556 research outputs found
On the Effect of Quantum Interaction Distance on Quantum Addition Circuits
We investigate the theoretical limits of the effect of the quantum
interaction distance on the speed of exact quantum addition circuits. For this
study, we exploit graph embedding for quantum circuit analysis. We study a
logical mapping of qubits and gates of any -depth quantum adder
circuit for two -qubit registers onto a practical architecture, which limits
interaction distance to the nearest neighbors only and supports only one- and
two-qubit logical gates. Unfortunately, on the chosen -dimensional practical
architecture, we prove that the depth lower bound of any exact quantum addition
circuits is no longer , but . This
result, the first application of graph embedding to quantum circuits and
devices, provides a new tool for compiler development, emphasizes the impact of
quantum computer architecture on performance, and acts as a cautionary note
when evaluating the time performance of quantum algorithms.Comment: accepted for ACM Journal on Emerging Technologies in Computing
System
An oil pipeline design problem
Copyright @ 2003 INFORMSWe consider a given set of offshore platforms and onshore wells producing known (or estimated) amounts of oil to be connected to a port. Connections may take place directly between platforms, well sites, and the port, or may go through connection points at given locations. The configuration of the network and sizes of pipes used must be chosen to minimize construction costs. This problem is expressed as a mixed-integer program, and solved both heuristically by Tabu Search and Variable Neighborhood Search methods and exactly by a branch-and-bound method. Two new types of valid inequalities are introduced. Tests are made with data from the South Gabon oil field and randomly generated problems.The work of the first author was supported by NSERC grant #OGP205041. The work of the second author was supported by FCAR (Fonds pour la Formation des Chercheurs et lâAide Ă la Recherche) grant #95-ER-1048, and NSERC grant #GP0105574
Strangeness Content in the Nucleon
I review recent studies of strangeness content in the nucleon pertaining to
the flavor-singlet , the matrix element and the strangeness
electric and magnetic form factors and , based on
lattice QCD calculations. I shall also discuss the relevance of incorporating
the strangeness content in nuclei in regard to strange baryon-antibaryon
productions from proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at SPS and RHIC
energies.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, Invited talk at V Int. Conf. on Strangeness in
Quark Matter, Berkeley, CA, July 20--25, 200
Search for tau -> e gamma decay at Belle
We have searched for the lepton-flavor-violating decay tau -> e gamma using a
data sample of 86.7/fb collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric
e^+ e^- collider. No evidence for a signal is obtained, and we set an upper
limit for the branching fraction Br(tau -> e gamma) < 3.9 x 10^-7 at the 90%
C.L.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, ReVTeX4, eps
Recommended from our members
Biomineralisation by earthworms: an investigation into the stability and distribution of amorphous calcium carbonate
Background
Many biominerals form from amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), but this phase is highly unstable when synthesised in its pure form inorganically. Several species of earthworm secrete calcium carbonate granules which contain highly stable ACC. We analysed the milky fluid from which granules form and solid granules for amino acid (by liquid chromatography) and functional group (by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy) compositions. Granule elemental composition was determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). Mass of ACC present in solid granules was quantified using FTIR and compared to granule elemental and amino acid compositions. Bulk analysis of granules was of powdered bulk material. Spatially resolved analysis was of thin sections of granules using synchrotron-based Ό-FTIR and EMPA electron microprobe analysis.
Results
The milky fluid from which granules form is amino acid-rich (†136 ± 3 nmol mgâ1 (n = 3; ± std dev) per individual amino acid); the CaCO3 phase present is ACC. Even four years after production, granules contain ACC. No correlation exists between mass of ACC present and granule elemental composition. Granule amino acid concentrations correlate well with ACC content (r â„ 0.7, p †0.05) consistent with a role for amino acids (or the proteins they make up) in ACC stabilisation. Intra-granule variation in ACC (RSD = 16%) and amino acid concentration (RSD = 22â35%) was high for granules produced by the same earthworm. Maps of ACC distribution produced using synchrotron-based ÎŒ-FTIR mapping of granule thin sections and the relative intensity of the Îœ2: Îœ4 peak ratio, cluster analysis and component regression using ACC and calcite standards showed similar spatial distributions of likely ACC-rich and calcite-rich areas. We could not identify organic peaks in the ÎŒ-FTIR spectra and thus could not determine whether ACC-rich domains also had relatively high amino acid concentrations. No correlation exists between ACC distribution and elemental concentrations determined by EMPA.
Conclusions
ACC present in earthworm CaCO3 granules is highly stable. Our results suggest a role for amino acids (or proteins) in this stability. We see no evidence for stabilisation of ACC by incorporation of inorganic components
Use of IFN gamma/IL10 Ratio for Stratification of Hydrocortisone Therapy in Patients With Septic Shock
Large clinical trials testing hydrocortisone therapy in septic shock have produced conflicting results. Subgroups may benefit of hydrocortisone treatment depending on their individual immune response. We performed an exploratory analysis of the database from the international randomized controlled clinical trial Corticosteroid Therapy of Septic Shock (CORTICUS) employing machine learning to a panel of 137 variables collected from the Berlin subcohort comprising 83 patients including demographic and clinical measures, organ failure scores, leukocyte counts and levels of circulating cytokines. The identified theranostic marker was validated against data from a cohort of the Hellenic Sepsis Study Group (HSSG) (n = 246), patients enrolled in the clinical trial of Sodium Selenite and Procalcitonin Guided Antimicrobial Therapy in Severe Sepsis (SISPCT, n = 118), and another, smaller clinical trial (Crossover study, n = 20). In addition, in vitro blood culture experiments and in vivo experiments in mouse models were performed to assess biological plausibility. A low serum IFNÎł/IL10 ratio predicted increased survival in the hydrocortisone group whereas a high ratio predicted better survival in the placebo group. Using this marker for a decision rule, we applied it to three validation sets and observed the same trend. Experimental studies in vitro revealed that IFNÎł/IL10 was negatively associated with the load of (heat inactivated) pathogens in spiked human blood and in septic mouse models. Accordingly, an in silico analysis of published IFNÎł and IL10 values in bacteremic and non-bacteremic patients with the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome supported this association between the ratio and pathogen burden. We propose IFNÎł/IL10 as a molecular marker supporting the decision to administer hydrocortisone to patients in septic shock. Prospective clinical studies are necessary and standard operating procedures need to be implemented, particularly to define a generic threshold. If confirmed, IFNÎł/IL10 may become a suitable theranostic marker for an urging clinical need
Epidemiological and cohort study finds no association between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome
Reports of Guillain-BarrĂ© syndrome (GBS) have emerged during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This epidemiological and cohort study sought to investigate any causative association between COVID-19 infection and GBS. The epidemiology of GBS cases reported to the UK National Immunoglobulin Database was studied from 2016 to 2019 and compared to cases reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were stratified by hospital trust and region, with numbers of reported cases per month. UK population data for COVID-19 infection were collated from UK public health bodies. In parallel, but separately, members of the British Peripheral Nerve Society prospectively reported incident cases of GBS during the pandemic at their hospitals to a central register. The clinical features, investigation findings and outcomes of COVID-19 (definite or probable) and non-COVID-19 associated GBS cases in this cohort were compared. The incidence of GBS treated in UK hospitals from 2016 to 2019 was 1.65â1.88 per 100â000 individuals per year. GBS incidence fell between March and May 2020 compared to the same months of 2016â19. GBS and COVID-19 incidences during the pandemic also varied between regions and did not correlate with one another (râ=â0.06, 95% confidence interval: â0.56 to 0.63, Pâ=â0.86). In the independent cohort study, 47 GBS cases were reported (COVID-19 status: 13 definite, 12 probable, 22 non-COVID-19). There were no significant differences in the pattern of weakness, time to nadir, neurophysiology, CSF findings or outcome between these groups. Intubation was more frequent in the COVID-19 affected cohort (7/13, 54% versus 5/22, 23% in COVID-19-negative) attributed to COVID-19 pulmonary involvement. Although it is not possible to entirely rule out the possibility of a link, this study finds no epidemiological or phenotypic clues of SARS-CoV-2 being causative of GBS. GBS incidence has fallen during the pandemic, which may be the influence of lockdown measures reducing transmission of GBS inducing pathogens such as Campylobacter jejuni and respiratory viruses
Probing Lepton-number/flavour-violation in Semileptonic Tau Decays into Two Mesons
The evaluation, systematic analysis and numerical study of the semileptonic
-lepton decays with two mesons in the final state has been made in the
frame of the standard model extended by right handed neutrinos. In the
analysis, heavy-neutrino nondecoupling effects, finite quark masses, quark and
meson mixings, finite widths of vector mesons, chiral symmetry breakings in
vector-meson--pseudoscalar-meson vertices and effective
Higgs-boson--pseudoscalar-meson couplings have been included. Numerical
estimates reveal that the decays , and have branching ratios of the order
of , close to present-day experimental sensitivities.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX, 6 Postscript figures. To appearin Phys. Rev.
- âŠ