Joint Measurements on Qubits and Cloning of Observables

Cloning of observables, unlike standard cloning of states, aims at copying the information encoded in the statistics of a class of observables rather then on quantum states themselves. In such a process the emphasis is on the quantum operation (evolution plus measurement) necessary to retrieve the original information. We analyze, for qubit systems, the cloning of a class generated by two noncommuting observables, elucidating the relationship between such a process and joint measurements. This helps in establishing an optimality criterion for cloning of observables. We see that, even if the cloning machine is designed to act on the whole class generated by two noncommuting observables, the same optimal performances of a joint measurement can be attained. Finally, the connection with state dependent cloning is enlightened.     

Premixed metal fibre burners based on a Pd catalyst

As an alternative to previously developed catalytic FeCrAlloy fibre mat burners based on perovskite catalysts, new catalytic burners have been developed based on Pd catalyst on lantana-stabilised Al₂O₃ and different fibre structures (NIT100A, NIT100S and NIT200S by ACOTECH NV). All development steps are considered, shifting from catalyst preparation (based on combustion synthesis of γ-Al₂O₃) to the optimisation of lantana and Pd loadings, from the definitions of the best catalyst-deposition conditions (washcoating) to the catalytic burners performances, determined in an ad hoc developed combustion chamber. The results show almost half pollutants emissions and better performance compared to various non-catalytic counterparts, especially as far as CO and NO_x emissions are concerned. Some flame instability problems were though registered, especially for one of the catalytic burner mattresses employed, at low specific power inputs and excesses of air (<375 kW/m² and <12%, respectively). Further, PdO/Pd transition is shown to influence the dynamic behaviour of the catalytic burners.     

Structural Changes in EPDM Subjected to Ageing in High Voltage Transmission Lines

This work presents a study of the structural changes in aged EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene monomer) from outdoor high voltage transmission lines. Samples were taken from failed and non-failed insulators after up to ten years in service on a 33 kV line. Infrared absorption, hydrophobicity index, dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) and dielectric relaxation (DR) were employed as experimental techniques. The same experimental techniques were also applied to new samples of EPDM that were subjected to high electric fields (up to 14 kV/mm) for several hours. Results from DMA and DR techniques are in good agreement and, together with previous results from neutron irradiation techniques, suggest that the experimental data obtained from outdoor-aged and laboratory tested samples may be explained by a decrease in the degree of crystallinity due to the interaction between electrical and mechanical effects in the dielectric. The proposed model is based on the disentanglement of the crystallites by forces originated in the interaction of the electric field with the polar groups located in the amorphous phase of the polymer matrix. An alternative explanation, based on a relaxation process appearing at the interfaces between the filler (ATH) and the polymer matrix conflicts with several experimental results presented in this work.     

Effects of temperature, ammonium and glucose concentrations on yeast growth in a model wine system

In enology, alcoholic fermentation is a complex process involving several mechanisms. Slow and incomplete alcoholic fermentation is a chronic problem for the wine industry and factors leading to sluggish and stuck fermentations have been extensively studied and reviewed. The most studied cause of sluggish and stuck fermentation is the nitrogen content limitation. Nevertheless, other factors, such as temperature of fermentation and sugar concentration can affect the growth of yeasts. In this study we modelled the yeast growth‐cycle in wine model system as a function of temperature, sugar and ammonium concentrations; the individual effects and the interaction of these factors were analysed by means of a quadratic response surface methodology. Cell concentrations and weight loss were monitored in the whole wine fermentation process. The results of central composite design show that lower is the availability of nitrogen, higher is the cell growth rate; moreover, initial nitrogen concentration also influences survival time of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.     

Hull-form stochastic optimization via computational-cost reduction methods

In this paper, analytical functions for the estimation of the temperature-dependent behaviors of poorly and highly dispersed graphene oxide reinforced nanocomposite (GORNC) materials are studied in the framework of a machine learning-based approach. The validity of the presented models is shown comparing the results achieved from this modeling with those reported in the open literature. Also, the application of the obtained functions in solving the thermal buckling problem of beams constructed from such nanocomposites is demonstrated based on an energy-based method incorporated with a shear deformable beam hypothesis. The verification of the results indicates that the presented mechanical model can approximate the buckling behaviors of nanocomposite beams with remarkable precision. It can be realized from the results that the temperature plays an indispensable role in the determination of the buckling load which can be endured by the nanocomposite structure.

     

DYRE: a DYnamic REconfigurable solution to increase GPGPU’s reliability

The Journal of Supercomputing - General-purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs) are extensively used in high-performance computing. However, it is well known that these devices’...     

Decision making with a fuzzy ontology

Knowledge mobilisation is a transition from the prevailing knowledge management technology that has been widely used in industry for the last 20?years to a new methodology and some innovative methods for knowledge representation, formation and development and for knowledge retrieval and distribution. Knowledge mobilisation aims at coming to terms with some of the problems of knowledge management and at the same time to introduce new theory, new methods and new technology. More precisely, this paper presents an outline of a fuzzy ontology as an enhanced version of classical ontology and demonstrates some advantages for practical decision making. We show that a number of soft computing techniques, e.g. aggregation functions and interval valued fuzzy numbers, will support effective and practical decision making on the basis of the fuzzy ontology. We demonstrate the knowledge mobilisation methods with the construction of a support system for finding the best available wine for a number of wine drinking occasions using a fuzzy wine ontology and fuzzy reasoning methods; the support system has been implemented for a Nokia N900 smart phone.     

Synthesis and Evaluation of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blocking Pyrroline Derivatives Endowed with Both Antiarrhythmic and Antioxidant Activities

Under the hypothesis that cardioprotective agents might benefit from synergism between antiarrhythmic activity and antioxidant properties, a small series of mexiletine analogues were coupled with the 2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline moiety, known for its antioxidant effect, in order to obtain dual-acting drugs potentially useful in the protection of the heart against post-ischemic reperfusion injury. The pyrroline derivatives reported herein were found to be more potent as antiarrhythmic agents than mexiletine and displayed antioxidant activity. The most interesting tetramethylpyrroline congener, a tert-butyl-substituted analogue, was at least 100 times more active as an antiarrhythmic than mexiletine.     

Evidence for a Negative Correlation between Human Reactive Enamine-Imine Intermediate Deaminase A (RIDA) Activity and Cell Proliferation Rate: Role of Lysine Succinylation of RIDA

Reactive intermediate deaminase (Rid) proteins are enzymes conserved in all domains of life. UK114, a mammalian member of RidA subfamily, has been firstly identified as a component of liver perchloric acid-soluble proteins (L-PSP). Although still poorly defined, several functions have been attributed to the mammalian protein UK114/RIDA, including the reactive intermediate deamination activity. The expression of UK114/RIDA has been observed in some tumors, arousing interest in this protein as an evaluable tumor marker. However, other studies reported a negative correlation between UK114/RIDA expression, tumor differentiation degree and cell proliferation. This work addressed the question of UK114/RIDA expression in human non-tumor HEK293 cell lines and in some human tumor cell lines. Here we reported that human RIDA (hRIDA) was expressed in all the analyzed cell line and subjected to lysine (K-)succinylation. In HEK293, hRIDA K-succinylation was negatively correlated to the cell proliferation rate and was under the control of SIRT5. Moreover, K-succinylation clearly altered hRIDA quantification by immunoblotting, explaining, at least in part, some discrepancies about RIDA expression reported in previous studies. We found that hRIDA was able to deaminate reactive enamine-imine intermediates and that K-succinylation drastically reduced deaminase activity. As predicted by in silico analysis, the observed reduction of deaminase activity has been related to the drastic alterations of hRIDA structure inferred by K-succinylation. The role of hRIDA and the importance of its K-succinylation in cell metabolism, especially in cancer biology, have been discussed.     

High-Fat Diet Leads to Reduced Protein O-GlcNAcylation and Mitochondrial Defects Promoting the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease Signatures

The disturbance of protein O-GlcNAcylation is emerging as a possible link between altered brain metabolism and the progression of neurodegeneration. As observed in brains with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), flaws of the cerebral glucose uptake translate into reduced protein O-GlcNAcylation, which promote the formation of pathological hallmarks. A high-fat diet (HFD) is known to foster metabolic dysregulation and insulin resistance in the brain and such effects have been associated with the reduction of cognitive performances. Remarkably, a significant role in HFD-related cognitive decline might be played by aberrant protein O-GlcNAcylation by triggering the development of AD signature and mitochondrial impairment. Our data support the impairment of total protein O-GlcNAcylation profile both in the brain of mice subjected to a 6-week high-fat-diet (HFD) and in our in vitro transposition on SH-SY5Y cells. The reduction of protein O-GlcNAcylation was associated with the development of insulin resistance, induced by overfeeding (i.e., defective insulin signaling and reduced mitochondrial activity), which promoted the dysregulation of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) flux, through the AMPK-driven reduction of GFAT1 activation. Further, we observed that a HFD induced the selective impairment of O-GlcNAcylated-tau and of O-GlcNAcylated-Complex I subunit NDUFB8, thus resulting in tau toxicity and reduced respiratory chain functionality respectively, highlighting the involvement of this posttranslational modification in the neurodegenerative process.