275 research outputs found
The macro and asset pricing implications of rising Italian uncertainty: Evidence from a novel news-based macroeconomic policy uncertainty index
We develop a new monthly and daily index of economic policy uncertainty for Italy based on articles from the Sole 24 Ore (a popular Italian business daily newspaper). VAR investigations document that an unexpected rise in the Sole 24 Ore news-based EPU index (EPU24) has mild effects on the real economic activity. Cross-sectional asset pricing tests then show that both monthly and daily EPU24 shocks command a positive risk premium. A standard event study finally indicates the presence of statistically significant positive cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) in the energy sector following different categories of policy-related events. Negative and significant CARs in the financial sector are instead found to be generated by international-related events and political elections
Decoherence in Ion Trap Quantum Computers
The {\it intrinsic} decoherence from vibrational coupling of the ions in the
Cirac-Zoller quantum computer [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 74}, 4091 (1995)] is
considered. Starting from a state in which the vibrational modes are at a
temperature , and each ion is in a superposition of an excited and a ground
state, an adiabatic approximation is used to find the inclusive probability
for the ions to evolve as they would without the vibrations, and for the
vibrational modes to evolve into any final state. An analytic form is found for
at , and the decoherence time is found for all . The decoherence
is found to be quite small, even for 1000 ions.Comment: 11 pages, no figures, uses revte
Thyroid-specific transcription factors control Hex promoter activity
The homeobox-containing gene Hex is expressed in several cell types, including thyroid follicular cells, in which it regulates the transcription of tissue-specific genes. In this study the regulation of Hex promoter activity was investigated. Using co-transfection experiments, we demonstrated that the transcriptional activity of the Hex gene promoter in rat thyroid FRTL-5 cells is âŒ10-fold greater than that observed in HeLa and NIH 3T3 cell lines (which do not normally express the Hex gene). To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences, we evaluated the effect of the thyroid-specific transcription factor TTF-1 on the Hex promoter activity. TTF-1 produced 3-4-fold increases in the Hex promoter activity. Gel-retardation assays and mutagenesis experiments revealed the presence of functionally relevant TTF-1 binding sites in the Hex promoter region. These in vitro data may also have functional relevance in vivo, since a positive correlation between TTF-1 and Hex mRNAs was demonstrated in human thyroid tissues by means of RT-PCR analysis. The TTF-1 effect, however, is not sufficient to explain the difference in Hex promoter activity between FRTL-5 and cells that do not express the Hex gene. For this reason, we tested whether Hex protein is able to activate the Hex promoter. Indeed, co-transfection experiments indicate that Hex protein is able to increase the activity of its own promoter in HeLa cells âŒ4-fold. TTF-1 and Hex effects are additive: when transfected together in HeLa cells, the Hex promoter activity is increased 6-7-fold. Thus, the contemporary presence of both TTF-1 and Hex could be sufficient to explain the higher transcriptional activity of the Hex promoter in thyroid cells with respect to cell lines that do not express the Hex gene. These findings demonstrate the existence of direct cross-regulation between thyroid-specific transcription factors
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Identifying and Prioritizing Chemicals with Uncertain Burden of Exposure: Opportunities for Biomonitoring and Health-Related Research.
BackgroundThe National Institutes of Health's Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) initiative aims to understand the impact of environmental factors on childhood disease. Over 40,000 chemicals are approved for commercial use. The challenge is to prioritize chemicals for biomonitoring that may present health risk concerns.ObjectivesOur aim was to prioritize chemicals that may elicit child health effects of interest to ECHO but that have not been biomonitored nationwide and to identify gaps needing additional research.MethodsWe searched databases and the literature for chemicals in environmental media and in consumer products that were potentially toxic. We selected chemicals that were not measured in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. From over 700 chemicals, we chose 155 chemicals and created eight chemical panels. For each chemical, we compiled biomonitoring and toxicity data, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exposure predictions, and annual production usage. We also applied predictive modeling to estimate toxicity. Using these data, we recommended chemicals either for biomonitoring, to be deferred pending additional data, or as low priority for biomonitoring.ResultsFor the 155 chemicals, 97 were measured in food or water, 67 in air or house dust, and 52 in biospecimens. We found in vivo endocrine, developmental, reproductive, and neurotoxic effects for 61, 74, 47, and 32 chemicals, respectively. Eighty-six had data from high-throughput in vitro assays. Positive results for endocrine, developmental, neurotoxicity, and obesity were observed for 32, 11, 35, and 60 chemicals, respectively. Predictive modeling results suggested 90% are toxicants. Biomarkers were reported for 76 chemicals. Thirty-six were recommended for biomonitoring, 108 deferred pending additional research, and 11 as low priority for biomonitoring.DiscussionThe 108 deferred chemicals included those lacking biomonitoring methods or toxicity data, representing an opportunity for future research. Our evaluation was, in general, limited by the large number of unmeasured or untested chemicals. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5133
Codes for the Quantum Erasure Channel
The quantum erasure channel (QEC) is considered. Codes for the QEC have to
correct for erasures, i. e., arbitrary errors at known positions. We show that
four qubits are necessary and sufficient to encode one qubit and correct one
erasure, in contrast to five qubits for unknown positions. Moreover, a family
of quantum codes for the QEC, the quantum BCH codes, that can be efficiently
decoded is introduced.Comment: 6 pages, RevTeX, no figures, submitted to Physical Review A, code
extended to encode 2 qubits, references adde
Lignin biodegradation in pulp-and-paper mill wastewater by selected white rot fungi
An investigation has been carried out to explore the lignin-degrading ability of white rot fungi, as B. adusta and P. crysosporium, grown in different media containing (i) glucose and mineral salts; (ii) a dairy residue; (iii) a dairy residue and mineral salts. Both fungi were then used as inoculum to treat synthetic and industrial pulp-and-paper mill wastewater. On synthetic wastewater, up to 97% and 74% of lignin degradation by B. adusta and P. crysosporium, respectively, have been reached. On industrial wastewater, both fungal strains were able to accomplish 100% delignification in 8-10 days, independent from pH control, with a significant reduction of total organic carbon (TOC) of the solution. Results have confirmed the great biotechnological potential of both B. adusta and P. crysosporium for complete lignin removal in industrial wastewater, and can open the way to next industrial applications on large scale
Holonomic quantum computation with neutral atoms
We propose an all-geometric implementation of quantum computation using
neutral atoms in cavity QED. We show how to perform generic single- and
two-qubit gates, the latter by encoding a two-atom state onto a single,
many-level atom. We compare different strategies to overcome limitations due to
cavity imperfections.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
The dissipation of the system and the atom in two-photon Jaynes-Cummings model with degenerate atomic levels
The method of perturbative expansion of master equation is employed to study
the dissipative properties of system and of atom in the two-photon
Jaynes-Cummings model (JCM) with degenerate atomic levels. The numerical
results show that the degeneracy of atomic levels prolongs the period of
entanglement between the atom and the field. The asymptotic value of atomic
linear entropy is apparently increased by the degeneration. The amplitude of
local entanglement and disentanglement is suppressed. The better the initial
coherence property of the degenerate atom, the larger the coherence loss.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Trapping atoms in the vacuum field of a cavity
The aim of this work is to find ways to trap an atom in a cavity. In contrast
to other approaches we propose a method where the cavity is basically in the
vacuum state and the atom in the ground state. The idea is to induce a spatial
dependent AC Stark shift by irradiating the atom with a weak laser field, so
that the atom experiences a trapping force. The main feature of our setup is
that dissipation can be strongly suppressed. We estimate the lifetime of the
atom as well as the trapping potential parameters and compare our estimations
with numerical simulations.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Quantum Communication with Phantom Photons
We show that quantum information may be transferred between atoms in
different locations by using ``phantom photons'': the atoms are coupled through
electromagnetic fields, but the corresponding field modes do not have to be
fully populated. In the case where atoms are placed inside optical cavities,
errors in quantum information processing due to photon absorption inside the
cavity are diminished in this way. This effect persists up to intercavity
distances of about a meter for the current levels of cavity losses, and may be
useful for distributed quantum computing.Comment: 6 pages RevTex, 4 eps figures included. Revised calculation with more
details about mode structure calculation and the introduction of losse
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