1,048 research outputs found
Hyperentanglement of two photons in three degrees of freedom
A 6-qubit hyperentangled state has been realized by entangling two photons in
three degrees of freedom. These correspond to the polarization, the
longitudinal momentum and the indistinguishable emission produced by a
2-crystal system operating with Type I phase matching in the spontaneous
parametric down conversion regime. The state has been characterized by a
chained interferometric apparatus and its complete entangled nature has been
tested by a novel witness criterium specifically introduced for hyperentangled
states. The experiment represents the first realization of a genuine
hyperentangled state with the maximum entanglement between the two particles
allowed in the given Hilbert space.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Revtex
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase plays a crucial role in the protection from redox-stress induced apoptosis.
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deleted embryonic stem (ES) cells (G6pdD) proliferate in vitro without special requirements, but when challenged with oxidants fail to sustain glutathione disulphide reconversion to reduced glutathione (GSH), entering a condition of oxidative stress. Here, we investigate the signalling events downstream of GSH oxidation in G6pdD and wild-type (wt) ES cells. We found that G6pdD ES cells are very sensitive to oxidants, activating an apoptotic pathway at oxidant concentrations otherwise sublethal for wt ES cells. We show that the apoptotic pathway activated by low oxidant concentrations is accompanied by mitochondria dysfunction, and it is therefore blocked by the overexpression of Bcl-XL. Bcl-XL does not inhibit the decrease in cellular GSH and reactive oxygen species formation following oxidant treatment. We also found that oxidant treatment in ES cells is followed by the activation of the MEK/ extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Interest¬ingly, ERK activation has opposite outcomes in G6pdD ES cells compared to wt, which has a proapoptotic function in the first and a prosurvival function in the latter. We show that this phenomenon can be regulated by the cellular GSH level
Generating entangled superpositions of macroscopically distinguishable states within a parametric oscillator
We suggest a variant of the recently proposed experiment for the generation
of a new kind of Schroedinger-cat states, using two coupled parametric
down-converter nonlinear crystals [F. De Martini, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 2842
(1998)]. We study the parametric oscillator case and find that an entangled
Schroedinger-cat type state of two cavities, whose mirrors are placed along the
output beams of the nonlinear crystals, can be realized under suitable
conditions.Comment: RevTeX 17 pages, 9 eps files for 7 figures. Submitted to Physical
Review
The ASTARTE Paleotsunami Deposits data base – web-based references for tsunami research in the NEAM region
EU project ASTARTE aimed at developing a higher level of tsunami hazard assessment in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAM) region by a combination of field work, experimental work, numerical modeling and technical development. The project was a cooperative work of 26 institutes from 16 countries and linked together the description of past tsunamigenic events, the identification and characterization of tsunami sources, the calculation of the impact of such events, and the development of adequate resilience and risks mitigation strategies (http://www.astarte-project.eu/).
Within ASTARTE, a web-based database on Paleotsunami Deposits in the NEAM area was created with the purpose to be the future information repository for tsunami research in the broad region. The aim of the project is the integration of every existing official scientific reports and peer reviewed papers on this topic. The database, which archives information and detailed data crucial for tsunami modeling, will be updated on new entries every 12 months. A relational database managed by ArcGIS for Desktop 10.x software has been implemented.
One of the final goals of the project is the public sharing of the archived dataset through a web-based map service that will allow visualizing, querying, analyzing, and interpreting the dataset. The interactive map service is hosted by ArcGIS Online and will deploy the cloud capabilities of the portal. Any interested users will be able to access the online GIS resources through any Internet browser or specific apps that run on desktop machines, smartphones, or tablets and will be able to use the analytical tools, key tasks, and workflows of the service. We will present the database structure (characterized by the presence of two main tables: the Site table and the Event table) and topics as well as their ArcGIS Online version. To date, a total of 151 sites and 220 tsunami evidence have been recorded within the ASTARTE database. The ASTARTE Paleotsunami Deposits database – NEAM region is now available online at the address http://arcg.is/1CWz0. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 603839 (Project ASTARTE - Assessment, Strategy and Risk Reduction for Tsunamis in Europe).PublishedNew Orleans, USA5T. Modelli di pericolosità sismica e da maremot
Measurement of the neutron detection efficiency of a 80% absorber - 20% scintillating fibers calorimeter
The neutron detection efficiency of a sampling calorimeter made of 1 mm
diameter scintillating fibers embedded in a lead/bismuth structure has been
measured at the neutron beam of the The Svedberg Laboratory at Uppsala. A
significant enhancement of the detection efficiency with respect to a bulk
organic scintillator detector with the same thickness is observed.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
Heart rate variability and target organ damage in hypertensive patients
Background:
We evaluated the association between linear standard Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measures and vascular, renal and cardiac target organ damage (TOD).
Methods:
A retrospective analysis was performed including 200 patients registered in the Regione Campania network (aged 62.4 ± 12, male 64%). HRV analysis was performed by 24-h holter ECG. Renal damage was assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), vascular damage by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and cardiac damage by left ventricular mass index.
Results:
Significantly lower values of the ratio of low to high frequency power (LF/HF) were found in the patients with moderate or severe eGFR (p-value < 0.001). Similarly, depressed values of indexes of the overall autonomic modulation on heart were found in patients with plaque compared to those with a normal IMT (p-value <0.05). These associations remained significant after adjustment for other factors known to contribute to the development of target organ damage, such as age. Moreover, depressed LF/HF was found also in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy but this association was not significant after adjustment for other factors.
Conclusions:
Depressed HRV appeared to be associated with vascular and renal TOD, suggesting the involvement of autonomic imbalance in the TOD. However, as the mechanisms by which abnormal autonomic balance may lead to TOD, and, particularly, to renal organ damage are not clearly known, further prospective studies with longitudinal design are needed to determine the association between HRV and the development of TOD
Measurement of {\eta} meson production in {\gamma}{\gamma} interactions and {\Gamma}({\eta}-->{\gamma}{\gamma}) with the KLOE detector
We present a measurement of {\eta} meson production in photon-photon
interactions produced by electron-positron beams colliding with \sqrt{s}=1 GeV.
The measurement is done with the KLOE detector at the \phi-factory DA{\Phi}NE
with an integrated luminosity of 0.24 fb^{-1}. The e^+e^- --> e^+e^-{\eta}
cross section is measured without detecting the outgoing electron and positron,
selecting the decays {\eta}-->{\pi}^+{\pi}^-{\pi}^0 and
{\eta}-->{\pi}^0{\pi}^0{\pi}^0. The most relevant background is due to e^+e^-
--> {\eta}{\gamma} when the monochromatic photon escapes detection. The cross
section for this process is measured as {\sigma}(e^+e^- -->{\eta}{\gamma}) =
(856 \pm 8_{stat} \pm 16_{syst}) pb. The combined result for the e^+e^-
-->e^+e^-{\eta} cross section is {\sigma}(e^+e^- -->e^+e^-{\eta}) = (32.72 \pm
1.27_{stat} \pm 0.70_{syst}) pb. From this we derive the partial width
{\Gamma}({\eta}-->{\gamma}{\gamma}) = (520 \pm 20_{stat} \pm 13_{syst}) eV.
This is in agreement with the world average and is the most precise measurement
to date.Comment: Version accepted by JHE
Measurement of \Gamma(\eta -> \pi^+\pi^-\gamma)/\Gamma(\eta -> \pi^+\pi^-\pi^0) with the KLOE Detector
The ratio R_{\eta}=\Gamma(\eta -> \pi^+\pi^-\gamma)/\Gamma(\eta ->
\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0) has been measured by analyzing 22 million \phi \to \eta \gamma
decays collected by the KLOE experiment at DA\PhiNE, corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 558 pb^{-1}. The \eta \to \pi^+\pi^-\gamma proceeds
both via the \rho resonant contribution, and possibly a non-resonant direct
term, connected to the box anomaly. Our result, R_{\eta}= 0.1856\pm
0.0005_{stat} \pm 0.0028_{syst}, points out a sizable contribution of the
direct term to the total width. The di-pion invariant mass for the \eta ->
\pi^+\pi^-\gamma decay could be described in a model-independent approach in
terms of a single free parameter, \alpha. The determined value of the parameter
\alpha is \alpha = (1.32 \pm 0.08_{stat} +0.10/-0.09_{syst}\pm 0.02_{theo})
GeV^{-2}Comment: Paper in press, accepted by PL
A new limit on the CP violating decay KS -> 3pi0 with the KLOE experiment
We have carried out a new direct search for the CP violating decay KS -> 3pi0
with 1.7 fb^-1 of e+e- collisions collected by the KLOE detector at the
phi-factory DAFNE. We have searched for this decay in a sample of about 5.9 x
10^8 KS KL events tagging the KS by means of the KL interaction in the
calorimeter and requiring six prompt photons. With respect to our previous
search, the analysis has been improved by increasing of a factor four the
tagged sample and by a more effective background rejection of fake KS tags and
spurious clusters. We find no candidates in data and simulated background
samples, while we expect 0.12 standard model events. Normalizing to the number
of KS -> 2pi0 events in the same sample, we set the upper limit on BR(KS ->
3pi0 < 2.6 x 10^-8 at 90% C.L., five times lower than the previous limit. We
also set the upper limit on the eta_000 parameter, |eta_000 | < 0.0088 at 90%
C.L., improving by a factor two the latest direct measurement.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physics Letters B (15 pages, 13 figures
KLOE results in kaon physics and prospects for KLOE-2
The phi-factory DAPHNE offers a possibility to select pure kaon beams,
charged and neutral ones. In particular, neutral kaons from phi->KS KL are
produced in pairs and the detection of a KS (KL) tags the presence of a KL
(KS). This allows to perform precise measurements of kaon properties by means
of KLOE detector. Another advantage of a phi-factory consists in fact that the
neutral kaon pairs are produced in a pure quantum state (J^(PC) = 1^(--)),
which allowsto investigate CP and CPT symmetries via quantum interference
effects, as well as the basic principles of quantum mechanics.A review of the
most recent results of the KLOE experiment at DAPHNE using pure kaon beams or
via quantum interferometry is presented together with prospects for kaon
physics at KLOE-2.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, From Phi To Psi 2011 conference, to be published
in Nuclear Physics B (Proceedings Supplements
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