1,704 research outputs found
Short-Pulsed Wavepacket Propagation in Ray-Chaotic Enclosures
Wave propagation in ray-chaotic scenarios, characterized by exponential
sensitivity to ray-launching conditions, is a topic of significant interest,
with deep phenomenological implications and important applications, ranging
from optical components and devices to time-reversal focusing/sensing schemes.
Against a background of available results that are largely focused on the
time-harmonic regime, we deal here with short-pulsed wavepacket propagation in
a ray-chaotic enclosure. For this regime, we propose a rigorous analytical
framework based on a short-pulsed random-plane-wave statistical representation,
and check its predictions against the results from
finite-difference-time-domain numerical simulations.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures; minor modifications in the tex
Scaling energy management in buildings with artificial intelligence
L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen
The Elephant Quantum Walk
We explore the impact of long-range memory on the properties of a family of
quantum walks in a one-dimensional lattice and discrete time, which can be
understood as the quantum version of the classical "Elephant Random Walk"
non-Markovian process. This Elephant Quantum Walk is robustly superballistic
with the standard deviation showing a constant exponent, , whatever the quantum coin operator, on which the diffusion coefficient is
dependent. On the one hand, this result indicates that contrarily to the
classical case, the degree of superdiffusivity in quantum non- Markovian
processes of this kind is mainly ruled by the extension of memory rather than
other microscopic parameters that explicitly define the process. On the other
hand, these parameters reflect on the diffusion coefficient.Comment: 4 figures, any comments is welcome. Accepted in PR
Parameterizing Quasiperiodicity: Generalized Poisson Summation and Its Application to Modified-Fibonacci Antenna Arrays
The fairly recent discovery of "quasicrystals", whose X-ray diffraction
patterns reveal certain peculiar features which do not conform with spatial
periodicity, has motivated studies of the wave-dynamical implications of
"aperiodic order". Within the context of the radiation properties of antenna
arrays, an instructive novel (canonical) example of wave interactions with
quasiperiodic order is illustrated here for one-dimensional (1-D) array
configurations based on the "modified-Fibonacci" sequence, with utilization of
a two-scale generalization of the standard Poisson summation formula for
periodic arrays. This allows for a "quasi-Floquet" analytic parameterization of
the radiated field, which provides instructive insights into some of the basic
wave mechanisms associated with quasiperiodic order, highlighting similarities
and differences with the periodic case. Examples are shown for quasiperiodic
infinite and spatially-truncated arrays, with brief discussion of computational
issues and potential applications.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures. To be published in IEEE Trans. Antennas
Propagat., vol. 53, No. 6, June 200
Distributed correlations and information flows within a hybrid multipartite quantum-classical system
Understanding the non-Markovian mechanisms underlying the revivals of quantum
entanglement in the presence of classical environments is central in the theory
of quantum information. Tentative interpretations have been given by either the
role of the environment as a control device or the concept of hidden
entanglement. We address this issue from an information-theoretic point of
view. To this aim, we consider a paradigmatic tripartite system, already
realized in the laboratory, made of two independent qubits and a random
classical field locally interacting with one qubit alone. We study the
dynamical relationship between the two-qubit entanglement and the genuine
tripartite correlations of the overall system, finding that collapse and
revivals of entanglement correspond, respectively, to raise and fall of the
overall tripartite correlations. Interestingly, entanglement dark periods can
enable plateaux of nonzero tripartite correlations. We then explain this
behavior in terms of information flows among the different parties of the
system. Besides showcasing the phenomenon of the freezing of overall
correlations, our results provide new insights on the origin of retrieval of
entanglement within a hybrid quantum-classical system.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. To appear on Phys. Rev.
Perspectives on Beam-Shaping Optimization for Thermal-Noise Reduction in Advanced Gravitational-Wave Interferometric Detectors: Bounds, Profiles, and Critical Parameters
Suitable shaping (in particular, flattening and broadening) of the laser beam
has recently been proposed as an effective device to reduce internal (mirror)
thermal noise in advanced gravitational wave interferometric detectors. Based
on some recently published analytic approximations (valid in the
infinite-test-mass limit) for the Brownian and thermoelastic mirror noises in
the presence of arbitrary-shaped beams, this paper addresses certain
preliminary issues related to the optimal beam-shaping problem. In particular,
with specific reference to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory (LIGO) experiment, absolute and realistic lower-bounds for the
various thermal noise constituents are obtained and compared with the current
status (Gaussian beams) and trends ("mesa" beams), indicating fairly ample
margins for further reduction. In this framework, the effective dimension of
the related optimization problem, and its relationship to the critical design
parameters are identified, physical-feasibility and model-consistency issues
are considered, and possible additional requirements and/or prior information
exploitable to drive the subsequent optimization process are highlighted.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, 2 table
On the Analytic Structure of a Family of Hyperboloidal Beams of Potential Interest for Advanced LIGO
For the baseline design of the advanced Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), use of optical cavities with
non-spherical mirrors supporting flat-top ("mesa") beams, potentially capable
of mitigating the thermal noise of the mirrors, has recently drawn a
considerable attention. To reduce the severe tilt-instability problems
affecting the originally conceived nearly-flat, "Mexican-hat-shaped" mirror
configuration, K. S. Thorne proposed a nearly-concentric mirror configuration
capable of producing the same mesa beam profile on the mirror surfaces.
Subsequently, Bondarescu and Thorne introduced a generalized construction that
leads to a one-parameter family of "hyperboloidal" beams which allows
continuous spanning from the nearly-flat to the nearly-concentric mesa beam
configurations. This paper is concerned with a study of the analytic structure
of the above family of hyperboloidal beams. Capitalizing on certain results
from the applied optics literature on flat-top beams, a physically-insightful
and computationally-effective representation is derived in terms of
rapidly-converging Gauss-Laguerre expansions. Moreover, the functional relation
between two generic hyperboloidal beams is investigated. This leads to a
generalization (involving fractional Fourier transform operators of complex
order) of some recently discovered duality relations between the nearly-flat
and nearly-concentric mesa configurations. Possible implications and
perspectives for the advanced LIGO optical cavity design are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, typos corrected, Eqs. (24) and (26) change
High-Dose Melphalan Plus Thiotepa as Conditioning Regimen before Second Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for “De Novo” Multiple Myeloma Patients: A Phase II Study
AbstractHigh-dose melphalan (MEL) is the standard therapy for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in multiple myeloma (MM), although the optimal conditioning regimen remains yet to be identified. Thiotepa (THIO) appears to be a potentially effective option, with broad-spectrum antitumor efficacy that can be added to myeloablative multiagent regimens for ASCT in hematopoietic tumors. We conducted a phase II trial, adding THIO (275 mg/m2) to high-dose MEL (140 mg/m2) before a second ASCT, in a tandem ASCT strategy, in 64 patients with “de novo” MM. Overall, there was no transplant-related mortality. The incidence of neutropenic fever and mucositis (grades 3 to 4) was 39% and 9%, respectively. Median number of days to neutrophil and platelet engraftment were 11 and 12, respectively. After the second transplantation, the complete response improved to 43.8%. Overall response rate was 86%. After a median follow-up of 18.1 months, 13 patients had progressed and 3 died from MM. Median progression-free survival was not reached, and actuarial 2-year rates of progression-free and overall survival were 71% and 88.9%, respectively. Our results suggest that THIO/MEL is a feasible and safe conditioning regimen for ASCT in MM and should be explored for efficacy in a phase III study
Anderson-Fabry disease: a multiorgan disease.
Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A . FD causes glycolipids, such as globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), to accumulate in the vascular endothelium of several organs (fig.2), including the skin, kidneys, nervous system, and heart, thereby triggering inflammation and fibrosis . These processes generally result in organ dysfunction, which is usually the first clinical evidence of FD. Patients with classic FD have various symptoms, eg, acroparesthesias, hypohidrosis, angiokeratomas, corneal opacities, cerebrovascular lesions, cardiac disorders, andrenal dysfunction.However, evolving knowledge about the natural course of disease suggests that it is more appropriate to describe FD as a disease with a wide spectrum of heterogeneously progressive clinical phenotypes. Indeed, most female heterozygotes develop symptoms due to yet undetermined mechanisms and a high percentage of females develops vital organ involvement including the kidneys, heart and/or brain about a decade later than males . Renal failure is a serious complication of this disease. Fabry nephropathy lesions are present and progress in childhood while the disease commonly remains silent by routine clinical measures. Early and timely diagnosis of Fabry nephropathy is crucial since late initiation of enzyme replacement therapy may not halt progressive renal dysfunction. This may be challenging due to difficulties in diagnosis of Fabry disease in children and absence of a sensitive non-invasive biomarker of early Fabry nephropathy. Accurate measurement of glomerular filtration rate and regular assessment for proteinuria and microalbuminuria are useful, though not sensitive enough to detect early lesions in the kidney. The principal clinical manifestationsin Fabry disease consist of artery associated complications (such as cerebral disease and nephropathy), but the pathophysiology of this specific vasculopathy is unclear. Several studies indicate that the specific vascular lesions that are present in Fabry disease occur as a result of vascular dysfunction with major components being endothelial dysfunction, alterations in cerebral perfusion and a pro-thrombotic phenotype. Fabry cardiac involvement has several clinical manifestations (table 10): concentric left ventricular hypertrophy without left ventricular dilation and severe loss of left ventricular systolic function, mitral and aortic valvulopathy, disorders of the atrioventricular conduction or repolarization, and compromised diastolic function. The neurological manifestations of Fabry disease include both peripheral nervous system and CNS involvement, with globotriaosylceramide accumulation found in Schwann cells and dorsal root ganglia together with deposits in CNS neurones. The main involvement of the CNS is attributable to cerebrovasculopathy, with an increased incidence of stroke. The abnormal neuronal accumulation of glycosphingolipid appears to have little clinical effect on the natural history of Fabry disease, with the possible exception of some reported mild cognitive abnormalities. The pathogenesis of Fabry vasculopathy remains poorly understood, but probably relates, in part, to abnormal functional control of the vessels, secondary to endothelial dysfunction as a consequence of α-galactosidase A deficiency. The diagnosis of Fabry disease is made in hemizygous males after the detection of the presence of angiokeratomas (fig 19 A, B), irregularities in sweating, edema, scant body hair, painful sensations, and of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, renal, ophthalmologic, phlebologic, and respiratory involvement. A deficiency of alpha-gal A in serum, leukocytes, tears, tissue specimens, or cultured skin fibroblasts further supports the diagnosis in male patients. Since heterozygous women show angiokeratomas in only about 30% of cases and may have alpha-gal A levels within normal range, genetic analysis is recommended. The resultant storage of undegraded glycolipids leads to the progressive development of potentially life-threatening manifestations affecting multiple organ systems in the body. The Mainz Severity Score Index (MSSI) (table 12), a scoring system for patients with Fabry disease has been proven to be representative in patients with 'classic' Fabry disease and may be useful for monitoring clinical improvement in patients receiving enzyme replacement therapy. The MSSI of patients with AFD was significantly higher than that of patients with other severe debilitating diseases
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