Evidence for entanglement at high temperatures in an engineered molecular magnet

The molecular compound [Fe$_{2}$($\mu_{2}$-oxo)(C$_{3}$H$_{4}$N$_{2}$)$_{6}$(C$_{2}$O$_{4}$)$_{2}$] was designed and synthesized for the first time and its structure was determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The magnetic susceptibility of this compound was measured from 2 to 300 K. The analysis of the susceptibility data using protocols developed for other spin singlet ground-state systems indicates that the quantum entanglement would remain at temperatures up to 732 K, significantly above the highest entanglement temperature reported to date. The large gap between the ground state and the first-excited state (282 K) suggests that the spin system may be somewhat immune to decohering mechanisms. Our measurements strongly suggest that molecular magnets are promising candidate platforms for quantum information processing

Coupling of Josephson flux-flow oscillators to an external RC load

We investigate by numerical simulations the behavior of the power dissipated in a resistive load capacitively coupled to a Josephson flux flow oscillator and compare the results to those obtained for a d.c. coupled purely resistive load. Assuming realistic values for the parameters R and C, both in the high- and in the low-Tc case the power is large enough to allow the operation of such a device in applications.Comment: uuencoded, gzipped tar archive containing 11 pages of REVTeX text + 4 PostScript figures. To appear in Supercond. Sci. Techno

Quantum walk with a time-dependent coin

We introduce quantum walks with a time-dependent coin, and show how they include, as a particular case, the generalized quantum walk recently studied by Wojcik [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 180601 (2004)] which exhibits interesting dynamical localization and quasiperiodic dynamics. Our proposal allows for a much easier implementation of this particularly rich dynamics than the original one. Moreover, it allows for an additional control on the walk, which can be used to compensate for phases appearing due to external interactions. To illustrate its feasibility, we discuss an example using an optical cavity. We also derive an approximated solution in the continuous limit (long-wavelength approximation) which provides physical insight about the process

Improvement in Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis Treated with Upadacitinib Versus Placebo or Adalimumab: Results from SELECT-PsA 1

Introduction: The aim of this work is to assess the effect of upadacitinib versus adalimumab and placebo on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients with inadequate responses to ≥ 1 non-biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (non-bDMARD-IR) in SELECT PsA-1. Methods: In this placebo- and active comparator, phase 3 randomized, controlled trial, patients received daily upadacitinib 15 or 30 mg, placebo, or adalimumab 40 mg every other week through 56 weeks. At week 24, placebo-assigned patients were rerandomized to upadacitinib 15 or 30 mg. PROs included Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity (PtGA), pain, Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F), Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), EQ-5D-5L index score, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, morning stiffness, Self-Assessment of Psoriasis Symptoms, and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment. Mean changes from baseline in PROs, improvements ≥ minimum clinically important differences (MCID), scores ≥ normative values, and sustained clinically meaningful responses were compared between treatment groups. Results: At weeks 12 and 24, upadacitinib treatment resulted in improvements from baseline versus placebo across all PROs as well as improvements versus adalimumab in HAQ-DI and SF-36 Physical Component Summary score (nominal p < 0.05). Improvements in PtGA, pain, and HAQ-DI were reported as early as week 2. At week 12, significantly (nominal p < 0.05) more upadacitinib- versus placebo-treated patients reported improvements ≥ MCID across all PROs including seven SF-36 domains. The proportions of upadacitinib-treated patients reporting clinically meaningful improvements at week 12 were similar to or greater than with adalimumab and sustained through week 56. Significantly (nominal p < 0.05) more upadacitinib-treated (both doses) patients reported scores ≥ normative values at week 12 versus placebo, and scores were generally similar to or greater than adalimumab. Conclusions: Upadacitinib treatment provides rapid, sustained, and clinically meaningful improvements in PROs in non-bDMARD-IR patients with PsA. SELECT-PsA 1 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03104400

A role for the outer retina in development of the intrinsic pupillary light reflex in mice.

Mice do not require the brain in order to maintain constricted pupils. However, little is known about this intrinsic pupillary light reflex (iPLR) beyond a requirement for melanopsin in the iris and an intact retinal ciliary marginal zone (CMZ). Here, we study the mouse iPLR in vitro and examine a potential role for outer retina (rods and cones) in this response. In wild-type mice the iPLR was absent at postnatal day 17 (P17), developing progressively from P21-P49. However, the iPLR only achieved ∼ 30% of the wild-type constriction in adult mice with severe outer retinal degeneration (rd and rdcl). Paradoxically, the iPLR increased significantly in retinal degenerate mice >1.5 years of age. This was accompanied by an increase in baseline pupil tone in the dark to levels indistinguishable from those in adult wild types. This rejuvenated iPLR response was slowed by atropine application, suggesting the involvement of cholinergic neurotransmission. We could find no evidence of an increase in melanopsin expression by quantitative PCR in the iris and ciliary body of aged retinal degenerates and a detailed anatomical analysis revealed a significant decline in melanopsin-positive intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) in rdcl mice >1.5 years. Adult mice lacking rod function (Gnat1(-/-)) also had a weak iPLR, while mice lacking functional cones (Cpfl5) maintained a robust response. We also identify an important role for pigmentation in the development of the mouse iPLR, with only a weak and transient response present in albino animals. Our results show that the iPLR in mice develops unexpectedly late and are consistent with a role for rods and pigmentation in the development of this response in mice. The enhancement of the iPLR in aged degenerate mice was extremely surprising but may have relevance to behavioral observations in mice and patients with retinitis pigmentosa

An overview of the first 5 years of the ENIGMA obsessive–compulsive disorder working group: The power of worldwide collaboration

Abstract Neuroimaging has played an important part in advancing our understanding of the neurobiology of obsessive?compulsive disorder (OCD). At the same time, neuroimaging studies of OCD have had notable limitations, including reliance on relatively small samples. International collaborative efforts to increase statistical power by combining samples from across sites have been bolstered by the ENIGMA consortium; this provides specific technical expertise for conducting multi-site analyses, as well as access to a collaborative community of neuroimaging scientists. In this article, we outline the background to, development of, and initial findings from ENIGMA's OCD working group, which currently consists of 47 samples from 34 institutes in 15 countries on 5 continents, with a total sample of 2,323 OCD patients and 2,325 healthy controls. Initial work has focused on studies of cortical thickness and subcortical volumes, structural connectivity, and brain lateralization in children, adolescents and adults with OCD, also including the study on the commonalities and distinctions across different neurodevelopment disorders. Additional work is ongoing, employing machine learning techniques. Findings to date have contributed to the development of neurobiological models of OCD, have provided an important model of global scientific collaboration, and have had a number of clinical implications. Importantly, our work has shed new light on questions about whether structural and functional alterations found in OCD reflect neurodevelopmental changes, effects of the disease process, or medication impacts. We conclude with a summary of ongoing work by ENIGMA-OCD, and a consideration of future directions for neuroimaging research on OCD within and beyond ENIGMA

Cerebrospinal Fluid Cytokines in Multiple System Atrophy: a Cross-Sectional Catalan MSA Registry Study

Introduction: Neuroinflammation is a potential player in neurodegenerative conditions, particularly the aggressive ones, such as multiple system atrophy (MSA). Previous reports on cytokine levels in MSA using serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been inconsistent, including small samples and a limited number of cytokines, often without comparison to Parkinson's disease (PD), a main MSA differential diagnosis. Methods: Cross-sectional study of CSF levels of 38 cytokines using a multiplex assay in 73 participants: 39 MSA patients (19 with parkinsonian type [MSAp], 20 with cerebellar type [MSAc]; 31 probable, 8 possible), 19 PD patients and 15 neurologically unimpaired controls. None of the participants was under non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at the time of the lumbar puncture. Results: There were not significant differences in sex and age among participants. In global non-parametric comparisons FDR-corrected for multiple comparisons, CSF levels of 5 cytokines (FGF-2, IL-10, MCP-3, IL-12p40, MDC) differed among the three groups. In pair-wise FDR-corrected non-parametric comparisons 12 cytokines (FGF-2, eotaxin, fractalkine, IFN-α2, IL-10, MCP-3, IL-12p40, MDC, IL-17, IL-7, MIP-1β, TNF-α) were significantly higher in MSA vs. non-MSA cases (PD + controls pooled together). Of these, MCP-3 and MDC were the most significant ones, also differed in MSA vs. PD, and were significant MSA-predictors in binary logistic regression models and ROC curves adjusted for age. CSF levels of fractalkine and MIP-1α showed a strong and significant positive correlation with UMSARS-2 scores. Conclusion: Increased CSF levels of cytokines such as MCP-3, MDC, fractalkine and MIP-1α deserve consideration as potential diagnostic or severity biomarkers of MSA.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mapa digital del perfil del carbono orgánico en los suelos de Andalucía, España

Conocer y comprender la distribución espacial del carbono orgánico del suelo (COS) es necesario para el manejo de este reservorio del ciclo global del carbono, y la planificación de acciones para mitigar el cambio climático. El objetivo fue generar mapas de porcentaje de COS en Andalucía mediante modelos consistentes, cuantificando la incertidumbre asociada, e identificando los factores que controlan su variabilidad. Se empleó una base de datos patrimonial con 1500 perfiles de suelo, y 20 covariables ambientales como factores predictivos descriptores del clima, topografía, y atributos funcionales de los ecosistemas. Se utilizó una combinación de modelos lineales y un ensamble de árboles de regresión combinado con geoestadística para estimar la distribución espacial (horizontal y vertical) del COS. Se generaron mapas de la distribución del COS a seis intervalos de profundidad (0-5, 5-15, 15-30, 30-60, 60-100 y 100-200 cm). La varianza explicada por los modelos osciló entre el 57 y 63.0 %, pero con alta incertidumbre en los sitios con mayor concentración de COS (hasta el 8 %). La variabilidad del COS respondió a una compleja combinación de factores, siendo la precipitación el predictor más importante en todas las profundidades, el EVI (Indicador de la productividad) en los horizontes superficiales, y la topografía en los profundos. Los mapas y modelos producidos resultan herramientas útiles para la gestión ambiental, al facilitar la actualización periódica de los contenidos del COS y aportar información para el manejo de este reservorio.To know and understand the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) is the first step for management of this important pool in the global carbon cycle, and to develop actions to address climate change. The objective of this work was to generate maps of percent SOC across Andalucía through the use of consistent models, quantifying the associated uncertainty and identify controls of the spatial variability. We used a legacy soil profile collection with 1500 soil profiles and 20 environmental covariates as prediction factors for climate, topography, and ecosystem functional attributes related to the dynamic of primary production. A combination of linear models and an ensemble of regression trees coupled with geostatistics was used to estimate the spatial distribution (horizontal and vertical) of SOC, maps of SOC distribution across six soil depths (0-5, 5-15, 15-30, 30-60, 60-100 y 100-200 cm). Explained variance of our models varied between 63 to 57 %, with high uncertainty at sites with the highest values of SOC (up to 8%). The variability of SOC corresponded to a complex interaction of factors, whereas precipitation is an outstanding predictive factor across all depths, annual primary production (EVI) at the superficial horizons, and topography across deep horizons. Generated maps result in a useful tool for environmental policy, because they facilitate the periodical update of SOC and provide information for the management of this poo