Bures distance between two displaced thermal states

The Bures distance between two displaced thermal states and the corresponding geometric quantities (statistical metric, volume element, scalar curvature) are computed. Under nonunitary (dissipative) dynamics, the statistical distance shows the same general features previously reported in the literature by Braunstein and Milburn for two--state systems. The scalar curvature turns out to have new interesting properties when compared to the curvature associated with squeezed thermal states.Comment: 3 pages, RevTeX, no figure

On the possibility of using differential cross section measurements for the electronic excitation of adsorbates by an electron beam, to determine the adsorbate orientation

We show, by detailed electron–molecule scattering calculations, that the angular dependence of electron energy loss spectra in which an adsorbate is electronically excited can be used to identify the orientation of the molecule with respect to the surface and the nature of the final states. The calculations are exploratory and were carried out for an H2 molecule. The transition amplitude for electron–molecule scattering is calculated by using the Schwinger variational principle with two open channels. The effects of the surface were introduced through a semiquantitative model which treats the surface as a partly reflecting, flat mirror

Mental workload as personal data: designing a cognitive activity tracker

Research continues to correlate physical signals with mental activity, as opposed to physical activity, with physiological sensors. Further, with the proliferation of wearable technology, it seems imminent that our smart watches can soon keep track of our mental activity as well as our physical activity. Our research is working towards accurately measuring Mental Workload ‘in the wild’ using physiological sensors. While we work towards that goal, however, we have begun to explore the design aspects of representing personal cognitive data to users; analogous to a step counter for physical activity. We present the results of diary studies, focus groups, and prototyping exercises to identify design considerations for future cognitive activity trackers

Fluorescence Measurements Of Phototrophic Sulfur Bacteria For Applications In Water Column Profiling

poster abstractUnlike plants that produce oxygen during photosynthesis, phototrophic sulfur bacteria use sulfide and sunlight to produce carbohydrates and elemental sulfur. These bacteria require a unique aquatic environment to thrive: one that is anoxic (depleted of oxygen) and rich in hydrogen sulfide. Such conditions are found in a number of stratified lakes around the world including several in Northern Indiana. Studying the ecology and geochemical conditions that promote habitable conditions for phototrophic bacteria in lakes provides insight into the Early Earth (thought to be anoxic), ocean anoxic events of the Mesozoic (70-250 million years ago) and modern low oxygen conditions of coastal environments such as the Dead Zone of the Gulf of Mexico. However, locating and directly sampling these bacterial populations in vast bodies of water is not an easy task. In this project, we investigate fluorescent properties of purple sulfur bacteria in order to develop a dependable sensor that can be deployed in the water column. We report a number of measurements of purple sulfur bacterium fluorescence in the near infrared region when excited at discrete wavelengths in the UV range. We use these bench-top measurements to design a water-proof apparatus equipped with an absorption and luminescent detector for localization of bacteria in lake water. This device will be deployed in anoxic lakes of Northern Indiana to find the in situ water column position of phototrophic bacteria

A Kazal-Type Serine Protease Inhibitor from the Defense Gland Secretion of the Subterranean Termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki

Coptotermes formosanus is an imported, subterranean termite species with the largest economic impact in the United States. The frontal glands of the soldier caste termites comprising one third of the body mass, contain a secretion expelled through a foramen in defense. The small molecule composition of the frontal gland secretion is well-characterized, but the proteins remain to be identified. Herein is reported the structure and function of one of several proteins found in the termite defense gland secretion. TFP4 is a 6.9 kDa, non-classical group 1 Kazal-type serine protease inhibitor with activity towards chymotrypsin and elastase, but not trypsin. The 3-dimensional solution structure of TFP4 was solved with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and represents the first structure from the taxonomic family, Rhinotermitidae. Based on the structure of TFP4, the protease inhibitor active loop (Cys8 to Cys16) was identified

On the Lipschitz continuity of spectral bands of Harper-like and magnetic Schroedinger operators

We show for a large class of discrete Harper-like and continuous magnetic Schrodinger operators that their band edges are Lipschitz continuous with respect to the intensity of the external constant magnetic field. We generalize a result obtained by J. Bellissard in 1994, and give examples in favor of a recent conjecture of G. Nenciu.Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in Annales Henri Poincar