The field of quantum computing has grown from concept to demonstration devices over the past 20 years. Universal quantum computing offers efficiency in approaching problems of scientific and ...commercial interest, such as factoring large numbers, searching databases, simulating intractable models from quantum physics, and optimizing complex cost functions. Here, we present an 11-qubit fully-connected, programmable quantum computer in a trapped ion system composed of 13
Yb
ions. We demonstrate average single-qubit gate fidelities of 99.5Formula: see text, average two-qubit-gate fidelities of 97.5Formula: see text, and SPAM errors of 0.7Formula: see text. To illustrate the capabilities of this universal platform and provide a basis for comparison with similarly-sized devices, we compile the Bernstein-Vazirani and Hidden Shift algorithms into our native gates and execute them on the hardware with average success rates of 78Formula: see text and 35Formula: see text, respectively. These algorithms serve as excellent benchmarks for any type of quantum hardware, and show that our system outperforms all other currently available hardware.
Background and purpose
Orolingual angioedema (OA) is an uncommon but potentially life‐threatening complication of treatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt‐PA; alteplase) during ...acute ischaemic stroke. This study aimed to determine the incidence of rt‐PA‐related OA in an Asian stroke population and the risk of pre‐stroke anti‐hypertensive drug use for development of this complication.
Methods
A multi‐center stroke registry was used to identify the pre‐stroke medications of acute ischaemic stroke patients receiving intravenous rt‐PA from January 2002 to December 2013. The clinical manifestations of rt‐PA‐related OA were recorded and the incidence of this complication was determined. The risks of pre‐stroke use of different anti‐hypertensive agents for the occurrence of rt‐PA‐related OA were determined from this study and from a meta‐analysis.
Results
A total of 559 patients received intravenous rt‐PA over a 12‐year period. Five patients (two males) developed OA after rt‐PA administration. The incidence of OA amongst these patients was 0.89% (95% confidence interval 0.29%–2.09%), which was lower than that obtained by meta‐analysis (1.9%). Amongst pre‐stroke anti‐hypertensive medications, angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were found in this study to have the highest relative risk for rt‐PA‐related OA (17.1; 95% confidence interval 3.0–96.9). Meta‐analysis also revealed that pre‐stroke use of ACE inhibitors was associated with a high relative risk of OA after intravenous rt‐PA (12.9; 95% confidence interval 4.5–37.0).
Conclusions
The incidence of rt‐PA‐related OA in the Asian population is lower than that in the Caucasian population. Pre‐stroke use of ACE inhibitors significantly increases the risk of this complication.
In the quest of new materials that can withstand severe irradiation and mechanical extremes for advanced applications (e.g. fission & fusion reactors, space applications, etc.), design, prediction ...and control of advanced materials beyond current material designs become paramount. Here, through a combined experimental and simulation methodology, we design a nanocrystalline refractory high entropy alloy (RHEA) system. Compositions assessed under extreme environments and in situ electron-microscopy reveal both high thermal stability and radiation resistance. We observe grain refinement under heavy ion irradiation and resistance to dual-beam irradiation and helium implantation in the form of low defect generation and evolution, as well as no detectable grain growth. The experimental and modeling results-showing a good agreement-can be applied to design and rapidly assess other alloys subjected to extreme environmental conditions.
Abstract Background The necessity of routine sub-nipple biopsy was uncertain, and the role of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting nipple invasion in patients who have been ...selected for nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) has not been adequately evaluated. Methods We retrospectively collected and analyzed the medical and surgical records of 434 patients with primary operable breast cancer who met the criteria for NSM and underwent breast surgery during the period January 2011 to December 2015. Patients were stratified into three risk groups (low, intermediate, and high) according to tumor size and tumor-to-nipple distance. Results Among the 434 patients in this study, 29 (6.7%) had occult invasion of the nipple-areola complex (NAC). Sub-nipple biopsy had a sensitivity of 84.6%, a specificity of 100%, a false negative rate of 1.2%, a false positive rate of 0%, and an overall accuracy rate of 98.8% in confirming NAC invasion. The NAC invasion rate was 0% in the low-risk group, 5.1% in the intermediate-risk group, and 19.7% in the high-risk group (P<0.01). The overall NPV of preoperative MRI for predicting NAC invasion was 94.8%. Cost analysis revealed that the cost of NSM with sub-nipple biopsy was significantly higher than that of NSM alone, with a mean difference in cost of USD 238.5 (P<0.01). Conclusion The high negative predictive value of MRI for NAC invasion is useful for selection of patients receiving NSM. Sub-nipple biopsy is a reliable procedure to detect occult NAC invasion, however, routine use is not cost-effect for low risk patients.
We report the first genome-wide association study in 1000 bipolar I patients and 1000 controls, with a replication of the top hits in another 409 cases and 1000 controls in the Han Chinese ...population. Four regions with most strongly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, of which three were not found in previous GWA studies in the Caucasian populations. Among them, SNPs close to specificity protein 8 (SP8) and ST8 α-N-acetyl- neuraminide α-2,8-sialyltransferase (ST8SIA2) are associated with Bipolar I, with P-values of 4.87 × 10(-7) (rs2709736) and 6.05 × 10(-6) (rs8040009), respectively. We have also identified SNPs in potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 12 gene (KCTD12) (rs2073831, P=9.74 × 10(-6)) and in CACNB2 (Calcium channel, voltage-dependent, β-2 subunit) gene (rs11013860, P=5.15 × 10(-5)), One SNP nearby the rs1938526 SNP of ANK3 gene and another SNP nearby the SNP rs11720452 in chromosome 3 reported in previous GWA studies also showed suggestive association in this study (P=6.55 × 10(-5) and P=1.48 × 10(-5), respectively). This may suggest that there are common and population-specific susceptibility genes for bipolar I disorder.
Summary
Epidemiologic evidence has shown inconsistent findings regarding the relationships between abdominal fatness, as measured by waist circumferences (WC) or waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR), and risks ...of pre‐ and postmenopausal breast cancer (BC). A dose–response meta‐analysis of prospective studies was conducted to address these issues. Potentially eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases, and by carefully reviewing the bibliographies of retrieved publications and related reviews. The summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random‐effects model. When the most fully adjusted RRs were combined, both WC (14 studies, RR per 10‐cm increase = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04–1.09, I2 = 29.9%) and WHR (15 studies, RR per 0.1‐unit increase = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01–1.14, I2 = 52.9%) were significantly positively associated with postmenopausal BC, but neither WC (eight studies, RR per 10‐cm increase = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.99–1.10, I2 = 0%) nor WHR (11 studies, RR per 0.1‐unit increase = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.95–1.21, I2 = 59.7%) were associated with premenopausal BC. The WHR‐postmenopausal BC association lost statistical significance after correcting publication bias (RR per 0.1‐unit increase = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.99–1.13). When considering BMI‐adjusted RRs, WC was associated with both pre‐ (five studies, RR per 10‐cm increase = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02–1.16, I2 = 0%) and postmenopausal BC (seven studies, RR per 10‐cm increase = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02–1.08, I2 = 6.3%), whereas WHR was not associated with either pre‐ (seven studies, RR per 0.1‐unit increase = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.94–1.34, I2 = 70.9%) or postmenopausal BC (eight studies, RR per 0.1‐unit increase = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.98–1.13, I2 = 57.3%). Among non‐current (former or never) users of hormone replacement therapy, the summary RR per 10‐cm increase of postmenopausal BC associated with WC was 1.08 (95% CI: 1.03–1.05, I2 = 69.2%, seven studies; BMI‐adjusted RR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02–1.09, I2 = 22.8%, four studies). This meta‐analysis indicates that central obesity measured by WC, but not by WHR, is associated with modestly increased risks of both pre‐ and postmenopausal BC independent of general obesity.
Background and purpose
Physical activity is associated with a reduced incidence of first‐time stroke. However, few studies have examined the effect of pre‐stroke physical activity on post‐stroke ...complications and clinical outcomes.
Methods
A total of 39 835 cases of stroke registered in the nationwide stroke registry system of Taiwan between 2006 and 2009 were analyzed according to five levels of severity as determined by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score upon hospital admission. Pre‐stroke physical activity was defined in the Taiwan Stroke Registry as dedicated leisure‐time physical activity for at least 30 min/day for 3 days/week for more than 6 months. A Cox model was used to compare complications and outcomes between active and inactive groups.
Results
The active and inactive groups were similar in age distribution and stroke type distribution, but the active group had better National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores upon admission. The active group also had significantly fewer post‐stroke complications. Active patients had lower hospital mortality and better functional outcomes upon discharge as per the modified Rankin Scale. Improved functional status in the active group was significant at 1, 3 and 6 months post‐stroke.
Conclusion
Dedicated leisure‐time physical activity for at least 30 min/day, at least three times per week for more than 6 months was associated with decreased stroke severity, fewer post‐stroke complications, lower mortality and better outcomes.
In a phase III trial in patients with advanced, well-differentiated, progressive pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, sunitinib 37.5 mg/day improved investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) ...versus placebo (11.4 versus 5.5 months; HR, 0.42; P < 0.001). Here, we present PFS using retrospective blinded independent central review (BICR) and final median overall survival (OS), including an assessment highlighting the impact of patient crossover from placebo to sunitinib.
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, cross-sectional imaging from patients was evaluated retrospectively by blinded third-party radiologists using a two-reader, two-time-point lock, followed by a sequential locked-read, batch-mode paradigm. OS was summarized using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Crossover-adjusted OS effect was derived using rank-preserving structural failure time (RPSFT) analyses.
Of 171 randomized patients (sunitinib, n = 86; placebo, n = 85), 160 (94%) had complete scan sets/time points. By BICR, median (95% confidence interval CI) PFS was 12.6 (11.1–20.6) months for sunitinib and 5.8 (3.8–7.2) months for placebo (HR, 0.32; 95% CI 0.18–0.55; P = 0.000015). Five years after study closure, median (95% CI) OS was 38.6 (25.6–56.4) months for sunitinib and 29.1 (16.4–36.8) months for placebo (HR, 0.73; 95% CI 0.50–1.06; P = 0.094), with 69% of placebo patients having crossed over to sunitinib. RPSFT analysis confirmed an OS benefit for sunitinib.
BICR confirmed the doubling of PFS with sunitinib compared with placebo. Although the observed median OS improved by nearly 10 months, the effect estimate did not reach statistical significance, potentially due to crossover from placebo to sunitinib.
NCT00428597.
Because angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity is implicated widely in biological systems, we aimed to identify its novel quantitative trait loci for the purposes of understanding ACE activity ...regulation and pharmacogenetics relating to ACE inhibitor (ACEI). We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study: (1) from 400 young-onset hypertension (YOH) subjects and (2) a confirmation study with an additional 623 YOH subjects. In the first stage, eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ACE structural gene and one SNP of ABO genes were significantly associated with ACE activity. SNP rs4343 in exon17 near the well-known insertion/deletion polymorphism had the strongest association. We confirmed in the second stage that three SNPs: rs4343 in ACE gene (P=3.0 x 10⁻²⁵), rs495828 (P=3.5 x 10⁻⁸) and rs8176746 (P=9.3 x 10⁻⁵) in ABO gene were significantly associated with ACE activity. We further replicated the association between ABO genotype/blood types and ACE activity in an independent YOH family study (428 hypertension pedigrees), and showed a potential differential blood pressure response to ACEI in subjects with varied numbers of ACE-activity-raising alleles. These findings may broaden our understanding of the mechanisms controlling ACE activity and advance our pharmacogenetic knowledge on ACEI.
The Asteroid Terrestrial impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) system consists of two 0.5 m Schmidt telescopes with cameras covering 29 square degrees at plate scale of 1.86 arcsec per pixel. Working in ...tandem, the telescopes routinely survey the whole sky visible from Hawaii (above δ > − 50 ° ) every two nights, exposing four times per night, typically reaching o < 19 magnitude per exposure when the moon is illuminated and c < 19.5 magnitude per exposure in dark skies. Construction is underway of two further units to be sited in Chile and South Africa which will result in an all-sky daily cadence from 2021. Initially designed for detecting potentially hazardous near earth objects, the ATLAS data enable a range of astrophysical time domain science. To extract transients from the data stream requires a computing system to process the data, assimilate detections in time and space and associate them with known astrophysical sources. Here we describe the hardware and software infrastructure to produce a stream of clean, real, astrophysical transients in real time. This involves machine learning and boosted decision tree algorithms to identify extragalactic and Galactic transients. Typically we detect 10-15 supernova candidates per night which we immediately announce publicly. The ATLAS discoveries not only enable rapid follow-up of interesting sources but will provide complete statistical samples within the local volume of 100 Mpc. A simple comparison of the detected supernova rate within 100 Mpc, with no corrections for completeness, is already significantly higher (factor 1.5 to 2) than the current accepted rates.
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