7,695 research outputs found
Quantum and Fisher Information from the Husimi and Related Distributions
The two principal/immediate influences -- which we seek to interrelate here
-- upon the undertaking of this study are papers of Zyczkowski and
Slomczy\'nski (J. Phys. A 34, 6689 [2001]) and of Petz and Sudar (J. Math.
Phys. 37, 2262 [1996]). In the former work, a metric (the Monge one,
specifically) over generalized Husimi distributions was employed to define a
distance between two arbitrary density matrices. In the Petz-Sudar work
(completing a program of Chentsov), the quantum analogue of the (classically
unique) Fisher information (montone) metric of a probability simplex was
extended to define an uncountable infinitude of Riemannian (also monotone)
metrics on the set of positive definite density matrices. We pose here the
questions of what is the specific/unique Fisher information metric for the
(classically-defined) Husimi distributions and how does it relate to the
infinitude of (quantum) metrics over the density matrices of Petz and Sudar? We
find a highly proximate (small relative entropy) relationship between the
probability distribution (the quantum Jeffreys' prior) that yields quantum
universal data compression, and that which (following Clarke and Barron) gives
its classical counterpart. We also investigate the Fisher information metrics
corresponding to the escort Husimi, positive-P and certain Gaussian probability
distributions, as well as, in some sense, the discrete Wigner
pseudoprobability. The comparative noninformativity of prior probability
distributions -- recently studied by Srednicki (Phys. Rev. A 71, 052107 [2005])
-- formed by normalizing the volume elements of the various information
metrics, is also discussed in our context.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, slight revisions, to appear in J. Math. Phy
Second-harmonic generation microscopy analysis reveals proteoglycan decorin is necessary for proper collagen organization in prostate.
Collagen remodeling occurs in many prostate pathologies; however, the underlying structural architecture in both normal and diseased prostatic tissues is largely unexplored. Here, we use second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy to specifically probe the role of the proteoglycan decorin (Dcn) on collagen assembly in a wild type (wt) and Dcn null mouse (Dcn  -    /    -  ). Dcn is required for proper organization of collagen fibrils as it regulates size by forming an arch-like structure at the end of the fibril. We have utilized SHG metrics based on emission directionality (forward-backward ratio) and relative conversion efficiency, which are both related to the SHG coherence length, and found more disordered fibril organization in the Dcn  -    /    -  . We have also used image analysis readouts based on entropy, multifractal dimension, and wavelet transforms to compare the collagen fibril/fiber architecture in the two models, where all these showed that the Dcn  -    /    -   prostate comprised smaller and more disorganized collagen structures. All these SHG metrics are consistent with decreased SHG phase matching in the Dcn  -    /    -   and are further consistent with ultrastructural analysis of collagen in this model in other tissues, which show a more random distribution of fibril sizes and their packing into fibers. As Dcn is a known tumor suppressor, this work forms the basis for future studies of collagen remodeling in both malignant and benign prostate disease
The Establishment and Spread of a Newly Introduced Begomovirus in a Dry Tropical Environment Using Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus as a Case Study
Early detection of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in a previously unaffected tomato production district in Australia allowed its spread to be evaluated spatially and temporally. The population dynamics of the TYLCV vector, Bemisia argentifolii (silverleaf whitefly, SLW), were also evaluated. The district is a dry tropical environment with a clear break to commercial production during the summer wet season. The incidence of TYLCV within crops and its prevalence through the district was influenced by weather, location, vector movements, and the use of Ty-1 virus-resistant hybrids. Rainfall had an important influence, with late summer and early autumn rain suppressing the levels of SLW and, by contrast, a dry summer supporting faster population growth. The use of Ty-1 hybrids appears to have reduced the incidence of TYLCV in this district. There was limited use of Ty-1 hybrids during 2013, and by season end, crops had moderate levels of SLW and high virus incidence. The 2015 and early 2016 season had high SLW populations, but TYLCV incidence was lower than in 2013, possibly due to the widespread adoption of the Ty-1 hybrids reducing virus spread. This study provides valuable epidemiology data for future incursions of begomoviruses, and other viruses spread by SLW
Circuit Theory and Design
Contains resesarch objectives.Lincoln Laboratory, Purchase Order DDL B-00368U. S. Air Force under Air Force Contract AF19(604)-7400U. S. NavyU. S. Arm
Dynamical Arrest in Attractive Colloids: The Effect of Long-Range Repulsion
We study gelation in suspensions of model colloidal particles with
short-ranged attractive and long-ranged repulsive interactions by means of
three-dimensional fluorescence confocal microscopy. At low packing fractions,
particles form stable equilibrium clusters. Upon increasing the packing
fraction the clusters grow in size and become increasingly anisotropic until
finally associating into a fully connected network at gelation. We find a
surprising order in the gel structure. Analysis of spatial and orientational
correlations reveals that the gel is composed of dense chains of particles
constructed from face-sharing tetrahedral clusters. Our findings imply that
dynamical arrest occurs via cluster growth and association.Comment: Final version: Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 208301 (2005
Differences in transcription between free-living and CO_2-activated third-stage larvae of Haemonchus contortus
Background:
The disease caused by Haemonchus contortus, a blood-feeding nematode of small ruminants, is of major economic importance worldwide. The infective third-stage larva (L3) of this gastric nematode is enclosed in a cuticle (sheath) and, once ingested with herbage by the host, undergoes an exsheathment process that marks the transition from the free-living (L3) to the parasitic (xL3) stage. This study explored changes in gene transcription associated with this transition and predicted, based on comparative analysis, functional roles for key transcripts in the metabolic pathways linked to larval development.
Results:
Totals of 101,305 (L3) and 105,553 (xL3) expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were determined using 454 sequencing technology, and then assembled and annotated; the most abundant transcripts encoded transthyretin-like, calcium-binding EF-hand, NAD(P)-binding and nucleotide-binding proteins as well as homologues of Ancylostoma-secreted proteins (ASPs). Using an in silico-subtractive analysis, 560 and 685 sequences were shown to be uniquely represented in the L3 and xL3 stages, respectively; the transcripts encoded ribosomal proteins, collagens and elongation factors (in L3), and mainly peptidases and other enzymes of amino acid catabolism (in xL3). Caenorhabditis elegans orthologues of transcripts that were uniquely transcribed in each L3 and xL3 were predicted to interact with a total of 535 other genes, all of which were involved in embryonic development.
Conclusion:
The present study indicated that some key transcriptional alterations taking place during the transition from the L3 to the xL3 stage of H. contortus involve genes predicted to be linked to the development of neuronal tissue (L3 and xL3), formation of the cuticle (L3) and digestion of host haemoglobin (xL3). Future efforts using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic technologies should provide the efficiency and depth of coverage required for the determination of the complete transcriptomes of different developmental stages and/or tissues of H. contortus as well as the genome of this important parasitic nematode. Such advances should lead to a significantly improved understanding of the molecular biology of H. contortus and, from an applied perspective, to novel methods of intervention
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