Observation of noise-assisted transport in an all-optical cavity-based network

Recent theoretical and experimental efforts have shown the remarkable and counter-intuitive role of noise in enhancing the transport efficiency of complex systems. Here, we realize simple, scalable, and controllable optical fiber cavity networks that allow us to analyze the performance of transport networks for different conditions of interference, dephasing and disorder. In particular, we experimentally demonstrate that the transport efficiency reaches a maximum when varying the external dephasing noise, i.e. a bell-like shape behavior that had been predicted only theoretically. These optical platforms are very promising simulators of quantum transport phenomena, and could be used, in particular, to design and test optimal topologies of artificial light-harvesting structures for future solar energy technologies.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, new version accepted in PR

Wernicke Korsakoff Encephalopathy

Consideration for Wernicke encephalopathy should be given to patients with any evidence of long-term alco- hol abuse or malnutrition and any of the following: acute confusion, decreased conscious level, ataxia, ophthalmo- plegia, memory disturbance, hypothermia with hypoten- sion, and delirium tremens. Wernicke encephalopathy should be considered when any patient with long-term malnutrition presents with confusion or altered metal sta- tus. Signi cant overlap exists between Wernicke enceph- alopathy and Korsako psychosis, in which patients ex- perience delayed and potentially irreversible anterograde and retrograde amnesia. For this reason, the two entities have been described together as Wernicke-Korsako syn- drome. Bariatric surgery, human immunode ciency virus, hyperemesis gravidarum, and other disorders associated with grossly impaired nutritional status have been asso- ciated with Wernicke-Korsako syndrome. Additionally, infantile thiamine de ciency with manifestations of Wer- nicke syndrome has been reported in infants fed formula that was de cient in thiamine. Implementation therapy, with thiamine is a fun- damental approach for the treatment of WE: it must be avoided the administration of ev glucose, which may cause a precipitation of thiamine defects. No therapy has been validated for the treatment of Korsako amnestic syndrome. erefore, the clinicians should avoid any po- tential precipitating factor in speci c patients, more at risk to develop Wernicke-Korsako syndrome

Effect of airborne particle abrasion on microtensile bond strength of total-etch adhesives to human dentin

Aim of this study was to investigate a specific airborne particle abrasion pretreatment on dentin and its effects on microtensile bond strengths of four commercial total-etch adhesives. Midcoronal occlusal dentin of extracted human molars was used. Teeth were randomly assigned to 4 groups according to the adhesive system used: OptiBond FL (FL), OptiBond Solo Plus (SO), Prime & Bond (PB), and Riva Bond LC (RB). Specimens from each group were further divided into two subgroups: control specimens were treated with adhesive procedures; abraded specimens were pretreated with airborne particle abrasion using 50 mu m Al2O3 before adhesion. After bonding procedures, composite crowns were incrementally built up. Specimens were sectioned perpendicular to adhesive interface to producemultiple beams, which were tested under tension until failure. Data were statistically analysed. Failure mode analysis was performed. Overall comparison showed significant increase in bond strength (p < 0.001) between abraded and no-abraded specimens, independently of brand. Intrabrand comparison showed statistical increase when abraded specimens were tested compared to no-abraded ones, with the exception of PB that did not show such difference. Distribution of failure mode was relatively uniform among all subgroups. Surface treatment by airborne particle abrasion with Al2O3 particles can increase the bond strength of total-etch adhesive

Food Design as a Strategy for the Global Community

The paper aims to identify the role of Design Culture in adopting food and gastronomic practices as strategic tools to enhance dialogues between different cultures. The research analyses the cases in which contemporary Design Culture adopts food as a possibility of social inclusion, understanding of the global flows of people, transformation techniques, and novel rituals. Food and food cycles can be interpreted as "language", as well as an opportunity to create circular business activities based on the rediscovery and on the strengthening of the links between territories and communities in a globalised scenario increasingly attentive to the experiences of fusion between cultures. Design culture can become a mediator, a facilitator and a promoter of solutions and models of integration between cultural components we commonly consider "strong" and "weak", "host" and "settled", "traditional" and "modern", "slow" and "fast", "typical" and "atopic". Thus an "open" scenario is outlined in which projects and researches oriented to the diffusion of more sustainable and "community centred" food cultures are renewed and take on new meanings. New cultures emerge which, while keeping their cultural roots, evolve into a transcultural society. The Design Culture is called to recognise and co-design these new “food acts” of the contemporary transcultural societies

Disorder and dephasing as control knobs for light transport in optical fiber cavity networks

Transport phenomena represent a very interdisciplinary topic with applications in many fields of science, such as physics, chemistry, and biology. In this context, the possibility to design a perfectly controllable experimental setup, where to tune and optimize its dynamics parameters, is a challenging but very relevant task to emulate, for instance, the transmission of energy in light harvesting processes. Here, we experimentally build a scalable and controllable transport emulator based on optical fiber cavity networks where the system noise parameters can be finely tuned while maximizing the transfer efficiency. In particular, we demonstrate that disorder and dephasing noise are two control knobs allowing one to play with constructive and destructive interference to optimize the transport paths towards an exit site. These optical setups, on one side, mimic the transport dynamics in natural photosynthetic organisms and, on the other, are very promising platforms to artificially design optimal nanoscale structures for novel, more efficient, clean energy technologies

Visually-impaired children and apps: sharing informal and formal information to guide choice

[ES] Digital technologies play an important role in the development of partially children, who require early intervention to help sustain and improve their visual capacity throughout childhood, and also to stimulate their other senses so as to prevent any global development deficit. To this end, therapists, parents and teachers must be able to choose from a wide range of suitable, up-to-date digital resources that have been field tested and are well organized so that they can be located easily and rapidly as required. To respond to these needs, the authors have been involved in a research project, which has defined the key features of apps that make them suitable for use by and with visually-impaired children. Consequently, the project developed an online environment that combines structured analytical information from experts with the practical know-how of the user community in a joint effort to support the choice of the most suitable resources to use in different contexts and with different users.Sharehab was developed as part of a project financed by Fondazione Vodafone Italia as part of their “Digital for Social 2015” initiative. We wish to thank all those who were involved in the project and its activities, especially the children with low vision attending the Chiossone Institute’s Centre for Visual Rehabilitation, and their parents.Panesi, S.; Caruso, G.; Earp, J.; Ferlino, L.; Dini, S. (2020). Visually-impaired children and apps: sharing informal and formal information to guide choice. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 189-197. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2019.2019.10119OCS18919

Polimorfismos con valor selectivo en ambientes de altura

no.3 (1977:Jan. 21

An investigation of the self- and inter-incompatibility of the olive cultivars 'Arbequina' and 'Koroneiki' in the Mediterranean climate of Sicily

In this investigation, the self-(in)compatibility of the Spanish cultivar Arbequina and the Greek cultivar Koroneiki was studied for the first time in Sicily, where these low vigour cultivars were recently introduced in super-intensive olive groves. Self- (S.P.) and openpollination (O.P.) tests, observation of fruit set and paternity test of seeds with microsatellite (SSR) markers, were performed to ascertain whether these cultivars were self-fertile and/or inter-compatible. For S.P. tests, branches with flowers at the balloon stage were bagged. For the O.P. tests, flowers were left to pollinate under natural conditions. Fruits from S.P. and O.P. were collected in November and fruit set was calculated. Genomic DNA was extracted from seeds. None of the 'Arbequina' seeds studied in either the S.P. or O.P. tests originated from self-fertilization. In addition, none of these seeds had 'Koroneiki' as the pollen parent. In contrast, 'Koroneiki' was found to be predominantly self-compatible in self-bagged branches, with 70% of the seeds originating from selffertilization. However, the incidence of self-fertilization was low (11%) in seeds from the O.P. test. Low levels of inter-compatibility were found between 'Arbequina' and 'Koroneiki', while many local cultivars were found to be good pollinators. The information presented here will be useful to growers for planning their orchards with suitable pollinators and for our breeding program aiming at obtaining new low vigour olive genotypes. In addition, our results suggested that the recent model of attribution of S-alleles and the prediction of suitable pollinizers for a given variety should be more cautious and always based on controlled crosses and paternity testing of seed from those crosses