We demonstrate high fidelity two-qubit Rydberg blockade and entanglement on a pair of sites in a large two-dimensional qubit array. The qubit array is defined by a grid of blue detuned lines of light ...with 121 sites for trapping atomic qubits. Improved experimental methods have increased the observed Bell state fidelity to F_{Bell}=0.86(2). Accounting for errors in state preparation and measurement we infer a fidelity of F_{Bell}^{-SPAM}=0.88. Accounting for errors in single qubit operations we infer that a Bell state created with the Rydberg mediated C_{Z} gate has a fidelity of F_{Bell}^{C_{Z}}=0.89. Comparison with a detailed error model based on quantum process matrices indicates that finite atom temperature and laser noise are the dominant error sources contributing to the observed gate infidelity.
We report the first plausible optical electromagnetic counterpart to a (candidate) binary black hole merger. Detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility, the electromagnetic flare is consistent with ...expectations for a kicked binary black hole merger in the accretion disk of an active galactic nucleus B. McKernan, K. E. S. Ford, I. Bartoset al., Astrophys. J. Lett.884, L50 (2019) and is unlikely <O(0.01%)) due to intrinsic variability of this source. The lack of color evolution implies that it is not a supernova and instead is strongly suggestive of a constant temperature shock. Other false-positive events, such as microlensing ora tidal disruption event, are ruled out or constrained to be <O(0.1%). If the flare is associated withS190521g, we find plausible values of total mass M(BBH) ∼ 100 Mꙩ, kick velocity v(k) ∼ 200 km/s at θ ∼ 60° in a disk with aspect ratio H/a ∼ 0.01(i.e., disk height H at radius a) and gas density ρ ∼ 10^(−10)g/cu.cm. The merger could have occurred at a disk migration trap (a ∼ 700 r(g); r(g) ≡ GM(SMBH)/sq.c, where M(SMBH) is the mass of the active galactic nucleus supermassive black hole). The combination of parameters implies a significant spin for at least one of the black holes in S190521g. The timing of our spectroscopy prevents useful constraints on broad-line asymmetry due to an off-center flare. We predict a repeat flare in this source due to a reencountering with the disk in ∼ 1.6 yr(M(SMBH)/10^(8) Mꙩ)(a/10^(3)r(g))^(3/2).
Storage triacylglycerols in castor bean seeds are enriched in the hydroxylated fatty acid ricinoleate. Extensive tissue-specific RNA-Seq transcriptome and lipid analysis will help identify components ...important for its biosynthesis.
Storage triacylglycerols (TAGs) in the endosperm of developing castor (Ricinus communis) seeds are highly enriched in ricinoleic acid (18:1-OH). We have analysed neutral lipid fractions from other castor tissues using TLC, GLC and mass spectrometry. Cotyledons, like the endosperm, contain high levels of 18:1-OH in TAG. Pollen and male developing flowers accumulate TAG but do not contain 18:1-OH and leaves do not contain TAG or 18:1-OH. Analysis of acyl-CoAs in developing endosperm shows that ricinoleoyl-CoA is not the dominant acyl-CoA, indicating that either metabolic channelling or enzyme substrate selectivity are important in the synthesis of tri-ricinolein in this tissue. RNA-Seq transcriptomic analysis, using Illumina sequencing by synthesis technology, has been performed on mRNA isolated from two stages of developing seeds, germinating seeds, leaf and pollen-producing male flowers in order to identify differences in lipid-metabolic pathways and enzyme isoforms which could be important in the biosynthesis of TAG enriched in 18:1-OH. This study gives comprehensive coverage of gene expression in a variety of different castor tissues. The potential role of differentially expressed genes is discussed against a background of proteins identified in the endoplasmic reticulum, which is the site of TAG biosynthesis, and transgenic studies aimed at increasing the ricinoleic acid content of TAG.
Several of the genes identified in this tissue-specific whole transcriptome study have been used in transgenic plant research aimed at increasing the level of ricinoleic acid in TAG. New candidate genes have been identified which might further improve the level of ricinoleic acid in transgenic crops.
Osteoporosis is a common disease diagnosed primarily by measurement of bone mineral density (BMD). We undertook a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 142,487 individuals from the UK Biobank to ...identify loci associated with BMD as estimated by quantitative ultrasound of the heel. We identified 307 conditionally independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that attained genome-wide significance at 203 loci, explaining approximately 12% of the phenotypic variance. These included 153 previously unreported loci, and several rare variants with large effect sizes. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we undertook (1) bioinformatic, functional genomic annotation and human osteoblast expression studies; (2) gene-function prediction; (3) skeletal phenotyping of 120 knockout mice with deletions of genes adjacent to lead independent SNPs; and (4) analysis of gene expression in mouse osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts. The results implicate GPC6 as a novel determinant of BMD, and also identify abnormal skeletal phenotypes in knockout mice associated with a further 100 prioritized genes.
STUDY QUESTION
To what extent do the management of endometriosis and the symptoms that remain after treatment affect the quality of life in women with the disease?
SUMMARY ANSWER
Many women with ...endometriosis had impaired quality of life and continued to suffer from endometriosis-associated symptoms even though their endometriosis has been managed in tertiary care centres.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
The existing literature indicates that quality of life and work productivity is reduced in women with endometriosis. However, most studies have small sample sizes, are treatment related or examine newly diagnosed patients only.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey among 931 women with endometriosis treated in 12 tertiary care centres in 10 countries.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
Women diagnosed with endometriosis who had at least one contact related to endometriosis-associated symptoms during 2008 with a participating centre were enrolled into the study. The study investigated the effect of endometriosis on education, work and social wellbeing, endometriosis-associated symptoms and health-related quality of life, by using questions obtained from the World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF) GSWH instrument (designed and validated for the WERF Global Study on Women's Health) and the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2).
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
Of 3216 women invited to participate in the study, 1450 (45%) provided informed consent and out of these, 931 (931/3216 = 29%) returned the questionnaires. Endometriosis had affected work in 51% of the women and affected relationships in 50% of the women at some time during their life. Dysmenorrhoea was reported by 59%, dyspareunia by 56% and chronic pelvic pain by 60% of women. Quality of life was decreased in all eight dimensions of the SF-36v2 compared with norm-based scores from a general US population (all P < 0.01). Multivariate regression analysis showed that number of co-morbidities, chronic pain and dyspareunia had an independent negative effect on both the physical and mental component of the SF-36v2.
LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
The fact that women were enrolled in tertiary care centres could lead to a possible over-representation of women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis, because the participating centres typically treat more complex and referred cases of endometriosis. The response rate was relatively low. Since there was no Institute Review Board approval to do a non-responder investigation on basic characteristics, some uncertainty remains regarding the representativeness of the investigated population.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
This international multicentre survey represents a large group of women with endometriosis, in all phases of the disease, which increases the generalizability of the data. Women still suffer from frequent symptoms, despite tertiary care management, in particular chronic pain and dyspareunia. As a result their quality of life is significantly decreased. A patient-centred approach with extensive collaboration across disciplines, such as pain specialists, psychologists, sexologists and social workers, may be a valuable strategy to improve the long-term care of women with endometriosis.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
The WERF EndoCost study is funded by the World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF) through grants received from Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Takeda Italia Farmaceutici SpA, Pfizer Ltd and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. The sponsors did not have a role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review or approval of the manuscript. L.H. is the chief executive and T.D. was a board member of WERF at the time of funding. T.D. holds the Merck-Serono Chair in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, and the Ferring Chair in Reproductive Medicine at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium and has served as consultant/research collaborator for Merck-Serono, Schering-Plough, Astellas and Arresto.
Remotely sensed data can help to identify both suitable habitat for individual species, and environmental conditions that foster species richness, which is important when predicting how biodiversity ...will respond to global change. The question is how to summarize remotely sensed data so that they are most relevant for biodiversity analyses, and the Dynamic Habitat Indices are three metrics designed for this. Our goals here were to a) derive, for the first time, the Dynamic Habitat Indices (DHIs) globally, and b) use these to evaluate three hypotheses (available energy, environmental stress, and environmental stability) that attempt to explain global variation in species richness of amphibians, birds, and mammals. The three DHIs summarize three key measures of vegetative productivity: a) annual cumulative productivity, which we used to evaluate the available energy hypothesis that more energy is associate with higher species richness; b) minimum productivity throughout the year, which we used to evaluate the environmental stress hypothesis that higher minima cause higher species richness, and c) seasonality, expressed as the annual coefficient of variation in productivity, which we used to evaluate the environmental stability hypothesis that less intra-annual variability causes higher species richness. We calculated the DHIs globally at 1-km resolution from MODIS vegetation products (NDVI, EVI, LAI, fPAR, and GPP), based on the median of the good observations of all years from the entire MODIS record for each of the 23 or 46 possible dates (8- vs. 16-day composites) during the year, and calculated species richness for three taxa (amphibians, birds, and mammals) at 110-km resolution from species range maps from the IUCN Red List. We found marked global patterns of the DHIs, and strong support for all three hypotheses. The three DHIs for a given vegetation product were well correlated (Spearman rank correlations ranging from −0.6 (cumulative vs. variation DHIs) to −0.93 (variation vs. minimum DHI)). Similarly, DHI components derived from different MODIS vegetation products were well correlated (0.8–0.9), and correlations of the DHIs with temperature and precipitation were moderate and strong respectively. All three DHIs were well correlated with species richness, showing in ranked order positive correlations for cumulative DHI based on GPP (Spearman rank correlations of 0.75, 0.63, and 0.67 for amphibians, resident birds, and mammals respectively) and minimum DHI (0.73, 0.83, and 0.62), and negative for variation DHI (−0.69, −0.83, and −0.59). Multiple linear models of all three DHIs explained 67%, 65%, and 61% of the variability in species richness of amphibians, resident birds, and mammals, respectively. The DHIs, which are closely related to well-established ecological hypotheses of biodiversity, can predict species richness well, and are promising for application in biodiversity science and conservation.
•The Dynamic Habitat Indices (DHIs) capture three aspects of annual productivity.•We derived DHIs from all MODIS vegetation products globally at 1-km resolution.•Cumulative, minimum, and variation DHIs all correlate well with species richness.•Relationships between species richness and the DHIs support ecological theory.•Amphibians and birds are best explained by DHIs, mammals least.
Abstract Objective We aimed to clarify some previous inconsistencies regarding the role of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) as a CVD protective factor. Methods The SCORE dataset contained ...data on HDL-C for 104,961 individuals (45% women) without pre-existing coronary heart disease (CHD). These were from 7 pooled European prospective studies. The effect of HDL-C, both in quintiles and as a continuous variable, on risk of CVD and CHD mortality was examined, using Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for age, total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and body mass index and stratified by gender, age group, country and category of SCORE CVD risk. Results A strong, graded, independent, inverse relationship between HDL-C and both CVD and CHD mortality was demonstrated. Adjusted hazard ratios per 0.5 mmol/l increase in HDL-C were 0.60 (0.51, 0.69) and 0.76 (0.70, 0.83) in women and men, respectively for the CVD mortality endpoint. The corresponding hazard ratios were 0.53 (0.42, 0.68) and 0.79 (0.64, 0.98) in elderly women and men, respectively. The relationship was significant in all SCORE CVD risk strata and age groups. Conclusions This multivariable analysis, the largest of its kind to date, has confirmed the inverse, independent, strong and graded relationship between HDL-C and both CVD and CHD mortality. We have clarified previous suggestions that the relationship is stronger in women and that it applies in all age groups. This is the first prospective study to demonstrate the independent relationship specifically in healthy elderly women and to show that the relationship holds at all levels of total CVD risk.
In this work, BVRI light curves of 55 Type II supernovae (SNe II) from the Lick Observatory Supernova Search programme obtained with the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope and the 1 m Nickel ...telescope from 2006 to 2018 are presented. Additionally, more than 150 spectra gathered with the 3 m Shane telescope are published. We conduct an analyse of the peak absolute magnitudes, decline rates, and time durations of different phases of the light and colour curves. Typically, our light curves are sampled with a median cadence of 5.5 d for a total of 5093 photometric points. In average, V-band plateau declines with a rate of 1.29 mag (100 d)(exp −1), which is consistent with previously published samples. For each band, the plateau slope correlates with the plateau length and the absolute peak magnitude: SNe II with steeper decline have shorter plateau duration and are brighter. A time-evolution analysis of spectral lines in term of velocities and pseudo-equivalent widths is also presented in this paper. Our spectroscopic sample ranges between 1 and 200 d post-explosion and has a median ejecta expansion velocity at 50 d post-explosion of 6500 km s(exp −1) (H α line) and a standard dispersion of 2000 km s(exp −1). Nebular spectra are in good agreement with theoretical models using a progenitor star having a mass <16M⨀. All the data are available to the community and will help to understand SN II diversity better, and therefore to improve their utility as cosmological distance indicators.
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