An invitation to quantum tomography (II)

The quantum state of a light beam can be represented as an infinite dimensional density matrix or equivalently as a density on the plane called the Wigner function. We describe quantum tomography as an inverse statistical problem in which the state is the unknown parameter and the data is given by results of measurements performed on identical quantum systems. We present consistency results for Pattern Function Projection Estimators as well as for Sieve Maximum Likelihood Estimators for both the density matrix of the quantum state and its Wigner function. Finally we illustrate via simulated data the performance of the estimators. An EM algorithm is proposed for practical implementation. There remain many open problems, e.g. rates of convergence, adaptation, studying other estimators, etc., and a main purpose of the paper is to bring these to the attention of the statistical community.Comment: An earlier version of this paper with more mathematical background but less applied statistical content can be found on arXiv as quant-ph/0303020. An electronic version of the paper with high resolution figures (postscript instead of bitmaps) is available from the authors. v2: added cross-validation results, reference

The cartujano stock of the spanish horse in America

The Cartujano stock of the Spanish horse is eumetric, mesomorphous, constitutionally compact and with subconvex profile. It shows a bright and energic aspect, with appreciable elevations and extensions. Its constitutional type is orthostenic or equanimous, its character is noble and docile. It is very interesting for the breaking in high school. This stock has its origin in the farm created by the Cartujanos monks from Jerez de la Frontera, in 1492. Today it can be find in Colombia on Mr. Francisco León Arboleda’s farm; in Costa Rica included in the farms of Mr. Mariano Guardia and Mr. Jorge Herrera, among others. Also in Cuba bought by Mr. Fidel Castro; in E.E.U.U. included in the farms of Mr. Currier, Mr. Broston, Mr. Parkinson, Mr. Garmendia and Mr. Alcalde, among others. In Mexico the most important breeders are Mr. Miguel Alemán, Mr. Enrique Alvarez and Mr. Plácido Arango. We also find this stock in other countries such as Nicaragua, Perú, Venezuela, etc. All that shows its important genetic contribution to the Spanish Breed horse in America.La estirpe Cartujana del Caballo Español es eumétrica, mesomorfa, constitucionalmente compacta y de perfil subconvexo. Esto le da un aspecto elegante y enérgico, con una apreciable elevación y extensión. Su tipo constitucional es ortosténico ó equilibrado, su carácter es noble y dócil. Es muy adecuada para la doma de Alta Escuela. Tiene su origen en la ganadería creada por los monjes Cartujanos de Jerez de la Frontera, en 1492. Se emplea aun como mejorante del caballo de raza española en Colombia (ganadería de D. Francisco León Arboleda) y en Costa Rica en las ganaderías del Sr. Mariano Guardia, D. Jorge Herrera y otras. También en Cuba fue comprada por el Sr. Fidel Castro; en USA se encuentra en las ganaderías de los sres. Currier, Broston, Parkinson, Garmendia, Alcalde, y otros. En México los ganaderos más importantes son D. Miguel Alemán, D. Enrique Alvarez y D. Plácido Arango. También está presente en Nicaragua, Perú, Venezuela, etc. Lo que demuestra su importante aportación genética al caballo Español en América

Desarrollo de un programa multimedia de aprendizaje en Reproducción Animal

The complexity of the veterinary curriculum is a challenge to prepare educational material in an interdisciplinary manner. Multimedia programs develop on the new computer-assisted learning systems are an appropiate medium for making such educational material available, in a efficient way, easy to update, and the expenses are moderate. Students can handle this program without difficulty, and visual components (graphics, images, movies) can promote the subject-student interaction. A multimedia program dealing with the Animal Reproduction has been developed by Reproduction and Obstetric Unit at the Faculty of Veterinary of Cordoba to support the student's educational formation. Male and female reproductive selection and examination in different animal species is approach in this multimedia application.La complejidad del currículum de veterinaria es un desafío para la preparación de material educacional de manera interdisplinar. Los actuales sistemas de enseñanza asistida por ordenador permiten que tutoriales o programas multimedia de aprendizaje en soportes informáticos se hayan convertido en un medio adecuado para conseguir que este material educativo se encuentre disponible de una manera eficaz, fácil de actualizar y con unos costes moderados. Los estudiantes pueden manejar dichos programas sin mucha complicación, siendo atractivos -entre otras razones- por la facilidad para incorporar en ellos componentes visuales (gráficos, imágenes, vídeos), lo que promueve la interacción entre asignaturas y alumno. En este sentido, la Unidad de Reproducción y Obstreticia de la Facultad de Veterinaria de Córdoba ha desarrollado un programa multimedia de aprendizaje en Reproducción Animal, que ofrece al estudiante un apoyo para su formación. Aborda temas relacionados con la selección y valoración de hembras y machos como reproductores, en las distintas especies animales

Minimax estimation of the Wigner function in quantum homodyne tomography with ideal detectors

We estimate the quantum state of a light beam from results of quantum homodyne measurements performed on identically prepared pulses. The state is represented through the Wigner function, a ``quasi-probability density'' on $\mathbb{R}^{2}$ which may take negative values and must respect intrinsic positivity constraints imposed by quantum physics. The data consists of $n$ i.i.d. observations from a probability density equal to the Radon transform of the Wigner function. We construct an estimator for the Wigner function, and prove that it is minimax efficient for the pointwise risk over a class of infinitely differentiable functions. A similar result was previously derived by Cavalier in the context of positron emission tomography. Our work extends this result to the space of smooth Wigner functions, which is the relevant parameter space for quantum homodyne tomography.Comment: 15 page

First detection in Europe of the metallo-β-lactamase IMP-15 in clinical strains of Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

AbstractIn a prospective study (2009–2011) in healthcare institutions from the Canary Islands (Spain), 6 out of 298 carbapenem non-susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates produced a metallo-β-lactamase: four IMP-15, two VIM-2 (including one IMP-15-positive isolate) and one VIM-1. Multilocus sequence typing identified the single VIM-1-producing isolate as clone ST111 and two IMP-15-producing isolates as ST606, but, strikingly, bacterial re-identification revealed that the other three isolates (producing IMP-15 and/or VIM-2) were actually Pseudomonas putida. Further retrospective analysis revealed a very high prevalence (close to 50%) of carbapenem resistance in this environmental species. Hence, we report the simultaneous emergence in hospitals on the Canary Islands of P. putida and P. aeruginosa strains producing IMP-15, a metallo-β-lactamase not previously detected in Europe, and suggest an underestimated role of P. putida as a nosocomial reservoir of worrying transferable resistance determinants

Chemical plasmatic levels in repeat breeder cows after a.i.

Numerous studies report important metabolic imbalances during the transitional period of the cow affecting its reproduction. However, only a few of them concern the early period of gestation, where variations in the plasmatic components related to repeat breeding may take place. In that period there are great hormonal changes, as those happening during the formation of the CL and the subsequent progesterone secretion. With the aim of going into this subject in depth, we carried out a study to determine concentrations of calcium, inorganic phosphorus, glucose, magnesium, copper and zinc in the blood plasma of 42 Holstein Freisian cows, during 32 days after the AI. A photometer BioSystem BTS 310 was used to determine those metabolic parameters. Variance analyses were performed on animals grouped according to their reproductive state (A=pregnant; B=non pregnant) and number of AIs (A1=pregnant in 1-2 AIs; A2=pregnant in ≥3 AIs; B1=repeat breeder, non pregnant in 1-2 AIs; B2=repeat breeder, non pregnant in ≥3 AIs). The concentrations studied did not vary depending on the reproductive state after the AI. This indicates that in the early pregnancy period a suitable homeostasis is kept, regardless of the hormonal variations occurring and the process of maternal recognition of gestation. However, when comparing results obtained from repeating cows and pregnant cows according the number of AIs received significant variations are shown in calcium, phosphorus, glucose, magnesium, and zinc levels, what makes think about their possible role as etiological agents of the repeating cows syndrome.Numerosos trabajos demuestran que durante el periodo de transición de la vaca aparecen desequilibrios metabólicos importantes que repercuten sobre la reproducción. Sin embargo, pocos hacen referencia al periodo temprano de gestación, donde es posible que, entre otras, las alteraciones o modificaciones en algunos constituyentes plasmáticos estén relacionadas con la repetición de celos. En dicho periodo existen grandes cambios hormonales, como los que suceden durante la formación del CL y subsecuente secreción de progesterona. Con el objetivo de ahondar en estos aspectos se llevó a cabo una experiencia en la que se determinaron las concentraciones de calcio, fósforo inorgánico, glucosa, magnesio, cobre y zinc presentes en el plasma sanguíneo de 42 vacas Holstein Freisian durante 32 días posteriores a la IA. Para determinar dichos parámetros metabólicos se empleó un fotómetro BioSystem BTS 310. Se realizaron análisis de varianza entre los animales agrupados según su estado reproductivo y según el número de IAs recibidas. Las concentraciones químicas determinadas en este estudio no sufrieron variaciones dependientes del estado reproductivo tras la IA, lo que indica que durante este periodo temprano se mantiene una homeostasis adecuada independientemente de los procesos de reconocimiento materno de la gestación que están en marcha o de variaciones hormonales que tienen lugar. Sin embargo, al comparar los resultados obtenidos entre las vacas repetidoras y las gestantes según el número de IAs recibidas se observan variaciones significativas en cuanto a los niveles de calcio, fósforo, glucosa, magnesio y zinc, lo que hace pensar en su posible participación en el denominado síndrome de la vaca repetidora

Ovarian follicular dynamics in repeat breeder cow: ultrasonography and progesterone level

The aim of this study was to examine follicular development patterns in eighteen repeat breeder cows through spontaneous oestrus cycles. Ovarian ultrasonographic examinations over 32 days after artificial insemination revealed that two follicular waves were the predominant patterns in animals with this syndrome (72.2 percent). Cycles with one or four waves rarely appeared. The ovulatory follicular diameter (day 0) was larger (p<0.01) in cycles with a small number of waves; no differences were detected between ovulatory and anovulatory dominant follicles. Progesterone plasmatic concentrations were determined by RIA and differences were not significant when cycles with two or three waves were compared. The number of follicular waves was higher (2 or 3 waves) with longer interovulatory intervals (22.3 ± 1.89 vs 23.0 ± 2.0; n.s.) and older cows (7.0 ± 2.64 vs 4.38 ± 1.66 years; p<0.05). Mean ovulatory follicular diameter was 1.78 ± 0.36 cm. It can be concluded that cows with the repeat breeder cow syndrome more frequently present two follicular wavesEl objetivo de este trabajo era caracterizar los patrones de desarrollo folicular en 18 vacas repetidoras de celos a lo largo de ciclos sexuales espontáneos. Se llevaron a cabo exámenes ecográficos de los ovarios durante 32 días posteriores a la inseminación, observándose que el patrón de dos ondas era el más frecuente en vacas repetidoras alcanzando un 72,2 p.100, mientras que los de 3 ondas estuvieron presentes en el 16,6 p.100 de los ciclos estudiados. Se registraron ciclos con 1 y 4 ondas, aunque esta condición es muy poco frecuente. El diámetro del folículo ovulatorio fue mayor en ciclos con menos número de ondas (p<0,01); no se detectaron diferencias entre folículos dominantes ovulatorios o anovulatorios. Las concentraciones de progesterona no mostraron diferencias entre los distintos patrones de crecimiento folicular. Se apreció que los ciclos con más ondas foliculares estaban acompañados de intervalos interovulatorios más largos y aparecía en vacas más viejas. El diámetro folicular ovulatorio medio alcanzó 1,78 ± 0,36 cm. Los resultados permiten afirmar que la dinámica folicular más frecuente en vacas repetidoras es la de dos ondas

Escrotal circumference and skin flush sexual in florida male goat

Escrotal circumference (CE) by orquimetry and skin flush sexual (SFS) by observation in the inguino-escrotal skin in four Florida male goats were studied for 14 months. Seasonal variation was observed in CE, that was minor in autumn (30.84±0.24 cm) and maximun in spring (32.79 ±0.22 cm). Also, seasonal pattern was observed in SFS, with pale skin during winter (p<0.001). Light hours and temperature shown significant correlation with CE and SFS.En un grupo de cuatro machos cabríos de raza Florida se estudiaron las variaciones de la circunferencia escrotal (CE) y el grado de hiperemia inguino-escrotal o skin flush sexual (SFS) durante un periodo de 14 meses. Los resultados revelan una ligera variación estacional de la CE que es menor en otoño (30,84 ±0,24 cm.) y máxima en primavera (32,79±0,22 cm). El SFS presentó una distribución estacional, de manera que la coloración inguino-escrotal de la piel era más pálida durante el invierno (p<0,001). Tanto las horas de luz como la temperatura mostraron correlación significativa respecto a la CE y SFS

Case Report Eradication of Burkholderia cepacia Using Inhaled Aztreonam Lysine in Two Patients with Bronchiectasis

There are not many articles about the chronic bronchial infection/colonization in patients with underlying lung disease other than cystic fibrosis (CF), especially with non-CF bronchiectasis (NCFBQ). The prevalence of B. cepacia complex is not well known in NCFBQ. The vast majority of published clinical data on Burkholderia infection in individuals with CF is comprised of uncontrolled, anecdotal, and/or single center experiences, and no consensus has emerged regarding treatment. We present two cases diagnosed with bronchiectasis (BQ) of different etiology, with early pulmonary infection by B. cepacia complex, which was eradicated with inhaled aztreonam lysine

Comparative Evaluation of Early Pregnancy Diagnosis in Cattle by Progesterone Concentration and Luteal Ultrasonography

Se realizó un estudio comparativo entre 2 métodos para diagnóstico precoz de gestación en vacuno: progesterona plasmática (DP) y medida del área luteal (DAL). Cuarenta y dos vacas Holstein-Freisian fueron inseminadas (IA) después de mostrar signos de celo, y durante los 28 días posteriores se realizaron ecografías ováricas y toma de muestras de sangre, a intervalos de 4 días. El día 22 se tomó una muestra adicional de sangre. Se determinaron los niveles de progesterona plasmática (mediante RIA) y el área de tejido luteal (por ecografía), para posteriormente calcular el valor predictivo positivo y negativo, seguridad, especificidad y sensibilidad de las técnicas diagnósticas. Asimismo, se determinó el coeficiente de concordancia entre DP y DAL. Los resultados demostraron correlación significativa entre progesterona y área luteal (r=0,74; P<0,001). Se observó buena concordancia entre estado reproductivo real de los animales y DP durante los días 20, 22, 24 y 28 post-IA, al igual que los días 20, 24 y 28 cuando se empleó DAL. El valor predictivo de gestación positiva, seguridad y especificidad fueron superiores en el DAL frente al DP a partir del día 20, lo que demuestra la utilidad de la ecografía luteal en el diagnóstico temprano de gestación en vacuno.The aim of this study was to compare two different early pregnancy diagnosis in cows: plasmatic progesterone concentration (DP) by RIA, and luteal tissue area (DAL) by ultrasound. From the day of insemination (day 0) until day 28, ovarian ultrasound exploration and blood collection was performed in forty two Holtein Freisian cows on every fourth day. Day 22 an additional blood sample was collected. Positive and negative predictive value, accuracy, specificity and sensitivity were calculated for both diagnosis method, and uterine ultrasonography was used as the reproductive status reference. The data indicate significant correlation between progesterone and luteal tissue area (r=0.74; P<0.001). The degree of agreement between DP and DAL was calculated. Good concordance between reproductive status and DP was observed on day 20, 22, 24 and 28, similar to DAL. Positive predictive value, accuracy and specificity were higher in DAL than in DP since day 20, therefore luteal ultrasonography is an useful tool for early pregnancy diagnosis