Bridging Resource Theory and Quantum Key Distribution: Geometric Analysis and Statistical Testing

Discerning between quantum and classical correlations is of great importance. Bell polytopes are well established as a fundamental tool. In this paper, we extend this line of inquiry by applying resource theory within the context of Network scenarios, to a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol. To achieve this, we consider the causal structure $P3$ that can describe the protocol, and we aim to develop useful statistical tests to assess it. More concretely, our objectives are twofold: firstly, to utilise the underlying causal structure of the QKD protocol to obtain a geometrical analysis of the resulting non-convex polytope, with a focus on the classical behaviours. Second, we devise a test within this framework to evaluate the distance between any two behaviours within the generated polytope. This approach offers a unique perspective, linking deviations from expected behaviour directly to the quality of the quantum resource or the residual nonclassicality in protocol execution

Storia e applicazioni delle GPU

L'articolo è strutturato in due macro sezioni. Nella prima sarà presentata la rapidissima evoluzione delle GPU: una tecnologia che si colloca come supporto hardware per nuovi paradigmi di calcolo come, ad esempio, deep learning nell'universo dei Big Data. Nella seconda parte si andranno ad analizzare le applicazioni di queste tecnologie in vari ambiti come ad esempio medico o economico

Insights from a Case of Good’s Syndrome (Immunodeficiency with Thymoma)

Immunodeficiency with thymoma was described by R.A. Good in 1954 and is also named after him. The syndrome is characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia associated with thymoma and recurrent infections, bacterial but also viral, fungal and parasitic. Autoimmune diseases, mainly pure red cell aplasia, other hematological disorders and erosive lichen planus are a common finding. We describe here a typical case exhibiting all these clinical features and report a detailed immunophenotypic assessment, as well as the positivity for autoantibodies against three cytokines (IFN-alpha, IL-6 and GM-CSF), which may add to known immune abnormalities. A review of the published literature, based on case series and immunological studies, offers some hints on the still unsolved issues of this rare condition

Swab test in biological fluids as predictor of COVID-19 transmission risk during surgery: a prospective cross-sectional study from an Italian COVID center

Background The contamination of body fluids by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 during surgery is current matter of debate in the scientific literature concerning CoronaVIrus Disease 2019. Surgical guidelines were published during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and recommended to avoid laparoscopic surgery as much as possible, in fear that the chimney effect of high flow intraperitoneal gas escape during, and after, the procedure would increase the risk of viral transmission. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during surgery by searching for viral RNA in serial samplings of biological liquids. Methods This is a single center prospective cross-sectional study. We used a real-time reverse transcriptase (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to perform swab tests for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in abdominal fluids, during emergency surgery and on the first post-operative day. In the case of thoracic surgery, we performed a swab test of pleural fluids during chest drainage placement as well as on the first post-operative day. Results A total of 20 samples were obtained: 5 from pleural fluids, 13 from peritoneal fluids and two from biliary fluid. All 20 swabs performed from biological fluids resulted negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection. Conclusion To date, there is no scientific evidence of possible contagion by laparoscopic aerosolization of SARS-CoV-2, neither is certain whether the virus is effectively present in biological fluids