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Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) combined with procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell count (WBC) can increase the sensitivity and accuracy of neonatal sepsis diagnosis. Methods: The serum levels of nCD64, CRP, PCT and WBC were detected in 60 patients with neonatal sepsis and 60 patients with non-sepsis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC), and logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of these markers on neonatal sepsis. Results: Serum levels of nCD64, PCT, CRP and WBC were higher in the sepsis group than non-sepsis group (p < 0.001). The sensitivities of nCD64, PCT, CRP and WBC at the recommended cut-off level for all infants were 79.5%, 68.2%, 38.6% and 52.3%, respectively. The best combination was nCD64 and PCT, which obtained sensitivity of 90.9%, largest AUC of 0.922, and a negative predictive value of 89.2%. However by using an optimal cut-off value, the sensitivities of all four biomarkers for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis were increased to 95.5%. Except for WBC, the birth weight and gestational age had no effects on the diagnostic value of these serum biomarkers. Conclusions: nCD64 and PCT are better diagnostic biomarkers for early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis as compared to CRP. With the help of optimal cut-off value based on ROC curve and logistic regression analysis, the combination of these biomarkers could improve the sensitivity for the diagnosis of suspected late-onset neonatal sepsis based on common serum biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of quantum state transfer through a thermal spin chain with Heisenberg interaction is discussed by numerically calculating the maximal fidelity in a finite transfer time for the chains with several numbers of sites. We find that the maximal fidelity does not decrease monotonously with the increase in the temperature, but depends on the maximal allowed transfer time. Finally, we compare the results of thermal channel with the transfer through ground state channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alternating current (AC) impedance characteristics of silty soil samples have been studied by measuring their AC impedance parameters within the frequency range of 50-106 Hz. The parameters include the real part Z′, imaginary part Z″, impedance module ∣Z∣, and phase difference θ. The effects of the frequency ƒ and the water content w on these parameters are analyzed. The electrical resistivity ρs of silty soil is also calculated, and the relational expression between ρs and w is fitted. Finally, a predication formula of soil w is developed using ρs and ƒ. The results indicate that Z′, -Z″, and ∣Z∣ decrease with increasing logarithm of frequency, log ƒ, and w. Also, θ increases with increasing log ƒ, and θ does not change with w, except at ƒ = 50 and 102 Hz. Given the strong relation of Z′ with w, Z′ of silty soil is primarily determined by the polarizability of free water. In contrast, Z″ of silty soil mainly represents loss from conduction. ∣Z∣ is affected by the polarizability of free water and conduction loss. θ shows the capacitance of the silty soil. At every ƒ, an exponential function is used to simulate soil w increase with decreasing ρs, which has a very high correlation coefficient. Calculated by the predication formula, w is very close to the true w, indicating the reliability of the formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report possibility of generating entanglement and steady entanglement between two identical atoms in free space with a very natural way when their spatial separation is on the order of wavelength or less. We show a dynamical creation of entanglement and steady entanglement due to the radiative coupling with different separable initial atomic states and study the entanglement properties about this atomic subsystem. Not only the creation of steady state entanglement is decided by the initial atomic states, but also the magnitude of the entanglement and the steady state entanglement are found to be strongly dependent on the initial states. We derive a master equation for the atomic subspace and solve it analytically to show how the spontaneous emission from the two atoms system induces entanglement and steady entanglement, the crossing coupling terms in master equation can enhance the entanglement value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the constitutive tensor of the perfect regular polygonal cloak, the effects of different kinds of losses on the performance of regular polygonal cloak are investigated. The cloak is modeled and simulated using full wave package COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS. It is found that if the loss tangents are imposed on one or more components of constitutive tensors, especially on the off-diagonal components, the performance of the cloak in the backward region is significantly different from the results of the traditional case, in which losses are the same in all components of magnetic and electric loss tangents. We believe that the results are helpful for the practical situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By introducing the nonuniform magnetic field, we investigate the entanglement teleportation via two-qubit Heisenberg chain. We show that for ferromagnetic chain, the opposite direction magnetic field on the two-qubit chain can excite the teleported entanglement C out, while the uniform magnetic field can not do it. The effect of the uniform magnetic field B and the nonuniform magnetic field b on the threshold temperature T c is also plotted. Our study on the average fidelity of this quantum channel system shows that the magnetic field in opposite direction can result in the ideal average fidelity no matter whether the chain is ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the finite-difference time-domain method models ideal Drude of DNG metamaterials. The Z-transform is applied to model the Drude model that materials characterized by frequency dispersive behavior. Thus, we certificate the DNG metamaterials and its unique characteristics such as negative refraction, convergence, back-wave, phase compensation and verify the existence of DNG Metamaterials. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 1411–1414, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23371 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum correlations in an anisotropic Heisenberg XYZ chain is investigated by use of concurrence C and measurement-induced disturbance (MID). We show that the behaviors of the MID are remarkably different from the concurrence. Firstly, it is shown that there is a revival phenomenon in the concurrence but not in the MID, which is suitable for both the ground state case and the finite temperature case. Based on the analysis of the ground-state C and MID structures, we illustrate the reason why the ground-state MID does not show a revival phenomenon in detail. Then we explore different effects of the external and self parameters on entanglement and MID behaviors. It can be shown that the region of MID is evidently larger than the case of concurrence, and that the concurrence signals a quantum phase transition even at finite T while MID does not. Cases where the concurrence finally maintains one nonzero constant value regardless of the value of the variable B for a constant Jz, while MID decreases monotonously to zero with increasing B. We also show that if B can take a proper range of values, the concurrence decreases with the improvement of the anisotropic parameter γ, whereas an opposite effect for MID behaviors is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The final stadium larvae of Huosoma latiloba (Yu, Yang Bu, 2008) and Huosoma tinctipenne (McLachlan, 1894) from Yunnan Province, China are described and illustrated for the first time, with diagnostic differences between the two species identified. While no morphological characters separating the adults of this genus, and the closely related western Palaearctic Pyrrhosoma Charpentier, 1840 have been found, the larvae of these two genera do show differences which are discussed here.

Background: Nowadays, more and more herbal drugs of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) rely on cultivation rather than natural resources because of overexploitation, and the study on quality of cultivated herbal medicines has become a hotspot in the research field of ecology of TCM resources. Though some of molecular biology techniques could improve the contents of secondary metabolites, those chemical compositions may differ from what we require from natural products, resulting in different treatment efficacy., Objective: To explore ways and means of improving TCM quality by means of regulating secondary metabolism from the perspective of natural physiological ecology., Materials and Methods: H(2)O(2) and paraquat as carriers of ROS, propyl gallate as a ROS scavenger, and ethephon as a ROS inductive agent were sprayed on Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., Results: The hypo-concentration ROS could enhance the activities of POD, PPO, as well as CAT, and propyl gallate acted on the opposite side, but they all failed to break the homeostasis between ROS and oxidase activity and to exert any effect on the contents of the schisandrin, deoxyschizandrin, and schisandrin B. The hypso-concentration ROS could break the homeostasis, reduce the activities of POD, PPO, as well as CAT, and improve the quality of S. chinensis fruit. The ethephon could effectively improve the quality of S. chinensis without the limitation of metabolic regulation., Conclusion: The conclusions accord with the hypothesis that ROS regulates secondary metabolism.