Identifying entanglement using quantum "ghost" interference and imaging

We report a quantum interference and imaging experiment which quantitatively demonstrates that Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) type entangled two-photon states exhibit both momentum-momentum and position-position correlations, stronger than any classical correlation. The measurements show indeed that the uncertainties in the sum of momenta and in the difference of positions of the entangled two-photon satisfy both EPR inequalities D(k1+k2)<min(D(k1),D(k2)) and D(x1-x2)<min(D(x1),D(x2)). These two inequalities, together, represent a non-classicality condition. Our measurements provide a direct way to distinguish between quantum entanglement and classical correlation in continuous variables for two-photons/two photons systems.Comment: We have changed Eq.(2) from one inequality to two inequalities. The two expressions are actually consistent with each other, but the new one represents a more stringent condition for entanglement and, in our opinion, better explains the original idea of EPR. We have clarified this point in the paper. 4 pages; submitted to PR

High-Resolution Spectroscopy of FUors

High-resolution spectroscopy was obtained of the FUors FU Ori and V1057 Cyg between 1995 and 2002 with SOFIN at NOT and with HIRES at Keck I. During those years FU Ori remained about 1 mag. (in B) below its 1938-39 maximum brightness, but V1057 Cyg (B ~ 10.5 at peak in 1970-71) faded from about 13.5 to 14.9 and then recovered slightly. Their photospheric spectra resemble a rotating G0 Ib supergiant, with v_eq sin i = 70 km/s for FU Ori and 55 km/s for V1057 Cyg. As V1057 Cyg faded, P Cyg structure in Halpha and the IR CaII lines strengthened and a complex shortward-displaced shell spectrum increased in strength, disappeared in 1999, and reappeared in 2001. Night-to-night changes in the wind structure of FU Ori show evidence of sporadic infall. The strength of P Cyg absorption varied cyclically with a period of 14.8 days, with phase stability maintained over 3 seasons, and is believed to be the rotation period. The structure of the photospheric lines also varies cyclically, but with a period of 3.54 days. A similar variation may be present in V1057 Cyg. As V1057 Cyg has faded, the emission lines of a pre-existing low-excitation chromosphere have emerged, so we believe the `line doubling' in V1057 Cyg is produced by these central emission cores in the absorption lines, not by orbital motion in an inclined Keplerian disk. No dependence of v_eq sin i on wavelength or excitation potential was detected in either star, again contrary to expectation for a self-luminous accretion disk. Nor are critical lines in the near infrared accounted for by synthetic disk spectra. A rapidly rotating star near the edge of stability (Larson 1980), can better explain these observations. FUor eruptions may not be a property of ordinary TTS, but may be confined to a special subspecies of rapid rotators having powerful quasi-permanent winds.Comment: 41 pages (including 32 figures and 9 tables); ApJ, in press; author affiliation, figs. 3 and 9 correcte

Post-vaccine measles in a child with concomitant influenza, Sicily, Italy, March 2015

We describe the occurrence of measles in an 18 monthold patient in Sicily, Italy, in March 2015, who received the first dose of a measles-containing vaccine seven days before onset of prodromal symptoms. Measles virus infection was confirmed by PCR and detection of specific immunoglobulin; viral genotyping permitted the confirmation of a vaccine-associated illness. The patient had a concurrent influenza virus infection, during a seasonal epidemic outbreak of influenza

Evolution of Giant Planets in Eccentric Disks

We investigate the interaction between a giant planet and a viscous circumstellar disk by means of high-resolution, two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations. We consider planet masses that range from 1 to 3 Jupiter masses (Mjup) and initial orbital eccentricities that range from 0 to 0.4. We find that a planet can cause eccentricity growth in a disk region adjacent to the planet's orbit, even if the planet's orbit is circular. Disk-planet interactions lead to growth in a planet's orbital eccentricity. The orbital eccentricities of a 2 Mjup and a 3 Mjup planet increase from 0 to 0.11 within about 3000 orbits. Over a similar time period, the orbital eccentricity of a 1 Mjup planet grows from 0 to 0.02. For a case of a 1 Mjup planet with an initial eccentricity of 0.01, the orbital eccentricity grows to 0.09 over 4000 orbits. Radial migration is directed inwards, but slows considerably as a planet's orbit becomes eccentric. If a planet's orbital eccentricity becomes sufficiently large, e > ~0.2, migration can reverse and so be directed outwards. The accretion rate towards a planet depends on both the disk and the planet orbital eccentricity and is pulsed over the orbital period. Planet mass growth rates increase with planet orbital eccentricity. For e~0.2 the mass growth rate of a planet increases by approximately 30% above the value for e=0. For e > ~0.1, most of the accretion within the planet's Roche lobe occurs when the planet is near the apocenter. Similar accretion modulation occurs for flow at the inner disk boundary which represents accretion toward the star.Comment: 20 pages 16 figures, 3 tables. To appear in The Astrophysical Journal vol.652 (December 1, 2006 issue

Investigations on the Reaction of C3 and C6 α-Dicarbonyl Compounds with Hydroxytyrosol and Related Compounds under Competitive Conditions

α-Dicarbonyl compounds are intermediates in reactions that lead to the formation of potentially harmful advanced glycation end-products. Carbonyl-trapping capacities of antiglycative substances have been traditionally limited to C2 and C3 α-dicarbonyl structures. Glyoxal (GO)-, methylglyoxal (MGO)-, 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG)-, 3-deoxygalactosone (3-DGal)-, 3,4-dideoxyglucoson-3-ene-, and glucosone-trapping capacities of hydroxytyrosol (HT), hydroxytyrosol acetate (HTA), and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in simple (phenolic/dicarbonyl) and competitive model systems (phenolic/dicarbonyl/dicarbonyl) were investigated. HT and HTA were more effective for MGO than 3-DG and 3-DGal. Furthermore, DOPAC exerted higher trapping capacity than HT and HTA for C3 and C6 α-dicarbonyl compounds. In the competitive systems, HT-related substances did not show preference for trapping 3-DG or 3-DGal and behaved as in the simple systems. In the presence of MGO, however, HT-related substances were more effective for trapping MGO than C6 structures. The results demonstrate the C6 α-dicarbonyl-trapping capacities of HT, HTA, and DOPAC, with DOPAC exerting the highest activity.Peer Reviewe

Antioxidants in assisted reproductive technologies: An overview on dog, cat, and horse

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are widely used as a tool to improve reproductive per- formance in both humans and animals. In particular, in the veterinary field, ARTs are used to improve animal genetics, recover endangered animals, and produce offspring in the event of sub- fertility or infertility in males or females. However, the use of ARTs did not improve the fertilization rate in some animals due to various factors such as the difficulty in reproducing an anatomical and humoral substrate typical of the natural condition or due to the increase in catabolites and their difficult elimination. The in vitro environment allows the production and increase in the concentration of substances, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), which could be harmful to gametes. If produced in high concentration, the ROS becomes deleterious, both in vitro and in vivo systems. It has been seen that the use of antioxidants can help neutralize or counteract the production of ROS. The present study aims to report the latest findings regarding the use of antioxidants in ARTs of some domestic species, such as dogs, cats, and horses, compared to other animal species, such as cattle, in which ARTs have instead developed more widely

Development and testing of a new instrument to measure self-care in patients with osteoporosis: the self-care of osteoporosis scale

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and test the Self-Care of Osteoporosis Scale (SCOS), a new instrument to measure self-care in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The SCOS was developed by a panel of experts and it was theory-driven. Confirmatory factor analysis (N = 544) was used to test the instrument’s factorial validity; Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega were used to derive the measure’s internal consistency reliability; an intraclass correlation coefficient was used to evaluate test-retest reliability. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis resulted in supportive fit indices for the hypothesized three-factor structure of the SCOS (RMSEA = 0.065; CFI = 0.99). The SCOS was demonstrated to have content validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Conclusions: The SCOS demonstrated excellent psychometric characteristics in terms of validity and reliability. It may be used by healthcare providers to identify if patients show lower self-care and require educational interventions

Recurrent Planet Formation and Intermittent Protostellar Outflows Induced by Episodic Mass Accretion

The formation and evolution of a circumstellar disk in magnetized cloud cores is investigated from prestellar core stage until sim 10^4 yr after protostar formation. In the circumstellar disk, fragmentation first occurs due to gravitational instability in a magnetically inactive region, and substellar-mass objects appear. The substellar-mass objects lose their orbital angular momenta by gravitational interaction with the massive circumstellar disk and finally fall onto the protostar. After this fall, the circumstellar disk increases its mass by mass accretion and again induces fragmentation. The formation and falling of substellar-mass objects are repeated in the circumstellar disk until the end of the main accretion phase. In this process, the mass of fragments remain small, because the circumstellar disk loses its mass by fragmentation and subsequent falling of fragments before it becomes very massive. In addition, when fragments orbit near the protostar, they disturb the inner disk region and promote mass accretion onto the protostar. The orbital motion of substellar-mass objects clearly synchronizes with the time variation of the accretion luminosity of the protostar. Moreover, as the objects fall, the protostar shows a strong brightening for a short duration. The intermittent protostellar outflows are also driven by the circumstellar disk whose magnetic field lines are highly tangled owing to the orbital motion of fragments. The time-variable protostellar luminosity and intermittent outflows may be a clue for detecting planetary-mass objects in the circumstellar disk.Comment: 48 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Creation of maximally entangled photon-number states using optical fiber multiports

We theoretically demonstrate a method for producing the maximally path-entangled state (1/Sqrt[2]) (|N,0> + exp[iN phi] |0,N>) using intensity-symmetric multiport beamsplitters, single photon inputs, and either photon-counting postselection or conditional measurement. The use of postselection enables successful implementation with non-unit efficiency detectors. We also demonstrate how to make the same state more conveniently by replacing one of the single photon inputs by a coherent state.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. REVTeX4. Replaced with published versio