277 research outputs found

    Continuous variable quantum cryptography

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    We propose a quantum cryptographic scheme in which small phase and amplitude modulations of CW light beams carry the key information. The presence of EPR type correlations provides the quantum protection.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

    Using entanglement improves precision of quantum measurements

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    We show how entanglement can be used to improve the estimation of an unknown transformation. Using entanglement is always of benefit, in improving either the precision or the stability of the measurement. Examples relevant for applications are illustrated, for either qubits and continuous variable

    Path integrals on a flux cone

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    This paper considers the Schroedinger propagator on a cone with the conical singularity carrying magnetic flux (``flux cone''). Starting from the operator formalism and then combining techniques of path integration in polar coordinates and in spaces with constraints, the propagator and its path integral representation are derived. "Quantum correction" in the Lagrangian appears naturally and no a priori assumption is made about connectivity of the configuration space.Comment: LaTeX file, 9 page

    Nonthermal Hard X-ray Emission and Iron Kalpha Emission from a Superflare on II Pegasi

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    We report on an X-ray flare detected on the active binary system II~Pegasi with the Swift telescope. The trigger had a 10-200 keV luminosity of 2.2×1032\times10^{32} erg s1^{-1}-- a superflare, by comparison with energies of typical stellar flares on active binary systems. The trigger spectrum indicates a hot thermal plasma with T\sim180 ×106\times10^{6}K. X-ray spectral analysis from 0.8--200 keV with the X-Ray Telescope and BAT in the next two orbits reveals evidence for a thermal component (T>>80 ×106\times10^{6}K) and Fe K 6.4 keV emission. A tail of emission out to 200 keV can be fit with either an extremely high temperature thermal plasma (T3×108\sim3\times10^{8}K) or power-law emission. Based on analogies with solar flares, we attribute the excess continuum emission to nonthermal thick-target bremsstrahlung emission from a population of accelerated electrons. We estimate the radiated energy from 0.01--200 keV to be 6×1036\sim6\times10^{36} erg, the total radiated energy over all wavelengths 1038\sim10^{38} erg, the energy in nonthermal electrons above 20 keV 3×1040\sim3\times10^{40} erg, and conducted energy <5×1043<5\times10^{43} erg. The nonthermal interpretation gives a reasonable value for the total energy in electrons >> 20 keV when compared to the upper and lower bounds on the thermal energy content of the flare. This marks the first occasion in which evidence exists for nonthermal hard X-ray emission from a stellar flare. We investigate the emission mechanism responsible for producing the 6.4 keV feature, and find that collisional ionization from nonthermal electrons appears to be more plausible than the photoionization mechanism usually invoked on the Sun and pre-main sequence stars.Comment: 41 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

    Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 have opposing roles in the pathogenesis of cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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    © 2018 American Physiological Society. All rights reserved. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of morbidity and death and imposes major socioeconomic burdens globally. It is a progressive and disabling condition that severely impairs breathing and lung function. There is a lack of effective treatments for COPD, which is a direct consequence of the poor understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in driving the pathogenesis of the disease. Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 are implicated in chronic respiratory diseases, including COPD, asthma and pulmonary fibrosis. However, their roles in the pathogenesis of COPD are controversial and conflicting evidence exists. In the current study, we investigated the role of TLR2 and TLR4 using a model of cigarette smoke (CS)-induced experimental COPD that recapitulates the hallmark features of human disease. TLR2, TLR4, and associated coreceptor mRNA expression was increased in the airways in both experimental and human COPD. Compared with wild-type (WT) mice, CS-induced pulmonary inflammation was unaltered in TLR2-deficient (Tlr2-/-) and TLR4-deficient (Tlr4-/-) mice. CS-induced airway fibrosis, characterized by increased collagen deposition around small airways, was not altered in Tlr2-/- mice but was attenuated in Tlr4-/- mice compared with CS-exposed WT controls. However, Tlr2-/- mice had increased CS-induced emphy-sema-like alveolar enlargement, apoptosis, and impaired lung function, while these features were reduced in Tlr4-/- mice compared with CS-exposed WT controls. Taken together, these data highlight the complex roles of TLRs in the pathogenesis of COPD and suggest that activation of TLR2 and/or inhibition of TLR4 may be novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of COPD

    Quantum nonlinear dynamics of continuously measured systems

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    Classical dynamics is formulated as a Hamiltonian flow on phase space, while quantum mechanics is formulated as a unitary dynamics in Hilbert space. These different formulations have made it difficult to directly compare quantum and classical nonlinear dynamics. Previous solutions have focussed on computing quantities associated with a statistical ensemble such as variance or entropy. However a more direct comparison would compare classical predictions to the quantum for continuous simultaneous measurement of position and momentum of a single system. In this paper we give a theory of such measurement and show that chaotic behaviour in classical systems can be reproduced by continuously measured quantum systems.Comment: 11 pages, REVTEX, 3 figure

    Processing and Transmission of Information

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    Contains research objectives and reports on seven research projects.Lincoln Laboratory, Purchase Order DDL-B222Air Force under Air Force Contract AF19(604)-5200Office of Naval Research under Contract Nonr-1841(57

    Multiple agency perspective, family control, and private information abuse in an emerging economy

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    Using a comprehensive sample of listed companies in Hong Kong this paper investigates how family control affects private information abuses and firm performance in emerging economies. We combine research on stock market microstructure with more recent studies of multiple agency perspectives and argue that family ownership and control over the board increases the risk of private information abuse. This, in turn, has a negative impact on stock market performance. Family control is associated with an incentive to distort information disclosure to minority shareholders and obtain private benefits of control. However, the multiple agency roles of controlling families may have different governance properties in terms of investors’ perceptions of private information abuse. These findings contribute to our understanding of the conflicting evidence on the governance role of family control within a multiple agency perspectiv
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