Quantum Correlations beyond Entanglement and Discord.

Dissimilar notions of quantum correlations have been established, each being motivated through particular applications in quantum information science and each competing for being recognized as the most relevant measure of quantumness. In this contribution, we experimentally realize a form of quantum correlation that exists even in the absence of entanglement and discord. We certify the presence of such quantum correlations via negativities in the regularized two-mode Glauber-Sudarshan function. Our data show compatibility with an incoherent mixture of orthonormal photon-number states, ruling out quantum coherence and other kinds of quantum resources. By construction, the quantumness of our state is robust against dephasing, thus requiring fewer experimental resources to ensure stability. In addition, we theoretically show how multimode entanglement can be activated based on the generated, nonentangled state. Therefore, we implement a robust kind of nonclassical photon-photon correlated state with useful applications in quantum information processing.

Anomalous Quantum Correlations of Squeezed Light.

Three different noise moments of field strength, intensity, and their correlations are simultaneously measured. For this purpose a homodyne cross-correlation measurement [1] is implemented by superimposing the signal field and a weak local oscillator on an unbalanced beam splitter. The relevant information is obtained via the intensity noise correlation of the output modes. Detection details like quantum efficiencies or uncorrelated dark noise are meaningless for our technique. Yet unknown insight in the quantumness of a squeezed signal field is retrieved from the anomalous moment, correlating field strength with intensity noise. A classical inequality including this moment is violated for almost all signal phases. Precognition on quantum theory is superfluous, as our analysis is solely based on classical physics.

Squeezed light from a diamond-turned monolithic cavity.

For some crystalline materials, a regime can be found where continuous ductile cutting is feasible. Using precision diamond turning, such materials can be cut into complex optical components with high surface quality and form accuracy. In this work we use diamond-turning to machine a monolithic, square-shaped, doubly-resonant LiNbO3 cavity with two flat and two convex facets. When additional mild polishing is implemented, the Q-factor of the resonator is found to be limited only by the material absorption loss. We show how our monolithic square resonator may be operated as an optical parametric oscillator that is evanescently coupled to free-space beams via birefringent prisms. The prism arrangement allows for independent and large tuning of the fundamental and second harmonic coupling rates. We measure 2.6 ± 0.5 dB of vacuum squeezing at 1064 nm using our system. Potential improvements to obtain higher degrees of squeezing are discussed.

Direct sampling of negative quasiprobabilities of a squeezed state.

Although squeezed states are nonclassical states, so far, their nonclassicality could not be demonstrated by negative quasiprobabilities. In this work we derive pattern functions for the direct experimental determination of so-called nonclassicality quasiprobabilities. The negativities of these quantities turn out to be necessary and sufficient for the nonclassicality of an arbitrary quantum state and are therefore suitable for a direct and general test of nonclassicality. We apply the method to a squeezed vacuum state of light that was generated by parametric down-conversion in a second-order nonlinear crystal.

Experimental unconditional preparation and detection of a continuous bound entangled state of light.

Among the possibly most intriguing aspects of quantum entanglement is that it comes in free and bound instances. The existence of bound entangled states certifies an intrinsic irreversibility of entanglement in nature and suggests a connection with thermodynamics. In this Letter, we present a first unconditional, continuous-variable preparation and detection of a bound entangled state of light. We use convex optimization to identify regimes rendering its bound character well certifiable, and continuously produce a distributed bound entangled state with an extraordinary and unprecedented significance of more than 10 standard deviations away from both separability and distillability. Our results show that the approach chosen allows for the efficient and precise preparation of multimode entangled states of light with various applications in quantum information, quantum state engineering, and high precision metrology.

Can a chronic disease management pulmonary rehabilitation program for COPD reduce acute rural hospital utilization?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) imposes a costly burden on healthcare. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is the best practice to better manage COPD to improve patient outcomes and reduce acute hospital care utilization. To evaluate the impact of a once-weekly, eight-week multidisciplinary PR program as an integral part of the COPD chronic disease management (CDM) Program at Kyabram District Health Services. The study compared two cohorts of COPD patients: CDM-PR Cohort (4-8 weeks) and Opt-out Cohort (0-3 weeks) between February 2006 and March 2007. The CDM-PR Program involved multidisciplinary patient education and group exercise training. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to compare acute hospital care utilization 12 months before and after the introduction of CDM-PR. The number of patients involved in the CDM-PR Cohort was 29 (n = 29), and that in the Opt-out Cohort was 24 (n = 24). The CDM-PR Cohort showed significant reductions in cumulative acute hospital care utilization indicators (95% emergency department presentations, 95% inpatient admissions, 99% length of stay; effect sizes = 0.62-0.66, P < 0.001) 12 months after the introduction of the CDM Program; in contrast, changes in the cumulative indicators were statistically insignificant for the Opt-out Cohort (emergency department presentations decreased by 5%, inpatient admissions decreased by 12%, length of stay increased by 30%; effect size = 0.14-0.40, P > 0.05). Total costs associated with the hospital care utilization decreased from $130,000 to $7,500 for the CDM-PR Cohort and increased from $77,700 to $101,200 for the Opt-out Cohort. Participation in the CDM-PR for COPD patients can significantly reduce acute hospital care utilization and associated costs in a small rural health service.

The influence of fish, meat and polyunsaturated fat intakes on platelet phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acids in male Melbourne Chinese and Caucasian.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to investigate (1) platelet phospholipid (PL) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition in subjects who were the Melbourne Chinese migrants, compared with those who were the Melbourne Caucasians and (2) the relationship between platelet PL PUFA and intake of fish, meat and PUFA. DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparison of the Melbourne Chinese and Caucasians. SETTING: Free-living male subjects. SUBJECTS: Ninety-seven Melbourne Chinese migrants and 78 Melbourne Caucasians who were recruited in Melbourne. OUTCOME MEASURES: Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The platelet PUFA was measured by gas-liquid chromatography. RESULTS: The Melbourne Chinese had significantly higher proportions of platelet PL 20:5n-3 (P=0.006), 22:6n-3 (P<0.0001), total n-3 (P=0.027) and 22:5n-6 (P=0.0002), and a significantly higher intake of fish (P=0.012) and white meat (P=0.0045) compared with the Melbourne Caucasians. In addition, the Melbourne Chinese had significantly lower proportions of 20:3n-6 (P=0.023), 20:4n-6 (P<0.002), 22:4n-6 (P<0.0001), total n-6 (P=0.037), 22:5n-3 (P<0.0001) and ratio of n-6/n-3 (P=0.011), and a significantly lower intake of red and total meat (P<0.0001) than the Melbourne Caucasians. Fish consumption was significantly positively correlated with platelet PL 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3, and significantly negatively correlated with 22:5n-3 (P<0.05). Meat consumption was significantly positively correlated with 22:5n-3 and significantly negatively correlated with 22:5n-6, 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 (P<0.05). Dietary PUFA intake was significantly positively correlated with 20:3n-6, 22:4n-6 and 22:5n-3, and significantly negatively correlated with 22:5n-6, 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with Caucasians, the Melbourne Chinese had a significantly higher level of platelet PL n-3 PUFA, which might contribute to the low CVD mortality in this population. Platelet PL 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 were significantly positively correlated with fish intake, and negatively significantly correlated with dietary intake of meat and PUFA, while 22:5n-3 was significantly positively correlated with dietary meat and PUFA intake, and significantly negatively correlated with fish intake. Dietary intake of PUFA and fish are potential confounding factors for assessing the effects of meat consumption on platelet PL individual PUFA. Dietary intake of PUFA and meat did not influence the incorporation of fish long chain n-3 PUFA to platelet PL in this study population. SPONSORSHIP: Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia, Meat Research Corporation Australia.

Health promotion projects: skill and attitude learning for medical students.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this health promotion project is to introduce students to appropriate skills and attitudes--as well as knowledge about health promotion strategies and methods. As part of this process, standardized procedures have been established to ensure that the projects are scientifically and ethically appropriate and adequately supervised. This project-centred course introduces the discipline of health promotion to third-year medical students at Monash University. It is aimed at introducing students to the range of health promotion concepts, providing them with experience of health promotion activities and involving them in consideration of the scientific, political and ethical issues arising from doctors' participation in health promotion. DESIGN: As the major learning and assessment component of the unit, students participate in self-selected project groups of three to five students. Each group develops a topic for a health promotion activity in the community, carries out that project and presents the results as a poster as well as a written report. SETTING: Monash University. SUBJECTS: Third-year medical students. RESULTS: Sixty per cent of each student's mark for the unit is based on the project. The posters produced by the project groups are placed on public display in a major teaching hospital for a week at the end of the unit. Public display of the posters helps each student to appreciate the variety of possible health promotion activities, and to appreciate health promotion as a scientific discipline. It also makes the project findings available to the public. CONCLUSIONS: Student evaluation of the project, and community response to the projects--especially the poster display-- indicate that the project is both a highly effective learning experience and a health-promoting activity in its own right.

Gestational diabetes mellitus and its complications.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a new epidemic among Australian women, especially those with Asian backgrounds. The 1998 Australia National Diabetes Strategy and Implementation Plan recognises GDM as an independent glucose metabolic disorder affecting sub-groups of Australians. Gestational diabetes mellitus is an Australian national diabetes priority area, along with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). This paper reviews the many issues relating to GDM that continue to be debated by researchers and clinical service providers. These issues include the diagnosis of GDM, the effect of GDM on fetal outcomes, the long-term health effects on the offspring of GDM mothers, the effect of GDM on maternal outcomes and the long-term health effects on women with a history of GDM.

Clinical trials in nutrition.

Trials of nutritional intervention in a wide range of health and disease states, preventive and therapeutic, are required. Not only has the emergence of chronic non-communicable disease (CNCD) with acknowledged nutritional pathogenesis created this imperative need, but so also have other conditions which, previously, had not been regarded as nutritionally based. Among the latter are health problems associated with ageing: the menopause, a decline in immune function, and a decline in cognitive function. At the same time, there is a new set of materno-foetal and infant nutrition issues for investigation which relate to new food exposures and the long-term effects of nutritionally mediated gene expression. The emergence of the new food science of phytochemicals with human biological importance also sets the scene for their evaluation in traditional diets and novel foods. Such trials are more complex than comparable pharmacotherapeutic studies because of the complexity of food chemistry, as well as the food behavioural changes which may accompany a nutritional intervention, and the general problem of there not being a 'gold standard' for food intake methodology. Choice of study population is also a key issue in relation to the extrapolation of findings from a particular trial, with population representativeness being an advantage. In order to obtain useful information on manageable sample sizes, either intermediate end-points (short of morbidity and mortality) need to be studied or high-risk groups (such as the aged) need to be recruited. There are some unique ethical issues which must inform clinical nutrition trials. These include certain preventive imperatives like the right to be fed, the risks in disruption of food cultures and the need for food security and sustainability. Rapid changes in the food supply do, however, make such trials more important, while the value of food-health knowledge that cannot be obtained by trial must still be appreciated.

Agreement of skinfold measurement and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) methods with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in estimating total body fat in Anglo-Celtic Australians.

OBJECTIVE: To compare percentage total body fat (%BF) estimated by the four skinfold thickness measurement (SKF) and single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) methods using three different sets of equations, to that assessed by the dual energy X-ray absorptiometric (DEXA) method using a Lunar DPX densitometer. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: An Anglo-Celtic Australian population of 66 males and 130 females (age: 26-86 y). MEASUREMENTS: %BF by anthropometry, BIA using three different sets of equations and DEXA. RESULTS: Mean %BF assessed by DEXA (%BF(DEXA)) was similar to that estimated by SKF (%BF(SKF)) in males, while %BF(DEXA) was slightly higher in females. %BF estimated by BIA (%BF(BIA)) was significantly lower than %BF(DEXA) in females, regardless of equations used for calculation, while the level of agreement between BIA and DEXA in estimating %BF in males was dependent on prediction equations used for calculation of %BF(BIA). A better agreement was obtained from the use on the prediction equations of Segal et al (1988), compared to other two sets of equations. The agreement between SKF or BIA and DEXA declined with increasing %BF. CONCLUSIONS: There was a good agreement between DEXA and SKF, and slightly less so between DEXA and BIA, in estimating %BF in an Anglo-Celtic adult population. The agreement in most cases, however, was dependent on the degree of body fatness. In comparison to DEXA, both SKF and BIA, with the use of the equations of Segal et al (1988), are applicable to estimate %BF in an Anglo-Celtic Australian population.

Food intake patterns in urban Beijing Chinese.

This study investigated the food consumption patterns of 430 Beijing Chinese adults and assessed the impact on these patterns of the following socio-demographic characteristics: gender, age, educational achievement, and gross household income. Food intake by category, food variety and meal patterns were assessed using a 156-item food frequency questionnaire. It was found that gender and age were the most important factors to influence food consumption patterns. Men consumed more wheat products, red meat and tea, whereas women consumed more vegetables, fruit, nuts, fish, eggs and milk. Women also tended to consume a wider variety of food than did men. Furthermore, it was found that younger and more educated people tended to consume a wider variety of food. Age also had an important influence on the food intake. Younger and generally more educated adults tended to consume foods associated with affluence: meats, soft drinks and beer, while the older population tended to consume more vegetables (women only), milk and tea in their diets. Because education is closely correlated with age in this Beijing Chinese population, it appeared to have little effect on the food intake patterns, after adjusting for age. The older members of this population, who probably have a decreased functional reserve of nutrients, and the less educated, appeared not to be taking advantage of the availability of a wide variety of food, further increasing the risk of nutrient deficiency. On the other hand, the younger and more educated, who tended to consume a wide variety of foods, were more likely to maintain adequate nutritional standards. However, their tendency to consume food associated with affluence, such as meat and beer, may point toward an increased risk of those diseases prevalent in affluent societies, such as obesity, diabeties, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and osteoporosis. Ongoing nutrition surveillance and appropriate nutrition education will be required increasingly for Beijing Chinese and similar communities.

Cross-cultural comparison of Lp(a) profiles.

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) and apolipoprotein(a) (apo(a)) phenotypes as genetic markers for coronary heart disease (CHD) have been the focus of great interest in recent times. Included in this study were four Australian populations comprising 348 Anglo-Celtic Melburnians (157 men and 191 women), 339 Chinese Melburnians (169 men and 170 women), 402 South Asian Melburnians (216 men and 186 women) and 394 Aboriginal Australians from Western Australia (175 men and 219 women). Plasma Lp(a) concentrations were more highly skewed towards the lower range in the Chinese and Aboriginal groups than in the Anglo-Celtics and South Asians. Approximately 33% of Anglo-Celtics, 20% Aboriginals, 13% Chinese and 44% South Asians had plasma Lp(a) levels above the generally accepted risk threshold values of 300 mg/L. In Aboriginals and Chinese, the S4 apo(a) phenotype predominated while in Anglo-Celtics and South Asians, the highest frequency occurred in the S3 phenotype. In the S4 phenotype, Lp(a) values varied between the four populations but there was no significant difference in concentration between gender.

The role of income and education in food consumption and nutrient intake in a Chinese population.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of socio-economic status in the transition of food consumption and nutritional status in a Tianjin population and to identify some related underlying nutritional problems in this population. A random representative sample of appproximately nine million people in Tianjin was obtained using the stratified multistage cluster sampling method. A total of 2236 eligible subjects (1096 men and 1140 women) aged between 15 and 64 years were enrolled in the autumn of 1992. Food weighing plus a three-day food record method were used to assess food consumption and nutrient intakes. The population was categorized into four income groups by average per capita income and three educational groups by years of education. There were marked differences in daily mean consumption of foods among groups with different income levels and educational attainment after adjustment for confounding factors. The low income and/or least education group consumed more cereals while the high income and/or most educated group consumed more fruit, milk and meat. Due to the differences in food consumption, intakes of protein, fat, riboflavin, calcium, selenium, zinc and vitamin E increased while intakes of carbohydrate and manganese decreased with increasing levels of income and education. Vitamin A, calcium and riboflavin intakes were low in all groups classified by either income or education. Vitamin A intake was lower in the low income group than in the other three groups but intakes of calcium and riboflavin were higher in the high income and/or the most educated group than in the other groups. Socio-economic status plays an important role in food consumption and nutritional status in this population. Low intakes of vitamin A, calcium and riboflavin exist in all socio-economic groups. However, higher income and/or educational attainment contribute to increased intakes of calcium and riboflavin. Higher income also relates to an increased intake of vitamin A.

Body composition as a predictor of blood pressure in three communities in Guangdong province, China.

The aim of this study was to compare mean blood pressure (BP), anthropometric and body compositional measurements in three Chinese communities and to examine relationships between BP and body composition in these communities. A total of 935 adult (aged >= 25 years) men and women were randomly sampled from three communities (Chauzhou County speaking Teochew, Meixian County speaking Hakka, and Xinhui speaking Cantonese) in Guangdong Province, China. Self-administered questionnaires about food habits, lifestyle and health status were completed. Body weight, stature, waist and hip circumferences and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured. Body mass index, waist to hip ratio, fat free mass, total body fat mass and the percentage body fat were calculated to assess body composition. No significant differences were found in stature, body mass index, umbilical circumference, hip circumference, fat free mass, percentage body fat and defined hypertension between the three communities. However, the waist to hip ratio was lower in Chauzhou men than Meixian women. The mean BPs were different between the communities and mean blood pressure was the highest in the Chauzhou community. Intra-community non-parametric relations between BP and body composition were found mostly in men with increased total and abdominal fatness positively related to BP. The relationships of the aggregate communities with blood pressure were found consistent with those for intra-community analyses, although the body fatness-blood pressure relationship was then evident without exception. Anthropometrically assessed body composition predicts BP in Chinese men, but to a lesser extent, in Chinese women in Guangdong Province, China.

The use of knee height to estimate maximum stature in elderly Chinese.

Loss of height occurs in the elderly. Not only is this height valuable to assess, but it creates difficulty for comparisons using equations based on estimates of stature in adult populations which often overlook the loss of height with age. Alternatives, such as the use of arm-span or hip length as surrogates for maximum stature (MS) during adulthood, have been proposed. In a study of 247 (130 men and 117 women) adult ethnic Chinese living in Melbourne, Australia, we tested the hypothesis that knee height is independent of age and attempted to devise an equation for the estimation of maximum stature (MS) in the this elderly group (aged 65 yrs) of this population. Anthropometric indices, including body weight, stature, arm-span, and knee height were twice measured using standard methods described by Lohman et al., and averaged for use in the analysis. In both men and women, the younger adults were taller and had a greater arm-span than their elderly counterparts: however, there was no difference in knee height or body weight between the two groups. Knee height was not associated with age, while stature and arm-span correlated negatively with age. These findings suggest that knee height provides for a valid estimate of MS during early adulthood than arm-span. Knee height is independent of age and does not appear to decreased over time, in spite of an expected cohort effect in this population. Arm-span, however, appears to change with a cohort as well as with age. Thus, there is a place in a life-time nutritional assessment of the aged to measure both arm-span as an index of cohort status and knee height for an individual's maximum achieved stature.

Aging, food, culture and health.

International comparison of food intake and health studies amongst the aged is providing new insight into the importance of food culture in social context for healthy aging. At same time the possible variance in eating behavior compatible with good health requires consideration. The IUNS (International Union of Nutritional Sciences) FHILL (Food Habits in Later Life) Project, comprises (1) a morbidity study on about 2,000 elderly in 13 communities (now available on CD Rom) and (2) a mortality follow-up study. In the morbidity study, a total health assessment score or Later Life Status Score (LLSS) has been considered in relation to non-nutritional and nutritional factors. The elderly Greek cohorts aged 70+ in Melbourne. Australia (M = 94, F = 95) and Spata, Greece (M = 51, F = 53) have been used as a model for multivariate analyses to determine separately the importance of non-nutritional (well-being, memory, general health, medication-use, activities of daily living, exercise, social activity and social networks scores) and nutritional variables (intake of food groups g/day, food group variety scores, nutrients) in accounting for LLSS. A mortality follow-up study on the elderly cohort in Spata, Greece has also been completed and published. The findings from these preliminary analyses on the Greek cohorts will be reviewed as an example of how food culture may be influencing both quality of life and survival in Greek elderly. The most important non-nutritional determinants of LLSS in Greeks included: mobility and independence (exercise and activities of daily living), well-being and memory (collectively explained 80% of the variation of LLSS). For nutritional variables, a high intake and variety of plant foods (in particular vegetables, legumes and fruit); a high intake and variety of seafood and a low intake of meat emerged with statistical and biological significance. Results from the mortality study also agree with findings from the morbidity study--particularly the importance of the overall traditional greek food culture, with its emphasis on plant derived food of various kinds, as opposed to individual food categories, in protecting against premature death. Strategies are advanced which may optimise nutritionally related health problems amongst the aged around the globe.

Prevalence of coronary risk factors in a sample of Chinese women in Kuala Lumpur.

Several risk factors for cardiovascular disease amongst a sample of urban Chinese women were investigated. These factors included body mass index (BMI), waist hip ratio, total blood cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol and Lp(a) levels, blood pressure, cigarette smoking, family history of chronic disease, dietary habits and frequency of selected food intake. The subjects were found to have coronary risks with respect to BMI and TC level, both of which increased with age of the women. Hypertension, HDL-cholesterol and Lp(a) levels appeared not to pose as risk factors amongst these subjects. Dietary habits and intake showed significant correlations with subjects' BMI status. Health promotion is called for towards reducing the modifiable coronary risk factors.