On Some Open Problems in Many-Electron Theory

Mel Levy and Elliott Lieb are two of the most prominent researchers who have dedicated their efforts to the investigation of fundamental questions in many-electron theory. Their results have not only revolutionized the theoretical approach of the field, but, directly or indirectly, allowed for a quantum jump in the computational treatment of realistic systems as well. For this reason, at the conclusion of our book where the subject is treated across different disciplines, we have asked Mel Levy and Elliott Lieb to provide us with some open problems, which they believe will be a worth challenge for the future also in the perspective of a synergy among the various disciplines.Comment: "Epilogue" chapter in "Many-Electron Approaches in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics: A Multidisciplinary View", Volker Bach and Luigi Delle Site Eds. pages 411-416; Book Series: Mathematical Physics Studies, Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2014. The original title has been modified in order to clarify the subject of the chapter out of the context of the boo

De novo Analysis of the Epiphytic Transcriptome of the Cucurbit Powdery Mildew Fungus Podosphaera xanthii and Identification of Candidate Secreted Effector Proteins.

The cucurbit powdery mildew fungus Podosphaera xanthii is a major limiting factor for cucurbit production worldwide. Despite the fungus's agronomic and economic importance, very little is known about fundamental aspects of P. xanthii biology, such as obligate biotrophy or pathogenesis. To design more durable control strategies, genomic information about P. xanthii is needed. Powdery mildews are fungal pathogens with large genomes compared with those of other fungi, which contain vast amounts of repetitive DNA sequences, much of which is composed of retrotransposons. To reduce genome complexity, in this work we aimed to obtain and analyse the epiphytic transcriptome of P. xanthii as a starting point for genomic research. Total RNA was isolated from epiphytic fungal material, and the corresponding cDNA library was sequenced using a 454 GS FLX platform. Over 676,562 reads were obtained and assembled into 37,241 contigs. Annotation data identified 8,798 putative genes with different orthologues. As described for other powdery mildew fungi, a similar set of missing core ascomycete genes was found, which may explain obligate biotrophy. To gain insight into the plant-pathogen relationships, special attention was focused on the analysis of the secretome. After this analysis, 137 putative secreted proteins were identified, including 53 candidate secreted effector proteins (CSEPs). Consistent with a putative role in pathogenesis, the expression profile observed for some of these CSEPs showed expression maxima at the beginning of the infection process at 24 h after inoculation, when the primary appressoria are mostly formed. Our data mark the onset of genomics research into this very important pathogen of cucurbits and shed some light on the intimate relationship between this pathogen and its host plant

Genetic fuzzy schedules for charging electric vehicles

This work tackles the problem of scheduling the charging of electric vehicles in a real-world charging station subject to a set of physical constraints, with the goal of minimising the total tardiness with respect to a desired departure date given for each vehicle. We model a variant of the problem that incorporates uncertainty in the charging times using fuzzy numbers. As solving method, we propose a genetic algorithm with tailor-made operators, in particular, a new chromosome evaluation method based on generating schedules from a priority vector. Finally, an experimental study avails the proposed genetic algorithm both in terms of algorithm convergence and quality of the obtained solutions.Acknowledgements. This work was supported by the Spanish Government [Grant Nos.TIN2016-79190-R, MTM2014-55262-P]

Physiological Benefits and Performance of Sea Water Ingestion for Athletes in Endurance Events: A Systematic Review

In different endurance events, athletes have limited access to fluid intake, such as ultraendurance running. For this reason, it is necessary to establish an adequate hydration strategy for this type of long-duration sporting event. Indeed, it seems that the intake of seawater is a suitable hydration alternative to improve post-exercise recovery in this type of endurance event. This seawater is characterized by being a deep natural mineral water of moderate mineralization, which is usually extracted from a depth of about 700 m. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of seawater consumption in both performance and post-exercise recovery in long-duration sport events. A systematic and comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, andWeb of Science in September 2022. Initially, 8 out of 558 articles met the inclusion criteria. Among these eight studies, six were randomized clinical trials, and two were observational studies (one cross-sectional and one prospective study in well-conditioned student athletes). The results showed that deep sea water consumption accelerated the recovery of aerobic capacity and leg muscle capacity on running performance. In addition, the lactate production after the running exercise in seawater was significantly lower than in pure water. In conclusion, the present review demonstrates that seawater consumption could significantly improve the capacity of recovery after exercise."Fundacion Ramon Areces", Madrid, SpainConsejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) 218582/47197

When the path is never shortest: a reality check on shortest path biocomputation

Shortest path problems are a touchstone for evaluating the computing performance and functional range of novel computing substrates. Much has been published in recent years regarding the use of biocomputers to solve minimal path problems such as route optimisation and labyrinth navigation, but their outputs are typically difficult to reproduce and somewhat abstract in nature, suggesting that both experimental design and analysis in the field require standardising. This chapter details laboratory experimental data which probe the path finding process in two single-celled protistic model organisms, Physarum polycephalum and Paramecium caudatum, comprising a shortest path problem and labyrinth navigation, respectively. The results presented illustrate several of the key difficulties that are encountered in categorising biological behaviours in the language of computing, including biological variability, non-halting operations and adverse reactions to experimental stimuli. It is concluded that neither organism examined are able to efficiently or reproducibly solve shortest path problems in the specific experimental conditions that were tested. Data presented are contextualised with biological theory and design principles for maximising the usefulness of experimental biocomputer prototypes.Comment: To appear in: Adamatzky, A (Ed.) Shortest path solvers. From software to wetware. Springer, 201

Sleep quality in patients with heart failure in the spanish population: A cross-sectional study

Background: Heart failure is a major problem in western societies. Sleep Disorders maintain a bidirectional relationship with heart failure, as shown by studies conducted in other countries. This study aims to describe the quality of sleep in Spanish patients with heart failure. Materials and methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study to analyze the quality of sleep in a sample of 203 patients with a diagnosis of heart failure admitted to an Internal Medicine Service. The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate sleep quality in our sample over a one-month period. Results: 75% of the sample presented sleep disorders. The most common problems included the interruption of sleep (73.5% nocturia and 30% breathing difficulties); 35% had poor sleep efficiency; 33% showed a decrease in daytime performance; 84% had used hypnotics at some point to induce sleep and 35% used them regularly. Conclusions: This is the first study to report on the perceived sleep quality of patients with heart failure in Spain. Self-perception of sleep quality differed from that estimated by the PSQI. The prevalence of the use of sleep-inducing medication was very high. The diurnal dysfunction generated by sleep disorders in a heart failure environment can contribute to the development of self-care and cognitive deterioration problems

Relationship between Determinants of Health, Equity, and Dimensions of Health Literacy in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Background: Health literacy (HL) has been linked to empowerment, use of health services, and equity. Evaluating HL in people with cardiovascular health problems would facilitate the development of suitable health strategies care and reduce inequity. Aim: To investigate the relationship between different dimensions that make up HL and social determinants in patients with cardiovascular disease. Methods: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study in patients with cardiovascular disease, aged 50-85 years, accessing primary care services in Valencia (Spain) in 2018-2019. The Health Literacy Questionnaire was used. Results: 252 patients. Age was significantly related with the ability to participate with healthcare providers (p = 0.043), ability to find information (p = 0.022), and understanding information correctly to know what to do (p = 0.046). Level of education was significant for all HL dimensions. Patients without studies scored lower in all dimensions. The low- versus middle-class social relationship showed significant results in all dimensions. Conclusions: In patients with cardiovascular disease, level of education and social class were social determinants associated with HL scores. Whilst interventions at individual level might address some HL deficits, inequities in access to cardiovascular care and health outcomes would remain unjustly balanced unless structural determinants of HL are taken into account

G-band Spectral Synthesis in Solar Magnetic Concentrations

Narrow band imaging in the G-band is commonly used to trace the small magnetic field concentrations of the Sun, although the mechanism that makes them bright has remained unclear. We carry out LTE syntheses of the G-band in an assorted set of semi-empirical model magnetic concentrations. The syntheses include all CH lines as well as the main atomic lines within the band-pass. The model atmospheres produce bright G-band spectra having many properties in common with the observed G-band bright points. In particular, the contrast referred to the quiet Sun is about twice the contrast in continuum wavelengths. The agreement with observations does not depend on the specificities of the model atmosphere, rather it holds from single fluxtubes to MIcro-Structured Magnetic Atmospheres. However, the agreement requires that the real G-band bright points are not spatially resolved, even in the best observations. Since the predicted G-band intensities exceed by far the observed values, we foresee a notable increase of contrast of the G-band images upon improvement of the angular resolution. According to the LTE modeling, the G-band spectrum emerges from the deep photosphere that produces the continuum. Our syntheses also predict solar magnetic concentrations showing up in continuum images but not in the G-band . Finally, we have examined the importance of the CH photo-dissociation in setting the amount of G-band absorption. It turns out to play a minor role.Comment: To appear in ApJ, 554 n2 Jun 20, 33 pages and 9 figure

Care dependency in patients with heart failure: A cross-sectional study in Spain

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a progressive and debilitating condition that represents an ever-growing problem for health systems worldwide. HF patients feel that they are a burden on their families, they feel socially isolated and have a low perception of their health. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to: (1) to explore the profile of care dependency in a representative sample of Spanish HF patients through the Care Dependency Scale (CDS), and (2) to identify correlates of care dependency in this population. Material and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 187 patients admitted for HF decompensation to the Hospital Clínico of Zaragoza (Spain). Results: Only 15% of our sample was highly or completely dependent on care from others. More specifically, our results indicate that HF patients felt a greater level of dependency on care from others when it comes to moving, getting dressed and undressed, maintaining good personal hygiene, participating in daily and recreational activities and being continent. Conclusions: We find association between the CDS categories that present a low score for care dependency in HF patients and the patients’ physical deterioration