pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Analysis of a rate-adaptive reconciliation protocol and the effect of leakage on the secret key rate

Quantum key distribution performs the trick of growing a secret key in two distant places connected by a quantum channel. The main reason is so that the legitimate users can bound the information gathered by the eavesdropper. In practical systems, whether because of finite resources or external conditions, the quantum channel is subject to fluctuations. A rate-adaptive information reconciliation protocol, which adapts to the changes in the communication channel, is then required to minimize the leakage of information in the classical postprocessing. We consider here the leakage of a rate-adaptive information reconciliation protocol. The length of the exchanged\ud
messages is larger than that of an optimal protocol; however, we prove that the min-entropy reduction is limited.\ud
The simulation results, both in the asymptotic and in the finite-length regime, show that this protocol allows to\ud
increase the amount of a distillable secret key
Probabilistic meta-analysis of risk from the exposure to Hg in artisanal gold mining communities in Colombia

Colombia is one of the largest per capita mercury polluters in the world as a consequence of its artisanal gold mining activities. The severity of this problem in terms of potential health effects was evaluated by means of a probabilistic risk assessment carried out in the twelve departments (or provinces) in Colombia with the largest gold production. The two exposure pathways included in the risk assessment were inhalation of elemental Hg vapors and ingestion of fish contaminated with methyl mercury. Exposure parameters for the adult population (especially rates of fish consumption) were obtained from nation-wide surveys and concentrations of Hg in air and of methyl-mercury in fish were gathered from previous scientific studies. Fish consumption varied between departments and ranged from 0 to 0.3 kg d?1. Average concentrations of total mercury in fish (70 data) ranged from 0.026 to 3.3 lg g?1. A total of 550 individual measurements of Hg in workshop air (ranging from menor queDL to 1 mg m?3) and 261 measurements of Hg in outdoor air (ranging from menor queDL to 0.652 mg m?3) were used to generate the probability distributions used as concentration terms in the calculation of risk. All but two of the distributions of Hazard Quotients (HQ) associated with ingestion of Hg-contaminated fish for the twelve regions evaluated presented median values higher than the threshold value of 1 and the 95th percentiles ranged from 4 to 90. In the case of exposure to Hg vapors, minimum values of HQ for the general population exceeded 1 in all the towns included in this study, and the HQs for miner-smelters burning the amalgam is two orders of magnitude higher, reaching values of 200 for the 95th percentile. Even acknowledging the conservative assumptions included in the risk assessment and the uncertainties associated with it, its results clearly reveal the exorbitant levels of risk endured not only by miner-smelters but also by the general population of artisanal gold mining communities in Colombia
Vetoed jet clustering: the mass-jump algorithm

A new class of jet clustering algorithms is introduced. A criterion inspired by successful mass-drop taggers is applied that prevents the recombination of two hard prongs if their combined jet mass is substantially larger than the masses of the separate prongs. This “mass jump” veto effectively results in jets with variable radii in dense environments. Differences to existing methods are investigated. It is shown for boosted top quarks that the new algorithm has beneficial properties which can lead to improved tagging purity
Gauged R-symmetry and its anomalies in 4D N=1 supergravity and phenomenological implications

We consider a class of models with gauged U(1) R symmetry in 4D N=1 super-gravity that have, at the classical level, a metastable ground state, an infinitesimally small (tunable) positive cosmological constant and a TeV gravitino mass. We analyse if these properties are maintained under the addition of visible sector (MSSM-like) and hidden sector state(s), where the latter may be needed for quantum consistency. We then discuss the anomaly cancellation conditions in supergravity as derived by Freedman, Elvang and Körs and apply their results to the special case of a U(1) R symmetry, in the presence of the Fayet-Iliopoulos term ( ξ ) and Green-Schwarz mechanism(s). We investigate the relation of these anomaly cancellation conditions to the “naive” field theory approach in global SUSY, in which case U(1) R cannot even be gauged. We show the two approaches give similar conditions. Their induced constraints at the phenomenological level, on the above models, remain strong even if one lifted the GUT-like conditions for the MSSM gauge couplings. In an anomaly-free model, a tunable, TeV-scale gravitino mass may remain possible provided that the U(1) R charges of additional hidden sector fermions (constrained by the cubic anomaly alone) do not conflict with the related values of U(1) R charges of their scalar superpartners, constrained by existence of a stable ground state. This issue may be bypassed by tuning instead the coefficients of the Kahler connection anomalies ( b K , b CK )
Critical Sp( N ) models in 6 − ϵ dimensions and higher spin dS/CFT

Theories of anti-commuting scalar fields are non-unitary, but they are of interest both in statistical mechanics and in studies of the higher spin de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory correspondence. We consider an Sp( N ) invariant theory of N anti-commuting scalars and one commuting scalar, which has cubic interactions and is renormalizable in 6 dimensions. For any even N we find an IR stable fixed point in 6 − ϵ dimensions at imaginary values of coupling constants. Using calculations up to three loop order, we develop ϵ expansions for several operator dimensions and for the sphere free energy F . The conjectured F -theorem is obeyed in spite of the non-unitarity of the theory. The 1 /N expansion in the Sp( N ) theory is related to that in the corresponding O( N ) symmetric theory by the change of sign of N . Our results point to the existence of interacting non-unitary 5-dimensional CFTs with Sp( N ) symmetry, where operator dimensions are real. We conjecture that these CFTs are dual to the minimal higher spin theory in 6-dimensional de Sitter space with Neumann future boundary conditions on the scalar field. For N = 2 we show that the IR fixed point possesses an enhanced global symmetry given by the super-group OSp(1|2). This suggests the existence of OSp(1|2) symmetric CFTs in dimensions smaller than 6. We show that the 6 − ϵ expansions of the scaling dimensions and sphere free energy in our OSp(1|2) model are the same as in the q → 0 limit of the q -state Potts model
Role of the boundary conditions in the Wigner-Seitz approximation
  applied to the neutron star inner crust

The influence of the boundary conditions used in the Wigner-Seitz (WS)
approximation applied to the neutron star inner crust is examined. The
generalized energy functional method which includes the neutron and proton
pairing correlations is used. Predictions of two versions of the boundary
conditions are compared with each other. The uncertainties in the equilibrium
configuration (Z,R_c) of the crust, where Z is the proton charge and R_c, the
radius of the WS cell, correspond to variation of Z by 2 - 6 units and of R_c,
by 1 - 2 fm. The effect of the boundary conditions is enhanced at increasing
density. These uncertainties are smaller than the variation of Z and R_c coming
from the pairing effects.
 In the case of high densities, k_F greater than 1 1/fm, the most important
uncertainty occurs in the value of the neutron gap. In the WS approximation, it
originates from the shell effect in the neutron single-particle spectrum which
is rather pronounced in the case of larger k_F and, correspondingly, small R_c
values, but it becomes negligible at lower density near the drip point. An
approximate recipe to avoid this uncertainty is suggested
Where words fail, visuals ignite. Opportunities for Visual Autoethnography in Tourism Research

This paper presents visual autoethnography as a method for exploring the embodied performances of tourists' experiences. As a fusion of visual elicitation and autoethnographic encounter, visual autoethnography mobilises spaces of understanding; transcending limitations of verbal discourse and opening spaces for mutual appreciation and reflection. The paper proposes, through visual autoethnography, researcher and respondents connect through intersubjective negotiation; unpacking intricate performances and mobilising knowledge exchange through a will to knowledge. Visual autoethnography ignites embodied connections and understanding as visuals become the bridge that connects researcher and respondent experiences within the interview. The paper argues visual autoethnography facilitates the "sharing of speech" and generates "sounds of silence" that facilitate an enriched research space within which previously 'hidden' embodied knowledges are shared
Numerical and analytical study of an atherosclerosis inflammatory disease model

We study a reaction–diffusion mathematical model for the evolution of atherosclerosis as an inflammation process by combining analytical tools with computer-intensive numerical calculations. The computational work involved the calculation of more than sixty thousand solutions of the full reaction–diffusion system and lead to the complete characterisation of the ωω-limit for every initial condition. Qualitative properties of the solution are rigorously proved, some of them hinted at by the numerical stud
Frozen light in photonic crystals with degenerate band edge

Consider a plane monochromatic wave incident on a semi-infinite periodic structure. What happens if the normal component of the transmitted wave group velocity vanishes? At first sight, zero normal component of the transmitted wave group velocity simply implies total reflection of the incident wave. But we demonstrate that total reflection is not the only possible outcome. Instead, the transmitted wave can appear in the form of a frozen mode with very large diverging amplitude and either zero, or purely tangential energy flux. The field amplitude in the transmitted wave can exceed that of the incident wave by several orders of magnitude. There are two qualitatively different kinds of frozen mode regime. The first one is associated with a stationary inflection point of electromagnetic dispersion relation. This phenomenon has been analyzed in our previous publications. Now, our focus is on the frozen mode regime related to a degenerate photonic band edge. An advantage of this new phenomenon is that it can occur in much simpler periodic structures. This spectacular effect is extremely sensitive to the frequency and direction of propagation of the incident plane wave. These features can be very attractive in a variety practical applications, such as higher harmonic generation and wave mixing, light amplification and lasing, highly efficient superprizms, etc
A new high-background-rejection dark matter Ge cryogenic detector

submitted to Physical Review LettersA new design of a cryogenic germanium detector for dark matter search is presented, taking advantage of the coplanar grid technique of event localisation for improved background discrimination. Experiments performed with prototype devices in the EDELWEISS II setup at the Modane underground facility demonstrate the remarkably high efficiency of these devices for the rejection of low-energy $\beta$, approaching 10$^5$ . This opens the road to investigate the range beyond 10$^{-8}$ pb in the WIMP-nucleon collision cross-sections, as proposed in the EURECA project of a one-ton cryogenic detector mass
Optical and radio observations of a sample of 52 powerful ultra-steep spectrum radio sources

We present the results of radio (VLA) and optical (ESO/La Silla) imaging of a sample of 52 radio sources having an ultra-steep radio spectrum with $\alpha$ mostly steeper than -1.1 at decimetre wavelengths (median $\alpha=-1.22$). Radio-optical overlays are presented to an astrometric accuracy of ~$1\arcsec$. For 41 of the sources, radio spectral indices are newly determined using unpublished observations made with the 100-m Effelsberg radio telescope. For 14 of the sources identified with relatively brighter optical counterparts, spectroscopic observations were also carried out at La Silla and their redshifts are found to lie in the range 0.4 to 2.6. These observations have revealed three distant clusters of galaxies with redshifts of 0.55, 0.75 and 0.79, and we suggest that, together with an ultra-steep radio spectrum and relaxed radio morphology, the presence of a LINER spectrum in the optical can be used as a powerful indicator of rich clusters of galaxies. Additional candidates of this type in our sample are pointed out. Also, sources exhibiting particularly interesting radio-optical morphological relationships are highlighted. We further note the presence of six sources in our sample for which the optical counterpart (either detected or undetected) is fainter than $R\sim 24$ and the radio extent is small (<$10\arcsec$). These ultra-steep spectrum radio sources are good signposts for discovering massive galaxies out to very large redshifts
Shear thickening and migration in granular suspensions

International audienceWe study the emergence of shear thickening in dense suspensions of non-Brownian particles. We combine local velocity and concentration measurements using Magnetic Resonance Imaging with macroscopic rheometry experiments. In steady state, we observe that the material is heterogeneous, and we find that that the local rheology presents a continuous transition at low shear rate from a viscous to a shear thickening, Bagnoldian, behavior with shear stresses proportional to the shear rate squared, as predicted by a scaling analysis. We show that the heterogeneity results from an unexpectedly fast migration of grains, which we attribute to the emergence of the Bagnoldian rheology. The migration process is observed to be accompanied by macroscopic transient discontinuous shear thickening, which is consequently not an intrinsic property of granular suspensions
The Clean Development Mechanism and the International Diffusion of Technologies: An Empirical Study

The authors are grateful to the publisher, Elsevier, for letting the manuscript being archived in this Open Access repository.International audienceThe Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is expected to stimulate the North-South transfer of climate-friendly technologies. This paper provides an assessment of the technology transfers that take place through the CDM using a unique data set of 644 registered projects. It provides a detailed description of the transfers (frequency, type, by sector, by host country, etc.). It also includes an econometric analysis of their drivers. We show that transfer likeliness increases with the size of the projects. The transfer probability is 50% higher in projects implemented in a subsidiary of Annex 1 companies while the presence of an official credit buyer has a lower-albeit positive-impact. The analysis also yields interesting results on how technological capabilities of the host country influence technology diffusion in the CDM
Semi-strong convergence of sequences satisfying variational inequality

International audienceIn this paper we study the properties of any sequence (un)n ≥ 1 weakly converging to a nonnegative function u in W1,p0(Ω), p>1, and satisfying a variational inequality of type -div(an(.,∇ un))≥ fn, where (an)n ≥ 1 is a suitable sequence of monotone operators and (fn)n ≥ 1 is any strongly convergent sequence in the dual space W-1,p'(Ω). We prove that the sequence (un - (1-ε)u)- strongly converges to 0 in W1,p0(Ω) for any ε>0. We show by a counter-example that the result does not hold true if ε=0. A remarkable corollary of these strong ε-convergences is that the sequence(u n)n ≥ 1 satisfies, up to a subsequence, a kind of semi-strong convergence: (un)n ≥ 1 can be bounded from below by a sequence which converges to the same limit u but strongly in W1,p0(Ω). We also give an example of a nonnegative weakly convergent sequence which does not satisfy this semi-strong convergence property and hence cannot satisfy any variational inequality of the previous type. Finally, in the linear case of a sequence of highly oscillating matrices, we improve the strong $\varepsilon$-convergences by replacing the arbitrary small constant ε>0 by a sequence(ε n)n ≥ 1 converging to 0
Formulation of gradient multiaxial fatigue criteria

International audienceA formulation of gradient fatigue criteria is proposed in the context of multiaxial high-cycle fatigue (HCF) of metallic materials. The notable dependence of fatigue limit on some common factors not taken into account in classical fatigue criteria, is analyzed and modeled. Three interconnected factors, the size, stress gradient and loading effects, are here investigated. A new class of fatigue criteria extended from classical ones with stress gradient terms introduced not only in the normal stress but also in the shear stress components, is formulated. Such a formulation allows to capture gradient effects and related “size” effects, as well as to cover a wide range of loading mode, then can model both phenomena “Smaller is Stronger” and “Higher Gradient is Stronger”. Gradient versions of some classical fatigue criteria such as Crossland and Dang Van are provided as illustrations
Machining of complex-shaped parts with guidance curves

International audienceNowadays, high-speed machining is usually used for production of hardened material parts with complex shapes such as dies and molds. In such parts, tool paths generated for bottom machining feature with the conventional parallel plane strategy induced many feed rate reductions, especially when boundaries of the feature have a lot of curvatures and are not parallel. Several machining experiments on hardened material lead to the conclusion that a tool path implying stable cutting conditions might guarantee a better part surface integrity. To ensure this stability, the shape machined must be decomposed when conventional strategies are not suitable. In this paper, an experimental approach based on high-speed performance simulation is conducted on a master bottom machining feature in order to highlight the influence of the curvatures towards a suitable decomposition of machining area. The decomposition is achieved through the construction of intermediate curves between the closed boundaries of the feature. These intermediate curves are used as guidance curve for the tool paths generation with an alternative machining strategy called "guidance curve strategy". For the construction of intermediate curves, key parameters reflecting the influence of their proximity with each closed boundary and the influence of the curvatures of this latter are introduced. Based on the results, a method for defining guidance curves in four steps is proposed
Cardioprotection against myocardial infarction with PTD-BIR3/RING, a XIAP mimicking protein.
 : 
PTD-BIR3/RING and cardioprotection

International audienceThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the potential cardioprotective effects of an original approach based on the properties of the X chromosome-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis (XIAP), the most effective endogenous inhibitor of apoptosis. For this purpose, the C-terminal part of XIAP (BIR3 and RING domains) was fused to the protein transduction domain (PTD) of the HIV1 transactivator of transcription, which confers to fused protein the ability to cross cell membranes. This protein, so-called PTD-BIR3/RING, was administered intravenously in C57BL/6J mice subjected to 30 min coronary artery occlusion and 24 h of reperfusion. Administration of PTD-BIR3/RING at 5 min before and 30 min after the onset of reperfusion reduced infarct size vs control (23+/-2% vs 41+/-4% and 27+/-4% vs 41+/-3%, respectively, p<0.05). Similar reduction in infarct size was observed when PTD-BIR3/RING was administered prior to ischemia (28+/-1% vs 44+/-3%). In addition to inhibition of caspase-3 and -9 activities, PTD-BIR3/RING induced an inhibition of caspase-8 and several other actors of the apoptotic pathways. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the administration of PTD-BIR3/RING reduces myocardial infarct size even when injected during reperfusion through interruption of caspase activation by pharmacologically mimicking endogenous XIAP
Sheet nacre growth mechanism: a Voronoi model.

Xavier Bourrat is in ISTO's lab since January 2005International audienceShell nacre (mother of pearl) of Pinctada margaritifera was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The originality of this work concerns the sampling performed to observe incipient nacre on the mantle side. The whole animal is embedded in methyl methacrylate followed by separation of the shell from the hardened mantle. It is revealed this way how each future nacre layer pre-exists as a film or compartment. Experimental observations also show for the first time, the progressive lateral crystallization inside this film, finishing under the form of a non-periodic pattern of polygonal tablets of bio-aragonite. It is evidenced that nuclei appear in the film in the vicinity of the zone where aragonite tablets of the underlying layer get in contact to each other. A possible explanation is given to show how nucleation is probably launched in time and space by a signal coming from the underlying layer. Finally, it is evidenced that tablets form a Voronoi tiling of the space: this suggests that their growth is controlled by an "aggregation-like" process of "crystallites" and not directly by the aragonite lattice growth
Comparison results and improved quantified inequalities for semilinear elliptic equations

International audienceIn this paper, we prove some pointwise comparison results between the solutions of some second-order semilinear elliptic equations in a domain Ω of R n and the solutions of some radially symmetric equations in the equimeasurable ball Ω *. The coefficients of the symmetrized equations in Ω * satisfy similar constraints as the original ones in Ω. We consider both the case of equations with linear growth in the gradient and the case of equations with at most quadratic growth in the gradient. Moreover, we show some improved quantified comparisons when the original domain is not a ball. The method is based on a symmetrization of the second-order terms
Validation of DEM modeling of sintering using an <i>in situ</i> X-ray microtomography analysis of the sintering of NaCl powder

International audienceThis paper aims to validate the discrete element method (DEM) model of sintering. <i>In situ</i> X-ray microtomography experiments have been carried out at the ESRF to follow the sintering of NaCl powder, the properties of which are close to the DEM model assumptions. DEM simulations are then run using an improved implicit method. The comparison between experiment and simulation shows the capability of DEM to predict the behavior of the sample on both particle and packing scale. The main advantages and limits of this approach are finally discussed based on these results and those of previous studies