9,091 research outputs found
The Kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect from Radiative Transfer Simulations of Patchy Reionization
We present the first calculation of the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ)
effect due to the inhomogeneous reionization of the universe based on detailed
large-scale radiative transfer simulations of reionization. The resulting sky
power spectra peak at l=2000-8000 with maximum values of
l^2C_l~1\times10^{-12}. The peak scale is determined by the typical size of the
ionized regions and roughly corresponds to the ionized bubble sizes observed in
our simulations, ~5-20 Mpc. The kSZ anisotropy signal from reionization
dominates the primary CMB signal above l=3000. This predicted kSZ signal at
arcminute scales is sufficiently strong to be detectable by upcoming
experiments, like the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and South Pole Telescope
which are expected to have ~1' resolution and ~muK sensitivity. The extended
and patchy nature of the reionization process results in a boost of the peak
signal in power by approximately one order of magnitude compared to a uniform
reionization scenario, while roughly tripling the signal compared with that
based upon the assumption of gradual but spatially uniform reionization. At
large scales the patchy kSZ signal depends largely on the ionizing source
efficiencies and the large-scale velocity fields: sources which produce photons
more efficiently yield correspondingly higher signals. The introduction of
sub-grid gas clumping in the radiative transfer simulations produces
significantly more power at small scales, and more non-Gaussian features, but
has little effect at large scales. The patchy nature of the reionization
process roughly doubles the total observed kSZ signal for l~3000-10^4 compared
to non-patchy scenarios with the same total electron-scattering optical depth.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures (some in color), submitted to Ap
Continuous-variable entanglement distillation over a pure loss channel with multiple quantum scissors
Entanglement distillation is a key primitive for distributing high-quality
entanglement between remote locations. Probabilistic noiseless linear
amplification based on the quantum scissors is a candidate for entanglement
distillation from noisy continuous-variable (CV) entangled states. Being a
non-Gaussian operation, quantum scissors is challenging to analyze. We present
a derivation of the non-Gaussian state heralded by multiple quantum scissors in
a pure loss channel with two-mode squeezed vacuum input. We choose the reverse
coherent information (RCI)---a proven lower bound on the distillable
entanglement of a quantum state under one-way local operations and classical
communication (LOCC), as our figure of merit. We evaluate a Gaussian lower
bound on the RCI of the heralded state. We show that it can exceed the
unlimited two-way LOCCassisted direct transmission entanglement distillation
capacity of the pure loss channel. The optimal heralded Gaussian RCI with two
quantum scissors is found to be significantly more than that with a single
quantum scissors, albeit at the cost of decreased success probability. Our
results fortify the possibility of a quantum repeater scheme for CV quantum
states using the quantum scissors.Comment: accepted for publication in Physical Review
Environmental factors influencing the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in wild birds in Europe
A large number of occurrences of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus in wild birds were reported in Europe. The relationship between the occurrence pattern and environmental factors has, however, not yet been explored. This research uses logistic regression to quantify the relationships between anthropogenic or physical environmental factors and HPAI H5N1 occurrences. Our results indicate that HPAI H5N1 occurrences are highly correlated with the following: the increased normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in December; intermediate NDVI in March; lower elevations; increased minimum temperatures in January; and reduced precipitation in January. A predictive risk map of HPAI H5N1 occurrences in wild birds in Europe was generated on the basis of five key environmental factors. Independent validation of the risk map showed the predictive model to be of high accuracy (79%). The analysis suggests that HPAI H5N1 occurrences in wild birds are strongly influenced by the availability of food resources and are facilitated by increased temperatures and reduced precipitation. We therefore deduced that HPAI H5N1 occurrences in wild birds in Europe are probably caused by contact with other wild birds and not by contact with domestic poultry. These findings are important considerations for the global surveillance of HPAI H5N1 occurrences in wild birds
State-dependent impedance of a strongly coupled oscillator-qubit system
We investigate the measurements of two-state quantum systems (qubits) at
finite temperatures using a resonant harmonic oscillator as a quantum probe.
The reduced density matrix and oscillator correlators are calculated by a
scheme combining numerical methods with an analytical perturbation theory.
Correlators provide us information about the system impedance, which depends on
the qubit state. We show in detail how this property can be exploited in the
qubit measurement.Comment: 8 pages, 16 image
Repeatability of fractional flow reserve despite variations in systemic and coronary hemodynamics
Objectives
This study classified and quantified the variation in fractional flow reserve (FFR) due to fluctuations in systemic and coronary hemodynamics during intravenous adenosine infusion.
Background
Although FFR has become a key invasive tool to guide treatment, questions remain regarding its repeatability and stability during intravenous adenosine infusion because of systemic effects that can alter driving pressure and heart rate.
Methods
We reanalyzed data from the VERIFY (VERification of Instantaneous Wave-Free Ratio and Fractional Flow Reserve for the Assessment of Coronary Artery Stenosis Severity in EverydaY Practice) study, which enrolled consecutive patients who were infused with intravenous adenosine at 140 ÎŒg/kg/min and measured FFR twice. Raw phasic pressure tracings from the aorta (Pa) and distal coronary artery (Pd) were transformed into moving averages of Pd/Pa. Visual analysis grouped Pd/Pa curves into patterns of similar response. Quantitative analysis of the Pd/Pa curves identified the âsmart minimumâ FFR using a novel algorithm, which was compared with human core laboratory analysis.
Results
A total of 190 complete pairs came from 206 patients after exclusions. Visual analysis revealed 3 Pd/Pa patterns: âclassicâ (sigmoid) in 57%, âhumpedâ (sigmoid with superimposed bumps of varying height) in 39%, and âunusualâ (no pattern) in 4%. The Pd/Pa pattern repeated itself in 67% of patient pairs. Despite variability of Pd/Pa during the hyperemic period, the âsmart minimumâ FFR demonstrated excellent repeatability (bias â0.001, SD 0.018, paired p = 0.93, r2 = 98.2%, coefficient of variation = 2.5%). Our algorithm produced FFR values not significantly different from human core laboratory analysis (paired p = 0.43 vs. VERIFY; p = 0.34 vs. RESOLVE).
Conclusions
Intravenous adenosine produced 3 general patterns of Pd/Pa response, with associated variability in aortic and coronary pressure and heart rate during the hyperemic period. Nevertheless, FFR â when chosen appropriately â proved to be a highly reproducible value. Therefore, operators can confidently select the âsmart minimumâ FFR for patient care. Our results suggest that this selection process can be automated, yet comparable to human core laboratory analysis
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