Entanglement in the interaction between two quantum oscillator systems

The fundamental quantum dynamics of two interacting oscillator systems are studied in two different scenarios. In one case, both oscillators are assumed to be linear, whereas in the second case, one oscillator is linear and the other is a non-linear, angular-momentum oscillator; the second case is, of course, more complex in terms of energy transfer and dynamics. These two scenarios have been the subject of much interest over the years, especially in developing an understanding of modern concepts in quantum optics and quantum electronics. In this work, however, these two scenarios are utilized to consider and discuss the salient features of quantum behaviors resulting from the interactive nature of the two oscillators, i.e., coherence, entanglement, spontaneous emission, etc., and to apply a measure of entanglement in analyzing the nature of the interacting systems. ... For the coupled linear and angular-momentum oscillator system in the fully quantum-mechanical description, we consider special examples of two, three, four-level angular momentum systems, demonstrating the explicit appearances of entanglement. We also show that this entanglement persists even as the coupled angular momentum oscillator is taken to the limit of a large number of levels, a limit which would go over to the classical picture for an uncoupled angular momentum oscillator

Searching for the Least Invasive Management of Pelvi-Ureteric Junction Obstruction in Children: A Critical Literature Review of Comparative Outcomes

Introduction: To review the published evidence on the minimally invasive pyeloplasty techniques available currently with particular emphasis on the comparative data about the various minimally invasive alternatives to treat pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction and gauge if one should be favored under certain circumstances. Materials and Methods: Non-systematic review of literature on open and minimally invasive pyeloplasty including various kinds of laparoscopic procedures, the robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty, and endourological procedures. Results: Any particular minimally invasive pyeloplasty procedure seems feasible in experienced hands, irrespective of age including infants. Comparative data suggest that the robotic-assisted procedure has gained wider acceptance mainly because it is ergonomically more suited to surgeon well-being and facilitates advanced skills with dexterity thanks to 7 degrees of freedom. However, costs remain the major drawback of robotic surgery. In young children and infants, instead, open surgery can be performed via a relatively small incision and quicker time frame. Conclusions: The best approach for pyeloplasty is still a matter of debate. The robotic approach has gained increasing acceptance over the last years with major advantages of the surgeon well-being and ergonomics and the ease of suturing. Evidence, however, may favor the use of open surgery in infancy

Is there any clinical relevant difference between non mosaic Klinefelter Syndrome patients with or without Androgen Receptor variations?

Klinefelter Syndrome (KS) is the most common chromosomal disorder in men leading to non-obstructive azoospermia. Spermatozoa can be found by TESE in about 50% of adults with KS despite severe testicular degeneration. We evaluated AR variations and polymorphism length in 135 non-mosaic KS patients, aimed to find possible correlation with clinical features, sex hormones and sperm retrieval. Among 135 KS patients we found AR variations in eight subjects (5.9%). All variations but one caused a single amino acid substitution. Four variations P392S, Q58L, L548F, A475V found in six patients had been previously described to be associated with different degrees of androgen insensitivity. Moreover we observed in two patients Y359F and D732D novel variations representing respectively a missense variation and a synonymous variation not leading to amino acid substitution. All the Klinefelter patients with AR gene variations were azoospermic. Spermatozoa were retrieved with TESE for two men (40%), sperm retrieval was unsuccessful in other 3 patients. This is the only study reporting AR variations in KS patients. Relevant clinical differences not emerged between AR mutated and not AR mutated KS patients, but does each variation play an important role in the trasmission to the offspring obtained by ART in this patients

Pindel: a pattern growth approach to detect break points of large deletions and medium sized insertions from paired-end short reads

Motivation: There is a strong demand in the genomic community to develop effective algorithms to reliably identify genomic variants. Indel detection using next-gen data is difficult and identification of long structural variations is extremely challenging

The Italian consensus to virtual colonoscopy

OBJECTIVES: To produce an informed consent for CT colonography (CTC), to be diffused by the Italian Society of Radiology, aimed to make patients and referring physicians aware of CTC examination protocol, advantages and disadvantages, limits and potential related risks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Delphi method was used to create a consensus among experts on an informed consent for CTC. The overall agreement among different consulted specialists was evaluated and ranked using the Cronbach's correlation coefficient (α) at two time points: after the first and the second 'round' of consultation. RESULTS: The Cronbach index was 0.84 at the end of the first round and 0.93 at the end of the second round. The number of disagreements dropped from an overall of 11-5, from the first to the second round. CONCLUSIONS: The experts were able to produce an informed consent for CTC, hoping that this may be the beginning of a process focused on implementation of quality standards in CTC

The optical spectrum of PKS 1222+216 and its black hole mass

We investigate the optical spectral properties of the blazar PKS 1222+216 during a period of 3 years. While the continuum is highly variable the broad line emission is practically constant. This supports a scenario in which the broad line region is not affected by jet continuum variations. We thus infer the thermal component of the continuum from the line luminosity and we show that it is comparable with the continuum level observed during the phases of minimum optical activity. The mass of the black hole is estimated through the virial method from the FWHM of MgII, Hbeta, and Halpha broad lines and from the thermal continuum luminosity. This yields a consistent black hole mass value of 6x10^8 solar masses.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA