Biphoton Interference in a Double-Slit Experiment

A double-slit experiment with entangled photons is theoretically analyzed. It is shown that, under suitable conditions, two entangled photons of wavelength $\lambda$ can behave like a \emph{biphoton} of wavelength $\lambda/2$. The interference of these biphotons, passing through a double-slit can be obtained by detecting both photons of the pair at the same position. This is in agreement with the results of an earlier experiment. More interestingly, we show that even if the two entangled photons are separated by a polarizing beam splitter, they can still behave like a biphoton of wavelength $\lambda/2$. In this modified setup, the two separated photons passing through two different double-slits, surprisingly show an interference corresponding to a wavelength $\lambda/2$, instead of $\lambda$ which is the wavelength of each photon. We point out two experiments that have been carried out in different contexts, which saw the effect predicted here without realizing this connection.Comment: Published versio

Sexual Cultures and Imaginations of Justice in Anvita Dutt’s Bulbbul (2020)

This paper locates Anvita Dutt’s Bulbbul, a Hindi-language film released on Netflix in 2020, within the contentious cultural milieu of contemporary public discourse on issues of sexual violence, the need for legal reform, and extralegal modes of testimony. It reads the multiple imaginations of justice as redressal for gendered and sexual violence offered within Bulbbul through its delineation of four intertextual formations: child bride, widow, avenging woman, and devi (goddess). In doing so, it considers the manner in which Bulbbul offers a speculative space at the limits of judgement and sentence, which emerges out of the need to go beyond proceduralist concerns and address the possibility of desire as a legitimate axis for women’s self-expression

Impact of Covid-19 on Sectors of Indian Economy and Business Survival Strategies

The entire world is in the clutch of Coronavirus. The dissemination of the virus is so colossal that it compelled the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare it as pandemic. The outbreak of the virus has unprecedented implications on the global economy. Severe economic burden and grave consequences have to be borne by the Indian industries in this backdrop of declining economic situation due to coronavirus. Thus, this article is intended to study the repercussions of coronavirus on different sectors of Indian economy and to highlight the reasons for which India can be benefitted in the post pandemic period and mainly to specify the business survival strategies which is the key to overcome this tough situation

Efficient and Fair Multiparty Protocols using Blockchain and Trusted Hardware

In ACM CCS\u2717, Choudhuri et al. designed two fair public-ledger-based multi-party protocols (in the malicious model with dishonest majority) for computing an arbitrary function $f$. One of their protocols is based on a trusted hardware enclave $G$ (which can be implemented using Intel SGX-hardware) and a public ledger (which can be implemented using a blockchain platform, such as Ethereum). Subsequently, in NDSS\u2719, a stateless version of the protocol was published. This is the first time, (a certain definition of) fairness -- that guarantees either all parties learn the final output or nobody does -- is achieved without any monetary or computational penalties. However, these protocols are fair, if the underlying core MPC component guarantees both privacy and correctness. While privacy is easy to achieve (using a secret sharing scheme), correctness requires expensive operations (such as ZK proofs and commitment schemes). We improve on this work in three different directions: attack, design and performance. Our first major contribution is building practical attacks that demonstrate: if correctness is not satisfied then the fairness property of the aforementioned protocols collapse. Next, we design two new protocols -- stateful and stateless -- based on public ledger and trusted hardware that are: resistant against the aforementioned attacks, and made several orders of magnitude more efficient (related to both time and memory) than the existing ones by eliminating ZK proofs and commitment schemes in the design. Last but not the least, we implemented the core MPC part of our protocols using the SPDZ-2 framework to demonstrate the feasibility of its practical implementation

Scientific Advancement in Contemporary Society: The Interface between Technology, Science and Law

This article is premised on the relation of technology and applied sciences with law. The three subjects are not only interwoven but cannot be protected and regulated without the viable use of law. The unprecedented advancement ofscientific innovations has far-reaching implication in virtually all ramifications of human endeavour. Technology is an invention created using science, which needs to be sustained by prudent management and law. The research goal is to narrow down a middle ground where all these independent fields can meet and share a symbiotic relationship without stifling each other. The research seeks to ascertain the knowledge and perception of selected university students of Nigeria and India, about Science, Law and Technology. The authors adopted the doctrinal and empirical research methodology coupled with the use of cases and legislations as source of information. The research revealed that majority of the participants has knowledge about the co-existence and impact of Science, Technology and Law in the society. However, the attitude and perception of the participants constitute a fundamental influence on the degree to which technological orientations occur during learning process. Also, 85% of 200 participants agreed that there is need for frequent education and legislation as science and technology evolves in the society. Hence, this article recommends the implementation and frequent modifications of law to continually protect, encourage and ensure the societal sustainability of ethical standards

Mechanistic Aspects of Condensed- and Gaseous-Phase Activities of Some Phosphorus-Containing Fire Retardants

As a part of our ongoing investigations on passively fire protecting polymeric materials, we have been employing both reactive and additive routes involving phosphorus-containing compounds. These included inorganic and organic substances, and in the latter case, the phosphorus-bearing groups differed in terms of the chemical environments (phosphite, phosphate, phosphine, phosphine oxide and phosphonate ester) and oxidation state of the P atom (i.e., III, or V). The overall flammability profiles of wood substrates coated with the phosphorus-containing compounds were obtained through cone calorimetric measurements. The elemental composition, morphology and chemical natures of the char residues, obtained from the cone tests, were analysed through a variety of spectroscopic, chromatographic and spectrometric means. From the complementary information, obtained through these analyses, some probable mechanistic pathways that underpin the condensed- and gaseous-phase activities of the different additives are suggested. It was found that the inorganic solid additive, i.e., (NH4)2HPO4, underwent a two-step degradation, yielding ammonia gas and phosphoric acid. Furthermore, the liquid additives, owing to their volatility as compared to the solid ones, showed a relatively higher presence in the vapour phase than volatile fragments emanating from the latter ones (i.e., from phosphine and the phosphine oxides)

The Unusual Monomer Recognition of Guanine-Containing Mixed Sequence DNA by a Dithiophene Heterocyclic Diamidine

DB1255 is a symmetrical diamidinophenyl-dithiophene that exhibits cellular activity by binding to DNA and inhibiting binding of ERG, an ETS family transcription factor that is commonly overexpressed or translocated in leukemia and prostate cancer [Nhili, R., Peixoto, P., Depauw, S., Flajollet, S., Dezitter, X., Munde, M. M., Ismail, M. A., Kumar, A., Farahat, A. A., Stephens, C. E., Duterque-Coquillaud, M., Wilson, W. D., Boykin, D. W., and David-Cordonnier, M. H. (2013) Nucleic Acids Res. 41, 125−138]. Because transcription factor inhibition is complex but is an attractive area for anticancer and antiparasitic drug development, we have evaluated the DNA interactions of additional derivatives of DB1255 to gain an improved understanding of the biophysical chemistry of complex function and inhibition. DNase I footprinting, biosensor surface plasmon resonance, and circular dichroism experiments show that DB1255 has an unusual and strong monomer binding mode in minor groove sites that contain a single GC base pair flanked by AT base pairs, for example, 5′-ATGAT-3′. Closely related derivatives, such as compounds with the thiophene replaced with furan or selenophane, bind very weakly to GC-containing sequences and do not have biological activity. DB1255 is selective for the ATGAT site; however, a similar sequence, 5′-ATGAC-3′, binds DB1255 more weakly and does not produce a footprint. Molecular docking studies show that the two thiophene sulfur atoms form strong, bifurcated hydrogen bond-type interactions with the G-N-H sequence that extends into the minor groove while the amidines form hydrogen bonds to the flanking AT base pairs. The central dithiophene unit of DB1255 thus forms an excellent, but unexpected, single-GC base pair recognition module in a monomer minor groove complex

Development and Validation of a 28-gene Hypoxia-related Prognostic Signature for Localized Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia is associated with a poor prognosis in prostate cancer. This work aimed to derive and validate a hypoxia-related mRNA signature for localized prostate cancer. METHOD: Hypoxia genes were identified in vitro via RNA-sequencing and combined with in vivo gene co-expression analysis to generate a signature. The signature was independently validated in eleven prostate cancer cohorts and a bladder cancer phase III randomized trial of radiotherapy alone or with carbogen and nicotinamide (CON). RESULTS: A 28-gene signature was derived. Patients with high signature scores had poorer biochemical recurrence free survivals in six of eight independent cohorts of prostatectomy-treated patients (Log rank test P \u3c .05), with borderline significances achieved in the other two (P \u3c .1). The signature also predicted biochemical recurrence in patients receiving post-prostatectomy radiotherapy (n = 130, P = .007) or definitive radiotherapy alone (n = 248, P = .035). Lastly, the signature predicted metastasis events in a pooled cohort (n = 631, P = .002). Prognostic significance remained after adjusting for clinic-pathological factors and commercially available prognostic signatures. The signature predicted benefit from hypoxia-modifying therapy in bladder cancer patients (intervention-by-signature interaction test P = .0026), where carbogen and nicotinamide was associated with improved survival only in hypoxic tumours. CONCLUSION: A 28-gene hypoxia signature has strong and independent prognostic value for prostate cancer patients

Repurposing FDA approved drugs as radiosensitizers for treating hypoxic prostate cancer

Abstract Background The presence of hypoxia is a poor prognostic factor in prostate cancer and the hypoxic tumor microenvironment promotes radioresistance. There is potential for drug radiotherapy combinations to improve the therapeutic ratio. We aimed to investigate whether hypoxia-associated genes could be used to identify FDA approved drugs for repurposing for the treatment of hypoxic prostate cancer. Methods Hypoxia associated genes were identified and used in the connectivity mapping software QUADrATIC to identify FDA approved drugs as candidates for repurposing. Drugs identified were tested in vitro in prostate cancer cell lines (DU145, PC3, LNCAP). Cytotoxicity was investigated using the sulforhodamine B assay and radiosensitization using a clonogenic assay in normoxia and hypoxia. Results Menadione and gemcitabine had similar cytotoxicity in normoxia and hypoxia in all three cell lines. In DU145 cells, the radiation sensitizer enhancement ratio (SER) of menadione was 1.02 in normoxia and 1.15 in hypoxia. The SER of gemcitabine was 1.27 in normoxia and 1.09 in hypoxia. No radiosensitization was seen in PC3 cells. Conclusion Connectivity mapping can identify FDA approved drugs for potential repurposing that are linked to a radiobiologically relevant phenotype. Gemcitabine and menadione could be further investigated as potential radiosensitizers in prostate cancer