Projective measurement in nuclear magnetic resonance

It is demonstrated that nuclear magnetic resonance experiments using pseudopure spin states can give possible outcomes of projective quantum measurement and probabilities of such outcomes. The physical system is a cluster of six dipolar-coupled nuclear spins of benzene in a liquid-crystalline matrix. For this system with the maximum total spin S=3, the results of measuring $S_X$ are presented for the cases when the state of the system is one of the eigenstates of $S_Z$.Comment: 9 pages incluing 3 figure

Coding scheme for 3D vertical flash memory

Recently introduced 3D vertical flash memory is expected to be a disruptive technology since it overcomes scaling challenges of conventional 2D planar flash memory by stacking up cells in the vertical direction. However, 3D vertical flash memory suffers from a new problem known as fast detrapping, which is a rapid charge loss problem. In this paper, we propose a scheme to compensate the effect of fast detrapping by intentional inter-cell interference (ICI). In order to properly control the intentional ICI, our scheme relies on a coding technique that incorporates the side information of fast detrapping during the encoding stage. This technique is closely connected to the well-known problem of coding in a memory with defective cells. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme can effectively address the problem of fast detrapping.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures. accepted to ICC 2015. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1410.177

Domain Dynamics in Piezoresponse Force Microscopy: Quantitative Deconvolution and Hysteresis Loop Fine Structure

Domain dynamics in the Piezoresponse Force Spectroscopy (PFS) experiment is studied using the combination of local hysteresis loop acquisition with simultaneous domain imaging. The analytical theory for PFS signal from domain of arbitrary cross-section is developed and used for the analysis of experimental data on Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 polycrystalline films. The results suggest formation of oblate domain at early stage of the domain nucleation and growth, consistent with efficient screening of depolarization field within the material. The fine structure of the hysteresis loop is shown to be related to the observed jumps in the domain geometry during domain wall propagation (nanoscale Barkhausen jumps), indicative of strong domain-defect interactions.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, 2 Appendices, to be submmited to Appl. Phys. Let

A Multi-dimensional Code for Isothermal Magnetohydrodynamic Flows in Astrophysics

We present a multi-dimensional numerical code to solve isothermal magnetohydrodynamic (IMHD) equations for use in modeling astrophysical flows. First, we have built a one-dimensional code which is based on an explicit finite-difference method on an Eulerian grid, called the total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme. Recipes for building the one-dimensional IMHD code, including the normalized right and left eigenvectors of the IMHD Jacobian matrix, are presented. Then, we have extended the one-dimensional code to a multi-dimensional IMHD code through a Strang-type dimensional splitting. In the multi-dimensional code, an explicit cleaning step has been included to eliminate non-zero $\nabla\cdot B$ at every time step. To estimate the proformance of the code, one- and two-dimensional IMHD shock tube tests, and the decay test of a two-dimensional Alfv\'{e}n wave have been done. As an example of astrophysical applications, we have simulated the nonlinear evolution of the two-dimensional Parker instability under a uniform gravity.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, using aaspp4.sty, 22 text pages with 10 figure

Mutation Testing as a Safety Net for Test Code Refactoring

Refactoring is an activity that improves the internal structure of the code without altering its external behavior. When performed on the production code, the tests can be used to verify that the external behavior of the production code is preserved. However, when the refactoring is performed on test code, there is no safety net that assures that the external behavior of the test code is preserved. In this paper, we propose to adopt mutation testing as a means to verify if the behavior of the test code is preserved after refactoring. Moreover, we also show how this approach can be used to identify the part of the test code which is improperly refactored

Gene alterations by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists in human colorectal cancer cells

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a nuclear transcription factor that controls the genes involved in metabolism and carcinogenesis. In the present study, we examined the alteration of gene expression in HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells by PPARgamma agonists: MCC-555 (5 microM), rosiglitazone (5 microM), and 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (1 microM). The long-oligo microarray data revealed a list of target genes commonly induced (307 genes) and repressed (32 genes) by tested PPARgamma agonists. These genes were analyzed by Onto-Express software and KEGG pathway analysis and revealed that PPARgamma agonists are involved in cell proliferation, focal adhesion, and several signaling pathways. Eight genes were selected to confirm the microarray data by RT-PCR and real-time PCR, from which CSTA, DAP13, TAF12, RIS1, CDKN3 and MAGOH were up-regulated, and KLHL11 and NCOA2 were down-regulated. This study elucidates the commonly induced genes modulated by tested PPARgamma ligands involved in the different signaling pathways and metabolisms, probably mediated in a PPARgamma-dependent manner in colorectal cancer cells and helps to better understand the pleiotropic actions of PPARgamma ligands

Facial structures for various notions of positivity and applications to the theory of entanglement

In this expository note, we explain facial structures for the convex cones consisting of positive linear maps, completely positive linear maps, decomposable positive linear maps between matrix algebras, respectively. These will be applied to study the notions of entangled edge states with positive partial transposes and optimality of entanglement witnesses.Comment: An expository note. Section 7 and Section 8 have been enlarge

Controlled spontaneous emission

The problem of spontaneous emission is studied by a direct computer simulation of the dynamics of a combined system: atom + radiation field. The parameters of the discrete finite model, including up to 20k field oscillators, have been optimized by a comparison with the exact solution for the case when the oscillators have equidistant frequencies and equal coupling constants. Simulation of the effect of multi-pulse sequence of phase kicks and emission by a pair of atoms shows that both the frequency and the linewidth of the emitted spectrum could be controlled.Comment: 25 pages including 11 figure

Dirac fermions on a disclinated flexible surface

A self-consisting gauge-theory approach to describe Dirac fermions on flexible surfaces with a disclination is formulated. The elastic surfaces are considered as embeddings into R^3 and a disclination is incorporated through a topologically nontrivial gauge field of the local SO(3) group which generates the metric with conical singularity. A smoothing of the conical singularity on flexible surfaces is naturally accounted for by regarding the upper half of two-sheet hyperboloid as an elasticity-induced embedding. The availability of the zero-mode solution to the Dirac equation is analyzed.Comment: 6 page

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Gossypium hirsutum: organization and phylogenetic relationships to other angiosperms

BACKGROUND: Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the most important fiber crop grown in 90 countries. In 2004–2005, US farmers planted 79% of the 5.7-million hectares of nuclear transgenic cotton. Unfortunately, genetically modified cotton has the potential to hybridize with other cultivated and wild relatives, resulting in geographical restrictions to cultivation. However, chloroplast genetic engineering offers the possibility of containment because of maternal inheritance of transgenes. The complete chloroplast genome of cotton provides essential information required for genetic engineering. In addition, the sequence data were used to assess phylogenetic relationships among the major clades of rosids using cotton and 25 other completely sequenced angiosperm chloroplast genomes. RESULTS: The complete cotton chloroplast genome is 160,301 bp in length, with 112 unique genes and 19 duplicated genes within the IR, containing a total of 131 genes. There are four ribosomal RNAs, 30 distinct tRNA genes and 17 intron-containing genes. The gene order in cotton is identical to that of tobacco but lacks rpl22 and infA. There are 30 direct and 24 inverted repeats 30 bp or longer with a sequence identity ≥ 90%. Most of the direct repeats are within intergenic spacer regions, introns and a 72 bp-long direct repeat is within the psaA and psaB genes. Comparison of protein coding sequences with expressed sequence tags (ESTs) revealed nucleotide substitutions resulting in amino acid changes in ndhC, rpl23, rpl20, rps3 and clpP. Phylogenetic analysis of a data set including 61 protein-coding genes using both maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony were performed for 28 taxa, including cotton and five other angiosperm chloroplast genomes that were not included in any previous phylogenies. CONCLUSION: Cotton chloroplast genome lacks rpl22 and infA and contains a number of dispersed direct and inverted repeats. RNA editing resulted in amino acid changes with significant impact on their hydropathy. Phylogenetic analysis provides strong support for the position of cotton in the Malvales in the eurosids II clade sister to Arabidopsis in the Brassicales. Furthermore, there is strong support for the placement of the Myrtales sister to the eurosid I clade, although expanded taxon sampling is needed to further test this relationship