Entropic uncertainty relations for Markovian and non-Markovian processes under a structured bosonic reservoir

The uncertainty relation is a fundamental limit in quantum mechanics and is of great importance to quantum information processing as it relates to quantum precision measurement. Due to interactions with the surrounding environment, a quantum system will unavoidably suffer from decoherence. Here, we investigate the dynamic behaviors of the entropic uncertainty relation of an atom-cavity interacting system under a bosonic reservoir during the crossover between Markovian and non-Markovian regimes. Specifically, we explore the dynamic behavior of the entropic uncertainty relation for a pair of incompatible observables under the reservoir-induced atomic decay effect both with and without quantum memory. We find that the uncertainty dramatically depends on both the atom-cavity and the cavity-reservoir interactions, as well as the correlation time, $\tau$, of the structured reservoir. Furthermore, we verify that the uncertainty is anti-correlated with the purity of the state of the observed qubit-system. We also propose a remarkably simple and efficient way to reduce the uncertainty by utilizing quantum weak measurement reversal. Therefore our work offers a new insight into the uncertainty dynamics for multi-component measurements within an open system, and is thus important for quantum precision measurements.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Scientific Report

Dietary Intake of Fatty Acids, Total Cholesterol, and Stomach Cancer in a Chinese Population.

To investigate the associations between dietary fatty acids and cholesterol consumption and stomach cancer (SC), we analyzed data from a population-based case-control study with a total of 1900 SC cases and 6532 controls. Dietary data and other risk or protective factors were collected by face-to-face interviews in Jiangsu Province, China, from 2003 to 2010. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multiple unconditional logistic regression models and an energy-adjusted method. The joint associations between dietary factors and known risk factors on SC were examined. We observed positive associations between dietary saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and total cholesterol and the development of SC, comparing the highest versus lowest quarters. Increased intakes of dietary SFAs (p-trend = 0.005; aOR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01-1.22 with a 7 g/day increase as a continuous variable) and total cholesterol (p-trend < 0.001; aOR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.06-1.22 with a 250 mg/day increase as a continuous variable) were monotonically associated with elevated odds of developing SC. Our results indicate that dietary SFAs, MUFAs, and total cholesterol are associated with stomach cancer, which might provide a potential dietary intervention for stomach cancer prevention

Disturbance-Estimated Adaptive Backstepping Sliding Mode Control of a Pneumatic Muscles-Driven Ankle Rehabilitation Robot.

A rehabilitation robot plays an important role in relieving the therapists' burden and helping patients with ankle injuries to perform more accurate and effective rehabilitation training. However, a majority of current ankle rehabilitation robots are rigid and have drawbacks in terms of complex structure, poor flexibility and lack of safety. Taking advantages of pneumatic muscles' good flexibility and light weight, we developed a novel two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) parallel compliant ankle rehabilitation robot actuated by pneumatic muscles (PMs). To solve the PM's nonlinear characteristics during operation and to tackle the human-robot uncertainties in rehabilitation, an adaptive backstepping sliding mode control (ABS-SMC) method is proposed in this paper. The human-robot external disturbance can be estimated by an observer, who is then used to adjust the robot output to accommodate external changes. The system stability is guaranteed by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Experimental results on the compliant ankle rehabilitation robot show that the proposed ABS-SMC is able to estimate the external disturbance online and adjust the control output in real time during operation, resulting in a higher trajectory tracking accuracy and better response performance especially in dynamic conditions

Mortality of continuous infusion versus intermittent bolus of meropenem: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BackgroundMeropenem belongs to the carbapenem class, which is categorized as beta-lactam antibiotics. These antibiotics are administered in intermittent bolus doses at specific time intervals. However, the continuous infusion approach ensures sustained drug exposure, maintaining the drug concentration above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) throughout the entire treatment period. This study aimed to find out the association between continuous infusions of meropenem and mortality rates.Materials and methodsWe conducted a search of the PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases up to 14 August 2023. The six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified and included in our analysis. The random-effects model was implemented using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software to examine the outcomes.ResultsOur study included a total of 1,529 adult patients from six randomized controlled trials. The primary outcome indicated that continuous infusion of meropenem did not lead to reduction in the mortality rate (odds ratio = 0.844, 95% CI: 0.671–1.061, P =0.147). Secondary outcomes revealed no significant differences in ICU length of stay (LOS), ICU mortality, clinical cure, or adverse events between continuous infusion and traditional intermittent bolus strategies of meropenem. Notably, we observed significant improvements in bacterial eradication (odds ratio 19 = 2.207, 95% CI: 1.467–3.320, P < 0.001) with continuous infusion of meropenem. Our study also suggested that performing continuous infusion may lead to better bacterial eradication effects in resistant pathogens (coefficient: 2.5175, P = 0.0138*).ConclusionContinuous infusion of meropenem did not result in the reduction of mortality rates but showed potential in improving bacterial eradication. Furthermore, this strategy may be particularly beneficial for achieving better bacterial eradication, especially in cases involving resistant pathogens

Comparison Between Electropositive and Electronegative Cold Atmospheric-Pressure Plasmas: A Modelling Study

Cold atmospheric-pressure He + N2 and He + O2 plasmas are chosen as the representatives for electropositive and electronegative plasmas, of which the discharge characteristics are studied and then compared to each other by fluid models. As the increase of the impurity (N2 or O2) fraction from 0 to 10%, for He + N2 plasmas the electron density and ion density increase, the spatiotemporal distributions of electron density, ion density, electron temperature and electron generation rate change a little. On contrast, for He + O2 plasmas the electron density decreases, the ion density first increases and then decreases, the electron temperature increases in the bulk region, but decreases in the sheath region, and the plasmas transform from ᵞ mode to α mode as the significant change of electron generation rate distributions. Larger electric field is needed in the bulk region to sustain the electronegative plasma, so the electrical characteristics of He + O2 plasmas transform form capacitive to resistive with increasing O2fraction. Meanwhile, the ion-coupling power increases dramatically, which can be estimated by a formula based on the electronegativity. A new criterion for determining the sheath boundary, |ΔE| = 5 kV/cm2, is put forward, which is found suitable for both the electropositive and electronegative plasmas

Enhanced Root and Stem Growth and Physiological Changes in Pinus bungeana Zucc. Seedlings by Microbial Inoculant Application

Background and Objectives: As an extensively used tree species in landscaping and afforestation in China, lacebark pine (Pinus bungeana Zucc.) seedlings are in high demand. However, the small number of fine roots and the low growth rate of lacebark pine seedlings increase the risks encountered during transplant and extend the nursery time for outplanting. We aimed to find out whether a microbial inoculant would promote root growth and accordingly, shorten the nursery cultivation time. Materials and Methods: One-year-old lacebark pine seedlings were treated with the inoculant Bacillus subtilis 8–32 six times from June to September. At each application time, five treatments of undiluted microbial inoculants (UM), 30 times diluted microbial inoculants (30 DM), 40 times diluted microbial inoculants (40 DM), 50 times diluted microbial inoculants (50 DM), and distilled water as a control (CTRL) were administered to the seedlings. In the end, all the seedlings were harvested to measure the root growth, aboveground growth, and the physiological indices. Results: Root and stem growth was enhanced by the inoculants in terms of the increased number of root tips, the length and surface area of the roots, the biomass of the roots and stems, as well as the increase in height and basal stem diameter. The chlorophyll a/b of the needles was increased, in spite of the fact that the total chlorophyll content was decreased by the microbial inoculant treatments at the end of the growth phase. Meanwhile, the maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) of the needles was increased by the inoculant treatments. The soluble sugar content was additionally translocated into the stems in the UM treatment, suggesting the change in carbon allocation. The content of available potassium, phosphorus, and ammonium nitrogen in the potting soil was increased in the 30 DM group, and the content of soil organic matter was increased in all the inoculant treatments. Conclusions: The microbial inoculant Bacillus subtilis 8–32, in appropriate concentrations, could be applied to promote root and shoot growth and improve the seedling quality of the lacebark pine during cultivation

N-Phenyl-4-(8-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,2-benzoxazolo[4,5-d]thia­zol-2-yl)piperidine-1-carboxamide

In the title molecule, C26H24N4O2S, the dihedral angle between the isoxazole ring and the adjoining benzene ring is 21.4 (5)°, and between the isoxazole ring and the thia­zole ring is 14.3 (4)°. The piperidine ring is in a chair conformation. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are linked by inter­molecular N—H⋯O and weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into one-dimensional chains along [001]

Raw Garlic Consumption and Risk of Liver Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Eastern China.

Although the major risk factors for liver cancer have been established, preventive factors for liver cancer have not been fully explored. We evaluated the association between raw garlic consumption and liver cancer in a large population-based case-control study in Eastern China. The study was conducted in Jiangsu, China, from 2003 to 2010. A total of 2011 incident liver cancer cases and 7933 randomly selected population-controls were interviewed. Epidemiological data including raw garlic intake and other exposures were collected, and serum markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were assayed. Overall, eating raw garlic twice or more per week was inversely associated with liver cancer, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.77 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.62-0.96) compared to those ingesting no raw garlic or less than twice per week. In stratified analyses, high intake of raw garlic was inversely associated with liver cancer among Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) negative individuals, frequent alcohol drinkers, those having history of eating mold-contaminated food or drinking raw water, and those without family history of liver cancer. Marginal interactions on an additive scale were observed between low raw garlic intake and HBsAg positivity (attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) = 0.31, 95% CI: -0.01-0.62) and heavy alcohol drinking (AP = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.00-0.57). Raw garlic consumption is inversely associated with liver cancer. Such an association shed some light on the potential etiologic role of garlic intake on liver cancer, which in turn might provide a possible dietary intervention to reduce liver cancer in Chinese population