6,255 research outputs found
Tunable entanglement distillation of spatially correlated down-converted photons
We report on a new technique for entanglement distillation of the bipartite
continuous variable state of spatially correlated photons generated in the
spontaneous parametric down-conversion process (SPDC), where tunable
non-Gaussian operations are implemented and the post-processed entanglement is
certified in real-time using a single-photon sensitive electron multiplying CCD
(EMCCD) camera. The local operations are performed using non-Gaussian filters
modulated into a programmable spatial light modulator and, by using the EMCCD
camera for actively recording the probability distributions of the
twin-photons, one has fine control of the Schmidt number of the distilled
state. We show that even simple non-Gaussian filters can be finely tuned to a
~67% net gain of the initial entanglement generated in the SPDC process.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Design and implementation of a compliant robot with force feedback and strategy planning software
Force-feedback robotics techniques are being developed for automated precision assembly and servicing of NASA space flight equipment. Design and implementation of a prototype robot which provides compliance and monitors forces is in progress. Computer software to specify assembly steps and makes force feedback adjustments during assembly are coded and tested for three generically different precision mating problems. A model program demonstrates that a suitably autonomous robot can plan its own strategy
The Q-Sort Method: Assessing Reliability And Construct Validity Of Questionnaire Items At A Pre-Testing Stage
This paper describes the Q-sort, which is a method of assessing reliability and construct validity of questionnaire items at a pre-testing stage. The method uses Cohen\u27s Kappa and Moore and Benbasat\u27s Hit Ratio in assessing the questionnaire
DNA condensation and redissolution: Interaction between overcharged DNA molecules
The effective DNA-DNA interaction force is calculated by computer simulations
with explicit tetravalent counterions and monovalent salt. For overcharged DNA
molecules, the interaction force shows a double-minimum structure. The
positions and depths of these minima are regulated by the counterion density in
the bulk. Using two-dimensional lattice sum and free energy perturbation
theories, the coexisting phases for DNA bundles are calculated. A
DNA-condensation and redissolution transition and a stable mesocrystal with an
intermediate lattice constant for high counterion concentration are obtained.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figure
Charge reversal of colloidal particles
A theory is presented for the effective charge of colloidal particles in
suspensions containing multivalent counterions. It is shown that if colloids
are sufficiently strongly charged, the number of condensed multivalent
counterion can exceed the bare colloidal charge leading to charge reversal.
Charge renormalization in suspensions with multivalent counterions depends on a
subtle interplay between the solvation energies of the multivalent counterions
in the bulk and near the colloidal surface. We find that the effective charge
is {\it not} a monotonically decreasing function of the multivalent salt
concentration. Furthermore, contrary to the previous theories, it is found that
except at very low concentrations, monovalent salt hinders the charge reversal.
This conclusion is in agreement with the recent experiments and simulations
Collective Decision Dynamics in the Presence of External Drivers
We develop a sequence of models describing information transmission and
decision dynamics for a network of individual agents subject to multiple
sources of influence. Our general framework is set in the context of an
impending natural disaster, where individuals, represented by nodes on the
network, must decide whether or not to evacuate. Sources of influence include a
one-to-many externally driven global broadcast as well as pairwise
interactions, across links in the network, in which agents transmit either
continuous opinions or binary actions. We consider both uniform and variable
threshold rules on the individual opinion as baseline models for
decision-making. Our results indicate that 1) social networks lead to
clustering and cohesive action among individuals, 2) binary information
introduces high temporal variability and stagnation, and 3) information
transmission over the network can either facilitate or hinder action adoption,
depending on the influence of the global broadcast relative to the social
network. Our framework highlights the essential role of local interactions
between agents in predicting collective behavior of the population as a whole.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Differential transcription profiles inAedes aegyptidetoxification genes after temephos selection
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector of Dengue and Yellow Fever flaviviruses. The organophosphate insecticide temephos is a larvicide that is used globally to control Ae. aegypti populations; many of which have in turn evolved resistance. Target site alteration in the acetylcholine esterase of this species has not being identified. Instead, we tracked changes in transcription of metabolic detoxification genes using the Ae. aegypti ‘Detox Chip’ microarray during five generations of temephos selection. We selected for temephos resistance in three replicates in each of six collections, five from Mexico, and one from Peru. The response to selection was tracked in terms of lethal concentrations. Uniform upregulation was seen in the epsilon class glutathione-S-transferase (eGST) genes in strains from Mexico prior to laboratory selection, while eGSTs in the Iquitos Peru strain became upregulated after five generations of temephos selection. While expression of many carboxyl/cholinesterase esterase (CCE) genes increased with selection, no single esterase was consistently upregulated and this same pattern was noted in the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP) genes and in other genes involved in reduction or oxidation of xenobiotics. Bioassays using glutathione-S-transferase (GST), CCE and CYP inhibitors suggest that various CCEs instead of GSTs are the main metabolic mechanism conferring resistance to temephos. We show that temephos-selected strains show no cross resistance to permethrin and that genes associated with temephos selection are largely independent of those selected with permethrin in a previous study
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