Measurement-induced generation of spatial entanglement in a two-dimensional quantum walk with single-qubit coin

One of the proposals for the exploitation of two-dimensional quantum walks has been the efficient generation of entanglement. Unfortunately, the technological effort required for the experimental realization of standard two-dimensional quantum walks is significantly demanding. In this respect, an alternative scheme with less challenging conditions has been recently studied, particularly in terms of spatial-entanglement generation [C. Di Franco, M. Mc Gettrick, and Th. Busch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 080502 (2011)]. Here, we extend the investigation to a scenario where a measurement is performed on the coin degree of freedom after the evolution, allowing a further comparison with the standard two-dimensional Grover walk.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX

Alternate two-dimensional quantum walk with a single-qubit coin

We have recently proposed a two-dimensional quantum walk where the requirement of a higher dimensionality of the coin space is substituted with the alternance of the directions in which the walker can move [C. Di Franco, M. Mc Gettrick, and Th. Busch, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 106}, 080502 (2011)]. For a particular initial state of the coin, this walk is able to perfectly reproduce the spatial probability distribution of the non-localized case of the Grover walk. Here, we present a more detailed proof of this equivalence. We also extend the analysis to other initial states, in order to provide a more complete picture of our walk. We show that this scheme outperforms the Grover walk in the generation of $x$-$y$ spatial entanglement for any initial condition, with the maximum entanglement obtained in the case of the particular aforementioned state. Finally, the equivalence is generalized to wider classes of quantum walks and a limit theorem for the alternate walk in this context is presented.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, RevTeX

Time trend occurrence of duodenal intraepithelial lymphocytosis and celiac disease in an open access endoscopic population

Background: Duodenal intraepithelial lymphocytosis (DIL) is a histological finding characterized by the increase of intraepithelial CD3T-lymphocytes over the normal value without villous atrophy, mostly associated to coeliac disease (CD), Helicobacter pylori (Hp) gastritis and autoimmune diseases. Objective: To assess the occurrence of DIL, CD and Hp gastritis in an endoscopic population over a 13 year period. Methods: From 2003 to 2015 we included adult patients who consecutively underwent oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (OGD) with duodenal biopsies assessing the overall and annual occurrence of DIL and CD and the prevalence of Hp gastritis. Results: 160 (2.3%) patients with DIL and 275 (3.9%) with CD were detected among 7001 patients. CD occurrence was higher from 2003 to 2011, while since 2012 DIL occurrence gradually increased significantly compared to CD (p = 0.03). DIL patients were more frequently female (p = 0.0006) and underwent OGD more frequently for dyspepsia (p = 0.002) and for indications not related to gastrointestinal symptoms than CD patients (p = 0.0003). Hp gastritis occurred similarly in CD and DIL patients but the latter had higher frequency of atrophic body gastritis (p = 0.005). Conclusions: DIL is a condition increasing in the general endoscopic population mainly diagnosed by chance. Concomitant gastric histological evaluation is able in one third of DIL patients to identify associated possible causes of DIL, such as Hp and atrophic gastritis

High Frequency Model of PV Systems for the Evaluation of Ground Currents

A high frequency model of a photovoltaic (PV) plant is developed and analysed to investigate the common mode (CM) currents circulating through the ground connections of the plant. The modelling method is based on the measurement of the impedance frequency response of photovoltaic module and on a high frequency representation of the power conversion unit. An overall lumped parameters circuit model is obtained and then implemented in PSpice. The CM leakage currents are evaluated by simulation

Hypovitaminosis D in recent onset rheumatoid arthritis is predictive of reduced response to treatment and increased disease activity: a 12 month follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D displays immunomodulatory activities and has been proposed as a potential player in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A negative association between serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels and RA activity was demonstrated but longitudinal studies investigating the role of vitamin D levels in predicting RA activity and response to treatment are lacking. Therefore, this study was designed to test the hypothesis of an association between serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels at RA diagnosis and disease activity evaluated by clinimetric, laboratory and ultrasound (US) parameters and to detect the prevalence of remission and response to treatment after 12 months follow-up. METHODS: This is a longitudinal, retrospective study on data obtained from thirty-seven patients with early RA treatment-naïve. Serum inflammatory markers, auto-antibodies and 25(OH) vitamin D levels were obtained at baseline. Hypovitaminosis D was diagnosed for 25(OH) vitamin D levels < 20 ng/ml. Tender joint count (TJCs), swollen joint count (SJCs), Visual Analog Scales (VAS), Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28 score were assessed at baseline and 12 months after diagnosis. Joints synovitis and power-Doppler were evaluated at baseline and 12 months later. RESULTS: At baseline mean 25(OH) vitamin D levels were 24.4 ± 11.9 ng/ml; 35% of study subjects had hypovitaminosis D which strongly associated with higher RA activity and lower prevalence of remission and response to treatment (all p-values < 0.001). The percentage of patients not presenting a reduction of the US synovitis score after 12 months from diagnosis was significantly higher among patients with hypovitaminosis D than in those with normal serum 25(OH) vitamin D at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with early RA and basal hypovitaminosis D after 12 months follow-up reduction of disease activity and percentage of remission and response to treatment were significantly lower than those observed in patients with normal vitamin D levels. These results provide further support to the immunomodulatory action of vitamin D in RA and suggest a role of basal vitamin D status in the prediction of disease evolution. Vitamin D measurement and possibly vitamin D supplementation should be considered an additional option in the management of early RA patients

Alternative Substrates and Fertilization Routine Relationships for Bedding Pot Plants: Impatiens wallerana

This study was carried out searching for alternative substrates to traditional peat based on river waste and Sphagnum and Carex peat from Argentinean peatlands and used to grow Impatiens wallerana bedding plant. The aim of this study was i) to characterize physical and chemical effects from seven growing media on I. wallerana plants grown under different fertilization rates and ii) to describe the physiological mechanisms in plants, involved in the use of such substrates. Particle stability was lower for the six alternative substrates compared to the Canadian peat-base control substrate. However, with a high fertilization dose it is possible to reach non significant differences in plant growth compared to the control substrate. It is suggested, for future research, that nitrogen signalling associated to cytokinin synthesis by roots is involved.Fil: Thibaud, J.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Floricultura; ArgentinaFil: Loughlin, T. Mc.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Floricultura; ArgentinaFil: Pagani, A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Floricultura; ArgentinaFil: Lavado, Raul Silvio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Di Benedetto, Adalberto Hugo. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Floricultura; Argentin

Species diversity, spatial distribution, and virulence associated genes of culturable vibrios in a brackish coastal Mediterranean environment

The Vibrio genus is widespread in marine and brackish environments, and several species are human and animal pathogens of global importance. Vibrios adapt rapidly to many environmental stresses, so that brackish environments can be both a suitable niche and a possible reservoir for them. To test the occurrence of culturable vibrios and their possible correlation with environmental factors in a temperate brackish environment, a 1year sampling study was performed in three brackish ponds located along the Central Thyrrenian coast in the Macchiatonda Nature Reserve (Santa Marinella, district of Rome, Italy). Molecular methods were used to detect Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio arahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus pathogenicity associated genes among the Vibrio isolates. Out of 130 Vibrio isolates identified by sequencing a recA fragment, 70 harbored virulence associated genes including ctx, ace, tcpA, tdh, trh, vvhA, vllY, and toxRS, so confirming the spread of virulence determinants across the environmental isolates. Ecological analysis showed that, although the water temperature is known to be a strong predictor of abundance and distribution of vibrios, its influence accounts for 27 % of the observed variance in the Macchiatonda samples, increasing to 40 % when combined with salinity

Mimicking the probability distribution of a two-dimensional Grover walk with a single-qubit coin

Multi-dimensional quantum walks usually require large coin spaces. Here we show that the non-localized case of the spatial density probability of the two-dimensional Grover walk can be obtained using only a two-dimensional coin space and a quantum walk in alternate directions. We present a formal proof of this correspondence and analyze the behavior of the coin-position entanglement as well as the x-y spatial entanglement in our scheme with respect to the Grover one. We show that our experimentally simpler scheme allows to entangle the two orthogonal directions of the walk more efficiently.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX

Botulinum A toxin intravesical injections in the treatment of painful bladder syndrome: A pilot study

Objective: We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of botulinum A toxin (BTX-A) intravesical injections in patients affected by painful bladder syndrome with increased urinary frequency, refractory to conventional treatment modalities. Methods: Twelve women and two men were prospectively included in the study. Under short general anaesthesia patients were given injections of 200 U of commercially available BTX-A diluted in 20 ml 0.9% NaCl. Injections were performed submucosally in the trigone and bladder floor under cystoscopic control. Voiding chart, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, and urodynamics were performed before treatment and 1 and 3 mo afterward. Results: Overall, 12 patients (85.7%) reported subjective improvement at 1 and 3 mo follow-up. The mean VAS score was significantly reduced at 1 and 3 mo after treatment (p < 0.05 for both); at the same time points daytime and nighttime urinary frequency significantly decreased (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively), and bladder cystometric capacity significantly increased (p < 0.01). Two patients reported incomplete bladder emptying. We did not detect any systemic side effects during or after treatment. Conclusions: The results of this pilot study indicate that BTX-A intravesical injections are effective in the short-term management of painful bladder syndrome. By modulating afferent C-fiber activity within the bladder walls, BTX-A significantly improves urodynamic parameters and reduces bladder pain and urinary frequency

Effects of add-on ultramicronized n-palmitol ethanol amide in patients suffering of migraine with aura. a pilot study

Background: Palmitoyl ethanol amide (PEA) is an endogenously produced substance showing anti-nociceptive effect through both receptor and non-receptor mediated effects at the level of different cellular and tissue sites. This study showed the results of a single blind study that was conducted to evaluate both the safety and the efficacy of ultramicronized PEA (umPEA; 1,200 mg/day) for up 90 days in patients suffering of Migraine with Aura (MA) treated with NSAIDs. Methods: A total of 20 patients, 8 male (33-56-years, average 41.4 ± 7.8) and 12 female (19-61-years, average 38.5 ± 11.9) with MA were admitted to our observation and diagnosed according to ICHD-3 criteria, they received umPEA (1,200 mg/day) in combination with NSAIDs for up to 90 days. They were revaluated at 30, 60, and 90 days after treatment. Results: umPEA administration induced a statistically significant and time dependent pain relief. In particular, these effects were evident at 60 days (male P = 0.01189; female P = < 0.01) and they lasted until the end of the study (male P = 0.0066; female P = 0.01473). Conclusion: Although further studies are needed, our findings indicate that in patients suffering of MA treatment with umPEA had good efficacy and safety which candidate this compound as a therapeutic tool in pain migraine management