1,405 research outputs found

    Improving the entanglement transfer from continuous variable systems to localized qubits using non Gaussian states

    Full text link
    We investigate the entanglement transfer from a bipartite continuous-variable (CV) system to a pair of localized qubits assuming that each CV mode couples to one qubit via the off-resonance Jaynes-Cummings interaction with different interaction times for the two subsystems. First, we consider the case of the CV system prepared in a Bell-like superposition and investigate the conditions for maximum entanglement transfer. Then we analyze the general case of two-mode CV states that can be represented by a Schmidt decomposition in the Fock number basis. This class includes both Gaussian and non Gaussian CV states, as for example twin-beam (TWB) and pair-coherent (TMC, also known as two-mode-coher ent) states respectively. Under resonance conditions, equal interaction times for both qubits and different initial preparations, we find that the entanglement transfer is more efficient for TMC than for TWB states. In the perspective of applications such as in cavity QED or with superconducting qubits, we analyze in details the effects of off-resonance interactions (detuning) and different interaction times for the two qubits, and discuss conditions to preserve the entanglement transfer.Comment: revised version, 11 pages, 7 figures (few of them low-res

    TMCalc - A fast code to derive Teff and [Fe/H] for FGK stars

    Full text link
    We present a new direct spectroscopic calibration for a fast estimation of the stellar metallicity [Fe/H]. These calibrations were computed using a large sample of 451 solar-type stars for which we have precise spectroscopic parameters derived from high quality spectra. The new [Fe/H] calibration is based on weak Fe I lines, which are expected to be less dependent on surface gravity and microturbulence, and require only a pre-determination of the effective temperature. This temperature can be obtained using a previously presented line-ratio calibration. We also present a simple code that uses the calibrations and procedures presented in these works to obtain both the effective temperature and the [Fe/H] estimate. The code, written in C, is freely available for the community and may be used as an extension of the ARES code. We test these calibrations for 582 independent FGK stars. We show that the code can be used as a precise and fast indicator of the spectroscopic temperature and metallicity for dwarf FKG stars with effective temperatures ranging from 4500 K to 6500 K and with [Fe/H] ranging from -0.8 dex to 0.4 dex.Comment: 10 pages, 8 Figures, published in A&

    Inferring biochemical reaction pathways: the case of the gemcitabine pharmacokinetics.

    Get PDF
    Background The representation of a biochemical system as a network is the precursor of any mathematical model of the processes driving the dynamics of that system. Pharmacokinetics uses mathematical models to describe the interactions between drug, and drug metabolites and targets and through the simulation of these models predicts drug levels and/or dynamic behaviors of drug entities in the body. Therefore, the development of computational techniques for inferring the interaction network of the drug entities and its kinetic parameters from observational data is raising great interest in the scientic community of pharmacologists. In fact, the network inference is a set of mathematical procedures deducing the structure of a model from the experimental data associated to the nodes of the network of interactions. In this paper, we deal with the inference of a pharmacokinetic network from the concentrations of the drug and its metabolites observed at discrete time points. Results The method of network inference presented in this paper is inspired by the theory of time-lagged correlation inference with regard to the deduction of the interaction network, and on a maximum likelihood approach with regard to the estimation of the kinetic parameters of the network. Both network inference and parameter estimation have been designed specically to identify systems of biotransformations, at the biochemical level, from noisy time-resolved experimental data. We use our inference method to deduce the metabolic pathway of the gemcitabine. The inputs to our inference algorithm are the experimental time series of the concentration of gemcitabine and its metabolites. The output is the set of reactions of the metabolic network of the gemcitabine. Conclusions Time-lagged correlation based inference pairs up to a probabilistic model of parameter inference from metabolites time series allows the identication of the microscopic pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a drug with a minimal a priori knowledge. In fact, the inference model presented in this paper is completely unsupervised. It takes as input the time series of the concetrations of the parent drug and its metabolites. The method, applied to the case study of the gemcitabine pharmacokinetics, shows good accuracy and sensitivit

    Trace-Element Distribution on Sulfide Mineralization in Trento Province, NE Italy

    Get PDF
    Sulfide mineralization in the province of Trento (northeastern Italy) includes various mineral assemblages that are often silver-rich and have been exploited in different phases from the Middle Ages until the 20th century. This study investigates mineralized rocks from three historically important sites (Calisio mount, Erdemolo lake, and the locality of Cinque Valli), providing new analytical data (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry on bulk rocks, and Scanning Electron Microscopy on thin sections) that demonstrate that parageneses do not only include galena, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite but also accessory minerals, such as tetrahedrite, tennantite, acanthite, and sulfosalts (matildite/polybasite). This explains the high content of As (up to 278 ppm), Bi (up to 176 ppm), and Sb (up to 691 ppm) that are associated with Pb–Cu–Zn mineralization. Notably, trace-element ratios indicate that, although closely associated from a geographical point of view, the studied sites are not genetically related and have to be referred to in distinct mineralization events, possibly induced by three diverse magmatic and hydrothermal phases that occurred in the Variscan post-orogenic setting. Besides geological and petrogenetic reconstruction, the new data outline potential geochemical risks, as they reveal a high concentration of elements characterized by marked toxicity that can be transferred into the local soil and water. Therefore, future studies should be devoted to better investigating the metal distribution in the surroundings of ancient mining sites and their geochemical behavior during the weathering processes
    corecore