Unveiling Advanced Computational Applications in Quantum Computing: A Comprehensive Review

The field of advanced computing applications could experience a significant impact from quantum computing, which is a rapidly developing field with the potential to revolutionize numerous areas of science and technology. In this review, we explore into the various ways in which complex computational problems could be tackled by utilizing quantum computers, including machine learning, optimization, and simulation. One potential application of quantum computers is in machine learning, where they could be used to improve the accuracy and efficiency of algorithms. Complex optimization problems, such as those encountered in logistics and finance, can be addressed using quantum computers as well. Furthermore, the utilization of quantum computers could enable the simulation of intricate systems, such as molecules and materials, leading to significant applications in fields like Physics and Material Technology. Although quantum computers are currently in the early stages of development, they possess the potential to propel numerous areas of science and technology forward in a significant manner. Further research and development are needed to fully realize the potential of quantum computing in the field of advanced computing applications

Interplay between Phosphatases and the Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome in Mitosis

Accurate division of cells into two daughters is a process that is vital to propagation of life. Protein phosphorylation and selective degradation have emerged as two important mechanisms safeguarding the delicate choreography of mitosis. Protein phosphatases catalyze dephosphorylation of thousands of sites on proteins, steering the cells through establishment of the mitotic phase and exit from it. A large E3 ubiquitin ligase, the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) becomes active during latter stages of mitosis through G1 and marks hundreds of proteins for destruction. Recent studies have revealed the complex interregulation between these two classes of enzymes. In this review, we highlight the direct and indirect mechanisms by which phosphatases and the APC/C mutually influence each other to ensure accurate spatiotemporal and orderly progression through mitosis, with a particular focus on recent insights and conceptual advances

Optical to near-infrared transmission spectrum of the warm sub-Saturn HAT-P-12b

We present the transmission spectrum of HAT-P-12b through a joint analysis of data obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Spitzer, covering the wavelength range 0.3-5.0 $\mu$m. We detect a muted water vapor absorption feature at 1.4 $\mu$m attenuated by clouds, as well as a Rayleigh scattering slope in the optical indicative of small particles. We interpret the transmission spectrum using both the state-of-the-art atmospheric retrieval code SCARLET and the aerosol microphysics model CARMA. These models indicate that the atmosphere of HAT-P-12b is consistent with a broad range of metallicities between several tens to a few hundred times solar, a roughly solar C/O ratio, and moderately efficient vertical mixing. Cloud models that include condensate clouds do not readily generate the sub-micron particles necessary to reproduce the observed Rayleigh scattering slope, while models that incorporate photochemical hazes composed of soot or tholins are able to match the full transmission spectrum. From a complementary analysis of secondary eclipses by Spitzer, we obtain measured depths of $0.042\%\pm0.013\%$ and $0.045\%\pm0.018\%$ at 3.6 and 4.5 $\mu$m, respectively, which are consistent with a blackbody temperature of $890^{+60}_{-70}$ K and indicate efficient day-night heat recirculation. HAT-P-12b joins the growing number of well-characterized warm planets that underscore the importance of clouds and hazes in our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres.Comment: 25 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in AJ, updated with proof correction

HST PanCET program: A Cloudy Atmosphere for the promising JWST target WASP-101b

We present results from the first observations of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Panchromatic Comparative Exoplanet Treasury (PanCET) program for WASP-101b, a highly inflated hot Jupiter and one of the community targets proposed for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Early Release Science (ERS) program. From a single HST Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) observation, we find that the near-infrared transmission spectrum of WASP-101b contains no significant H$_2$O absorption features and we rule out a clear atmosphere at 13{\sigma}. Therefore, WASP-101b is not an optimum target for a JWST ERS program aimed at observing strong molecular transmission features. We compare WASP-101b to the well studied and nearly identical hot Jupiter WASP-31b. These twin planets show similar temperature-pressure profiles and atmospheric features in the near-infrared. We suggest exoplanets in the same parameter space as WASP-101b and WASP-31b will also exhibit cloudy transmission spectral features. For future HST exoplanet studies, our analysis also suggests that a lower count limit needs to be exceeded per pixel on the detector in order to avoid unwanted instrumental systematics.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, Accepted to ApJ

Radial velocity eclipse mapping of exoplanets

Planetary rotation rates and obliquities provide information regarding the history of planet formation, but have not yet been measured for evolved extrasolar planets. Here we investigate the theoretical and observational perspective of the Rossiter-McLauglin effect during secondary eclipse (RMse) ingress and egress for transiting exoplanets. Near secondary eclipse, when the planet passes behind the parent star, the star sequentially obscures light from the approaching and receding parts of the rotating planetary surface. The temporal block of light emerging from the approaching (blue-shifted) or receding (red-shifted) parts of the planet causes a temporal distortion in the planet's spectral line profiles resulting in an anomaly in the planet's radial velocity curve. We demonstrate that the shape and the ratio of the ingress-to-egress radial velocity amplitudes depends on the planetary rotational rate, axial tilt and impact factor (i.e. sky-projected planet spin-orbital alignment). In addition, line asymmetries originating from different layers in the atmosphere of the planet could provide information regarding zonal atmospheric winds and constraints on the hot spot shape for giant irradiated exoplanets. The effect is expected to be most-pronounced at near-infrared wavelengths, where the planet-to-star contrasts are large. We create synthetic near-infrared, high-dispersion spectroscopic data and demonstrate how the sky-projected spin axis orientation and equatorial velocity of the planet can be estimated. We conclude that the RMse effect could be a powerful method to measure exoplanet spins.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ on 2015 June 1

System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation

The operation of satellites in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) has been linked to a variety of benefits to both the spacecraft platform and mission design. Critically, for Earth observation (EO) missions a reduction in altitude can enable smaller and less powerful payloads to achieve the same performance as larger instruments or sensors at higher altitude, with significant benefits to the spacecraft design. As a result, renewed interest in the exploitation of these orbits has spurred the development of new technologies that have the potential to enable sustainable operations in this lower altitude range. In this paper, system models are developed for (i) novel materials that improve aerodynamic performance enabling reduced drag or increased lift production and resistance to atomic oxygen erosion and (ii) atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) for sustained drag compensation or mitigation in VLEO. Attitude and orbit control methods that can take advantage of the aerodynamic forces and torques in VLEO are also discussed. These system models are integrated into a framework for concept-level satellite design and this approach is used to explore the system-level trade-offs for future EO spacecraft enabled by these new technologies. A case-study presented for an optical very-high resolution spacecraft demonstrates the significant potential of reducing orbital altitude using these technologies and indicates possible savings of up to 75% in system mass and over 50% in development and manufacturing costs in comparison to current state-of-the-art missions. For a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, the reduction in mass and cost with altitude were shown to be smaller, though it was noted that currently available cost models do not capture recent commercial advancements in this segment. These results account for the additional propulsive and power requirements needed to sustain operations in VLEO and indicate that future EO missions could benefit significantly by operating in this altitude range. Furthermore, it is shown that only modest advancements in technologies already under development may begin to enable exploitation of this lower altitude range. In addition to the upstream benefits of reduced capital expense and a faster return on investment, lower costs and increased access to high quality observational data may also be passed to the downstream EO industry, with impact across a wide range of commercial, societal, and environmental application areas

COVID-19-Induced Seizures: A Meta-Analysis of Case Series and Retrospective Cohorts

The adverse events and complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continue to challenge the medical profession despite the worldwide vaccination against the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19. Other than typical respiratory manifestations, COVID-19 also presents a wide range of neurological manifestations. This article underlines the pooled incidence of COVID-19-induced seizures in patients with epilepsy and without epilepsy. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocols, we conducted a bibliographical search, and an initial search revealed 1,375 articles. In total, 21 articles were included in the final analysis by following the inclusion criteria. A total of 11,526 patients from 21 published articles that met the predetermined search criteria were included. The median age of the patients was 61.9 years, of whom 51.5% were males. A total of 255 patients presented with seizures as the first manifestation of COVID-19 with a prevalence of 2.2% (95% confidence interval = 0.05-0.24, p \u3c 0.01) (I2 = 97%), of which 71 patients had previously been diagnosed with epilepsy. Among patients with epilepsy, 49 patients had seizures as an initial presentation of SARA-CoV-2 with an incidence of 72% (0.54-0.85, p = 0.1) (I2 = 34). Although the incidence of COVID-19-induced seizures is not high compared to other neurological manifestations, seizure incidence in epileptic patients with COVID-19 is remarkably high. New-onset seizures in any patient should be considered a presentation of COVID-19 in the absence of other causative factors

Precise Infrared Radial Velocities from Keck/NIRSPEC and the Search for Young Planets

We present a high-precision infrared radial velocity study of late-type stars using spectra obtained with NIRSPEC at the W. M. Keck Observatory. Radial velocity precisions of 50 m/s are achieved for old field mid-M dwarfs using telluric features for precise wavelength calibration. Using this technique, 20 young stars in the {\beta} Pic (age ~12 Myr) and TW Hya (age ~8 Myr) Associations were monitored over several years to search for low mass companions; we also included the chromospherically active field star GJ 873 (EV Lac) in this survey. Based on comparisons with previous optical observations of these young active stars, radial velocity measurements at infrared wavelengths mitigate the radial velocity noise caused by star spots by a factor of ~3. Nevertheless, star spot noise is still the dominant source of measurement error for young stars at 2.3 {\mu}m, and limits the precision to ~77 m/s for the slowest rotating stars (v sin i < 6 km/s), increasing to ~168 m/s for rapidly rotating stars (v sin i > 12 km/s). The observations reveal both GJ 3305 and TWA 23 to be single-lined spectroscopic binaries; in the case of GJ 3305, the motion is likely caused by its 0.09" companion, identified after this survey began. The large amplitude, short-timescale variations of TWA 13A are indicative of a hot Jupiter-like companion, but the available data are insufficient to confirm this. We label it as a candidate radial velocity variable. For the remainder of the sample, these observations exclude the presence of any 'hot' (P < 3 days) companions more massive than 8 MJup, and any 'warm' (P < 30 days) companions more massive than 17 MJup, on average. Assuming an edge-on orbit for the edge-on disk system AU Mic, these observations exclude the presence of any hot Jupiters more massive than 1.8 MJup or warm Jupiters more massive than 3.9 MJup.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 18 pages, 7 figure