Engineering complex topological memories from simple Abelian models

In three spatial dimensions, particles are limited to either bosonic or fermionic statistics. Two-dimensional systems, on the other hand, can support anyonic quasiparticles exhibiting richer statistical behaviors. An exciting proposal for quantum computation is to employ anyonic statistics to manipulate information. Since such statistical evolutions depend only on topological characteristics, the resulting computation is intrinsically resilient to errors. The so-called non-Abelian anyons are most promising for quantum computation, but their physical realization may prove to be complex. Abelian anyons, however, are easier to understand theoretically and realize experimentally. Here we show that complex topological memories inspired by non-Abelian anyons can be engineered in Abelian models. We explicitly demonstrate the control procedures for the encoding and manipulation of quantum information in specific lattice models that can be implemented in the laboratory. This bridges the gap between requirements for anyonic quantum computation and the potential of state-of-the-art technology.     

A comparison of the reproducibility of the parameters of the 13C-aminopyrine breath test for the assessment of hepatic function

This study determined the within-subject and between-subject variability of different ways of expressing the results of the ¹³C-aminopyrine breath test (¹³C-ABT) and the effect of shortening the test duration. The ¹³C-ABT was conducted on three separate occasions in 10 healthy volunteers and on a single occasion in 22 patients with established liver cirrhosis. The within-subject variability of cumulative percentage dose recovered (cPDR), using measured CO₂ production rate (VCO₂), in the reference group over three trials was 15% over 120 min. Higher within-subject variability in cPDR would have been evident if the test was terminated at either 30 or 60 min. Substitution of predicted VCO₂ to calculate cPDR yielded comparable values at all time points. Significant differences between cirrhotics and reference group were evident after just 10 min using PDR/h, cPDR or enrichment (all P<0.05). The ABT demonstrates clinically acceptable reproducibility. Shortening of the duration may make the test more acceptable clinically, but it is associated with increasing imprecision.     

Synthesis of 12-azaprostacyclin analogues

Synthetic routes for the preparation of 12-azaprostacyclin analogues are described.     

Precise temperature control in microfluidic devices using Joule heating of ionic liquids

Microfluidic devices for spatially localised heating of microchannel environments were designed, fabricated and tested. The devices are simple to implement, do not require complex manufacturing steps and enable intra-channel temperature control to within +/-0.2 degrees C. Ionic liquids held in co-running channels are Joule heated with an a.c. current. The nature of the devices means that the internal temperature can be directly assessed in a facile manner.     

On-chip generation and reaction of unstable intermediates-monolithic nanoreactors for diazonium chemistry: azo dyes

Monolithic nanoreactors for the safe and expedient continuous synthesis of products requiring unstable intermediates were fabricated and tested by the synthesis of azo dyes under hydrodynamic pumping regimes.     

Interpretation of experimental data for Poisson's ratio of highly nonlinear materials

The Poisson's ratio of a material is strictly defined only for small strain linear elastic behavior. In practice, engineering strains are often used to calculate Poisson's ratio in place of the mathematically correct true strains with only very small differences resulting in the case of many engineering amterials. The engineering strain definition is often used even in the inelastic region, for example, in metals during plastic yielding. However, for highly nonlinear elastic materials, such as many biomaterials, smart materials and microstructured materials, this convenient extension may be misleading, and it becomes advantageous to define a strainvarying Poisson's function. This is analogous to the use of a tangent modulus for stiffness. An important recent application of such a Poisson's function is that of auxetic materials that demonstrate a negative Poisson's ratio and are often highly strain dependent. In this paper, the importance of the use of a Poisson's function in appropriate circumstances is demonstrated. Interpretation methods for coping with error-sensitive data or small strains are also described.