Demonstration of Universal Parametric Entangling Gates on a Multi-Qubit Lattice

We show that parametric coupling techniques can be used to generate selective entangling interactions for multi-qubit processors. By inducing coherent population exchange between adjacent qubits under frequency modulation, we implement a universal gateset for a linear array of four superconducting qubits. An average process fidelity of $\mathcal{F}=93\%$ is estimated for three two-qubit gates via quantum process tomography. We establish the suitability of these techniques for computation by preparing a four-qubit maximally entangled state and comparing the estimated state fidelity against the expected performance of the individual entangling gates. In addition, we prepare an eight-qubit register in all possible bitstring permutations and monitor the fidelity of a two-qubit gate across one pair of these qubits. Across all such permutations, an average fidelity of $\mathcal{F}=91.6\pm2.6\%$ is observed. These results thus offer a path to a scalable architecture with high selectivity and low crosstalk

A polygenic risk score for multiple myeloma risk prediction

There is overwhelming epidemiologic evidence that the risk of multiple myeloma (MM) has a solid genetic background. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 23 risk loci that contribute to the genetic susceptibility of MM, but have low individual penetrance. Combining the SNPs in a polygenic risk score (PRS) is a possible approach to improve their usefulness. Using 2361 MM cases and 1415 controls from the International Multiple Myeloma rESEarch (IMMEnSE) consortium, we computed a weighted and an unweighted PRS. We observed associations with MM risk with OR = 3.44, 95% CI 2.53–4.69, p = 3.55 × 10−15 for the highest vs. lowest quintile of the weighted score, and OR = 3.18, 95% CI 2.1 = 34–4.33, p = 1.62 × 10−13 for the highest vs. lowest quintile of the unweighted score. We found a convincing association of a PRS generated with 23 SNPs and risk of MM. Our work provides additional validation of previously discovered MM risk variants and of their combination into a PRS, which is a first step towards the use of genetics for risk stratification in the general population

Expression quantitative trait loci of genes predicting outcome are associated with survival of multiple myeloma patients

Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Grant/ Award Number: 81274; Huntsman Cancer Institute Pilot Funds; Leukemia Lymphoma Society, Grant/Award Number: 6067-09; the National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute, Grant/Award Numbers: P30 CA016672, P30 CA042014, P30 CA13148, P50 CA186781, R01 CA107476, R01 CA134674, R01 CA168762, R01 CA186646, R01 CA235026, R21 CA155951, R25 CA092049, R25 CA47888, U54 CA118948; Utah Population Database, Utah Cancer Registry, Huntsman Cancer Center Support Grant, Utah State Department of Health, University of Utah; VicHealth, Cancer Council Victoria, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Grant/Award Numbers: 1074383, 209057, 396414; Victorian Cancer Registry, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian National Death Index, Australian Cancer Database; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center; University of Pisa and DKFZThe authors thank all site investigators that contributed to the studies within the Multiple Myeloma Working Group (Interlymph Consortium), staff involved at each site and, most importantly, the study participants for their contributions that made our study possible. This work was partially supported by intramural funds of University of Pisa and DKFZ. This work was supported in part by the National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute (R25 CA092049, P30 CA016672, R01 CA134674, P30 CA042014, R01 CA186646, R21 CA155951, U54 CA118948, P30 CA13148, R25 CA47888, R01 CA235026, R01 CA107476, R01 CA168762, P50 CA186781 and the NCI Intramural Research Program), Leukemia Lymphoma Society (6067-09), Huntsman Cancer Institute Pilot Funds, Utah PopulationDatabase, Utah Cancer Registry, Huntsman Cancer Center Support Grant, Utah StateDepartment of Health, University of Utah, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Grant number 81274), VicHealth, Cancer Council Victoria, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (Grants 209057, 396414, 1074383), Victorian Cancer Registry, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian National Death Index, Australian Cancer Database and the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.Open Access funding enabled and organized by ProjektDEAL.The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.Gene expression profiling can be used for predicting survival in multiple myeloma (MM) and identifying patients who will benefit from particular types of therapy. Some germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) act as expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) showing strong associations with gene expression levels. We performed an association study to test whether eQTLs of genes reported to be associated with prognosis of MM patients are directly associated with measures of adverse outcome. Using the genotype-tissue expression portal, we identified a total of 16 candidate genes with at least one eQTL SNP associated with their expression with P < 10(-7) either in EBV-transformed B-lymphocytes or whole blood. We genotyped the resulting 22 SNPs in 1327 MM cases from the International Multiple Myeloma rESEarch (IMMEnSE) consortium and examined their association with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), adjusting for age, sex, country of origin and disease stage. Three polymorphisms in two genes (TBRG4-rs1992292, TBRG4-rs2287535 and ENTPD1-rs2153913) showed associations with OS at P < .05, with the former two also associated with PFS. The associations of two polymorphisms in TBRG4 with OS were replicated in 1277 MM cases from the International Lymphoma Epidemiology (InterLymph) Consortium. A meta-analysis of the data from IMMEnSE and InterLymph (2579 cases) showed that TBRG4-rs1992292 is associated with OS (hazard ratio = 1.14, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.26, P = .007). In conclusion, we found biologically a plausible association between a SNP in TBRG4 and OS of MM patients.Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 81274Huntsman Cancer Institute Pilot FundsLeukemia and Lymphoma Society 6067-09United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) P30 CA016672 P30 CA042014 P30 CA13148 P50 CA186781 R01 CA107476 R01 CA134674 R01 CA168762 R01 CA186646 R01 CA235026 R21 CA155951 R25 CA092049 R25 CA47888 U54 CA118948Utah Population Database, Utah Cancer Registry, Huntsman Cancer Center Support Grant, Utah State Department of Health, University of UtahVicHealth, Cancer Council Victoria, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 1074383 209057 396414Victorian Cancer Registry, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian National Death Index, Australian Cancer DatabaseMayo Clinic Cancer CenterUniversity of PisaHelmholtz Associatio

Neuronal Control of Metabolism through Nutrient-Dependent Modulation of Tracheal Branching

SummaryDuring adaptive angiogenesis, a key process in the etiology and treatment of cancer and obesity, the vasculature changes to meet the metabolic needs of its target tissues. Although the cues governing vascular remodeling are not fully understood, target-derived signals are generally believed to underlie this process. Here, we identify an alternative mechanism by characterizing the previously unrecognized nutrient-dependent plasticity of the Drosophila tracheal system: a network of oxygen-delivering tubules developmentally akin to mammalian blood vessels. We find that this plasticity, particularly prominent in the intestine, drives—rather than responds to—metabolic change. Mechanistically, it is regulated by distinct populations of nutrient- and oxygen-responsive neurons that, through delivery of both local and systemic insulin- and VIP-like neuropeptides, sculpt the growth of specific tracheal subsets. Thus, we describe a novel mechanism by which nutritional cues modulate neuronal activity to give rise to organ-specific, long-lasting changes in vascular architecture

Development of the Estimation Methodology for the Commercial Balance of the Market of Social and Environmental Services of Forests

The perspective direction of the development of the economic space of the forest sector is the capitalization of the social and ecological potential of the forest, it makes it necessary to form new ecological systems for the forestry of Ukraine. In particular, the market of social and environmental services of the forest, the object of which is a special commodity is the social and environmental service.It is shown that the opportunities for establishment of the market for social and ecological forest services are determined by the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the socio-ecological potential: the level of forest cover, the natural structure of the forest. And also by the magnitude and direction of the demand for the socio-ecological benefits of forests in these or other ethno-natural and economic territories. The ratio of these components is defined as the commercial balance of the market. This raises the need to develop a methodology for evaluation of the commercial balance of the market, which would allow to determine and forecast the opportunities for capitalizing the social and environmental potential of the forest in terms of volume and range, depending on the natural and economic environment of the territories.The proposed methodology for evaluation of the social and economic potential of forests in the context of the formation of the market for social and environmental services unites three consecutive stages:– identification of environmental problems and social needs of the territories where the project is planned to establish a market for social and environmental services of the forest, the level of their importance and danger;– evaluation of the wooded areas that can determine the volume and quality and structure of forests (tree species, age), which can determine the range of services;– analysis of the marketing environment that allows to determine the possible volume and direction of demand.Practical application of the methodology will make it possible to determine the opportunities and prospects for capitalizing the social and environmental benefits of forests in certain ethno-prodigal and economic areas, that is, with the opportunities and prospects for the formation and functioning of the market for social and ecological forest services

Investigation of the Institutional Equilibrium of the Market of Social and Environmental Services of Forest: Conditions and Development Strategies

Taking into account the peculiarities of the market of social and environmental services of forests as a new ecological and economic system of the forest sector of the Ukrainian economy, its institutional equilibrium should be understood as a state of the institutional environment in which there is no significant contradiction between informal and formal institutions.The degree of correspondence between formal and informal institutions determines the amount of expenditure to eliminate possible contradictions, that is, the possible dynamics of transaction costs, and, accordingly, determines both the effectiveness of institutional provision and the effectiveness of the economic system as a whole.The most typical situation of institutional disequilibrium in the market of social and ecological forest services is that when the introduction of new formal institutions, that is, the development of the state of the institutional environment in the position of institutional equilibrium is met with strong resistance from the informal. The economic conditions for development of such situation to the state of institutional equilibrium are such when the economic benefits of introducing new formal norms exceed institutional transactions. The strategy to achieve institutional equilibrium is the gradual evolutionary adaptation of informal institutions in existing informal constraints.Another situation of institutional disequilibrium can be generated by the fact that formal institutions do not change when informal institutions change. Economic conditions for development of such situation to the state of institutional equilibrium are those when the price of the risk of penalties for certain informal shadow rules for the exploitation of social and ecological resources of the forest exceeds the benefits. The strategy to achieve institutional balance is in introducing of effective coordination institutions in the institutional environment.A state of institutional disequilibrium is possible, when the acquisition of institutional equilibrium occurs through the adequate development of formal and informal institutions. The economic conditions for the implementation of such process are the conformity of the economic benefits that such transformation gives and the costs of providing informal formal status rules. The strategy for implementing such process should be to choose economically viable alternatives.More theoretically, a state is possible when a certain institutional equilibrium is established between formal and informal institutions, that is, for some time, formal and informal institutions do not change. The economic condition for such provision is that institutional transactions will require more expenses than those benefits that can receive economic agents from institutional development. This situation requires a stabilization strategy, which consists in mutual compromises in resolving issues when concluding and implementing contracts

Masterclass in airways disease: course report.

It is currently a very exciting time in airway disease. With recent pivotal changes in the global directives in the management for both asthma and COPD, new approved treatments and drugs, and innovative approaches in characterising the diseases, the time was right for assembly 5 (airway diseases, asthma and COPD) to undertake a masterclass this year in keeping with the new European Respiratory Society (ERS) continuing professional development initiatives from the Educational Council

PDMS lab-on-a-chip fabrication using 3D printed templates

G. Comina's research stay at Linkoping University has been financed by the Peruvian National Council for Science and Technology (CONCYTEC). This research has been supported by grants from Linkoping Centre for Life Science Technologies (LIST), Sweden, and from the Swedish Research Council (VR).Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica - Concyte