371 research outputs found
A two-step MaxLik-MaxEnt strategy to infer photon distribution from on/off measurement at low quantum efficiency
A method based on Maximum-Entropy (ME) principle to infer photon distribution
from on/off measurements performed with few and low values of quantum
efficiency is addressed. The method consists of two steps: at first some
moments of the photon distribution are retrieved from on/off statistics using
Maximum-Likelihood estimation, then ME principle is applied to infer the
quantum state and, in turn, the photon distribution. Results from simulated
experiments on coherent and number states are presented.Comment: 4 figures, to appear in EPJ
Informationally complete measurements and groups representation
Informationally complete measurements on a quantum system allow to estimate
the expectation value of any arbitrary operator by just averaging functions of
the experimental outcomes. We show that such kind of measurements can be
achieved through positive-operator valued measures (POVM's) related to unitary
irreducible representations of a group on the Hilbert space of the system. With
the help of frame theory we provide a constructive way to evaluate the
data-processing function for arbitrary operators.Comment: 9 pages, no figures, IOP style. Some new references adde
Quantum reconstruction of an intense polarization squeezed optical state
We perform a reconstruction of the polarization sector of the density matrix
of an intense polarization squeezed beam starting from a complete set of Stokes
measurements. By using an appropriate quasidistribution, we map this onto the
Poincare space providing a full quantum mechanical characterization of the
measured polarization state.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps color figure
Heavy metals in the muscle and hepatopancreas of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in campania (italy)
The aim of this study was to carry out a quali-quantitative analysis of the presence of non-essential and essential trace elements in freshwater crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) edible tissues to establish the healthiness of this product and to evaluate the pollution status of the sampling sites included in the present study. P. clarkii is one of the most common species of freshwater crustaceans in Italy, regularly consumed by local people. Moreover, the crayfish, due to its trophic position and diet, can be considered as an excellent bioindicator of the health status of the ecosystem. We collected sixty crayfish samples from two different sites in Campania (Italy): Villa Literno and Sessa Aurunca. Concentrations of trace elements were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Our data showed low concentrations of Cd, Hg and Pb, with values below the European Commission MRL (Commission Regulation (EC) 1881/2006). We suggest that data obtained from this study showed that crayfish collected from Villa Literno and Sessa Aurunca were safe for human consumption. Furthermore, the results of this research indicated mild contamination of heavy metals of the sampling sites, indicating a good health status of the areaâs aquatic ecosystem
Actuators based on intrinsic conductive polymers/carbon nanoparticles nanocompositesElectroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2013
New polyaniline (PANi) synthesis was performed starting from non-toxic N-phenil-p-phenylenediamine (aniline dimer) using reverse addition of monomer to oxidizing agent, the synthesis allows to produce highly soluble PANi. Several types of doped PANi were prepared to be used on electromechanical active actuators. Different techniques were used to include carbon nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes and graphene. Bimorph solid state ionic actuators were prepared with these novel nanocomposites using a variety of supporting polymer
Iterative algorithm for reconstruction of entangled states
An iterative algorithm for the reconstruction of an unknown quantum state
from the results of incompatible measurements is proposed. It consists of
Expectation-Maximization step followed by a unitary transformation of the
eigenbasis of the density matrix. The procedure has been applied to the
reconstruction of the entangled pair of photons.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, some formulations changed, a minor mistake
correcte
Genomic and personalized medicine approaches for substance use disorders (SUDs) looking at genome-wide association studies
Drug addiction, or substance use disorder (SUD), is a chronic, relapsing disorder in which compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviour persist despite serious negative consequences. Drug abuse represents a problem that deserves great attention from a social point of view, and focuses on the importance of genetic studies to help in understanding the genetic basis of addiction and its medical treatment. Despite the complexity of drug addiction disorders, and the high number of environmental variables playing a role in the onset, recurrence, and duration of the symptoms, several studies have highlighted the non-negligible role of genetics, as demonstrated by heritability and genome-wide association studies. A correlation between the relative risk of addiction to specific substances and heritability has been recently observed, suggesting that neurobiological mechanisms may be, at least in part, inherited. All these observations point towards a scenario where the core neurobiological factors of addiction, involving the reward system, impulsivity, compulsivity, stress, and anxiety response, are transmitted, and therefore, genes and mutations underlying their variation might be detected. In the last few years, the development of new and more efficient sequencing technologies has paved the way for large-scale studies in searching for genetic and epigenetic factors affecting drug addiction disorders and their treatments. These studies have been crucial to pinpoint single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes that affect the reaction to medical treatments. This is critically important to identify pharmacogenomic approaches for substance use disorder, such as OPRM1 SNPs and methadone required doses for maintenance treatment (MMT). Nevertheless, despite the promising results obtained by genome-wide association and pharmacogenomic studies, specific studies related to population genetics diversity are lacking, undermining the overall applicability of the preliminary findings, and thus potentially affecting the portability and the accuracy of the genetic studies. In this review, focusing on cannabis, cocaine and heroin use, we report the state-of-the-art genomics and pharmacogenomics of SUDs, and the possible future perspectives related to medical treatment response in people that ask for assistance in solving drug-related problems
Direct visualization and cellular localization of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in rat forebrain by use of fluorescent ligands.
Binary optical communication in single-mode and entangled quantum noisy channels
We address binary optical communication in single-mode and entangled quantum
noisy channels. For single-mode we present a systematic comparison between
direct photodetection and homodyne detection in realistic conditions, i.e.
taking into account the noise that occurs both during the propagation and the
detection of the signals. We then consider entangled channels based on
twin-beam state of radiation, and show that with realistic heterodyne detection
the error probability at fixed channel energy is reduced in comparison to the
single-mode cases for a large range of values of quantum efficiency and noise
parameters
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