232 research outputs found
Optimal Filling of Shapes
We present filling as a type of spatial subdivision problem similar to
covering and packing. Filling addresses the optimal placement of overlapping
objects lying entirely inside an arbitrary shape so as to cover the most
interior volume. In n-dimensional space, if the objects are polydisperse
n-balls, we show that solutions correspond to sets of maximal n-balls. For
polygons, we provide a heuristic for finding solutions of maximal discs. We
consider the properties of ideal distributions of N discs as N approaches
infinity. We note an analogy with energy landscapes.Comment: 5 page
Intercomparison of erythemal broadband radiometers calibrated by seven UV calibration facilities in Europe and the USA
International audienceA bi-lateral intercomparison of erythemal broadband radiometers was performed between seven UV calibration facilities. The owners calibrations were compared relative to the characterisation and calibration performed at PMOD/WRC in Davos, Switzerland. The calibration consisted in the determination of the spectral and angular response of the radiometer, followed by an absolute calibration performed outdoors relative to a spectroradiometer which provided the absolute reference. The characterization of the detectors in the respective laboratories are in good agreement: The determination of the angular responses have deviations below ±4% and the spectral responses agree within ±20%. A "blind" intercomparison of the erythemally weighted irradiances derived by the respective institutes and PMOD/WRC showed consistent measurements to within ±2% for the majority of institutes. One institute showed slightly larger deviation of 10%. The differences found between the different instrument calibrations are all within the combined uncertainty of the calibration
Quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using a compact fluidic electrochemical biosensor platform
Holographic View on Quantum Correlations and Mutual Information between Disjoint Blocks of a Quantum Critical System
In (d+1) dimensional Multiscale Entanglement Renormalization Ansatz (MERA)
networks, tensors are connected so as to reproduce the discrete, (d + 2)
holographic geometry of Anti de Sitter space (AdSd+2) with the original system
lying at the boundary. We analyze the MERA renormalization flow that arises
when computing the quantum correlations between two disjoint blocks of a
quantum critical system, to show that the structure of the causal cones
characteristic of MERA, requires a transition between two different regimes
attainable by changing the ratio between the size and the separation of the two
disjoint blocks. We argue that this transition in the MERA causal developments
of the blocks may be easily accounted by an AdSd+2 black hole geometry when the
mutual information is computed using the Ryu-Takayanagi formula. As an explicit
example, we use a BTZ AdS3 black hole to compute the MI and the quantum
correlations between two disjoint intervals of a one dimensional boundary
critical system. Our results for this low dimensional system not only show the
existence of a phase transition emerging when the conformal four point ratio
reaches a critical value but also provide an intuitive entropic argument
accounting for the source of this instability. We discuss the robustness of
this transition when finite temperature and finite size effects are taken into
account.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures. Abstract and Figure 1 has been modified. Minor
modifications in Section 1 and Section
High-pressure Raman spectroscopy and lattice-dynamics calculations on scintillating MgWO4: A comparison with isomorphic compounds
Raman scattering measurements and lattice-dynamics calculations have been
performed on magnesium tungstate under high pressure up to 41 GPa. Experiments
have been carried out under a selection of different pressure-media. The
influence of non-hydrostaticity on the structural properties of MgWO4 and
isomorphic compounds is examined. Under quasi-hydrostatic conditions a phase
transition has been found at 26 GPa in MgWO4. The high-pressure phase has been
tentatively assigned to a triclinic structure similar to that of CuWO4. We also
report and discuss the Raman symmetries, frequencies, and pressure coefficients
in the low- and high-pressure phases. In addition, the Raman frequencies for
different wolframites are compared and the variation of the mode frequency with
the reduced mass across the family is investigated. Finally, the accuracy of
theoretical calculations is systematically discussed for MgWO4, MnWO4, FeWO4,
CoWO4, NiWO4, ZnWO4, and CdWO4.Comment: 36 pages, 9 figures, 4 table
Genomic analyses of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from human lung resections reveal a high frequency of polyclonal infections
Polyclonal infections occur when at least two unrelated strains of the same pathogen are detected in an individual. This has been linked to worse clinical outcomes in tuberculosis, as undetected strains with different antibiotic resistance profiles can lead to treatment failure. Here, we examine the amount of polyclonal infections in sputum and surgical resections from patients with tuberculosis in the country of Georgia. For this purpose, we sequence and analyse the genomes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from the samples, acquired through an observational clinical study (NCT02715271). Access to the lung enhanced the detection of multiple strains (40% of surgery cases) as opposed to just using a sputum sample (0-5% in the general population). We show that polyclonal infections often involve genetically distant strains and can be associated with reversion of the patient's drug susceptibility profile over time. In addition, we find different patterns of genetic diversity within lesions and across patients, including mutational signatures known to be associated with oxidative damage; this suggests that reactive oxygen species may be acting as a selective pressure in the granuloma environment. Our results support the idea that the magnitude of polyclonal infections in high-burden tuberculosis settings is underestimated when only testing sputum samples
Structural and vibrational properties of CdAl2S4 under high pressure: Experimental and theoretical approach
"This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in
Journal of Physical Chemistry C, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher.
To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp5037926.”The behavior of defect chalcopyrite CdAl2S4 at high pressures and ambient temperature has been investigated in a joint experimental and theoretical study. High-pressure X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements were complemented with theoretical ab initio calculations. The equation of state and pressure dependences of the structural parameters of CdAl2S4 were determined and compared to those of other AB(2)X(4) ordered-vacancy compounds. The pressure dependence of the Raman-active mode frequencies is reported, as well as the theoretical phonon dispersion curves and phonon density of states at 1 atm. Our measurements suggest that defect chalcopyrite CdAl2S4 undergoes a phase transition above 15 GPa to a disordered-rocksalt structure, whose equation of state was also obtained up to 25 GPa. In a downstroke from 25 GPa to 1 atm, our measurements indicate that CdAl2S4 does not return to the defect chalcopyrite phase; it partially retains the disordered-rocksalt phase and partially transforms into the spinel structure. The nature of the spinel structure was confirmed by the good agreement of our experimental results with our theoretical calculations. All in all, our experimental and theoretical results provide evidence that the spinel and defect chalcopyrite phases of CdAl2S4 are competitive at 1 atm. This result opens the way to the synthesis of spinel-type CdAl2S4 at near-ambient conditions.Financial support from the Spanish Consolider Ingenio 2010 Program (Project CSD2007-00045) is acknowledged. This work was also supported by Spanish MICCIN under Project MAT2010-21270-C04-03/04 and by Vicerrectorado de Investigacion de la Universitat Politecnica de Valencia under Projects UPV2011-0914 PAID-05-11 and UPV2011-0966 PAID-06-11. Supercomputer time was provided by the Red Espanola de Supercomputacion (RES) and the MALTA cluster. J.A.S. acknowledges the Juan de la Cierva fellowship program for financial support. AM. and P.R.-H. acknowledge S. Munoz Rodriguez for providing a data-parsing application.Sans Tresserras, JÁ.; Santamaría Pérez, D.; Popescu, C.; Gomis, O.; Manjón Herrera, FJ.; Vilaplana Cerda, RI.; Muñoz, A.... (2014). Structural and vibrational properties of CdAl2S4 under high pressure: Experimental and theoretical approach. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 118(28):15363-15374. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp5037926S15363153741182
Entanglement Entropy from a Holographic Viewpoint
The entanglement entropy has been historically studied by many authors in
order to obtain quantum mechanical interpretations of the gravitational
entropy. The discovery of AdS/CFT correspondence leads to the idea of
holographic entanglement entropy, which is a clear solution to this important
problem in gravity. In this article, we would like to give a quick survey of
recent progresses on the holographic entanglement entropy. We focus on its
gravitational aspects, so that it is comprehensible to those who are familiar
with general relativity and basics of quantum field theory.Comment: Latex, 30 pages, invited review for Classical and Quantum Gravity,
minor correction
Holographic Geometry of Entanglement Renormalization in Quantum Field Theories
We study a conjectured connection between the AdS/CFT and a real-space
quantum renormalization group scheme, the multi-scale entanglement
renormalization ansatz (MERA). By making a close contact with the holographic
formula of the entanglement entropy, we propose a general definition of the
metric in the MERA in the extra holographic direction, which is formulated
purely in terms of quantum field theoretical data. Using the continuum version
of the MERA (cMERA), we calculate this emergent holographic metric explicitly
for free scalar boson and free fermions theories, and check that the metric so
computed has the properties expected from AdS/CFT. We also discuss the cMERA in
a time-dependent background induced by quantum quench and estimate its
corresponding metric.Comment: 42pages, 9figures, reference added, minor chang
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