Simulating noisy quantum channels via quantum state preparation algorithms

In Refs. [Phys. Rev. A 96, 062303 (2017)] and [Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. 61, 70311 (2018)], the authors reported an algorithm to simulate, in a circuit-based quantum computer, a general quantum channel (QC). However, the application of their algorithm involves the solution of intricate non-linear systems of equations in order to obtain the quantum circuit to be implemented for the simulation. In this work, we identify and discuss a simple way to implement the simulation of QCs on any $d$-level quantum system through quantum state preparation algorithms. We exemplify the simplicity and versatility of our protocol considering most well known qubit QCs, some qudit QCs, and the effect of Lorentz transformations on spin states. We also deal with the application of our protocol for initial mixed states. Most of the given application examples are verified experimentally using IBM's quantum processors

Correlação entre ensaios com câmara termográfica e resistógrafo na avaliação da integridade de vigas antigas de madeira

Este trabalho de investigação pretende dar um contributo no campo das técnicas não destrutivas de inspecção e de diagnóstico de vigas antigas de madeira. Para o efeito, correlacionou-se os resultados obtidos através do uso do resistógrafo e da termografia no estudo de uma viga recolhida num edifício de habitação unifamiliar que foi sujeito a um processo de remodelação. Verificou-se que poderá haver uma cerca correlação entre ensaios. Contudo, também se recomenda a realização de um número mais expressivo de ensaios de amostras para ser possível apresentar uma conclusão mais fidedigna. A relevância desta possível correlação prende-se com o facto de poder haver uma alternância na realização destes ensaios consoante os condicionalismos do cenário de obra

Helicobacter pylori chronic infection and mucosal inflammation switches the human gastric glycosylation pathways

Helicobacter pylori exploits host glycoconjugates to colonize the gastric niche. Infection can persist for decades promoting chronic inflammation, and in a subset of individuals lesions can silently progress to cancer. This study shows that H. pylori chronic infection and gastric tissue inflammation result in a remodeling of the gastric glycophenotype with increased expression of sialyl-Lewis a/x antigens due to transcriptional up-regulation of the B3GNT5, B3GALT5, and FUT3 genes. We observed that H. pylori infected individuals present a marked gastric local pro-inflammatory signature with significantly higher TNF-a levels and demonstrated that TNF-induced activation of the NF-kappaB pathway results in B3GNT5 transcriptional up-regulation. Furthermore, we show that this gastric glycosylation shift, characterized by increased sialylation patterns, favors SabA-mediated H. pylori attachment to human inflamed gastric mucosa. This study provides novel clinically relevant insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying H. pylori modulation of host glycosylation machinery, and phenotypic alterations crucial for life-long infection. Moreover, the biosynthetic pathways here identified as responsible for gastric mucosa increased sialylation, in response to H. pylori infection, can be exploited as drug targets for hindering bacteria adhesion and counteract the infection chronicity.IPATIMUP integrates the i3S Research Unit, which is partially supported by FCT, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PEst C/SAU/LA0003/2013). This work is funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE (NORTE 07 0124 FEDER 000024; FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER028188; FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER 041276) and National Funds through the FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology (EXPL/CTM-BIO/0762/2013, PTDC/BBB-EBI/0786/2012) and acknowledges support by the EuropeanUnion (Seventh Framework Programme GastricGlycoExplorer project, grant number 316929). Grants were received from FCT, POPH (Programa Operacional Potencial Humano) and FSE (Fundo Social Europeu) (SFRH/BPD/75871/2011 to AM;SFRH/SINTD/60034/2009 to RMP; SFRH/BPD/84084/2012 to RMF; SFRH/BPD/89764/2012 to PO). AM acknowledges EMBO for a Short-Term Fellowship (EMBO ASTF 330-212). Transcript analysis was funded by NIH (grant P41GM103490) to KWM

Management of epithelial precancerous conditions and lesions in the stomach (MAPS II): European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE), European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group (EHMSG), European Society of Pathology (ESP), and Sociedade Portuguesa de Endoscopia Digestiva (SPED) guideline update 2019

Patients with chronic atrophic gastritis or intestinal metaplasia (IM) are at risk for gastric adenocarcinoma. This underscores the importance of diagnosis and risk stratification for these patients. High definition endoscopy with chromoendoscopy (CE) is better than high definition white-light endoscopy alone for this purpose. Virtual CE can guide biopsies for staging atrophic and metaplastic changes and can target neoplastic lesions. Biopsies should be taken from at least two topographic sites (antrum and corpus) and labelled in two separate vials. For patients with mild to moderate atrophy restricted to the antrum there is no evidence to recommend surveillance. In patients with IM at a single location but with a family history of gastric cancer, incomplete IM, or persistent Helicobacter pylori gastritis, endoscopic surveillance with CE and guided biopsies may be considered in 3 years. Patients with advanced stages of atrophic gastritis should be followed up with a high quality endoscopy every 3 years. In patients with dysplasia, in the absence of an endoscopically defined lesion, immediate high quality endoscopic reassessment with CE is recommended. Patients with an endoscopically visible lesion harboring low or high grade dysplasia or carcinoma should undergo staging and treatment. H. pylori eradication heals nonatrophic chronic gastritis, may lead to regression of atrophic gastritis, and reduces the risk of gastric cancer in patients with these conditions, and it is recommended. H. pylori eradication is also recommended for patients with neoplasia after endoscopic therapy. In intermediate to high risk regions, identification and surveillance of patients with precancerous gastric conditions is cost-effective.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Parallax Motion Effect Generation Through Instance Segmentation And Depth Estimation

Stereo vision is a growing topic in computer vision due to the innumerable opportunities and applications this technology offers for the development of modern solutions, such as virtual and augmented reality applications. To enhance the user's experience in three-dimensional virtual environments, the motion parallax estimation is a promising technique to achieve this objective. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for generating parallax motion effects from a single image, taking advantage of state-of-the-art instance segmentation and depth estimation approaches. This work also presents a comparison against such algorithms to investigate the trade-off between efficiency and quality of the parallax motion effects, taking into consideration a multi-task learning network capable of estimating instance segmentation and depth estimation at once. Experimental results and visual quality assessment indicate that the PyD-Net network (depth estimation) combined with Mask R-CNN or FBNet networks (instance segmentation) can produce parallax motion effects with good visual quality.Comment: 2020 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate

Tri-n-butyltin Hydride-Mediated radical reactions of ortho-and meta-Iodobenzamides to synthesize benzomacrolactams: surprising formation of biphenyl compounds from meta-regioisomers

Reactions of methyl 4-O-allyl-2,3-di-O-benzyl-6-deoxy-6-(3-iodobenzoylamino)-α-D-galactopyranoside, its gluco epimer, methyl 2,3-di-O-benzyl-6-deoxy-6-(3-iodobenzoylamino)-4-O-(1-pentenyl)-α-D-glucopyranoside and its ortho-regioisomer with tri-n-butyltin hydride were performed in different conditions. Depending on reaction conditions the three meta-iodo isomers gave a surprising amount of biphenyl compounds. The 2-iodo isomer led only to the undesired but expected hydrogenolysis product. No cyclized products were isolated in all the reactions. The structures of the new biphenyl products were elucidated by ¹H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, DEPT, COSY, HMQC and HMBC experiments and ESI-MS/MS. Mechanisms for the formation of these new biphenyl derivatives and hypotheses to explain the different outcomes for radical reactions of 3- or 2-iodobenzamides were presented