Quantum walks on two-dimensional grids with multiple marked locations

The running time of a quantum walk search algorithm depends on both the structure of the search space (graph) and the configuration of marked locations. While the first dependence have been studied in a number of papers, the second dependence remains mostly unstudied. We study search by quantum walks on two-dimensional grid using the algorithm of Ambainis, Kempe and Rivosh [AKR05]. The original paper analyses one and two marked location cases only. We move beyond two marked locations and study the behaviour of the algorithm for an arbitrary configuration of marked locations. In this paper we prove two results showing the importance of how the marked locations are arranged. First, we present two placements of $k$ marked locations for which the number of steps of the algorithm differs by $\Omega(\sqrt{k})$ factor. Second, we present two configurations of $k$ and $\sqrt{k}$ marked locations having the same number of steps and probability to find a marked location

Matching times of leading and following suggest cooperation through direct reciprocity during V-formation flight in ibis

One conspicuous feature of several larger bird species is their annual migration in V-shaped or echelon formation. When birds are flying in these formations, energy savings can be achieved by using the aerodynamic up-wash produced by the preceding bird. As the leading bird in a formation cannot profit from this up-wash, a social dilemma arises around the question of who is going to fly in front? To investigate how this dilemma is solved, we studied the flight behavior of a flock of juvenile Northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) during a human-guided autumn migration. We could show that the amount of time a bird is leading a formation is strongly correlated with the time it can itself profit from flying in the wake of another bird. On the dyadic level, birds match the time they spend in the wake of each other by frequent pairwise switches of the leading position. Taken together, these results suggest that bald ibis cooperate by directly taking turns in leading a formation. On the proximate level, we propose that it is mainly the high number of iterations and the immediacy of reciprocation opportunities that favor direct reciprocation. Finally, we found evidence that the animals' propensity to reciprocate in leading has a substantial influence on the size and cohesion of the flight formations

Eggshell pigment composition covaries with phylogeny but not with life history or with nesting ecology traits of British passerines

No single hypothesis is likely to explain the diversity in eggshell coloration and patterning across birds, suggesting that eggshell appearance is most likely to have evolved to fulfill many nonexclusive functions. By controlling for nonindependent phylogenetic associations between related species, we describe this diversity using museum eggshells of 71 British breeding passerine species to examine how eggshell pigment composition and concentrations vary with phylogeny and with life-history and nesting ecology traits. Across species, concentrations of biliverdin and protoporphyrin, the two main pigments found in eggshells, were strongly and positively correlated, and both pigments strongly covaried with phylogenetic relatedness. Controlling for phylogeny, cavity-nesting species laid eggs with lower protoporphyrin concentrations in the shell, while higher biliverdin concentrations were associated with thicker eggshells for species of all nest types. Overall, these relationships between eggshell pigment concentrations and the biology of passerines are similar to those previously found in nonpasserine eggs, and imply that phylogenetic dependence must be considered across the class in further explanations of the functional significance of avian eggshell coloration

Boldness traits, not dominance, predict exploratory flight range and homing behaviour in homing pigeons

This study investigated whether consistent individual differences in behaviour (particularly exploratory tendency and object neophilia) were associated with the tendency to explore in free-ranging scenarios. This was tested in homing pigeons. The results showed that birds that were more likely to explore in the loft were also more likely to explore the local area during self-driven flights. When birds were released from a fixed release points, those which had explored less took more tortuous and longer routes back to the loft. This demonstrates the cost associated with lack of exploratory behaviour, and also links traits measured in laboratory scenarios to behaviour in free-ranging animals

La competencia de “Lolium perenne” RG afecta el rendimiento de uva y la calidad del vino de la región del Duero

To assess the efficacy of post-emergence herbicide programs in “Lolium perenne” L. populations glyphosate resistant (GR), a field experiment was carried out in a Douro vineyard (North Portugal) in 2014. A random block design (RBD) experiment with 11 treatments and three replicates was implemented. Fruit size, cluster number and grape weight were determined. Quality parameters (pH, total polyphenols anthocyanin content and color intensity) were also analysed. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were used to test the effects of weed cover on grape yield and quality. Tukey test was used to determine the differences among group means. The results show that weed cover affects crop productivity but it does not affect fruit composition, and therefore to wine quality.En 2014 se llevó a cabo un ensayo en un viñedo del Douro (Norte de Portugal) para evaluar la eficacia de diferentes herbicidas en post-emergencia sobre “L. perenne” GR. Se evaluó los efectos de la infestación en la productividad y calidad de la uva. La productividad se determinó midiendo el tamaño, peso y número de frutos y racimos. Los parámetros de calidad analizados fueron: pH, contenido de antocianinas, polifenoles totales e intensidad de color. El ensayo se dispuso en un diseño de bloques al azar con 11 tratamientos y 3 repeticiones. Se realizó el análisis de varianza (ANOVA) y la prueba de Tukey para observar las diferencias significativas entre la media de la eficacia, la productividad y la calidad. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que la producción se vio afectada por la cobertura de “L. perenne”. Sin embargo, la composición del fruto, y por lo tanto la calidad del vino no se vio alterada

Amplitude Damping for single-qubit System with single-qubit mixed-state Environment

We study a generalized amplitude damping channel when environment is initially in the single-qubit mixed state. Representing the affine transformation of the generalized amplitude damping by a three-dimensional volume, we plot explicitly the volume occupied by the channels simulatable by a single-qubit mixed-state environment. As expected, this volume is embedded in the total volume by the channels which is simulated by two-qubit enviroment. The volume ratio is approximately 0.08 which is much smaller than 3/8, the volume ratio for generalized depolarizing channels.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures incluided V2: homepage address is included in reference V3: version to appear in J. Phys. A: Mathematical and Theoretica

Staggered Quantum Walks With Hamiltonians

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Quantum walks are recognizably useful for the development of new quantum algorithms, as well as for the investigation of several physical phenomena in quantum systems. Actual implementations of quantum walks face technological difficulties similar to the ones for quantum computers, though. Therefore, there is a strong motivation to develop new quantum-walk models which might be easier to implement. In this work we present an extension of the staggered quantum walk model that is fitted for physical implementations in terms of time-independent Hamiltonians. We demonstrate that this class of quantum walk includes the entire class of staggered quantum walk model, Szegedy's model, and an important subset of the coined model.951Faperj [E-26/102.350/2013]CNPq [303406/20151, 474143/2013-9, PDJ 165941/2014-6]FAPESP through the Research Center in Optics and Photonics (CePOF)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP