Spread of a SARS-CoV-2 variant through Europe in the summer of 2020.

Following its emergence in late 2019, the spread of SARS-CoV-21,2 has been tracked by phylogenetic analysis of viral genome sequences in unprecedented detail3-5. Although the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced. However, travel within Europe resumed in the summer of 2020. Here we report on a SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20E (EU1), that was identified in Spain in early summer 2020 and subsequently spread across Europe. We find no evidence that this variant has increased transmissibility, but instead demonstrate how rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel, and lack of effective screening and containment may explain the variant's success. Despite travel restrictions, we estimate that 20E (EU1) was introduced hundreds of times to European countries by summertime travellers, which is likely to have undermined local efforts to minimize infection with SARS-CoV-2. Our results illustrate how a variant can rapidly become dominant even in the absence of a substantial transmission advantage in favourable epidemiological settings. Genomic surveillance is critical for understanding how travel can affect transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and thus for informing future containment strategies as travel resumes.

Heart Rate Variability to Automatically Identify Hyperbaric States Considering Respiratory Component.

This study's primary objective was to identify individuals whose physiological responses deviated from the rest of the study population by automatically monitoring atmospheric pressure levels to which they are exposed and using parameters derived from their heart rate variability (HRV). To achieve this, 28 volunteers were placed in a dry hyperbaric chamber, where they experienced varying pressures from 1 to 5 atmospheres, with five sequential stops lasting five minutes each at different atmospheric pressures. The HRV was dissected into two components: the respiratory component, which is linked to respiration; and the residual component, which is influenced by factors beyond respiration. Nine parameters were assessed, including the respiratory rate, four classic HRV temporal parameters, and four frequency parameters. A k-nearest neighbors classifier based on cosine distance successfully identified the atmospheric pressures to which the subjects were exposed to. The classifier achieved an 88.5% accuracy rate in distinguishing between the 5 atm and 3 atm stages using only four features: respiratory rate, heart rate, and two frequency parameters associated with the subjects' sympathetic responses. Furthermore, the study identified 6 out of 28 subjects as having atypical responses across all pressure levels when compared to the majority. Interestingly, two of these subjects stood out in terms of gender and having less prior diving experience, but they still exhibited normal responses to immersion. This suggests the potential for establishing distinct safety protocols for divers based on their previous experience and gender.

Enhancing Safety in Hyperbaric Environments through Analysis of Autonomic Nervous System Responses: A Comparison of Dry and Humid Conditions.

Diving can have significant cardiovascular effects on the human body and increase the risk of developing cardiac health issues. This study aimed to investigate the autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses of healthy individuals during simulated dives in hyperbaric chambers and explore the effects of the humid environment on these responses. Electrocardiographic- and heart-rate-variability (HRV)-derived indices were analyzed, and their statistical ranges were compared at different depths during simulated immersions under dry and humid conditions. The results showed that humidity significantly affected the ANS responses of the subjects, leading to reduced parasympathetic activity and increased sympathetic dominance. The power of the high-frequency band of the HRV after removing the influence of respiration, PHF⟂¯, and the number of pairs of successive normal-to-normal intervals that differ by more than 50 ms divided by the total number of normal-to-normal intervals, pNN50¯, indices were found to be the most informative in distinguishing the ANS responses of subjects between the two datasets. Additionally, the statistical ranges of the HRV indices were calculated, and the classification of subjects as "normal" or "abnormal" was determined based on these ranges. The results showed that the ranges were effective at identifying abnormal ANS responses, indicating the potential use of these ranges as a reference for monitoring the activity of divers and avoiding future immersions if many indices are out of the normal ranges. The bagging method was also used to include some variability in the datasets' ranges, and the classification results showed that the ranges computed without proper bagging represent reality and its associated variability. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the ANS responses of healthy individuals during simulated dives in hyperbaric chambers and the effects of humidity on these responses.

Interplay between mobility, multi-seeding and lockdowns shapes COVID-19 local impact.

Assessing the impact of mobility on epidemic spreading is of crucial importance for understanding the effect of policies like mass quarantines and selective re-openings. While many factors affect disease incidence at a local level, making it more or less homogeneous with respect to other areas, the importance of multi-seeding has often been overlooked. Multi-seeding occurs when several independent (non-clustered) infected individuals arrive at a susceptible population. This can lead to independent outbreaks that spark from distinct areas of the local contact (social) network. Such mechanism has the potential to boost incidence, making control efforts and contact tracing less effective. Here, through a modeling approach we show that the effect produced by the number of initial infections is non-linear on the incidence peak and peak time. When case importations are carried by mobility from an already infected area, this effect is further enhanced by the local demography and underlying mixing patterns: the impact of every seed is larger in smaller populations. Finally, both in the model simulations and the analysis, we show that a multi-seeding effect combined with mobility restrictions can explain the observed spatial heterogeneities in the first wave of COVID-19 incidence and mortality in five European countries. Our results allow us for identifying what we have called epidemic epicenter: an area that shapes incidence and mortality peaks in the entire country. The present work further clarifies the nonlinear effects that mobility can have on the evolution of an epidemic and highlight their relevance for epidemic control.

Structural Statistical Quantifiers and Thermal Features of Quantum Systems.

This paper deals primarily with relatively novel thermal quantifiers called disequilibrium and statistical complexity, whose role is growing in different disciplines of physics and other sciences. These quantifiers are called L. Ruiz, Mancini, and Calvet (LMC) quantifiers, following the initials of the three authors who advanced them. We wish to establish information-theoretical bridges between LMC structural quantifiers and (1) Thermal Heisenberg uncertainties ΔxΔp (at temperature T); (2) A nuclear physics fermion model. Having achieved such purposes, we determine to what an extent our bridges can be extended to both the semi-classical and classical realms. In addition, we find a strict bound relating a special LMC structural quantifier to quantum uncertainties.

Dynamics of photoexcited Ba(+) cations in (4)He nanodroplets.

We present a joint experimental and theoretical study on the desolvation of Ba(+) cations in (4)He nanodroplets excited via the 6p ← 6s transition. The experiments reveal an efficient desolvation process yielding mainly bare Ba(+) cations and Ba(+)Hen exciplexes with n = 1 and 2. The speed distributions of the ions are well described by Maxwell-Boltzmann distributions with temperatures ranging from 60 to 178 K depending on the excitation frequency and Ba(+) Hen exciplex size. These results have been analyzed by calculations based on a time-dependent density functional description for the helium droplet combined with classical dynamics for the Ba(+). In agreement with experiment, the calculations reveal the dynamical formation of exciplexes following excitation of the Ba(+) cation. In contrast to experimental observation, the calculations do not reveal desolvation of excited Ba(+) cations or exciplexes, even when relaxation pathways to lower lying states are included.

Excitation of Sodium Atoms Attached to Helium Nanodroplets: The 3p ← 3s Transition Revisited.

The dynamics of Na atoms on the surface of helium nanodroplets following excitation via the 3p ← 3s transition has been investigated using state-specific ion-based detection of the products. Excitation of the system to the 3p (2)Π states is found to lead to the desorption of both bare Na and NaHe exciplexes. The associated speed distributions point to an impulsive desorption process for Na products and a thermally driven process for the NaHe exciplexes. In contrast, excitation of the 3p (2)Σ state leads exclusively to the impulsive desorption of Na atoms. In this case, the desorption is accompanied by a helium-induced relaxation process, as evidenced by the large fraction of detected Na (2)P1/2 atoms. The relaxation process is thought to be related to a crossing between the (2)Π1/2 and (2)Σ potential energy curves at large distance.

Capture of heliophobic atoms by (4)He nanodroplets: the case of cesium.

Within Density Functional Theory (DFT), we address the capture of a Cs atom by a superfluid helium nanodroplet using models of different complexity. In the simplest model, the Cs-droplet potential is obtained in two extreme approximations, namely the sudden approximation in which one assumes that the density of the droplet is not relaxed as Cs approaches it, and the adiabatic approximation in which one assumes that it does. Next, a more complex approach in which the collision is described within a time-dependent DFT approach is employed. Depending on the energy and impact parameter of the impinging Cs atom, a rich variety of dynamical phenomena appears that is discussed in some detail.

Communication: nucleation of quantized vortex rings in 4He nanodroplets.

Whereas most of the phenomena associated with superfluidity have been observed in finite-size helium systems, the nucleation of quantized vortices has proven elusive. Here we show using time-dependent density functional simulations that the solvation of a Ba(+) ion created by photoionization of neutral Ba at the surface of a (4)He nanodroplet leads to the nucleation of a quantized ring vortex. The vortex is nucleated on a 10 ps timescale at the equator of a solid-like solvation structure that forms around the Ba(+) ion. The process is expected to be quite general and very efficient under standard experimental conditions.

Critical Landau velocity in helium nanodroplets.

The best-known property of superfluid helium is the vanishing viscosity that objects experience while moving through the liquid with speeds below the so-called critical Landau velocity. This critical velocity is generally considered a macroscopic property as it is related to the collective excitations of the helium atoms in the liquid. In the present work we determine to what extent this concept can still be applied to nanometer-scale, finite size helium systems. To this end, atoms and molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets of various sizes are accelerated out of the droplets by means of optical excitation, and the speed distributions of the ejected particles are determined. The measurements reveal the existence of a critical velocity in these systems, even for nanodroplets consisting of only a thousand helium atoms. Accompanying theoretical simulations based on a time-dependent density functional description of the helium confirm and further elucidate this experimental finding.

Translational dynamics of photoexcited atoms in 4He nanodroplets: the case of silver.

The dynamics following the photoexcitation of Ag atoms in (4)He nanodroplets via the 5p (2)P1/2 ← 5s (2)S1/2 and 5p (2)P3/2 ← 5s (2)S1/2 transitions has been investigated in a joint experimental and theoretical effort. It has been experimentally found that upon excitation to the (2)P1/2 state, the Ag atoms are ejected with a speed distribution peaking at about 55 m s(-1). When Ag is excited to the (2)P3/2 state, a rich phenomenology is found. While a fraction of the impurities remains solvated, the impurities that are ejected from the droplets either as Ag or AgHe have speed distributions similar, but not identical, to those found for excitation to the (2)P1/2 state. The experimental findings are qualitatively analyzed within a three-dimensional, time-dependent density functional approach for the helium droplet. The dynamics of the Ag-(4)He1000 system has been followed for several tens of picoseconds, long enough to observe AgHe exciplex formation and the departure of the photoexcited Ag atom from the helium droplet.

Communication: angular momentum alignment and fluorescence polarization of alkali atoms photodetached from helium nanodroplets.

The theory of photofragments angular momentum polarization is applied to the photodetachment of an electronically excited alkali atom from a helium nanocluster (N = 200). The alignment of the electronic angular momentum of the bare excited alkali atoms produced is calculated quantum mechanically by solving the excited states coupled equations with potentials determined by density functional theory (DFT). Pronounced oscillations as a function of excitation energy are predicted for the case of Na@(He)200, in marked contrast with the absorption cross-section and angular distribution of the ejected atoms which are smooth functions of the energy. These oscillations are due to quantum interference between different coherently excited photodetachment pathways. Experimentally, these oscillations should be reflected in the fluorescence polarization and polarization-resolved photoelectron yield of the ejected atoms, which are proportional to the electronic angular momentum alignment. In addition, this result is much more general than the test case of NaHe200 studied here. It should be observable for larger droplets, for higher excited electronic states, and for other alkali as well as for alkali-earth atoms. Detection of these oscillations would show that the widely used pseudo-diatomic model can be valid beyond the prediction of absorption spectra and could help in interpreting parts of the dynamics, as already hinted by some experimental results on angular anisotropy of bare alkali fragments.

Urban dynamics through the lens of human mobility.

The urban spatial structure represents the distribution of public and private spaces in cities and how people move within them. Although it usually evolves slowly, it can change quickly during large-scale emergency events, as well as due to urban renewal in rapidly developing countries. Here we present an approach to delineate such urban dynamics in quasi-real time through a human mobility metric, the mobility centrality index ΔKS. As a case study, we tracked the urban dynamics of eleven Spanish cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results revealed that their structures became more monocentric during the lockdown in the first wave, but kept their regular spatial structures during the second wave. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of mobility from home, we also introduce a dimensionless metric, KSHBT, which measures the extent of home-based travel and provides statistical insights into the transmission of COVID-19. By utilizing individual mobility data, our metrics enable the detection of changes in the urban spatial structure.

Desorption of alkali atoms from 4He nanodroplets.

The dynamics following the photoexcitation of Na and Li atoms located on the surface of helium nanodroplets has been investigated in a joint experimental and theoretical study. Photoelectron spectroscopy has revealed that excitation of the alkali atoms via the (n + 1)s ←ns transition leads to the desorption of these atoms. The mean kinetic energy of the desorbed atoms, as determined by ion imaging, shows a linear dependence on excitation frequency. These experimental findings are analyzed within a three-dimensional, time-dependent density functional approach for the helium droplet combined with a Bohmian dynamics description of the desorbing atom. This hybrid method reproduces well the key experimental observables. The dependence of the observables on the impurity mass is discussed by comparing the results obtained for the (6)Li and (7)Li isotopes. The calculations show that the desorption of the excited alkali atom is accompanied by the creation of highly non-linear density waves in the helium droplet that propagate at supersonic velocities.

Impact of the PPG Sampling Rate in the Pulse Rate Variability Indices Evaluating Several Fiducial Points in Different Pulse Waveforms.

The main aim of this work is to study the effect of the sampling rate of the photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal for pulse rate variability (PRV) analysis. Forehead and finger PPG signals were recorded at 1000 Hz during a rest state, with red and infrared wavelengths, simultaneously with the electrocardiogram (ECG). The PPG sampling rate has been reduced by decimation, obtaining signals at 500 Hz, 250 Hz, 125 Hz, 100 Hz, 50 Hz and 25 Hz. Five fiducial points were computed: apex, up-slope, medium, line-medium and medium interpolate point. The medium point is located in the middle of the up-slope of the pulse. The medium interpolate point is a new proposal as fiducial point that consider the abrupt up-slope of the PPG pulse, so it can be recovered by linear interpolation when the sampling rate is reduced. The error performed in the temporal location of the fiducial points was computed. Pulse period time interval series were obtained from all PPG signals and fiducial points, and compared with the RR intervals obtained from the ECG. Heart rate variability and PRV signals were estimated and classical time and frequency domain indices were computed. The results showed that the medium interpolate point of the PPG pulse was the most accurate fiducial point under different PPG morphologies and sensor locations, when sampling rate was reduced. Being able to reduce the sampling rate to 50 Hz without causing significant changes in time and frequency indices, when medium interpolate point was used as fiducial point.

Autonomic Nervous System characterization in hyperbaric environments considering respiratory component and non-linear analysis of Heart Rate Variability.

OBJECTIVES: an evaluation of Principal Dynamic Mode (PDM) and Orthogonal Subspace Projection (OSP) methods to characterize the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) response in three different hyperbaric environments was performed. METHODS: ECG signals were recorded in two different stages (baseline and immersion) in three different hyperbaric environments: (a) inside a hyperbaric chamber, (b) in a controlled sea immersion, (c) in a real reservoir immersion. Time-domain parameters were extracted from the RR series of the ECG. From the Heart Rate Variability signal (HRV), classic Power Spectral Density (PSD), PDM (a non-linear analysis of HRV which is able to separate sympathetic and parasympathetic activities) and OSP (an analysis of HRV which is able to extract the respiratory component) methods were used to assess the ANS response. RESULTS: PDM and OSP parameters follows the same trend when compared to the PSD ones for the hyperbaric chamber dataset. Comparing the three hyperbaric scenarios, significant differences were found: i) heart rate decreased and RMSSD increased in the hyperbaric chamber and the controlled dive, but they had the opposite behavior during the uncontrolled dive; ii) power in the OSP respiratory component was lower than power in the OSP residual component in cases a and c; iii) PDM and OSP methods showed a significant increase in sympathetic activity during both dives, but parasympathetic activity increased only during the uncontrolled dive. CONCLUSIONS: PDM and OSP methods could be used as an alternative measurement of ANS response instead of the PSD method. OSP results indicate that most of the variation in the heart rate variability cannot be described by changes in the respiration, so changes in ANS response can be assigned to other factors. Time-domain parameters reflect vagal activation in the hyperbaric chamber and in the controlled dive because of the effect of pressure. In the uncontrolled dive, sympathetic activity seems to be dominant, due to the effects of other factors such as physical activity, the challenging environment, and the influence of breathing through the scuba mask during immersion. In sum, a careful description of the changes in all the possible factors that could affect the ANS response between baseline and immersion stages in hyperbaric environments is needed for better interpretation of the results.

Characterization of α/ß- and γ-gliadins in commercial varieties and breeding lines of durum wheat using MALDI-TOF and A-PAGE gels.

In this work, gliadin composition has been analyzed in 33 accessions of durum wheat using MALDI-TOF MS and compared with A-PAGE results. The MALDI-TOF MS spectra were 29,900-42,500 Da, which corresponds to the α/ß- and γ-gliadin regions in A-PAGE. The average of gliadin peaks per line was 23 for MALDI-TOF MS and only 14.8 bands for A-PAGE. MALDI-TOF MS identified 33 gliadin peaks in the durum wheat collection, 20 of which were unique peaks present in 7 lines. A-PAGE analysis identified 30 bands, of which only 4 were unique. Thus, the MALDI-TOF MS method was more sensitive than A-PAGE for identifying α/ß- and γ-gliadins in the 33 durum wheat lines studied. Phylogenetic analyses performed using MALDI-TOF MS data assigned the durum wheat lines to two groups. The utility of MALDI-TOF MS to determine relationships among genotypes and for identification of durum wheat accessions is discussed.

Photoplethysmographic Waveform and Pulse Rate Variability Analysis in Hyperbaric Environments.

The main aim of this work is to identify alterations in the morphology of the pulse photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal, due to the exposure of the subjects to a hyperbaric environment. Additionally, their Pulse Rate Variability (PRV) is analysed to characterise the response of their Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). To do that, 28 volunteers are introduced into a hyperbaric chamber and five sequential stages with different atmospheric pressures from 1 atm to 5 atm are performed. In this work, nineteen morphological parameters of the PPG signal are analysed: the pulse amplitude; eight parameters related to pulse width; eight parameters related to pulse area; and the two two pulse slopes. Also, classical time and frequency parameters of PRV are computed. Notable widening of the pulses width is observed in the stages analysed. The PPG area increases with pressure, with no significant changes when the initial pressure is recovered. These changes in PPG waveform may be caused by an increase in the systemic vascular resistance as a consequence of of vasoconstriction in the extremities, suggesting a sympathetic activation. However, the PRV results show an augmented parasympathetic activity and a reduction in the parameters that characterise the sympathetic response. So, only a sympathetic activation is detected in the peripheral region, as reflected by PPG morphology. The information regarding the ANS and the cardiovascular response that can be extracted from the PPG signal, as well as its compatibility with wet conditions make this signal the most suitable for studying the physiological response in hyperbaric environments.

Emergence and spread of a SARS-CoV-2 variant through Europe in the summer of 2020.

Following its emergence in late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic resulting in unprecedented efforts to reduce transmission and develop therapies and vaccines (WHO Emergency Committee, 2020; Zhu et al., 2020). Rapidly generated viral genome sequences have allowed the spread of the virus to be tracked via phylogenetic analysis (Worobey et al., 2020; Hadfield et al., 2018; Pybus et al., 2020). While the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced, allowing continent-specific variants to emerge. However, within Europe travel resumed in the summer of 2020, and the impact of this travel on the epidemic is not well understood. Here we report on a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20E (EU1), that emerged in Spain in early summer, and subsequently spread to multiple locations in Europe. We find no evidence of increased transmissibility of this variant, but instead demonstrate how rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel across Europe, and lack of effective screening and containment may explain the variant's success. Despite travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, we estimate 20E (EU1) was introduced hundreds of times to countries across Europe by summertime travellers, likely undermining local efforts to keep SARS-CoV-2 cases low. Our results demonstrate how a variant can rapidly become dominant even in absence of a substantial transmission advantage in favorable epidemiological settings. Genomic surveillance is critical to understanding how travel can impact SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and thus for informing future containment strategies as travel resumes.

Multivariable relationships between autonomic nervous system related indices in hyperbaric environments.

The main aim of this work is to model the relationships between parameters extracted from the heart rate variability (HRV) signal, which is derived from the electrocardiogram (ECG), at different stages of a simulated immersion in a hyperbaric chamber. The response of the Autonomic Nervous System is known to be affected by changes in atmospheric pressure, reflected in changes in the HRV signal. A dataset consisting of ECG signals from 17 subjects exposed to a controlled hyperbaric environment, simulating depths from 0 m to 40 m, was used. Both linear and nonlinear dependences of HRV parameters were analysed using linear regression and Mutual Information (entropy-based) techniques. Furthermore, relationships between parameters of the HRV signals, biophysical variables of the subjects, and atmospheric pressure changes were characterized by artificial neural networks. In particular, self-organizing maps (SOM) were trained for modelling and clustering all the data. In the mid-term, these models could be the basis to create predictive models of HRV parameters at high depths in order to increase the safety for divers by warning them if some abnormal body response could be expected just by processing the ECG signal at sea level before immersion.