Coherent Control of the Fine-Structure Qubit in a Single Alkaline-Earth Atom.

We report on the first realization of a novel neutral atom qubit encoded in the spin-orbit coupled metastable states ^{3}P_{0} and ^{3}P_{2} of a single ^{88}Sr atom trapped in an optical tweezer. Raman coupling of the qubit states promises rapid single-qubit rotations on par with the fast Rydberg-mediated two-body gates. We demonstrate preparation, readout, and coherent control of the qubit. In addition to driving Rabi oscillations bridging an energy gap of more than 17 THz using a pair of phase-locked clock lasers, we also carry out Ramsey spectroscopy to extract the transverse qubit coherence time T_{2}. When the tweezer is tuned into magic trapping conditions, which is achieved in our setup by tuning the tensor polarizability of the ^{3}P_{2} state via an external control magnetic field, we measure T_{2}=1.2 ms. A microscopic quantum mechanical model is used to simulate our experiments including dominant noise sources. We identify the main constraints limiting the observed coherence time and project improvements to our system in the immediate future. Our Letter opens the door for a so-far-unexplored qubit encoding concept for neutral atom-based quantum computing.

Role of heterotrophic nitrifiers and aerobic denitrifiers in simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process: a nonconventional nitrogen removal pathway in wastewater treatment.

Bacterial species capable of performing both nitrification and denitrification in a single vessel under similar conditions have gained significance in the wastewater treatment scenario considering their unique character of performing the above reactions under heterotrophic and aerobic conditions respectively. Such a novel strategy often referred to as simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) has a tremendous potential in dealing with various wastewaters having low C : N content, considering that the process needs very little or no external carbon source and oxygen supply thus adding to its cost-effective and environmentally friendly nature. Though like other micro-organisms, heterotrophic nitrifiers and aerobic denitrifiers convert inorganic or organic nitrogen-containing substances into harmless dinitrogen gas in the wastewater, their ecophysiological role in the global nitrogen cycle is still not fully understood. Attempts to highlight the role played by the heterotrophic nitrifiers and aerobic denitrifiers in dealing with nitrogen pollution under various environmental operating conditions will help in developing a mechanistic understanding of the SND process to address the issues faced by the traditional methods of aerobic autotrophic nitrification-anaerobic heterotrophic denitrification.

Dermoscopy as an Auxiliary Tool in the Assessment of Malassezia Folliculitis: An Observational Study.

Malassezia folliculitis is an under-recognizedentity commonly affecting the face and upper trunk. Clinical picture mimics acne vulgaris and diagnosis is challenging at times. 10% potassium hydroxide examination is usually performed to confirm the diagnosis. This study sought to describe the dermoscopic features in Malassezia folliculitis. Patients diagnosed clinically with Malassezia folliculitis and confirmed by 10% potassium hydroxide preparation were included in the study. Dermoscopy was performed with a videodermatoscope [Dinolite AM413ZT; Polarising] from the most representative lesion. A total of 45 patients (M:F = 1:0.8 ) were recruited. All patients had monomorphic papulo-pustular lesions. Itching was present in 64.4% patients. Dermoscopy reveled folliculocentricity (100%), perilesional background erythema (100%), dotted/linear/tortous vessels (88.9%), dirty white scaling (77.8%), hypo pigmentation of hair follicle (64.4%), coiled/looped hairs (57.8%) and broken hairs (13.3%). In conclusion, dermoscopy shows typical features in Malassezia folliculitis and can serve as a office based tool for identification of this entity.

Dermoscopy as an Auxiliary Tool in the Assessment of Malassezia Folliculitis: An Observational Study. / [Artículo traducido] Dermatoscopia como herramienta auxiliar en la evaluación de foliculitis por Malassezia: estudio observacional.

Malassezia folliculitis is an under-recognized entity commonly affecting the face and upper trunk. Clinical picture mimics acne vulgaris and diagnosis is challenging at times. Ten percent potassium hydroxide examination is usually performed to confirm the diagnosis. This study sought to describe the dermoscopic features in Malassezia folliculitis. Patients diagnosed clinically with Malassezia folliculitis and confirmed by 10% potassium hydroxide preparation were included in the study. Dermoscopy was performed with a videodermatoscope (Dino-Lite AM413ZT; Polarizer) from the most representative lesion. A total of 45 patients (M:F=1:0.8) were recruited. All patients had monomorphic papulo-pustular lesions. Itching was present in 64.4% patients. Dermoscopy reveled folliculocentricity (100%), perilesional background erythema (100%), dotted/linear/tortous vessels (88.9%), dirty white scaling (77.8%), hypopigmentation of hair follicle (64.4%), coiled/looped hairs (57.8%) and broken hairs (13.3%). In conclusion, dermoscopy shows typical features in Malassezia folliculitis and can serve as a office-based tool for identification of this entity.

Carbon removal from a mirror-like gold surface by UV light, RF plasma, and IR laser exposure: a comparative study.

A decrease in photon intensity due to carbon contamination on optical elements is a serious issue in synchrotron radiation (SR) beamlines. Photon intensity can be regained by refurbishment of optical elements using suitable techniques. In the literature, three suitable techniques [radio frequency (RF) plasma, ultraviolet (UV) radiation (λ=172nm), and infrared (IR) laser (λ=1064nm) exposure] are reported to remove carbon contaminations from optical elements. These techniques are used independently to remove carbon, and, to the best of our knowledge, no systematic study is available on their relative efficiencies and effects on a mirror surface. We have applied these techniques independently for removal of carbon contamination from a gold surface, and detailed surface characterizations are carried out using soft x-ray reflectivity, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy techniques. Characterization results suggest that all three techniques are capable of removing carbon contamination with certain limitations. Here, detailed relative effects on a gold surface after cleaning experiments with three techniques are discussed.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Viral Load Is Elevated in Individuals With Reverse-Transcriptase Mutation M184V/I During Virological Failure of First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy and Is Associated With Compensatory Mutation L74I.

BACKGROUND: M184V/I cause high-level lamivudine (3TC) and emtricitabine (FTC) resistance and increased tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) susceptibility. Nonetheless, 3TC and FTC (collectively referred to as XTC) appear to retain modest activity against human immunodeficiency virus-1 with these mutations possibly as a result of reduced replication capacity. In this study, we determined how M184V/I impacts virus load (VL) in patients failing therapy on a TDF/XTC plus nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-containing regimen. METHODS: We compared VL in the absence and presence of M184V/I across studies using random effects meta-analysis. The effect of mutations on virus reverse-transcriptase activity and infectiousness was analyzed in vitro. RESULTS: M184I/V was present in 817 (56.5%) of 1445 individuals with virologic failure (VF). Virus load was similar in individuals with or without M184I/V (difference in log10 VL, 0.18; 95% confidence interval, .05-.31). CD4 count was lower both at initiation of antiretroviral therapy and at VF in participants who went on to develop M184V/I. L74I was present in 10.2% of persons with M184V/I but absent in persons without M184V/I (P < .0001). In vitro, L74I compensated for defective replication of M184V-mutated virus. CONCLUSIONS: Virus loads were similar in persons with and without M184V/I during VF on a TDF/XTC/NNRTI-containing regimen. Therefore, we did not find evidence for a benefit of XTC in the context of first-line failure on this combination.

Morphological transformation in the supramolecular assembly of discotic liquid crystal molecules using silver nanoparticles and its sensing application.

Triphenylene based discotic liquid crystal (TP) molecules are rich in π-electrons which facilitate π-stacking interaction of the molcules leading to formation of one dimensional nanowires. These nanowires can assemble to form nanoribbons due to a lateral cohesive force among the nanowires. The flat nanoribons undergo a morphological transformation due to incorporation of silver nanoparticles (SNP) into the matrix of TP molecules. The presence of SNP induces a chiral twisting to the nanoribbons and therefore the flat nanoribbons transform into a helical nanoribbon structure. The global chiral structure exhibited by the composition of achiral constituents is due to the creation of topological defects like disclination and dislocation. These defects can lead to a geometrical frustration in the nanoribbons which relaxes with the formation of twisted helical nanoribbons. A minor change in morphology of the supramolecular assembly can have a remarkable effect on the physicochemical properties of the nanoribbons. In this article, we demonstrate that even a minor change in the geometry of aliphatic chains on the surface of nanoribbons can be employed for sensing organic solvents such as acetone and ethanol. The sensing was performed at room temperature. Relative humidity has no effect on the sensing response.

Baseline PI susceptibility by HIV-1 Gag-protease phenotyping and subsequent virological suppression with PI-based second-line ART in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: Previous work showed that gag-protease-derived phenotypic susceptibility to PIs differed between HIV-1 subtype CRF02_AG/subtype G-infected patients who went on to successfully suppress viral replication versus those who experienced virological failure of lopinavir/ritonavir monotherapy as first-line treatment in a clinical trial. We analysed the relationship between PI susceptibility and outcome of second-line ART in Nigeria, where subtypes CRF02_AG/G dominate the epidemic. METHODS: Individuals who experienced second-line failure with ritonavir-boosted PI-based ART were matched (by subtype, sex, age, viral load, duration of treatment and baseline CD4 count) to those who achieved virological response ('successes'). Successes were defined by viral load <400 copies of HIV-1 RNA/mL by week 48. Full-length Gag-protease was amplified from patient samples for in vitro phenotypic susceptibility testing, with PI susceptibility expressed as IC50 fold change (FC) relative to a subtype B reference strain. RESULTS: The median (IQR) lopinavir IC50 FC was 4.04 (2.49-7.89) for virological failures and 4.13 (3.14-8.17) for virological successes (P = 0.94). One patient had an FC >10 for lopinavir at baseline and experienced subsequent virological failure with ritonavir-boosted lopinavir as the PI. There was no statistically significant difference in single-round replication efficiency between the two groups (P = 0.93). There was a moderate correlation between single-round replication efficiency and FC for lopinavir (correlation coefficient 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: We found no impact of baseline HIV-1 Gag-protease-derived phenotypic susceptibility on outcomes of PI-based second-line ART in Nigeria.

Physical Properties and Theoretical Study of NixCo3-xO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.5) Nanostructures as High-Performance Electrode Materials for Supercapacitors.

Study evaluates the electrochemical performance of off-stoichiometric NixCo3-xO4 compounds. The off-stoichiometric samples were prepared via hydrothermal technique by systematically varying Co/Ni molar ratio. Physical and electrochemical properties of NixCo3-xO4 were observed to be stoichiometry dependent. The increase in Ni/Co ratio in NixCo3-xO4 leads to the morphological transformation from fibrous bundles to urchin like nanospheres with a concomitant increase in the surface area reaching up to 132 m2/g. The optimal specific capacitance of 225 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g and 524 F/g at 10 mV/s scan rate was observed of x 1.0 sample, with an increased retention capacity ∼120% measured at 2 A/g current density. The hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the electronic density of states identified Ni1.0Co2O4 with optimal band-gap of 2.38 eV with an expectation of displaying higher electrocapacitive performance. Experimentally, Ni0.92Co2.08O4 displayed superior electrocapacitive performance among all Ni/Co ratio in NixCo3-xO4. The DFT study also predicted Ni preference to the octahedral site, which is in-line with the observed increase in ferromagnetic nature, decreased lattice parameter, and increased structural disorder with increasing Ni/Co ratio. The improved electrochemical performance of NixCo3-xO4 (x > 0) is attributed to the mesoporous hierarchical structure, with a high electroactive surface which can effectively improve structural stability, and reduce the ionic and electron diffusion length. Compared to the pure Co3O4, the reduction of Co content in NixCo3-xO4 is desired due to the high cost and toxicity of Co element.

Evaluation of enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot for diagnosis of cysticercosis in swine from North India.

Taenia solium cysticercosis is a major public health problem in developing countries. Swine cysticercosis results in economic losses for pig farmers in disease endemic areas. Consumption of cysticercotic pork leads to taeniasis in humans. Eggs excreted in the faeces of T. solium carriers disseminate to humans and pigs through the faecal-oral route, thus maintaining the life cycle in endemic areas. An enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) assay was developed using whole crude T. solium cysticercus antigens (WCA) for the diagnosis of swine cysticercosis. Sera from 30 swine with cysticercosis confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging were subjected to EITB assay. Sera from 50 swine that were raised in a government farm and not allowed to roam freely were included as negative controls. Two or more bands of 8, 11, 14, 24, 26 and 29 kDa were immunoreactive on blot with sera from all infected swine except two, and none from swine raised on the government farm. The overall sensitivity and specificity of EITB assay for diagnosis of swine cysticercosis were 93.3% and 100%, respectively. Hence, EITB assay based on WCA may be a suitable diagnostic tool for swine cysticercosis in endemic areas.

Quality protein maize based muffins: influence of non-gluten proteins on batter and muffin characteristics.

Quality protein maize (QPM) is nutritionally improved maize which has twice the amount of lysine and tryptophan than normal maize. The present study evaluated the effect of different proteins namely egg white proteins (EWP), casein, whey protein isolate, soy protein isolate (SPI) on characteristics of gluten free QPM based muffins. QPM muffins without any added protein served as control and muffins prepared using wheat and EWP served as reference. Effect of addition of different proteins on pasting properties revealed that the thermal stability of QPM flour increased as indicated by decrease in breakdown viscosity. The effect of added proteins on QPM muffin-making properties was evaluated for rheology of batter and physicochemical, texture, color and sensory characteristics of muffins. Dynamic rheology showed that storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G″) of batter with SPI was the highest while batter with EWP showed lowest value. QPM-EWP muffins were softer, chewy and springier and had more specific volume than control muffins and were comparable to reference muffins. Inclusion of all proteins increased L* values (lightness) and decreased a* (redness/greenness) and b* (yellow/blueness) values of QPM based muffins. Sensory analysis revealed that gluten free QPM muffin prepared from EWP were acceptable with a sensory score of 7.97 which was comparable to reference muffins (8.03).

A clinicopathological study of upper aerodigestive tract cancers.

BACKGROUND: The upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) includes the nose and paranasal sinuses, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and salivary glands. Cancers of the UAT constitute approximately 4% of all malignancies. In this study, the varied nature of the UAT cancers was studied to find out their incidence, etiology, and clinicopathological correlations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, observational, and clinicopathological study was conducted on 100 patients who were presented at outdoor in the Department of ENT, Government Medical College/Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, Punjab, India, from October 2016 to October 2018. Proven cases of UAT cancers were taken up and reviewed to gather data on multiple clinicopathological variables, such as age, sex, predisposing factors, and site of pathology. Histopathological differentiation was noted after conducting a biopsy. RESULTS: Most patients of UAT cancers were in the age group of 40-70 years. Maximum incidence was among males (82%) compared to females (28%). The most common predisposing factor was alcohol + smoking (28%), followed by alcohol + chewing tobacco (25%). The most common symptom in the oral cavity was ulcer and odynophagia (38%) each. In oropharyngeal cancers, dysphagia (92%) was the most common symptom. In laryngeal cancers, dyspnea (68%) and hoarseness of voice (32%) were the most common. The most common site involved in UAT cancers was the oral cavity (31%), followed by oropharynx (28%), larynx (22%), hypopharynx (7%), and salivary gland (5%). The most common histopathological type was squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (90%). Most of the ulceroproliferative and exophytic growth was moderately differentiated SCC on histopathology. CONCLUSION: Studies are essential for education and awareness aimed at reducing exposure to habit-forming substances.

Influence of the core-hole effect on optical properties of magnesium oxide (MgO) near the Mg L-edge region.

The influence of the core-hole effect on optical properties of magnesium oxide (MgO) is established through experimental determination of optical constants and first-principles density functional theory studies. Optical constants (δ and ß) of MgO thin film are measured in the spectral region 40-300 eV using reflectance spectroscopy techniques at the Indus-1 synchrotron radiation source. The obtained optical constants show strong core exciton features near the Mg L-edge region, causing significant mismatch with Henke's tabulated values. On comparing the experimentally obtained optical constants with Henke's tabulated values, an edge shift of ∼3.0 eV is also observed. Distinct evidence of effects of core exciton on optical constants (δ and ß) in the near Mg L-edge absorption spectra are confirmed through first-principles simulations.

Complete coverage and covering completely: Breast feeding and complementary feeding: Knowledge, attitude, and practices of mothers.

BACKGROUND: Knowing current trends for timely comprehensive action for health promotion practices is an important prerequisite for medical practitioners and policy makers. METHODS: A survey of mothers at a Tertiary Care Hospital in central India. RESULTS: On the knowledge front >83.75% of the mothers studied showed good knowledge about breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Similar, but not as encouraging, were the results about attitude, with 76.25% of mothers having a positive attitude. The results of the practices part were varied. The WHO indicators assessed were 'early initiation of breastfeeding' (68.75%), 'exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months' (85%) (however exclusive breast feeding for first 6 months was carried out by only 36.25%), 'introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods' (48.75%), 'continued breastfeeding at 1 year' (63.75%) and 'continued breastfeeding at 2 years' (6.25%). CONCLUSIONS: There is a discrepancy between knowledge and practices. The exclusive breast feeding rates are far from the ideal and there is a decline of continued breast feeding beyond 15 months. This calls for sustained efforts with the aim - 'cover all and cover completely'. The ideal WHO indicator for exclusive breast feeding should be 'exclusive breastfeeding for first 6 months' which will provide information about the completeness of this ideal practice.

Structural variation in a synchrotron-induced contamination layer (a-C:H) deposited on a toroidal Au mirror surface.

A carbon layer deposited on an optical component is the result of complex interactions between the optical surface, adsorbed hydrocarbons, photons and secondary electrons (photoelectrons generated on the surface of optical elements). In the present study a synchrotron-induced contamination layer on a 340 mm × 60 mm Au-coated toroidal mirror has been characterized. The contamination layer showed a strong variation in structural properties from the centre of the mirror to the edge region (along the long dimension of the mirror) due to the Gaussian distribution of the incident photon beam intensity/power on the mirror surface. Raman scattering measurements were carried out at 12 equidistant (25 mm) locations along the length of the mirror. The surface contamination layer that formed on the Au surface was observed to be hydrogenated amorphous carbon film in nature. The effects of the synchrotron beam intensity/power distribution on the structural properties of the contamination layer are discussed. The I(D)/I(G) ratio, cluster size and disordering were found to increase whereas the sp2:sp3 ratio, G peak position and H content decreased with photon dose. The structural parameters of the contamination layer in the central region were estimated (thickness ≃ 400 Å, roughness ≃ 60 Å, density ≃ 72% of bulk graphitic carbon density) by soft X-ray reflectivity measurements. The amorphous nature of the layer in the central region was observed by grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction.

Hulless barley as a promising source to improve the nutritional quality of wheat products.

In this study, efforts were made to utilize hulless barley (variety BHS352) to enhance the nutritive value of chapatti and biscuit made from wheat flour. Barley flour was added to wheat flour in different ratios (5 to 30%). Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and ß-glucan content were determined both in flour blends and their products. Changes in physical quality and taste of chapatti and biscuits after blending of hulless barley flour with wheat flour were measured. The chapatti quality score decreased by 15% and biscuit spread factor by 33% after 30% barley flour blending. Significant increase in ß-glucan content and antioxidant activity of flour blends and their products was observed at 30% blending level. The phenolic content increased from 63 to 135 µg for biscuits and 237 to 287 ug GAE/g for chapatti with blending of 30% barley flour.

Co-extrusion of food grains-banana pulp for nutritious snacks: optimization of process variables.

Present study was undertaken to optimize the process conditions for development of food grains (maize, defatted soy flour, sesame seed)-banana based nutritious expanded snacks using extrusion processing. Experiments were designed using Box-Behnken design with banana pulp (8-24 g), screw speed (300-350 rpm) and feed moisture (14-16% w.b.). Seven responses viz. expansion ratio (ER), bulk density (BD), water absorption index (WAI), protein, minerals, iron and sensory acceptability were considered for optimizing independent parameters. ER, BD, WAI, protein content, total minerals, iron content, and overall acceptability ranged 2.69-3.36, 153.43-238.83 kg/m3, 4.56-4.88 g/g, 15.19-15.52%, 2.06-2.27%, 4.39-4.67 mg/100 g (w.b.) and 6.76-7.36, respectively. ER was significantly affected by all three process variables while BD was influenced by banana pulp and screw speed only. Studied process variables did not affected colour quality except 'a' value with banana pulp and screw speed. Banana pulp had positive correlation with water solubility index, total minerals and iron content and negative with WAI, protein and overall acceptability. Based upon multiple response analysis, optimized conditions were 8 g banana pulp, 350 rpm screw speed and 14% feed moisture indicating the protein, calorie, iron content and overall sensory acceptability in sample as 15.46%, 401 kcal/100 g, 4.48 mg/100 g and 7.6 respectively.

Optical constants of e-beam-deposited zirconium dioxide measured in the 55-150 Å wavelength region using the reflectivity technique.

In the present study, optical constants of e-beam-deposited zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) thin film are determined in the 55-150 Å soft x-ray wavelength region using the angle-dependent reflectivity technique. Soft x-ray reflectivity measurements are carried out using the reflectivity beamline at the Indus-1 synchrotron radiation source. Derived optical constants (δ and ß) are compared with the tabulated values of Henke et al. [http://henke.lbl.gov/optical_constants/asf.html]. It is found that the measured δ values are consistently lower than the tabulated bulk values in the 70-150 Å wavelength region. In this region, the delta values are lower by 19%-24% from the tabulated data. Below the Zr M4 edge (66.3 Å), a deviation in delta values is found as ∼2%-21%. These changes are attributed to growth-related defects (oxygen and voids) and variation in film stoichiometry. To the best of our knowledge, the present study gives the first reported experimental values of optical constants for ZrO2 in the 55-150 Å wavelength region.

Hypoxia-Induced Inflammatory Chemokines in Subjects with a History of High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema.

High altitude hypoxia is known to induce an inflammatory response in immune cells. Hypoxia induced inflammatory chemokines may contribute to the development of high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) by causing damage to the lung endothelial cells and thereby capillary leakage. In the present study, we were interested to know whether chronic inflammation may contribute to HAPE susceptibility. We examined the serum levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-8 in group (1) HAPE Susceptible subjects (n = 20) who had past history of HAPE and group (2) Control (n = 18) consist of subjects who had stayed at high altitude for 2 years without any history of HAPE. The data obtained confirmed that circulating MCP-1, MIP-1α were significantly upregulated in HAPE-S individuals as compared to the controls suggestive of chronic inflammation. However, it is not certain whether chronic inflammation is cause or consequence of previous episode of HAPE. The moderate systemic increase of these inflammatory markers may reflect considerable local inflammation. The existence of enhanced level of inflammatory chemokines found in this study support the hypothesis that subjects with past history of HAPE have higher baseline chronic inflammation which may contribute to HAPE susceptibility.