Absolute Maximal Entanglement and Quantum Secret Sharing

We study the existence of absolutely maximally entangled (AME) states in quantum mechanics and its applications to quantum information. AME states are characterized by being maximally entangled for all bipartitions of the system and exhibit genuine multipartite entanglement. With such states, we present a novel parallel teleportation protocol which teleports multiple quantum states between groups of senders and receivers. The notable features of this protocol are that (i) the partition into senders and receivers can be chosen after the state has been distributed, and (ii) one group has to perform joint quantum operations while the parties of the other group only have to act locally on their system. We also prove the equivalence between pure state quantum secret sharing schemes and AME states with an even number of parties. This equivalence implies the existence of AME states for an arbitrary number of parties based on known results about the existence of quantum secret sharing schemes.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

“Harry Potter and the Multitudinous Maladies”: a retrospective population-based observational study of morbidity and mortality among witches and wizards

OBJECTIVES To describe the prevalence of maladies and deaths among witches and wizards in the Harry Potter world, their causes, and associated therapies. DESIGN Retrospective population-based observational study (report analysis) undertaken 10 February - 19 March 2022. SETTING All locations described in the Harry Potter books, predominantly Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but also selected locations, including Privet Drive No 4, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, and The Burrow. PARTICIPANTS All witches and wizards mentioned at least once in any of the seven Harry Potter books. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Overall numbers of maladies and deaths. Secondary outcomes were changes in morbidity and mortality over time, causes of morbidity and mortality, and treatments. RESULTS A total of 603 wizards or witches named in the Potter books experienced 1541 maladies and injuries (1410 non-fatal) and 131 deaths. Overall morbidity incidence was 471 events per 1000 individuals, and mortality, after adjustment for Lord Voldemort's multi-mortality, was 20.6%. The most frequent causes of morbidity were traumatic injuries during duels or fights (553 cases, 39.2%), magical objects, potions, plants, or creatures (345, 24.5%), and non-combative trauma (221, 15.7%). Most deaths were related to wizarding duels (101 of 131, 77.1%). Treatments were rarely described; the most frequent were jinxes (274, 19.4%) and potions (136, 9.6%). Hospital stays were shorter than a week for almost all non-fatal maladies (1397 of 1410, 99.1%). CONCLUSIONS Morbidity and, in particular, mortality were very high and predominantly caused by magical means. Further investigation into the safety at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is warranted. The few treatments used had high success rates; rapid recovery was the rule, and hospital stays generally brief. Efforts should be undertaken to identify the magical therapies and interventions used and to introduce these novel remedies into Muggle medicine

Harry Potter and the Multitudinous Maladies: a retrospective population-based observational study of morbidity and mortality among witches and wizards

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of maladies and deaths among witches and wizards in the Harry Potter world, their causes, and associated therapies. Design: Retrospective population-based observational study (report analysis) undertaken 10 February - 19 March 2022. Setting: All locations described in the Harry Potter books, predominantly Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but also selected locations, including Privet Drive No 4, Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, and The Burrow. Participants: All witches and wizards mentioned at least once in any of the seven Harry Potter books. Main outcome measures: Overall numbers of maladies and deaths. Secondary outcomes were changes in morbidity and mortality over time, causes of morbidity and mortality, and treatments. Results: A total of 603 wizards or witches named in the Potter books experienced 1541 maladies and injuries (1410 non-fatal) and 131 deaths. Overall morbidity incidence was 471 events per 1000 individuals, and mortality, after adjustment for Lord Voldemort's multi-mortality, was 20.6%. The most frequent causes of morbidity were traumatic injuries during duels or fights (553 cases, 39.2%), magical objects, potions, plants, or creatures (345, 24.5%), and non-combative trauma (221, 15.7%). Most deaths were related to wizarding duels (101 of 131, 77.1%). Treatments were rarely described;the most frequent were jinxes (274, 19.4%) and potions (136, 9.6%). Hospital stays were shorter than a week for almost all non-fatal maladies (1397 of 1410, 99.1%). Conclusions: Morbidity and, in particular, mortality were very high and predominantly caused by magical means. Further investigation into the safety at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is warranted. The few treatments used had high success rates;rapid recovery was the rule, and hospital stays generally brief. Efforts should be undertaken to identify the magical therapies and interventions used and to introduce these novel remedies into Muggle medicine

Nitrogen Fertilization and Harvest Management Improve Forage and Crude Protein Content in Crabgrass

Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) is an annual summer grass that can provide high-quality forage, but optimal management strategies are unclear. Our objective was to compare the yield and quality of crabgrass (Mojo and Quick-N-Big) under different nitrogen rates and harvest management. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with five treatments and three replications for each crabgrass variety, totaling fifteen experimental units for both Mojo and Quick-N-Big, in adjacent sites. Treatments were nitrogen rates (0, 100, and 200 lb N/acre) and harvest management (cut once or twice per year) for two growing seasons (2020 and 2021). Total forage accumulation (TFA) increased with nitrogen fertilization for both cultivars. Mojo had the highest TFA in the first year (7000 lb DM/a/yr) while Quick-N-Big TFA was the highest in the second year (7635 lb DM/a/yr). The highest crude protein (CP) content was obtained with the highest N dose, ranging from 10.5 to 13% for both cultivars. Based on these results, N fertilization and harvest management can contribute to improving forage yield and crude protein of crabgrass varieties during the growing season in forage systems

Impact of Fertility and Mowing on Crabgrass Quantity and Quality for Hay Production in Southeast Kansas

A crabgrass variety trial comparing Quick-N-Big and MoJo crabgrasses was conducted during the summer of 2020 at the K-State Research and Extension experiment station near Columbus, Kansas. The trial evaluated quantity and quality of forage produced under different nitrogen fertility scenarios and mowing management techniques. MoJo produced more biomass than Quick-N-Big. Addition of nitrogen fertilizer increased biomass production and forage protein content. Mowing was also found to enhance forage quality

Bermudagrass Fertility Trial in Southeast Kansas, 2020

In 2020 a bermudagrass fertility study was conducted at the K-State Research and Ex­tension experiment station outside of Columbus, KS. The purpose of the study was to simulate forage producer practices of managing bermudagrass and determine how each practice affects forage production and quality. Addition of fertilizer, and mowing were tested to determine the impact on forage biomass production and quality. Fertilizer increased both biomass production and forage quality. However, greater improvements in forage quality were observed by mowing the bermudagrass

Optimised generation of heralded Fock states using parametric down conversion

The generation of heralded pure Fock states via spontaneous parametric down conversion (PDC) relies on perfect photon-number correlations in the output modes. Correlations in any other degree of freedom, however, degrade the purity of the heralded state. In this paper, we investigate spectral entanglement between the two output modes of a periodically poled waveguide. With the intent of generating heralded 1- and 2-photon Fock states, we expand the output state of the PDC to second order in photon number. We explore the effects of spectral filtering and inefficient detection, of the heralding mode, on the count rate, g(2) and purity of the heralded state, as well as the fidelity between the resulting state and an ideal Fock state. We find that filtering can decrease spectral correlations, however, at the expense of the count rate and increased photon-number mixedness in the heralded output state. As a physical example, we model a type II PP-KTP waveguide pumped by lasers at wavelengths of 400 nm, 788 nm and 1930 nm. The latter two allow the fulfillment of extended phase matching conditions in an attempt to eliminate spectral correlations in the PDC output state without the use of filtering, however, we find that even in these cases, some filtering is needed to achieve states of very high purity.Comment: 28 pages, 25 figures, revised expressions for two-photon fidelit

Nutrient Management Strategies to Control Broomsedge Infestation and Improve Yield and Quality of Tall Fescue Hayfields

A study in tall fescue hayfields infested with broomsedge and bluestem was conducted at four locations in southeast Kansas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium fertilization affect yield, forage quality, and broomsedge/bluestem control in tall fescue hayfields. This trial will be repeated in 2023

Mechanical Translation

Contains reports on twelve research projects.National Science Foundatio

I-CARE, a European Prospective Cohort Study Assessing Safety and Effectiveness of Biologics in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background and aims: There is a need to evaluate the benefit-risk ratio of current therapies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients to provide the best quality of care. The primary objective of I-CARE (IBD Cancer and serious infections in Europe) was to assess prospectively safety concerns in IBD, with specific focus on the risk of cancer/lymphoma and serious infections in patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor and other biologic monotherapy as well as in combination with immunomodulators.. Methods: I-CARE was designed as a European prospective longitudinal observational multicenter cohort study to include patients with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or IBD unclassified established at least 3 months prior to enrollment. Results: A total of 10,206 patients were enrolled between March 2016 and April 2019, including 6169 (60.4%) patients with Crohn's disease, 3853 (37.8%) with ulcerative colitis, and 184 (1.8%) with a diagnosis of IBD unclassified. Thirty-two percent of patients were receiving azathioprine/thiopurines, 4.6% 6-mercaptopurine, and 3.2% methotrexate at study entry. At inclusion, 47.3% of patients were treated with an anti-tumor necrosis factor agent, 8.8% with vedolizumab, and 3.4% with ustekinumab. Roughly one-quarter of patients (26.8%) underwent prior IBD-related surgery. Sixty-six percent of patients had been previously treated with systemic steroids. Three percent of patients had a medical history of cancer prior to inclusion and 1.1% had a history of colonic, esophageal, or uterine cervix high-grade dysplasia.. Conclusions: I-CARE is an ongoing investigator-initiated observational European prospective cohort study that will provide unique information on the long-term benefits and risks of biological therapies in IBD patients