Abstract We advance on the conversion of bipartite quantum states via local operations and classical communication (LOCC) for infinite-dimensional systems. We introduce δ -LOCC convertibility based ...on the observation that any pure state can be approximated by a state with finite-support Schmidt coefficients. We show that δ -LOCC convertibility of bipartite states is fully characterized by a majorization relation between the sequences of squared Schmidt coefficients, providing a novel extension of Nielsen’s theorem for infinite-dimensional systems. Hence, our definition is equivalent to the one of ε -LOCC convertibility (Owari et al 2008 Quantum Inf. Comput. 8 0030), but deals with states having finitely supported sequences of Schmidt coefficients. Additionally, we discuss the notions of optimal common resource and optimal common product in this scenario. The optimal common product always exists, whereas the optimal common resource depends on the existence of a common resource. This highlights a distinction between the resource-theoretic aspects of finite versus infinite-dimensional systems. Our results rely on the order-theoretic properties of majorization for infinite sequences, applicable beyond the LOCC convertibility problem.
There are no currently available disease-modifying pharmacological treatments for most of the chronic hereditary ataxias; thus, effective rehabilitative strategies are crucial to help improve ...symptoms and therefore the quality of life. We propose to gather all available evidence on the use of video games, exergames, and apps for tablet and smartphone for the rehabilitation, diagnosis, and assessment of people with ataxias. Relevant literature published up to June 8, 2020, was retrieved searching the databases PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database. Data were extracted using a standardized form, and their methodological quality was assessed using RoB and QUADAS-2. Six studies of 434 retrieved articles met the predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Two of them were diagnostic, while 4 were experimental studies. Studies included participants ranging from 9 to 28 in trials and 70 to 248 in diagnostic studies. Although we found a small number of trials and of low methodological quality, all of them reported an improvement of motor outcomes and quality of life as measured by specific scales, including the SARA, BBS, DHI, and SF-36 scores. The main reason for such low quality in trials was that most of them were small and uncontrolled, thus non-randomized and unblinded. As video games, exergames, serious games, and apps were proven to be safe, feasible, and at least as effective as traditional rehabilitation, further and more high-quality studies should be carried out on the use of these promising technologies in people with different types of ataxia.
In this article, we discuss the formal structure of a generalized information theory based on the extension of the probability calculus of Kolmogorov to a (possibly) non-commutative setting. By ...studying this framework, we argue that quantum information can be considered as a particular case of a huge family of non-commutative extensions of its classical counterpart. In any conceivable information theory, the possibility of dealing with different kinds of information measures plays a key role. Here, we generalize a notion of state spectrum, allowing us to introduce a majorization relation and a new family of generalized entropic measures.
Dementias are chronic, degenerative neurological disorders with a complex management that require the cooperation of different healthcare professionals. The Italian Ministry of Health produced the ...document “Guidance on Integrated Care pathway for People with Dementia” (GICPD) with the specific objective of providing a standardized framework for the definition, development, and implementation of integrated care pathways (ICP) dedicated to people with dementia. We searched all available Italian territorial ICPs. Two raters assessed the retrieved ICPs with a 2-point scale on a 43-item checklist based on the GICPD. Only 5 out of 21 regions and 5 out of 101 local health authorities had an ICP, with most ICPs having a moderate compliance to the GICPD, in particular for the items referring to the development and implementation of the care pathways. A low to moderate inter-rater agreement was observed, mainly due to a lack of standardized models to describe ICPs for dementias. Results suggest that policy- and decision-makers should pay more attention to the GICPD when producing ICPs. The direct communication with clinicians, and the implementation of more precise and appropriate clinical outcomes, could increase the involvement of clinicians, whose participation is crucial to guarantee that ICPs meet needs of patients and their carers.
Older people living in nursing homes (NHs) are particularly vulnerable in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, due to the high prevalence of chronic diseases and disabilities (e.g., dementia). The ...phenomenon of adverse events (AEs), intended as any harm or injury resulting from medical care or to the failure to provide care, has not yet been investigated in NHs during the pandemic. We performed a national survey on 3,292 NHs, either public or providing services both privately and within the national health system, out of the 3,417 NHs covering the whole Italian territory. An online questionnaire was addressed to the directors of each facility between March 24 and April 27, 2020. The list of NHs was provided by the Dementia Observatory, an online map of Italian services for people with dementia, which was one of the objectives of the implementation of the Italian National Dementia Plan. About 26% of residents in the Italian NHs for older people listed within the Dementia Observatory site had dementia. The objective of our study was to report the frequency of AEs that occurred during the months when SARS-CoV-2 spreading rate was at its highest in the Italian NHs and to identify which conditions and attributes were most associated with the occurrence of AEs by means of multivariate regression logistic analysis. Data are referred to 1,356 NHs that participated in the survey. The overall response rate was 41.2% over a time-period of six weeks (from March 24 to May 5). About one third of the facilities (444 out of 1,334) (33.3%) reported at least 1 adverse event, with a total of 2,000 events. Among the included NHs, having a bed capacity higher than the median of 60 beds (OR=1.57, CI95% 1.17-2.09; p=0.002), an observed increased in the use of psychiatric drugs (OR=1.80, CI95% 1.05-3.07; p=0.032), adopting physical restraint measures (OR=1.97, CI95% 1.47-2.64; p<0.001), residents hospitalized due to flu-like symptoms (OR =1.73, CI95% 1.28-2.32; p<0.001), and being located in specific geographic areas (OR=3.59, CI95% 1.81-7.08; OR = 2.90, CI95% 1.45-5.81 and OR = 4.02, CI05% 2.01-8.04 for, respectively, North-West, North-East and Centre vs South, p<0.001) were all factors positively associated to the occurrence of adverse events in the facility. Future recommendations for the management and care of residents in NHs during the COVID-19 pandemic should include specific statements for the most vulnerable populations, such as people with dementia.
Fisher’s information measure I plays a very important role in diverse areas of theoretical physics. The associated measures I x and I p , as functionals of quantum probability distributions defined ...in, respectively, coordinate and momentum spaces, are the protagonists of our present considerations. The product I x I p has been conjectured to exhibit a nontrivial lower bound in Hall (2000). More explicitly, this conjecture says that for any pure state of a particle in one dimension I x I p ≥ 4 . We show here that such is not the case. This is illustrated, in particular, for pure states that are solutions to the free-particle Schrödinger equation. In fact, we construct a family of counterexamples to the conjecture, corresponding to time-dependent solutions of the free-particle Schrödinger equation. We also conjecture that any normalizable time-dependent solution of this equation verifies I x I p → 0 for t → ∞ .
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are currently among the most investigated targets for potential disease-modifying therapies in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Our objectives were to identify all registered ...trials investigating mAbs in MCI due to AD or AD at any stage, retrieve available published and unpublished data from all registered trials, and analyze data on safety and efficacy outcomes.
A systematic search of all registered trials on ClinicalTrials.gov and EUCT was performed. Available results were searched on both platforms and on PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and The Cochrane Library.
Overall, 101 studies were identified on 27 mAbs. Results were available for 50 trials investigating 12 mAbs. For 18 trials, data were available from both published and unpublished sources, for 21 trials only from published sources, and for 11 trials only from unpublished sources. Meta-analyses of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) events showed overall risk ratios of 10.65 for ARIA-E and of 1.75 for ARIA-H. The meta-analysis of PET-SUVR showed an overall significant effect of mAbs in reducing amyloid (SMD -0.88), but when considering clinical efficacy, data on CDR-SB showed that treated patients had a statistically significant but clinically non-relevant lower worsening (MD -0.15).
Our results suggest that the risk-benefit profile of mAbs remains unclear. Research should focus on clarifying the effect of amyloid on cognitive decline, providing data on treatment response rate, and accounting for minimal clinically important difference. Research on mAbs should also investigate the possible long-term impact of ARIA events, including potential factors predicting their onset.
Different studies identified the presence of several altered genes in familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) forms. The experimental data, together with the epidemiological data, ...would seem to suggest the existence of molecular mechanisms (e.g., axonal transport) related to these genes, together with a susceptibility of the same genes to certain environmental factors that would therefore suggest an impact of the environment on the etiopathogenesis of ALS. In our review, we considered the most relevant environmental clusters around the world, collecting different hypotheses and underlining common environmental factors among the different clusters. Moreover, further epidemiological data identified a higher risk of ALS in professional athletes and, in particular, in soccer and football players. Despite this increased risk of ALS highlighted by the epidemiological evidence in aforementioned sports, the mechanisms remain unclear. At last, the use of raw water has been associated with ALS risk. The aim of the present review is to characterize a possible relationship between these clusters, to be explored in the context of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors on the etiopathogenesis of ALS.
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