Lifetimes of atoms trapped in an optical lattice in proximity of a surface

We study the lifetime of an atom trapped in an optical vertical lattice in proximity of a massive surface using a complex scaling approach. We analyze how the presence of the surface modifies the known lifetimes of Wannier-Stark states associated to Landau-Zener tunnelling. We also investigate how the existence of a hypothetical short-distance deviation from Newton's gravitational law could affect these lifetimes. Our study is relevant in order to discuss the feasibility of any atomic- interferometry experiment performed near a surface. Finally, the difficulties encountered in applying the complex-scaling approach to the atom-surface Casimir-Polder interaction are addressed.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

"il senso del vedere giudichera" Il ruolo del disegno nella teoria e nella pratica dell'architettura religiosa di Francesco di Giorgio Martini

Lo studio analizza i trattati architettonici di Francesco di Giorgio Martini, figura polivalente di architetto, ingegnere e artista, di origine senese, vissuto nel XV secolo. Dopo una rassegna della fortuna di Francesco negli studi moderni ed una contestualizzazione dell’autore nella sua temperie culturale in rapporto ai suoi predecessori e contemporanei, si prendono in considerazione i manoscritti rimanenti di alcune sue opere, che, rivisti autotticamente, vengono analizzati sotto un duplice aspetto. Da una parte l’interazione di testo e immagine (i numerosi disegni presenti) per mostrarne la novità non solo a livello visivo, ma anche le profonde conseguenze che questa nuova forma ha sui contenuti e sulle strategie argomentative. Dall’altra si esaminano con particolare attenzione le sezioni su chiese, templi e colonne (architettura religiosa), sia per il loro valore intrinseco sia per trarne notizie utili all’attribuzione di opere incerte alla mano di Francesco

Laser controlled tunneling in a vertical optical lattice

Raman laser pulses are used to induce coherent tunnelling between neighbouring sites of a vertical 1D optical lattice. Such tunneling occurs when the detuning of a probe laser from the atomic transition frequency matches multiples of the Bloch frequency, allowing for a spectroscopic control of the coupling between Wannier Stark (WS) states. In particular, we prepare coherent superpositions of WS states of adjacent sites, and investigate the coherence time of these superpositions by realizing a spatial interferometer. This scheme provides a powerful tool for coherent manipulation of external degrees of freedom of cold atoms, which is a key issue for quantum information processing

ApoB-Specific CD4+ T Cells in Mouse and Human Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the arterial wall that leads to the formation of vessel‐occluding plaques within the subintimal space of middle‐sized and larger arter-ies. While traditionally understood as a myeloid‐driven lipid‐storage disease, growing evidence suggests that the accumulation of low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) ignites an autoimmune response with CD4+ T‐helper (TH) cells that recognize self‐peptides from Apolipoprotein B (ApoB), the core protein of LDL‐C. These autoreactive CD4+ T cells home to the atherosclerotic plaque, clonally expand, instruct other cells in the plaque, and induce clinical plaque instability. Recent developments in detecting antigen‐specific cells at the single cell level have demonstrated that ApoB‐reactive CD4+ T cells exist in humans and mice. Their phenotypes and functions deviate from classical immunological concepts of distinct and terminally differentiated TH immunity. In-stead, ApoB‐specific CD4+ T cells have a highly plastic phenotype, can acquire several, partially opposing and mixed transcriptional programs simultaneously, and transit from one TH subset into another over time. In this review, we highlight adaptive immune mechanisms in atherosclerosis with a focus on CD4+ T cells, introduce novel technologies to detect ApoB‐specific CD4+ T cells at the single cell level, and discuss the potential impact of ApoB‐driven autoimmunity in atheroscle-rosis.Fil: Marchini, Timoteo Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; Argentina. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Hansen, Sophie. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Wolf, Dennis. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; Alemani

MORG1—A Negative Modulator of Renal Lipid Metabolism in Murine Diabetes

Renal fatty acid (FA) metabolism is severely altered in type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM). Increasing evidence suggests that altered lipid metabolism is linked to tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF). Our previous work has demonstrated that mice with reduced MORG1 expression, a scaffold protein in HIF and ERK signaling, are protected against TIF in the db/db mouse model. Renal TGF-ß1 expression and EMT-like changes were reduced in mice with single-allele deficiency of MORG1. Given the well-known role of HIF and ERK signaling in metabolic regulation, here we examined whether protection was also associated with a restoration of lipid metabolism. Despite similar features of TIF in T1DM and T2DM, diabetes-associated changes in renal lipid metabolism differ between both diseases. We found that de novo synthesis of FA/cholesterol and β-oxidation were more strongly disrupted in T1DM, whereas pathological fat uptake into tubular cells mediates lipotoxicity in T2DM. Thus, diminished MORG1 expression exerts renoprotection in the diabetic nephropathy by modulating important factors of TIF and lipid dysregulation to a variable extent in T1DM and T2DM. Prospectively, targeting MORG1 appears to be a promising strategy to reduce lipid metabolic alterations in diabetic nephropathy

Socio-cultural and behavioural factors constraining latrine adoption in rural coastal Odisha: an exploratory qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Open defecation is widely practiced in India. To improve sanitation and promote better health, the Government of India (GOI) has instituted large scale sanitation programmes supporting construction of public and institutional toilets and extending financial subsidies for poor families in rural areas for building individual household latrines. Nevertheless, many household latrines in rural India, built with government subsidies and the facilitation and support of non-government organizations (NGO), remain unused. Literature on social, cultural and behavioural aspects that constrain latrine adoption and use in rural India is limited. This paper examines defecation patterns of different groups of people in rural areas of Odisha state in India to identify causes and determinants of latrine non-use, with a special focus on government-subsidized latrine owners, and shortcomings in household sanitation infrastructure built with government subsidies. METHODS: An exploratory study using qualitative methods was conducted in rural communities in Odisha state. Methods used were focus group discussions (FGDs), and observations of latrines and interviews with their owners. FGDs were held with frontline NGO sanitation program staff, and with community members, separately by caste, gender, latrine type, and age group. Data were analysed using a thematic framework and approach. RESULTS: Government subsidized latrines were mostly found unfinished. Many counted as complete per government standards for disbursement of financial subsidies to contracted NGOs were not accepted by their owners and termed as 'incomplete'. These latrines lacked a roof, door, adequate walls and any provision for water supply in or near the cabin, whereas rural people had elaborate processes of cleansing with water post defecation, making presence of a nearby water source important. Habits, socialising, sanitation rituals and daily routines varying with caste, gender, marital status, age and lifestyle, also hindered the adoption of latrines. Interest in constructing latrines was observed among male heads for their female members especially a newlywed daughter-in-law, reflecting concerns for their privacy, security, and convenience. This paper elaborates on these different factors. CONCLUSIONS: Findings show that providing infrastructure does not ensure use when there are significant and culturally engrained behavioural barriers to using latrines. Future sanitation programmes in rural India need to focus on understanding and addressing these behavioural barriers

Atomic states in optical traps near a planar surface

In this work we discuss the atomic states in a vertical optical lattice in proximity of a surface. We study the modifications to the ordinary Wannier-Stark states in presence of a surface and we characterize the energy shifts produced by the Casimir-Polder interaction between atom and mirror. In this context, we introduce an effective model describing the finite size of the atom in order to regularize the energy corrections. In addition, the modifications to the energy levels due to a hypothetical non-Newtonian gravitational potential as well as their experimental observability are investigated.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

En kvalitativ studie for hvordan ledere lærer ledelse

Det er lite som er så lett å omtale med store ord, og samtidig så vanskelig å få til i praksis som ledelse. Ettersom det settes stadig høyere krav til lederrollen og lederens utøvelse av ledelse er dette noe som vi mener er viktig å forstå bedre. Ledelse er komplekst, noe som speiles av de utallige teorier og perspektiver som finnes der ute. Ledelseslitteraturen handler i stor grad om hvordan ledelse kan forstås, hvordan ledere bør være og hva som kjennetegner gode ledere. Hvordan ledere lærer seg ledelse er i større grad ukjent og ubeskrevet, og det er dette vi forsøker å belyse i denne oppgaven. I denne studien har vi benyttet et kvalitativt forskningsdesign med dybdeintervju som datainnsamlingsmetode. Vi har utført 12 kvalitative dybdeintervjuer, og informantene består av mellomledere fra forskjellige organisasjoner og ulike bransjer. Intervjuene ble transkribert fortløpende, og deretter kategorisert og analysert. Vi finner at ledelse læres gjennom å praktisere, og kan ikke alene læres gjennom formell læring som lederutdanning og kurs. Eksplisitt kunnskap og teorier om ledelse får først verdi når den benyttes i praksis. I motsetning til hva man gjerne tror, finner vi at lederens viktigste læringsarenaer er de uformelle. Den viktigste læringen skjer gjennom å lede i den konteksten lederen er i hverdagen, hvor sosial interaksjon med medarbeidere og andre ledere er sentralt. Gjennom å praktisere, observere og kommunisere sammen med andre vil lederen tilegne seg taus kunnskap som er relevant for sin ledelsespraksis. Videre identifiserer vi praksisfelleskap som en annen viktig læringsarena. Gjennom at det forhandles frem kunnskap i praksisfellesskapet og formidles videre til lederen utenfor praksisfellesskapet, vil det fremme læring og utvikling hos lederen. Ved å tilrettelegge for formelle praksisfellesskap kan lederen fremme kunnskapsdelingen mellom ulike nivåer og fagområder i organisasjonen. Videre vil kunnskapsdeling med medarbeidere og andre ledere gi lederen nye perspektiver samt at en vil tilegne seg ny kunnskap. Til slutt finner vi at refleksjon danner grunnlag for læring og handling, og er avgjørende for å kunne lære av det lederen gjør i sin ledelsespraksis og for at det skal bli kontinuerlig utviklende. En direkte konsekvens av våre funn tilsier at man bør være forsiktig med å ukritisk se på lederkurs som en magisk formel for å kunne bli en god leder, men at de heller bør sees på som verktøy for å løse identifiserte mangler eller gi nødvendig faglig påfyll

Swiss stained-glass panels: an analytical study

The history and iconography of Swiss stained glass dating between the 16th and 18th centuries are well studied. However, the chemical and morphological characteristics of the glass and glass paints, particularly the nature of the raw materials, the provenance of the glass, and the technology used to produce it are less well understood. In this paper, we studied two sets of samples from stained-glass panels attributed to Switzerland, which date from the 16th to 17th centuries: the first set comes from Pena National Palace collection, the second from Vitrocentre Romont. The aims were to identify the materials used in the production of the glass, to find out more about their production origin and to characterize the glass paints. Both glass and the glass paints were analysed by particle-induced X-ray emission; the paints were additionally analysed by scanning electron microscopy–electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The results show that the glass from both sets was probably produced in the same region and that wood ash was used as a fluxing agent. Different recipes have been used to make the blue enamels. However, the cobalt ore used as a coloring agent in all of the blue enamels came from the mining district in Schneeberg, Germany

Validation of a German Version of the Stress Overload Scale and Comparison of Different Time Frames in the Instructions

Abstract: Introduction: The Stress Overload Scale (SOS; Amirkhan, 2012 , 2018 ) was introduced as a two-factorial self-report measure of stress to overcome limitations of other scales. Methods: We developed a German translation of the SOS and validated it in addition to a short version and an extra-short version. Furthermore, we tested whether manipulating the time frame introduced as retention interval in the instructions affected its psychometric properties. Results: Using two independent age-heterogeneous convenience samples ( Ntotal = 1,239), we found good psychometric properties for a modified German short version of the SOS-S (SOS-S-G) and a new extra-short version (SOS-XS-G), but not for the German long version of the SOS. Moreover, manipulating the time frame of the SOS did not affect its psychometric quality. Discussion The SOS enriches the repertoire of self-report measures of stress as it captures the nonpathological core facets of stress in line with theoretical stress conceptualizations