Implementation and characterization of a controllable dephasing channel based on coupling polarization and spatial degrees of freedom of light.

We present the experimental implementation and theoretical model of a controllable dephasing quantum channel using photonic systems. The channel is implemented by coupling the polarization and the spatial distribution of light that play, in the perspective of open quantum systems, the role of quantum system and environment, respectively. The capability of controlling our channel allows us to visualize its effects in a quantum system. Different from standard dephasing channels, our channel presents an exotic behavior in the sense that the evolution of a state, from a pure to a mixed state, shows an oscillatory behavior if tracked in the Bloch sphere. Additionally, we report the evolution of the purity and perform a quantum process tomography to obtain the χ matrix associated to our channel.

["We eat in this way because ". Understanding eating behaviors of Chilean women of low socioeconomic status]. / "Comemos así porque ". Entendiendo las conductas alimentarias de mujeres chilenas de bajos recursos.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is higher in women than in men, especially in those of lower socioeconomic status. It is established that this group tends to have a less healthy diet. AIM: To explore the eating behaviors of low-income Chilean women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with photo-elicitation were conducted with 31 Chilean women aged 36 ± 6 years, who lived with a partner and had at least one sibling under 12 years of age. The interviews were transcribed and an inductive analysis of the participants' discourses was made. RESULTS: Seven themes were described in relation to their influence on three eating behaviors (food purchase, preparation and intake): Family, preferences, temporality, financial issues, special occasions, perceptions about food, and availability of food. The family exerted a strong influence on the behaviors and had an impact on the other themes encountered. CONCLUSIONS: Eating behaviors were influenced by several factors, both at the personal and environment levels. These factors interacted with each other to produce different forms of behavior modulation. It is therefore problematic to promote healthy eating behaviors while not considering all the influences on this behavior.

Entangled Two Photon Absorption Cross Section on the 808 nm Region for the Common Dyes Zinc Tetraphenylporphyrin and Rhodamine B.

We report the measurement of the entangled two-photon absorption (ETPA) cross section, σE, at 808 nm on organic chromophores in solution in a low photon flux regime. We performed measurements on zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) in toluene and rhodamine B (RhB) in methanol. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time that σE is measured for RhB. Additionally, we report a study of the dependence of σE on the molecular concentration for both molecular systems. In contrast to previous experiments, our measurements are based on detecting the pairs of photons that are transmitted by the molecular system. By using a coincidence count circuit it was possible to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. This type of work is important for the development of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques using entangled photons.

The photo-elicitation of food worlds: A study on the eating behaviors of low socioeconomic Chilean women.

Traditional methods for studying eating behaviors include quantitative methods such as 24-h dietary recalls or food frequency questionnaires. Recently, visual methods such as photo-elicitation (PE) have been recognized as useful for studying and understanding eating behaviors. PE has been defined as the use of images during an interview. The goals of this study are to demonstrate the potential of PE for exploring the eating behaviors of Chilean women of low socioeconomic status and to show the advantages and disadvantages of PE from the participants' points of view. The study included 31 participants who were asked to take pictures that represented what they considered important to them in their "food world". The pictures were developed and participants were invited to participate in an individual interview. Participants were able to talk about their eating behaviors and those of their families, the factors influencing those behaviors, their dietary knowledge and skills, and their reflections on their diet using the photographs. PE proved to be a feasible research technique for the studied population, and was well received and enjoyed by the participants. The participants perceived a few barriers with PE, such as forgetting to take pictures or not having ideas for new pictures. Nevertheless, PE allowed researchers to obtain rich information about eating behaviors, and can therefore be a useful method for working with populations of underserved areas. The PE data that this study collected could be used to create or improve interventions promoting healthy eating within the studied population.

Measuring different types of transverse momentum correlations in the biphoton's Fourier plane.

In this Letter, we present a theoretical and experimental study about the spatial correlations of paired photons generated by Type II spontaneous parametric down-conversion. In particular, we show how these correlations can be positive or negative, depending on the direction in which the far-field plane is scanned and the polarization postselected. Our results provide a straightforward way to observe different kind of correlations that complement other well-known methods to tune the spatial correlations of paired photons.

Demonstration of a highly-sensitive tunable beam displacer with no use of beam deflection based on the concept of weak value amplification.

We report the implementation of a highly sensitive tunable beam displacer based on the concept of weak value amplification, that allows to displace the centroid of a Gaussian beam a distance much smaller than its beam width without the need to deflect the direction of propagation of the input beam with movable optical elements. The beam's centroid position can be displaced by controlling the linear polarization of the output beam, and the dependence between the centroid's position and the angle of polarization is linear.

Observation of spectral interference for any path difference in an interferometer.

We report the experimental observation of spectral interference in a Michelson interferometer, regardless of the relationship between the temporal path difference introduced between the arms of the interferometer and the spectral width of the input pulse. This observation is possible by introducing the polarization degree of freedom into a Michelson interferometer using a typical weak value amplification scenario.

Population Health Management Tools to Support School-Based Oral Health Partnerships and Address Disparities.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries (cavities) experience is prevalent in US children, and national data show rates to be increasing among young children. Disparities are found for those in the low-income and non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latinx groups. Use of caries prevention, specifically dental sealants, is low, even among school-based programs. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEORY: A population health management (PHM) framework may support targeted school-based case management to reduce oral health disparities. PHM-oriented tools were applied to a school-based oral health intervention and developed into a conceptual model. From 2014 to 2019, Chicago-based Oral Health Forum (OHF) developed a case management intervention in schools, utilizing PHM tools. Through programmatic and school-based partnerships, the PHM tools informed intervention to incorporate community-based organizations, case management staffing, oral health education, targeted community outreach, and Community Dental Health Coordinators' training. CONCLUSIONS: Through a PHM framework, school-based oral health partnerships targeting high-need children was implemented. Use of PHM tools in school-based health programs should be considered in other high caries schools.

Zinc as a potential coadjuvant in therapy for type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is highly prevalent in populations having high rates of overweight and obesity. It is a chronic condition responsible for long-term severe dysfunction of several organs, including the kidneys, heart, blood vessels, and eyes. Although there are a number of pharmacologic products in the market to treat insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion--the most prominent features of this disease--interventions directed at preserving the integrity and function of beta-cells in the long term are less available. The use of some nutrients with important cellular protective roles that may lead to a preservation of beta-cells has not been fully tested; among these, zinc may be an interesting candidate. OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential of zinc supplementation as coadjuvant to diabetes therapy. METHODS: This article reviews the available information on the use of zinc as part of diabetes therapy. RESULTS: Cellular and animal models provide information on the insulin mimetic action of zinc, as well as its role as a regulator of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and insulin secretion. Zinc supplementation studies in humans are limited, although some positive effects have been reported; mainly, a modest but significant reduction in fasting glucose and a trend to decreased glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). CONCLUSIONS: Zinc supplementation may have beneficial effects on glycemic control. Nevertheless, among the studies considered, the vast majority lasted for 6 months or less, suggesting the importance of conducting long-duration studies given the characteristics of type 2 diabetes as a chronic disease.

Preoperative ultrasound evaluation of gastric contents in children one hour after ingestion of clear liquid: An observational study.

Background: Gastric ultrasound is an effective, non-invasive method to assess the nature and volume of gastric content in the pediatric population. Recently, the UK, European, and French Pediatric Anesthesia Societies recommend fast for clear fluids in children for 1 h. However, studies showing that 1 h of fasting is safe in the pediatric population are still scarce. This study aims to verify by ultrasound evaluation if 1 h of fasting for clear liquids is sufficient to have an empty stomach before anesthetic induction. Methodology: Patients between 11 months and 16 years of age scheduled for elective outpatient surgery were included. A qualitative and quantitative ultrasound evaluation was performed by calculating the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the gastric antrum, 1 h after ingesting a volume of 3 mL/kg of a non-carbonated sports drink, before anesthetic induction. Results: Fifty patients were included. The average CSA measured by ultrasound was 2.85 ± 1.64 cm2 with an average calculated total volume of 12.9 ± 11.06 mL. All patients had an empty stomach criterion (calculated volume ≤1.5 mL/kg) during the ultrasound evaluation, with an average of 0.40 ± 0.23 mL/kg. With the qualitative assessment of gastric volume, 19 patients (38%) were classified as grade 0, 31 patients (62%) as grade 1, and none as grade 2. Conclusion: One hour of fasting after ingestion of 3 mL/kg of a non-carbonated sports drink is sufficient to meet ultrasound criteria for an empty stomach in a pediatric population undergoing elective outpatient surgery.

Photophysical and anion sensing properties of a triphenylamine-dioxaborinine trimeric compound.

Herein, we report the synthesis and photophysical characterization of the novel tris(4-(2,2-difluoro-6-methyl-2H-1λ3,3,2λ4-dioxaborinin-4-yl)phenyl)amine trimeric probe (A2) via the reaction between triphenylamine (1), acetic anhydride, and BF3·OEt2 implying the twelve new bond formation in a one-pot manner. This highly fluorescent compound in solution (φ up to 0.91 at 572 nm) and solid state (φ = 0.24 at 571 nm) showed a better solvatofluorochromism than its analog monomeric A1 due to symmetry-broken charge transfer, which is consistent with high solvent dipolarity (SdP) response in Catalán's multiparametric regression. Notably, A2 had a high sensibility and selectivity for CN- or F- in solution (LODCN-/F- = 0.18/0.70 µM), and CN- can be discriminated from F- by the reaction of A2 with 3.0 equiv. of CN-. In addition, A2 was impregnated on filter paper to prepare test strips that were applied to naked-eye qualitative sensing of CN- or F-. Finally, the octupolar system in A2 allows for better action of two-photon excitation cross-section values when compared with that of the dipolar structure in A1. These findings provide further information for the design of new efficient two-photon absorption dyes.

Access to restorative oral health care for children living in Illinois with Medicaid vs private dental insurance: An audit study.

BACKGROUND: Public dental insurance programs for children aim to provide access to care, but barriers remain that preclude care delivery. Understanding these barriers is an important health policy concern. METHODS: A telephone audit sought to ascertain availability of oral health care for children in dental offices eligible to bill Medicaid. Female callers posing as mothers called eligible offices requesting appointments. In this cross-over design, offices were randomized to public or private insurance for initial calls and then to the other condition after a washout period. RESULTS: Using mixed models, privately insured patients had 5.9 times (95% CI, 4.55 to 7.69) greater odds of obtaining an appointment than Medicaid patients. Compared with patients in Cook County, suburban patients had slightly better odds, whereas nonurban patients in larger and smaller rural counties had lower odds of success. CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid compares poorly with private insurance for providing access to pediatric oral health care. Regardless of insurance conditions, access is poor in less urban environments compared with metropolitan communities. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Even Medicaid-enrolled dental practices limit the care they extend to insured children. Providing Medicaid by itself cannot overcome large oral health care access disparities, which are greatest in rural communities.

Rolling Helical Microrobots for Cell Patterning.

Microrobots, untethered miniature devices capable of performing tasks at the microscale, have gained significant attention in the fields of robotics and biomedicine. These devices hold immense potential for various industrial and scientific applications, including targeted drug delivery and cell manipulation. In this study, we present a novel magnetic rolling helical microrobot specifically designed for bio-compatible cell patterning. Our microrobot incorporates both open-loop and closed-loop control mechanisms, providing flexible, precise, and rapid control for various applications. Through experiments, we demonstrate the microrobot's ability to manipulate cells by pushing them while rolling and arranging cells into desired patterns. This result is particularly significant as it has implications for diverse biological applications such as tissue engineering and organoid development. Moreover, we showcase the effectiveness of our microrobot in a closed-loop control system, where it successfully follows a predetermined path from an origin to a destination. The combination of cellular manipulation capabilities and trajectory-tracking performance underlines the versatility and potential of our magnetic rolling helical microrobot. The ability to control and navigate the microrobot with high precision opens up new possibilities for advanced biomedical applications. These findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge in microbotics and pave the way for further research and development in the field.

Programmable Modular Acoustic Microrobots.

Microrobots have emerged as promising tools for biomedical and in vivo applications, leveraging their untethered actuation capabilities and miniature size. Despite extensive research on diversifying multi-actuation modes for single types of robots, these tiny machines tend to have limited versatility while navigating different environments or performing specific tasks. To overcome such limitations, self-assembly microstructures with on-demand reconfiguration capabilities have gained recent attention as the future of biocompatible microrobotics, as they can address drug delivery, microsurgery, and organoid development processes. Reversible modular reconfiguration structures require specific arrangements of particles that can assume several shapes when external fields are applied. We show how magnetic interaction can be used to assemble cylindrical microrobots into modular microstructures with different shapes. The motion actuation of the formed microstructure happens due to an external acoustic field, which generates responsive forces in the air bubbles trapped in the inner cavity of the robots. An external magnetic field can also steer these structures. We illustrate these capabilities by assembling the robots into different shapes that can swim and be steered, showing the potential to perform biomedical applications. Furthermore, we confirm the biocompatibility of the cylindrical microrobot used as the building blocks of our microstructure. Exposing Chinese Hamster Ovary cells to our microrobots for 24 hours demonstrates cell viability when in contact with the microrobot.

Racial and ethnic disparities in utilization of dental services among children in Iowa: the Latino experience.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to understand the role of Latino acculturation in dental care utilization in Iowa children. METHODS: We used logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with having a previous-year dental check-up with 2005 Iowa Child and Family Household Health Survey data. We constructed models to examine the association with race/ethnicity and used chosen interview language to measure Latino acculturation. RESULTS: After we controlled for several factors, having a regular dental care source, having a dental need, dental insurance status, family income, children's dental health rating, children's age, and brushing habits were associated with having a previous-year dental check-up. Race/ethnicity was indirectly associated with use of dental services through other related factors with significant differences for less-acculturated Latinos. CONCLUSIONS: Policymakers and health planners should implement strategies to address individual, community, and system factors affecting racial/ethnic minorities. A regular source of dental care for Latino children that will enhance their access to services should be ensured. Ignoring the needs of the fastest growing segment of children with the poorest oral health and the least access to care will lead to future increase of oral diseases in this population.

Flux enhancement of photons entangled in orbital angular momentum.

Entangled photons are generally collected by detection systems that select their certain spatial modes, for example using single-mode optical fibers. We derive simple and easy-to-use expressions that allow us to maximize the coupling efficiency of entangled photons with specific orbital angular momentum (OAM) correlations generated by means of spontaneous parametric downconversion. Two different configurations are considered: one in which the beams with OAM are generated by conversion from beams without OAM, and the second when beams with OAM are generated directly from the nonlinear medium. Also, an example of how to generate a maximally entangled qutrit is presented.

[Quality of the diet of women with severe and morbid obesity undergoing gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy]. / Calidad de la alimentación de mujeres con obesidad severa y mórbida sometidas a bypass gastrico y gastrectomia vertical en manga.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes of dietary intake and quality of the diet in patients undergoing gastric bypass and sleeve surgery. In 36 women with severe and morbid obesity it was assessed their nutrient intakes and dietary quality before and 6 months after bariatric surgery through three-day food records. Vitamin and mineral intakes from supplements were strictly controlled. Energy and nutrient intakes were significantly decreased 6 months after surgery bypass compared to the pre-surgery period with the exceptions of calcium and vitamin C. No differences were observed between groups. The Dietary quality index was also similar in both groups. Dietary intakes of calcium, iron, zinc, copper, folic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin E were below 100% of adequacy from at the 6th month after the surgery. Nevertheless, by considering both diet and supplements supply, nutrient adequacy of all but calcium and folic acid was above 100% in both groups. Gastric bypass patients presented greater values. In conclusion, these patients present an important reduction of their energy and nutrient intakes, with no major impact of the type of surgery. Supplement characteristics are crucial to cover nutritional needs.

Patterns of the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test in canine hyperadrenocorticism revisited.

BACKGROUND: The low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDT) is considered an accurate screening and valuable differentiation test in dogs with suspected hyperadrenocorticism (HAC). A recent study showed that the different response patterns not only provide complementary information about etiology, but also the probability of HAC in these patients. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the diagnostic test performance of LDDT response patterns in a population of dogs from an animal hospital. METHODS: The electronic database was retrospectively searched for dogs suspected of HAC that were given an LDDT. Dogs with acute non-adrenal illnesses during the test were excluded. Response patterns were classified as complete suppression, lack of suppression, partial suppression, escape, inverse, and increasing patterns. Cortisol concentrations ≥ 27.59 nmol/L (≥1 µg/dL) 8 hours after dexamethasone administration were considered positive results irrespective of the patterns observed. Calculations included likelihood ratios (LRs) and predictive values (PVs). RESULTS: HAC and non-adrenal illness were diagnosed in 115 (54%) and 62 (46%) dogs, respectively. The positive (+) LRs (95% CI) for the lack of suppression, partial suppression, escape, and an inverse pattern to diagnose HAC were infinite, 8.09 (2-32.72), 3.23 (0.75-14), and 0.2 (0.06-0.73), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms that the "lack of suppression" pattern strongly supports a diagnosis of HAC. It shows that the "partial suppression" pattern moderately increases, and the "inverse" pattern decreases the likelihood of HAC. The fact that the study found no association between the "escape" pattern and a diagnosis of HAC, does not support its integration into decision making.

Comparison of pulmonary deposition of nebulized 99m technetium-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid through 3 inhalation devices in healthy dogs.

BACKGROUND: Inhalation treatment frequently is used in dogs and cats with chronic respiratory disease. Little is known however about the performance of delivery devices and the distribution of aerosolized drugs in the lower airways. OBJECTIVE: To assess the performance of 3 delivery devices and the impact of variable durations of inhalation on the pulmonary and extrapulmonary deposition of nebulized 99m technetium-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (99m Tc-DTPA). ANIMALS: Ten university-owned healthy Beagle dogs. METHODS: Prospective crossover study. Dogs inhaled the radiopharmaceutical for 5 minutes either through the Aerodawg spacer with a custom-made nose-muzzle mask, the Aerochamber spacer with the same mask, or the Aerodawg spacer with its original nose mask. In addition, dogs inhaled for 1 and 3 minutes through the second device. Images were obtained by 2-dimensional planar scintigraphy. Radiopharmaceutical uptake was calculated as an absolute value and as a fraction of the registered dose in the whole body. RESULTS: Mean (±SD) lung deposition for the 3 devices was 9.2% (±5.0), 11.4% (±4.9), and 9.3% (±4.6), respectively. Differences were not statistically significant. Uptake in pulmonary and extrapulmonary tissues was significantly lower after 1-minute nebulization, but the mean pulmonary/extrapulmonary deposition ratio (0.38 ± 0.27) was significantly higher than after 5-minute nebulization (0.16 ± 0.1; P = .03). No significant differences were detected after 3- and 5-minute nebulization. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The performance of a pediatric spacer with a custom-made mask is comparable to that of a veterinary device. One-minute nebulization provides lower pulmonary uptake but achieves a better pulmonary/extrapulmonary deposition ratio than does 5-minute nebulization.

The First Bacterial Endocarditis Due to Achromobacter xylosoxidans in a Dog.

Infectious endocarditis (IE) in dogs is often associated with a high mortality rate as diagnostic work-up as well as antibiotic treatment might be challenging. The present case describes bacteremia in a dog caused by Achromobacter xylosoxidans, leading to an infectious endocarditis. Achromobacter xylosoxidans (A. xylosoxidans) is an aerobic Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium, which has been associated with multiple nosocomial opportunistic diseases in human medicine. One such manifestation of A. xylosoxidans infection is endocarditis. A. xylosoxidans infections are challenging to treat due to the reduced effectiveness of a wide range of antimicrobial agents. To date, only a few case reports of infections with A. xylosoxidans in animals have been described. This is the first case report of A. xylosoxidans endocarditis in a dog. Whole-genome sequencing was performed to determine the sequencing type and to gain more information about this bacterium regarding its intrinsic resistance genes. With this case report, we seek to increase awareness of A. xylosoxidans as an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen in dogs and to provide a short summary regarding the current state of general knowledge and known resistance patterns.