267 research outputs found
An Optimal Design for Universal Multiport Interferometers
Universal multiport interferometers, which can be programmed to implement any
linear transformation between multiple channels, are emerging as a powerful
tool for both classical and quantum photonics. These interferometers are
typically composed of a regular mesh of beam splitters and phase shifters,
allowing for straightforward fabrication using integrated photonic
architectures and ready scalability. The current, standard design for universal
multiport interferometers is based on work by Reck et al (Phys. Rev. Lett. 73,
58, 1994). We demonstrate a new design for universal multiport interferometers
based on an alternative arrangement of beam splitters and phase shifters, which
outperforms that by Reck et al. Our design occupies half the physical footprint
of the Reck design and is significantly more robust to optical losses.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Tomography of photon-number resolving continuous-output detectors
We report a comprehensive approach to analysing continuous-output photon
detectors. We employ principal component analysis to maximise the information
extracted, followed by a novel noise-tolerant parameterised approach to the
tomography of PNRDs. We further propose a measure for rigorously quantifying a
detector's photon-number-resolving capability. Our approach applies to all
detectors with continuous-output signals. We illustrate our methods by applying
them to experimental data obtained from a transition-edge sensor (TES)
detector.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, also includes supplementary informatio
āSuperā SERPINsāA stabilizing force against fibrinolysis in thromboinflammatory conditions
The superfamily of serine protease inhibitors (SERPINs) are a class of inhibitors that utilise a dynamic conformational change to trap and inhibit their target enzymes. Their powerful nature lends itself well to regulation of complex physiological enzymatic cascades, such as the haemostatic, inflammatory and complement pathways. The SERPINs Ī±2-antiplasmin, plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1, plasminogen-activator inhibitor-2, protease nexin-1, and C1-inhibitor play crucial inhibitory roles in regulation of the fibrinolytic system and inflammation. Elevated levels of these SERPINs are associated with increased risk of thrombotic complications, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Conversely, deficiencies of these SERPINs have been linked to hyperfibrinolysis with bleeding and angioedema. In recent years SERPINs have been implicated in the modulation of the immune response and various thromboinflammatory conditions, such as sepsis and COVID-19. Here, we highlight the current understanding of the physiological role of SERPINs in haemostasis and inflammatory disease progression, with emphasis on the fibrinolytic pathway, and how this becomes dysregulated during disease. Finally, we consider the role of these SERPINs as potential biomarkers of disease progression and therapeutic targets for thromboinflammatory diseases
The Lie Algebraic Significance of Symmetric Informationally Complete Measurements
Examples of symmetric informationally complete positive operator valued
measures (SIC-POVMs) have been constructed in every dimension less than or
equal to 67. However, it remains an open question whether they exist in all
finite dimensions. A SIC-POVM is usually thought of as a highly symmetric
structure in quantum state space. However, its elements can equally well be
regarded as a basis for the Lie algebra gl(d,C). In this paper we examine the
resulting structure constants, which are calculated from the traces of the
triple products of the SIC-POVM elements and which, it turns out, characterize
the SIC-POVM up to unitary equivalence. We show that the structure constants
have numerous remarkable properties. In particular we show that the existence
of a SIC-POVM in dimension d is equivalent to the existence of a certain
structure in the adjoint representation of gl(d,C). We hope that transforming
the problem in this way, from a question about quantum state space to a
question about Lie algebras, may help to make the existence problem tractable.Comment: 56 page
Behavioral states in space and time: Understanding landscape use by an invasive mammal
Animal movement models can be used to understand species behavior and assist with implementation of management activities. We explored behavioral states of an invasive wild pig (Sus scrofa) population that recently colonized central Michigan, USA, 2014ā2018. To quantify environmental factors related to wild pig movement ecology and spatioātemporal landscape use, we predicted wild pig behavioral states relative to land cover type, landscape structure (i.e., edge and patch cohesion), and weather conditions. We used global positioning system (GPS)ācollars and monitored 8 wild pigs from 2014ā2018. We fit local convex hulls and calculated movement metrics revealing 3 wild pig behavioral states (resting, exploratory, and relocating) and constructed a 3ālevel model to predict behavioral state probabilities relative to biotic and abiotic conditions. Probabilities of exploratory and resting behaviors were higher nearer to riparian and open herbaceous cover types (oftentimes emergent marsh), indicating that these cover types provided security cover during activity and bedding. Hard mast cover types had a strong positive association with relocating behaviors. More cohesive patches of agriculture and shrub cover types were associated with higher probabilities of exploratory behaviors, while resting was more likely in continuous patches of agriculture (mostly midāsummer corn). The probability of exploratory behaviors increased exponentially with warming ambient temperature. Our results may be used by managers to develop control strategies conducive to landscape and environmental conditions where the likelihood of encountering wild pigs is highest or targeting wild pigs when in a behavioral state most vulnerable to a particular removal technique
Is manganese-doped diamond a ferromagnetic semiconductor?
We use density-functional theoretical methods to examine the recent
prediction, based on a mean-field solution of the Zener model, that diamond
doped by Mn (with spin S=5/2) would be a dilute magnetic semiconductor that
remains ferromagnetic well above room temperature. Our findings suggest this to
be unlikely, for four reasons: (1) substitutional Mn in diamond has a low-spin
S=1/2 ground state; (2) the substitutional site is energetically unfavorable
relative to the much larger "divacancy" site; 3) Mn in the divacancy site is an
acceptor, but with only hyperdeep levels, and hence the holes are likely to
remain localized; (4) the calculated Heisenberg couplings between Mn in nearby
divacancy sites are two orders of magnitude smaller than for substitutional Mn
in germanium.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Tubular CPT1A deletion minimally affects aging and chronic kidney injury
Kidney tubules use fatty acid oxidation (FAO) to support their high energetic requirements. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) is the rate-limiting enzyme for FAO, and it is necessary to transport long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria. To define the role of tubular CPT1A in aging and injury, we generated mice with tubule-specific deletion of Cpt1a (Cpt1aCKO mice), and the mice were either aged for 2 years or injured by aristolochic acid or unilateral ureteral obstruction. Surprisingly, Cpt1aCKO mice had no significant differences in kidney function or fibrosis compared with wild-type mice after aging or chronic injury. Primary tubule cells from aged Cpt1aCKO mice had a modest decrease in palmitate oxidation but retained the ability to metabolize long-chain fatty acids. Very-long-chain fatty acids, exclusively oxidized by peroxisomes, were reduced in kidneys lacking tubular CPT1A, consistent with increased peroxisomal activity. Single-nuclear RNA-Seq showed significantly increased expression of peroxisomal FAO enzymes in proximal tubules of mice lacking tubular CPT1A. These data suggest that peroxisomal FAO may compensate in the absence of CPT1A, and future genetic studies are needed to confirm the role of peroxisomal Ī²-oxidation when mitochondrial FAO is impaired
Differential transcriptomic responses to heat stress in surface and subterranean diving beetles
Subterranean habitats are generally very stable environments, and as such evolutionary transitions of organisms from surface to subterranean lifestyles may cause considerable shifts in physiology, particularly with respect to thermal tolerance. In this study we compared responses to heat shock at the molecular level in a geographically widespread, surface-dwelling water beetle to a congeneric subterranean species restricted to a single aquifer (Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae). The obligate subterranean beetle Paroster macrosturtensis is known to have a lower thermal tolerance compared to surface lineages (CTmax 38Ā°C cf. 42ā46Ā°C), but the genetic basis of this physiological difference has not been characterized. We experimentally manipulated the thermal environment of 24 individuals to demonstrate that both species can mount a heat shock response at high temperatures (35Ā°C), as determined by comparative transcriptomics. However, genes involved in these responses differ between species and a far greater number were differentially expressed in the surface taxon, suggesting it can mount a more robust heat shock response; these data may underpin its higher thermal tolerance compared to subterranean relatives. In contrast, the subterranean species examined not only differentially expressed fewer genes in response to increasing temperatures, but also in the presence of the experimental setup employed here alone. Our results suggest P. macrosturtensis may be comparatively poorly equipped to respond to both thermally induced stress and environmental disturbances more broadly. The molecular findings presented here have conservation implications for P. macrosturtensis and contribute to a growing narrative concerning weakened thermal tolerances in obligate subterranean organisms at the molecular level
On-chip low loss heralded source of pure single photons
A key obstacle to the experimental realization of many photonic
quantum-enhanced technologies is the lack of low-loss sources of single photons
in pure quantum states. We demonstrate a promising solution: generation of
heralded single photons in a silica photonic chip by spontaneous four-wave
mixing. A heralding efficiency of 40%, corresponding to a preparation
efficiency of 80% accounting for detector performance, is achieved due to
efficient coupling of the low-loss source to optical fibers. A single photon
purity of 0.86 is measured from the source number statistics without filtering,
and confirmed by direct measurement of the joint spectral intensity. We
calculate that similar high-heralded-purity output can be obtained from visible
to telecom spectral regions using this approach. On-chip silica sources can
have immediate application in a wide range of single-photon quantum optics
applications which employ silica photonics.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
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