Weak Value Research Articles

The effects of the mirror therapy on shoulder function in patients with breast cancer following surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Shoulder dysfunction is one of the most bothersome questions for breast cancer survivors. Studies show that mirror therapy can improve shoulder function in patients with a limited shoulder range of motion and shoulder pain. Here, this article reports the results of a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of the mirror therapy on shoulder function in patients with breast cancer following surgical treatments. Totally, 79 participants were divided to two groups receiving active range-of-motion upper limb exercise based on the mirror therapy or active range-of-motion upper limb exercise respectively for 8 weeks. Shoulder range of motion, Constant-Murley Score, Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, Visual analog scale, and grip strength were measured at baseline (T0), 2 weeks (T1), 4 weeks (T2), and 8 weeks (T3). The effects of the intervention on shoulder function were analyzed in generalized estimation equation, from group, time, and the interactions between group and time based on the data from participants who completed at least one post-baseline observation RESULTS: At least one post-baseline observation was performed by 69 participants (n=34 mirror group, n=35 control group). 28(82.35%) participants in the mirror group adhered to the exercise compared to 30(85.71%) in the control group. Generalized estimation equation model showed group had main effects on forward flexion (Waldχ²=6.476, P=0.011), with the Cohen's d=0.54. The effects of the group on abduction, Constant-Murley Score, and Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire were significant when fix the effects of the time. At 8 weeks, participants in the mirror group showed an improvement in abduction compared to the control group (P=0.005), the Cohen's d was 0.70. At 8 weeks, participants in the mirror group had a higher Constant-Murley Score than control group (P=0.009), with Cohen's effect size value of d=0.64. The mirror group showed a greater improvement on the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire than control group at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks (P≤0.032), but with a weak effect size value of all (r≤0.32). Group had main effects on Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (Waldχ²=6.631, P=0.010), with the Cohen's effect size value of d=0.56. Mirror therapy improved shoulder flexion, abduction, shoulder function in daily life, and arm function and symptom of the affected shoulder in patients with breast cancer following surgical treatment, while decreasing fear of movement/(re)injury. Mirror configuration needs to be improved in further research to increase its feasibility. Breast cancer survivors can try mirror therapy as a practical and effective method in shoulder rehabilitation for a promotion on effects. ClinicalTrial.gov Identifier: ChiCTR2000033080.

Quality analysis for precision metrology based on joint weak measurements without discarding readout data

We present a theoretical analysis for the metrology quality of joint weak measurements (JWMs), in close comparison with the weak-value-amplification technique. We point out that the difference probability function employed in the JWM scheme cannot be used to calculate the uncertainty variance and Fisher information (FI). In order to carry out the metrological precision, we reformulate the problem in terms of difference-combined stochastic variables, which makes all calculations well defined. We reveal that, in general, the metrological precision of the JWM scheme cannot reach that indicated by the total FI, despite that all the readouts are collected without discarding. We also analyze the effect of technical noise, showing that the technical noise cannot be removed by the subtracting procedure, which yet can be utilized to outperform the conventional measurement, when considering the imaginary weak value measurement.

Further exploration of the classification and clinical value of head-shaking nystagmus

Objective:To investigate the classification of head shaking nystagmus（HSN） and its clinical value in vestibular peripheral diseases. Methods:Clinical data of 198 patients with peripheral vestibular disorders presenting with HSN were retrospectively analyzed. Video Nystagmograph（VNG） was applied to detect spontaneous nystagmus（SN）, HSN, and Caloric Test（CT）. The intensity and direction of SN and HSN as well as the unilateral weakness（UW） and direction preponderance（DP） values in caloric test was analyzed in patients. Results:Among the 198 patients with vestibular peripheral disease, there were 105 males and 93 females, with an average age of（49.1±14.4） years （range: 14-87 years）. One hundred and thirty seven patients were diagnosed as Vestibular Neuritis（VN）, 12 as Meniere's Disease（MD）, 41 as sudden deafness（SD） and 8 as Hunt's syndrome accompanied by vertigo. Among them, there were 116 patients in the acute phase, including 68 cases（58.6%） with decreased HSN, 4 cases（3.4%） with increased HSN, 5 cases（4.3%） with biphasic HSN, 38 cases（32.8%） with unchanged HSN, and 1 case（0.9%） with perverted HSN. There were 82 cases in the non-acute phase, 51 cases（62.2%） with decreased HSN, 3 cases（3.6%） with increased HSN, 9 cases（11.0%） with biphasic HSN, and 19 cases（23.2%） with unchanged HSN. In biphasic HSN, the intensity of phase I nystagmus was usually greater than that of phase II, and the difference was statistically significant（P<0.01）. There was no correlation between HSN type and course of disease or DP value. The intensity of HSN was negatively correlated with the course of disease（r=-0.320, P<0.001） and positively correlated with DP value（r=0.364, P<0.001）, respectively. The intensity of unchanged nystagmus and spontaneous nystagmus were（8.0±5.7） °/s and（8.5±6.4）°/s, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the intensity of nystagmus before and after shaking the head. Conclusion:HSN can be classified into five types and could be regarded as a potential SN within a specific frequency range （mid-frequency）. Similarly, SN could also be considered as a common sign of unilateral vestibular impairment at different frequencies. HSN intensity can reflect the dynamic process of vestibular compensation, and is valuable for assessing the frequency of damage in peripheral vestibular diseases and monitoring the progress of vestibular rehabilitation.

Digital holographic imaging via direct quantum wavefunction reconstruction

Wavefunction is a fundamental concept of quantum theory. Recent studies have shown surprisingly that wavefunction can be directly reconstructed via the measurement of weak value. The weak value based direct wavefunction reconstruction not only gives the operational meaning of wavefunction, but also provides the possibility of realizing holographic imaging with a totally new quantum approach. Here, we review the basic background knowledge of weak value based direct wavefunction reconstruction combined with recent experimental demonstrations. The main purpose of this work focuses on the idea of holographic imaging via direct wavefunction reconstruction. Since research on this topic is still in its early stage, we hope that this work can attract interest in the field of traditional holographic imaging. In addition, the wavefunction holographic imaging may find important applications in quantum information science.

Quantum coherence as asymmetry from complex weak values

Quantum coherence as an asymmetry relative to a translation group generated by a Hermitian operator, is a necessary resource for the quantum parameter estimation. On the other hand, the sensitivity of the parameter estimation is known to be related to the imaginary part of the weak value of the Hermitian operator generating the unitary imprinting of the parameter being estimated. This naturally suggests a question if one can use the imaginary part of the weak value to characterize the coherence as asymmetry. In this work, we show that the average absolute imaginary part of the weak value of the generator of the translation group, maximized over all possible projective measurement bases, can be used to quantify the coherence as asymmetry relative to the translation group, satisfying certain desirable requirements. We argue that the quantifier of coherence so defined, called translationally-covariant (TC) w-coherence, can be obtained experimentally using a hybrid quantum–classical circuit via the estimation of weak value combined with a classical optimization procedure. We obtain upper bounds of the TC w-coherence in terms of the quantum standard deviation, quantum Fisher information, and the imaginary part of the Kirkwood–Dirac quasiprobability. We further obtain a lower bound and derive a relation between the TC w-coherences relative to two generators of translation group taking a form analogous to the Kennard–Weyl–Robertson uncertainty relation.

O002 Expression of MLN64 (lymph node metastasis 64) gene transcript in clinical gastric cancer and relationship with the ERBB4

Abstract Introduction MLN64 (Lymph Node Metastasis 64, or STARD3 (StAR Related Lipid Transfer Domain Containing 3)) has a role in the progression of certain cancers including breast and prostate cancers and connected to the pattern of ERBB2 (Her2). The present study explored the expression of MLN64 in clinical gastric cancer in connection with the ERBB family. Methods A gastric cancer cohort (n=322) was tested for the expression profile of MLN64 along with the ERBB family members. Comparisons were made between clinical, pathological subgroups and the clinical outcome together with ERBB expression status. Results Gastric tumours expressed significantly raised levels of MLN64 than normal tissues (p=0.0012) and showed a stepwise increase with increased tumour grade and TNM staging. However, there was no significant difference between node negative and node positive tumours. MLN64 alone had a weak value in evaluating the overall (OS) and disease free (DFS) survival. Amongst the four ERBB family members, MLN64 had a significant correlation with ERBB4 (Her4) (p=0.004). Stratification of patients by ERBB4 expression status indicates that in patients with low ERBB4 tumours, MLN64 presents a significant factor in assessing both disease free (DFS) p=0.027) and overall survival (OS) (p=0.048). Similarly, MLN64 expression identified a subpopulation of node positive patients with a most adverse clinical outcome (p=0.009 for DFS and p=0.048 for OS). Conclusion MLN64 expression is an indicator for the disease progression and clinical outcome in gastric cancer. Together with the expression pattern of ERBB4, it makes a prognostic factor for the patients.

Flat band induced metal-insulator transitions for weak magnetic flux and spin-orbit disorder

We consider manifolds of tunable all-bands-flat (ABF) lattices in dimensions $d=1,2$, parameterized by a manifold angle parameter $\ensuremath{\theta}$. We study localization properties of eigenstates in the presence of weak magnetic flux disorder and weak spin-orbit disorder. We demonstrate that weakly disordered ABF lattices are described by effective scale-free models, where the disorder strength is scaled out. For weak magnetic flux disorder, we observe subexponential localization at flatband energies in $d=1$, which differs from the usual Anderson localization. We also find diverging localization length at flatband energies for weak flux values in $d=2$; however, the character of the eigenstates at these energies is less clear. For weak spin-orbit coupling disorder in $d=2$ we identify a tunable metal-insulator transition with mobility edges. We also consider the case of mixed spin-orbit and diagonal disorder and obtain the metal-insulator transition driven by the manifold parameter $\ensuremath{\theta}$.

Metal–Organic Framework PCN-224 Integrated with Manganese Dioxide, Platinum Nanoparticles, and Glucose Oxidase for Enhanced Cancer Chemodynamic Therapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is a highly promising tumor treatment modality that uses the Fenton reaction to convert intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into cytotoxic hydroxyl groups (•OH). However, the therapeutic effects of CDT have been restricted by weak acidic pH values, insufficient H2O2 levels, and high glutathione (GSH) concentrations in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In this study, to construct PCN-224-Pt/GOD, porphyrin-based metal–organic framework nanoparticles (PCN-224) were used as the carrier to load Pt and glucose oxidase (GOD). The surface of PCN-224-Pt/GOD was covered with manganese dioxide (MnO2) to fabricate the multifunctional composite nanoparticles PCN-224-Pt/GOD@MnO2 (P–P/GOD@Mn). P–P/GOD@Mn was used to increase H2O2 levels and to decrease GSH levels for combined CDT and starvation therapy. As a result, we developed P–P/GOD@Mn nanoparticles (diameter, approximately 280 nm) with favorable size and biocompatibility. Under simulated TME conditions, P–P/GOD@Mn nanoparticles could catalyze H2O2 to generate cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH), consume glutathione (GSH), and decompose H2O2 to generate oxygen (O2). Cellular toxicity assay results showed that P–P/GOD@Mn killed MCF-7 cells in the TME, with a rate of 77%. The results of tumor-bearing mouse experiments proved that P–P/GOD@Mn nanoparticles could significantly suppress tumor cell growth, which shows the great potential of this entity in CDT and its possibility in bimodal cancer therapy.

Experimentally probing anomalous time evolution of a single photon.

In quantum mechanics, a quantum system is irreversibly collapsed by a projective measurement. Hence, delicately probing the time evolution of a quantum system holds the key to understanding curious phenomena. Here, we experimentally explore an anomalous time evolution, where, illustratively, a particle disappears from a box and emerges in a different box, with a certain moment in which it can be found in neither of them. In this experiment, we directly probe this curious time evolution of a single photon by measuring up to triple-operator sequential weak values (SWVs) using a novel probeless scheme. The naive interpretation provided by single-operator weak values (WVs) seems to imply the "disappearance" and "re-appearance" of a photon as theoretically predicted. However, double- and triple-operator SWVs, representing temporal correlations between the aforementioned values, show that spatial information about the photon does not entirely vanish in the intermediate time. These results show that local values (in space and time) alone, such as single-operator WVs, cannot fully explain all types of quantum evolution in time-higher order correlations are necessary in general, shedding new light on time evolution in quantum mechanics. The probeless measurement technique proposed here for measuring multiple-operator WVs can be straightforwardly extended to study various other cases of curious quantum evolution in time.

PEMBUATAN KEMASAN UNTUK MENINGKATKAN NILAI JUAL PEMASARAN PRODUK PADA UMKM SASIA

The purpose of the activity is to provide assistance in making seasoning product packaging owned by MSMEs in an effort to help improve the marketing of local Indonesian MSME products. The activity will be applied to the owner of the Sasia brand seasoning MSME production business domiciled in Tangerang, considering that partners still really need product packaging assistance for better marketing. Sasia MSME partners were chosen due to the weak selling value of the packaging provided to consumers, lack of knowledge, and not having better product packaging options that can provide added value to the seasoning products to be sold. This condition is due to the limited working capital owned by partners. So that the product packaging is not maximized. The method offered in the activity is to provide knowledge of the selling value of product packaging, assistance in making product design and packaging. Through this activity, the team will help Sasia MSME product entrepreneurs to do business more oriented towards increasing the selling value of product marketing to consumers through packaging that is not inferior to competitors. Which in turn will lead to an increase in consumer interest in purchasing Sasia brand seasoning products owned by partners.

Obtaining a single-photon weak value from experiments using a strong (many-photon) coherent state

A common type of weak-value experiment prepares a single particle in one state, weakly measures the occupation number of another state, and post-selects on finding the particle in a third state (a “click”). Most weak-value experiments have been done with photons, but the heralded preparation of a single photon is difficult and slow of rate. Here, we show that the weak value mentioned above can be measured using strong (many-photon) coherent states, while still needing only a click detector such as an avalanche photodiode. One simply subtracts the no-click weak value from the click weak-value and scales the answer by a simple function of the click probability.

Weak values and the past of a quantum particle

We investigate four key issues with using a nonzero weak value of the spatial projection operator to infer the past path of an individual quantum particle. First, we note that weak measurements disturb a system, so any approach relying on such a perturbation to determine the location of a quantum particle describes the state of a disturbed system, not that of a hypothetical undisturbed system. Secondly, even assuming no disturbance, there is no reason to associate the non-zero weak value of an operator containing the spatial projection operator with the classical idea of `particle presence'. Thirdly, weak values are only measurable over ensembles, and so to infer properties of individual particles from values of them is problematic. Finally, weak value approaches to the path of a particle do not provide information beyond standard quantum mechanics (and the classical modes supporting the experiment). We know of no experiment with testable consequences that demonstrates a connection between particle presence and weak values.

Saturating quantum advantages in postselected metrology with the positive Kirkwood-Dirac distribution

Weak amplification and other postselection-based metrological protocols can enhance precision while estimating small parameters, outperforming postselection-free protocols. In general, these enhancements are largely constrained because the protocols yielding higher precision are rarely obtained due to a lower probability of successful postselection. It is shown that this precision can further be improved with the help of quantum resources like entanglement and negativity in the quasiprobability distribution. However, these quantum advantages in attaining considerable success probability with large precision are bounded irrespective of any accessible quantum resources. The advantage is being considered only within the scope of postselected metrology. Here we derive a bound of these advantages in postselected metrology, establishing a connection with weak value optimization where the latter can be understood in terms of the geometric phase. We introduce a scheme that saturates the bound, yielding anomalously large precision. Moreover, we prove that these advantages can be achieved with positive quasiprobability distribution. We also provide an optimal metrological scheme using a three-level nondegenerate quantum system.

Evolution of superoscillations for spinning particles

Superoscillating functions are band-limited functions that can oscillate faster than their fastest Fourier component. These functions appear in various fields of science and technology, in particular they were discovered in quantum mechanics in the context of weak values introduced by Y. Aharonov and collaborators. The evolution problem of superoscillatory functions as initial conditions for the Schrödinger equation is intensively studied nowadays and the supershift property of the solution of Schrödinger equation encodes the persistence of superoscillatory phenomenon during the evolution. In this paper, we prove that the evolution of a superoscillatory initial datum for spinning particles in a magnetic field has the supershift property. Our techniques are based on the exact propagator of spinning particles, the associated infinite order differential operators and their continuity on suitable spaces of entire functions with growth conditions.

Optimization of parameter measurement precision with precoupling-assisted weak-value amplification

The weak-value amplification is extensively considered in precision metrology in order to achieve a higher sensitivity. Despite the practical benefits in amplifying small physical quantities, its metrological advantage still arouses a broad debate due to the low postselection probability of success. In this paper, by employing the quantum Fisher information metric, we show that the precision of estimating an unknown parameter can be improved by introducing a precoupling process with properly chosen interaction operators. We point out this result is credible for both real and imaginary weak values. By tracking the meter wave functions, we find this enhancement of estimation precision comes from a precoupling induced modulation of the meter wave function, thus the most sensitive regime with respect to the parameter is reached. In addition, the estimation error is investigated by considering the difference between the theoretical and estimated value. The analysis suggests that this kind of error can be effectively suppressed by averaging the estimations resulted from different initial meter states. These results are finally illustrated by an exact numerical simulation where the advantages of our proposal are displayed by the comparison to the standard weak-value amplification scheme.

Who cheats? Do prosocial values make a difference?

Research has indicated the importance of internal motivation as a factor in reducing academic misconduct in higher education and some commentators have also cited prosocial values as buffers against the temptation to cheat. In light of this research, the goal of the present research was to study the roles of motivation and prosocial values in combating academic misconduct. Specifically, it examined how internal motivation and strong prosocial values might impact the risk of academic misconduct. For this purpose, 455 student participants completed a self-report questionnaire. The results support the hypothesis that high internal motivation and strong prosocial values reduce the tendency to cheat. In comparison, high external motivation and weak prosocial values were associated with higher levels of academic misconduct. In addition, male students were more likely to cheat than their female classmates and science students were more likely to cheat than social science students. The ability to identify factors that reduce the risk of academic misconduct can inform interventions in higher education. According to the present results, such interventions should involve the promotion of prosocial values and enhance student well-being.

3-D Positioning Method of Pipeline Robots Based on a Rotating Permanent Magnet Mechanical Antenna

At present, the 3-D positioning of pipeline robots is limited by complex structures, large device sizes, and difficulties in the miniaturization of the sensor array. In this article, a multipoint magnetic field measurement method (MFM) is proposed for the spatial positioning of pipeline robots. The method can effectively obtain the 3-D coordinate positioning of pipeline robots in a short range, without complex sensor arrays, and without knowing the direction of the pipeline in advance. Furthermore, to address the problem in which weak magnetic field value is very susceptible to background noise and ferromagnetic interference in the environment, a dislocation superposition method (DSM) is developed to process the measured signals. In the MFM, a rotating permanent magnet mechanical antenna is used as the transmitter of low-frequency magnetic signals due to its advantages of small size, low energy consumption, and high radiation efficiency. Moreover, a single three-axis fluxgate sensor is used to measure the magnetic signal at multiple points. Finally, to verify the superiority of the proposed MFM and DSM, experiments are carried out in a seabed engineering laboratory. The test results show that the average absolute error of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${x}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -axis positioning is 0.04 m, the average absolute error of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${y}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -axis positioning is 0.01 m, and the average absolute error of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${z}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -axis positioning is 0.07 m.

Testing the predictive value of functional traits in diverse ant communities.

Associating morphological features with ecological traits is essential for understanding the connection between organisms and their roles in the environment. If applied successfully, functional trait approaches link form and function in an organism. However, functional trait data not associated with natural history information provide an incomplete picture of an organism's role in the ecosystem. Using data on the relative trophic position of 592 ant (Formicidae) samples comprising 393 species from 11 subfamilies and 19 widely distributed communities, we tested the extent to which commonly used functional proxies (i.e., morphometric traits) predict diet/trophic position as estimated from stable isotopes (δ15N). We chose ants as a group due to their ubiquity and abundance, as well as the wealth of available data on species traits and trophic levels. We measured 12 traits that have previously been identified as functionally significant, and corrected trait values for size and evolutionary history by using phylogenetically corrected trait residuals. Estimated trophic positions varied from 0.9 to 4.8 or roughly 4 trophic levels. Morphological data spanned nearly the entire size range seen in ants from the smallest (e.g., Strumigenys mitis total length 1.1 mm) to the largest species (e.g., Dinoponera australis total length 28.3 mm). We found overall body size, relative eye position, and scape length to be informative for predicting diet/trophic position in these communities, albeit with relatively weak predictive values. Specifically, trophic position was negatively correlated with body size and positively correlated with sensory traits (higher eye position and scape length). Our results suggest that functional trait-based approaches can be informative but should be used with caution unless clear links between form and function have been established.

Nonlocal generalized quantum measurement of product observables with mixed entanglement.

Nonlocal observables of spacelike separated quantum systems in combination with their measurements contribute greatly to quantum theory and its applications. We present a nonlocal generalized quantum measurement protocol for measuring product observables, assisted by a meter in a mixed entangled state rather than maximally or partially entangled pure states. By tuning the entanglement of the meter, measurement strength of arbitrary values can be achieved for nonlocal product observables, since measurement strength equals the concurrence of the meter. Furthermore, we present a specific scheme to measure the polarization of two nonlocal photons using linear optics. We refer to the polarization and spatial-mode degrees of freedom of the same photon pair as the system and the meter, respectively, which significantly simplifies the interaction between the system and the meter. This protocol can be useful for applications involving nonlocal product observables and nonlocal weak values, and for tests of quantum foundations in nonlocal scenarios.

Exploring postselection-induced quantum phenomena with time-bidirectional state formalism

Here we present the time-bidirectional state formalism (TBSF) unifying in a general manner the standard quantum mechanical formalism with no postselection and the time-symmetrized two-state (density) vector formalism, which deals with postselected states. In the proposed approach, a quantum particle's state, called a time-bidirectional state, is equivalent to a joined state of two particles propagating in opposite time directions. For a general time-bidirectional state, we derive outcome probabilities of generalized measurements, as well as mean and weak values of Hermitian observables. We also show how the obtained expressions reduce to known ones in the special cases of no postselection and generalized two-state (density) vectors. Then we develop tomography protocols based on mutually unbiased bases and a symmetric informationally complete positive operator-valued measure, allowing experimental reconstruction of an unknown single qubit time-bidirectional state. Finally, we employ the developed techniques for tracking of a qubit's time-reversal journey in a quantum teleportation protocol realized with a cloud-accessible noisy superconducting quantum processor. The obtained results justify an existence of a postselection-induced qubit's proper time-arrow, which is different from the time-arrow of a classical observer, and demonstrate capabilities of the TBSF for exploring quantum phenomena brought forth by a postselection in the presence of noise.