Optimal search strategies for hidden targets

What is the fastest way of finding a randomly hidden target? This question of general relevance is of vital importance for foraging animals. Experimental observations reveal that the search behaviour of foragers is generally intermittent: active search phases randomly alternate with phases of fast ballistic motion. In this letter, we study the efficiency of this type of two states search strategies, by calculating analytically the mean first passage time at the target. We model the perception mecanism involved in the active search phase by a diffusive process. In this framework, we show that the search strategy is optimal when the average duration of "motion phases" varies like the power either 3/5 or 2/3 of the average duration of "search phases", depending on the regime. This scaling accounts for experimental data over a wide range of species, which suggests that the kinetics of search trajectories is a determining factor optimized by foragers and that the perception activity is adequately described by a diffusion process.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

XMM-Newton observations of Nova Sgr 1998

We report on X-ray observations of Nova Sagittarius 1998 (V4633 Sgr), performed with XMM-Newton at three different epochs, 934, 1083 and 1265 days after discovery. The nova was detected with the EPIC cameras at all three epochs, with emission spanning the whole energy range from 0.2 to 10 keV. The X-ray spectra do not change significantly at the different epochs, and are well fitted for the first and third observations with a multi-temperature optically thin thermal plasma, while lower statistics in the second observations lead to a poorer fit. The thermal plasma emission is most probably originated in the shock heated ejecta, with chemical composition similar to that of a CO nova. However, we can not completely rule out reestablished accretion as the origin of the emission. We also obtain upper limits for the temperature and luminosity of a potential white dwarf atmospheric component, and conclude that hydrogen burning had already turned-off by the time of our observations.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures. Accepted in Astrophysical Journa

The Union of Hearts Depicted: Gladstone, Home Rule and United Ireland

First paragraph: William Ewart Gladstone detested political cartoons. They embodied caricature, the exaggeration of a particular feature into a deformity to excite ridicule or hatred. Cartoons, Gladstone once pointed out, had not existed in ancient Greece. There the ideal of human beauty was so deeply cherished that its distortion was not tolerated. Yet cartoons did the statesman powerful service during his long career. Their very frequency consolidated his image as a popular politician, bringing out qualities such as courage and tenacity that he was happy to have publicised. Nowhere, however, did they advance his cause more than in Ireland after the introduction of Home Rule. The nationalist journal United Ireland, as the illustrations in this paper will show, gave currency to striking depictions of Gladstone; and they vividly portrayed the union of hearts between England and Ireland that he preached so persistently in the late 1880s. The purpose of this article is to examine a sample of the cartoons, but first they need to be placed in their context

A Snapshot of J. L. Synge

A brief description is given of the life and influence on relativity theory of Professor J. L. Synge accompanied by some technical examples to illustrate his style of work

Multiwavelength Monitoring of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy Akn 564. II. Ultraviolet Continuum and Emission-line Variability

We present results of an intensive two-month campaign of approximately daily spectrophotometric monitoring of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Akn 564 with HST. The fractional variability amplitude of the continuum variations between 1365-3000 A is ~6%, about a factor 3 less than that found in typical Seyfert 1 galaxies over a similar period of time. However, large amplitude, short time-scale flaring behavior is evident, with trough-to-peak flux changes of about 18% in approximately 3 days. We present evidence for wavelength-dependent continuum time delays, with the variations at 3000 A lagging behind those at 1365 A by about 1 day. These delays may be interpreted as evidence for a stratified continuum reprocessing region, possibly an accretion-disk structure. The Lyman-alpha 1216 emission-line exhibits flux variations of about 1% amplitude.Comment: 27 pages, 14 figures. Accepted by Astrophysical Journa

Preparation of Knill-Laflamme-Milburn states using tunable controlled phase gate

A specific class of partially entangled states known as Knill-Laflamme-Milburn states (or KLM states) has been proved to be useful in relation to quantum information processing [Knill et al., Nature 409, 46 (2001)]. Although the usage of such states is widely investigated, considerably less effort has been invested into experimentally accessible preparation schemes. This paper discusses the possibility to employ a tunable controlled phase gate to generate an arbitrary Knill-Laflamme-Milburn state. In the first part, the idea of using the controlled phase gate is explained on the case of two-qubit KLM states. Optimization of the proposed scheme is then discussed for the framework of linear optics. Subsequent generalization of the scheme to arbitrary n-qubit KLM state is derived in the second part of this paper.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in Journal of Physics

The Current State and Future of CRISPR-Cas9 gRNA Design Tools

Recent years have seen the development of computational tools to assist researchers in performing CRISPR-Cas9 experiment optimally. More specifically, these tools aim to maximize on-target activity (guide efficiency) while also minimizing potential off-target effects (guide specificity) by analyzing the features of the target site. Nonetheless, currently available tools cannot robustly predict experimental success as prediction accuracy depends on the approximations of the underlying model and how closely the experimental setup matches the data the model was trained on. Here, we present an overview of the available computational tools, their current limitations and future considerations. We discuss new trends around personalized health by taking genomic variants into account when predicting target sites as well as discussing other governing factors that can improve prediction accuracy

High-Resolution Keck Spectra of the Associated Absorption Lines in 3C 191

Associated absorption lines (AALs) are valuable probes of the gaseous environments near quasars. Here we discuss high-resolution (6.7 km/s) spectra of the AALs in the radio-loud quasar 3C 191 (redshift z=1.956). The measured AALs have ionizations ranging from Mg I to N V, and multi-component profiles that are blueshifted by ~400 to ~1400 km/s relative to the quasar's broad emission lines. These data yield the following new results. 1) The density based on Si II*/Si II lines is ~300 cm-3, implying a distance of ~28 kpc from the quasar if the gas is photoionized. 2) The characteristic flow time is thus \~3 x 10^7 yr. 3) Strong Mg I AALs identify neutral gas with very low ionization parameter and high density. We estimate n_H > 5 x 10^4 cm-3 in this region, compared to ~15 cm-3 where the N V lines form. 4) The total column density is N_H < 4 x 10^18 cm-2 in the neutral gas and N_H ~ 2 x 10^20 cm-2 in the moderately ionized regions. 5) The total mass in the AAL outflow is M ~ 2 x 10^9 Mo, assuming a global covering factor (as viewed from the quasar) of ~10% >. 6) The absorbing gas only partially covers the background light source(s) along our line(s) of sight, requiring absorption in small clouds or filaments <0.01 pc across. The ratio N_H/n_H implies that the clouds have radial (line- of-sight) thicknesses <0.2 pc. These properties might characterize a sub-class of AALs that are physically related to quasars but form at large distances. We propose a model for the absorber in which pockets of dense neutral gas are surrounded by larger clouds of generally lower density and higher ionization. This outflowing material might be leftover from a blowout associated with a nuclear starburst, the onset of quasar activity or a past broad absorption line (BAL) wind phase.Comment: 15 pages text plus 6 figures, in press with Ap