13,210 research outputs found
A Solution Merging Heuristic for the Steiner Problem in Graphs Using Tree Decompositions
Fixed parameter tractable algorithms for bounded treewidth are known to exist
for a wide class of graph optimization problems. While most research in this
area has been focused on exact algorithms, it is hard to find decompositions of
treewidth sufficiently small to make these al- gorithms fast enough for
practical use. Consequently, tree decomposition based algorithms have limited
applicability to large scale optimization. However, by first reducing the input
graph so that a small width tree decomposition can be found, we can harness the
power of tree decomposi- tion based techniques in a heuristic algorithm, usable
on graphs of much larger treewidth than would be tractable to solve exactly. We
propose a solution merging heuristic to the Steiner Tree Problem that applies
this idea. Standard local search heuristics provide a natural way to generate
subgraphs with lower treewidth than the original instance, and subse- quently
we extract an improved solution by solving the instance induced by this
subgraph. As such the fixed parameter tractable algorithm be- comes an
efficient tool for our solution merging heuristic. For a large class of sparse
benchmark instances the algorithm is able to find small width tree
decompositions on the union of generated solutions. Subsequently it can often
improve on the generated solutions fast
New heat treatment to prepare high quality polycrystalline and single crystal MgB2 in single process
We report here on a new heat treatment to prepare both dense polycrystalline
and single crystal MgB2 high quality samples in one single process. Resistivity
measurements for polycrystalline part of the sample gives a residual
resistivity ratio RRR=16.6 and a very low normal state resistivity rho(40K)=
0.28 microOhmcm. Both SEM and SQUID study on polycrystals reveal the high
quality, dense character and well coupling of grain boundaries. On the other
hand, the high quality single crystals have a unique shape that resembles the
hexagonal crystal structure. SQUID measurements reveals very weak flux pinning
character implying our single crystals to be very clean. In this study, we
conclude that heat treatment is playing a major rule on the characteristics of
both polycrystalline and single crystal MgB2. Samples are thoroughly
characterized by x-ray, resistivity, dc SQUID and SEM
Small Deviations from Gaussianity and The Galaxy Cluster Abundance Evolution
We raise the hypothesis that the density fluctuations field which originates
the growth of large scale structures is a combination of two or more
distributions. By applying the statistical analysis of finite mixture
distributions to a specific combination of Gaussian plus non-Gaussian random
fields, we studied the case where just a small departure from Gaussianity is
allowed. Our results suggest that even a very small level of non-Gaussianity
may introduce significant changes in the cluster abundance evolution rate.Comment: 10 pages with 2 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Quantum key distribution with higher-order alphabets using spatially-encoded qudits
We propose and demonstrate a quantum key distribution scheme in higher-order
-dimensional alphabets using spatial degrees of freedom of photons. Our
implementation allows for the transmission of 4.56 bits per sifted photon,
while providing improved security: an intercept-resend attack on all photons
would induce an error rate of 0.47. Using our system, it should be possible to
send more than a byte of information per sifted photon.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Replaced with published versio
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Radiation exposure awareness from patients undergoing nuclear medicine diagnostic 99mTc-MDP bone scans and 2-deoxy-2-(18F) fluoro-D-glucose PET/computed tomography scans
INTRODUCTION: Medical imaging is on average the largest source of artificial radiation exposure worldwide. This study seeks to understand patient's awareness of radiation exposure derived from nuclear medicine diagnostic scans and assess if current information provided by leaflets is adequate.
METHODS: Single-centre cross-sectional questionnaire study applied to bone scan and FDG PET/computed tomography patients, at a nuclear medicine and PET/computed tomography department over a 15-week period in 2018. Questionnaires on dose comparators were designed in collaboration with patients, public, and experts in radiation exposure. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis and quantitative data using SPSS (V. 24).
RESULTS: A total of 102 questionnaires were completed (bone scan = 50; FDG PET/computed tomography = 52). Across both groups, 33/102 (32.4%) patients reported having a reasonable understanding of nuclear medicine and 21/102 (20.6%) reported a reasonable knowledge of ionising radiations. When asked to compare the exposure dose of respective scans with common comparators 8/50 (16%) of bone scan patients and 11/52 (21.2%) FDG PET/computed tomography answered correctly. On leaflet information, 15/85 (17.6%) patients reported the leaflets do not provide enough information on radiation exposure and of these 10/15 (66.7%) commented the leaflets should incorporate more information on radiation exposure dose.
CONCLUSION: More observational and qualitative studies in collaboration with patients are warranted to evaluate patients' understanding and preferences in communication of radiation exposure from nuclear medicine imaging. This will ensure communication tools and guidelines developed to comply with ionising radiation (medical exposure) regulation 2017 are according to patients needs and preferences
Experimental investigation of quantum key distribution with position and momentum of photon pairs
We investigate the utility of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations of the
position and momentum of photon pairs from parametric down-conversion in the
implementation of a secure quantum key distribution protocol. We show that
security is guaranteed by the entanglement between downconverted pairs, and can
be checked by either direct comparison of Alice and Bob's measurement results
or evaluation of an inequality of the sort proposed by Mancini et al. (Phys.
Rev. Lett. 88, 120401 (2002)).Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, subimitted for publicatio
Associação da seringueira com a cultura do cafĂ©, no municĂpio de Ouro Preto D'Oeste em RondĂ´nia.
bitstream/item/56619/1/PA-1540-0001.pd
Noncommutative fields in three dimensions and mass generation
We apply the noncommutative fields method for gauge theory in three
dimensions where the Chern-Simons term is generated in the three-dimensional
electrodynamics. Under the same procedure, the Chern-Simons term is shown to be
cancelled in the Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory for the appropriate value of the
noncommutativity parameter. Hence the mutual interchange between
Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory and pure Maxwell theory turns out to be generated
within this method.Comment: Comments 5 pages, epl, version accepted for publication in
Europhysics Letter
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