Experimental Guesswork with Quantum Side Information Using Twisted Light.

Guesswork is an information-theoretic quantity which can be seen as an alternate security criterion to entropy. Recent work has established the theoretical framework for guesswork in the presence of quantum side information, which we extend both theoretically and experimentally. We consider guesswork when the side information consists of the BB84 states and their higher-dimensional generalizations. With this side information, we compute the guesswork for two different scenarios for each dimension. We then performed a proof-of-principle experiment using Laguerre-Gauss modes to experimentally compute the guesswork for higher-dimensional generalizations of the BB84 states. We find that our experimental results agree closely with our theoretical predictions. This work shows that guesswork can be a viable security criterion in cryptographic tasks and is experimentally accessible in a number of optical setups.

Temperature-Dependent Development Models Describing the Effects of Temperature on the Development of the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is an economically important pest that recently invaded Africa and Asia; however, information regarding its biological capacity to establish itself in newly invaded environments is largely unknown. We investigated the effects of temperature on the development and survival of the invaded populations of S. frugiperda and selected mathematical models to evaluate its development in a new environment. S. frugiperda exhibited optimum survival and growth at temperatures between 28 °C and 30 °C. The lower and upper thermal thresholds for the egg-to-adult life cycle were 13.51 °C and 34.13 °C, respectively. We compared seven mathematical models and found that the Shi model was the most suitable for describing the temperature-dependent development rate of S. frugiperda. Therefore, the Shi mathematical model may be used to predict both the occurrence of particular developmental stages and the geographic distribution to implement measures for the management of S. frugiperda in agricultural fields.

Bilateral complete duplication of ureter with ectopic ureter presenting as persistent urinary dribbling with normal voiding pattern in 17-year-old female: Case report.

Introduction: and importance: Bilateral complete ureteral duplication is a rare urinary tract abnormality and presence of unilateral ectopic ureter makes it a rarest entity. Continuous urinary dribbling with normal voiding pattern and recurrent UTI are frequent presenting complains in case of ectopic ureter. Long term childhood problem of urinary incontinence with delayed diagnosis in adult in this case makes it a perfect case to report. Presentation of case: We present a case of 17-year-old girl with continuous urinary dribbling and constant wetting with normal voiding pattern since childhood. She also had recurrent history of urinary tract infections. Clinical findings and investigations: Local external examination of genitourinary system was found to be normal. There were skin lesions on buttocks and thighs suggestive of urine dermatitis. There were no examination findings of other congenital anomalies. Complete blood count, Renal function test, Serology, Urine R/ME, Urine culture and sensitivity, Ultrasound abdomen and pelvis, Computed Tomography scan, intraoperative cystoscopy were done. Intervention and outcome: Right upper pole hemi nephroureterectomy was performed. She was post operatively managed with IV Fluids, antibiotics, analgesics, antipyretics and antiemetics. She is asymptomatic now and regularly followed up on OPD basis. Relevance and impact: Congenital abnormalities of the genitourinary system like ectopic ureter should be clinically suspected in case of persistent urinary problems like urinary dribbling with normal voiding pattern and recurrent urinary tract infections. Upper pole heminephrectomy is an ideal choice of treatment in case of nonfunctional upper moiety. This case emphasizes the early detection of genitourinary abnormalities and provide the perspective on late diagnosis and management in such cases.

Diurnal Change of the Photosynthetic Light-Response Curve of Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), an Emergent Aquatic Plant.

Understanding plant physiological responses to high temperature is an important concern pertaining to climate change. However, compared with terrestrial plants, information about aquatic plants remains limited. Since the degree of midday depression of photosynthesis under high temperature depends on soil water conditions, it is expected that emergent aquatic plants, for which soil water conditions are always saturated, will show different patterns compared with terrestrial plants. We investigated the diurnal course of the photosynthetic light-response curve and incident light intensity for a freshwater emergent plant, buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata L.; Menyanthaceae) in a cool temperate region. The effect of midday depression was observed only on a very hot day, but not on a moderately hot day, in summer. The diurnal course of photosynthetic light-response curves on this hot day showed that latent morning reduction of photosynthetic capacity started at dawn, preceding the apparent depression around the midday, in agreement with results reported in terrestrial plants. We concluded that (1) midday depression of emergent plants occurs when the stress intensity exceeds the species' tolerance, and (2) measurements of not only photosynthetic rate under field conditions but also diurnal course of photosynthetic light-response curve are necessary to quantify the effect of midday depression.

Observation of the modification of quantum statistics of plasmonic systems.

For almost two decades, researchers have observed the preservation of the quantum statistical properties of bosons in a large variety of plasmonic systems. In addition, the possibility of preserving nonclassical correlations in light-matter interactions mediated by scattering among photons and plasmons stimulated the idea of the conservation of quantum statistics in plasmonic systems. It has also been assumed that similar dynamics underlie the conservation of the quantum fluctuations that define the nature of light sources. So far, plasmonic experiments have been performed in nanoscale systems in which complex multiparticle interactions are restrained. Here, we demonstrate that the quantum statistics of multiparticle systems are not always preserved in plasmonic platforms and report the observation of their modification. Moreover, we show that optical near fields provide additional scattering paths that can induce complex multiparticle interactions. Remarkably, the resulting multiparticle dynamics can, in turn, lead to the modification of the excitation mode of plasmonic systems. These observations are validated through the quantum theory of optical coherence for single- and multi-mode plasmonic systems. Our findings unveil the possibility of using multiparticle scattering to perform exquisite control of quantum plasmonic systems.

Candidal emphysematous pyelonephritis: A case report on rare and challenging clinical entity.

INTRODUCTION: Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare, severe acute necrotizing infection characterized by the presence of gas within the renal parenchyma, collecting system, and perirenal tissue. It is an aggressive disease with high morbidity and mortality. Patients have female preponderance and commonly have uncontrolled diabetes. It is caused most commonly by Escherichia coli and very rarely by Candida species. Unlike others, candidal emphysematous pyelonephritis has an indistinctive presentation and diagnosed late, thus delaying prompt treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A 35-year-old Type 2 diabetic woman developed pyelonephritis. Computerized tomography revealed the gas in the renal parenchyma, establishing the diagnosis. Cultures isolated Candida albicans as a causative organism. The patient was treated successfully with nephrectomy as initial medical therapy and percutaneous nephrostomy failed. CONCLUSION: Rare causative agent should be suspected if clinical presentation is indistinctive and conservative management fails. Nephrectomy is still preferred in such patients.

Evaluation of morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits for assessing drought resistance in eleven tree species.

The frequency and severity of drought are expected to increase due to climate change; therefore, selection of tree species for afforestation should consider drought resistance of the species for maximum survival and conservation of natural habitats. In this study, three soil moisture regimes: control (100% precipitation), mild drought (40% reduction in precipitation), and severe drought (80% reduction in precipitation) were applied to six gymnosperm and five angiosperm species for two consecutive years. We quantified the drought resistance index based on the root collar diameter and assessed the correlation between species drought resistance and other morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits by regression analysis. The prolonged drought stress altered the morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits, but the responses were species-specific. The species with high drought resistance had high leaf mass per area (LMA), photosynthetic rate (Pn), and midday leaf water potential (ΨMD), and low carbon isotopic discrimination (δ13C), flavonoid and polyphenol content, superoxide dismutase and DPPH radical scavenging activity. The highly drought-resistant species had a relatively less decrease in leaf size, Pn, and predawn leaf water potential (ΨPD), and less increase in δ13C, abscisic acid and sucrose content, and LMA compared to the control. The interannual variation in drought resistance (∆Rd) was positively correlated with the species hydroscopic slope (isohydric and anisohydric). Korean pine was highly resistant, sawtooth oak, hinoki cypress, East Asian white birch, East Asian ash, and mono maple were highly susceptible, and Korean red pine, Japanese larch, Sargent cherry, needle fir, and black pine were moderate in drought resistance under long-term drought. These findings will help species selection for afforestation programs and establishment of sustainable forests, especially of drought-tolerant species, under increased frequency and intensity of spring and summer droughts.

Quantum-Limited Squeezed Light Detection with a Camera.

We present a technique for squeezed light detection based on direct imaging of the displaced-squeezed-vacuum state using a CCD camera. We show that the squeezing parameter can be accurately estimated using only the first two moments of the recorded pixel-to-pixel photon fluctuation statistics, with accuracy that rivals that of the standard squeezing detection methods such as a balanced homodyne detection. Finally, we numerically simulate the camera operation, reproducing the noisy experimental results with low signal samplings and confirming the theory with high signal samplings.

The Halotolerant Rhizobacterium-Pseudomonas koreensis MU2 Enhances Inorganic Silicon and Phosphorus Use Efficiency and Augments Salt Stress Tolerance in Soybean (Glycine max L.).

Optimizing nutrient usage in plants is vital for a sustainable yield under biotic and abiotic stresses. Since silicon and phosphorus are considered key elements for plant growth, this study assessed the efficient supplementation strategy of silicon and phosphorus in soybean plants under salt stress through inoculation using the rhizospheric strain-Pseudomonas koreensis MU2. The screening analysis of MU2 showed its high salt-tolerant potential, which solubilizes both silicate and phosphate. The isolate, MU2 produced gibberellic acid (GA1, GA3) and organic acids (malic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, and tartaric acid) in pure culture under both normal and salt-stressed conditions. The combined application of MU2, silicon, and phosphorus significantly improved silicon and phosphorus uptake, reduced Na+ ion influx by 70%, and enhanced K+ uptake by 46% in the shoots of soybean plants grown under salt-stress conditions. MU2 inoculation upregulated the salt-resistant genes GmST1, GmSALT3, and GmAKT2, which significantly reduced the endogenous hormones abscisic acid and jasmonic acid while, it enhanced the salicylic acid content of soybean. In addition, MU2 inoculation strengthened the host's antioxidant system through the reduction of lipid peroxidation and proline while, it enhanced the reduced glutathione content. Moreover, MU2 inoculation promoted root and shoot length, plant biomass, and the chlorophyll content of soybean plants. These findings suggest that MU2 could be a potential biofertilizer catalyst for the amplification of the use efficiency of silicon and phosphorus fertilizers to mitigate salt stress.

Performance analysis of a high-sensitivity multi-pinhole cardiac SPECT system with hemi-ellipsoid detectors.

PURPOSE: Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a noninvasive imaging modality, used in myocardial perfusion imaging. The challenges facing the majority of clinical SPECT systems are low sensitivity, poor resolution, and the relatively high radiation dose to the patient. New generation systems (GE Discovery, DSPECT) dedicated to cardiac imaging improve sensitivity by a factor of 5-8. This improvement can be used to decrease acquisition time and/or dose. However, in the case of ultra-low dose (~3 mCi) injections, acquisition times are still significantly long, taking 10-12 min. The purpose of this work is to investigate a new gamma camera design with 21 hemi-ellipsoid detectors each with a pinhole collimator for cardiac SPECT for further improvement in sensitivity and resolution and reduced patient exposures and imaging times. METHODS: To evaluate the resolution of our hemi-ellipsoid system, GATE Monte-Carlo simulations were performed on point-sources, rod-sources, and NCAT phantoms. For average full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) equivalence with base flat-detector, the pinhole-diameter for the curved hemi-ellipsoid detector was found to be 8.68 mm, an operating pinhole-diameter nominally expected to be ~3 times more sensitive than state-of-the-art systems. Rod-sources equally spaced within the region of interest were acquired with a 21-detector system and reconstructed with our multi-pinhole (MPH) iterative OSEM algorithm with collimator resolution recovery. The results were compared with the results of a state-of-the-art system (GE Discovery) available in the literature. The system was also evaluated using the mathematical anthropomorphic NCAT (NURBS-based Cardiac Torso; Segars et al. IEEE Trans Nucl Sci. 1999;46:503-506) phantom with a full (clinical)-dose acquisition (25 mCi) for 2 min and an ultra-low dose acquisition of 3 mCi for 5.44 min. The estimated left ventricle (LV) counts were compared with the available literature on a state-of-the-art system (DSPECT). FWHM of the LV wall on MPH-OSEM-reconstructed images with collimator resolution recovery was estimated. RESULTS: On acquired rod-sources, the average resolution (FWHM) after reconstruction with resolution recovery in the entire region of interest (ROI) for cardiac imaging was on the average 4.44 mm (±2.84), compared to 6.9 mm (±1 mm) reported for GE Discovery (Kennedy et al., J Nucl Cardiol. 2014:21:443-452). For NCAT studies, improved sensitivity allowed a full-dose (25 mCi) 2-min acquisition (Ell8.68mmFD) which yielded 3.79 M LV counts. This is ~3.35 times higher compared to 1.13 M LV counts acquired in 2 min for clinical full dose for state-of-the-art DSPECT. The increased sensitivity also allowed an ultra-low dose acquisition protocol (Ell8.68 mmULD), 3 mCi (eight times less injected dose) in 5.44 min. This ultra-low dose protocol yielded ~1.23 M LV counts which was comparable to the full-dose 2-min acquisition for DSPECT. The estimated NCAT average FWHM at the LV wall after 12 iterations of the OSEM reconstruction was 4.95 and 5.66 mm around the mid-short-axis slices for Ell8.68mmFD and Ell8.68mmULD, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our Monte-Carlo simulation studies and reconstruction suggest using (inverted wineglass sized) hemi-ellipsoid detectors with pinhole collimators can increase the sensitivity ~3.35 times over the new generation of dedicated cardiac SPECT systems, while also improving the reconstructed resolution for rod-sources with an average of 4.44 mm in region of interest. The extra sensitivity may be used for ultra-low dose imaging (3 mCi) at ~5.44 min for comparable clinical counts as state-of-the-art systems.

Experimental method and statistical analysis to fit tumor growth model using SPECT/CT imaging: a preclinical study.

BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, several theoretical tumor-models have been developed to describe tumor growth. Oncology imaging is performed using various modalities including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). Our goal is to extract useful, otherwise hidden, quantitative biophysical parameters (such as growth-rate, tumor-necrotic-factor, etc.) from these serial images of tumors by fitting mathematical models to images. These biophysical features are intrinsic to the tumor types and specific to the study-subject, and expected to add valuable information on the tumor containment or spread and help treatment plans. Thus, fitting realistic but practical models and assessing parameter-errors and degree of fit is important. METHODS: We implemented an existing theoretical ode-compartment model and variants and applied them for the first time, in vivo. We developed an inversion algorithm to fit the models for tumor growth for simulated as well as in vivo experimental data. Serial SPECT/CT scans of mice breast-tumors were acquired, and SPECT data was used to segment the proliferating-layers of tumors. RESULTS: Results of noisy data simulation and inversion show that 5 out of 7 parameters were recovered to within 4.3% error. In particular, tumor "growth-rate" parameter was recovered to 0.07% error. For model fitting to in vivo mice-tumors, regression analysis on the P-layer volume showed R2 of 0.99 for logistic and Gompertzian while surface area model yielded R2=0.96. For the necrotic layer the R2 values were 0.95, 0.93 and 0.94 respectively for surface-area, logistic and Gompertzian. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) weights of the models (giving their relative probability of being the best Kullback-Leibler (K-L) model among the set of candidate models) were ~0, 0.43 and 0.57 for surface-area, logistic and Gompertzian models. CONCLUSIONS: Model-fitting to mice tumor studies demonstrates feasibility of applying the models to in vivo imaging data to extract features. Akaike information criterion (AIC) evaluations show Gompertzian or logistic growth model fits in vivo breast-tumors better than surface-area based growth model.