Quantum correlation generation capability of experimental processes

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering and Bell nonlocality illustrate two different kinds of correlations predicted by quantum mechanics. They not only motivate the exploration of the foundation of quantum mechanics, but also serve as important resources for quantum-information processing in the presence of untrusted measurement apparatuses. Herein, we introduce a method for characterizing the creation of EPR steering and Bell nonlocality for dynamical processes in experiments. We show that the capability of an experimental process to create quantum correlations can be quantified and identified simply by preparing separable states as test inputs of the process and then performing local measurements on single qubits of the corresponding outputs. This finding enables the construction of objective benchmarks for the two-qubit controlled operations used to perform universal quantum computation. We demonstrate this utility by examining the experimental capability of creating quantum correlations with the controlled-phase operations on the IBM Quantum Experience and Amazon Braket Rigetti superconducting quantum computers. The results show that our method provides a useful diagnostic tool for evaluating the primitive operations of nonclassical correlation creation in noisy intermediate scale quantum devices.Comment: 5 figures, 3 appendice

Comparison of antipsychotic dose equivalents for acute bipolar mania and schizophrenia

Are antipsychotic dose equivalents between acute mania and schizophrenia the same? Study selection and analysis Six databases were systematically searched (from inception to 17 September 2022) to identify blinded randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that used a flexible-dose oral antipsychotic drug for patients with acute mania. The mean and SD of the effective dose and the pre–post changes in manic symptoms were extracted. A network meta-analysis (NMA) under a frequentist framework was performed to examine the comparative efficacy between the antipsychotics. A classic mean dose method (sample size weighted) was used to calculate each antipsychotic dose equivalent to 1 mg/day olanzapine for acute mania. The antipsychotic dose equivalents of acute mania were compared with published data for schizophrenia. Findings We included 42 RCTs which enrolled 11 396 participants with acute mania. The NMA showed that risperidone was superior to olanzapine (reported standardised mean difference: −022, 95% CI −0.41 to –0.02), while brexpiprazole was inferior to olanzapine (standardised mean difference: 0.36, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.64). The dose equivalents to olanzapine (with SD) were 0.68 (0.23) for haloperidol, 0.32 (0.07) for risperidone, 0.60 (0.11) for paliperidone, 8.00 (1.41) for ziprasidone, 41.46 (5.98) for quetiapine, 1.65 (0.32) for aripiprazole, 1.23 (0.20) for asenapine, 0.53 (0.14) for cariprazine and 0.22 (0.03) for brexpiprazole. Compared with the olanzapine dose equivalents for schizophrenia, those of acute mania were higher for quetiapine (p<0.001, 28.5%) and aripiprazole (p<0.001, 17.0%), but lower for haloperidol (p<0.001, –8.1%) and risperidone (p<0.001, –15.8%). Conclusions Antipsychotic drugs have been considered first-line treatment for acute mania, warranting specific dose equivalence for scientific and clinical purposes

Simple and Specific Dual-Wavelength Excitable Dye Staining for Glycoprotein Detection in Polyacrylamide Gels and Its Application in Glycoproteomics

In this study, a commercially available fluorescent dye, Lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl hydrazine (LRSH), was designed to specifically stain the glycoproteins in polyacrylamide gels. Through the periodate/Schiff base mechanism, the fluorescent dye readily attaches to glycoproteins and the fluorescence can be simultaneously observed under either 305 nm or 532 nm excitation therefore, the dye-stained glycoproteins can be detected under a regular UV transilluminator or a more elegant laser-based gel scanner. The specificity and detection limit were examined using a standard protein mixture in polyacrylamide gels in this study. The application of this glycoprotein stain dye was further demonstrated using pregnancy urine samples. The fluorescent spots were further digested in gel and their identities confirmed through LC-MS/MS analysis and database searching. In addition, the N-glycosylation sites of LRSH-labeled uromodulin were readily mapped via in-gel PNGaseF deglycosylation and LC-MS/MS analysis, which indicated that this fluorescent dye labeling does not interfere with enzymatic deglycosylation. Hence, the application of this simple and specific dual-wavelength excitable dye staining in current glycoproteome research is promising

Trial sequential analysis and updated meta-analysis of fluvoxamine on clinical deterioration in adult patients with symptomatic COVID-19 infection

Preliminary meta-analyses suggested that fluvoxamine was effective in treating COVID-19 infection. However, the reliability of this evidence has not yet been examined. MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched to identify any randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the inception of the databases to 5 February 2023. We used trial sequential analysis (TSA) to examine the reliability of the current existing evidence on the benefits of fluvoxamine on COVID-19 infection. The primary outcome was clinical deterioration, as defined in the original study (reported as odds ratio (OR), with 95% confidence intervals), and the secondary outcome was hospitalization. In the TSA, we used the relative risk reduction thresholds of 10, 20, and 30%. The updated meta-analysis of the five RCTs showed that fluvoxamine was not associated with lower odds of clinical deterioration when compared with a placebo (OR: 0.81; 0.59–1.11). The effect of fluvoxamine lay within the futility boundary (i.e., lack of effect) when using a 30% relative risk reduction threshold. The effect estimates lay between the superiority and futility boundary using the 10% and 20% threshold, and the required size of information was not reached for these two thresholds. The effect of fluvoxamine on the odds of hospitalization was not statistically significant (0.76; 0.56–1.03). In conclusion, there is no reliable evidence that fluvoxamine, when compared to a placebo, reduces the relative risk of clinical deterioration among adult patients with COVID-19 infection by 30%, and a relative risk reduction of 20% or 10% is still uncertain. The role of fluvoxamine as a COVID-19 treatment cannot be justified

Integrated Analyses of Copy Number Variations and Gene Expression in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Numerous efforts have been made to elucidate the etiology and improve the treatment of lung cancer, but the overall five-year survival rate is still only 15%. Identification of prognostic biomarkers for lung cancer using gene expression microarrays poses a major challenge in that very few overlapping genes have been reported among different studies. To address this issue, we have performed concurrent genome-wide analyses of copy number variation and gene expression to identify genes reproducibly associated with tumorigenesis and survival in non-smoking female lung adenocarcinoma. The genomic landscape of frequent copy number variable regions (CNVRs) in at least 30% of samples was revealed, and their aberration patterns were highly similar to several studies reported previously. Further statistical analysis for genes located in the CNVRs identified 475 genes differentially expressed between tumor and normal tissues (p<10−5). We demonstrated the reproducibility of these genes in another lung cancer study (p = 0.0034, Fisher's exact test), and showed the concordance between copy number variations and gene expression changes by elevated Pearson correlation coefficients. Pathway analysis revealed two major dysregulated functions in lung tumorigenesis: survival regulation via AKT signaling and cytoskeleton reorganization. Further validation of these enriched pathways using three independent cohorts demonstrated effective prediction of survival. In conclusion, by integrating gene expression profiles and copy number variations, we identified genes/pathways that may serve as prognostic biomarkers for lung tumorigenesis

Unprecedented random lasing in 2D organolead halide single-crystalline perovskite microrods

Three-dimensional organic–inorganic hybrid halide perovskites have been demonstrated as great materials for applications in optoelectronics and photonics. However, their inherent instabilities in the presence of moisture, light, and heat may hinder their commercialization. Alternatively, emerging two-dimensional (2D) organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites have recently attracted increasing attention owing to their great environmental stability and inherent natural quantum-well structure. In this work, we have synthesized a high-quality long-chain organic diammonium spacer assisted 2D hybrid perovskite FA-(N-MPDA)PbBr4 (FA = formamidinium and N-MPDA = N-methylpropane-1,3-diammonium) by the slow evaporation at constant temperature method. The millimeter-sized single-crystalline microrods demonstrate low threshold random lasing behavior at room temperature. The single-crystalline 2D hybrid perovskite random laser achieved a very narrow linewidth (∼0.1 nm) with a low threshold (∼0.5 μJ cm−2) and a high quality factor (∼5350). Furthermore, the 2D hybrid microrod laser shows stable lasing emission with no measurable degradation after at least 2 h under continuous illumination, which substantially proves the stability of 2D perovskites. Our results demonstrate the promise of 2D organic–inorganic microrod-shaped perovskites and provide an important step toward the realization of high-performance optoelectronic devices