Quantum work statistics, Loschmidt echo and information scrambling

A universal relation is established between the quantum work probability distribution of an isolated driven quantum system and the Loschmidt echo dynamics of a two-mode squeezed state. When the initial density matrix is canonical, the Loschmidt echo of the purified double thermofield state provides a direct measure of information scrambling and can be related to the analytic continuation of the partition function. Information scrambling is then described by the quantum work statistics associated with the time-reversal operation on a single copy, associated with the sudden negation of the system Hamiltonian.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, published versio

Optimal Filling of Shapes

We present filling as a type of spatial subdivision problem similar to covering and packing. Filling addresses the optimal placement of overlapping objects lying entirely inside an arbitrary shape so as to cover the most interior volume. In n-dimensional space, if the objects are polydisperse n-balls, we show that solutions correspond to sets of maximal n-balls. For polygons, we provide a heuristic for finding solutions of maximal discs. We consider the properties of ideal distributions of N discs as N approaches infinity. We note an analogy with energy landscapes.Comment: 5 page

La Revolució del "Petrólio"

Al juliol del 1873, per primera vegada “un grup que no pertanyia a l’església, ni a l’exèrcit, ni a la classe mitjana”, com diria Gerald Brenan, va protagonitzar una revolució. Va ser a Alcoi, una ciutat fortament industrialitzada i amb una llarg historial d’enfrontaments entre obrers i burgesos des del llunyà episodi luddita del 1821. A les portes del 150 aniversari, podríem pensar que ja s’ha dit tot sobre la insurrecció del “Petrólio”, com la van batejar els seus contemporanis. Però entre la bibliografia abunda més la propaganda que la investigació historiogràfica. Lluny del consens, el mite de la Comuna d’Alcoi (denunciat per Clara Lida) continua tan present avui en dia com quan Maisonnave emprava la revolta per enfonsar el govern de Pi i Margall, del que formava part. Es tracta d’analitzar el “Petrólio”, lluny d’explicacions simplistes, com a conseqüència i espoleta, alhora, d’una inflexió en el model productiu. Tot apunta a una reorganització del treball que implicava una equiparació salarial a la baixa i l’expulsió d’un nombre substancial d’operaris. La culminació d’un procés de centralització i mecanització en detriment de la major autonomia de determinats sectors obrers, però també en perjudici de les condicions laborals del conjunt del proletariat. Un viratge que requeria una domesticació dels obrers en un moment àlgid de l’associacionisme (a Alcoi residia la seu de l’Associació Internacional de Treballadors) i de les onades vaguistes, a tot l’Estat espanyol i arreu d’Europa (a l’ombra de la Commune de París). La repressió planificada i indiscriminada va ser fruit de les necessitats empresarials, on el republicanisme va actuar com a corretja de transmissió dels interessos espuris dels amos. L’anarquisme quedarà marcat per dècades per aquesta “primera batalla al carrer” de l'Aliança, que deia engels Engels, i pel seu brutal aixafament. I per esbrinar tot això és ineludible tornar a les fons primàries. Especialment per desenterrar el procés judicial incoat contra 717 persones i que no es va tancar fins al 1887, 14 anys després

A GH115 alpha-glucuronidase from Schizophyllum commune contributes to the synergistic enzymatic deconstruction of softwood glucuronoarabinoxylan

Background: Lignocellulosic biomass from softwood represents a valuable resource for the production of biofuels and bio-based materials as alternatives to traditional pulp and paper products. Hemicelluloses constitute an extremely heterogeneous fraction of the plant cell wall, as their molecular structures involve multiple monosaccharide components, glycosidic linkages, and decoration patterns. The complete enzymatic hydrolysis of wood hemicelluloses into monosaccharides is therefore a complex biochemical process that requires the activities of multiple degradative enzymes with complementary activities tailored to the structural features of a particular substrate. Glucuronoarabinoxylan (GAX) is a major hemicellulose component in softwood, and its structural complexity requires more enzyme specificities to achieve complete hydrolysis compared to glucuronoxylans from hardwood and arabinoxylans from grasses. Results: We report the characterisation of a recombinant α-glucuronidase (Agu115) from Schizophyllum commune capable of removing (4-O-methyl)-glucuronic acid ((Me)GlcA) residues from polymeric and oligomeric xylan. The enzyme is required for the complete deconstruction of spruce glucuronoarabinoxylan (GAX) and acts synergistically with other xylan-degrading enzymes, specifically a xylanase (Xyn10C), an α-l-arabinofuranosidase (AbfA), and a β-xylosidase (XynB). Each enzyme in this mixture showed varying degrees of potentiation by the other activities, likely due to increased physical access to their respective target monosaccharides. The exo-acting Agu115 and AbfA were unable to remove all of their respective target side chain decorations from GAX, but their specific activity was significantly boosted by the addition of the endo-Xyn10C xylanase. We demonstrate that the proposed enzymatic cocktail (Agu115 with AbfA, Xyn10C and XynB) achieved almost complete conversion of GAX to arabinofuranose (Araf), xylopyranose (Xylp), and MeGlcA monosaccharides. Addition of Agu115 to the enzymatic cocktail contributes specifically to 25 % of the conversion. However, traces of residual oligosaccharides resistant to this combination of enzymes were still present after deconstruction, due to steric hindrances to enzyme access to the substrate. Conclusions: Our GH115 α-glucuronidase is capable of finely tailoring the molecular structure of softwood GAX, and contributes to the almost complete saccharification of GAX in synergy with other exo- and endo-xylan-acting enzymes. This has great relevance for the cost-efficient production of biofuels from softwood lignocellulose.Lauren S. McKee, Hampus Sunner, George E. Anasontzis, Guillermo Toriz, Paul Gatenholm, Vincent Bulone, Francisco Vilaplana and Lisbeth Olsso

Binding of Antitumor Ruthenium(III) Complexes to Plasma Proteins

Presently, there is large interest in analysing the interactions in vitro with plasma proteins of some novel antitumor ruthenium(III) complexes that are in preclinical or clinical phase. The joint application of separation and spectroscopic techniques provides valuable information on the nature and the properties of the resulting ruthenium/protein adducts. Recent work carried out in our laboratory points out that, under physiological conditions, some selected ruthenium(III) complexes bind plasma proteins tightly with a marked preference for surface imidazole groups. Representative examples of interactions of antitumor ruthenium(III) complexes with plasma proteins such as albumin and transferrin are given. Notably the antitumor ruthenium(III) complexes considered here bind proteins much tighter than DNA; it is proposed that protein binding of ruthenium(III) complexes will have a large impact on the biodistribution, the pharmacokinetics and the mechanism of action of these experimental drugs

Improving the solar zenith angle dependence of broadband UV radiometers calibration

International audienceThis paper focusses on the proposal of a new method for the calibration of broadband ultraviolet radiometers. The advantage of the method proposed is the accurate modelling of the dependence on the solar zenith angle. The new model is compared with other one-step calibration methods and with the two-step method, which requires the knowledge of the actual response of the broadband radiometer. For this purpose, three broadband radiometers are calibrated against a spectrophotometer of reference. The new method is validated comparing its predictions with the spectrophotometer measurements using an independent data set

Formes et dépots glaciaires et périglaciaires de la Serra do Geres-Xurés (Portugal; Galiza) Levé cartographique

[Resumo] Apresentam-se os primeiros resultados de um levantamento cartográfico do pormenor das formas e depósitos glaciários e periglaciários da Serra do Geres-Xurés, levado a efeito por urna equipa de investigadores portugueses e espanhois. Os levantamentos de campo foram realizados nas escalas de 1:5.000 ou 1: 10.000 e tiveram urna importante componente sedimentológica, nomeadamente pelo estudo dos tzlls subglaciários, que se revelaram da maior importancia para o diagnóstico preciso de formas de erosao e de acumula~ao quase sempre pouco nítidas. Esse levantamento nao está ainda completo, mas é possível, desde já, deduzir várias conclus5es acerca da glacia~aoe da morfogénese periglaciária, que sao indicadas no final do texto principal[Résumé] Nous présentons les premiers résultats du levé cartographique détaillé mené par une équipe de chercheurs portugais et espagnols. Les levés de terrain ont été réalisés aux échelles du 1:5.000 ou du 1.10.000. Une attention particuliere a été accordée al'étude des tzlls sous-glaciaires, indispensables au diagnostic rigoureux de formes souvent trop peu claires. Ce levé pas encore terminé, mais il semble possible, des maintenat, de dégager quelques conclusions: 1) Présence, indiscutable, de manifestations glaciaires, tant du coté du Minho que du coté galicien. Cela confume, donc, idées de Schmidt-Thomé et de Coudé-Gaussen. 2) Les formes d' érosion et d' accumulation conservées révelent une glaciation essentiellement de cirque et de vallée. Dans une hypothése de glaciation restreinte, l'épaisseur maximale des langues glaciaires serait de l'ordre de 150 m. Mais ces manifestations représentent, tres probablement, un épisode de retrait des glaciers. L'étude des tills sous-glaciaires suggere, en effet, une glaciation plus ample, avec formation probable d'une calotte de plateau. 3) La répartition spatiale des manifestations glaciaires canographiées montre deux types de contraintes: a) structural, qui commande les directions de grandes vallées englacées; b) climatique, révélant une dyssimétrie NW-SE, avec accumulation préférentielle des neiges du coté oriental (probablement due aun effet d'abri vis-a-vis des vents dominants). 4) Absence d'une morphologie glaciaire typique, ce qui signifie que l'action des glaciers a été peu efficace; elle s'est limitée, pratiquement, a la destruetion et au transport des manteaux d'altérites pré-glaciaires. 5) Monotonie des manÍfestations periglaciaires; il s'agit, surtout, de versant réglés, avec tabliers d'éboulis, et de quelques coulées de solif1uxi6n. Mais c'est ala dynamique cryonivale que revient l'essentiel de l'a1lure des grands versants de la montagne. 6) Absence de pergélisol. Les éboulis et les blocs des grands versants ne sont pas dus ala macrogélifraction. Les actions cryonivales se sont certainement limitées au déchaussemet des blocs, déja préfigurés dans la roche par la fracturation tectonique et par la météoris~tion pré-glaciaire. 7) Absence d'une séparation nette entre l'étage périglaciaire et l'étage glaciaire, al'exception pres du versant galicien. Tout au plus peut-on parler d'un étage forestier (<<étage des arenes», COUDE-GAUSSEN, 1979, 1981), OU les actions cryonivales seraient tres limitees, et d'un étage «glacionival» (ETIICHER, 1988), pres de la limite des neiges persistante

Bioactive pectic polysaccharides from bay tree pruning waste: Sequential subcritical water extraction and application in active food packaging

The potential isolation of bio-active polysaccharides from bay tree pruning waste was studied using sequential subcritical water extraction using different time-temperature combinations. The extracted polysaccharides were highly enriched in pectins while preserving their high molecular mass (10–100 kDa), presenting ideal properties for its application as additive in food packaging. Pectin-enriched chitosan films were prepared, improving the optical properties (=95% UV-light barrier capacity), antioxidant capacity (?95% radical scavenging activity) and water vapor permeability (=14 g·Pa-1·s-1·m-1·10-7) in comparison with neat chitosan-based films. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of chitosan was maintained in the hybrid films. Addition of 10% of pectins improved mechanical properties, increasing the Young's modulus 12%, and the stress resistance in 51%. The application of pectin-rich fractions from bay tree pruning waste as an additive in active food packaging applications, with triple action as antioxidant, barrier, and antimicrobial has been demonstrated.Authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Ramon y Cajal contract RYC-2015-17109) and Universidad de Cordoba, ´ Spain (Predoctoral Grant 2019) for the financial support during this work