Experimental realization of a programmable quantum-state discriminator and a phase-covariant quantum multimeter

We present an optical implementation of two programmable quantum measurement devices. The first one serves for unambiguous discrimination of two nonorthogonal states of a qubit. The particular pair of states to be discriminated is specified by the quantum state of a program qubit. The second device can perform von Neumann measurements on a single qubit in any basis located on the equator of the Bloch sphere. Again, the basis is selected by the state of a program qubit. In both cases the data and program qubits are represented by polarization states of photons. The experimental apparatus exploits the fact that two Bell states can be distinguished solely by means of linear optics. The outcome corresponding to the remaining two Bell states represents an inconclusive result.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Brisure d'axisymétrie à l'instabilité primaire du jet rond

La plupart des études du jet rond libre considèrent des nombres de Reynolds (défini sur la vitesse de sortie de l'injecteur Vzo et le diamètre D de la buse) assez importants (Re > 300, cf., par ex.), de sorte que les effets non visqueux prévalent sur les effets visqueux. Pour ce type d'écoulements, le scénario qui caractérise l'évolution du jet dans la zone proche de la buse est bien connu. Récemment, nous avons réalisé des simulations de la zone proche de sortie d'un jet rond évoluant dans le temps et dans l'espace au nombre de Reynolds de 500. Bon nombre de résulats connus ont été retrouvés, prouvant la pertinence de ce type de simulations pour l'étude des détails du comportement dynamique du jet rond. La transition à l'instationnarité et ses mécanismes ont, en revanche, été très peu étudiés pour ce type d'écoulement. Nous avons alors considéré des variations fines dans une plage de nombres de Reynolds plus bas. Une instabilité primaire du jet accompagnée par la brisure de l'axisymétrie a ainsi été mise en évidence. Ses mécanismes principaux sont décrits dans cette étude

Transport des particules dans une géométrie réaliste

La thématique engagée dans cette recherche consiste donc à mettre en place une modélisation numérique fiable et complète du transport et du dépôt des particules dans un écoulement pulmonaire en se basant sur l’utilisation du code de calcul commercial CFD-ACE. Ce code intègre un solveur fluide qui résout les équations de Navier-Stokes incompressibles dans une formulation volumes finis. Le logiciel CFD-GEOM a été utilisé pour créer les surfaces en 3D de la géométrie générique du modèle de Weibel et ainsi générer le maillage non-structuré tétraèdrique en volumes finis. Dans le cadre de ce travail, il est supposé que le flux d’air est laminaire, stationnaire (ou instationnaire uniquement dans les modèles bronchiques) et incompressible ; les particules de diamètre 5 µm sont sphériques et sans interaction. Le pourcentage global et local du dépôt des particules dans les poumons peut s’exprimer comme une efficacité de dépôt et se définit par le rapport entre le nombre de particules déposées dans une région donnée et le nombre total de particules admises initialement à l’entrée de la conduite. L’efficacité de dépôt dépend fortement du nombre de Stokes d’entrée, des conditions d’admission en termes de profil de vitesse du fluide (nombre de Reynolds d’entrée), de la distribution et des caractéristiques des particules. Nous avons donc modélisé avec succès les écoulements ainsi que le transport et le dépôt de particules dans des configurations simples (modèles de Weibel) et des configurations réalistes (poumons de rat et du lapin) et ce que l’on en peut dire c’est que la simulation, bien que coûteuse (surtout pour le dépôt des particules), ne présente pas de difficultés insurmontables. Par contre l’obtention d’une géométrie réaliste et la génération du maillage associé reste une étape délicate

Cerebral Iron Deposition in Neurodegeneration

Disruption of cerebral iron regulation appears to have a role in aging and in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders. Possible unfavorable impacts of iron accumulation include reactive oxygen species generation, induction of ferroptosis, and acceleration of inflammatory changes. Whole-brain iron-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques allow the examination of macroscopic patterns of brain iron deposits in vivo, while modern analytical methods ex vivo enable the determination of metal-specific content inside individual cell-types, sometimes also within specific cellular compartments. The present review summarizes the whole brain, cellular, and subcellular patterns of iron accumulation in neurodegenerative diseases of genetic and sporadic origin. We also provide an update on mechanisms, biomarkers, and effects of brain iron accumulation in these disorders, focusing on recent publications. In Parkinson’s disease, Friedreich’s disease, and several disorders within the neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation group, there is a focal siderosis, typically in regions with the most pronounced neuropathological changes. The second group of disorders including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis shows iron accumulation in the globus pallidus, caudate, and putamen, and in specific cortical regions. Yet, other disorders such as aceruloplasminemia, neuroferritinopathy, or Wilson disease manifest with diffuse iron accumulation in the deep gray matter in a pattern comparable to or even more extensive than that observed during normal aging. On the microscopic level, brain iron deposits are present mostly in dystrophic microglia variably accompanied by iron-laden macrophages and in astrocytes, implicating a role of inflammatory changes and blood–brain barrier disturbance in iron accumulation. Options and potential benefits of iron reducing strategies in neurodegeneration are discussed. Future research investigating whether genetic predispositions play a role in brain Fe accumulation is necessary. If confirmed, the prevention of further brain Fe uptake in individuals at risk may be key for preventing neurodegenerative disorders.publishedVersio

Parametric study of freely falling and ascending oblate spheroid of variable aspect ratio

Recent numerical results brought significant progress in understanding the intriguing variety of trajectographies of disks and flat cylinders freely falling or ascending under the action of gravity and buoyancy in a quiescent Newtonian fluid. The topic, brought to the spotlight by the Nature paper, by Field et al. (1997) was taken up recently by numerical means of Chrust et al. (2013) and Auguste et al. (2013). An exhaustive parametric study of the transition scenario in the wake of oblate spheroids with variable body shape classified from a thin disk to almost a sphere is implemented to establish a link between these two prototypical objects. The flatness of spheroids is characterized by the aspect ratio. The other two parameters of interest are non-dimensionalized mass characterizing the inertia of the body and the Galileo number expressing the ratio between effects of gravity and viscosity. We find significant variation among scenarios of spheroid with different aspect ratio

Treatment strategies in Alzheimer’s disease: a review with focus on selenium supplementation

Alzheimers disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder presenting one of the biggest healthcare challenges in developed countries. No effective treatment exists. In recent years the main focus of AD research has been on the amyloid hypothesis, which postulates that extracellular precipitates of beta amyloid (A beta) derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) are responsible for the cognitive impairment seen in AD. Treatment strategies have been to reduce A beta production through inhibition of enzymes responsible for its formation, or to promote resolution of existing cerebral A beta plaques. However, these approaches have failed to demonstrate significant cognitive improvements. Intracellular rather than extracellular events may be fundamental in AD pathogenesis. Selenate is a potent inhibitor of tau hyperphosphorylation, a critical step in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Some selenium (Se) compounds e.g. selenoprotein P also appear to protect APP against excessive copper and iron deposition. Selenoproteins show anti-inflammatory properties, and protect microtubules in the neuronal cytoskeleton. Optimal function of these selenoenzymes requires higher Se intake than what is common in Europe and also higher intake than traditionally recommended. Supplementary treatment with N-acetylcysteine increases levels of the antioxidative cofactor glutathione and can mediate adjuvant protection. The present review discusses the role of Se in AD treatment and suggests strategies for AD prevention by optimizing selenium intake, in accordance with the metal dysregulation hypothesis. This includes in particular secondary prevention by selenium supplementation to elderly with mild cognitive impairment

An efficient method for particle-resolved simulations of neutrally buoyant spheres

We present a simple modification of the direct-forcing immersed boundary method (IBM) proposed by Uhlmann [J. Comput. Phys, 2005] in order to enable it to be applied to particulate flows with solid-to-fluid density ratios around unity. The main difference with respect to the original formulation lies in the particle velocity update which is performed directly after the preliminary velocity field has been computed in the absence of any IBM volume forcing term. In addition, we apply the forcing term to the entire space occupied by the immersed solid object (instead of to the vicinity of its interface only). The present approach requires the evaluation of integrals of the velocity field over the volume occupied by the solid particle, which are evaluated efficiently as sums over the respective quantities available at particle-attached force points. The resulting method can be used seamlessly for density ratios down to $\rho_p/\rho_f>0.5$. The new formulation has been validated using three configurations: (i) lateral migration of a neutrally buoyant circular particle in two-dimensional Couette flow; (ii) the release from rest of a neutrally buoyant sphere in a free stream; (iii) the release of a particle in a free stream after an initial phase in which it is translationally fixed with an imposed angular velocity. In all three test cases the present IBM formulation yields a very good agreement with the available reference data. Thus, the proposed approach is a cost-efficient and accurate modification of the original method which allows for the simulation of fluid systems involving density-matched solid particles.Comment: accepted for publication in Computers & Fluid

Automated video-based assessment of facial bradykinesia in de-novo Parkinson's disease.

Even though hypomimia is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD), objective and easily interpretable tools to capture the disruption of spontaneous and deliberate facial movements are lacking. This study aimed to develop a fully automatic video-based hypomimia assessment tool and estimate the prevalence and characteristics of hypomimia in de-novo PD patients with relation to clinical and dopamine transporter imaging markers. For this cross-sectional study, video samples of spontaneous speech were collected from 91 de-novo, drug-naïve PD participants and 75 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Twelve facial markers covering areas of forehead, nose root, eyebrows, eyes, lateral canthal areas, cheeks, mouth, and jaw were used to quantitatively describe facial dynamics. All patients were evaluated using Movement Disorder Society-Unified PD Rating Scale and Dopamine Transporter Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography. Newly developed automated facial analysis tool enabled high-accuracy discrimination between PD and controls with area under the curve of 0.87. The prevalence of hypomimia in de-novo PD cohort was 57%, mainly associated with dysfunction of mouth and jaw movements, and decreased variability in forehead and nose root wrinkles (p < 0.001). Strongest correlation was found between reduction of lower lip movements and nigro-putaminal dopaminergic loss (r = 0.32, p = 0.002) as well as limb bradykinesia/rigidity scores (r = -0.37 p < 0.001). Hypomimia represents a frequent, early marker of motor impairment in PD that can be robustly assessed via automatic video-based analysis. Our results support an association between striatal dopaminergic deficit and hypomimia in PD