563 research outputs found
Efficient feedback controllers for continuous-time quantum error correction
We present an efficient approach to continuous-time quantum error correction
that extends the low-dimensional quantum filtering methodology developed by van
Handel and Mabuchi [quant-ph/0511221 (2005)] to include error recovery
operations in the form of real-time quantum feedback. We expect this paradigm
to be useful for systems in which error recovery operations cannot be applied
instantaneously. While we could not find an exact low-dimensional filter that
combined both continuous syndrome measurement and a feedback Hamiltonian
appropriate for error recovery, we developed an approximate reduced-dimensional
model to do so. Simulations of the five-qubit code subjected to the symmetric
depolarizing channel suggests that error correction based on our approximate
filter performs essentially identically to correction based on an exact quantum
dynamical model
Bio-products from algae-based biorefinery on wastewater: A review
Increasing resource demand, predicted fossil resources shortage in the near future, and environmental concerns due to the production of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide have motivated the search for alternative ‘circular’ pathways. Among many options, microalgae have been recently ‘revised’ as one of the most promising due to their high growth rate (with low land use and without competing with food crops), high tolerance to nutrients and salts stresses and their variability in biochemical composition, in so allowing the supply of a plethora of possible bio-based products such as animal feeds, chemicals and biofuels. The recent raising popularity of Circular Bio-Economy (CBE) further prompted investment in microalgae, especially in combination with wastewater treatment, under the twofold aim of allowing the production of a wide range of bio-based products while bioremediating wastewater. With the aim of discussing the potential bio-products that may be gained from microalgae grown on urban wastewater, this paper presents an overview on microalgae production with particular emphasis on the main microalgae species suitable for growth on wastewater and the obtainable bio-based products from them. By selecting and reviewing 76 articles published in Scopus between 1992 and 2020, a number of interesting aspects, including the selection of algal species suitable for growing on urban wastewater, wastewater pretreatment and algal-bacterial cooperation, were carefully reviewed and discussed in this work. In this review, particular emphasis is placed on understanding of the main mechanisms driving formation of microalgal products (such as biofuels, biogas, etc.) and how they are affected by different environmental factors in selected species. Lastly, the quantitative information gathered from the articles were used to estimate the potential benefits gained from microalgae grown on urban wastewater in Campania Region, a region sometimes criticized for poor wastewater management
Single shot parameter estimation via continuous quantum measurement
We present filtering equations for single shot parameter estimation using
continuous quantum measurement. By embedding parameter estimation in the
standard quantum filtering formalism, we derive the optimal Bayesian filter for
cases when the parameter takes on a finite range of values. Leveraging recent
convergence results [van Handel, arXiv:0709.2216 (2008)], we give a condition
which determines the asymptotic convergence of the estimator. For cases when
the parameter is continuous valued, we develop quantum particle filters as a
practical computational method for quantum parameter estimation.Comment: 9 pages, 5 image
Methyl Hexadecyl Viologen Inclusion in Cucurbit[8]uril: Coexistence of Three Host-Guest Complexes with Different Stoichiometry in a Highly Hydrated Crystal
The host-guest inclusion complexes of cucurbiturils with alkyl viologen have interesting architectures, chemical properties, and potential applications in sensors and nanotechnology. A highly hydrated triclinic crystal of cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) complexed by methyl hexadecyl viologen (MVC16) is characterized by the unprecedented coexistence in the crystal of three host-guest complexes with 3:2, 2:2, and 1:1 stoichiometries. In all these complexes, the hook-shaped alkyl chain of the MVC16 is hosted in the CB[8] macrocycles, while the methyl viologen moieties have various environments. In the Z-shaped 3:2 complex, a central CB[8] unit hosts two viologen heads in the cavity, while the 2:2 complex is held together by \u3c0-stacking interactions between two viologen units. In the square 2D tiling crystal packing of CB[8] macrocycles, the same site which favors the dimerization observed in the 2:2 complex is also statistically occupied by a single methyl viologen moiety of the 1:1 complex. The rational interpretation of the crystal structure represented an intriguing challenge, due to the complicated statistical disorder in the alkyl chains hosted in CB[8] units and in the methyl viologen moieties of 2:2 and 1:1 complexes. In contrast with the solution behavior dominated by the 2:1 complex, the coexistence of three host-guest complexes with 3:2, 2:2, and 1:1 ratios highlights the fundamental importance of packing effects in the crystallized supramolecular complexes. Therefore, the crystallization process has permitted us to capture different host-guest systems in a single crystal, revealing a supramolecular landscape in a single photo
Shallow vs deep learning architectures for white matter lesion segmentation in the early stages of multiple sclerosis
In this work, we present a comparison of a shallow and a deep learning
architecture for the automated segmentation of white matter lesions in MR
images of multiple sclerosis patients. In particular, we train and test both
methods on early stage disease patients, to verify their performance in
challenging conditions, more similar to a clinical setting than what is
typically provided in multiple sclerosis segmentation challenges. Furthermore,
we evaluate a prototype naive combination of the two methods, which refines the
final segmentation. All methods were trained on 32 patients, and the evaluation
was performed on a pure test set of 73 cases. Results show low lesion-wise
false positives (30%) for the deep learning architecture, whereas the shallow
architecture yields the best Dice coefficient (63%) and volume difference
(19%). Combining both shallow and deep architectures further improves the
lesion-wise metrics (69% and 26% lesion-wise true and false positive rate,
respectively).Comment: Accepted to the MICCAI 2018 Brain Lesion (BrainLes) worksho
The Role of Chain Length in Cucurbit[8]uril Complexation of Methyl Alkyl Viologens
Viologens are among the most studied guests for cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) and their complexation is usually driven by bipyridyl core inclusion inside the cavity to maximize both hydrophobic and cation-dipole interactions. The presence of alkyl substituents on the guest alters this complexation mode, switching to aliphatic chain inclusion in U-folded conformation. Herein, we report a thorough study of the influence of the alkyl chain length on the binding mode of methyl alkyl viologens. The chain length of the studied guests was increased by two methylene groups starting from methyl dodecyl viologen (MVC12) to the octadecyl analogue (MVC18). Complexation in water, investigated by NMR spectroscopy and ITC, revealed a clear switch from 1 : 1 to 2 : 1 host/guest stoichiometry moving from 12 to 16 carbon atoms, as a consequence of the chain folding of the major portion of the longer alkyl chain in one CB[8] cavity and the inclusion of the full viologen unit by another host molecule. The CB[8]2.MVC18 complex crystal structure evidences the unprecedented 2 : 1 stoichiometry and quantified in 12 the number of carbon atoms necessary to fill the CB[8] cavity in U-shaped conformation
Is Your Neighborhood Designed to Support Physical Activity? A Brief Streetscape Audit Tool.
INTRODUCTION:Macro level built environment factors (eg, street connectivity, walkability) are correlated with physical activity. Less studied but more modifiable microscale elements of the environment (eg, crosswalks) may also affect physical activity, but short audit measures of microscale elements are needed to promote wider use. This study evaluated the relation of a 15-item neighborhood environment audit tool with a full version of the tool to assess neighborhood design on physical activity in 4 age groups. METHODS:From the 120-item Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS) measure of street design, sidewalks, and street crossings, we developed the 15-item version (MAPS-Mini) on the basis of associations with physical activity and attribute modifiability. As a sample of a likely walking route, MAPS-Mini was conducted on a 0.25-mile route from participant residences toward the nearest nonresidential destination for children (n = 758), adolescents (n = 897), younger adults (n = 1,655), and older adults (n = 367). Active transportation and leisure physical activity were measured with age-appropriate surveys, and accelerometers provided objective physical activity measures. Mixed-model regressions were conducted for each MAPS item and a total environment score, adjusted for demographics, participant clustering, and macrolevel walkability. RESULTS:Total scores of MAPS-Mini and the 120-item MAPS correlated at r = .85. Total microscale environment scores were significantly related to active transportation in all age groups. Items related to active transport in 3 age groups were presence of sidewalks, curb cuts, street lights, benches, and buffer between street and sidewalk. The total score was related to leisure physical activity and accelerometer measures only in children. CONCLUSION:The MAPS-Mini environment measure is short enough to be practical for use by community groups and planning agencies and is a valid substitute for the full version that is 8 times longer
Magnetometry via a double-pass continuous quantum measurement of atomic spin
We argue that it is possible in principle to reduce the uncertainty of an
atomic magnetometer by double-passing a far-detuned laser field through the
atomic sample as it undergoes Larmor precession. Numerical simulations of the
quantum Fisher information suggest that, despite the lack of explicit
multi-body coupling terms in the system's magnetic Hamiltonian, the parameter
estimation uncertainty in such a physical setup scales better than the
conventional Heisenberg uncertainty limit over a specified but arbitrary range
of particle number N. Using the methods of quantum stochastic calculus and
filtering theory, we demonstrate numerically an explicit parameter estimator
(called a quantum particle filter) whose observed scaling follows that of our
calculated quantum Fisher information. Moreover, the quantum particle filter
quantitatively surpasses the uncertainty limit calculated from the quantum
Cramer-Rao inequality based on a magnetic coupling Hamiltonian with only
single-body operators. We also show that a quantum Kalman filter is
insufficient to obtain super-Heisenberg scaling, and present evidence that such
scaling necessitates going beyond the manifold of Gaussian atomic states.Comment: 17 pages, updated to match print versio
CD11d antibody treatment improves recovery in spinal cord-injured mice
Acute administration of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) raised against the CD11d subunit of the leukocyte CD11d/CD18 integrin after spinal cord injury (SCI) in the rat greatly improves neurological outcomes. This has been chiefly attributed to the reduced infiltration of neutrophils into the injured spinal cord in treated rats. More recently, treating spinal cord-injured mice with a Ly-6G neutrophil-depleting antibody was demonstrated to impair neurological recovery. These disparate results could be due to different mechanisms of action utilized by the two antibodies, or due to differences in the inflammatory responses between mouse and rat that are triggered by SCI. To address whether the anti-CD11d treatment would be effective in mice, a CD11d mAb (205C) or a control mAb (1B7) was administered intravenously at 2, 24, and 48 h after an 8-g clip compression injury at the fourth thoracic spinal segment. The anti-CD11d treatment reduced neutrophil infiltration into the injured mouse spinal cord and was associated with increased white matter sparing and reductions in myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, and scar formation. These improvements in the injured spinal cord microenvironment were accompanied by increased serotonin (5-HT) immunoreactivity below the level of the lesion and improved locomotor recovery. Our results with the 205C CD11d mAb treatment complement previous work using this anti-integrin treatment in a rat model of SCI. © 2012, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc
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