Continuous input nonlocal games

We present a family of nonlocal games in which the inputs the players receive are continuous. We study three representative members of the family. For the first two a team sharing quantum correlations (entanglement) has an advantage over any team restricted to classical correlations. We conjecture that this is true for the third member of the family as well.     

Kinetics of interaction of HIV fusion protein (gp41) with lipid membranes studied by real-time AFM imaging

One of the most important steps in the process of viral infection is a fusion between cell membrane and virus, which is mediated by the viral envelope glycoprotein. The study of activity of the glycoprotein in the post-fusion state is important for understanding the progression of infection. Here we present a first real-time kinetic study of the activity of gp41 (the viral envelope glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus—HIV) and its two mutants in the post-fusion state with nanometer resolution by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Tracking the changes in the phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylcholine–phosphatidylserine (PC:PS) membrane integrity over one hour by a set of AFM images revealed differences in the interaction of the three types of protein with zwitterionic and negatively charged membranes. A quantitative analysis of the slow kinetics of hole formation in the negatively charged lipid bilayer is presented. Specifically, analysis of the rate of roughness change for the three types of proteins suggests that they exhibit different types of kinetic behavior.     

Anomalous weak values via a single photon detection

Is it possible that a measurement of a spin component of a spin-1/2 particle yields the value 100? In 1988 Aharonov, Albert and Vaidman argued that upon pre-and...     

NSOM the fourth dimension: Integrating nanometric spatial and femtosecond time resolution

Photonic devices are becoming the cornerstone of next generation systems for computing and information processing. This paper reports on the first steps in the development of methods to understand these devices with nanometric (10^?7 cm) spatial and femtosecond (10^?15 s) time resolution. The basis of this achievement is the dramatic developments that have occurred in the past few years in a new area of optics called near-field optics. Near-field optics is a form of lensless optics with a resolution that is subwavelength and which is independent of the wavelength of the light being employed. We report in this paper the transmission of pulses with tens of femtosecond duration through subwavelength, near-field optical elements. We also report on a femtosecond near-field optical light source with cross-correlating capabilities and on the growth of GaAs in the tip of micropipettes for use as an ultra-fast electro-optical switch which can cross-correlate optical, electrical, and electro-optical effects. These developments are especially relevant in the investigation of photonic devices since such devices can alter their characteristics as a function of size in the mesoscopic regime from just below lens-based optical resolutions to dimensions that approach atomic scales of ～1 nm (10^?7 cm). In view of the fact that these devices and the processes that govern them also exhibit ultrafast speeds, the combination of state of the art femtosecond laser spectroscopy with the unique features of near-field optics is a critical step in advancing our next generation understandings of such materials and structures so that their full potential in information processing can be achieved.     

Preparation of Photodegradable Oligomers Containing Metal–Metal Bonds Using ADMET

ADMET was evaluated as a method for preparing organometallic polymers with metal–metal bonds in the main chain. The Cp₂Mo₂CO₄(Ph₂P(CH₂)₆CH=CH₂)₂ complex was synthesized, and the X-ray crystal structure is reported. The molecule did not undergo ADMET polymerization with Grubbs’ or Schrock’s catalysts. In a control experiment to test if the Ph₂P(CH₂)₆CH=CH₂ ligand was interfering with the ADMET reaction, the phosphine was reacted with Grubbs’ 2nd generation catalyst. The dimerized metathesis product Ph₂P(CH₂)₆CH=CH(CH₂)₆PPh₂ was obtained with no observed degradation or deactivation of the catalyst. To test the inherent ADMET reactivity of the Ph₂P(CH₂)₆CH=CH₂ ligand when it is bonded to a metal center, the mononuclear cis-Mo(CO)₄(Ph₂P(CH₂)₆CH=CH₂)₂ complex was synthesized and polymerized using Grubbs’ 2nd generation catalyst. These control experiments suggest that the inability of Cp₂Mo₂CO₄(Ph₂P(CH₂)₆CH=CH₂)₂ to polymerize is not due to electronic effects pertaining to the C=C unit of the Ph₂P(CH₂)₆CH=CH₂ ligand. Accordingly, steric effects are implicated in the inability of the Cp₂Mo₂CO₄(Ph₂P(CH₂)₆CH=CH₂)₂ to polymerize by ADMET.     

Size bounds for superconcentrators

We prove that any N-superconcentrator of indegree two has at least 4N - o(N) nodes. From this lower bounds of 4N - o(N) follow on the number of additions required to compute the Discrete Fourier Transform of prime order and cyclic convolution. Using small examples we illustrate how small superconcentrators can suggest fast algorithms for instances of these problems.For superconcentrators with no degree restrictions we prove a lower bound of 5N - o(N) edges. Also, we give a recursive construction with 3Nlog₂N edges that improves on the best bounds previously known for values of N up to several thousand.     

A new heuristic method redundancy optimization in a consecutive-k-out-of-n:F system by fuzzy probability

In this paper it is presented heuristic method and its modification for solution of the redundancy optimization problem by fuzzy failure probabilities. This method is considered for consecutive-k-out-of-n:F system due to simplified expression for reliability importance of components. Method is based on the fuzzification and on the fuzziness importance of failure probabilities.