245 research outputs found
Optimal eavesdropping in quantum cryptography with six states
A generalization of the quantum cryptographic protocol by Bennett and
Brassard is discussed, using three conjugate bases, i.e. six states. By
calculating the optimal mutual information between sender and eavesdropper it
is shown that this scheme is safer against eavesdropping on single qubits than
the one based on two conjugate bases. We also address the question for a
connection between the maximal classical correlation in a generalized Bell
inequality and the intersection of mutual informations between sender/receiver
and sender/eavesdropper.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Sufficient conditions for three-particle entanglement and their tests in recent experiments
We point out a loophole problem in some recent experimental claims to produce
three-particle entanglement. The problem consists in the question whether
mixtures of two-particle entangled states might suffice to explain the
experimental data.
In an attempt to close this loophole, we review two sufficient conditions
that distinguish between N-particle states in which all N particles are
entangled to each other and states in which only M particles are entangled
(with M<N). It is shown that three recent experiments to obtain three-particle
entangled states (Bouwmeester et al., Pan et al., and Rauschenbeutel et al.) do
not meet these conditions. We conclude that the question whether these
experiments provide confirmation of three-particle entanglement remains
unresolved. We also propose modifications of the experiments that would make
such confirmation feasible.Comment: 16 page
Bell's inequality for n spin-s particles
The Mermin-Klyshko inequality for n spin-1/2 particles and two dichotomic
observables is generalized to n spin-s particles and two maximal observables.
It is shown that some multiparty multilevel Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states
[A. Cabello, Phys. Rev. A 63, 022104 (2001)] maximally violate this inequality
for any s. For a fixed n, the magnitude of the violation is constant for any s,
which provides a simple demonstration and generalizes the conclusion reached by
Gisin and Peres for two spin-s particles in the singlet state [Phys. Lett. A
162, 15 (1992)]. For a fixed s, the violation grows exponentially with n, which
provides a generalization to any s of Mermin's conclusion for n spin-1/2
particles [Phys. Rev. Lett. 65, 1838 (1990)].Comment: REVTeX4, 4 page
All multipartite Bell correlation inequalities for two dichotomic observables per site
We construct a set of 2^(2^n) independent Bell correlation inequalities for
n-partite systems with two dichotomic observables each, which is complete in
the sense that the inequalities are satisfied if and only if the correlations
considered allow a local classical model. All these inequalities can be
summarized in a single, albeit non-linear inequality. We show that quantum
correlations satisfy this condition provided the state has positive partial
transpose with respect to any grouping of the n systems into two subsystems. We
also provide an efficient algorithm for finding the maximal quantum mechanical
violation of each inequality, and show that the maximum is always attained for
the generalized GHZ state.Comment: 11 pages, REVTe
Constraints on chiral operators in N=2 SCFTs
Open Access, © The Authors. Article funded by SCOAP3.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (
CC-BY 4.0
), which permits any use, distribution and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited
Microbiological and functional outcomes after open extremity fractures sustained overseas: The experience of a UK level I trauma centre
Background Open extremity fractures carry a high risk of limb loss and poor functional outcomes. Transfer of extremity trauma patients from developing countries and areas of conflict adds further layers of complexity due to challenges in the delivery of adequate care. The combination of extensive injuries, transfer delays and complex microbiology presents unique challenges. Methods A retrospective review was conducted to analyse the surgical and microbiological themes of patients with open extremity fractures transferred from overseas to our institution (Imperial College NHS Trust) between January 2011 and January 2016. Results Twenty civilian patients with 21 open extremity fractures were referred to our unit from 11 different countries. All patients had poly-microbial wound contamination on initial surveillance cultures. Five patients (25%) underwent amputation depending on the extent of osseous injury; positive surveillance cultures did not preclude limb reconstruction, with seven patients undergoing complex reconstruction and eight undergoing simple reconstruction to achievewound coverage. Hundred percent of patients demonstrated infection-free fracture union on discharge. Conclusion Patients with open extremity fractures transferred from overseas present the unique challenge of poly-microbial infection in addition to extensive traumatic wounds. Favourable outcomes can be achieved despite positive microbiological findings on tissue culture with adequate antimicrobial therapy. The decision to salvage the limb and the complexity of reconstruction used should be based on the chance of achieving meaningful functional recovery, mainly determined by the extent of bony injury. The complexity of reconstruction was based on the predicted long-term functionality of the salvaged limb
Violations of local realism by two entangled quNits are stronger than for two qubits
Tests of local realism vs quantum mechanics based on Bell's inequality employ
two entangled qubits. We investigate the general case of two entangled quNits,
i.e. quantum systems defined in an N-dimensional Hilbert space. Via a numerical
linear optimization method we show that violations of local realism are
stronger for two maximally entangled quNits (N=3,4,...,9), than for two qubits
and that they increase with N. The two quNit measurements can be experimentally
realized using entangled photons and unbiased multiport beamsplitters.Comment: 5 pages, 2 pictures, LaTex, two columns; No changes in the result
Electrically conductive nanomaterials for cardiac tissue engineering
© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Patient deaths resulting from cardiovascular diseases are increasing across the globe, posing the greatest risk to patients in developed countries. Myocardial infarction, as a result of inadequate blood flow to the myocardium, results in irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes which can lead to heart failure. A sequela of myocardial infarction is scar formation that can alter the normal myocardial architecture and result in arrhythmias. Over the past decade, a myriad of tissue engineering approaches has been developed to fabricate engineered scaffolds for repairing cardiac tissue. This paper highlights the recent application of electrically conductive nanomaterials (carbon and gold-based nanomaterials, and electroactive polymers) to the development of scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering. Moreover, this work summarizes the effects of these nanomaterials on cardiac cell behavior such as proliferation and migration, as well as cardiomyogenic differentiation in stem cells
Cardioprotective Effect of Nicorandil, a Mitochondrial ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channel Opener, Prolongs Survival in HSPB5 R120G Transgenic Mice
BACKGROUND: Transgenic (TG) mice with overexpression of an arg120gly (R120G) missense mutation in HSPB5 display desmin-related cardiomyopathy, which is characterized by formation of aggresomes. It is also known that progressive mitochondrial abnormalities and apoptotic cell death occur in the hearts of R120G TG mice. The role of mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in disease progression, however, remains uncertain. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mitochondrial abnormalities and apoptotic cell death induced by overexpression of HSPB5 R120G were analyzed in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Overexpression of mutant HSPB5 led to development of aggresomes with a concomitant reduction in cell viability in the myocytes. Overexpression of mutant HSPB5 induced a reduction in the cytochrome c level in the mitochondrial fraction and a corresponding increase in the cytoplasmic fraction in the myocytes. Down-regulation of BCL2 and up-regulation of BAX were detected in the myocytes expressing the mutant HSPB5. Concomitant with mitochondrial abnormality, the activation of caspase-3 and increased apoptotic cell death was observed. Cell viability was dose-dependently recovered in myocytes overexpressing HSPB5 R120G by treatment with nicorandil a mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel opener. Nicorandil treatment also inhibited the increase in BAX, the decrease in BCL2, activation of caspase-3 and apoptotic cell death by mutant HSPB5. To confirm the results of the in-vitro study, we analyzed the effect of nicorandil in HSPB5 R120G TG mice. Nicorandil treatment appeared to reduce mitochondrial impairment and apoptotic cell death and prolonged survival in HSPB5 R120G TG mice. CONCLUSIONS: Nicorandil may prolong survival in HSPB5 R120G TG mice by protecting against mitochondrial impairments
Holographic renormalization and supersymmetry
Holographic renormalization is a systematic procedure for regulating
divergences in observables in asymptotically locally AdS spacetimes. For dual
boundary field theories which are supersymmetric it is natural to ask whether
this defines a supersymmetric renormalization scheme. Recent results in
localization have brought this question into sharp focus: rigid supersymmetry
on a curved boundary requires specific geometric structures, and general
arguments imply that BPS observables, such as the partition function, are
invariant under certain deformations of these structures. One can then ask if
the dual holographic observables are similarly invariant. We study this
question in minimal N = 2 gauged supergravity in four and five dimensions. In
four dimensions we show that holographic renormalization precisely reproduces
the expected field theory results. In five dimensions we find that no choice of
standard holographic counterterms is compatible with supersymmetry, which leads
us to introduce novel finite boundary terms. For a class of solutions
satisfying certain topological assumptions we provide some independent tests of
these new boundary terms, in particular showing that they reproduce the
expected VEVs of conserved charges.Comment: 70 pages; corrected typo
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