52,710 research outputs found
Measurement based entanglement under conditions of extreme photon loss
The act of measuring optical emissions from two remote qubits can entangle
them. By demanding that a photon from each qubit reaches the detectors, one can
ensure than no photon was lost. But the failure rate then rises quadratically
with loss probability. In [1] this resulted in 30 successes per billion
attempts. We describe a means to exploit the low grade entanglement heralded by
the detection of a lone photon: A subsequent perfect operation is quickly
achieved by consuming this noisy resource. We require only two qubits per node,
and can tolerate both path length variation and loss asymmetry. The impact of
photon loss upon the failure rate is then linear; realistic high-loss devices
can gain orders of magnitude in performance and thus support QIP.Comment: Contains an extension of the protocol that makes it robust against
asymmetries in path length and photon los
Investigation of a 2-Colour Undulator FEL Using Puffin
Initial studies of a 2-colour FEL amplifier using one monoenergetic electron
beam are presented. The interaction is modelled using the unaveraged, broadband
FEL code Puffin. A series of undulator modules are tuned to generate two
resonant frequencies along the FEL interaction and a self-consistent 2-colour
FEL interaction at widely spaced non-harmonic wavelengths at 1nm and 2.4nm is
demonstrated.Comment: Submitted to The 35th International Free-Electron Laser Conference,
Manhattan, New York (2013
Understanding perceived determinants of nurses’ eating and physical activity behaviour : A theory-informed qualitative interview study
We thank Eilidh Duncan and Maria Prior for help with designing the interview topic guide. We would also like to thank all the nurses who gave their time to participate in the pilot study of the interview topic guide and the qualitative interviews. The Health Services Research Unit is funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates. The views expressed are those of the authors alone. Funding This work was funded through a Medical Research Council doctoral training award.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Earth radiation budget measurements from satellites and their interpretation for climate modeling and studies
The annual and seasonal averaged Earth atmosphere radiation budgets derived from the most complete set of satellite observations available are presented. The budgets were derived from a composite of 48 monthly mean radiation budget maps. Annually and seasonally averaged radiation budgets are presented as global averages and zonal averages. The geographic distribution of the various radiation budget quantities is described. The annual cycle of the radiation budget was analyzed and the annual variability of net flux was shown to be largely dominated by the regular semi and annual cycles forced by external Earth-Sun geometry variations. Radiative transfer calculations were compared to the observed budget quantities and surface budgets were additionally computed with particular emphasis on discrepancies that exist between the present computations and previous surface budget estimates
Telehealth methods to deliver multifactorial dietary interventions in adults with chronic disease: A systematic review protocol
Background: The long-term management of chronic diseases requires adoption of complex dietary recommendations, which can be facilitated by regular coaching to support sustained behaviour change. Telehealth interventions can overcome patient-centred barriers to accessing face-to-face programs and provide feasible delivery methods, ubiquitous and accessible regardless of geographic location. The protocol for this systematic review explains the methods that will be utilised to answer the review question of whether telehealth interventions are effective at promoting change in dietary intake and improving diet quality in people with chronic disease. Methods/design: A structured search of Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsychINFO, from their inception, will be conducted. We will consider randomised controlled trials which evaluate complex dietary interventions in adults with chronic disease. Studies must provide diet education in an intervention longer than 4 weeks in duration, and at least half of the intervention contact must be delivered via telehealth. Comparisons will be made against usual care or a non-telehealth intervention. The primary outcome of interest is dietary change with secondary outcomes relating to clinical markers pre-specified in the methodology. The process for selecting studies, extracting data, and resolving conflicts will follow a set protocol. Two authors will independently appraise the studies and extract the data, using specified methods. Meta-analyses will be conducted where appropriate, with parameters for determining statistical heterogeneity pre-specified. The GRADE tool will be used for determining the quality of evidence for analysed outcomes. Discussion: To date, there has been a considerable variability in the strategies used to deliver dietary education, and the overall effectiveness of telehealth dietary interventions for facilitating dietary change has not been reviewed systematically in adults with chronic disease. A systematic synthesis of telehealth strategies will inform the development of evidence-based telehealth programs that can be tailored to deliver dietary interventions specific to chronic disease conditions. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42015026398
An extended model of the quantum free-electron laser
Previous models of the quantum regime of operation of the Free Electron Laser
(QFEL) have performed an averaging and the application of periodic boundary
conditions to the coupled Maxwell - Schrodinger equations over short, resonant
wavelength intervals of the interaction. Here, an extended, one-dimensional
model of the QFEL interaction is presented in the absence of any such averaging
or application of periodic boundary conditions, the absence of the latter
allowing electron diffusion processes to be modeled throughout the pulse. The
model is used to investigate how both the steady-state (CW) and pulsed regimes
of QFEL operation are affected. In the steady-state regime it is found that the
electrons are confined to evolve as a 2-level system, similar to the previous
QFEL models. In the pulsed regime Coherent Spontaneous Emission (CSE) due to
the shape of the electron pulse current distribution is shown to be present in
the QFEL regime for the first time. However, unlike the classical case, CSE in
the QFEL is damped by the effects of quantum diffusion of the electron
wavefunction. Electron recoil from the QFEL interaction can also cause a
diffusive drift between the recoiled and non-recoiled parts of the electron
pulse wavefunction, effectively removing the recoiled part from the primary
electron-radiation interaction.Comment: Submitted to Optics Expres
Xwnt-5A: a maternal Wnt that affects morphogenetic movements after overexpression in embryos of Xenopus laevis
To contribute to an understanding of the roles and mechanisms of action of Wnts in early vertebrate development, we have characterized the normal expression of Xenopus laevis Wnt-5A, and investigated the consequences of misexpression of this putative signalling factor. Xwnt-5A transcripts are expressed throughout development, and are enriched in both the anterior and posterior regions of embryos at late stages of development, where they are found primarily in ectoderm, with lower levels of expression in mesoderm. Overexpression of Xwnt-5A in Xenopus embryos leads to complex malformations distinct from those achieved by ectopic expression of Xwnts −1, −3A, or −8. This phenotype is unlikely to result from Xwnt-5A acting as an inducing agent, as overexpression of Xwnt-5A does not rescue dorsal structures in UV-irradiated embryos, does not induce mesoderm in blastula caps, and Xwnt-5A does not alter the endogenous patterns of expression of goosecoid, Xbra, or Xwnt-8. To pursue whether Xwnt-5A has the capacity to affect morphogenetic movements, we investigated whether overexpression of Xwnt-5A alters the normal elongation of blastula cap explants induced by activin. Intriguingly, Xwnt-5A blocks the elongation of blastula caps in response to activin, without blocking the differentiation of either dorsal or ventral mesoderm within these explants. The data are consistent with Xwnt-5A having the potential activity of modifying the morphogenetic movements of tissues
Development of phosphorylated adhesives
The synthesis of epoxy prepolymers containing phosphorus was carried out in such a manner as to provide adhesives containing at least 5 percent of this element. The purpose of this was to impart fire retardant properties to the adhesive. The two epoxy derivatives, bis(4-glycidyl-oxyphenyl)phenylphosphine oxide and bis(4-glycidyl-2-methoxyphenyl)phenylphosphonate, and a curing agent, bis(3-aminophenyl)methylphosphine oxide, were used in conjunction with one another and along with conventional epoxy resins and curing agents to bond Tedlar and Polyphenylethersulfone films to Kerimid-glass syntactic foam-filled honeycomb structures. Elevated temperatures are required to cure the epoxy resins with the phosphorus-contaning diamine; however, when Tedlar is being bonded, lower curing temperatures must be used to avoid shrinkage and the concomitant formation of surface defects. Thus, the phosphorus-containing aromatic amine curing agent cannot be used alone, although it is possible to use it in conjunction with an aliphatic amine which would allow lower cure temperatures to be used. The experimental epoxy resins have not provided adhesive bonds quite as strong as those provided by Epon 828 when compared in peel tests, but the differences are not very significant. It should be noted, if optimum properties are to be realized. In any case the fire retardant characteristics of the neat resin systems obtained are quite pronounced, since in most cases the self-extinguishing properties are evident almost instantly when specimens are removed from a flame
Extragalactic and galactic gamma-rays and neutrinos from annihilating dark matter
We describe cosmic gamma-ray and neutrino signals of dark matter
annihilation, explaining how the complementarity of these signals provides
additional information that, if observable, can enlighten the particle nature
of dark matter. This is discussed in the context of exploiting the separate
galactic and extragalactic components of the signal, using the spherical halo
model distribution of dark matter. We motivate the discussion with
supersymmetric extensions of the standard model of particle physics. We
consider the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) where both neutrinos
and gamma-rays are produced from annihilations. We also consider a gauged B-L,
baryon number minus lepton number, extension of the MSSM, where annihilation
can be purely to heavy right-handed neutrinos. We compare the galactic and
extragalactic components of these signals, and conclude that it is not yet
clear which may dominate when looking out of the galactic plane. To answer this
question, we must have an understanding of the contribution of halo
substructure to the annihilation signals. We find that different theories with
indistinguishable gamma-ray signals can be distinguished in the neutrino
signal. Gamma-ray annihilation signals are difficult to observe from the
galactic center, due to abundant astrophysical sources; but annihilation
neutrinos from there would not be so hidden, if they can be observed over the
atmospheric neutrinos produced by cosmic rays.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure
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