Spin-isospin nuclear response using the existing microscopic Skyrme functionals

Our paper aims at providing an answer to the question whether one can reliably describe the properties of the most important spin-isospin nuclear excitations, by using the available non-relativistic Skyrme energy functionals. Our method, which has been introduced in a previous publication devoted to the Isobaric Analog states, is the self-consistent Quasiparticle Random Phase Approximation (QRPA). The inclusion of pairing is instrumental for describing a number of experimentally measured spherical systems which are characterized by open shells. We discuss the effect of isoscalar and isovector pairing correlations. Based on the results for the Gamow-Teller resonance in $^{90}$Zr, in $^{208}$Pb and in few Sn isotopes, we draw definite conclusions on the performance of different Skyrme parametrizations, and we suggest improvements for future fits. We also use the spin-dipole resonance as a benchmark of our statements.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

The Behavioral Approach System and Augmenting/Reducing in auditory event-related potentials during emotional visual stimulation

In the recent Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ, Corr and Cooper, 2016) the behavioral approach system (BAS) has been conceptualized as multidimensional in which facets of reward interest and reactivity, and goal-drive persistence, are separate from impulsivity. Aim of the present work was to highlight the predictive power of BAS and its facets in differentiating electrocortical responses by using an auditory augmenting/reducing event-related potential (ERP) paradigm during emotional visual stimulation. ERPs were recorded for 5 levels of intensity in 39 women. The RST-PQ was used to measure the total BAS (T-BAS) and its four facets of Goal-Drive Persistence (GDP), Reward Interest (RI), Reward Reactivity (RR), and Impulsivity (IMP). T-BAS and RI, and to a less extent GDP and RR, were significantly associated with higher N1/P2 amplitudes at central sites (C3, Cz, C4) across neutral, positive and negative slides. Similar, but less pronounced relations were found for GDP and RR, but this relation was lacking for Imp facet. In addition, N1/P2 slope at central sites was positively correlated with T-BAS, GDP, RI, RR, but not Imp. Indeed, T-BAS facets failed to maintain a significant correlation with N1/P2 slope, after controlling for T-BAS residual scores, indicating that T-BAS drives these significant correlations. LORETA analysis at 219ms (P2 wave) from tone onset revealed a significant activation of the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL, BA40) and left anterior cingulate gyrus (BA32) in high T-BAS compared to low T-BAS participants. Results are discussed within a revised RST framework differentiating reward components from impulsivity

The unrestricted Skyrme-tensor time-dependent Hartree-Fock and its application to the nuclear response from spherical to triaxial nuclei

The nuclear time-dependent Hartree-Fock model formulated in the three-dimensional space,based on the full Skyrme energy density functional and complemented with the tensor force,is presented for the first time. Full self-consistency is achieved by the model. The application to the isovector giant dipole resonance is discussed in the linear limit, ranging from spherical nuclei (16O, 120Sn) to systems displaying axial or triaxial deformation (24Mg, 28Si, 178Os, 190W, 238U). Particular attention is paid to the spin-dependent terms from the central sector of the functional, recently included together with the tensor. They turn out to be capable of producing a qualitative change on the strength distribution in this channel. The effect on the deformation properties is also discussed. The quantitative effects on the linear response are small and, overall, the giant dipole energy remains unaffected. Calculations are compared to predictions from the (quasi)-particle random phase approximation and experimental data where available, finding good agreement

Resistance of sugarcane cultivars to Diataea saccharalis.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the ovipositions preference of Diatraea saccharalis and the effect of ten sugarcane cultivars on larval development. Oviposition preference was assessed under greenhouse condition by three releases of couples of moths, with subsequent counting of egg masses and eggs per plant. In order to evaluate the effet of the cultivars on larval development, each plant was infected with about 150 eggs, and, 29 days later, the total number of internodes, number of bored internodes, number of life forms found, larval and pupal weight and length, and the width of larval head capsule were evaluated.Título em português: Resistência de cultivares de cana?de?açúcar a Diatraea saccharalis

Harm reduction: A missing piece to the holistic care of patients who inject drugs

BACKGROUND: The rise in injection drug use (IDU) has led to an increase in drug-related infections. Harm reduction is an important strategy for preventing infections among people who inject drugs (PWID). We attempted to evaluate the harm reduction counseling that infectious diseases physicians provide to PWID presenting with infections. METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed to physician members of the Emerging Infections Network to inquire about practices used when caring for patients with IDU-related infections. RESULTS: In total, 534 ID physicians responded to the survey. Of those, 375 (70%) reported routinely caring for PWID. Most respondents report screening for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and viral hepatitis (98%) and discussing the risk of these infections (87%); 63% prescribe immunization against viral hepatitis, and 45% discuss HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, 55% of respondents (n = 205) reported not counseling patients on safer injection strategies. Common reasons for not counseling included limited time and a desire to emphasize antibiotic therapy/medical issues (62%), lack of training (55%), and believing that it would be better addressed by other services (47%). Among respondents who reported counseling PWID, most recommended abstinence from IDU (72%), handwashing and skin cleansing before injection (62%), and safe disposal of needles/drug equipment used before admission (54%). CONCLUSIONS: Almost all ID physicians report screening PWID for HIV and viral hepatitis and discussing the risks of these infections. Despite frequently encountering PWID, fewer than half of ID physicians provide safer injection advice. Opportunities exist to standardize harm reduction education, emphasizing safer injection practices in conjunction with other strategies to prevent infections (eg, HIV PrEP or hepatitis A virus/hepatitis B virus vaccination)

When the optimal is not the best: parameter estimation in complex biological models

Background: The vast computational resources that became available during the past decade enabled the development and simulation of increasingly complex mathematical models of cancer growth. These models typically involve many free parameters whose determination is a substantial obstacle to model development. Direct measurement of biochemical parameters in vivo is often difficult and sometimes impracticable, while fitting them under data-poor conditions may result in biologically implausible values. Results: We discuss different methodological approaches to estimate parameters in complex biological models. We make use of the high computational power of the Blue Gene technology to perform an extensive study of the parameter space in a model of avascular tumor growth. We explicitly show that the landscape of the cost function used to optimize the model to the data has a very rugged surface in parameter space. This cost function has many local minima with unrealistic solutions, including the global minimum corresponding to the best fit. Conclusions: The case studied in this paper shows one example in which model parameters that optimally fit the data are not necessarily the best ones from a biological point of view. To avoid force-fitting a model to a dataset, we propose that the best model parameters should be found by choosing, among suboptimal parameters, those that match criteria other than the ones used to fit the model. We also conclude that the model, data and optimization approach form a new complex system, and point to the need of a theory that addresses this problem more generally

Investigating temporal and prosodic markers in clinical high-risk for psychosis participants using automated acoustic analysis.

AIM Language disturbances are a candidate biomarker for the early detection of psychosis. Temporal and prosodic abnormalities have been observed in schizophrenia patients, while there is conflicting evidence whether such deficits are present in participants meeting clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P) criteria. METHODS Clinical interviews from CHR-P participants (n = 50) were examined for temporal and prosodic metrics and compared against a group of healthy controls (n = 17) and participants with affective disorders and substance abuse (n = 23). RESULTS There were no deficits in acoustic variables in the CHR-P group, while participants with affective disorders/substance abuse were characterized by slower speech rate, longer pauses and higher unvoiced frames percentage. CONCLUSION Our finding suggests that temporal and prosodic aspects of speech are not impaired in early-stage psychosis. Further studies are required to clarify whether such abnormalities are present in sub-groups of CHR-P participants with elevated psychosis-risk

Triple visual hemifield maps in a case of optic chiasm hypoplasia

In humans, each hemisphere comprises an overlay of two visuotopic maps of the contralateral visual field, one from each eye. Is the capacity of the visual cortex limited to these two maps or are plastic mechanisms available to host more maps? We determined the cortical organization of the visual field maps in a rare individual with chiasma hypoplasia, where visual cortex plasticity is challenged to accommodate three hemifield maps. Using high-resolution fMRI at 7T and diffusion-weighted MRI at 3T, we found three hemiretinal inputs, instead of the normal two, to converge onto the left hemisphere. fMRI-based population receptive field mapping of the left V1-V3 at 3T revealed three superimposed hemifield representations in the left visual cortex, i.e. two representations of opposing visual hemifields from the left eye and one right hemifield representation from the right eye. We conclude that developmental plasticity including the re-wiring of local intra- and cortico-cortical connections is pivotal to support the coexistence and functioning of three hemifield maps within one hemisphere

Systematic review: probiotics in the management of lower gastrointestinal symptoms in clinical practice – an evidence-based international guide

Background Evidence suggests that the gut microbiota play an important role in gastrointestinal problems. Aim To give clinicians a practical reference guide on the role of specified probiotics in managing particular lower gastrointestinal symptoms/problems by means of a systematic review-based consensus. Methods Systematic literature searching identified randomised, placebo-controlled trials in adults; evidence for each symptom/problem was graded and statements developed (consensus process; 10-member panel). As results cannot be generalised between different probiotics, individual probiotics were identified for each statement. Results Thirty seven studies were included; mostly on irritable bowel syndrome [IBS; 19 studies; treatment responder rates: 18–80% (specific probiotics), 5–50% (placebo)] or antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD; 10 studies). Statements with 100% agreement and ‘high’ evidence levels indicated that: (i) specific probiotics help reduce overall symptom burden and abdominal pain in some IBS patients; (ii) in patients receiving antibiotics/Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy, specified probiotics are helpful as adjuvants to prevent/reduce the duration/intensity of AAD; (iii) probiotics have favourable safety in patients in primary care. Items with 70–100% agreement and ‘moderate’ evidence were: (i) specific probiotics help relieve overall symptom burden in some patients with diarrhoea-predominant IBS, and reduce bloating/distension and improve bowel movement frequency/consistency in some IBS patients and (ii) with some probiotics, improved symptoms have led to improvement in quality of life. Conclusions Specified probiotics can provide benefit in IBS and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea; relatively few studies in other indications suggested benefits warranting further research. This study provides practical guidance on which probiotic to select for a specific problem

High-Frequency ac Susceptibility of Iron-Based Superconductors

A microwave technique suitable for investigating the AC magnetic susceptibility of small samples in the GHz frequency range is presented. The method—which is based on the use of a coplanar waveguide resonator, within the resonator perturbation approach—allows one to obtain the absolute value of the complex susceptibility, from which the penetration depth and the superfluid density can be determined. We report on the characterization of several iron-based superconducting systems, belonging to the 11, 122, 1144, and 12,442 families. In particular, we show the effect of different kinds of doping for the 122 family, and the effect of proton irradiation in a 122 compound. Finally, the paradigmatic case of the magnetic superconductor EuP-122 is discussed, since it shows the emergence of both superconducting and ferromagnetic transitions, marked by clear features in both the real and imaginary parts of the AC susceptibility