Large Decrease of Fluctuations for Supercooled Water in Hydrophobic Nanoconfinement

Using Monte Carlo simulations we study a coarse­grained model of a water layer confined in a fixed disordered matrix of hydrophobic nanoparticles at different particle concentrations c. For c = 0 we find a 1st order liquid­liquid phase transition (LLPT) ending in one critical point at low pressure P. For c > 0 our simulations are consistent with a LLPT line ending in two critical points at low and high pressure. For c = 25% at high P and low temperature T we find a dramatic decrease of compressibility, thermal expansion coefficient, and specific heat. Surprisingly, the effect is present also for c as low as 2.4%. We conclude that even a small presence of nanoscopic hydrophobes can drastically suppress thermodynamic fluctuations, making the detection of the LLPT more difficult

Large Decrease of Fluctuations for Supercooled Water in Hydrophobic Nanoconfinement

Using Monte Carlo simulations we study a coarse­grained model of a water layer confined in a fixed disordered matrix of hydrophobic nanoparticles at different particle concentrations c. For c = 0 we find a 1st order liquid­liquid phase transition (LLPT) ending in one critical point at low pressure P. For c > 0 our simulations are consistent with a LLPT line ending in two critical points at low and high pressure. For c = 25% at high P and low temperature T we find a dramatic decrease of compressibility, thermal expansion coefficient, and specific heat. Surprisingly, the effect is present also for c as low as 2.4%. We conclude that even a small presence of nanoscopic hydrophobes can drastically suppress thermodynamic fluctuations, making the detection of the LLPT more difficult

Overlap distributions for quantum quenches in the anisotropic Heisenberg chain

The dynamics after a quantum quench is determined by the weights of the initial state in the eigenspectrum of the final Hamiltonian, i.e., by the distribution of overlaps in the energy spectrum. We present an analysis of such overlap distributions for quenches of the anisotropy parameter in the one-dimensional anisotropic spin-1/2 Heisenberg model (XXZ chain). We provide an overview of the form of the overlap distribution for quenches from various initial anisotropies to various final ones, using numerical exact diagonalization. We show that if the system is prepared in the antiferromagnetic N\'eel state (infinite anisotropy) and released into a non-interacting setup (zero anisotropy, XX point) only a small fraction of the final eigenstates gives contributions to the post-quench dynamics, and that these eigenstates have identical overlap magnitudes. We derive expressions for the overlaps, and present the selection rules that determine the final eigenstates having nonzero overlap. We use these results to derive concise expressions for time-dependent quantities (Loschmidt echo, longitudinal and transverse correlators) after the quench. We use perturbative analyses to understand the overlap distribution for quenches from infinite to small nonzero anisotropies, and for quenches from large to zero anisotropy.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

L’efficacia dell’educazione terapeutica come strumento riabilitativo per il paziente con dolore cronico muscoloscheletrico di natura non maligna: revisione della letteratura

Pain is the most powerful motivating force that guides treatment-seeking behaviors in patients. This applies especially to those who are suffering from chronic pain, whose treatment is a difficult challenge for health professionals. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of Therapeutic Education in the treatment of pain and disability, and the effects on the psycological outcomes in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. The analysed educational intervention namely “Pain Neurophysiology Education”, is a promising tool according to results of the neuroscientific investigation in pain pathophysiology, during the last two decades. Methods. Literature search was conducted on PubMed, Pedro and Cochrane Library. All experimental studies including reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomized clinical trials, and evaluating the effect of Pain Neurophysiology Education (PNE) on pain, disability, anxiety, and stress in chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders, (e.g. fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome) were considered for inclusion. Additional limitations: studies publishedin English or French within the last 10 years, adult patients (18-65 years). No limitations were set on specific outcome measures of pain, disability, anxiety, and stress. Data were extracted using the participants’ interventions, comparisons, and outcomes (PICO) approach. Methodological quality was assessed following actual scientific literature guidelines: the “Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine Levels of Evidence” to assess the level of evidence, the CASP to assess methodological quality properly. Results. This review includes 8 studies RCTs and 2 Systematic Reviews, involving 951 subjects totally. Most studies were of good quality (at least 7 out of 10), with no studies rated as poor or fair. Heterogeneity across the studies with respect to participants, evaluated interventions, and outcome measures used, allowed just a narrative synthesis of results based on effect size. Conclusions. Despite the few studies and some methodological critiques, there is compelling evidence that rehabilitative intervention that includes the Therapeutic Education, in particular PNE, can have a positive effect on pain, disability, catastrophization, and physical function. The PNE effectiveness may be due to the shift of the focus from tissue damage to central processing of nociception, with the aim to increase the patient’s awareness of the no-correlation between nociception and pain. Therefore it could be conceived as an intervention that can decrease both the alertness and, as a consequence, the patient’s perception of pain

Electrophysiological assessment of plant status outside a Faraday cage using supervised machine learning

Living organisms have evolved complex signaling networks to drive appropriate physiological processes in response to changing environmental conditions. Amongst them, electric signals are a universal method to rapidly transmit information. In animals, bioelectrical activity measurements in the heart or the brain provide information about health status. In plants, practical measurements of bioelectrical activity are in their infancy and transposition of technology used in human medicine could therefore, by analogy provide insight about the physiological status of plants. This paper reports on the development and testing of an innovative electrophysiological sensor that can be used in greenhouse production conditions, without a Faraday cage, enabling real-time electric signal measurements. The bioelectrical activity is modified in response to water stress conditions or to nycthemeral rhythm. Furthermore, the automatic classification of plant status using supervised machine learning allows detection of these physiological modifications. This sensor represents an efficient alternative agronomic tool at the service of producers for decision support or for taking preventive measures before initial visual symptoms of plant stress appear

Alien insects on Eucalytpus spp.: an australian biocenosis in Tuscany

Despite the diffusion of eucalypts in Italy, the community of insects hosted by these trees is scantily studied, while information about the presence of these pests is crucial for their potential threats to economic activities. This study aims at investigating and evaluating the status of Australian insects hosted by eucalypts in Tuscany (Central Italy). We found six established species and, among them, two species recently discovered in the study area were noteworthy for their potential impacts and diffusion: Gonipterus scutellatus complex and Glycaspis brimblecombei. We provided a distribution map on Tuscan coast for both these species and revised data on biology and presence of these and other alien insects Eucalyptus-linked species

First report of Gonipterus scutellatus complex (Coleoptera Curculionidae) in Sicily (Italy).

During August 2015, the weevil Gonipterus scutellatus complex (Coleoptera Curculionidae), a pest of Eucalyptus spp., was found for the first time in Sicily. According to our surveys, Eucalyptus globulus was the only infested tree species