516 research outputs found
Impact of short stature on quality of life: A systematic literature review
Objective: We sought to obtain a better understanding of the burden of short stature using a systematic literature review. Methods: Studies of the burden of short stature, of any cause in adults and children, were searched using Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases in April 2020, capturing publications from 2008 onwards. Case series and populations with adult-onset growth hormone deficiency (GHD) were excluded. Results: Of 1684 publications identified, 41 studies (33 in children, 8 in adults) were included. All studies assessed human burden. Most study populations in children included short stature due to GHD, idiopathic short stature (ISS) and short stature after being born small for gestational age (SGA). In these populations, four studies showed that quality of life (QoL) in children with short stature was significantly worse than in children with normal stature. A significant association between QoL and short stature was observed in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) (3 studies), achondroplasia (1 study) and transfusion-dependent β-thalassaemia (1 study), and in samples with mixed causes of short stature (3 studies). Three studies (one in GHD/ISS/SGA and two in CKD) found no significant association between short stature and QoL, and several studies did not report statistical significance. Approximately half of adult studies showed that QoL was reduced with short stature, and the other half showed no association. Two studies, one in adults with Prader–Willi syndrome and one in children with GHD, suggested a potential association between short stature and poorer cognitive outcomes. Three studies demonstrated an increased caregiver burden in parents of children with short stature. Conclusions: Evidence suggests that, compared with those with normal stature, children and adults with short stature of any cause may experience poorer QoL. Further research could extend our understanding of the human burden in this field
New experimental test of Bell inequalities by the use of a non-maximally entangled photon state
We report on the first realisation of a test of Bell inequalities using
non-maximally entangled states. It is based on the superposition of type I
parametric down conversion produced in two different non-linear crystals pumped
by the same laser, but with different polarisations. We discuss the advantages
and the possible developments of this configuration.Comment: accepted for publicatio
Organic Acids and Potential for Modifying the Avian Gastrointestinal Tract and Reducing Pathogens and Disease
Recently, antibiotics have been withdrawn from some poultry diets; leaving the birds at risk for increased incidence of dysbacteriosis and disease. Furthermore, mortalities occurring from disease contribute between 10 to 20% of production cost in developed countries. Currently, numerous feed supplements are being proposed as effective antibiotic alternatives in poultry diets, such as prebiotics, probiotics, acidic compounds, competitive exclusion products, herbs, essential oils, and bacteriophages. However, acidic compounds consisting of organic acids show promise as antibiotic alternatives. Organic acids have demonstrated the capability to enhance poultry performance by altering the pH of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and consequently changing the composition of the microbiome. In addition, organic acids, by altering the composition of the microbiome, protect poultry from pH-sensitive pathogens. Protection is further provided to poultry by the ability of organic acids to potentially enhance the morphology and physiology of the GIT and the immune system. Thus, the objective of the current review is to provide an understanding of the effects organic acids have on the microbiome of poultry and the effect those changes have on the prevalence of pathogens and diseases in poultry. From data reviewed, it can be concluded that the efficacy of organic acids on shifting microbiome composition is limited to the time of administration, the composition of the organic acid product, and the current health conditions of poultry
Magnetic fields of opposite polarity in sunspot penumbrae
Context. A significant part of the penumbral magnetic field returns below the
surface in the very deep photosphere. For lines in the visible, a large portion
of this return field can only be detected indirectly by studying its imprints
on strongly asymmetric and three-lobed Stokes V profiles. Infrared lines probe
a narrow layer in the very deep photosphere, providing the possibility of
directly measuring the orientation of magnetic fields close to the solar
surface.
Aims. We study the topology of the penumbral magnetic field in the lower
photosphere, focusing on regions where it returns below the surface.
Methods. We analyzed 71 spectropolarimetric datasets from Hinode and from the
GREGOR infrared spectrograph. We inferred the quality and polarimetric accuracy
of the infrared data after applying several reduction steps. Techniques of
spectral inversion and forward synthesis were used to test the detection
algorithm. We compared the morphology and the fractional penumbral area covered
by reversed-polarity and three-lobed Stokes V profiles for sunspots at disk
center. We determined the amount of reversed-polarity and three-lobed Stokes V
profiles in visible and infrared data of sunspots at various heliocentric
angles. From the results, we computed center-to-limb variation curves, which
were interpreted in the context of existing penumbral models.
Results. Observations in visible and near-infrared spectral lines yield a
significant difference in the penumbral area covered by magnetic fields of
opposite polarity. In the infrared, the number of reversed-polarity Stokes V
profiles is smaller by a factor of two than in the visible. For three-lobed
Stokes V profiles the numbers differ by up to an order of magnitude.Comment: 11 pages 10 figures plus appendix (2 pages 3 figures). Accepted as
part of the A&A special issue on the GREGOR solar telescop
A semiconductor source of triggered entangled photon pairs?
The realisation of a triggered entangled photon source will be of great
importance in quantum information, including for quantum key distribution and
quantum computation. We show here that: 1) the source reported in ``A
semiconductor source of triggered entangled photon pairs''[1. Stevenson et al.,
Nature 439, 179 (2006)]} is not entangled; 2) the entanglement indicators used
in Ref. 1 are inappropriate, relying on assumptions invalidated by their own
data; and 3) even after simulating subtraction of the significant quantity of
background noise, their source has insignificant entanglement.Comment: 5 pages in pre-print format, 1 tabl
Generic entanglement generation, quantum statistics and complementarity
A general and an arbitrarily efficient scheme for entangling the spins (or
any spin-like degree of freedom) of two independent uncorrelated identical
particles by a combination of two particle interferometry and which way
detection is formulated. It is shown that the same setup could be used to
identify the quantum statistics of the incident particles from either the sign
or the magnitude of measured spin correlations. Our setup also exhibits a
curious complementarity between particle distinguishability and the amount of
generated entanglement.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Let
First experimental test of Bell inequalities performed using a non-maximally entangled state
We report on the realisation of a new test of Bell inequalities using the
superposition of type I parametric down conversion produced in two different
non-linear crystals pumped by the same laser, but with different polarisation.
The produced state is non-maximally entangled. We discuss the advantages and
the possible developments of this configuration
Oscillator Strengths and Damping Constants for Atomic Lines in the J and H Bands
We have built a line list in the near-infrared J and H bands (1.00-1.34,
1.49-1.80 um) by gathering a series of laboratory and computed line lists.
Oscillator strengths and damping constants were computed or obtained by fitting
the solar spectrum.
The line list presented in this paper is, to our knowledge, the most complete
one now available, and supersedes previous lists.Comment: Accepted, Astrophysical Journal Supplement, tentatively scheduled for
the Sep. 1999 Vol. 124 #1 issue. Text and tables also available at
http://www.iagusp.usp.br/~jorge
Bell State Preparation using Pulsed Non-Degenerate Two-Photon Entanglement
We report a novel Bell state preparation experiment. High-purity Bell states
are prepared by using femtosecond pulse pumped \emph{nondegenerate} collinear
spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The use of femtosecond pump pulse {\em
does not} result in reduction of quantum interference visibility in our scheme
in which post-selection of amplitudes and other traditional mechanisms, such
as, using thin nonlinear crystals or narrow-band spectral filters are not used.
Another distinct feature of this scheme is that the pump, the signal, and the
idler wavelengths are all distinguishable, which is very useful for quantum
communications.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to PR
Pro-inflammatory Diet Pictured in Children With Atopic Dermatitis or Food Allergy: Nutritional Data of the LiNA Cohort
Background: Lifestyle and environmental factors are known to contribute to allergic
disease development, especially very early in life. However, the link between diet
composition and allergic outcomes remains unclear.
Methods: In the present population-based cohort study we evaluated the dietary
intake of 10-year-old children and analyses were performed with particular focus
on atopic dermatitis or food allergy, allergic diseases known to be affected
by dietary allergens. Dietary intake was assessed via semi-quantitative food
frequency questionnaires. Based on these data, individual nutrient intake as well as
children’s Dietary Inflammatory Index (C-DIITM) scores were calculated. Information
about atopic manifestations during the first 10 years of life and confounding
factors were obtained from standardized questionnaires during pregnancy and
annually thereafter.
Results: Analyses from confounder-adjusted logistic regression models (n = 211)
revealed that having atopic outcomes was associated with having a pro-inflammatory
pattern at the age of 10 years: OR = 2.22 (95% CI: 1.14–4.31) for children with atopic
dermatitis and OR = 3.82 (95% CI: 1.47–9.93) for children with food allergy in the first
10 years of life
Conclusion: A pro-inflammatory dietary pattern might worsen the atopic outcome and
reduce the buffering capacity of the individual against harmful environmental exposures
or triggers. For pediatricians it is recommended to test for the individual tolerance of
allergenic foods and to increase the nutrient density of tolerable food items to avoid
undesirable effects of eating a pro-inflammatory diet
- …