Generation of hybrid polarization-orbital angular momentum entangled states

Hybrid entangled states exhibit entanglement between different degrees of freedom of a particle pair and thus could be useful for asymmetric optical quantum network where the communication channels are characterized by different properties. We report the first experimental realization of hybrid polarization-orbital angular momentum (OAM) entangled states by adopting a spontaneous parametric down conversion source of polarization entangled states and a polarization-OAM transferrer. The generated quantum states have been characterized through quantum state tomography. Finally, the violation of Bell's inequalities with the hybrid two photon system has been observed.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Varieties of interaction: from User Experience to Neuroergonomics:On the occasion of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Europe Chapter Annual Meeting in Rome, Italy 2017

Proceedings of the HFES European Chapter conferenc

The Life Cycle of Instability Features Measured from the Andes Lidar Observatory Over Cerro Pachon on 24 March 2012

The Aerospace Corporation\u27s Nightglow Imager (ANI) observes nighttime OH emission (near 1.6 µm) every 2 s over an approximate 73¬∞ field of view. ANI had previously been used to study instability features seen over Maui. Here we describe observations of instabilities seen from 5 to 8 UT on 24 March 2012 over Cerro Pachon, Chile, and compare them with previous results from Maui, with theory, and with Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS). The atmosphere had reduced stability because of the large negative temperature gradients measured by a Na lidar. Thus, regions of dynamical and convective instabilities are expected to form, depending on the value of the Richardson number. Bright primary instabilities are formed with a horizontal wavelength near 9 km and showed the subsequent formation of secondary instabilities, rarely seen over Maui, consistent with the primaries being dynamical instabilities. The ratio of the primary to secondary horizontal wavelength was greater over Chile than over Maui. After dissipation of the instabilities, smaller-scale features appeared with sizes in the buoyancy subrange between 1.5 and 6 km. Their size spectra were consistent with the model of Weinstock (1978) if the turbulence is considered to be increasing. The DNS results produce secondary instabilities with sizes comparable to what is seen in the images although their spectra are somewhat steeper than is observed. However, the DNS results also show that after the complete decay of the primary features, scale sizes considerably smaller than 1 km are produced and these cannot be seen by the ANI instrument

Optimal quantum cloning of orbital angular momentum photon qubits via Hong-Ou-Mandel coalescence

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light, associated with a helical structure of the wavefunction, has a great potential for quantum photonics, as it allows attaching a higher dimensional quantum space to each photon. Hitherto, however, the use of OAM has been hindered by its difficult manipulation. Here, exploiting the recently demonstrated spin-OAM information transfer tools, we report the first observation of the Hong-Ou-Mandel coalescence of two incoming photons having nonzero OAM into the same outgoing mode of a beam-splitter. The coalescence can be switched on and off by varying the input OAM state of the photons. Such effect has been then exploited to carry out the 1 \rightarrow 2 universal optimal quantum cloning of OAM-encoded qubits, using the symmetrization technique already developed for polarization. These results are finally shown to be scalable to quantum spaces of arbitrary dimension, even combining different degrees of freedom of the photons.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Anchoring of proteins to lactic acid bacteria

The anchoring of proteins to the cell surface of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) using genetic techniques is an exciting and emerging research area that holds great promise for a wide variety of biotechnological applications. This paper reviews five different types of anchoring domains that have been explored for their efficiency in attaching hybrid proteins to the cell membrane or cell wall of LAB. The most exploited anchoring regions are those with the LPXTG box that bind the proteins in a covalent way to the cell wall. In recent years, two new modes of cell wall protein anchoring have been studied and these may provide new approaches in surface display. The important progress that is being made with cell surface display of chimaeric proteins in the areas of vaccine development and enzyme- or whole-cell immobilisation is highlighted.

Duplications disrupt chromatin architecture and rewire GPR101-enhancer communication in X-linked acrogigantism

X-linked acrogigantism (X-LAG) is the most severe form of pituitary gigantism and is characterized by aggressive growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary tumors that occur in early childhood. X-LAG is associated with chromosome Xq26.3 duplications (the X-LAG locus typically includes VGLL1, CD40LG, ARHGEF6, RBMX, and GPR101) that lead to massive pituitary tumoral expression of GPR101, a novel regulator of GH secretion. The mechanism by which the duplications lead to marked pituitary misexpression of GPR101 alone was previously unclear. Using Hi-C and 4C-seq, we characterized the normal chromatin structure at the X-LAG locus. We showed that GPR101 is located within a topologically associating domain (TAD) delineated by a tissue-invariant border that separates it from centromeric genes and regulatory sequences. Next, using 4C-seq with GPR101, RBMX, and VGLL1 viewpoints, we showed that the duplications in multiple X-LAG-affected individuals led to ectopic interactions that crossed the invariant TAD border, indicating the existence of a similar and consistent mechanism of neo-TAD formation in X-LAG. We then identified several pituitary active cis-regulatory elements (CREs) within the neo-TAD and demonstrated in vitro that one of them significantly enhanced reporter gene expression. At the same time, we showed that the GPR101 promoter permits the incorporation of new regulatory information. Our results indicate that X-LAG is a TADopathy of the endocrine system in which Xq26.3 duplications disrupt the local chromatin architecture forming a neo-TAD. Rewiring GPR101-enhancer interaction within the new regulatory unit is likely to cause the high levels of aberrant expression of GPR101 in pituitary tumors caused by X-LAG.The work was supported by the following funding sources: Fondazione Telethon, Italy grant no. GGP20130 (to G.T.); Society for Endocrinology equipment grant (to G.T.); Intramural Research Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research project Z01-HD008920 (to C.A.S., supporting G.T., F.R.F.); Fonds d’Investissement pour la Recherche Scientifique (FIRS) of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège (to A.F.D. and A.B.); the JABBS Foundation, UK (to A.B.); and Novo Nordisk Belgium Educational Grant, Belgium (to A.F.D. and A.B.). M.F. was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement (#800396) and a Juan de la Cierva-Formación fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (FJC2018-038233-I). G.T. was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement (#843843). A.F.D. and D.A. were supported by Action de Recherche Concertée (ARC) Grant 17/21-01 from Liège University. D.A. was supported by grants from Télévie (7461117 F, 7454719 F) and the Léon Fredericq Foundation, Belgium

Evaluation of atmospheric aerosols in the metropolitan area of São Paulo simulated by the regional EURAD-IM model on high-resolution

We present a high-resolution air quality study over São Paulo, Brazil with the EURopean Air Pollution Dispersion - Inverse Model (EURAD-IM) used for the first time over South America simulating detailed features of aerosols. Modeled data are evaluated with observational surface data and a Lidar. Two case studies in 2016 with distinct meteorological conditions and pollution plume features show transport (i) from central South America, associated to biomass burning activities, (ii) from the rural part of the state of São Paulo, (iii) between the metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (MASP) either through the Paraíba Valley or via the ocean, connecting Brazil's two largest cities, (iv) from the port-city Santos to MASP and also from MASP to the city Campinas, and vice versa. A Pearson coefficient of 0.7 was found for PM10 at MASP CENTER and EURAD-IM simulations vary within the observational standard deviation, with a Mean Percentual Error (MPE) of 10%. The model's vertical distributions of aerosol layers agree with the Lidar profiles that show either characteristics of long-range transported biomass burning plumes, or of local pollution. The distinct transport patterns that agree with satellite Aerosol Optical Death and fire spot images as well as with the ground-based observations within the standard deviations, allows us exploring patterns of air pollution in a detailed manner and to understand the complex interactions between local to long-range transport sources.This study was financed in part by the Coordenaç ̃ao de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001, Brazil, for the doctoral scholarship granted. This article and the research behind it are a direct contribution to the research themes of the Klimapolis Laboratory (klimapolis.net

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus chemotherapy as first-line treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with high tumour mutational burden: Patient-reported outcomes results from the randomised, open-label, phase III CheckMate 227 trial

BACKGROUND: In the phase III CheckMate 227 study, first-line nivolumab + ipilimumab significantly prolonged progression-free survival (co-primary end-point) versus chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and high tumour mutational burden (TMB; ≥10 mutations/megabase). AIM: To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in this population. METHODS: Disease-related symptoms and general health status were assessed using the validated PRO questionnaires Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS) and EQ-5D, respectively. LCSS average symptom burden index (ASBI) and three-item global index (3-IGI) and EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS) and utility index (UI) scores and changes from baseline were analysed descriptively. Longitudinal changes were assessed by mixed-effect model repeated measures (MMRMs) and time to first deterioration/improvement analyses. RESULTS: In the high TMB population, PRO questionnaire completion rates were ∼90% at baseline and \u3e80% for most on-treatment assessments. During treatment, mean changes from baseline with nivolumab + ipilimumab showed early, clinically meaningful improvements in LCSS ASBI/3-IGI and EQ-5D VAS/UI; with chemotherapy, symptoms and health-related quality of life remained stable (LCSS ASBI/3-IGI, EQ-5D UI) or improved following induction (EQ-5D VAS). MMRM-assessed changes in symptom burden were improved with nivolumab + ipilimumab versus chemotherapy. Symptom deterioration by week 12 was lower with nivolumab + ipilimumab versus chemotherapy (22.3% versus 35.0%; absolute risk reduction: 12.7% [95% confidence interval 2.4-22.5]), irrespective of discontinuation. Time to first deterioration was delayed with nivolumab + ipilimumab versus chemotherapy across LCSS and EQ-5D summary measures. CONCLUSION: First-line nivolumab + ipilimumab demonstrated early, sustained improvements in PROs versus chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC and high TMB. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02477826

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus chemotherapy as first-line treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with high tumour mutational burden: Patient-reported outcomes results from the randomised, open-label, phase III CheckMate 227 trial

BACKGROUND: In the phase III CheckMate 227 study, first-line nivolumab + ipilimumab significantly prolonged progression-free survival (co-primary end-point) versus chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and high tumour mutational burden (TMB; ≥10 mutations/megabase). AIM: To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in this population. METHODS: Disease-related symptoms and general health status were assessed using the validated PRO questionnaires Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS) and EQ-5D, respectively. LCSS average symptom burden index (ASBI) and three-item global index (3-IGI) and EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS) and utility index (UI) scores and changes from baseline were analysed descriptively. Longitudinal changes were assessed by mixed-effect model repeated measures (MMRMs) and time to first deterioration/improvement analyses. RESULTS: In the high TMB population, PRO questionnaire completion rates were ∼90% at baseline and \u3e80% for most on-treatment assessments. During treatment, mean changes from baseline with nivolumab + ipilimumab showed early, clinically meaningful improvements in LCSS ASBI/3-IGI and EQ-5D VAS/UI; with chemotherapy, symptoms and health-related quality of life remained stable (LCSS ASBI/3-IGI, EQ-5D UI) or improved following induction (EQ-5D VAS). MMRM-assessed changes in symptom burden were improved with nivolumab + ipilimumab versus chemotherapy. Symptom deterioration by week 12 was lower with nivolumab + ipilimumab versus chemotherapy (22.3% versus 35.0%; absolute risk reduction: 12.7% [95% confidence interval 2.4-22.5]), irrespective of discontinuation. Time to first deterioration was delayed with nivolumab + ipilimumab versus chemotherapy across LCSS and EQ-5D summary measures. CONCLUSION: First-line nivolumab + ipilimumab demonstrated early, sustained improvements in PROs versus chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC and high TMB. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02477826

The exported protein PbCP1 localises to cleft-like structures in the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei

Protein export into the host red blood cell is one of the key processes in the pathobiology of the malaria parasite Plasmodiumtrl falciparum, which extensively remodels the red blood cell to ensure its virulence and survival. In this study, we aimed to shed further light on the protein export mechanisms in the rodent malaria parasite P. berghei and provide further proof of the conserved nature of host cell remodeling in Plasmodium spp. Based on the presence of an export motif (R/KxLxE/Q/D) termed PEXEL (Plasmodium export element), we have generated transgenic P. berghei parasite lines expressing GFP chimera of putatively exported proteins and analysed one of the newly identified exported proteins in detail. This essential protein, termed PbCP1 (P. berghei Cleft-like Protein 1), harbours an atypical PEXEL motif (RxLxY) and is further characterised by two predicted transmembrane domains (2TMD) in the C-terminal end of the protein. We have functionally validated the unusual PEXEL motif in PbCP1 and analysed the role of the 2TMD region, which is required to recruit PbCP1 to discrete membranous structures in the red blood cell cytosol that have a convoluted, vesico-tubular morphology by electron microscopy. Importantly, this study reveals that rodent malaria species also induce modifications to their host red blood cell