From ergodic to non-ergodic chaos in Rosenzweig-Porter model

The Rosenzweig-Porter model is a one-parameter family of random matrices with three different phases: ergodic, extended non-ergodic and localized. We characterize numerically each of these phases and the transitions between them. We focus on several quantities that exhibit non-analytical behaviour and show that they obey the scaling hypothesis. Based on this, we argue that non-ergodic chaotic and ergodic regimes are separated by a continuous phase transition, similarly to the transition between non-ergodic chaotic and localized phases.Comment: 12 page

Multi-scale energy homogenization for 3D printed microstructures with a Diritchlet boundary condition relaxation under plastic deformation

The present work is a proof of concept of the capabilities of paralellization in the calculation of metamaterials in a non-linear regime. In this work we subdivided the bulk material into subregions where the mechanical properties are homogenized energetically. We demonstrate that the calculation can be subdivided to save RAM memory and fit the local non-linear behaviour of the metamaterial. This methodology has the potentiality to be implemented in the parallelization of those calculations, where the right estimation of the energy of the local processes at every step is important.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Thermodynamically optimal protocols for dual-purpose qubit operations

This is the final version. Available on open access from the American Physical Society via the DOI in this record. Code availability: The code used to produce the data in Figs. 2 and 3 is available upon reasonable request to JD, [email protected] processing, quantum or classical, relies on channels transforming multiple input states to different corresponding outputs. Previous research has established bounds on the thermodynamic resources required for such operations, but no protocols have been specified for their optimal implementation. For the insightful case of qubits, we here develop explicit protocols to transform two states in an energetically optimal manner. We first prove conditions on the feasibility of carrying out such transformations at all, and then quantify the achievable work extraction. Our results uncover a fundamental incompatibility between the thermodynamic ideal of slow, quasistatic processes and the information-theoretic requirement to preserve distinguishability between different possible output states.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Foundational Questions Institute FundDeutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftRoyal Societ

Attentional training analysis by videoconsole

Se ha realizado un estudio cuasi-experimental con grupo de control equivalente, para analizar la validez del juego “Flash Focus. Vision training in minutes a day”, de Nintendo, sobre la posible mejora de la coordinación óculo manual, la anticipación de tiempo y movimiento y la atención selectiva. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 29 estudiantes de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, divididos en un grupo experimental de 21.37 años de edad (SD= 5.07), y otro control de 22.37 años (SD= 3.49), que realizaron un total de 15 sesiones de entrenamiento con el juego. Sólo uno de los resultados de los contrastes realizados, el referido a la atención sostenida, muestra diferencias significativas en el grupo de entrenamiento (p=0.01); mientras que el resto de variables atencionales estudiadas muestran resultados no significativos en las comparaciones pre y post. Este resultado justifica el interés por seguir investigando en esta línea y está en concordancia con los encontrados en el empleo de esta misma consola con aplicaciones diferentesThe aim of the current study consists of checking wether the training with Nintendo’s videogame “Flash Focus. Vision training in minutes a day” improves hand-eye coordination, time anticipation and movement and selective attention. For this purpose, a quasi-experimental pre-post design research with equivalent control group was carried out. The sample was made up of 29 university students from the degree of Sport Sciences. Results show that just only one of the dependent variables, selective attention, presented significant differences between the group which received the training and the control group. Further research with larger samples should be carried out in order to test the principles result of this paper and it is in agreement with the found ones in the use of this same console with different application

Influence of dose and route of administration on the outcome of infection with the virulent Neospora caninum isolate Nc-Spain7 in pregnant sheep at mid-gestation

Experimental infections in pregnant sheep have been focused on studying the effect of the time of challenge on the outcome of N. caninum infection, whereas the impact of the dose and route of challenge has not been studied in depth. Therefore, clinical outcome, immune responses, parasite detection and burden, and lesion severity in placental tissues and foetal brains were investigated in 90-day-pregnant sheep inoculated intravenously with 105 (G1), 104 (G2), 103 (G3), or 102 (G4) tachyzoites or subcutaneously with 104 (G5) tachyzoites of the virulent Nc-Spain7 isolate and an uninfected group (G6). Comparing challenge doses, G1 was the only group that had 100% abortion. Likewise, IFN¿ levels in G1 increased earlier than those in other intravenously infected groups, and IgG levels on day 21 post-infection (pi) were higher in G1 than those in other intravenously infected groups. Concerning vertical transmission, G1 shows a higher parasite burden in the foetal brain than did G2 and G3. Comparing routes of administration, no differences in foetal survival rate or parasite load in the foetal brain were found. Although G2 had higher IFN¿ levels than G5 on day 10 pi, no differences were found in humoral immune responses. Because the outcome after intravenous infection with 105 tachyzoites was similar to that observed after intravenous infection with 106 tachyzoites used in a previous work (100% abortion and vertical transmission), we conclude that it may be reasonable to use 105 tachyzoites administered by the intravenous route in further experiments when assessing drugs or vaccine candidates

Safety and efficacy of the bumped kinase inhibitor BKI-1553 in pregnant sheep experimentally infected with Neospora caninum tachyzoites

Neospora caninum is one of the main causes of abortion in cattle, and recent studies have highlighted its relevance as an abortifacient in small ruminants. Vaccines or drugs for the control of neosporosis are lacking. Bumped kinase inhibitors (BKIs), which are ATP-competitive inhibitors of calcium dependent protein kinase 1 (CDPK1), were shown to be highly efficacious against several apicomplexan parasites in vitro and in laboratory animal models. We here present the pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy of BKI-1553 in pregnant ewes and foetuses using a pregnant sheep model of N. caninum infection. BKI-1553 showed exposure in pregnant ewes with trough concentrations of approximately 4 µM, and of 1 µM in foetuses. Subcutaneous BKI-1553 administration increased rectal temperatures shortly after treatment, and resulted in dermal nodules triggering a slight monocytosis after repeated doses at short intervals. BKI-1553 treatment decreased fever in infected pregnant ewes already after two applications, resulted in a 37–50% reduction in foetal mortality, and modulated immune responses; IFN¿ levels were increased early after infection and IgG levels were reduced subsequently. N. caninum was abundantly found in placental tissues; however, parasite detection in foetal brain tissue decreased from 94% in the infected/untreated group to 69–71% in the treated groups. In summary, BKI-1553 confers partial protection against abortion in a ruminant experimental model of N. caninum infection during pregnancy. In addition, reduced parasite detection, parasite load and lesions in foetal brains were observed

Influence of dose and route of administration on the outcome of infection with the virulent Neospora caninum isolate Nc-Spain7 in pregnant sheep at mid-gestation

15 páginas, 2 tablas, 7 figuras.Experimental infections in pregnant sheep have been focused on studying the effect of the time of challenge on the outcome of N. caninum infection, whereas the impact of the dose and route of challenge has not been studied in depth. Therefore, clinical outcome, immune responses, parasite detection and burden, and lesion severity in placental tissues and foetal brains were investigated in 90-day-pregnant sheep inoculated intravenously with 10(5) (G1), 10(4) (G2), 10(3) (G3), or 10(2) (G4) tachyzoites or subcutaneously with 10(4) (G5) tachyzoites of the virulent Nc-Spain7 isolate and an uninfected group (G6). Comparing challenge doses, G1 was the only group that had 100% abortion. Likewise, IFN gamma levels in G1 increased earlier than those in other intravenously infected groups, and IgG levels on day 21 post-infection (pi) were higher in G1 than those in other intravenously infected groups. Concerning vertical transmission, G1 shows a higher parasite burden in the foetal brain than did G2 and G3. Comparing routes of administration, no differences in foetal survival rate or parasite load in the foetal brain were found. Although G2 had higher IFN gamma levels than G5 on day 10 pi, no differences were found in humoral immune responses. Because the outcome after intravenous infection with 10(5) tachyzoites was similar to that observed after intravenous infection with 10(6) tachyzoites used in a previous work (100% abortion and vertical transmission), we conclude that it may be reasonable to use 10(5) tachyzoites administered by the intravenous route in further experiments when assessing drugs or vaccine candidates.We gratefully acknowledge Neus Callizo Esteve from Clinical Veterinary Hospital (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain) and Jose Maria Gonzalez (University of Zaragoza, Spain) for their excellent technical assistance. The Animal Experimentation Service (SEA) at the University of Zaragoza is acknowledged for using their facilities to carry out the reproduction programme. Roberto Sanchez Sanchez is supported by a fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (MECD) as a part of the Programme of Training of University Teaching Staff (FPU, Grant Number FPU13/03438). This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AGL2016-75935-C2) and Community of Madrid, Spain (PLATESA, S2013/ABI2906).Peer reviewe

Ultrasound-guided diagnostic breast biopsy methodology: retrospective comparison of the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy approach versus the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy approach

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ultrasound-guided diagnostic breast biopsy technology represents the current standard of care for the evaluation of indeterminate and suspicious lesions seen on diagnostic breast ultrasound. Yet, there remains much debate as to which particular method of ultrasound-guided diagnostic breast biopsy provides the most accurate and optimal diagnostic information. The aim of the current study was to compare and contrast the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy approach and the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy approach.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective analysis was done of all ultrasound-guided diagnostic breast biopsy procedures performed by either the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy approach or the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy approach by a single surgeon from July 2001 through June 2009.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 1443 ultrasound-guided diagnostic breast biopsy procedures performed, 724 (50.2%) were by the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy technique and 719 (49.8%) were by the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy technique. The total number of false negative cases (i.e., benign findings instead of invasive breast carcinoma) was significantly greater (P = 0.008) in the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy group (8/681, 1.2%) as compared to in the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy group (0/652, 0%), with an overall false negative rate of 2.1% (8/386) for the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy group as compared to 0% (0/148) for the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy group. Significantly more (P < 0.001) patients in the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy group (81/719, 11.3%) than in the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy group (18/724, 2.5%) were recommended for further diagnostic surgical removal of additional tissue from the same anatomical site of the affected breast in an immediate fashion for indeterminate/inconclusive findings seen on the original ultrasound-guided diagnostic breast biopsy procedure. Significantly more (P < 0.001) patients in the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy group (54/719, 7.5%) than in the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy group (9/724, 1.2%) personally requested further diagnostic surgical removal of additional tissue from the same anatomical site of the affected breast in an immediate fashion for a benign finding seen on the original ultrasound-guided diagnostic breast biopsy procedure.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In appropriately selected cases, the 8-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy approach appears to be advantageous to the spring-loaded 14-gauge core biopsy approach for providing the most accurate and optimal diagnostic information.</p

Maternal vgll4a regulates zebrafish epiboly through Yap1 activity

Gastrulation in zebrafish embryos commences with the morphogenetic rearrangement of blastodermal cells, which undergo a coordinated spreading from the animal pole to wrap around the egg at the vegetal pole. This rearrangement, known as epiboly, relies on the orchestrated activity of maternal transcripts present in the egg, compensating for the gradual activation of the zygotic genome. Epiboly involves the mechano-transducer activity of yap1 but what are the regulators of yap1 activity and whether these are maternally or zygotically derived remain elusive. Our study reveals the crucial role of maternal vgll4a, a proposed Yap1 competitor, during zebrafish epiboly. In embryos lacking maternal/zygotic vgll4a (MZvgll4a), the progression of epiboly and blastopore closure is delayed. This delay is associated with the ruffled appearance of the sliding epithelial cells, decreased expression of yap1-downstream targets and transient impairment of the actomyosin ring at the syncytial layer. Our study also shows that, rather than competing with yap1, vgll4a modulates the levels of the E-cadherin/β-catenin adhesion complex at the blastomeres’ plasma membrane and hence their actin cortex distribution. Taking these results together, we propose that maternal vgll4a acts at epiboly initiation upstream of yap1 and the E-cadherin/β-catenin adhesion complex, contributing to a proper balance between tissue tension/cohesion and contractility, thereby promoting a timely epiboly progression.The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by grants: PID2019-104186RB-I00; RED2018-102553-T; PID2022-136831OB-I00 and RED2022-134100-T funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”. CCM was supported by a predoctoral contract from the CIBERER, whereas MJC by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract (IJCI-2016-27683) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. A CBM Institutional grant from the Fundación Ramon Areces is also acknowledged. The CBM is a Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa CEX2021-001154-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.Peer reviewe

Mosmo Is Required for Zebrafish Craniofacial Formation

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is a highly regulated molecular pathway implicated in many developmental and homeostatic events. Mutations in genes encoding primary components or regulators of the pathway cause an array of congenital malformations or postnatal pathologies, the extent of which is not yet fully defined. Mosmo (Modulator of Smoothened) is a modulator of the Hh pathway, which encodes a membrane tetraspan protein. Studies in cell lines have shown that Mosmo promotes the internalization and degradation of the Hh signaling transducer Smoothened (Smo), thereby downmodulating pathway activation. Whether this modulation is essential for vertebrate embryonic development remains poorly explored. Here, we have addressed this question and show that in zebrafish embryos, the two mosmo paralogs, mosmoa and mosmob, are expressed in the head mesenchyme and along the entire ventral neural tube. At the cellular level, Mosmoa localizes at the plasma membrane, cytoplasmic vesicles and primary cilium in both zebrafish and chick embryos. CRISPR/Cas9 mediated inactivation of both mosmoa and mosmob in zebrafish causes frontonasal hypoplasia and craniofacial skeleton defects, which become evident in the adult fish. We thus suggest that MOSMO is a candidate to explain uncharacterized forms of human congenital craniofacial malformations, such as those present in the 16p12.1 chromosomal deletion syndrome encompassing the MOSMO locusSpanish MINECO (BFU2016-75412-R with FEDER funds); AEI (PID2019-104186RB-I00 and RED2018-102553-T) and a grant from the Fundación Ramon Areces to PB. CC-M and MC are supported by predoctoral contract from the CIBERER and a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract from the AEI (IJCI-2016-27683), respectively. IG is supported by a contract (CAM20_CBM_AI_06) from the 2020 program “Garantía Juvenil” of the Comunidad Autónoma de Madri