: Math. Ge

Dynamical Lower Bounds for 1D Dirac Operators

Quantum dynamical lower bounds for continuous and discrete one-dimensional Dirac operators are established in terms of transfer matrices. Then such results are applied to various models, including the Bernoulli-Dirac one and, in contrast to the discrete case, critical energies are also found for the continuous Dirac case with positive mass.Comment: 18 pages; to appear in Math.

Phage amplification coupled with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (PA-LAMP) for same-day detection of viable Salmonella Enteritidis in raw poultry meat

Salmonella Enteritidis is the main serotype responsible for human salmonellosis in the European Union. One of the main sources of Salmonella spp. in the food chain are poultry products, such as eggs or chicken meat. In recent years, molecular methods have become an alternative to culture dependent methods for the rapid screening of Salmonella spp. In this work, the strain S. Enteritidis S1400, and previously isolated and characterized bacteriophage PVP-SE2, were used to develop and evaluate a same-day detection method combining Phage Amplification and Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (PA-LAMP) to specifically detect viable S. Enteritidis in chicken breast. This method is based on the detection of the phage DNA rather than bacterial DNA. The virus is added to the sample during pre-enrichment in buffered peptone water, where it replicates in the presence of viable S. Enteritidis. The detection of phage DNA allows, on the one hand to detect viable bacteria, since viruses only replicate in them, and on the other hand to increase the sensitivity of the method since for each infected S. Enteritidis cell, hundreds of new viruses are produced. Two different PA-LAMP detection strategies were evaluated, a real time fluorescence and a naked-eye detection. The present method could down to 0.2 fg/L of pure phage DNA and a concentration of viral particles of 2.2 log PFU/mL. After a short Salmonella recovery step of 3 h and a co-culture of 4 h of the samples with phage particles, both real-time fluorescence and naked-eye method showed a LoD95 of 6.6 CFU/25 g and a LoD50 of 1.5/25 g in spiked chicken breast samples. The entire detection process, including DNA extraction and LAMP analysis, can be completed in around 8 h. In the current proof-of-concept, the novel PA-LAMP obtained comparable results to those of the reference method ISO 6579, to detect Salmonella Enteritidis in poultry meat.Dr. Alexandre Lamas was funded by a postdoctoral fellowship from Xunta de Galicia (Axudas de apoio a étapa de formación posdoutoral IN606B (Modalidade A)). Dr. Alejandro Garrido-Maestu acknowledges funding from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through the Scientific Employment Stimulus Program (2021.02810.CEECIND).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Glucocorticoid-cholinergic interactions in the dorsal striatum in memory consolidation of inhibitory avoidance training

Extensive evidence indicates that glucocorticoid hormones act in a variety of brain regions to enhance the consolidation of memory of emotionally motivated training experiences. We previously reported that corticosterone, the major glucocorticoid in the rat, administered into the dorsal striatum immediately after inhibitory avoidance training dose-dependently enhances memory consolidation of this training. There is also abundant evidence that the intrinsic cholinergic system of the dorsal striatum is importantly involved in memory consolidation of inhibitory avoidance training. However, it is presently unknown whether these two neuromodulatory systems interact within the dorsal striatum in the formation of long-term memory. To address this issue, we first investigated in male Wistar rats whether the muscarinic receptor agonist oxotremorine administered into the dorsal striatum immediately after inhibitory avoidance training enhances 48 h retention of the training. Subsequently, we examined whether an attenuation of glucocorticoid signaling by either a systemic administration of the corticosterone-synthesis inhibitor metyrapone or an intra-striatal infusion of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU 38486 would block the memory enhancement induced by oxotremorine. Our findings indicate that oxotremorine dose-dependently enhanced 48 h retention latencies, but that the administration of either metyrapone or RU 38486 prevented the memory-enhancing effect of oxotremorine. In the last experiment, corticosterone was infused into the dorsal striatum together with the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine immediately after inhibitory avoidance training. Scopolamine blocked the enhancing effect of corticosterone on 48 h retention performance. These findings indicate that there are mutual interactions between glucocorticoids and the striatal cholinergic system in enhancing the consolidation of memory of inhibitory avoidance training

Spectral and Localization Properties for the One-Dimensional Bernoulli Discrete Dirac Operator

A 1D Dirac tight-binding model is considered and it is shown that its nonrelativistic limit is the 1D discrete Schr?odinger model. For random Bernoulli potentials taking two values (without correlations), for typical realizations and for all values of the mass, it is shown that its spectrum is pure point, whereas the zero mass case presents dynamical delocalization for specific values of the energy. The massive case presents dynamical localization (excluding some particular values of the energy). Finally, for general potentials the dynamical moments for distinct masses are compared, especially the massless and massive Bernoulli cases.Comment: no figure; 24 pages; to appear in Journal of Mathematical Physic

Extinction procedure induces pruning of dendritic spines in CA1 hippocampal field depending on strength of training in rats

Numerous reports indicate that learning and memory of conditioned responses are accompanied by genesis of dendritic spines in the hippocampus, although there is a conspicuous lack of information regarding spine modifications after behavioral extinction. There is ample evidence that treatments that typically produce amnesia become innocuous when animals are submitted to a procedure of enhanced training. We now report that extinction of inhibitory avoidance (IA), trained with relatively low foot-shock intensities, induces pruning of dendritic spines along the length of the apical dendrites of hippocampal CA1 neurons. When animals are trained with a relatively high foot-shock there is a high resistance to extinction, and pruning in the proximal and medial segments of the apical dendrite are seen, while spine count in the distal dendrite remains normal. These results indicate that pruning is involved in behavioral extinction, while maintenance of spines is a probable mechanism that mediates the protecting effect against amnesic treatments produced by enhanced training

Učinak praha avokada, suncokretova ulja te različitih omjera voluminozne i koncentrirane krme u obroku na unos hrane, probavljivost hrane i proizvodnost mladih ovnova

The objective of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of avocado flour and sunflower oil as energy sources in different proportions, as well as different forage:concentrate ratios on the productive performance and feed intake of male rams, and the in vitro dry matter digestibility, organic matter digestibility and gas production. The intake was measured in diets containing avocado flour or sunflower oil with 60% forage: 40% concentrate, and in diets with different forage:concentrate ratios and 10% inclusion of avocado flour or sunflower oil. The daily weight gain was registered for 84 days, the in vitro dry matter digestibility was determined at 48 h, and the in vitro gas production was evaluated at 72 h. The partial production of gas at 24 hours, raw protein, raw fat, and ash were used to estimate the metabolizable energy and organic matter digestibility. Low levels of avocado flour and sunflower oil in the diet showed the highest intake, in vitro dry matter digestibility and in vitro gas production. Daily weight gains were 0.28 kg in avocado flour and 0.30 kg in sunflower oil diets, both at 10% inclusion and 40% forage: 60% concentrate. The inclusion of high levels of avocado flour or forage in the diet decreased the feed intake of male sheep. The best avocado flour level was 10% with 40% forage: 60% concentrate.Cilj rada bio je istražiti utjecaj različitih omjera između praha avokada i suncokretova ulja kao izvora energije, te različitih omjera između voluminozne i koncentrirane krme u obroku na unos hrane i proizvodnost mladih ovnova. Osim toga, in vitro istražena je probavljivost suhe tvari, probavljivost organske tvari i proizvodnja plina. Unos hrane mjeren je u obrocima koji su sadržavali prah avokada ili suncokretovo ulje uz omjer između voluminozne i koncentrirane krme od 60:40% ili u obrocima sa različitim omjerom voluminozne i koncentrirane krme uz dodatak 10% praha avokada ili suncokretova ulja. Dnevni prirast bilježen je tijekom 84 dana. Probavljivost suhe tvari in vitro određivana je 48 h, a proizvodnja plina in vitro 72 h od uzimanja uzoraka. Za određivanje metaboličke energije i probavljivosti organske tvari korišteni su parcijalna proizvodnja plina 24-ti sat, sirovi protein, sirova mast i pepeo. Niske razine praha avokada i suncokretova ulja u obroku rezultirale su najvišim unosom hrane te najvišom in vitro probavljivošću suhe tvari i in vitro proizvodnjom plina. Dnevni prirast bio je 0,28 kg u životinja kojima je davano 10% praha avokada, 0,30 kg u životinja kojima je davano 10% suncokretova ulja, pri čemu je omjer voluminozne i koncentrirane krme iznosio 40:60%. Dodavanje visokih razina praha avokada ili voluminozne krme u obrok dovelo je do nižeg unosa hrane kod mladih ovnova pa je zaključeno da je najpovoljnija razina dodanog praha avokada 10% uz omjer voluminozne i koncentrirane krme 40:60%

Estradiol valerate and alcohol intake: dose-response assessments

BACKGROUND: An injection of estradiol valerate (EV) provides estradiol for a prolonged period. Recent research indicates that a single 2.0 mg injection of EV modifies a female rat's appetite for alcoholic beverages. This research extends the initial research by assessing 8 doses of EV (from .001 to 2.0 mg/female rat), as well assessing the effects of 2.0 mg EV in females with ovariectomies. RESULTS: With the administration of EV, there was a dose-related loss of bodyweight reaching the maximum loss, when it occurred, at about 4 days after injections. Subsequently, rats returned to gaining weight regularly. Of the doses tested, only the 2.0 mg dose produced a consistent increase in intake of ethanol during the time previous research indicated that the rats would show enhanced intakes. There was, however, a dose-related trend for smaller doses to enhance intakes. Rats with ovariectomies showed a similar pattern of effects, to intact rats, with the 2 mg dose. After extensive histories of intake of alcohol, both placebo and EV-treated females had estradiol levels below the average measured in females without a history of alcohol-intake. CONCLUSION: The data support the conclusion that pharmacological doses of estradiol can produce enduring changes that are manifest as an enhanced appetite for alcoholic beverages. The effect can occur among females without ovaries

Morris water maze overtraining increases the density of thorny excrescences in the basal dendrites of CA3 pyramidal neurons

The hippocampus plays a fundamental role in spatial learning and memory. Dentate gyrus (DG) granular neurons project mainly to proximal apical dendrites of neurons in the CA3 stratum lucidum and also, to some extent, to the basal dendrites of CA3 pyramidal cells in the stratum oriens. The terminal specializations of DG neurons are the mossy fibers (MF), and these huge axon terminals show expansion in the CA3 stratum oriens after the animals undergo overtraining in the Morris Water Maze task (MWM). However, to our knowledge there are no reports regarding the possible changes in density of post-synaptic targets of these terminals in the basal dendrites of CA3 neurons after overtraining in the MWM. The purpose of this work was to study the density of thorny excrescences (TE) and other dendritic spine types (stubby, thin, and mushroom) in the CA3 stratum oriens in animals overtrained in the MWM for three consecutive days and in animals trained for only one day. Seven days after MWM training, the animals were sacrificed, and their brains removed and processed for rapid Golgi staining to visualize the different types of dendritic protrusions. Our results revealed that the relative quantity of stubby, thin, and mushroom dendritic spines did not change, regardless of amount of training. However, a significant increase in the density of TE was detected in the overtrained animals. These results strongly suggest that spatial water maze overtraining induces an increased density of MF–TE connections, which might be functionally relevant for long-term spatial memory formation.Fil: Gómez Padilla, Eurídice. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro.; MéxicoFil: Bello Medina, Paola C.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: León Jacinto, Uriel. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Orta Salazar, Erika. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Quirarte, Gina L.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Ramirez Amaya, Victor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro.; MéxicoFil: Prado Alcalá, Roberto A.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Díaz Cintra, Sofía. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Méxic