Capacity estimation and verification of quantum channels with arbitrarily correlated errors

© 2017 The Author(s). The central figure of merit for quantum memories and quantum communication devices is their capacity to store and transmit quantum information. Here, we present a protocol that estimates a lower bound on a channel's quantum capacity, even when there are arbitrarily correlated errors. One application of these protocols is to test the performance of quantum repeaters for transmitting quantum information. Our protocol is easy to implement and comes in two versions. The first estimates the one-shot quantum capacity by preparing and measuring in two different bases, where all involved qubits are used as test qubits. The second verifies on-the-fly that a channel's one-shot quantum capacity exceeds a minimal tolerated value while storing or communicating data. We discuss the performance using simple examples, such as the dephasing channel for which our method is asymptotically optimal. Finally, we apply our method to a superconducting qubit in experiment

Designing of Customized Devices in Orthodontics by Digital Imaging and CAD/FEM Modeling

In current decade, patient’s demand of minimal orthodontic treatment have encouraged the introduction of appliance that will be lighter, improved profile and better esthetics with regard to conventional orthodontic treatment. Considering aesthetic treatment options, removable clear aligner treatment got popular among patients since it allows clinician to deliver comprehensive orthodontic treatment while maintaining comfort of patient. The aligners should exert an adequate force in order to shift the tooth to a desirable position. But, in recent times, the relation of applied force and aligner property (eg. thickness) is inadequately witnessed. This article focuses on a patient-focused framework has been formulated which depicts orthodontic movement of teeth with the help of aligners. Particularly, a finite element model is being formulated which optimizes the thickness of these aligners with respect to amount of force and moment system applied to a lower central incisor while tipping it bucco-lingually

OPTIMIZATION AND CHARECTERIZATION OFINTRACELLULAR ORANGE FLUORESCENT PIGMENT FROM BACILLUS ENDOPHYTICUS (AVP-9(Kf527823)

Objective: Our study aimed to characterize and optimize the physico-chemical properties which render the high yield of intracellular orange fluorescent pigment (IOFP) and its antibacterial activity against clinical pathogens.Methods: Intracellular orange fluorescent pigment (IOFP) extracted from Bacillus endophyticus AVP-9(Kf527823) a rhizobacteria of chilli agricultural field using different solvent systems, fractioned by TLC and analyzed for absorption maxima. Purified pigment was screened for antimicrobial activity against clinical pathogen, Optimization of cultural conditions for maximizing the yield of pigment and compared the yield in different broth media.Results: AVP-9(Kf527823) showed circular, large orange color colonies which fluoresced orange under U. V light,. Intracellular pigment affectively extracted in acetone showed a bright fluorescent orange spot on the TLC plate, and absorption maxima at 493 nm. Antibacterial activity of isolated pigment showed highest zone of inhibition against E. coli and least to Pseudomonas. Maximum yield of the pigment was achieved in modified nutrient brot (MNB)h medium containing 2% w/v nutrient broth containing1% w/v glucose,1% w/v peptone and0.5% methionine at 35 °C and pH 7.0 with 48 h of incubation period. The yield was observed maximum in MNB. Compared to lactose broth, Tryptone soya broth and peptone water.Conclusion: Bright fluorescent orange pigment of Bacterium avp-9(Kf527823) with absorption maxima at 493 indicating that the pigment shows the characters of carotenoids. Yield maximum in MNB and its potential antibacterial activity needs further investigation for pharmaceutical applications

Geoelectrical response of a water bearing sandstone shale sequence and estimation of sand shale ratio

An attempt has been made to use the geoelectrical response of a water bearing sandstone-shale sequence to estimate the sandstone-shale ratio. In all, 168 sandstone-shale sequence models were generated using Monte-Carlo simulation technique. The resistivity transform and its autocorrelation function of all the models were calculated. The amplitude, phase, power and log spectra Were also extracted. The power spectrum appears to hold promise in estimating the sand stone-shale ratio of these models because the power amplitude P2 shows a high negative correlation with sandstone shale ratio values

Tactile defensiveness and impaired adaptation of neuronal activity in the Fmr1 knockout mouse model of autism

Sensory hypersensitivity is a common symptom in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), including Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), and frequently leads to tactile defensiveness. In mouse models of ASDs, there is mounting evidence of neuronal and circuit hyperexcitability in several brain regions, which could contribute to sensory hypersensitivity. However, it is not yet known whether or how sensory stimulation might trigger abnormal sensory processing at the circuit level or abnormal behavioral responses in ASD mouse models, especially during an early developmental time when experience-dependent plasticity shapes such circuits. Using a novel assay, we discovered exaggerated motor responses to whisker stimulation in young Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice (postnatal days (P) 14-16), a model of FXS. Adult Fmr1 KO mice actively avoided a stimulus that was innocuous to wild-type controls, a sign of tactile defensiveness. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging of Layer 2/3 barrel cortex neurons expressing GCaMP6s, we found no differences between wild-type and Fmr1 KO mice in overall whisker-evoked activity, though 45% fewer neurons in young Fmr1 KO mice responded in a time-locked manner. Notably, we identified a pronounced deficit in neuronal adaptation to repetitive whisker stimulation in both young and adult Fmr1 KO mice. Thus, impaired adaptation in cortical sensory circuits is a potential cause of tactile defensiveness in autism

Transcriptome analyses reveal genotype- and developmental stage-specific molecular responses to drought and salinity stresses in chickpea

Drought and salinity are the major factors that limit chickpea production worldwide. We performed whole transcriptome analyses of chickpea genotypes to investigate the molecular basis of drought and salinity stress response/adaptation. Phenotypic analyses confirmed the contrasting responses of the chickpea genotypes to drought or salinity stress. RNA-seq of the roots of drought and salinity related genotypes was carried out under control and stress conditions at vegetative and/or reproductive stages. Comparative analysis of the transcriptomes revealed divergent gene expression in the chickpea genotypes at different developmental stages. We identified a total of 4954 and 5545 genes exclusively regulated in drought-tolerant and salinity-tolerant genotypes, respectively. A significant fraction (~47%) of the transcription factor encoding genes showed differential expression under stress. The key enzymes involved in metabolic pathways, such as carbohydrate metabolism, photosynthesis, lipid metabolism, generation of precursor metabolites/energy, protein modification, redox homeostasis and cell wall component biogenesis, were affected by drought and/or salinity stresses. Interestingly, transcript isoforms showed expression specificity across the chickpea genotypes and/or developmental stages as illustrated by the AP2-EREBP family members. Our findings provide insights into the transcriptome dynamics and components of regulatory network associated with drought and salinity stress responses in chickpea

Bio-catalytic nanocompartments for in situ production of glucose-6-phosphate

Cells are sophisticated biocatalytic systems driving a complex network of biochemical reactions. A bioinspired strategy to create advanced functional systems is to design confined spaces for complex enzymatic reactions by using a combination of synthetic polymer assemblies and natural cell components. Here, we developed bio-catalytic nanocompartments that contain phosphoglucomutase protected by a biomimetic polymer membrane, which was permeabilized for reactants through insertion of an engineered α-hemolysin pore protein. These bio-catalytic nanocompartments serve for production of glucose-6-phosphate, and thus possess great potential for applications in an incomplete glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, or in plant biological reactions

Composable security of delegated quantum computation

Delegating difficult computations to remote large computation facilities, with appropriate security guarantees, is a possible solution for the ever-growing needs of personal computing power. For delegated computation protocols to be usable in a larger context---or simply to securely run two protocols in parallel---the security definitions need to be composable. Here, we define composable security for delegated quantum computation. We distinguish between protocols which provide only blindness---the computation is hidden from the server---and those that are also verifiable---the client can check that it has received the correct result. We show that the composable security definition capturing both these notions can be reduced to a combination of several distinct "trace-distance-type" criteria---which are, individually, non-composable security definitions. Additionally, we study the security of some known delegated quantum computation protocols, including Broadbent, Fitzsimons and Kashefi's Universal Blind Quantum Computation protocol. Even though these protocols were originally proposed with insufficient security criteria, they turn out to still be secure given the stronger composable definitions.Comment: 37+9 pages, 13 figures. v3: minor changes, new references. v2: extended the reduction between composable and local security to include entangled inputs, substantially rewritten the introduction to the Abstract Cryptography (AC) framewor

Ferroelectric Solitons Crafted in Epitaxial Bismuth Ferrite Superlattices

In ferroelectrics, complex interactions among various degrees of freedom enable the condensation of topologically protected polarization textures. Known as ferroelectric solitons, these particle-like structures represent a new class of materials with promise for beyond CMOS technologies due to their ultrafine size and sensitivity to external stimuli. Such polarization textures have scarcely been reported in multiferroics. Here, we report a range of soliton topologies in bismuth ferrite strontium titanate superlattices. High-resolution piezoresponse force microscopy and Cs-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy reveal a zoo of topologies, and polarization displacement mapping of planar specimens reveals center-convergent and divergent topological defects as small as 3 nm. Phase field simulations verify that some of these topologies can be classed as bimerons, with a topological charge of plus and minus one, and first-principles-based effective Hamiltonian computations show that the co-existence of such structures can lead to non-integer topological charges, a first observation in a BiFeO3-based system. Our results open new opportunities in multiferroic topotronics