The QWalk Simulator of Quantum Walks

Several research groups are giving special attention to quantum walks recently, because this research area have been used with success in the development of new efficient quantum algorithms. A general simulator of quantum walks is very important for the development of this area, since it allows the researchers to focus on the mathematical and physical aspects of the research instead of deviating the efforts to the implementation of specific numerical simulations. In this paper we present QWalk, a quantum walk simulator for one- and two-dimensional lattices. Finite two-dimensional lattices with generic topologies can be used. Decoherence can be simulated by performing measurements or by breaking links of the lattice. We use examples to explain the usage of the software and to show some recent results of the literature that are easily reproduced by the simulator.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures. Accepted in Computer Physics Communications. Simulator can be downloaded from http://qubit.lncc.br/qwal

Medindo O Acesso à Justiça Cível No Brasil

In this article, we map out studies and methodologies used to build subjective indicators of access to justice, focusing on experiences with and management of conflict. We propose a blended measure of access to justice, based on critical analysis of key studies, and work with a broad understanding of what access to justice means and what a lack of access implies. This definition includes the right to a just resolution of conflicts by any appropriate means (not necessarily via state justice) and also takes into account individuals' awareness of their rights. This work relies on survey data collected between 2010 and 2014 and covers the procedural and substantive dimensions of access to justice. We have documented state-of-the-art measurement and composition of indicators of access to justice, noting key limitations and ways to overcome them, and emphasizing construct validity and filters used in the definition of access to justice. We conclude from the proposed blended measure that, depending on where emphasis is placed-on conflict or on seeking institutional justice-the phenomenon being measured will be different, as people react in different ways to different types of potentially conflicting situations.22231834

Experimental analysis of flameless combustion for reduction of pollutants

Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Malta, 16-18 July, 2012.This report presents a special form of combustion, called flameless combustion. In contrast to the combustion within stabilized flames, temperature peaks can be avoided at flameless combustion. Critical points of this technology are the realization of thermofluodynamic conditions which stabilize the flameless combustion process and a design to reach flameless conditions. Burners for flameless combustion usually show complex geometries which make simplified schemes difficult and inappropriate. In this case, the present paper proposes a study to determine the viability of a flameless burner design for experimental investigation and a combustion chamber on a laboratorial scale able to use high temperature air to reduce pollutant emissions. During the experiments, it will be used natural gas and preheat air. The influence of the field flow, chamber temperature and preheating air temperature on reaction zone volume was examined using techniques capable of analyzing the temperature field in the combustor. The main conclusions were: a) in contrast to the flames, the combustion had low internal temperature gradients; b) the system has promoted changes in the volume characteristics of combustion significantly reducing pollutants: NOx, CO and UHC (Unburned Hydrocarbons); c) to same conditions no visible flame was observed during the test.dc201

Temperature-responsive nanomagnetic logic gates for cellular hyperthermia

While a continuous monitoring of temperature at the micro- and nano-scales is clearly of interest in many contexts, in many others a yes or no answer to the question "did the system locally exceed a certain temperature threshold?" can be more accurate and useful. This is the case of hard-to-detect events, such as those where temperature fluctuations above a defined threshold are shorter than the typical integration time of micro/nanothermometers and systems where fluctuations are rare events in a wide time frame. Herein we present the synthesis of iron selenide magnetic nanoplatelets and their use as non-volatile logic gates recording the near infrared (NIR) dose that triggers a temperature increase above a critical temperature around 42 °C in prostate cancer cell cultures. This use is based on the bistable behavior shown by the nanoplatelets below a magnetic phase transition at a tunable temperature T C and on their photothermal response under NIR light. The obtained results indicate that the synthesized nanomagnets may be employed in the future as both local heaters and temperature monitoring tools in a wide range of contexts involving systems which, as cells, are temperature-sensitive around the tunable T C

Hepatitis C virus infection, cryoglobulinemia, and peripheral neuropathy: a case report

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is essentially hepatotropic but its manifestations can extend beyond the liver. It can be associated with autoimmune diseases, such as mixed cryoglobulinemia, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, autoimmune thyroiditis, and lymphoproliferative disorders. The mechanisms that trigger these manifestations are not completely understood. We describe a 48-year-old man with chronic HCV infection (circulating HCV RNA and moderate hepatitis as indicated by liver biopsy), cryoglobulinemia, and sensory and motor peripheral neuropathy. The diagnosis of multineuropathy was confirmed by clinical examination and electromyographic tests. A nerve biopsy revealed an inflammatory infiltrate in the perineurial space and signs of demyelination and axonal degeneration. The patient had no improvement of neurological symptoms with the use of analgesics and neuro-modulators. He was then treated with interferon-alpha (3 million units subcutaneously, 3 times per week) and ribavirin (500 mg orally, twice a day) for 48 weeks. Six months after the end of therapy, the patient had sustained viral response (negative HCV RNA) and remission of neurological symptoms, but cryoglobulins remained positive. A review of the literature on the pathogenesis and treatment of neurological manifestations associated with HCV infection is presented. This report underscores the need for a thorough evaluation of HCV-infected patients because of the possibility of extrahepatic manifestations. Antiviral treatment with interferon and ribavirin can be effective and should be considered in patients with neurological complications associated with HCV infection.1729173

Individual And Contextual Factors Associated With Malocclusion In Brazilian Children

Objective: To assess the association between the prevalence of malocclusion in Brazilian 12 years-olds with individual and contextual variables. Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted with data from the Brazilian Oral Health Survey-SBBrazil 2010. The outcome studied was malocclusion, categorized as absent, set, severe and very severe. The independent variables were classifi ed as individual and contextual. Data were analyzed using a multilevel model with a 5% signifi cance level. Results: It was found that the prevalence of severe and very severe malocclusion in 12-year-olds did not differ between the Brazilian regions, although variation between the cities was signifi cant (p < 0.001). Male children (p = 0.033), those on lower income (p = 0.051), those who had visited a dentist (p = 0.009), with lower levels of satisfaction with mouth and teeth (p < 0.001) and embarrassed to smile (p < 0.001) had more severe malocclusion. The characteristics of the cities also affected the severity of malocclusion; cities with more families on social benefi ts per 1,000 inhabitants, with lower scores on the health care system performance index and lower gross domestic product per capita were signifi cantly associated with malocclusion. Conclusion: Signifi cant associations between the presence and severity of malocclusion were observed at the individual and contextual level.47SUPPL.3118128Ben-Shlomo, Y., Kuh, D., A life course approach to chronic disease epidemiology conceptual models, empirical challenges and interdisciplinary perspectives (2002) Int J Epidemiol., 3 (2), pp. 285-293. , DOI: 10.1093/ije/31.2.285Carvalho, D.M., Alves, J.B., Alves, M.H., Prevalence of malocclusion in schoolchildren with low socioeconomic status (2011) Rev Gaucha Odontol., 59 (1), pp. 71-77Youth risk behavior surveillance-United States, 2005 (2006) MMWR., 55 (5 SS). , Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCons, N.C., Jenny, J., Kohout, F.J., DAI: the dental aesthetic index (1986), Iowa City: College of Dentistry, University of IowaDanaei, S.M., Salehi, P., Association between normative and self-perceived orthodontic treatment need among 12-to 15-year-old students in Shiraz, Iran (2010) Eur J Orthod., 32 (5), pp. 530-534. , DOI: 10.1093/ejo/cjp139Dogan, A.A., Sari, E., Uskun, E., Saglam, A.M.S., Comparison of orthodontic treatment need by professionals and parents with different socio-demographic characteristics (2010) Eur J Orthod., 32 (6), pp. 672-676. , DOI: 10.1093/ejo/cjp161Hox, J.J., Multilevel analysis: techniques and applications (2002), Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum AssociatesManzanera, D., Montiel-Company, J.M., Almerich-Silla, J.M., Gandía, J.L., Diagnostic agreement in the assessment of orthodontic treatment need using the Dental Aesthetic Index and the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (2010) Eur J Orthod., 32 (2), pp. 193-198. , DOI: 10.1093/ejo/cjp084Health through oral health: guidelines for planning and monitoring for oral health care (1989), World Health Organization. LondonLevantamento epidemiológico básico de saúde bucal (1991), Organização Mundial da Saúde. 3. ed. São PauloPeres, K.G., Barros, A.J.D., Anselmi, L., Peres, M.A., Barros, F.C., Does malocclusion infl uence the adolescent's satisfaction with appearance? A cross-sectional study nested in a Brazilian birth cohort (2008) Community Dent Oral Epidemiol., 36 (2), pp. 137-143. , DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.2007.00382.xPeres, K.G., Peres, M.A., Boing, A.F., Bertoldi, A.D., Bastos, J.L., Barros, A.J.D., Redução das desigualdades na utilização de serviços odontológicos no Brasil entre 1998 e 2008 (2012) Rev Saude Publica., 46 (2), pp. 250-259. , DOI: 10.1590/S0034-89102012000200007Pertesen, P.E., The World Oral Health Report, 2003 (2003) Continuous improvement of oral health in the 21 st century-the approach of the WHO Global Oral Health Programe. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol., 31 (SUPPL.1), pp. 3-24Roncalli, A.G., Unfer, B., Costa, I.C.C., Arcieri, R.M., Guimarães, L.O.C., Saliba, N.A., Levantamentos epidemiológicos em saúde bucal: análise da metodologia proposta pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (1998) Rev Bras Epidemiol., 1 (2), pp. 177-189. , DOI: 10.1590/S1415-790X1998000200008Singer, J.D., Using SAS proc mixed to fi t multilevel models, hierarchical models, and individual growth models (1998) J Educ Behav Stat., 24 (4), pp. 323-355Tellez, M., Sohn, W., Burt, B.A., Ismail, A.I., Assessment of the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and dental caries severity among low-income African-Americans: a multilevel approach (2006) J Public Health Dent., 66 (1). , DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2006.tb02548.xThomaz, E.B.A., Cangussu, M.C.T., Assis, M.O., Maternal breastfeeding, parafunctional oral habits and malocclusion in adolescents: A multivariate analysis (2012) Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol., 76 (4), pp. 500-506. , DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2012.01.005Tomita, N.E., Sheiham, A., Bijella, V.T., Franco, L.J., Relação entre determinantes socioeconômicos e hábitos bucais de risco para más-oclusões em préescolares (2000) Pesq Odont Bras., 14 (2), pp. 169-175. , DOI: 10.1590/S1517-74912000000200013Xiao-Ting, L., Tang, Y., Huang, X.L., Wan, H., Chen, Y.X., Factors infl uencing subjective orthodontic treatment need and culture-related differences among Chinese natives and foreign inhabitants (2010) Int J Oral Sci., 2 (3), pp. 149-157. , DOI: 10.4248/IJOS10050Watt, R.G., Emerging theories into the social determinants of health: implications for health promotion (2002) Community Dent Oral Epidemiol., 30 (4), pp. 241-247. , DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0528.2002.300401.xZanini, R.R., Moraes, A.B., Giugliani, E.R.J., Riboldi, J., Determinantes contextuais da mortalidade neonatal no Rio Grande do Sul por dois modelos de análise (2011) Rev Saude Publica., 45 (1), pp. 79-89. , DOI: 10.1590/S0034-8910201100010000

Neurolysin knockout mice generation and initial phenotype characterization

The oligopeptidase neurolysin (EC 3.4.24.16; Nln) was first identified in rat brain synaptic membranes and shown to ubiquitously participate in the catabolism of bioactive peptides such as neurotensin and bradykinin. Recently, it was suggested that Nln reduction could improve insulin sensitivity. Here, we have shown that Nln knockout mice (KO) have increased glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and gluconeogenesis. KO mice have increased liver mRNA for several genes related to gluconeogenesis. Isotopic label semi-quantitative peptidomic analysis suggests increase in specific intracellular peptides in gastrocnemius and epididymal adipose tissue, which likely is involved with the increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the KO mice. These results suggest the exciting new possibility that Nln is a key enzyme for energy metabolism and could be a novel therapeutic target to improve glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity

Entanglement in Weisskopf-Wigner theory of atomic decay in free space

In this paper, we use the Weisskopf-Wigner theory to study the entanglement in the state of the free-space radiation field produced from vacuum due to atomic decay. We show how bipartite entanglement is shared between different partitions of the radiation modes. We investigate the role played by the size of the partitions and their detuning with the decaying atom. The dynamics of the atom-field entanglement during the atomic decay is also briefly discussed. From this dynamics, we assert that such entanglement is the physical quantity that fix the statistical atomic decay time.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, changed from purity to entropy of entanglement calculations in the replaced versio