Experimental Quantum Teleportation and Multi-Photon Entanglement via Interfering Narrowband Photon Sources

In this letter, we report a realization of synchronization-free quantum teleportation and narrowband three-photon entanglement through interfering narrowband photon sources. Since both the single-photon and the entangled photon pair utilized are completely autonomous, it removes the requirement of high demanding synchronization technique in long-distance quantum communication with pulsed spontaneous parametric down-conversion sources. The frequency linewidth of the three-photon entanglement realized is on the order of several MHz, which matches the requirement of atomic ensemble based quantum memories. Such a narrowband multi-photon source will have applications in some advanced quantum communication protocols and linear optical quantum computation

The efficacy and safety of Baoji Tablets for treating common cold with summer-heat and dampness syndrome: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Despite the high incidence and the economic impact of the common cold, there are still no effective therapeutic options available. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in China to treat the common cold, there is still a lack of high-quality clinical trials. This article sets forth the protocol for a high-quality trial of a new TCM drug, Baoji Tablets, which is designed to treat the common cold with summer-heat and dampness syndrome (CCSDS). The trial is evaluating both the efficacy and safety of Baoji Tablets. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is designed as a multicenter, phase II, parallel-group, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized and placebo-controlled trial. A total of 288 patients will be recruited from four centers. The new tablets group are administered Baoji Tablets 0.9 g and dummy Baoji Pills 3.7 g. The old pills group are administered dummy Baoji Tablets 0.9 g and Baoji Pills 3.7 g. The placebo control group are administered dummy Baoji Tablets 0.9 g and dummy Baoji Pills 3.7 g. All drugs are taken three times daily for 3 days. The primary outcome is the duration of all symptoms. Secondary outcomes include the duration of primary and secondary symptoms, changes in primary and secondary symptom scores and cumulative symptom score at day 4, as well as an evaluation of treatment efficacy. DISCUSSION: This is the first multicenter, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized and placebo-controlled trial designated to treat CCSDS in an adult population from China. It will establish the basis for a scientific and objective assessment of the efficacy and safety of Baoji Tablets for treating CCSDS, and provide evidence for a phase III clinical trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. The registration number is ChiCTR-TRC-13003197

Psychosocial determinants of depression in the community of the elderly with cardiovascular disease

The co-morbidity of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and depression is quite frequent in old people, and some potential biological and behavioural mechanisms linking them have been reported. Yet the impact of psychosocial factors on depression in the elderly with CVD remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze the psychosocial determinants of depression in the elderly with CVD. Using the Geriatric Mental Status-Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assisted Taxonomy, a community-based household survey was performed in 2,199 elderly people from the Anhui cohort third-wave survey from 2007 to 2009 and an extended study in Hubei from 2010 to 2011. Multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to assess the influence of psychosocial factors on depression. Among them, the prevalence of depression was 4.77%. Three factors were associated with depression in elderly in the community: self-assessed physical health status, anything else severely upsetting and unpleasantness with relatives, friends, or neighbors. In particular, associations of psychosocial factors with depression were more evident in individuals with CVD. This study confirms several psychosocial determinants of depression and the impact of CVD on the associations among the elderly, which provides some clues for interventional strategies of late-life depression

Effects of ac-field amplitude on the dielectric susceptibility of relaxors

The thermally activated flips of the local spontaneous polarization in relaxors were simulated to investigate the effects of the applied-ac-field amplitude on the dielectric susceptibility. It was observed that the susceptibility increases with increasing the amplitude at low temperatures. At high temperatures, the susceptibility experiences a plateau and then drops. The maximum in the temperature dependence of susceptibility shifts to lower temperatures when the amplitude increases. A similarity was found between the effects of the amplitude and frequency on the susceptibility.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, Phys. Rev. B (in July 1st

Experimental demonstration of a hyper-entangled ten-qubit Schr\"odinger cat state

Coherent manipulation of an increasing number of qubits for the generation of entangled states has been an important goal and benchmark in the emerging field of quantum information science. The multiparticle entangled states serve as physical resources for measurement-based quantum computing and high-precision quantum metrology. However, their experimental preparation has proved extremely challenging. To date, entangled states up to six, eight atoms, or six photonic qubits have been demonstrated. Here, by exploiting both the photons' polarization and momentum degrees of freedom, we report the creation of hyper-entangled six-, eight-, and ten-qubit Schr\"odinger cat states. We characterize the cat states by evaluating their fidelities and detecting the presence of genuine multi-partite entanglement. Small modifications of the experimental setup will allow the generation of various graph states up to ten qubits. Our method provides a shortcut to expand the effective Hilbert space, opening up interesting applications such as quantum-enhanced super-resolving phase measurement, graph-state generation for anyonic simulation and topological error correction, and novel tests of nonlocality with hyper-entanglement.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, comments welcom

Can plastid genome sequencing be used for species identification in the Lauraceae?

Using DNA barcoding for species identification remains challenging for many plant groups. New sequencing approaches such as complete plastid genome sequencing may provide some increased power and practical benefits for species identification beyond standard plant DNA barcodes. We undertook a case study comparing standard DNA barcoding to plastid genome sequencing for species discrimination in the ecologically and economically important family Lauraceae, using 191 plastid genomes for 131 species from 25 genera, representing the largest plastome data set for Lauraceae to date. We found that the plastome sequences were useful in correcting some identification errors and for finding new and cryptic species. However, plastome data overall were only able to discriminate c. 60% of the species in our sample, with this representing a modest improvement from 40 to 50% discrimination success with the standard plant DNA barcodes. Beyond species discrimination, the plastid genome sequences revealed complex relationships in the family, with 12/25 genera being non-monophyletic and with extensive incongruence relative to nuclear ribosomal DNA. These results highlight that although useful for improving phylogenetic resolution in the family and providing some species-level insights, plastome sequences only partially improve species discrimination, and this reinforces the need for large-scale nuclear data to improve discrimination among closely related species

Scientific Publications in Nephrology and Urology Journals from Chinese Authors in East Asia: A 10-Year Survey of the Literature

BACKGROUND: Diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary tract are common health problems that affect people of all ages and demographic backgrounds. In this study, we compared the quantity and quality of nephrological and urological articles published in international journals from the three major regions of China: the mainland (ML), Hong Kong (HK), and Taiwan (TW). METHODS: Nephrological and urological articles originating from ML, TW, and HK that were published in 61 journals from 1999-2008 were retrieved from the PubMed database. We recorded the numbers of total articles, clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, case reports, impact factors (IF), citations, and articles published in the leading general-medicine journals. We used these data to compare the quantity and quality of publication output from the three regions. RESULTS: The total number of articles increased significantly from 1999 to 2008 in the three regions. The number of articles from ML has exceeded that from HK since 2004, and surpassed that from TW in 2008. Publications from TW had the highest accumulated IF, total citations of articles, and the most articles published in leading general-medicine journals. However, HK publications had the highest average IF. Although ML produced the largest quantity of articles, it exhibited the lowest quality among the three regions. CONCLUSION: The number of nephrological and urological publications originating from the three major regions of China increased significantly from 1999 to 2008. The annual number of publications by ML researchers exceeded those from TW and HK. However, the quality of articles from TW and HK was higher than that from ML

XPD codon 312 and 751 polymorphisms, and AFB1 exposure, and hepatocellular carcinoma risk

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair genes may influence individual variation in DNA repair capacity, which may be associated with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) related to the exposure of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). In this study, we have focused on the polymorphisms of xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group D (XPD) codon 312 and 751 (namely Asp312Asn and Lys751Gln), involved in nucleotide excision repair.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a case-control study including 618 HCC cases and 712 controls to evaluate the associations between these two polymorphisms and HCC risk for Guangxi population by means of TaqMan-PCR and PCR-RFLP analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that individuals featuring the XPD genotypes with codon 751 Gln alleles (namely XPD-LG or XPD-GG) were related to an elevated risk of HCC compared to those with the homozygote of XPD codon 751 Lys alleles [namely XPD-LL, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were 1.75 and 2.47; 95% confidence interval (CIs) were 1.30-2.37 and 1.62-3.76, respectively]. A gender-specific role was evident that showed an higher risk for women (adjusted OR was 8.58 for XPD-GG) than for men (adjusted OR = 2.90 for XPD-GG). Interestingly, the interactive effects of this polymorphism and AFB1-exposure information showed the codon 751 Gln alleles increase the risk of HCC for individuals facing longer exposure years (<it>P</it>_interaction= 0.011, OR = 0.85). For example, long-exposure-years (> 48 years) individuals who carried XDP-GG had an adjusted OR of 470.25, whereas long-exposure-years people with XDP-LL were at lower risk (adjusted OR = 149.12). However, we did not find that XPD codon 312 polymorphism was significantly associated with HCC risk.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism is an important modulator of AFB1 related-HCC development in Guangxi population.</p