Time correlated quantum amplitude damping channel

We analyze the problem of sending classical information through qubit channels where successive uses of the channel are correlated. This work extends the analysis of C. Macchiavello and G. M. Palma to the case of a non-Pauli channel - the amplitude damping channel. Using the channel description outlined in S. Daffer, et al, we derive the correlated amplitude damping channel. We obtain a similar result to C. Macchiavello and G. M. Palma, that is, that under certain conditions on the degree of channel memory, the use of entangled input signals may enhance the information transmission compared to the use of product input signals.Comment: 9 pages, REVTex

The effects of right ventricular apical pacing on left ventricular function. Stimulation of the right ventricular apex: should it still be the gold standard?

Current pacing practice is undergoing continuous and substantial changes. Initially pacing had an exclusively palliative role, since it was reserved for patients developing complete heart block or severe symptomatic bradycardia. With the appearance of novel pacing indications such as pacing for heart failure and atrial fibrillation, the effect of pacing site on cardiac function has become a critically important issue and a subject for consideration. It seems that the classical pacing site in the right ventricular apex is no longer the gold standard because of possible disadvantageous effects on cardiac function. The aim of this review article is to discuss the effect of right ventricular apical pacing on cardiac function including cellular and hemodynamic changes. We also aim to discuss the role of alternative pacing sites in the light of cardiac function

Comparison theory and smooth minimal C*-dynamics

We prove that the C*-algebra of a minimal diffeomorphism satisfies Blackadar's Fundamental Comparability Property for positive elements. This leads to the classification, in terms of K-theory and traces, of the isomorphism classes of countably generated Hilbert modules over such algebras, and to a similar classification for the closures of unitary orbits of self-adjoint elements. We also obtain a structure theorem for the Cuntz semigroup in this setting, and prove a conjecture of Blackadar and Handelman: the lower semicontinuous dimension functions are weakly dense in the space of all dimension functions. These results continue to hold in the broader setting of unital simple ASH algebras with slow dimension growth and stable rank one. Our main tool is a sharp bound on the radius of comparison of a recursive subhomogeneous C*-algebra. This is also used to construct uncountably many non-Morita-equivalent simple separable amenable C*-algebras with the same K-theory and tracial state space, providing a C*-algebraic analogue of McDuff's uncountable family of II_1 factors. We prove in passing that the range of the radius of comparison is exhausted by simple C*-algebras.Comment: 30 pages, no figure

The importance of lithofacies control on fluid migration in heterogeneous aeolian formations for geological CO2 storage: Lessons from observational evidence and modelling of bleached palaeoreservoirs at Salt Wash Graben, Utah

Exhumed bleached palaeoreservoirs provide a means of understanding fluid flow processes in geological media because the former movement of fluids is preserved as visible geochemical changes (grey bleaching of continental red-beds). The bleached palaeoreservoirs of the Jurassic Entrada Sandstone occur in a region (Utah) where there are high fluxes of naturally-occurring CO2 and form outcrop analogues for processes related to geological storage of CO2. In this paper a bleached palaeoreservoir now exposed at outcrop is used to test the importance of geological heterogeneity on fluid flow. The bleached palaeoreservoir is developed in ‘wet aeolian’ lithofacies composed of alternating layers of sandstone and cemented muddy sandstone that range across three or more orders of magnitude in permeability. Despite these permeability contrasts the bleaching shows a remarkably uniform distribution within the palaeoreservoir that crosses lithofacies boundaries. Evidence from bleaching therefore suggests that geological heterogeneity within the range 1–103 millidarcies should not greatly impede the relatively uniform distribution of low-viscosity CO2 charged fluids throughout a reservoir: a conclusion that has been substantiated here by flow modelling. Residence time is an important factor and where flows are transient the distribution of bleaching and modelling shows that flows are confined to high-permeability lithofacies

Imaging of a coronary artery bypass graft during coronary sinus venography

Retrograde coronary sinus perfusion to maintain viability during cardiac surgery means that a connection via the capillary system to the coronary arteries, and potentially bypass grafts, may be possible. Coronary sinus (CS) venography prior to resynchronisation therapy in this patient with previous bypass grafting was associated with visualisation of these grafts

Innovations in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Conventional Approaches to Remote Magnetic Navigation

Clinical cardiac electrophysiology (EP) has progressed significantly since the first invasive electrophysiological studies were performed to study normal impulse formation and conduction in the heart and to confirm hypotheses regarding the causation of arrhythmias. The first His bundle recordings in 1969,(1) and later, programmed atrial and ventricular stimulation( 2) to induce tachycardia made detailed analysis of arrhythmias possible. This led to an understanding of reentrant and focal tachycardias on an atrial and ventricular level. Subsequently therapeutic options became available when surgery entered the field with a approach for ventricular tachycardia (VT)(3) and ventricular preexcitation (WPW syndrome). Atrial fibrillation (AF) surgery was also successful but had a relatively high morbidity and a clear mortality risk. At this early stage no therapy could be given via the catheter. Subsequently direct current (DC) shock ablation of the AV node proved to be very successful and led to catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia and accessory pathways (4). However, the complications of this technique were important. The arrival of radiofrequency was thought to be the solution for the more simple arrhythmias such as atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), WPW, idiopathic VT and atrial flutter(5). The development of better catheters allowed for successful therapy in excess of 85% in most cases of these arrhythmias(6, 7). The real challenges remained VT on a background of underlying heart disease, and AF in both the normal and abnormal heart. The arrival of mapping systems allowing detailed electro-anatomical mapping(8) helped strategies to develop for more complex arrhythmias. However these approaches are still time consuming and there remain some drawbacks

Structure-functional relationship of cellular retinoic acid binding proteins I and II interacting with natural and synthetic ligands

A detailed understanding of the interactions between small-molecule ligands and their proposed binding targets is of the utmost importance for modern drug-development programs. Cellular retinoic acid-binding proteins I and II (CRABPI and CRABPII) facilitate a number of vital retinoid signalling pathways in mammalian cells and offer a gateway to manipulation of signalling that could potentially reduce phenotypes in serious diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration. Although structurally very similar, the two proteins possess distinctly different biological functions, with their signalling influence being exerted through both genomic and nongenomic pathways. In this article, crystal structures are presented of the L29C mutant of Homo sapiens CRABPI in complex with naturally occurring fatty acids (1.64 A˚ resolution) and with the synthetic retinoid DC645 (2.41 A˚ resolution), and of CRABPII in complex with the ligands DC479 (1.80 A˚ resolution) and DC645 (1.71 A˚ resolution). DC645 and DC479 are two potential drug compounds identified in a recent synthetic retinoid development program. In particular, DC645 has recently been shown to have disease-modifying capabilities in neurodegenerative disease models by activating both genomic and nongenomic signalling pathways. These co-crystal structures demonstrate a canonical binding behaviour akin to that exhibited with all-trans-retinoic acid and help to explain how the compounds are able to exert an influence on part of the retinoid signalling cascade