A small place, by Jamaica Kincaid: envisioning literary tourism in Antigua

This work departs from a reading of the novelistic essay A small place (1988), by Jamaica Kincaid, to analyse the representation of the tourism industry and of tourists in Antigua (the author's birthplace). From there, we present Kincaid's text as ?tourist literature? (Hendrix, 2014), also aiming to contribute to the examination of tourism-centred literary texts. Within the context of literature and tourism studies as well as comparative studies, this paper examines Kincaid's literary text in order to consider the promotion of literary tourism in Antigua. This example is then considered in light of recent contributions from literary tourism, space production, community-based tourism, mass tourism as well as responsible and sustainable tourism. Literary heritage as a resource for the tourism industry could bring tourists and locals closer and conspire to break down barriers between the largely dark-skinned hosts and the white tourists in Antigua

Ionic liquid-mediated recovery of carotenoids from the bactris gasipaes fruit waste and their application in food-packaging chitosan films

In this work, a process for the extraction and purification of carotenoids from the fruit Bactris gasipaes was developed. Ethanolic and aqueous solutions of ionic liquids (ILs) and surfactants were evaluated on the extraction of these pigments. Thus, we developed an optimized sustainable downstream process mediated by the best solvent with further isolation of the carotenoids and the recyclability of the IL used. The process was characterized not only in terms of efficiency but also regarding its environmental impact. The recyclability of the solvents as well as the high efficiency (maximum yield of extraction of carotenoids = 88.7 ± 0.9 μgcarotenoids·gdried biomass–1) and the low environmental impact of the integrated process developed in this work were demonstrated. In the end, in order to incorporate functional activity for an alternative food-packaging material, carotenoids were successfully applied on the preparation of chitosan-based films with excellent results regarding their mechanical parameters and antioxidant activity.publishe

Towards Quantum Repeaters with Solid-State Qubits: Spin-Photon Entanglement Generation using Self-Assembled Quantum Dots

In this chapter we review the use of spins in optically-active InAs quantum dots as the key physical building block for constructing a quantum repeater, with a particular focus on recent results demonstrating entanglement between a quantum memory (electron spin qubit) and a flying qubit (polarization- or frequency-encoded photonic qubit). This is a first step towards demonstrating entanglement between distant quantum memories (realized with quantum dots), which in turn is a milestone in the roadmap for building a functional quantum repeater. We also place this experimental work in context by providing an overview of quantum repeaters, their potential uses, and the challenges in implementing them.Comment: 51 pages. Expanded version of a chapter to appear in "Engineering the Atom-Photon Interaction" (Springer-Verlag, 2015; eds. A. Predojevic and M. W. Mitchell

Quantum Computing

Quantum mechanics---the theory describing the fundamental workings of nature---is famously counterintuitive: it predicts that a particle can be in two places at the same time, and that two remote particles can be inextricably and instantaneously linked. These predictions have been the topic of intense metaphysical debate ever since the theory's inception early last century. However, supreme predictive power combined with direct experimental observation of some of these unusual phenomena leave little doubt as to its fundamental correctness. In fact, without quantum mechanics we could not explain the workings of a laser, nor indeed how a fridge magnet operates. Over the last several decades quantum information science has emerged to seek answers to the question: can we gain some advantage by storing, transmitting and processing information encoded in systems that exhibit these unique quantum properties? Today it is understood that the answer is yes. Many research groups around the world are working towards one of the most ambitious goals humankind has ever embarked upon: a quantum computer that promises to exponentially improve computational power for particular tasks. A number of physical systems, spanning much of modern physics, are being developed for this task---ranging from single particles of light to superconducting circuits---and it is not yet clear which, if any, will ultimately prove successful. Here we describe the latest developments for each of the leading approaches and explain what the major challenges are for the future.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figures, 291 references. Early draft of Nature 464, 45-53 (4 March 2010). Published version is more up-to-date and has several corrections, but is half the length with far fewer reference

Different diversity-dependent declines in speciation rate unbalances species richness in terrestrial slugs

Two genera of terrestrial slugs (Arion and Geomalacus) display a striking disproportion in species richness in the Iberian Peninsula. While there are 17 Iberian endemic species in Arion, morphological criteria only recognize four species within Geomalacus. Sequence data were used to test whether these differences could result from: (1) cryptic diversity within Geomalacus; (2) an earlier origin for Arion (older clades are expected to accumulate more species); (3) distinct patterns of diversification rates (higher initial speciation rates in Arion), and (4) some combination of the above factors (e.g., an older clade with higher speciation rates). Species delimitation tests based on mitochondrial and nuclear data revealed eight cryptic lineages within Geomalacus that lessened the asymmetry; nevertheless, the disparity required further investigation. No meaningful differences in crown group ages of each recovered clade were found. Regardless the different premises of the two equally plausible diversification models (similar initial speciation rates vs. higher initial speciation rates in Geomalacus), both coincide on diversity-dependent diversification for the two groups but weaker rate declines in Arion best explains the observed asymmetry in species richness. Also, the broader environmental tolerance combined with a faster dispersal and wider distribution may have represented an evolutionary advantage for Arion.FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal) [SFRH/BPD/109685/2015]; FSE (Fundo Social Europeu). [SFRH/BD/30024/2006]; FCT strategic plan [UID/Multi/04326/2013]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identifying Fishes through DNA Barcodes and Microarrays

Background: International fish trade reached an import value of 62.8 billion Euro in 2006, of which 44.6% are covered by the European Union. Species identification is a key problem throughout the life cycle of fishes: from eggs and larvae to adults in fisheries research and control, as well as processed fish products in consumer protection. Methodology/Principal Findings: This study aims to evaluate the applicability of the three mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA (16S), cytochrome b (cyt b), and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) for the identification of 50 European marine fish species by combining techniques of ‘‘DNA barcoding’’ and microarrays. In a DNA barcoding approach, neighbour Joining (NJ) phylogenetic trees of 369 16S, 212 cyt b, and 447 COI sequences indicated that cyt b and COI are suitable for unambiguous identification, whereas 16S failed to discriminate closely related flatfish and gurnard species. In course of probe design for DNA microarray development, each of the markers yielded a high number of potentially species-specific probes in silico, although many of them were rejected based on microarray hybridisation experiments. None of the markers provided probes to discriminate the sibling flatfish and gurnard species. However, since 16S-probes were less negatively influenced by the ‘‘position of label’’ effect and showed the lowest rejection rate and the highest mean signal intensity, 16S is more suitable for DNA microarray probe design than cty b and COI. The large portion of rejected COI-probes after hybridisation experiments (.90%) renders the DNA barcoding marker as rather unsuitable for this high-throughput technology. Conclusions/Significance: Based on these data, a DNA microarray containing 64 functional oligonucleotide probes for the identification of 30 out of the 50 fish species investigated was developed. It represents the next step towards an automated and easy-to-handle method to identify fish, ichthyoplankton, and fish products