Economic Implications of Extraordinary Movements in Stock Prices

macroeconomics, stock market

Testing Bell's Inequality with Cosmic Photons: Closing the Setting-Independence Loophole

We propose a practical scheme to use photons from causally disconnected cosmic sources to set the detectors in an experimental test of Bell's inequality. In current experiments, with settings determined by quantum random number generators, only a small amount of correlation between detector settings and local hidden variables, established less than a millisecond before each experiment, would suffice to mimic the predictions of quantum mechanics. By setting the detectors using pairs of quasars or patches of the cosmic microwave background, observed violations of Bell's inequality would require any such coordination to have existed for billions of years --- an improvement of 20 orders of magnitude.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Minor edits to closely match journal version to be published in Physical Review Letter

A role for a small stable RNA in modulating the activity of DNA-binding proteins

AbstractThe 10Sa RNA, encoded by the E. coli ssrA gene, appears to modulate action of some DNA-binding proteins. When ssrA is inactivated, lacZ expression from the lac operon, as well as galK from a gal operon fused to a phage λ promoter, is reduced from that observed in bacteria wild-type for ssrA. These differences are not observed if the relevant repressor is inactive, suggesting that in the absence of 10Sa RNA binding of Lacl and λ cl repressors is enhanced. Gel mobility shifts show that 10Sa RNA binds these repressors and that an excess of 10Sa RNA competes for binding of λ cl with a DNA fragment containing the OR2 repressor-binding sequence. Similar observations were made in studies of the E. coil LexA repressor and phage P22 C1 transcription activator proteins. These results suggest that direct interaction with 10Sa RNA may explain this modulation of protein-DNA interactions

Transcription antitermination: the Λ paradigm updated

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75002/1/j.1365-2958.1995.mmi_18020191.x.pd

Astronomical random numbers for quantum foundations experiments

Photons from distant astronomical sources can be used as a classical source of randomness to improve fundamental tests of quantum nonlocality, wave-particle duality, and local realism through Bell's inequality and delayed-choice quantum eraser tests inspired by Wheeler's cosmic-scale Mach-Zehnder interferometer gedankenexperiment. Such sources of random numbers may also be useful for information-theoretic applications such as key distribution for quantum cryptography. Building on the design of an "astronomical random-number generator" developed for the recent "cosmic Bell" experiment [Handsteiner et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 060401 (2017)], in this paper we report on the design and characterization of a device that, with 20-nanosecond latency, outputs a bit based on whether the wavelength of an incoming photon is greater than or less than 700 nm. Using the one-meter telescope at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Table Mountain Observatory, we generated random bits from astronomical photons in both color channels from 50 stars of varying color and magnitude, and from 12 quasars with redshifts up to $z = 3.9$. With stars, we achieved bit rates of $\sim 1 \times 10^6$ Hz / m$^2$, limited by saturation for our single-photon detectors, and with quasars of magnitudes between 12.9 and 16, we achieved rates between $\sim 10^2$ and $2 \times 10^3$ Hz /m$^2$. For bright quasars, the resulting bitstreams exhibit sufficiently low amounts of statistical predictability as quantified by the mutual information. In addition, a sufficiently high fraction of bits generated are of true astronomical origin in order to address both the locality and freedom-of-choice loopholes when used to set the measurement settings in a test of the Bell-CHSH inequality.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures. References added and minor edits to match published versio

Bacterial and bacteriophage genetics: An introduction. Second edition : By E. A. Birge. New York: Springer-Verlag. (1988). 414 pp. $44.50

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27880/1/0000294.pd

Use of Most Bothersome Symptom as a Coprimary Endpoint in Migraine Clinical Trials: A Post-Hoc Analysis of the Pivotal ZOTRIP Randomized, Controlled Trial.

ObjectiveTo better understand the utility of using pain freedom and most bothersome headache-associated symptom (MBS) freedom as co-primary endpoints in clinical trials of acute migraine interventions.BackgroundAdhesive dermally applied microarray (ADAM) is an investigational system for intracutaneous drug administration. The recently completed pivotal Phase 2b/3 study (ZOTRIP), evaluating ADAM zolmitriptan for the treatment of acute moderate to severe migraine, was one of the first large studies to incorporate MBS freedom and pain freedom as co-primary endpoints per recently issued guidance by the US Food and Drug Administration. In this trial, the proportion of patients treated with ADAM zolmitriptan 3.8 mg, who were pain-free and MBS-free at 2 hours post-dose, was significantly higher than for placebo.MethodsWe undertook a post-hoc analysis of data from the ZOTRIP trial to examine how the outcomes from this trial compare to what might have been achieved using the conventional co-primary endpoints of pain relief, nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia.ResultsOf the 159 patients treated with ADAM zolmitriptan 3.8 mg or placebo, prospectively designated MBS were photophobia (n = 79), phonophobia (n = 43), and nausea (n = 37). Two-hour pain free rates in those with photophobia as the MBS were 36% for ADAM zolmitriptan 3.8 mg and 14% for placebo (P = .02). Corresponding rates for those with phonophobia as the MBS were 14% and 41% (P = .05). For those whose MBS was nausea, corresponding values were 56% and 16%, respectively (P = .01). Two-hour freedom from the MBS for active drug vs placebo were 67% vs 35% (P < .01) for photophobia, 55% vs 43% (P = .45) for phonophobia, and 89% vs 58% for nausea (P = .04). MBS freedom but not pain freedom was achieved in 28%. Only 1 patient (1%) achieved pain freedom, but not MBS freedom. The proportion with both pain and MBS freedom was highest (56%) among those whose MBS was nausea.ConclusionIn this study, the use of MBS was feasible and seemed to compare favorably to the previously required 4 co-primary endpoints

Path Integrals, Density Matrices, and Information Flow with Closed Timelike Curves

Two formulations of quantum mechanics, inequivalent in the presence of closed timelike curves, are studied in the context of a soluable system. It illustrates how quantum field nonlinearities lead to a breakdown of unitarity, causality, and superposition using a path integral. Deutsch's density matrix approach is causal but typically destroys coherence. For each of these formulations I demonstrate that there are yet further alternatives in prescribing the handling of information flow (inequivalent to previous analyses) that have implications for any system in which unitarity or coherence are not preserved.Comment: 25 pages, phyzzx, CALT-68-188

Nonlinear instability in simulations of Large Plasma Device turbulence

Several simulations of turbulence in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) [Gekelman et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] are energetically analyzed and compared with each other and with the experiment. The simulations use the same model, but different axial boundary conditions. They employ either periodic, zero-value, zero-derivative, or sheath axial boundaries. The linear stability physics is different between the scenarios because the various boundary conditions allow the drift wave instability to access different axial structures, and the sheath boundary simulation contains a conducting wall mode instability which is just as unstable as the drift waves. Nevertheless, the turbulence in all the simulations is relatively similar because it is primarily driven by a robust nonlinear instability that is the same for all cases. The nonlinear instability preferentially drives k∥=0 potential energy fluctuations, which then three-wave couple to k∥≠0 potential energy fluctuations in order to access the adiabatic response to transfer their energy to kinetic energy fluctuations. The turbulence self-organizes to drive this nonlinear instability, which destroys the linear eigenmode structures, making the linear instabilities ineffective