Some interesting mathematical gems

As the title of the article indicates, I am going to point out certain bright and beautiful pieces of mathematical work which can be treated as gems. Of course, choice of these pearl-like items is subjective depending on my understanding and appreciation (or lack of it) of the areas of mathematics in which I find interest.     

Secret keys from quantum correlations

Quantum mechanics allows to create information-theoretical secure key based only on observed data. We review the current status of the resulting field quantum key distribution.     

Figures of Speech as Persuasive Strategies in Early Commercial Communication: The Use of Dominant Figures in the Raleigh Reports About Virginia in the 1580s

During the mid-1580s Sir Walter Raleigh, operating under letters patent of Queen Elizabeth, supported two major voyages to establish an initial colony in Virginia. These two voyages produced three major commercial reports that evaluated the economic potential of the region for English colonists and merchants. The reports, written by Arthur Barlowe, Ralph Lane, and Thomas Hariot, represent the beginnings of American commercial communication in English. Using Kenneth Burke's idea of the four major tropes, this article develops the notion of the “dominant figure”—a figure of speech that serves to focus a report's rhetorical power—to analyze the persuasive effects of these reports.