Measurement driven quantum evolution

We study the problem of mapping an unknown mixed quantum state onto a known pure state without the use of unitary transformations. This is achieved with the help of sequential measurements of two non-commuting observables only. We show that the overall success probability is maximized in the case of measuring two observables whose eigenstates define mutually unbiased bases. We find that for this optimal case the success probability quickly converges to unity as the number of measurement processes increases and that it is almost independent of the initial state. In particular, we show that to guarantee a success probability close to one the number of consecutive measurements must be larger than the dimension of the Hilbert space. We connect these results to quantum copying, quantum deleting and entanglement generation.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Crystallization Kinetics of LaF3 Nanocrystals in an Oxyfluoride Glass

Nanocrystallization of LaF3 in a glass of composition 55SiO2– 20Al2O3–15Na2O–10LaF3 (mol%) has been achieved by heat treatment above the glass transition temperature. A maximum crystal size of 14 nm has been attained, with the crystalline fraction and crystal size dependent on the time and temperature of thermal treatment. The effect of lanthanum fluoride crystallization is noticeable from the microstructural and compositional changes in the glass matrix, which have been studied using several techniques, including viscosity, dilatometry, X-ray diffraction, and quantitative Rietveld refinement, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The crystallization mechanism is shown to occur via regions of La- and Si-phase separation in the glass, from which the fluoride crystals develop during heat treatment. The interface between the glass matrix and the crystals in the demixed ranges is enriched in network formers, mainly SiO2, creating a viscous barrier, which inhibits further crystal growth and limits the crystal size to the nanometric range.Peer reviewe

Desarrollo profesoral : oportunidades y desafíos en la Universidad del Rosario. Mesa de trabajo: Docencia de excelencia-formación profesoral

El presente documento expone un resumen de las principales reflexiones de los miembros de la mesa de trabajo: Docencia de excelencia-formación profesoral. En primer lugar, se analiza el concepto de desarrollo profesoral. En segundo lugar, se realiza una ubicación contextual de los antecedentes de la formación profesoral en el ámbito global. Después, se presentan los antecedentes institucionales sobre el tema y se hace un análisis de las percepciones de los profesores frente a los cursos de desarrollo profesoral agenciados en 2016. Finalmente, se hace referencia a las oportunidades, retos y desafíos en torno a la formación profesoral en la Universidad

Human predecidual stromal cells are mesenchymal stromal/stem cells and have a therapeutic effect in an immune-based mouse model of recurrent spontaneous abortion

Human decidual stromal cells (DSCs) are involved in the maintenance and development of pregnancy, in which they play a key role in the induction of immunological maternal–fetal tolerance. Precursors of DSCs (preDSCs) are located around the vessels, and based on their antigen phenotype, previous studies suggested a relationship between preDSCs and mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs). This work aimed to further elucidate the MSC characteristics of preDSCs. Under the effect of P4 and cAMP, the preDSC lines and clones decidualized in vitro: the cells became rounder and secreted PRL, a marker of physiological decidualization. PreDSC lines and clones also exhibited MSC characteristics. They differentiated into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes, and preDSC lines expressed stem cell markers OCT- 4, NANOG, and ABCG2; exhibited a cloning efficiency of 4 to 15%; significantly reduced the embryo resorption rate (P < 0.001) in the mouse model of abortion; and survived for prolonged periods in immunocompetent mice. The fact that 3 preDSC clones underwent both decidualization and mesenchymal differentiation shows that the same type of cell exhibited both DSC and MSC characteristics. Together, our results confirm that preDSCs are decidual MSCs and suggest that these cells are involved in the mechanisms of maternal–fetal immune toleranceThis work was supported by the Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2013–2016, ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación, the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (Grant PI16/01642) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/ FEDER funding), the European Community, and the Cátedra de Investigación Anto nio Chamorro–Alejandro Otero, Universidad de Granada (CACH2017-1)