206 research outputs found
Arctic soil microbial diversity in a changing world
The Arctic region is a unique environment, subject to extreme environmental conditions, shaping life therein and contributing to its sensitivity to environmental change. The Arctic is under increasing environmental pressure from anthropogenic activity and global warming. The unique microbial diversity of Arctic regions, that has a critical role in biogeochemical cycling and in the production of greenhouse gases, will be directly affected by and affect, global changes. This article reviews current knowledge and understanding of microbial taxonomic and functional diversity in Arctic soils, the contributions of microbial diversity to ecosystem processes and their responses to environmental change
The Birmingham Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) project : developments towards selective internal particle therapy
This paper will review progress on two aspects of the Birmingham BNCT project. Firstly on evaluation of the effects of high and low LET radiations when delivered simultaneously, and secondly on attempts to optimise delivery of the boron carrier compound BPA through pharmacokinetic studies. Simultaneous or non-simultaneous irradiations of V79 cells with alpha-particle and X-ray irradiations were performed. Alpha doses of 2 and 2.5 Gy were chosen and the impact on survival when delivered separately or simultaneously with variable doses of X-rays was evaluated. The pharmacokinetics of the delivery of a new formulation of BPA (BPA-mannitol) are being investigated in brain tumour patients through a study with 2 Ă— 2 design featuring intravenous and intracarotid artery infusion of BPA, with or without a mannitol bolus. On the combined effect of low and high LET radiations, a synergistic effect was observed when alpha and X-ray doses are delivered simultaneously. The effect is only present at the 2.5 Gy alpha dose and is a very substantial effect on both the shape of the survival curve and the level of cell killing. This indicates that the alpha component may have the effect of inhibiting the repair of damage from the low LET radiation dose delivered simultaneously. On the pharmacokinetics of BPA, data on the first three cohorts indicate that bioavailability of BPA in brain ECF is increased substantially through the addition of a mannitol bolus, as well as by the use of intracarotid artery route of infusion. In both cases, for some patients the levels after infusion approach those seen in blood, whereas the ECF levels for intravenous infusion without mannitol are typically less than 10% of the blood values
Deterministic secure direct communication using GHZ states and swapping quantum entanglement
We present a deterministic secure direct communication scheme via
entanglement swapping, where a set of ordered maximally entangled
three-particle states (GHZ states), initially shared by three spatially
separated parties, Alice, Bob and Charlie, functions as a quantum information
channel. After ensuring the safety of the quantum channel, Alice and Bob apply
a series local operations on their respective particles according to the
tripartite stipulation and the secret message they both want to send to
Charlie. By three Alice, Bob and Charlie's Bell measurement results, Charlie is
able to infer the secret messages directly. The secret messages are faithfully
transmitted from Alice and Bob to Charlie via initially shared pairs of GHZ
states without revealing any information to a potential eavesdropper. Since
there is not a transmission of the qubits carrying the secret message between
any two of them in the public channel, it is completely secure for direct
secret communication if perfect quantum channel is used.Comment: 9 pages, no figur
Motherhood on ice? A media framing analysis of older mothers in the UK news
Changing gender roles and increased sexual and economic freedom have created opportunities for women to give birth relatively late in life. However, stigma and misplaced fears about physical capacity are often reported as sources of anxiety among older, and in vitro fertilisation-induced mothers. In this study, we apply a specially adapted method for analysing news media content to a week's selection of material in the British media following the dissemination of research at an international medical conference. Our findings suggest, despite some positive commentaries, that much negative discourse is circulated by the media about older mothers, from implied claims of selfishness (older mothers as 'delaying' conception) to violations of the 'natural order'. These latter claims reflect the long-standing ambivalence by the media generally towards scientific advancement, but they also reveal continuing resistance towards unorthodox lifestyles
Recovering coherence from decoherence: a method of quantum state reconstruction
We present a feasible scheme for reconstructing the quantum state of a field
prepared inside a lossy cavity. Quantum coherences are normally destroyed by
dissipation, but we show that at zero temperature we are able to retrieve
enough information about the initial state, making possible to recover its
Wigner function as well as other quasiprobabilities. We provide a numerical
simulation of a Schroedinger cat state reconstruction.Comment: 8 pages, in RevTeX, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
A (november 1999
Quantum secure direct communication network with superdense coding and decoy photons
A quantum secure direct communication network scheme is proposed with quantum
superdense coding and decoy photons. The servers on a passive optical network
prepare and measure the quantum signal, i.e., a sequence of the -dimensional
Bell states. After confirming the security of the photons received from the
receiver, the sender codes his secret message on them directly. For preventing
a dishonest server from eavesdropping, some decoy photons prepared by measuring
one photon in the Bell states are used to replace some original photons. One of
the users on the network can communicate any other one. This scheme has the
advantage of high capacity, and it is more convenient than others as only a
sequence of photons is transmitted in quantum line.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figur
Quantum entanglement and disentanglement of multi-atom systems
We present a review of recent research on quantum entanglement, with special
emphasis on entanglement between single atoms, processing of an encoded
entanglement and its temporary evolution. Analysis based on the density matrix
formalism are described. We give a simple description of the entangling
procedure and explore the role of the environment in creation of entanglement
and in disentanglement of atomic systems. A particular process we will focus on
is spontaneous emission, usually recognized as an irreversible loss of
information and entanglement encoded in the internal states of the system. We
illustrate some certain circumstances where this irreversible process can in
fact induce entanglement between separated systems. We also show how
spontaneous emission reveals a competition between the Bell states of a two
qubit system that leads to the recently discovered "sudden" features in the
temporal evolution of entanglement. An another problem illustrated in details
is a deterministic preparation of atoms and atomic ensembles in long-lived
stationary squeezed states and entangled cluster states. We then determine how
to trigger the evolution of the stable entanglement and also address the issue
of a steered evolution of entanglement between desired pairs of qubits that can
be achieved simply by varying the parameters of a given system.Comment: Review articl
Avalanches in Breakdown and Fracture Processes
We investigate the breakdown of disordered networks under the action of an
increasing external---mechanical or electrical---force. We perform a mean-field
analysis and estimate scaling exponents for the approach to the instability. By
simulating two-dimensional models of electric breakdown and fracture we observe
that the breakdown is preceded by avalanche events. The avalanches can be
described by scaling laws, and the estimated values of the exponents are
consistent with those found in mean-field theory. The breakdown point is
characterized by a discontinuity in the macroscopic properties of the material,
such as conductivity or elasticity, indicative of a first order transition. The
scaling laws suggest an analogy with the behavior expected in spinodal
nucleation.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. E, corrected typo in
authors name, no changes to the pape
The missing pieces for better future predictions in subarctic ecosystems: a Torneträsk case study
Arctic and subarctic ecosystems are experiencing substantial changes in hydrology, vegetation, permafrost conditions, and carbon cycling, in response to climatic change and other anthropogenic drivers, and these changes are likely to continue over this century. The total magnitude of these changes results from multiple interactions among these drivers. Field measurements can address the overall responses to different changing drivers, but are less capable of quantifying the interactions among them. Currently, a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of ecosystem changes, and the magnitude of their direct and indirect impacts on subarctic ecosystems, is missing. The Torneträsk area, in the Swedish subarctic, has an unrivalled history of environmental observation over 100 years, and is one of the most studied sites in the Arctic. In this study, we summarize and rank the drivers of ecosystem change in the Torneträsk area, and propose research priorities identified, by expert assessment, to improve predictions of ecosystem changes. The research priorities identified include understanding impacts on ecosystems brought on by altered frequency and intensity of winter warming events, evapotranspiration rates, rainfall, duration of snow cover and lake-ice, changed soil moisture, and droughts. This case study can help us understand the ongoing ecosystem changes occurring in the Torneträsk area, and contribute to improve predictions of future ecosystem changes at a larger scale. This understanding will provide the basis for the future mitigation and adaptation plans needed in a changing climate
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