Unbiased bases (Hadamards) for 6-level systems: Four ways from Fourier

In quantum mechanics some properties are maximally incompatible, such as the position and momentum of a particle or the vertical and horizontal projections of a 2-level spin. Given any definite state of one property the other property is completely random, or unbiased. For N-level systems, the 6-level ones are the smallest for which a tomographically efficient set of N+1 mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) has not been found. To facilitate the search, we numerically extend the classification of unbiased bases, or Hadamards, by incrementally adjusting relative phases in a standard basis. We consider the non-unitarity caused by small adjustments with a second order Taylor expansion, and choose incremental steps within the 4-dimensional nullspace of the curvature. In this way we prescribe a numerical integration of a 4-parameter set of Hadamards of order 6.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Raman solitons in transient SRS

We report the observation of Raman solitons on numerical simulations of transient stimulated Raman scattering (TSRS) with small group velocity dispersion. The theory proceeds with the inverse scattering transform (IST) for initial-boundary value problems and it is shown that the explicit theoretical solution obtained by IST for a semi-infinite medium fits strikingly well the numerical solution for a finite medium. We understand this from the rapid decrease of the medium dynamical variable (the potential of the scattering theory). The spectral transform reflection coefficient can be computed directly from the values of the input and output fields and this allows to see the generation of the Raman solitons from the numerical solution. We confirm the presence of these nonlinear modes in the medium dynamical variable by the use of a discrete spectral analysis.Comment: LaTex file, to appear in Inverse Problem

Physical soil quality indicators for monitoring British soils

The condition or quality of soils determines its ability to deliver a range of functions that support ecosystem services, human health and wellbeing. The increasing policy imperative to implement successful soil monitoring programmes has resulted in the demand for reliable soil quality indicators (SQIs) for physical, biological and chemical soil properties. The selection of these indicators needs to ensure that they are sensitive and responsive to pressure and change e.g. they change across space and time in relation to natural perturbations and land management practices. Using a logical sieve approach based on key policy-related soil functions, this research assessed whether physical soil properties can be used to indicate the quality of British soils in terms of its capacity to deliver ecosystem goods and services. The resultant prioritised list of physical SQIs were tested for robustness, spatial and temporal variability and expected rate of change using statistical analysis and modelling. Six SQIs were prioritised; packing density, soil water retention characteristics, aggregate stability, rate of erosion, depth of soil and soil sealing. These all have direct relevance to current and likely future soil and environmental policy and are appropriate for implementation in soil monitoring programs

Nonlinear Lattice Dynamics of Bose-Einstein Condensates

The Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) model, which was proposed 50 years ago to examine thermalization in non-metallic solids and develop ``experimental'' techniques for studying nonlinear problems, continues to yield a wealth of results in the theory and applications of nonlinear Hamiltonian systems with many degrees of freedom. Inspired by the studies of this seminal model, solitary-wave dynamics in lattice dynamical systems have proven vitally important in a diverse range of physical problems--including energy relaxation in solids, denaturation of the DNA double strand, self-trapping of light in arrays of optical waveguides, and Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in optical lattices. BECS, in particular, due to their widely ranging and easily manipulated dynamical apparatuses--with one to three spatial dimensions, positive-to-negative tuning of the nonlinearity, one to multiple components, and numerous experimentally accessible external trapping potentials--provide one of the most fertile grounds for the analysis of solitary waves and their interactions. In this paper, we review recent research on BECs in the presence of deep periodic potentials, which can be reduced to nonlinear chains in appropriate circumstances. These reductions, in turn, exhibit many of the remarkable nonlinear structures (including solitons, intrinsic localized modes, and vortices) that lie at the heart of the nonlinear science research seeded by the FPU paradigm.Comment: 10 pages, revtex, two-columns, 3 figs, accepted fpr publication in Chaos's focus issue on the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam problem; minor clarifications (and a couple corrected typos) from previous versio

Thermodynamic Limit Of The Ginzburg-Landau Equations

We investigate the existence of a global semiflow for the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation on the space of bounded functions in unbounded domain. This semiflow is proven to exist in dimension 1 and 2 for any parameter values of the standard cubic Ginzburg-Landau equation. In dimension 3 we need some restrictions on the parameters but cover nevertheless some part of the Benjamin-Feijer unstable domain.Comment: uuencoded dvi file (email: [email protected]

Green consumer markets in the fight against climate change

Climate change has become one of the greatest threats to environmental security, as attested by the growing frequency of severe flooding and storms, extreme temperatures and droughts. Accordingly, the European Union’s (EU) 6th Environment Action Programme (2010) lists tackling climate change as its first priority. A key aim of the EU has been to cut CO2 emissions, a major factor in climate change, by 8% until 2012 and 20% until 2020. The European Commission has proposed the encouragement of private consumer market for green products and services as one of several solutions to this problem. However, existing research suggests that the market share of these products has been only 3%, although 30% of individuals favour environmental and ethical goods. This article uses Public Goods Theory to explain why the contribution of the green consumer market to fighting climate change has been and possibly may remain limited without further public intervention

Dipyridamole potentiates the in vitro activity of MTA (LY231514) by inhibition of thymidine transport

The novel pyrrolopyrimidine-based antifolate LY231514 (MTA), inhibits multiple folate-requiring enzymes including thymidylate synthase, glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase and dihydrofolate reductase. Both thymidine and hypoxanthine are required to reverse MTA growth inhibition in leukaemia and colon cancer cells. Prevention of MTA growth inhibition by thymidine and/or hypoxanthine was investigated in two human lung (A549, COR L23) and two breast (MCF7, T47D) tumour cell lines, and the effect of the nucleoside/base transport inhibitor dipyridamole (DP) on thymidine and hypoxanthine rescue defined. MTA IC50values (continuous exposure three population doublings) were: A549–640 n M, COR L23–28 n M, MCF7–52 n M and T47D–46 n M. Thymidine (1 μM) completely prevented growth inhibition at the MTA IC50in all cell lines. At 10 × IC50, growth inhibition was only partially reversed by thymidine (≤ 10 μM); both thymidine and hypoxanthine (30 μM) being required for complete reversal, reflecting the multi-targeted nature of MTA. Growth inhibition by MTA was not affected by hypoxanthine alone. A non-toxic concentration (1 μM) of DP prevented thymidine/hypoxanthine rescue of MTA indicating that DP may potentiate MTA activity by preventing nucleoside and/or base salvage. Thymidine transport was inhibited by ≥ 89% by 1 μM DP in all cell lines, whereas hypoxanthine transport was inhibited only in A549 and MCF7 cells. Therefore, prevention of end-product reversal of MTA-induced growth inhibition by DP can be explained by inhibition of thymidine transport alone. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Bright solitons in spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

We study bright solitons in a Bose-Einstein condensate with a spin-orbit coupling that has been realized experimentally. Both stationary bright solitons and moving bright solitons are found. The stationary bright solitons are the ground states and possess well-defined spin-parity, a symmetry involving both spatial and spin degrees of freedom; these solitons are real valued but not positive definite, and the number of their nodes depends on the strength of spin-orbit coupling. For the moving bright solitons, their shapes are found to change with velocity due to the lack of Galilean invariance in the system

Ceftazidime-avibactam or best available therapy in patients with ceftazidime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa complicated urinary tract infections or complicated intra-abdominal infections (REPRISE): a randomised, pathogen-directed, phase 3 study

Background Carbapenems are frequently the last line of defence in serious infections due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, but their use is threatened by the growing prevalence of carbapenemase-producing pathogens. Ceftazidime-avibactam is a potential new agent for use in such infections. We aimed to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ceftazidime-avibactam compared with best available therapy in patients with complicated urinary tract infection or complicated intra-abdominal infection due to ceftazidime-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Methods REPRISE was a pathogen-directed, international, randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial that recruited patients from hospitals across 16 countries worldwide. Eligible patients were aged 18–90 years with complicated urinary tract infection or complicated intra-abdominal infection caused by ceftazidime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Patients were randomised (1:1) to 5–21 days of treatment with either ceftazidime-avibactam (a combination of 2000 mg ceftazidime plus 500 mg avibactam, administered via a 2-h intravenous infusion every 8 h) or best available therapy. The primary endpoint was clinical response at the test-of-cure visit, 7–10 days after last infusion of study therapy, analysed in all patients who had at least one ceftazidime-resistant Gram-negative pathogen, as confirmed by the central laboratory, and who received at least one dose of study drug. Safety endpoints were assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01644643. Findings Between Jan 7, 2013, and Aug 29, 2014, 333 patients were randomly assigned, 165 to ceftazidime-avibactam and 168 to best available therapy. Of these, 154 assigned to ceftazidime-avibactam (144 with complicated urinary tract infection and ten with complicated intra-abdominal infection) and 148 assigned to best available therapy (137 with complicated urinary tract infection and 11 with complicated intra-abdominal infection) were analysed for the primary outcome. 163 (97%) of 168 patients in the best available therapy group received a carbapenem, 161 (96%) as monotherapy. The overall proportions of patients with a clinical cure at the test-of-cure visit were similar with ceftazidime-avibactam (140 [91%; 95% CI 85·6–94·7] of 154 patients) and best available therapy (135 [91%; 85·9–95·0] of 148 patients). 51 (31%) of 164 patients in the ceftazidime-avibactam group and 66 (39%) of 168 in the best available therapy group had an adverse event, most of which were mild or moderate in intensity. Gastrointestinal disorders were the most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse events with both ceftazidime-avibactam (21 [13%] of 164 patients) and best available therapy (30 [18%] of 168 patients). No new safety concerns were identified for ceftazidime-avibactam. Interpretation These results provide evidence of the efficacy of ceftazidime-avibactam as a potential alternative to carbapenems in patients with ceftazidime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and P aeruginosa. Funding AstraZeneca