Dissipative quantum systems modeled by a two level reservoir coupling

The coupling between a quantum dynamical system and a two-level system reservoir is analysed within the framework of the Feynman-Vernon theory. We stress the differences between this new reservoir and the well-known bath of oscillators and show that, in order to obtain the Langevin equation for the system of interest in the high temperature regime, we have to choose a spectral distribution function $J(\omega)$ which is finite for $\omega=0$.Comment: 6 pages, RevteX, preprint UNICAM

Conservation law for distributed entanglement of formation and quantum discord

We present a direct relation, based upon a monogamic principle, between entanglement of formation (EOF) and quantum discord (QD), showing how they are distributed in an arbitrary tripartite pure system. By extending it to a paradigmatic situation of a bipartite system coupled to an environment, we demonstrate that the EOF and the QD obey a conservation relation. By means of this relation we show that in the deterministic quantum computer with one pure qubit the protocol has the ability to rearrange the EOF and the QD, which implies that quantum computation can be understood on a different basis as a coherent dynamics where quantum correlations are distributed between the qubits of the computer. Furthermore, for a tripartite mixed state we show that the balance between distributed EOF and QD results in a stronger version of the strong subadditivity of entropy.Comment: Published versio

An assessment of cross-contamination issues in the context of chemical and pharmaceutical processes using a continuous oscillatory baffled reactor

Past research in oscillatory baffled reactors has shown that there are significant technological and business advantages in using such reactor technology in fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries: shorter reaction times, fewer by-products, uniform product quality and higher yields, while at the same time with a significant saving in space, capital and running costs. This project focused on the robustness and adaptability of the continuous oscillatory baffled reactor (COBR) for a large spectrum of chemical reactions that are performed in very different fields of industry: from cosmetics and fine chemicals to pharmaceutical products. In particular, the emphasis was on cross contamination issues which may occur when different reactions are performed in a tandem fashion in this reactor. The experimental results indicate that the COBR is well suited to a broad spectrum of chemical reactions, as well as for crystallization operations. During the continuous production of a fine chemical and two active pharmaceutical ingredients in tandem the conditions inside the reactor remained stable and were easily controlled. The minimal amounts of contaminants present and the high quality of the products obtained are a testament to the consistent operation and robust nature of the COBR. The three production phases were interspersed with a well-defined cleaning procedure. The established cleaning protocol is simple, efficient and fast, while the amount of waste generated is minimized. The cleaning kinetics is of first order, which is consistent with previous work. The results reported in this thesis show that the COBR, which incorporates quality-by-design principles, is a suitable alternative to current mixing technologies and can be readily assimilated into a variety of fine chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes

(UN)RECONCILED SELVES: AMERICAN BORN CHINESE THROUGH THE LENS OF DU BOISIAN THOUGHT

Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, American Born Chinese, has entered the syllabus of several North American classrooms as a starting point for discussions on racial stereotyping and identity formation. Despite having been compared to how African American authors explore the consequences of negative stereotyping, critics of Yang’s work have directed their attention mostly towards the reality of members from the Asian American community. Yet, this article aims at comprehending how the concepts of “double consciousness” and “two-ness” developed by W.E.B. Du Bois in The Souls of Black Folk (1903) can be used in order to better understand the experience of contemporary Chinese American youths as it has been represented in American Born Chinese. By utilizing Du Bois’s understanding of the psychological impacts of negative stereotyping on his black subjects this work argues that a parallel can be drawn between this African American author’s theory of split consciousness, together with its resulting feeling of otherness, and several narrative elements of Yang’s graphic novel, as well as its tripartite structure. Furthermore, it also examines how both authors present their readers with similar solutions in order for conflicting selves to achieve a state of undivided self-consciousness

Impact of physicochemical changes in whey protein isolate by proteolysis and transglutaminase treatment in bitterness and sensitizing capacity "in vivo"

Orientador: Flavia Maria NettoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de AlimentosResumo: A hidrólise enzimática ainda é o método mais utilizado para destruir epítopos, os quais consistem numa porção da proteína capaz de induzir a produção de anticorpos específicos e se ligar a eles provocando resposta alérgica. Os epítopos conformacionais são facilmente destruídos durante a hidrólise. No entanto, epítopos lineares podem ainda sobreviver ao processo, o que resulta em antigenicidade residual em hidrolisados proteicos. Além disso, a hidrólise de proteínas extensiva leva à liberação de peptídeos com gosto amargo. A combinação de hidrólise enzimática e tratamento com transglutaminase (TG) é uma estratégia promissora para diminuir a antigenicidade de proteínas do leite e o gosto amargo normalmente presente nos hidrolisados. Este estudo avaliou as alterações físico-químicas em isolado proteico do soro de leite (IPS) induzidas pela hidrólise com Alcalase seguida por tratamento com TG e se investigou o impacto no gosto amargo e na antigenicidade dos peptídeos. As hidrólises foram realizadas sob condição sem controle de pH a fim de simular a condição empregada na indústria. Para isto, o impacto da hidrólise conduzida sob condições de pH controlada ou não, utilizando diferentes concentrações de substrato (S%, 3 ou 7% de proteína) e relações enzima:substrato (E/S, 50 ou 100 U g-1), na antigenicidade dos hidrolisados foi investigado. O pH diminuiu de 8,5 para 7,0 nos 15 primeiros minutos das hidrólises sem controle de pH e se manteve constante até o final da reação. A redução no pH não alterou significativamente o grau de hidrólise (GH) dos hidrolisados obtidos com e sem controle de pH, utilizando as mesmas S% e E/S. O GH diminuiu com o aumento do S%, enquanto o aumento da E/S elevou ligeiramente o GH dos hidrolisados. As diferentes condições de pH e S% resultaram em distintos perfis de hidrofilicidade (CLAE-FR) e distribuição de massa molecular (MM) entre os hidrolisados, indicando mudanças no padrão de hidrólise da Alcalase em função desses parâmetros. Essas diferenças refletiram no comportamento de agregação e conformação espacial dos peptídeos, e nas concentrações de ß-Lg e ?-La, detectadas por kits comerciais de ELISA. Os resultados de ELISA e immunoblotting indicaram que a hidrólise diminuiu a capacidade dos hidrolisados de se ligarem às IgE e IgG anti-?-La e anti-ß-Lg, não havendo diferenças significativas entre aqueles obtidos com e sem controle de pH. Todavia, os hidrolisados obtidos sem controle de pH apresentaram maior capacidade de ligação às IgE e IgG anti-BSA, devido à presença de BSA intacta e/ou a liberação de epítopos pelo processo de hidrólise. Diante disso, o estudo prosseguiu usando a hidrólise sem controle de pH, e ultrafiltração usando membrana de corte de 5,0 kDa para a separação da BSA intacta e parcialmente hidrolisada. Os filtrados obtidos foram tratados com TG, sendo avaliado o gosto amargo e antigenicidade. Após o tratamento com TG, houve aumento de 1,5 e 3,0% na proporção de peptídeos entre 1,4 e 3,5 kDa, alterações no perfil cromatográficos, em especial na intensidade dos picos na região de alta e média hidrofilicidade e desaparecimento de um pico na região de baixa hidrofilicidade (CLAE-FR) e na conformação espacial dos peptídeos, confirmada pelos espectros de fluorescência. As alterações no perfil de peptídeos dos filtrados tratados com TG também foram observadas através dos espectros de massas (MALDI-MS), nos quais não foram mais detectados íons com m/z entre 1600 e 3000. Apesar dessas alterações, não ocorreu redução na intensidade e/ou persistência do gosto amargo dos filtrados tratados com TG. A hidrólise seguida pela ultrafiltração, associada ou não à TG, foi capaz de diminuir significativamente a capacidade do IPS de se ligar às IgE específicas. O HF7, tratado ou não com TG, não induziu a produção de IgE e IgG1 específicas em camundongos sensibilizados. A TG não exerceu efeito adicional na redução da capacidade de ligação às IgE específicas ou de sensibilização dos filtrados. Portanto, a hidrólise do IPS com Alcalase seguida pela ultrafiltração mostra-se uma alternativa em potencial para a produção de hidrolisados hipoalergênicos, de acordo com os critérios estabelecidos pela American Academy of Pediatrics para a avaliação da hipoalergenicidade de novas fórmulasAbstract: Enzymatic hydrolysis is widely used method to destroy epitopes, a part of protein capable to induce the production of specific antibodies and to bind to them eliciting allergic response. Conformational epitopes collapse during hydrolysis, while linear epitopes may survive the process, leading to residual antigenicity in protein hydrolysates. Moreover the extensive hydrolysis of proteins releases bitter peptides. The combination of enzymatic hydrolysis and transglutaminase (TG) treatment is a promising strategy to reduce the protein antigenicity and bitter taste often associated with protein hydrolysates. This study evaluated the physicochemical changes in whey protein isolate (WPI) caused by hydrolysis using Alcalase and TG-treatment and on bitter taste and protein antigenicity, including IgE-binding response and ability to sensitize animal model. The hydrolysis reactions were performed under uncontrolled pH condition in order to simulate conditions used in food industry. For that, the impact of hydrolysis performed with or without pH control, using different substrate concentration (S%, 3 or 7% of protein) and enzyme:substrate ratio (E/S, 50 or 100 U g-1), on antigenicity of the hydrolysates was investigated. The pH dropped from 8.5 to 7.0 within the first 15 min of hydrolysis without pH control, and remained constant until the end of reaction. The decrease in pH did not significantly affect the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of the hydrolysates obtained with and without pH control, under the same S% and E/S parameters conditions. The DH decreased with increasing S%, whereas the increase in E/S slightly raised the DH of the hydrolysates. The different condition of pH and S% resulted in different hydrophilicity profiles (RP-HPLC) and molecular mass (MM) distribution among hydrolysates, indicating changes in the cleavage pattern of Alcalase. These differences resulted in different aggregation behavior and spatial conformation of the peptides, and different concentrations of ß-Lg and ?-La detected by commercial ELISA kits. The ELISA and immunoblotting results indicated that the hydrolysis with Alcalase reduced the binding capacity of hydrolysates to anti-ß-Lg and anti-?-La IgE and IgG and no differences were observed among hydrolysates obtained with and without pH control. However, the hydrolysates obtained uncontrolled pH showed increase reactivity to anti-BSA IgE and IgG, due to the presence of intact BSA and/or releasing of epitopes. Therefore the study continued with the hydrolysates obtained under uncontrolled pH, which were ultrafiltered, using a 5.0 kDa cutoff membrane, in order to separate unhydrolysed and partially hydrolyzed BSA. The filtrates were treated with TG and bitter taste and antigenicity were assessed. After TG-treatment, the filtrates showed 1.5 and 3.0% increasing in the amount of peptides between 1.4 and 3.5 kDa, changes in chromatographic profile, especially in peaks intensity in the regions of high and medium hydrophilicity and disappearance of a peak in the region of low hydrophilicity (PR-HPLC) and spatial conformation of the peptides, confirmed by fluorescence spectra. Changes in peptide profile of the filtrates treated with TG were also observed through mass spectra (MALDI-MS), in which ions at m/z in the range of 1600 to 3000 were no longer detected. Despite these changes, no difference was observed in the intensity or perception of bitter taste in the filtrates after TG treatment. The hydrolysis with Alcalase followed by ultrafiltration, associated or not with TG, reduced significantly the binding capacity of WPI to specific IgE. The HF7 treated or not with TG did not generate specific IgE and IgG1 in mouse model of allergy. TG had no further effect in reducing of IgE-binding capacity or ability to induce sensitization of the filtrates. Therefore, hydrolysis of WPI with Alcalase followed by ultrafiltration can be a potential alternative to produce hypoallergenic hydrolysates, according to established criteria by American Academy of Pediatrics to determine hypoallergenicity of new formulasDoutoradoNutrição Experimental e Aplicada à Tecnologia de AlimentosDoutora em Alimentos e Nutrição2015/26586-7CAPESFAPES

The double Caldeira-Leggett model: Derivation and solutions of the master equations, reservoir-induced interactions and decoherence

In this paper we analyze the double Caldeira-Leggett model: the path integral approach to two interacting dissipative harmonic oscillators. Assuming a general form of the interaction between the oscillators, we consider two different situations: i) when each oscillator is coupled to its own reservoir, and ii) when both oscillators are coupled to a common reservoir. After deriving and solving the master equation for each case, we analyze the decoherence process of particular entanglements in the positional space of both oscillators. To analyze the decoherence mechanism we have derived a general decay function for the off-diagonal peaks of the density matrix, which applies both to a common and separate reservoirs. We have also identified the expected interaction between the two dissipative oscillators induced by their common reservoir. Such reservoir-induced interaction, which gives rise to interesting collective damping effects, such as the emergence of relaxation- and decoherence-free subspaces, is shown to be blurred by the high-temperature regime considered in this study. However, we find that different interactions between the dissipative oscillators, described by rotating or counter-rotating terms, result in different decay rates for the interference terms of the density matrix.Comment: 42 pages, 7 figures, new discussion added, typos adde

Postpartum hormones and metabolites affecting fertility in Holstein and Jersey dairy cows

Dairy cows have experienced major changes in productivity during the past 70 years. A selective pressure was applied to increase milk yield, but fertility declined. During early lactation, dairy cows are exposed to physiological, hormonal and metabolic challenges. This research was conducted to increase the understanding of these challenges and how they may affect reproductive performance of Holstein and Jersey dairy cows. There is very little data showing the physiological changes postpartum and their correlation with reproductive performance of Jersey. The objective of the two studies was to investigate the interactions between metabolic and physiological status during the first four weeks postpartum and fertility in Holstein and Jersey dairy cows. Blood from 107 Holstein and 127 Jersey dairy cows was collected during the first four weeks of lactation. Progesterone, IGF-1, NEFA, BHB and glucose were measured to examine the effects of pregnancy status (pregnant to first insemination or pregnant after three inseminations) and parity. In Holstein cows, there was an effect of parity on IGF-1, NEFA, BHB and glucose concentrations. The hormone and metabolite concentrations were not associated with pregnancy outcomes after one or three inseminations. In Jersey cows, IGF-1, BHB and glucose concentrations were affected by parity. There was an effect of pregnancy status on NEFA concentrations. In conclusion, we found limited data to sustain our hypothesis that metabolic and hormonal changes during the first four week of lactation have negative carryover effects on reproductive performance of Holstein and Jersey dairy cows later in lactation. Infertility and subfertility in dairy cows remains a problem in the dairy industry. More studies need to be done in this area to improve our understanding of the biology of early lactation and the mechanisms that link it with reproductive performance. This understanding may be the key to close the gap between high milk production and fertility in dairy cows

Mergers and acquisitions: integration models of acquired systems integration services firms, Ericsson case

A large literature in M&A studies the problem of integration models considering the economical and financial aspects, the value creation, the synergies, the cultural considerations, integration steps and plans to allow firms to make decisions that are optimal for the acquirer. An important result from this literature is that there are integration archetypes to meet the majority of possible integration realities and that there isn’t a right or wrong model but rather a need for alignment between acquirer and acquired firm considering the various parts of each firm. Careful considerations of the criteria such as the organizational structure, the policies or the directives to meet the designed strategy are required to achieve the highest value. The author objectives in this paper are to investigate whether or not there is an optimal model to meet the Ericsson case, for acquisitions in the Systems Integration business. The insights of the M&A literature have allowed the developing of a framework to conduct a thorough analysis on what is behind the decisions of managerial choices and the reality which managers have to face while facing decision on how to conduct an integration process. The significance of specificities of business object of the acquired services companies, being value generated by assets of knowledge, skill and abilities raise the implication of the intangible aspects and relationships of behaviors in the organizations. The paper covers the specific case of Ericsson, derives a relationship between culture, strategy, structure and corporate renewal, reviews the options considered and provides a recommendation of for the appropriateness of the integration model to be followed.Uma grande parte da literatura disponível sobre fusões e aquisições endereçam o problema da integração com enfoque económico-financeiro, sobre aspectos relacionados com a criação de valor, sinergias, impacto do choque de culturas das organizações, bem como recomendações sobre as etapas necessárias para assegurar que as decisões reflictam estes aspectos. Uma das conclusões dos autores é a de que existem vários modelos possíveis, já identificados, para a maioria dos processos de integração e de que, não existe um modelo errado ou o mais certo para cada cenário. Todavia para qualquer um dos modelos seleccionados deverá existir um processo com actividades e critérios relevantes para que se considerem as importantes considerações e pré requisitos das diversas áreas a integrar entre a empresa adquirente e a adquirida sejam bem sucedidas. Nestes critérios estão considerados a estrutura organizacional, a politica ou as directivas definidas para alcançar a estratégia definida. Os objectivos do autor nesta dissertação são os de investigar se existe ou qual o modelo de integração mais adequado para o caso das aquisições de empresas de serviços da área de integração de sistemas da empresa Ericsson. As perspectivas da literatura revista, permitiram ao autor desenvolver um processo e analisar sobre como são tomadas as decisões e quais as opções e situações com que os gestores se debatem quando envolvidos num processo de integração. A especificidade e significância do objecto de estudo deste caso, sendo as amostras empresas de serviços e cujo valor é gerado por activos de conhecimento e habilidades, aumentam a necessidade de avaliar os impactos das relações, estruturas e comportamentos das organizações. Esta dissertação endereça a realidade do caso Ericsson e deriva uma relação entre cultura, estratégia, rejuvenescimento das organizações e impactos sobre a decisão, revê as opções tomadas e propõe recomendações sobre qual o modelo de integração mais adequado