Selective entanglement breaking

We discuss the cases where local decoherence selectively degrades one type of entanglement more than other types. A typical case is called state ordering change, in which two input states with different amounts of entanglement undergoes a local decoherence and the state with the larger entanglement results in an output state with less entanglement than the other output state. We are also interested in a special case where the state with the larger entanglement evolves to a separable state while the other output state is still entangled, which we call selective entanglement breaking. For three-level or larger systems, it is easy to find examples of the state ordering change and the selective entanglement breaking, but for two-level systems it is not trivial whether such situations exist. We present a new strategy to construct examples of two-qubit states exhibiting the selective entanglement breaking regardless of entanglement measure. We also give a more striking example of the selective entanglement breaking in which the less entangled input state has only an infinitesimal amount of entanglement.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Identifying geographic areas at risk of rubella epidemics in Japan using seroepidemiological data

Objective Even with relatively high vaccination coverage, Japan experienced rubella epidemics in 2012-2014 and 2018-2019, which were fueled by untraced imported cases. We aimed to develop a risk map for rubella epidemics in Japan by geographic location via analysis of seroepidemiological data and accounting for the abundance of foreign visitors. Methods Geographic age distribution and seroprevalence were used to compute the age- and sex-dependent next-generation matrix in each region. We computed the probability of a major epidemic using the assumed number of untraced imported rubella cases proportionally modeled to the number of foreign travelers. Results Risks of a major epidemic were high in areas with capital cities, while areas with a greater fraction of older people yielded smaller effective reproduction numbers, a lower volume of foreign travelers, and thus a lower probability of a major epidemic. The volume of susceptible adult males was larger in urban geographic regions, having a greater number of foreign travelers than remote areas. Conclusions Our findings are consistent with the observation of multiple large clusters of rubella cases in urban areas during 2012-2014 and 2018-2019. Should a future rubella epidemic occur, it will likely be in geographic areas with capital cities

The research about editing system of performance information for player piano - Make inferences about both handed musical composition by using DP matching system -

We have developed a system that allows a piano to perform automatically. In order to play music in the manner of a live pianist, we must add expression to the piano’s performance. Therefore, we have developed an interactive musical editing system that utilizes a database to edit music more efficiently.The 2021 International Conference on Artificial Life and Robotics (ICAROB 2021), January 21-24, 2021, Higashi-Hiroshima (オンライン開催に変更

Analysis of gastrin receptor gene expression in proliferating cells in the neck zone of gastric fundic glands using laser capture microdissection

AbstractGastrin stimulates proliferation of progenitor cells in the neck zone of gastric fundic mucosa. However, whether it directly enhances this proliferation through its receptors remains unclear. We investigated the expression of gastrin receptors in neck zone proliferating cells in rat gastric fundic glands using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) coupled with laser capture microdissection and in situ RT-PCR. Gastrin receptor expression was identified in c-fos-expressing cells located in the neck zone, and results of the RT-PCR analysis argued against contamination by other cells, such as enterochromaffin-like, parietal or D cells. Supporting this finding, gastrin receptor gene expression was identified in the neck zone as well as base glands by in situ RT-PCR. Therefore, it is suggested that proliferating cells in the neck zone are stimulated directly by gastrin via their gastrin receptors

Comparison of hemodynamics during induction of general anesthesia with remimazolam and target-controlled propofol in middle-aged and elderly patients : a single-center, randomized, controlled trial

Background Remimazolam confers a lower risk of hypotension than propofol. However, no studies have compared the efficacy of remimazolam and propofol administered using target-controlled infusion (TCI). This study aimed to investigate hemodynamic effects of remimazolam and target-controlled propofol in middle-aged and elderly patients during the induction of anesthesia. Methods Forty adults aged 45–80 years with the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status 1–2 were randomly assigned to remimazolam or propofol group (n = 20 each). Patients received either remimazolam (12 mg/kg/h) or propofol (3 μg/mL, TCI), along with remifentanil for inducing anesthesia. We recorded the blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and estimated continuous cardiac output (esCCO) using the pulse wave transit time. The primary outcome was the maximum change in mean arterial pressure (MAP) after induction. Secondary outcomes included changes in HR, cardiac output (CO), and stroke volume (SV). Results MAP decreased after induction of anesthesia in both groups, without significant differences between the groups (− 41.1 [16.4] mmHg and − 42.8 [10.8] mmHg in remimazolam and propofol groups, respectively; mean difference: 1.7 [95% confidence interval: − 8.2 to 4.9]; p = 0.613). Furthermore, HR, CO, and SV decreased after induction in both groups, without significant differences between the groups. Remimazolam group had significantly shorter time until loss of consciousness than propofol group (1.7 [0.7] min and 3.5 [1.7] min, respectively; p < 0.001). However, MAP, HR, CO, and SV were not significantly different between the groups despite adjusting time until loss of consciousness as a covariate. Seven (35%) and 11 (55%) patients in the remimazolam and propofol groups, respectively, experienced hypotension (MAP < 65 mmHg over 2.5 min), without significant differences between the groups (p = 0.341). Conclusions Hemodynamics were not significantly different between remimazolam and target-controlled propofol groups during induction of anesthesia. Thus, not only the choice but also the dose and usage of anesthetics are important for hemodynamic stability while inducing anesthesia. Clinicians should monitor hypotension while inducing anesthesia with remimazolam as well as propofol

GPI Glycan Remodeling by PGAP5 Regulates Transport of GPI-Anchored Proteins from the ER to the Golgi

SummaryMany eukaryotic proteins are attached to the cell surface via glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors. How GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) are trafficked from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the cell surface is poorly understood, but the GPI moiety has been postulated to function as a signal for sorting and transport. Here, we established mutant cells that were selectively defective in transport of GPI-APs from the ER to the Golgi. We identified a responsible gene, designated PGAP5 (post-GPI-attachment to proteins 5). PGAP5 belongs to a dimetal-containing phosphoesterase family and catalyzed the remodeling of the glycan moiety on GPI-APs. PGAP5 catalytic activity is a prerequisite for the efficient exit of GPI-APs from the ER. Our data demonstrate that GPI glycan acts as an ER-exit signal and suggest that glycan remodeling mediated by PGAP5 regulates GPI-AP transport in the early secretory pathway

Epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan during the first and second waves

Following the emergence and worldwide spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), each country has attempted to control the disease in different ways. The first patient with COVID-19 in Japan was diagnosed on 15 January 2020, and until 31 October 2020, the epidemic was characterized by two large waves. To prevent the first wave, the Japanese government imposed several control measures such as advising the public to avoid the 3Cs (closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with many people nearby, and close-contact settings such as close-range conversations) and implementation of "cluster buster" strategies. After a major epidemic occurred in April 2020 (the first wave), Japan asked its citizens to limit their numbers of physical contacts and announced a non-legally binding state of emergency. Following a drop in the number of diagnosed cases, the state of emergency was gradually relaxed and then lifted in all prefectures of Japan by 25 May 2020. However, the development of another major epidemic (the second wave) could not be prevented because of continued chains of transmission, especially in urban locations. The present study aimed to descriptively examine propagation of the COVID-19 epidemic in Japan with respect to time, age, space, and interventions implemented during the first and second waves. Using publicly available data, we calculated the effective reproduction number and its associations with the timing of measures imposed to suppress transmission. Finally, we crudely calculated the proportions of severe and fatal COVID-19 cases during the first and second waves. Our analysis identified key characteristics of COVID-19, including density dependence and also the age dependence in the risk of severe outcomes. We also identified that the effective reproduction number during the state of emergency was maintained below the value of 1 during the first wave