Universal relations in the finite-size correction terms of two-dimensional Ising models

Quite recently, Izmailian and Hu [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 5160 (2001)] studied the finite-size correction terms for the free energy per spin and the inverse correlation length of the critical two-dimensional Ising model. They obtained the universal amplitude ratio for the coefficients of two series. In this study we give a simple derivation of this universal relation; we do not use an explicit form of series expansion. Moreover, we show that the Izmailian and Hu's relation is reduced to a simple and exact relation between the free energy and the correlation length. This equation holds at any temperature and has the same form as the finite-size scaling.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, to appear in Phys. Rev. E, Rapid Communication

Emotional, hyperactivity and inattention problems in adolescents with immunocompromising chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: To assess factors associated with emotional changes and Hyperactivity/Inattention (HI) motivated by COVID-19 quarantine in adolescents with immunocompromising diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 343 adolescents with immunocompromising diseases and 108 healthy adolescents. Online questionnaires were answered including socio-demographic data and self-rated healthcare routine during COVID-19 quarantine and validated surveys: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL4.0). Results: The frequencies of abnormal emotional SDQ scores from adolescents with chronic diseases were similar to those of healthy subjects (110/343 [32%] vs. 38/108 [35%], p = 0.548), as well as abnormal hyperactivity/inattention SDQ scores (79/343 [23%] vs. 29/108 [27%], p = 0.417). Logistic regression analysis of independent variables associated with abnormal emotional scores from adolescents with chronic diseases showed: female sex (Odds Ratio [OR = 3.76]; 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) 2.00‒7.05; p < 0.001), poor sleep quality (OR = 2.05; 95% CI 1.08‒3.88; p = 0.028) and intrafamilial violence during pandemic (OR = 2.17; 95% CI 1.12‒4.19; p = 0.021) as independently associated with abnormal emotional scores, whereas total PedsQL score was inversely associated with abnormal emotional scores (OR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.93‒0.96; p < 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis associated with abnormal HI scores from patients evidenced that total PedsQL score (OR = 0.97; 95% CI 0.95‒0.99; p = 0.010], changes in medical appointments during the pandemic (OR = 0.39; 95% CI 0.19-0.79; p = 0.021), and reliable COVID-19 information (OR = 0.35; 95% CI 0.16‒0.77; p = 0.026) remained inversely associated with abnormal HI scores. Conclusion: The present study showed emotional and HI disturbances in adolescents with chronic immunosuppressive diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reinforces the need to promptly implement a longitudinal program to protect the mental health of adolescents with and without chronic illnesses during future pandemics

Redes epóxi/amina alifáticas com perspectivas para aplicações cardiovasculares. Propriedades biológicas in vitro

Este trabalho descreve as propriedades biológicas in vitro de três redes epoxídicas à base do éter diglicidílico do glicerol (DGEG) curadas com poli(oxipropileno) diamina (D230), isoforona diamina (IPD) e 4,4'-diamino-3,3'-dimetil-diciclohexilmetano (3DCM). As interações biológicas entre os polímeros e o sangue foram estudadas por ensaios biológicos in vitro. Estudos de adsorção de proteínas, adesão de plaquetas, atividade do lactato desidrogenase (LDH) e propriedades de tromboresistência estão apresentados. Os ensaios de adsorção de proteínas na superfície dos polímeros mostrou que as redes epoxídicas adsorvem mais albumina do que fibrinogênio. Os resultados relacionados à adesão de plaquetas, atividade do lactato hidrogenase e propriedades de tromboresistência indicaram que as redes DGEG/IPD e DGEG/3DCM exibem comportamento hemocompatível. Desta maneira, assumimos que estes polímeros epoxídicos são materiais compatíveis com o sangue

Consistent patterns of common species across tropical tree communities

Trees structure the Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical forests. The vast number of tree species presents a formidable challenge to understanding these forests, including their response to environmental change, as very little is known about most tropical tree species. A focus on the common species may circumvent this challenge. Here we investigate abundance patterns of common tree species using inventory data on 1,003,805 trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm across 1,568 locations1,2,3,4,5,6 in closed-canopy, structurally intact old-growth tropical forests in Africa, Amazonia and Southeast Asia. We estimate that 2.2%, 2.2% and 2.3% of species comprise 50% of the tropical trees in these regions, respectively. Extrapolating across all closed-canopy tropical forests, we estimate that just 1,053 species comprise half of Earth’s 800 billion tropical trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm. Despite differing biogeographic, climatic and anthropogenic histories7, we find notably consistent patterns of common species and species abundance distributions across the continents. This suggests that fundamental mechanisms of tree community assembly may apply to all tropical forests. Resampling analyses show that the most common species are likely to belong to a manageable list of known species, enabling targeted efforts to understand their ecology. Although they do not detract from the importance of rare species, our results open new opportunities to understand the world’s most diverse forests, including modelling their response to environmental change, by focusing on the common species that constitute the majority of their trees