Polarization entangled photon-pair source based on quantum nonlinear photonics and interferometry

We present a versatile, high-brightness, guided-wave source of polarization entangled photons, emitted at a telecom wavelength. Photon-pairs are generated using an integrated type-0 nonlinear waveguide, and subsequently prepared in a polarization entangled state via a stabilized fiber interferometer. We show that the single photon emission wavelength can be tuned over more than 50 nm, whereas the single photon spectral bandwidth can be chosen at will over more than five orders of magnitude (from 25 MHz to 4 THz). Moreover, by performing entanglement analysis, we demonstrate a high degree of control of the quantum state via the violation of the Bell inequalities by more than 40 standard deviations. This makes this scheme suitable for a wide range of quantum optics experiments, ranging from fundamental research to quantum information applications. We report on details of the setup, as well as on the characterization of all included components, previously outlined in F. Kaiser et al. (2013 Laser Phys. Lett. 10, 045202).Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Repeater Insertion Techniques for 3D Interconnects

A new approach for inserting repeaters in 3-D interconnects is proposed. The allocation of repeaters along an interplane interconnect is iteratively determined. The proposed approach is compared with two other techniques based on conventional methods used for 2-D interconnects. Simulation results show that the proposed approach decreases the total wire delay up to 42% as compared to conventional approaches. The complexity of the proposed algorithm is linear to the number of planes that the wire spans

P450-mediated electrochemical sensing of drugs in human plasma for personalized therapy

Nowadays, the concept of personalized therapy gains momentum. Pharmacogenomics, which represents a first answer to these needs, has the drawback of neglecting some variations of therapy response due to non-genetic factors. The aim of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of a non-genetic approach to personalized therapy, via the point-of-care drug monitoring in biological fluids with electrochemical biosensors. The proposed biosensor is based on the use of P450 enzymes as probe molecules, thanks to their key role in human metabolism. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes are used to enhance biosensor sensitivity. Results show how the proposed system is capable to detect drug amounts within the corresponding pharmacological ranges in human serum

apeNEXT: A multi-TFlops Computer for Simulations in Lattice Gauge Theory

We present the APE (Array Processor Experiment) project for the development of dedicated parallel computers for numerical simulations in lattice gauge theories. While APEmille is a production machine in today's physics simulations at various sites in Europe, a new machine, apeNEXT, is currently being developed to provide multi-Tflops computing performance. Like previous APE machines, the new supercomputer is largely custom designed and specifically optimized for simulations of Lattice QCD.Comment: Poster at the XXIII Physics in Collisions Conference (PIC03), Zeuthen, Germany, June 2003, 3 pages, Latex. PSN FRAP15. Replaced for adding forgotten autho

Performance of a Tungsten-Cerium Fluoride Sampling Calorimeter in High-Energy Electron Beam Tests

A prototype for a sampling calorimeter made out of cerium fluoride crystals interleaved with tungsten plates, and read out by wavelength-shifting fibres, has been exposed to beams of electrons with energies between 20 and 150 GeV, produced by the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator complex. The performance of the prototype is presented and compared to that of a Geant4 simulation of the apparatus. Particular emphasis is given to the response uniformity across the channel front face, and to the prototype's energy resolution.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, Submitted to NIM

Domain kinetics during polarization reversal in 36o Y-cut CLN

The equipment of the Ural Center for Shared Use “Modern nanotechnology” Ural Federal University was used

Impact of resistance mutations on virological efficacy of DTG-based maintenance two-drug regimens: an ARCA cohort study

Background: Two-drug regimens (2DR) are largely prescribed as maintenance therapy, nowadays mainly based on DTG. While many data have been reported about PI-based 2DR, the impact of resistance mutations and duration of virological suppression on DTG-based 2DR remains to be clarified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of resistance mutations on virological outcome of DTG-based 2DR maintenance ART. Material and methods: Virologically suppressed patients (pts) switching to DTG+3TC or DTG+RPV with pre-baseline (time of switch=baseline, BL) resistance genotype (at least PR/RT) were selected from the ARCA database. Primary endpoint was virological failure (VF: an HIV-RNA, VL, >200 cps/mL or 2 consecutive >50 cps/mL). The probability of VF was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Resistance to 2DR was defined as occurrence of at least Stanford HIVdb (v.8.5) low-level resistance (LLR) to at least one drug included in the current 2DR, based on cumulative genotype. CD4 changes were assessed using Student’s t- test for paired samples. A secondary analysis comparing 2DR with DTG-based 3D regimens was also performed. Results: A total of 318 2DR pts were analysed: 260 (82%) switching to DTG+3TC, 58 (18%) to DTG+RPV; 68% were males, median age was 51 (44-56) years, 12 (6-23) years of HIV infection, 5 (3-8) years of virological suppression, nadir CD4 231 (121-329), 5 (3-9) previous ARV lines, 59% previously exposed to INSTI, 11% with resistance to current 2DR. The integrase sequence was available in 14% of patients, none harbouring resistance to DTG. 20 VF were observed, of whom 4 (3/17 VF in DTG+3TC, 1/3 in DTG+RPV) in patients with at least LLR at BL (M184V+K219Q; D67N+K70R+K219Q; D67N+K70R+T215Y+219Q; E138A), in a median FU of 1.3 years (IQR 0.6-2). The 2-year estimated probability of VF was 8.7% (95% CI 4.4;13); 8.6% (4.1;13.1) in those without resistance and 9.7% (-4.4;23.8) in those with resistance (Log rank: p=ns, figure 1). No factor was significantly associated with VF at multivariate analysis, but in pts with <6 years of virological suppression, BL resistance was associated with a higher probability of VF (p=0.003). After 48 weeks, a statistically significant increase in CD4+ was detected (+56 cells/mmc, p<0.001), independently from baseline resistance. The 2-year estimated probability of VF in the reference 3DR group (n=564) was not different from that for the 2DR group: 8.8% (5.9;11.7) in the whole case file and 9.7% (6.6;12.8) in the presence of baseline resistance. Longer time of virological suppression was the only factor associated with a lower risk of VF in the 3DR dataset. Conclusions: DTG-based 2DRs show high virological efficacy, even in the context of predicted incomplete activity, at least within a short-term follow-up. A longer duration of virological suppression seems to decrease the impact of resistance on virological outcome, however further studies are warranted to confirm this hypothesis and possibly define a clinically useful threshold

Dimers, Effective Interactions, and Pauli Blocking Effects in a Bilayer of Cold Fermionic Polar Molecules

We consider a bilayer setup with two parallel planes of cold fermionic polar molecules when the dipole moments are oriented perpendicular to the planes. The binding energy of two-body states with one polar molecule in each layer is determined and compared to various analytic approximation schemes in both coordinate- and momentum-space. The effective interaction of two bound dimers is obtained by integrating out the internal dimer bound state wave function and its robustness under analytical approximations is studied. Furthermore, we consider the effect of the background of other fermions on the dimer state through Pauli blocking, and discuss implications for the zero-temperature many-body phase diagram of this experimentally realizable system.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted versio