Generation of two-mode entangled states by quantum reservoir engineering

A method for generating entangled cat states of two modes of a microwave cavity field is proposed. Entanglement results from the interaction of the field with a beam of atoms crossing the microwave resonator, giving rise to non-unitary dynamics of which the target entangled state is a fixed point. We analyse the robustness of the generated two-mode photonic "cat state" against dephasing and losses by means of numerical simulation. This proposal is an instance of quantum reservoir engineering of photonic systems.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Navigating Uncertainty: Social Media Narratives of Tourism during COVID-19

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic and the travelling restrictions put in place by governments had an unprecedented effect on tourism in South Tyrol, with stays from the main markets experiencing a loss ranging from -36.3% to -73.4%. The present study explores the English-language social media communication of tourist destinations in South Tyrol during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. To do so, a combined methodological approach is adopted, based on ethnographic interviews with practitioners of the tourism sector and corpusassisted discourse analysis. The findings reveal that the deployment of futureoriented and corrective linguistic approaches to envision a post-crisis scenario is crucial in conveying hope and possibility. These findings not only enhance our understanding of tourism discourse in the context of communication crisis management but also have implications for the resilience of tourism industry during challenging periods

Cancer mortality trend in central Italy. focus on a “low rate of land use” area from 1982 to 2011

The aim of the present study was to estimate total cancer mortality trends from 1982 to 2011 in a “low rate of land use” province of the Latium region (Rieti, central Italy) characterized by a low degree of urbanization, a high prevalence of elderly, and a low number of births. Mortality data of the studied period, provided by the Italian National Institute of Statistics, were used for calculating standardized cancer mortality rates. Trends in mortality were analyzed using Joinpoint regression analysis. Results showed that total standardized cancer mortality rates decreased in the monitored area over the study period. A comparison with other provinces of the same region evidenced that the studied province presented the lowest cancer mortality. The three systems/apparatuses affected by cancer that mainly influenced cancer mortality in the monitored province were the trachea-bronchus-lung, colorectal-anus, and stomach. These findings could be attributed to the implement of preventive initiatives performed in the early 2000s, to healthier environmental scenario, and to lower levels of carcinogenic pollutants in air, water, and soil matrices. Thus, our results indicate that the studied area could be considered a “healthy” benchmark for studies in oncological diseases

A complex phenotype in a child with familial HDL deficiency due to a novel frameshift mutation in APOA1 gene (apoA-IGuastalla)

Background We describe a kindred with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) deficiency due to APOA1 g ene mutation in which comorbidities affected the phenotypic expression of the disorder. Methods An overweight boy with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) and HDL deficiency (HDL cholesterol 0.39 mmol/L, apoA-I 40 mg/dL) was investigated. We sequenced the candidate genes for HTG ( LPL, APOC2 , APOA5, GPIHBP1, LMF1 ) and HDL deficiency ( LCAT, ABCA1 and APOA1 ), analyzed HDL subpopulations, measured cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) of sera and constructed a model of the mutant apoA-I. Results No mutations in HTG-related genes, ABCA1 and LCAT were found. APOA1 sequence showed that the proband, his mother and maternal grandfather were heterozygous of a novel frameshift mutation (c.546_547delGC), which generated a truncated protein (p.[L159Afs*20]) containing 177 amino acids with an abnormal C-terminal tail of 19 amino acids. Trace amounts of this protein were detectable in plasma. Mutation carriers had reduced levels of LpA-I, preβ-HDL and large HDL and no detectable HDL-2 in their plasma; their sera had a reduced CEC specifically the ABCA1-mediated CEC. Metabolic syndrome in the proband explains the extremely low HDL cholesterol level (0.31 mmol/L), which was half of that found in the other carriers. The proband's mother and grandfather, both presenting low plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, were carriers of the β-thalassemic trait, a condition known to be associated with a reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and a reduced prevalence of cardiovascular disease. This trait might have delayed the development of atherosclerosis related to HDL deficiency. Conclusions In these heterozygotes for apoA-I truncation, the metabolic syndrome has deleterious effect on HDL system, whereas β-thalassemia trait may delay the onset of cardiovascular disease

Nanomedicine Approaches for the Pulmonary Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis

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Oxidation Induced Doping of Nanoparticles Revealed by in Situ X-ray Absorption Studies

Doping is a well-known approach to modulate the electronic and optical properties of nanoparticles (NPs). However, doping at nanoscale is still very challenging, and the reasons for that are not well understood. We studied the formation and doping process of iron and iron oxide NPs in real time by in situ synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Our study revealed that the mass flow of the iron triggered by oxidation is responsible for the internalization of the dopant (molybdenum) adsorbed at the surface of the host iron NPs. The oxidation induced doping allows controlling the doping levels by varying the amount of dopant precursor. Our in situ studies also revealed that the dopant precursor substantially changes the reaction kinetics of formation of iron and iron oxide NPs. Thus, in the presence of dopant precursor we observed significantly faster decomposition rate of iron precursors and substantially higher stability of iron NPs against oxidation. The same doping mechanism and higher stability of host metal NPs against oxidation was observed for cobalt-based systems. Since the internalization of the adsorbed dopant at the surface of the host NPs is driven by the mass transport of the host, this mechanism can be potentially applied to introduce dopants into different oxidized forms of metal and metal alloy NPs providing the extra degree of compositional control in material design.Fil: Kwon, Soon Gu. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Chattopadhyay, Soma. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados Unidos. Illinois Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Koo, Bonil. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Dos Santos Claro, Paula Cecilia. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Shibata, Tomohiro. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Requejo, Felix Gregorio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Giovanetti, Lisandro Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Liu, Yuzi. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Johnson, Christopher. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Prakapenka, Vitali. University of Chicago; Estados UnidosFil: Lee, Byeongdu. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Shevchenko, Elena V.. Argonne National Laboratory; Estados Unido

“Sobre llovido, mojado”. Problems, strategies, and demands of the Argentine popular, social, and solidarity economy during the pandemic

The emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic reactivated numerous debates on the social protections required for distinct labor groups and the need to guarantee work and income for the population. This article focuses on the experiences of people who work without ties to an employer and who self-identify as part of the popular, social, and solidarity economy (EPSS) in Argentina. It aims to contribute to the academic debate by identifying the conditions that favored the sustainability and organization of their work beyond the context of the emergency. In particular, we seek to examine whether the situation opened up by the pandemic led to new processes of recognition, institutionalization, and protection for these labor groups or not. A qualitative research process was developed based on interviews with representatives of 14 organizations of EPSS of Greater Rosario (primary sources) and the review of emergency measures and programs implemented by the three levels of government – national, provincial, and local – beginning with the declaration of the health emergency until December 2021 (secondary sources). In the final reflections, the main results are highlighted, positing that the state’s responses did not give rise to new institutions, rights, and protections, but rather “organized” and “administered” the institutionality that already existed

The Association between HDL-C and Subclinical Atherosclerosis Depends on CETP Plasma Concentration:Insights from the IMPROVE Study

The impact of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) on atherosclerosis is highly debated. This study aimed to investigate the associations between plasma CETP or CETP genotypes and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and the influence of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) on these associations. Plasma CETP and HDL-C concentrations were measured in 552 subjects free of any pharmacological treatment from the IMPROVE cohort, which includes 3711 European subjects at high cardiovascular risk. CETP single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and cIMT measures (cIMT(max); cIMT(mean-max) of bifurcations, common and internal carotids; plaque-free common carotid [PF CC]-IMTmean) were available for the full cohort. In drug-free subjects, plasma CETP correlated with HDL-C levels (r = 0.19, p < 0.0001), but not with cIMT variables. When stratified according to HDL-C quartiles, CETP positively correlated with cIMT(max) and cIMT(mean-max), but not with PF CC-IMTmean, in the top HDL-C quartile only. Positive associations between the CETP concentration and cIMT(max) or cIMT(mean-max) were found in the top HDL-C quartile, whereas HDL-C levels were negatively correlated with cIMT(max) and cIMT(mean-max) when the CETP concentration was below the median (HDL-C x CETP interaction, p = 0.001 and p = 0.003 for cIMT(max) and cIMT(mean-max), respectively). In the full cohort, three CETP SNPs (rs34760410, rs12920974, rs12708968) were positively associated with cIMT(max). rs12444708 exhibited a significant interaction with HDL-C levels in the prediction of cIMT(max). In conclusion, a significant interplay was found between plasma CETP and/or CETP genotype and HDL-C in the prediction of carotid plaque thickness, as indexed by cIMT(max). This suggests that the association of HDL-C with carotid atherosclerosis is CETP-dependent

High Risk of Secondary Infections Following Thrombotic Complications in Patients With COVID-19

Background. This study’s primary aim was to evaluate the impact of thrombotic complications on the development of secondary infections. The secondary aim was to compare the etiology of secondary infections in patients with and without thrombotic complications. Methods. This was a cohort study (NCT04318366) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients hospitalized at IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital between February 25 and June 30, 2020. Incidence rates (IRs) were calculated by univariable Poisson regression as the number of cases per 1000 person-days of follow-up (PDFU) with 95% confidence intervals. The cumulative incidence functions of secondary infections according to thrombotic complications were compared with Gray’s method accounting for competing risk of death. A multivariable Fine-Gray model was applied to assess factors associated with risk of secondary infections. Results. Overall, 109/904 patients had 176 secondary infections (IR, 10.0; 95% CI, 8.8–11.5; per 1000-PDFU). The IRs of secondary infections among patients with or without thrombotic complications were 15.0 (95% CI, 10.7–21.0) and 9.3 (95% CI, 7.9–11.0) per 1000-PDFU, respectively (P = .017). At multivariable analysis, thrombotic complications were associated with the development of secondary infections (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.788; 95% CI, 1.018–3.140; P = .043). The etiology of secondary infections was similar in patients with and without thrombotic complications. Conclusions. In patients with COVID-19, thrombotic complications were associated with a high risk of secondary infections