Demonstration of the Interaction between Two Stopped Light Pulses

We report the first experimental demonstration that two light pulses were made motionless and interacted with each other via a medium. The interaction time is, in principle, as long as possible and a considerable efficiency can be achieved even below single-photon level. We utilized the optical process of one photon pulse switched by another based on the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency to demonstrate the enhancement of optical nonlinear efficiency. With moving light pulses, the switching is activated at energy per area of 2 photons per atomic absorption cross section in the best situation as discussed in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4611 (1999)]. With motionless light pulses, we demonstrated that the switching is activated at 0.56 photons per atomic absorption cross section and that the light level can be further reduced by increasing the optical density of the medium. Our work enters a new regime of low light physics.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Proteomic and metabolomic analyses provide insight into the off-flavour of fruits from citrus trees infected with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’

Pathogenic profiling: why fruit from bacteria-infected trees tastes bad The bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CaLas) causes orange trees to produce poor-tasting fruit thanks to the decreased production of flavour-enhancing proteins, sugars, and metabolites. The University of Florida’s Frederick Gmitter and his team of US and Chinese scientists profiled the proteins and metabolites of healthy Valencia sweet orange trees infected with CaLas, a bacterial pathogen that causes the citrus disease Huanglongbing and reduces the quantity and quality of fruit and juice. The researchers found 123 differentially-expressed proteins and decreased numbers of taste-enhancing constituents, including those mediated by key energy-producing processes. This degradation involved a class of chemicals called terpenoids, which the authors link to poor quality fruit. These results provide insights into the pathogenesis of CaLas infection and could empower future studies to prevent the impact of the bacteria and Huanglongbing infection

Efficacy of electrical cranial stimulation for treatment of psychiatric symptoms in patients with anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundTherapeutic effects of electrical cranial stimulation (CES) in patients suffering from anxiety remained unclear. This meta-analysis aimed at investigating acceptability and therapeutic efficacy of CES against anxiety, depression, and insomnia for patients who experienced symptoms of anxiety.MethodsMajor electronic databases were searched from inception until December 10, 2022 for randomized controlled trials (RCT) focusing on therapeutic effectiveness of CES in patients whose primary complaints included anxiety. Effect sizes (ES) for different treatment outcomes were estimated by using generic inverse variance method.ResultsEight RCTs were identified including a total of 337 participants. The therapeutic effectiveness of CES was significantly better than that in the control groups for anxiety (ES=-0.96, p <0.00001, eight trials, 337 patients), depression (ES=-0.69, p=0.003, five trials), and insomnia (ES=-1.02, p = 0.0006, three trials) in those who presented with symptoms of anxiety. Subgroup analyses found that CES was equally effective regardless of comorbid presentation of depressive symptoms (ES=-0.94 in patients with anxiety only vs. ES=-1.06 in those with depression and anxiety) and whether CES was used as monotherapy or add-on therapy to medications (ES = −0.88 vs. ES = −1.12, respectively). Moreover, subgroup analysis of RCTs using the same device “Alpha-Stim” for CES was more effective in alleviating anxiety than sham controls (ES = −0.88, p < 0.00001, four trials, 230 patients). Regarding acceptability, the use of CES did not increase the risk of treatment-related dropout compared to the control group (RR = 1.26, p = 0.57, I2 = 0%, four trials, 324 patients).ConclusionOur study supported the use of CES for symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in those suffering from anxiety with fair acceptability and demonstrated the efficacy of “Alpha-Stim”, the most commonly used device for CES, in this patient population.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42022382619