Measurement uncertainty relations for position and momentum: Relative entropy formulation

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle has recently led to general measurement uncertainty relations for quantum systems: incompatible observables can be measured jointly or in sequence only with some unavoidable approximation, which can be quantified in various ways. The relative entropy is the natural theoretical quantifier of the information loss when a `true' probability distribution is replaced by an approximating one. In this paper, we provide a lower bound for the amount of information that is lost by replacing the distributions of the sharp position and momentum observables, as they could be obtained with two separate experiments, by the marginals of any smeared joint measurement. The bound is obtained by introducing an entropic error function, and optimizing it over a suitable class of covariant approximate joint measurements. We fully exploit two cases of target observables: (1) $n$-dimensional position and momentum vectors; (2) two components of position and momentum along different directions. In (1), we connect the quantum bound to the dimension $n$; in (2), going from parallel to orthogonal directions, we show the transition from highly incompatible observables to compatible ones. For simplicity, we develop the theory only for Gaussian states and measurements.Comment: 33 page

Representativeness of the "Fiesole Misurata" study database for use in pharmaco-epidemiological investigations on adherence to antihypertensive medications

Background and aims Poor adherence to medications is a major health concern especially among older subjects. To plan future studies to improve adherence, an epidemiological study, called "Fiesole Misurata", was conducted. The aim of the present paper was to verify the representativeness of the database in evaluating the AntiHyper-Tensives (AHTs)-taking behaviour. Methods Demographic records of all subjects aged >= 65 years (n = 2,228) living in the community of Fiesole (Florence, Italy) was retrieved from the Registry Office of Fiesole Municipality. The corresponding healthcare records were obtained from administrative archives of the Local Health Authority (claim dataset). Moreover, a cohort of subjects aged >= 65 years (n = 385) living in the community was screened by means of a multidimensional geriatric evaluation (cross-sectional dataset). Results In claim dataset, biyearly prevalences of hospitalization for ischemic cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and stroke were 3.7, 3.0, and 3.2 %, respectively. In the cross-sectional dataset, prevalences were 11.2, 6.7, and 7.1 %, respectively. The most used drugs were angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (43.6 % in the claim dataset, 45.3 % in the cross-sectional dataset) and diuretics (35.6 % and 47.0 %, respectively). Among the incident users of AHTs, 63.5 % was highly adherent (>= 80 %) over the first 6 months of follow-up, while 14.3 and 22.2 % were intermediate (40-79 %) and low (< 40 %) adherent. The percentage of high adherers decreased with time and reached 31.2 % at the 24th month. Conclusions These findings indicate that "Fiesole Misurata" study database can be used to develop future strategies aimed at improving the adherence to AHTs in older individuals

Teaching during the pandemic: a comparison in psychological wellbeing among smart working professions

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, since March 2020, the Italian population was forced into lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. The restrictive measures imposed forced many organizations and workers to work through online platforms and no longer in-person. Smart working, enjoyed by some workers for its flexibility, affected several professional categories. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in the psychological variables related to four groups of professional categories (practitioners, managers, executive employees, teachers), particularly the teachers group. Methods: A total sample of 628 individuals was recruited through a random probability sample across Italy. Due to the lockdown, an online questionnaire was developed; several validated scales were chosen, and some ad hoc constructed items related to the smart working experience were included. Results: The results showed statistically significant differences between the four groups of examined smart workers. Conclusions: All workers have had to readjust to this new way of working, but our results show that teachers were the most affected, both in the perception of their psychological well-being and in the management of the smart working mode

Older Adolescents Who Did or Did Not Experience COVID-19 Symptoms: Associations with Mental Health, Risk Perception and Social Connection

After a decrease in detected cases in the summer, Europe faced the emergence of a second wave of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Few studies have investigated adolescents, who may constitute a target group with possible lower compliance to public health measures, particularly the social distancing measures. A total sample of 492 participants was included in the study, and the ages of the participants ranged from 18–24 years. According to the hypothesis of our study, the sample was divided into two groups: those who experienced COVID-19 symptoms and those who did not experience COVID-19 symptoms. Demographic characteristics, knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors related to COVID-19 were investigated with ad hoc items; in addition, mood disorders, self-efficacy, and social connectedness were explored. Our results showed significant differences in the variables of risk perception, self-efficacy, and measures of belongingness among older adolescents who did or did not experience COVID-19 symptoms. In this period, adolescents experienced unprecedented disruptions in their daily lives, leading them to isolation and loneliness. Compliance with restrictive measures is considered both a proactive behavior and a social responsibility, especially if supported by prosocial reasons to prevent others from getting sick; therefore, this must be the focus of raising awareness of anti-COVID-19 compliance among adolescents

Differential Network Analysis Reveals Metabolic Determinants Associated with Mortality in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients and Suggests Potential Mechanisms Underlying Different Clinical Scores Used To Predict Death

We present here the differential analysis of metabolite-metabolite association networks constructed from an array of 24 serum metabolites identified and quantified via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a cohort of 825 patients of which 123 died within 2 years from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We investigated differences in metabolite connectivity of patients who survived, at 2 years, the AMI event, and we characterized metabolite-metabolite association networks specific to high and low risks of death according to four different risk parameters, namely, acute coronary syndrome classification, Killip, Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk score, and metabolomics NOESY RF risk score. We show significant differences in the connectivity patterns of several low-molecular-weight molecules, implying variations in the regulation of several metabolic pathways regarding branched-chain amino acids, alanine, creatinine, mannose, ketone bodies, and energetic metabolism. Our results demonstrate that the characterization of metabolite-metabolite association networks is a promising and powerful tool to investigate AMI patients according to their outcomes at a molecular level.</p

Stima della prevalenza di broncopneumopatia cronico-ostruttiva basata su dati sanitari correnti, mediante l\u27uso di un algoritmo comune, in differenti aree italiane

Aim: to estimate the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by integrating various administrative health information systems. Methods: prevalent COPD cases were defined as those reported in the hospital discharge registry (HDR) and cause of mortality registry (CMR) with codes 490*, 491*, 492*, 494* e 496* of the International diseases classification 9th revision. Annual prevalence was estimated in 35+ year-old residents in six Italian areas of different sizes, in the period 2002-2004. We in- Annunziata Faustini,1 Silvia Cascini,1 Massimo Arc?,1 Daniela Balzi,2 Alessandro Barchielli,2 Cristina Canova,3 Claudia Galassi,4 Enrica Migliore,4,5 Sante Minerba,6 Maria Angela Protti,7 Anna Romanelli,7 Roberta Tessari,3,8 Maria Angela Vigotti,9 Lorenzo Simonato3 1Dipartimento di epidemiologia, ASL RME, Roma 2Unit? operativa di epidemiologia, Azienda sanitaria 10, Firenze 3Dipartimento di medicina ambientale e sanit? pubblica, Universit? di Padova 4Servizio di epidemiologia dei tumori, ASO S. Giovanni Battista, CPO Piemonte e Universit? di Torino 5Unit? di pneumologia, CPA-ASL TO2, Torino 6Unit? di statistica ed epidemiologia, ASL 1 Taranto 7Sezione di epidemiologia e ricerca sui servizi sanitari, IFC-CNR, Pisa 8Unit? di epidemiologia, Dipartimento di prevenzione, Azienda ULSS 12 Veneziana 9Dipartimento di biologia, Universit? di Pisa Corrispondenza: Annunziata Faustini, Dipartimento di epidemiologia, ASL RME, via Santa Costanza 53, 00198 Roma; tel. 06 86060486; fax 06 86060463; e-mail [email protected] cluded cases observed in the previous four years who were alive at the beginning of each year. Results: in 2003, age-standardized prevalence rates varied from 1.6% in Venice to 5% in Taranto. Prevalence was higher in males and increased with age. The highest rates were observed in central (Rome) and southern (Taranto) cities, especially in the 35-64 age group. HDR contributed 91% of cases. Healthtax exemption registry would increase the prevalence estimate by 0.2% if used as a third data source. Conclusions: with respect to the National Health Status suraldelvey, COPD prevalence is underestimated by 1%-3%; this can partly be due to the selection of severe and exacerbated COPD by the algorithm used. However, age, gender and geographical characteristics of prevalent cases were comparable to national estimates. Including cases observed in previous years (longitudinal estimates) increased the point estimate (yearly) of prevalence two or three times in each area.Obiettivi: stimare la prevalenza della broncopneumopatia cronico-ostruttiva (BPCO) mediante l\u27utilizzo integrato di dati sanitari correnti. Metodi: la prevalenza ? stata stimata nella popolazione residente di et? superiore ai 34 anni, in sei aree geografiche, per gli anni 2002-2004. I casi prevalenti sono stati individuati dai registri delle schede di dimissione ospedaliera (SDO) e delle cause di morte (RCM), mediante i codici ICD9-CM 490*, 491*, 492*, 494* e 496* della Classificazione internazionale delle malattie 9? revisione (ICD9-CM). Ai casi osservati in ciascun anno sono stati aggiunti i pazienti ricoverati nei quattro anni precedenti e vivi all\u27inizio dell\u27anno di stima. Risultati: la prevalenza della BPCO, stimata mediante tassi standardizzati per et?, varia per il 2003 dall\u271,6% di Venezia sural 5% di Taranto. La prevalenza ? pi? alta negli uomini e aumenta con l\u27et?; Taranto e Roma presentano i valori pi? elevati, specialmente nelle classi d\u27et? dai 35 ai 64 anni. Fonte principale dei casi sono i ricoveri ospedalieri, con un contributo di almeno il 91%. L\u27uso delle esenzioni ticket come terza fonte incrementa la stima di prevalenza dello 0,2%. Conclusioni: la prevalenza della BPCO ? sottostimata dell\u271%-3% rispetto ai dati dell\u27indagine Istat sullo stato di salute; questo ? in parte attribuibile alla selezione dei casi medio- gravi da parte dell\u27algoritmo utilizzato. Tuttavia le stime mantengono le caratteristiche attese nella distribuzione per genere, et? e area geografica. Inoltre, l\u27uso longitudinale dei dati ospedalieri aumenta di 2-3 volte la stima di prevalenza basata sui dati dei singoli anni