Long-range-enhanced surface codes

The surface code is a quantum error-correcting code for one logical qubit, protected by spatially localized parity checks in two dimensions. Due to fundamental constraints from spatial locality, storing more logical qubits requires either sacrificing the robustness of the surface code against errors or increasing the number of physical qubits. We bound the minimal number of spatially non-local parity checks necessary to add logical qubits to a surface code while maintaining, or improving, robustness to errors. We asymptotically saturate this bound using a family of hypergraph product codes, interpolating between the surface code and constant-rate low-density parity-check codes. Fault-tolerant protocols for logical operations generalize naturally to these longer-range codes, based on those from ordinary surface codes. We provide near-term practical implementations of this code for hardware based on trapped ions or neutral atoms in mobile optical tweezers. Long-range-enhanced surface codes outperform conventional surface codes using hundreds of physical qubits, and represent a practical strategy to enhance the robustness of logical qubits to errors in near-term devices.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures; v2 changes: fixed typos and added citation

Sport, attività fisica, disabilità in età evolutiva: una systematic review

Sport and physical activity in general, are important factors in promoting health for all subjects in developmental age; they play an even more decisive role for pupils with disabilities. The study aims to investigate issues regarding the participation of people with disabilities, in the period of pre‐adolescence and adolescence, in school and extracurricular sports activities, comparing the declared activity with the recommendations issued in 2010 by the World Health Organization (WHO); it recommends that children and youth spend a minimum of 60 min each day in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. The studies analyzed have examined both the elements that act as barriers to active involvement, and the predisposing or facilitating factors, which operate in the sense of encouraging participation in activities, living the movement in an inclusive perspective

Sport, attività fisica, disabilità in età evolutiva: una systematic review

Sport and physical activity in general, are important factors in promoting health for all subjects in developmental age; they play an even more decisive role for pupils with disabilities. The study aims to investigate issues regarding the participation of people with disabilities, in the period of pre-adolescence and adolescence, in school and extracurricular sports activities, comparing the declared activity with the recommendations issued in 2010 by the World Health Organization (WHO); it recommends that children and youth spend a minimum of 60 min each day in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. The studies analyzed have examined both the elements that act as barriers to active involvement, and the predisposing or facilitating factors, which operate in the sense of encouraging participation in activities, living the movement in an inclusive perspective.L’attività fisica è un importante fattore di promozione della salute per tutti i soggetti in età evolutiva; riveste un ruolo ancor più determinante per preadolescenti e adolescenti con disabilità. Lo studio si propone di indagare le tematiche circa la partecipazione di soggetti con disabilità, nel periodo dell’adolescenza o della preadolescenza, alle attività sportive scolastiche ed extrascolastiche, confrontando l’attività dichiarata con le raccomandazioni emanate nel 2010 dall’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità (WHO) sulla partecipazione giornaliera ad almeno 60 minuti di attività fisica, ad un’intensità compresa tra il livello moderato e intenso. Gli studi analizzati hanno preso in esame sia i fattori predisponenti o facilitatori, che operano nel senso di incentivare la partecipazione alle attività, sia gli elementi che fungono da barriere alla partecipazione alle stesse

Metabolic and cardiovascular response to exercise in patients with type 1 diabetes

Physical activity is an effective therapeutic tool for cardiovascular risk prevention. However, exercise aerobic capacity of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) has not been thoroughly investigated. Aim of the present study is to evaluate exercise aerobic capacity in patients with T1DM compared to a normal control population

Genetic testing for Marfan syndrome

Abstract Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder caused by heterozygous mutations in the FBN 1 gene. Clinical manifestations of MFS include aortic dilatation and dissection, as well as cardiac valvular, ocular, skeletal and neurological manifestations. Prevalence varies from 6 to 20 per 100,000 individuals. Revised Ghent Nosology (2010) is used to establish a clinically based suspected diagnosis to be confirmed by molecular testing. This Utility Gene Test was prepared on the basis of an analysis of the literature and existing diagnostic protocols. Molecular testing is useful for diagnosis confirmation, as well as differential diagnosis, appropriate genetic counselling and access to clinical trials

High CTLA-4 expression correlates with poor prognosis in thymoma patients

Thymomas, tumors that arise from epithelial cells of the thymus gland, are the most common neoplasms of the anterior mediastinum, with an incidence rate of approximately 2.5 per million/year. Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Antigen 4 (CTLA-4 or CD152) exerts inhibitory activity on T cells, and since its oncogenic role in the progression of different types of tumors, it has emerged as a potential therapeutic target in cancer patients. In this study, we assessed the expression of CTLA-4 both at mRNA and protein levels in paraffin embedded-tissues from patients with thymomas. Furthermore, we evaluated the relationship between CTLA-4 expression and the clinical-pathologic characteristics and prognosis in patients with thymomas. Sixty-eight patients with median age corresponding to 62 years were included in this analysis. Thymomas were classified accordingly to the WHO and Masaoka-Koga for histochemical analysis and for prognostic significance. A statistical difference was found between CTLA-4 mRNA levels in human normal thymus compared with thymoma specimens. CTLA-4 expression was statistically found to progressively increase in A, B1, B2, AB and it was maximal in B3 thymomas. According to Masaoka-Koga pathological classification, CTLA-4 expression was lower in I, IIA and IIB, and higher in invasive III and IV stages. By confocal microscopy analysis we identified the expression of CTLA-4 both in tumor cells and in CD45+ tumor-infiltrating leukocytes, mainly in B3 and AB thymomas. Finally, CTLA-4 overexpression significantly correlates with reduced overall survival in thymoma patients and in atypical thymoma subgroup, suggesting that it represents a negative prognostic factor