329 research outputs found
Fixed-point adiabatic quantum search
Fixed-point quantum search algorithms succeed at finding one of M target items among N total items even when the run time of the algorithm is longer than necessary. While the famous Grover's algorithm can search quadratically faster than a classical computer, it lacks the fixed-point property—the fraction of target items must be known precisely to know when to terminate the algorithm. Recently, Yoder, Low, and Chuang [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 210501 (2014)] gave an optimal gate-model search algorithm with the fixed-point property. Previously, it had been discovered by Roland and Cerf [Phys. Rev. A 65, 042308 (2002)] that an adiabatic quantum algorithm, operating by continuously varying a Hamiltonian, can reproduce the quadratic speedup of gate-model Grover search. We ask, can an adiabatic algorithm also reproduce the fixed-point property? We show that the answer depends on what interpolation schedule is used, so as in the gate model, there are both fixed-point and non-fixed-point versions of adiabatic search, only some of which attain the quadratic quantum speedup. Guided by geometric intuition on the Bloch sphere, we rigorously justify our claims with an explicit upper bound on the error in the adiabatic approximation. We also show that the fixed-point adiabatic search algorithm can be simulated in the gate model with neither loss of the quadratic Grover speedup nor of the fixed-point property. Finally, we discuss natural uses of fixed-point algorithms such as preparation of a relatively prime state and oblivious amplitude amplification.American Society for Engineering Education. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate FellowshipMIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms MIT International Science and Technology InitiativeNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (RQCC Project 1111337)Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (Paul E. Gray Endowed Fund
The Cost of Dispersal: Predation as a Function of Movement and Site Familiarity in Ruffed Grouse
Ecologists often assume that dispersing individuals experience increased predation risk owing to increased
exposure to predators while moving. To test the hypothesis that predation risk is a function of movement distance or
rate of movement, we used radio-telemetry data collected from 193 ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) during 1996–1999 in southeastern Ohio. Cox’s proportional hazards model was used to examine whether the risk of predation
was affected by the rate of movement and site familiarity. We found evidence indicating that increased movement
rates may increase the risk of predation for adult birds but not juveniles. We also found juvenile and adult birds
inhabiting unfamiliar space were consistently at a much higher risk of predation (three to 7.5 times greater) than
those in familiar space. Our results indicate that although movement itself may have some effect on the risk of being
preyed upon, moving through unfamiliar space has a much greater effect on risk for ruffed grouse. This supports the
hypothesis that increased predation risk may be an important cost of dispersal for birds.This work was funded by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife and supported by the Department of Evolution,
Ecology, and Organismal Biology and the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory at the Ohio State University
A modern coastal ocean observing system using data from advanced satellite and in situ sensors – an example
Report of the Ocean Observation Research Coordination Network In-situ-Satellite Observation Working GroupThis report is intended to illustrate and provide recommendations for how ocean observing
systems of the next decade could focus on coastal environments using combined
satellite and in situ measurements. Until recently, space-based observations have had surface
footprints typically spanning hundreds of meters to kilometers. These provide excellent synoptic
views for a wide variety of ocean characteristics. In situ observations are instead generally point
or linear measurements. The interrelation between space-based and in-situ observations can be
challenging. Both are necessary and as sensors and platforms evolve during the next decade, the
trend to facilitate interfacing space and in-situ observations must continue and be expanded. In
this report, we use coastal observation and analyses to illustrate an observing system concept that
combines in situ and satellite observing technologies with numerical models to quantify subseasonal
time scale transport of freshwater and its constituents from terrestrial water storage
bodies across and along continental shelves, as well as the impacts on some key
biological/biogeochemical properties of coastal waters.Ocean Research Coordination Network and the National Science Foundatio
Pertussis Seroepidemiology in Women and Their Infants in Sarlahi District, Nepal.
Background Infants are at greatest risk for pertussis morbidity and mortality. Maternal vaccination during pregnancy has been shown to prevent pertussis in young infants in high- and middle-income countries. However, data on the levels of maternal pertussis antibodies and the efficiency of transplacental transfer in low-income South Asian settings are limited. Objective To estimate the prevalence of maternal pertussis antibodies and the efficiency of transplacental transfer in rural southern Nepal. Design/methods Paired maternal-infant blood samples were collected from a subsample of participants in a randomized, controlled trial of maternal influenza immunization (n = 291 pairs). Sera were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and fimbriae. Maternal and infant pertussis antibody levels and transplacental transfer efficiency were determined and potential factors associated with both were assessed. Results Elevated maternal antibodies to pertussis toxin, suggesting recent pertussis infection, were rarely detected (4%, tested n = 305). However, paired maternal-cord sera were highly correlated across all antibodies; transplacental antibody transfer ratios for pertussis toxin were 1.14 (n = 291, 95% CI 1.07–1.20); filamentous hemagglutinin 1.10 (n = 120, 95% CI: 1.01–1.20); fimbriae 2/3 1.05 (n = 120, 95% CI: 0.96–1.15) and pertactin 0.96 (n = 289, 95% CI: 0.91–1.00). Older gestational age was associated with increased pertussis toxin and decreased fimbriae 2/3 antibody transport. Conclusions A low prevalence of maternal antibody to all four pertussis antigens was noted in Nepal, but transplacental antibody transfer was efficient. No consistent demographic factors were associated with elevated maternal antibody levels or efficiency of transplacental transfer. If an increase in infant pertussis disease burden was detected in this population, maternal immunization could be an effective intervention to prevent disease in early infancy
Monetary discounting and ventral striatal dopamine receptor availability in nontreatment-seeking alcoholics and social drinkers
RATIONALE: Dopamine (DA) in the ventral striatum (VST) has long been implicated in addiction pathologies, yet its role in temporal decision-making is not well-understood.
OBJECTIVES: To determine if VST DA D2 receptor availability corresponds with greater impulsive choice in both nontreatment-seeking alcoholics (NTS) and social drinkers (SD).
METHODS: NTS subjects (n = 10) and SD (n = 13) received PET scans at baseline with the D2/D3 radioligand [(11)C]raclopride (RAC). Outside the scanner, subjects performed a delay discounting procedure with monetary rewards. RAC binding potential (BPND) was estimated voxelwise, and correlations were performed to test for relationships between VST BPND and delay discounting performance. Self-reported impulsivity was also tested for correlations with BPND.
RESULTS: Across all subjects, greater impulsive choice for $20 correlated with lower BPND in the right VST. NTS showed greater impulsive choice than SD and were more impulsive by self-report. Across all subjects, the capacity of larger rewards to reduce impulsive choice (the magnitude effect) correlated negatively (p = 0.028) with problematic alcohol use (AUDIT) scores. Self-reported impulsivity did not correlate with BPND in VST.
CONCLUSIONS: Preference for immediate reinforcement may reflect greater endogenous striatal DA or lower D2 number, or both. Alcoholic status did not mediate significant effects on VST BPND, suggesting minimal effects from alcohol exposure. The apparent lack of BPND correlation with self-reported impulsivity highlights the need for objective behavioral assays in the study of the neurochemical substrates of behavior. Finally, our results suggest that the magnitude effect may be more sensitive to alcohol-induced problems than single discounting measures
Normal table of Xenopus development: a new graphical resource
© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Zahn, N., James-Zorn, C., Ponferrada, V. G., Adams, D. S., Grzymkowski, J., Buchholz, D. R., Nascone-Yoder, N. M., Horb, M., Moody, S. A., Vize, P. D., & Zorn, A. M. Normal table of Xenopus development: a new graphical resource. Development, 149(14), (2022): dev200356, https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.200356.Normal tables of development are essential for studies of embryogenesis, serving as an important resource for model organisms, including the frog Xenopus laevis. Xenopus has long been used to study developmental and cell biology, and is an increasingly important model for human birth defects and disease, genomics, proteomics and toxicology. Scientists utilize Nieuwkoop and Faber's classic ‘Normal Table of Xenopus laevis (Daudin)’ and accompanying illustrations to enable experimental reproducibility and reuse the illustrations in new publications and teaching. However, it is no longer possible to obtain permission for these copyrighted illustrations. We present 133 new, high-quality illustrations of X. laevis development from fertilization to metamorphosis, with additional views that were not available in the original collection. All the images are available on Xenbase, the Xenopus knowledgebase (http://www.xenbase.org/entry/zahn.do), for download and reuse under an attributable, non-commercial creative commons license. Additionally, we have compiled a ‘Landmarks Table’ of key morphological features and marker gene expression that can be used to distinguish stages quickly and reliably (https://www.xenbase.org/entry/landmarks-table.do). This new open-access resource will facilitate Xenopus research and teaching in the decades to come.This work was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [P41 HD064556 to A.M.Z. and P.D.V. (Xenbase)] and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [P40-OD010997 and R24-OD030008 to M.H. (National Xenopus Resource)]. Open Access funding provided by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Deposited in PMC for immediate release
Differences in IV alcohol-induced dopamine release in the ventral striatum of social drinkers and nontreatment-seeking alcoholics
Background
Striatal dopamine (DA) has been implicated in alcohol use disorders, but it is still unclear whether or not alcohol can induce dopamine release in social drinkers. Furthermore, no data exist on dopamine responses to alcohol in dependent drinkers. We sought to characterize the DA responses to alcohol intoxication in moderately large samples of social drinkers (SD) and nontreatment-seeking alcoholics (NTS).
Methods
Twenty-four SD and twenty-one NTS received two [11C]raclopride (RAC) PET scans; one at rest, and one during an intravenous alcohol infusion, with a prescribed ascent to a target breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), at which it was then “clamped.” The alcohol clamp was started 5 min after scan start, with a linear increase in BrAC over 15 min to the target of 80 mg%, the legal threshold for intoxication. Target BrAC was maintained for 30 min. Voxel-wise binding potential (BPND) was estimated with MRTM2.
Results
IV EtOH induced significant increases in DA in the right ventral striatum in NTS, but not SD. No decreases in DA were observed in either group.
Conclusions
Alcohol intoxication results in distinct anatomic profiles of DA responses in SD and NTS, suggesting that in NTS, the striatal DA system may process effects of alcohol intoxication differently than in SD
Advancing Tests of Relativistic Gravity via Laser Ranging to Phobos
Phobos Laser Ranging (PLR) is a concept for a space mission designed to
advance tests of relativistic gravity in the solar system. PLR's primary
objective is to measure the curvature of space around the Sun, represented by
the Eddington parameter , with an accuracy of two parts in ,
thereby improving today's best result by two orders of magnitude. Other mission
goals include measurements of the time-rate-of-change of the gravitational
constant, and of the gravitational inverse square law at 1.5 AU
distances--with up to two orders-of-magnitude improvement for each. The science
parameters will be estimated using laser ranging measurements of the distance
between an Earth station and an active laser transponder on Phobos capable of
reaching mm-level range resolution. A transponder on Phobos sending 0.25 mJ, 10
ps pulses at 1 kHz, and receiving asynchronous 1 kHz pulses from earth via a 12
cm aperture will permit links that even at maximum range will exceed a photon
per second. A total measurement precision of 50 ps demands a few hundred
photons to average to 1 mm (3.3 ps) range precision. Existing satellite laser
ranging (SLR) facilities--with appropriate augmentation--may be able to
participate in PLR. Since Phobos' orbital period is about 8 hours, each
observatory is guaranteed visibility of the Phobos instrument every Earth day.
Given the current technology readiness level, PLR could be started in 2011 for
launch in 2016 for 3 years of science operations. We discuss the PLR's science
objectives, instrument, and mission design. We also present the details of
science simulations performed to support the mission's primary objectives.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures, 9 table
Coastal Ocean Processes : a science prospectus
CoOP (Coastal Ocean Processes) is an organization meant to study major interdisciplinary scientific
problems in the coastal ocean. Its goal is "to obtain a new level of quantitative understanding of the processes
that dominate the transformations, transport and fates of biologically, chemically and geologically important matter on the continental margin". Central to obtaining this understanding will be advances in observing and
modeling the cross-shelf component of transport. More specific objectives are to understand 1) cross-margin
exchanges, 2) air sea exchanges, 3) benthic-pelagic exchanges, 4) terrestrial inputs and 5) biological and
chemical transformations within the water column. CoOP research will be carried out primarly through a
series of process-oriented field studies, each involving about two years of measurements. Each of these field
studies is to be initiated and defined through a community workshop. In addition to the process studies, CoOP
will also involve modeling, long time series, exploratory studies, remote sensing, technological innovation, data
archiving and communications. A CoOP pilot study has been approved for funding by the National Science
Foundation, and funding will begin in 1992. The CoOP science effort is thus already underway.Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under
Grant No. OCE-9108993
The Effect of Various Restorative Materials on the Microhardness of Reparative Dentin
This study showed a statistically significant difference between the microhardness of reparative and primary dentin at both five- and eight-week intervals. Reparative dentin from occlusal trauma is harder than reparative dentin underlying a cavity preparation at the 99% level. No statistical difference was noted in the hardness of reparative dentin underlying different materials, but trends were observed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66484/2/10.1177_00220345800590020101.pd
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