Quantum localized states in photonic flat-band lattices

The localization of light in flat-band lattices has been recently proposed and experimentally demonstrated in several configurations, assuming a classical description of light. Here, we study the problem of light localization in the quantum regime. We focus on quasi one-dimensional and two-dimensional lattices which exhibit a perfect flat-band inside their linear spectrum. Localized quantum states are constructed as eigenstates of the interaction Hamiltonian with a vanishing eigenvalue and a well defined total photon number. These are superpositions of Fock states with probability amplitudes given by positive as well as negative square roots of multinomial coefficients. The classical picture can be recovered by considering poissonian superpositions of localized quantum states with different total photon number. We also study the separability properties of flat band quantum states and apply them to the transmission of information via multi-core fibers, where these states allow for the total passive suppression of photon crosstalk and exhibit robustness against photon losses. At the end, we propose a novel on-chip setup for the experimental preparation of localized quantum states of light for any number of photons.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

On the critical end point in a two-flavor linear sigma model coupled to quarks

We use the linear sigma model coupled to quarks to explore the location of the phase transition lines in the QCD phase diagram from the point of view of chiral symmetry restoration at high temperature and baryon chemical potential. We compute analytically the effective potential in the high- and low-temperature approximations up to sixth order, including the contribution of the ring diagrams to account for the plasma screening properties. We determine the model parameters, namely, the couplings and mass-parameter, from conditions valid at the first order phase transition at vanishing temperature and, using the Hagedorn limiting temperature concept applied to finite baryon density, for a critical baryochemical potential of order of the nucleon mass. We show that when using the set of parameters thus determined, the second order phase transition line (our proxy for the crossover transition) that starts at finite temperature and zero baryon chemical potential converges to the line of first order phase transitions that starts at zero temperature and finite baryon chemical potential to determine the critical end point to lie in the region 5.02<\mu_B^{\mbox{CEP}}/T_c<5.18, 0.14, where $T_c$ is the critical transition temperature at zero baryon chemical potential.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, discussion extended, explicit calculations included in appendices and version accepted for publication in EPJ

Toward collisions produced in requirements rankings: A qualitative approach and experimental study

Requirements prioritization is an important issue that determines the way requirements are selected and processed in software projects. There already exist specific methods to classify and prioritize requirements, most of them based on quantitative measures. However, most of existing approaches do not consider collisions, which are an important concern in large-scale requirements sets and, more specifically, in agile development processes where requirements have to be uniquely selected for each software increment. In this paper, we propose QMPSR (Qualitative Method for Prioritizing Software Requirements), an approach that features the prioritization of requirements by considering qualitative elements that are related to the project's priorities. Our approach highlights a prioritization method that has proven to reduce collisions in software requirements rankings. Furthermore, QMPSR improves accuracy in classification when facing large-scale requirements sets, featuring no scalability problems as the number of requirements increases. We formally introduce QMPSR and then define prioritization effort and collision metrics to carry out comprehensive experiments involving different sets of requirements, comparing our approach with well-known existing prioritization methods. The experiments have provided satisfactory results, overcoming existing approaches and ensuring scalabilityThis work was partially supported by the Spanish Government [grant number RTI2018-095255-B-I00 ] and the Madrid Research Council [grant number P2018/TCS-4314

Biological Role of Nutrients, Food and Dietary Patterns in the Prevention and Clinical Management of Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a growing disabling condition affecting around 280 million people worldwide. This complex entity is the result of the interplay between biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, and compelling evidence suggests that MDD can be considered a disease that occurs as a consequence of an evolutionary mismatch and unhealthy lifestyle habits. In this context, diet is one of the core pillars of health, influencing multiple biological processes in the brain and the entire body. It seems that there is a bidirectional relationship between MDD and malnutrition, and depressed individuals often lack certain critical nutrients along with an aberrant dietary pattern. Thus, dietary interventions are one of the most promising tools to explore in the field of MDD, as there are a specific group of nutrients (i.e., omega 3, vitamins, polyphenols, and caffeine), foods (fish, nuts, seeds fruits, vegetables, coffee/tea, and fermented products) or dietary supplements (such as S-adenosylmethionine, acetyl carnitine, creatine, amino acids, etc.), which are being currently studied. Likewise, the entire nutritional context and the dietary pattern seem to be another potential area of study, and some strategies such as the Mediterranean diet have demonstrated some relevant benefits in patients with MDD; although, further efforts are still needed. In the present work, we will explore the state-of-the-art diet in the prevention and clinical support of MDD, focusing on the biological properties of its main nutrients, foods, and dietary patterns and their possible implications for these patients.Fondo de Investigacion de la Seguridad Social, Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI18/01726 PI19/00766Programa de Actividades de I+D de la Comunidad de Madrid en Biomedicina B2017/BMD3804 B2020/MITICAD-C

Magneto-micropolar fluid motion: existence of weak solutions

Sin resume

Bridging the gap between information architecture analysis and software engineering in interactive web application development

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Science of Computer Programming. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Science of Computer Programming, 78, 11 (2013) DOI: 10.1016/j.scico.2012.07.020Special section on Mathematics of Program Construction (MPC 2010) and Special section on methodological development of interactive systems from Interaccion 2011Web development teams comprise non-computer experts working on the conceptual modeling of non-functional aspects in software applications. Later on, such conceptual information is processed by analysts and software engineers to face the technical phases of the software project. However, this information transfer is often difficult to automate since the information processed by the different professionals involves different abstraction levels, as well as important cost and effort that need to be considered. The main aim of this research is to minimize these problems by increasing automation and interoperability in the development of interactive web applications. To take up this challenge, we have created and evaluated a tool that aims at bridging the gap between the conceptual definitions of web contents – i.e., the information architecture, and the UML elements for analysis and design required by software engineers, connecting functional and non-functional information to achieve the rest of technical activities during the software development process.This work has been supported by the founded projects TIN2011-24139 and TIN2011-15009-E