Demonstration of Maxwell Demon-assistant Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering via Superconducting Quantum Processor

The concept of Maxwell demon plays an essential role in connecting thermodynamics and information theory, while entanglement and non-locality are fundamental features of quantum theory. Given the rapid advancements in the field of quantum information science, there is a growing interest and significance in investigating the connection between Maxwell demon and quantum correlation. The majority of research endeavors thus far have been directed towards the extraction of work from quantum correlation through the utilization of Maxwell demon. Recently, a novel concept called Maxwell demon-assistant Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering has been proposed, which suggests that it is possible to simulate quantum correlation by doing work. This seemingly counterintuitive conclusion is attributed to the fact that Alice and Bob need classical communication during EPR steering task, a requirement that does not apply in the Bell test. In this study, we demonstrate Maxwell demon-assistant EPR steering with superconducting quantum circuits. By compiling and optimizing a quantum circuit to be implemented on a 2D superconducting chip, we were able to achieve a steering parameter of $S_{2} = 0.770 \pm 0.005$ in the case of two measurement settings, which surpasses the classical bound of $1/\sqrt{2}$ by 12.6 standard deviations. In addition, experimental observations have revealed a linear correlation between the non-locality demonstrated in EPR steering and the work done by the demon. Considering the errors in practical operation, the experimental results are highly consistent with theoretical predictions. Our findings not only suggest the presence of a Maxwell demon loophole in the EPR steering, but also contribute to a deeper comprehension of the interplay between quantum correlation, information theory, and thermodynamics.Comment: Comments are welcome

Flood regime affects soil stoichiometry and the distribution of the invasive plants in subtropical estuarine wetlands in China

Projections of climate change impacts over the coming decades suggest that rising sea levels will flood coastal wetlands, moving the range of wetlands inland from the current coastline. The intensity of flooding in wetland areas will thus increase, with corresponding impacts on soil properties and coastal ecosystems. We studied the impacts of two levels of water inundation on the concentration and stoichiometry of soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur in areas dominated by the native C3 species Scirpus triqueter L., the native C4 species Cyperus malaccensis var. brevifolius Boecklr. and the invasive Gramineae C3 species Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud in the Shanyutan wetland areas of the Minjiang River estuary in China. Comparison of the communities dominated by these three species in high- and low-water flood habitats showed that flooding enhanced anaerobiosis and salinity and altered the carbon and nitrogen plant-soil cycles. Higher flooding favored the invasive species more than the two native species. The invasive P. australis accumulated more carbon (65% increase in aboveground biomass), and took up more nitrogen under high flooding than did C. malaccensis and S. triqueter. The more conservative use of soil resources, particularly the limiting nutrient N, appeared to underlie the higher capacity of the invasive species to tolerate higher flooding intensity. Increases in flooding may thus enhance the success and expansion of the invasive P. australis to the detriment of the native plant species in these Chinese wetlands

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

The expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in ovarian carcinomas and its clinicopathological associations: a retrospective study

Background Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is widely used as a specific cancer stem cell marker in a variety of cancers, and may become a promising target for cancer therapy. However, the role of its expression in tumor cells and the microenvironment in different cancers is still controversial. Methods To clarify the clinicopathological effect of ALDH1 expression in ovarian carcinoma, a series of 248 cases of paraffin-embedded formalin fixed ovarian carcinoma tissues with long term follow-up information were studied by immunohistochemistry. Results The immunostaining of ALDH1was variably detected in both tumor cells and the stromal cells, although the staining in tumor cells was not as strong as that in stromal cells. Statistical analyses showed that high ALDH1 expression in tumor cells was significantly associated with histological subtypes, early FIGO stage, well differentiation grade and better survival probability (p  0.05). Conclusioms High expression of cancer stem cell marker ALDH1 in ovarian carcinoma cells may thus portend a favorable prognosis, but its expression in tumor microenvironment may have no role in tumor behavior of ovarian carcinomas. More studies are warranted to find out the mechanisms for this

Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) Expression in Ovarian Carcinomas and Its Clinicopathological Associations

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is known as a carrier protein. It is classically thought to be mainly synthesized in the liver and then secreted into the circulating system, where it binds to sex steroids with a high affinity and modulates the bio-availability of the hormones. Other organs known to produce SHBG include brain, uterus, testis, prostate, breast and ovary, and the local expressed SHBG may play an important role in tumor development. However, SHBG expression status and its clinicopathological significance in ovarian cancer cells are not reported yet. In our present study, we examined and found the variable SHBG expression in four ovarian cancer cell lines (OV-90, OVCAR-3, SKOV-3 and ES-2) by immunocytochemistry and Western blotting. We then extended our study to 248 ovarian carcinoma samples, which were collected at The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital with complete clinical information, and discovered that SHBG was variably expressed in these ovarian carcinomas. Higher level of SHBG expression was significantly associated with more aggressive histological subtype (p = 0.022), higher FIGO stage (p = 0.018) and higher histological grade (grade of differentiation, p = 0.020), although association between SHBG expression and OS/PFS was not observed. Our results demonstrate that ovarian cancer cells produce SHBG and higher SHBG expression in ovarian carcinoma is associated with unfavorable clinicopathological features