Kinked linear response from non-Hermitian pumping

Non-Hermiticity is known to give rise to modified topological bulk-boundary correspondences, which predict the presence of topological boundary modes through appropriately modified topological invariants. Yet, little is currently known about how non-Hermiticity affects the precise linear response of wavepackets beyond their overall spectral flow. In this work, we discover that generically, non-Hermiticity gives rise to abrupt and prominent kinks in the semi-classical wavepacket trajectories of quantum gases, despite the absence of sudden physical impulses. This physically stems from a hitherto under-appreciated intrinsic non-locality from non-Hermitian pumping, even if all physical couplings are local, thereby resulting in enigmatic singularities in the band structure that lead to discontinuous band geometry and Berry curvature. For concrete experimental demonstration, we propose an ultracold atomic setup in a two-dimensional optical lattice with laser-induced loss, such that response kinks can be observed without fine-tuning in the physical atomic cloud dynamics. Our results showcases unique non-monotonic behavior from non-Hermitian pumping beyond the non-Hermitian skin effect, and suggests new avenues for investigating non-Hermitian dynamics in ultracold atomic platforms.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

Computing Special LL-Values of Certain Modular Forms with Complex Multiplication

In this expository paper, we illustrate two explicit methods which lead to special $L$-values of certain modular forms admitting complex multiplication (CM), motivated in part by properties of $L$-functions obtained from Calabi-Yau manifolds defined over $\mathbb Q$

A Simple and Efficient Way to Combine Microcontrollers with RSA Cryptography

Microcontroller can be easily adopted in various applications with a variety of peripherals due to its merits of small size, simple architecture and etc. However, the limited computing power restricts its application in cryptography. In this paper, we try to integrate microcontroller with different peripheral devices to support more powerful cryptography computation in a simple and efficient way. Based on the most popular open source microcontroller development platform, Arduino, we design and develop a cryptographic hardware device for a real-life application which provides data protection functions for authority and integrity with RSA cryptography supported. With the peripherals Java card, our Arduino-cored solution is able to efficiently generate digital signature of photos taken by smart phone using the asymmetric cryptographic algorithm, RSA, which has a poor performance if it is directly implemented on microcontroller. The experimental results show that the device can finish a RSA 1024-bit encryption in 82.2 microseconds, which is reasonable in real application scenario and illustrates the feasibility of implementing more complicated cryptographic system using microcontroller.published_or_final_versio

Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis with ecthyma gangrenosum and pseudomembranous pharyngolaryngitis in a 5-month-old boy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection that induced pseudomembranous laryngopharyngitis and ecthyma gangrenosum simultaneously in a healthy infant is rare. We reported on a previously healthy 5-month-old boy with initial presentation of fever and diarrhea followed by stridor and progressive respiratory distress. P. aeruginosa sepsis was suspected because ecthyma gangrenosum over the right leg was found at the emergency department, and the diagnosis was confirmed by the blood culture. Fiberscope revealed bacterial pharyngolaryngitis without involvement of the trachea. Because of early recognition and adequate treatment, including antimicrobial therapy, noninvasive ventilation, incision, and drainage, he recovered completely without any complications

Alterations in IL-6, IL-8, GM-CSF. TNF-α, and IFN-γ Release by Peripheral Mononuclear Cells in Patients with Active Vitiligo

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the cellular and humoral immune components in the pathogenesis of vitiligo vulgaris. By using cytokines as indicators of peripheral mononuclear cell (MNC) function, we compared the effects of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and purified IgG on MNCs derived from patients suffering from active vitiligo with those from normal controls. The results revealed (i) a significant increase in spontaneous production of 11-6 and IL-8 in patients; (ii) PHA, purified IgG from patients (IgG-anti-MC), or IgG from normal controls (N-IgG) induced a significant increase in IL-6 but diminished GM-CSF, TNF-α, and IFN-γ release in patients; and (iii) IgG-anti-MC brought about a significantly higher stimulatory effect on IL-1β and IFN-γ production than N-IgG in normal controls. Immunologically, IL-6 can enhance melanocyte ICAM-1 expression, which may increase leukocyte-melanocyte attachment and cause melanocyte damage in vitiligo. A decrease in GM-CSF (an intrinsic growth factor for melanocyte) production may retard recovery from vitiligo by checking the proliferation of surviving melanocytes. A significant decrease in TNF-α and IFN-γ production may partially explain the reduced inflammatory reaction in vitiliginous lesions. That IgG-anti-MC stimulates an increase in IL-1β and IFN-γ production in controls suggests that IgG-anti-MC may play a role in melanocyte destruction mediated by monocytes

Use of Rubber Dams During Root Canal Treatment in Taiwan

Background/PurposeIsolation of teeth with rubber dams is an important procedure for infection control in dentistry, especially in endodontic treatment. This study surveyed the prevalence of rubber dam usage in nonsurgical root canal treatment (RCT) by dentists under the National Health Insurance system in Taiwan.MethodsA total of 1,332 completed RCT cases were randomly selected from a large database from the Bureau of National Health Insurance in Taiwan in 2004. The radiographs and dental charts of the selected cases were evaluated for the prevalence of rubber dam usage in RCT. The frequencies of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists were compared between hospitals and private dental clinics and among six different regions in Taiwan.ResultsThe overall prevalence of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists under the National Health Insurance system in Taiwan was 16.5%. The frequency of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists in hospitals (32.8%) was significantly higher than that (10.3%) in private dental clinics (p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference in the frequency of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists among six different geographic regions in Taiwan.ConclusionThe prevalence of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists in Taiwan is relatively low. Because rubber dam isolation of an endodontically-treated tooth can provide better infection control, increase patient protection, and improve treatment efficiency, there is an urgent need to advise dentists in Taiwan to use rubber dams for every RCT case

RINGdb: An integrated database for G protein-coupled receptors and regulators of G protein signaling

BACKGROUND: Many marketed therapeutic agents have been developed to modulate the function of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS proteins) are also being examined as potential drug targets. To facilitate clinical and pharmacological research, we have developed a novel integrated biological database called RINGdb to provide comprehensive and organized RGS protein and GPCR information. RESULTS: RINGdb contains information on mutations, tissue distributions, protein-protein interactions, diseases/disorders and other features, which has been automatically collected from the Internet and manually extracted from the literature. In addition, RINGdb offers various user-friendly query functions to answer different questions about RGS proteins and GPCRs such as their possible contribution to disease processes, the putative direct or indirect relationship between RGS proteins and GPCRs. RINGdb also integrates organized database cross-references to allow users direct access to detailed information. The database is now available at . CONCLUSION: RINGdb is the only integrated database on the Internet to provide comprehensive RGS protein and GPCR information. This knowledgebase will be useful for clinical research, drug discovery and GPCR signaling pathway research

Urban-Rural Disparity of Generics Prescription in Taiwan: The Example of Dihydropyridine Derivatives

The aim of the current study was to investigate the urban-rural disparity of prescribing generics, which were usually cheaper than branded drugs, within the universal health insurance system in Taiwan. Data sources were the cohort datasets of National Health Insurance Research Database with claims data in 2010. The generic prescribing ratios of dihydropyridine (DHP) derivatives (the proportion of DHP prescribed as generics to all prescribed DHP) of medical facilities were examined against the urbanization levels of the clinic location. Among the total 21,606,914 defined daily doses of DHP, 35.7% belonged to generics. The aggregate generic prescribing ratio rose from 6.7% at academic medical centers to 15.3% at regional hospitals, 29.4% at community hospital, and 66.1% at physician clinics. Among physician clinics, the generic prescribing ratio in urban areas was 63.9 ± 41.0% (mean ± standard deviation), lower than that in suburban (69.6 ± 38.7%) and in rural (74.1% ± 35.3%). After adjusting the related factors in the linear regression model, generic prescribing ratios of suburban and rural clinics were significantly higher than those of urban clinics (β=0.043 and 0.077; P=0.024 and 0.008, resp.). The generic prescribing ratio of the most popular antihypertensive agents at a clinic was reversely associated with the urbanization level