Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay, the Inverted Hierarchy and Precision Determination of theta(12)

Ruling out the inverted neutrino hierarchy with neutrinoless double beta decay experiments is possible if a limit on the effective mass below the minimal theoretically possible value is reached. We stress that this lower limit depends strongly on the value of the solar neutrino mixing angle: it introduces an uncertainty of a factor of 2 within its current 3 sigma range. If an experiment is not background-free, a factor of two in effective mass corresponds to a combined factor of 16 improvement for the experimental parameters running time, detector mass, background level and energy resolution. Therefore, a more precise determination of theta(12) is crucial for the interpretation of experimental results and the evaluation of the potential and requirements for future experiments. We give the required half-lifes to exclude (and touch) the inverted hierarchy regime for all double beta decay isotopes with a Q-value above 2 MeV. The nuclear matrix elements from 6 different groups and, if available, their errors are used and compared. We carefully put the calculations on equal footing in what regards various convention issues. We also use our compilation of matrix elements to give the reachable values of the effective mass for a given half-life value.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures. v2: error corrected (misprint in paper we took a value from), slightly modifying the result

Optical diffraction for measurements of nano-mechanical bending

Micromechanical transducers such as cantilevers for AFM often rely on optical readout methods that require illumination of a specific region of the microstructure. Here we explore and exploit the diffraction effects that have been previously neglected when modeling cantilever bending measurement techniques. The illumination of a cantilever end causes an asymmetric diffraction pattern at the photodetector that significantly affects the calibration of the signal in the popular optical beam deflection technique (OBDT). Conditions for optimized linear signals that avoid detection artifacts conflict with small numerical aperture illumination and narrow cantilevers which are softer and therefore more sensitive. Embracing diffraction patterns as a physical measurable allows a richer detection technique that decouples measurements of tilt and curvature and simultaneously relaxes the requirements on the alignment of illumination and detector. We show analytical results, numerical simulations and physiologically relevant experimental data demonstrating the usefulness of these diffraction features. We offer experimental design guidelines and identify and quantify possible sources of systematic error of up to 10% in OBDT. We demonstrate a new nanometre resolution detection method that can replace OBDT, where Frauenhofer and Bragg diffraction effects from finite sized and patterned cantilevers are exploited. Such effects are readily generalized to arrays, and allow transmission detection of mechanical curvature, enabling in-line instruments. In particular, a cantilever with a periodic array of slots produces Bragg peaks which can be analyzed to deduce the cantilever curvature. We highlight the comparative advantages over OBDT by detecting molecular activity of antibiotic Vancomycin, with an RMS noise equivalent to less than $2.5 \mu M$ (1.5 nm), as example of possible multi-maker bio-assays.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Techniques for the Synthesis of Reversible Toffoli Networks

This paper presents novel techniques for the synthesis of reversible networks of Toffoli gates, as well as improvements to previous methods. Gate count and technology oriented cost metrics are used. Our synthesis techniques are independent of the cost metrics. Two new iterative synthesis procedure employing Reed-Muller spectra are introduced and shown to complement earlier synthesis approaches. The template simplification suggested in earlier work is enhanced through introduction of a faster and more efficient template application algorithm, updated (shorter) classification of the templates, and presentation of the new templates of sizes 7 and 9. A novel ``resynthesis'' approach is introduced wherein a sequence of gates is chosen from a network, and the reversible specification it realizes is resynthesized as an independent problem in hopes of reducing the network cost. Empirical results are presented to show that the methods are effective both in terms of the realization of all 3x3 reversible functions and larger reversible benchmark specifications.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure

Interpreting and Reporting Results Based on Patient-Reported Outcomes

AbstractThis article deals with the incorporation of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) into clinical trials and focuses on issues associated with the interpretation and reporting of PRO data. The primary focus and context of this information relates to the evidentiary support and reporting for a labeling or advertising claim of a PRO benefit for a new or approved pharmaceutical product. This manuscript focuses on issues associated with assessing clinical significance and common pitfalls to avoid in presenting results related to PROs. Specifically, the questions addressed by this manuscript involve: What are the best methods to assess clinical significance for PROs? How should investigators present PRO data most effectively in a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) application? In labeling or in a scientific publication? Guidelinesfor interpreting clinical significance of PROs and for comprehensively reporting on the methods, measures and results of clinical trials that incorporate PROs are important for clinicians, regulatory agencies, and most of all to patients. Clear specifications for considering a finding on a PRO measure, as clinically meaningful, need to be determined by instrument developers and psychometricians; they need to be reported for all clinical trials involving PRO end points. Clinical trial reports need to be comprehensive, clear, and sufficient to enable any reader to understand the methods, PRO measures, statistical analysis, and results

Strong Secrecy for Multiple Access Channels

We show strongly secret achievable rate regions for two different wiretap multiple-access channel coding problems. In the first problem, each encoder has a private message and both together have a common message to transmit. The encoders have entropy-limited access to common randomness. If no common randomness is available, then the achievable region derived here does not allow for the secret transmission of a common message. The second coding problem assumes that the encoders do not have a common message nor access to common randomness. However, they may have a conferencing link over which they may iteratively exchange rate-limited information. This can be used to form a common message and common randomness to reduce the second coding problem to the first one. We give the example of a channel where the achievable region equals zero without conferencing or common randomness and where conferencing establishes the possibility of secret message transmission. Both coding problems describe practically relevant networks which need to be secured against eavesdropping attacks.Comment: 55 page

Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs in the cancer transcriptome

The cellular lifetime includes stages such as differentiation, proliferation, division, senescence and apoptosis.These stages are driven by a strictly ordered process of transcription dynamics. Molecular disruption to RNA polymerase assembly, chromatin remodelling and transcription factor binding through to RNA editing, splicing, post-transcriptional regulation and ribosome scanning can result in significant costs arising from genome instability. Cancer development is one example of when such disruption takes place. RNA silencing is a term used to describe the effects of post-transcriptional gene silencing mediated by a diverse set of small RNA molecules. Small RNAs are crucial for regulating gene expression and microguarding genome integrity.RNA silencing studies predominantly focus on small RNAs such as microRNAs, short-interfering RNAs and piwi-interacting RNAs. We describe an emerging renewal of inter-est in a‘larger’small RNA, the transfer RNA (tRNA).Precisely generated tRNA-derived small RNAs, named tRNA halves (tiRNAs) and tRNA fragments (tRFs), have been reported to be abundant with dysregulation associated with cancer. Transfection of tiRNAs inhibits protein translation by displacing eukaryotic initiation factors from messenger RNA (mRNA) and inaugurating stress granule formation.Knockdown of an overexpressed tRF inhibits cancer cell proliferation. Recovery of lacking tRFs prevents cancer metastasis. The dual oncogenic and tumour-suppressive role is typical of functional small RNAs. We review recent reports on tiRNA and tRF discovery and biogenesis, identification and analysis from next-generation sequencing data and a mechanistic animal study to demonstrate their physiological role in cancer biology. We propose tRNA-derived small RNA-mediated RNA silencing is an innate defence mechanism to prevent oncogenic translation. We expect that cancer cells are percipient to their ablated control of transcription and attempt to prevent loss of genome control through RNA silencing

Constructive and destructive use of compilers in elliptic curve cryptography

Although cryptographic software implementation is often performed by expert programmers, the range of performance and security driven options, as well as more mundane software engineering issues, still make it a challenge. The use of domain specific language and compiler techniques to assist in description and optimisation of cryptographic software is an interesting research challenge. In this paper we investigate two aspects of such techniques, focusing on Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) in particular. Our constructive results show that a suitable language allows description of ECC based software in a manner close to the original mathematics; the corresponding compiler allows automatic production of an executable whose performance is competitive with that of a hand-optimised implementation. In contrast, we study the worrying potential for naïve compiler driven optimisation to render cryptographic software insecure. Both aspects of our work are set within the context of CACE, an ongoing EU funded project on this general topic