28,583 research outputs found
Population inversion of driven two-level systems in a structureless bath
We derive a master equation for a driven double-dot damped by an unstructured
phonon bath, and calculate the spectral density. We find that bath mediated
photon absorption is important at relatively strong driving, and may even
dominate the dynamics, inducing population inversion of the double dot system.
This phenomenon is consistent with recent experimental observations.Comment: 4 Pages, Added Reference [30] to Dykman, 1979, available at
http://www.pa.msu.edu/people/dykman/pub/Sov.J.LowTemp.Phys_5.pd
Improving Performance of Iterative Methods by Lossy Checkponting
Iterative methods are commonly used approaches to solve large, sparse linear
systems, which are fundamental operations for many modern scientific
simulations. When the large-scale iterative methods are running with a large
number of ranks in parallel, they have to checkpoint the dynamic variables
periodically in case of unavoidable fail-stop errors, requiring fast I/O
systems and large storage space. To this end, significantly reducing the
checkpointing overhead is critical to improving the overall performance of
iterative methods. Our contribution is fourfold. (1) We propose a novel lossy
checkpointing scheme that can significantly improve the checkpointing
performance of iterative methods by leveraging lossy compressors. (2) We
formulate a lossy checkpointing performance model and derive theoretically an
upper bound for the extra number of iterations caused by the distortion of data
in lossy checkpoints, in order to guarantee the performance improvement under
the lossy checkpointing scheme. (3) We analyze the impact of lossy
checkpointing (i.e., extra number of iterations caused by lossy checkpointing
files) for multiple types of iterative methods. (4)We evaluate the lossy
checkpointing scheme with optimal checkpointing intervals on a high-performance
computing environment with 2,048 cores, using a well-known scientific
computation package PETSc and a state-of-the-art checkpoint/restart toolkit.
Experiments show that our optimized lossy checkpointing scheme can
significantly reduce the fault tolerance overhead for iterative methods by
23%~70% compared with traditional checkpointing and 20%~58% compared with
lossless-compressed checkpointing, in the presence of system failures.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, HPDC'1
Observation of spinor dynamics in optically trapped 87Rb Bose-Einstein Condensates
We measure spin mixing of F=1 and F=2 spinor condensates of 87Rb atoms
confined in an optical trap. We determine the spin mixing time to be typically
less than 600 ms and observe spin population oscillations. The equilibrium spin
configuration in the F=1 manifold is measured for different magnetic fields and
found to show ferromagnetic behavior for low field gradients. An F=2 condensate
is created by microwave excitation from F=1 manifold, and this spin-2
condensate is observed to decay exponentially with time constant 250 ms.
Despite the short lifetime in the F=2 manifold, spin mixing of the condensate
is observed within 50 ms.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Weathering the storm: A qualitative study of social prescribing in urban and rural Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic
Objectives
The non-clinical approach known as social prescribing aims to tackle multi-morbidity, reduce GP workload and promote wellbeing by directing patients to community services. Usual in-person modes of delivery of social prescribing have been virtually impossible under social distancing rules. Our study qualitatively examined and compared the responses of three social prescribing schemes in Scotland to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methods
We interviewed a theoretical sample of 23 stakeholders of urban and rural social prescribing schemes at the start of Covid-19 pandemic. Follow up interviews with a representative sample were conducted around ten months later. Interviewees included social prescribing coordinators (SPCs) GPs, managers, researchers and representatives of third sector organizations. Interview transcripts were analysed in stages and an inductive approach to coding was supported by NVivo.
Results
Findings revealed a complex social prescribing landscape in Scotland with schemes funded, structured and delivering services, in diverse ways. Across all schemes, working effectively during the pandemic and shifting to online delivery had been challenging and demanding, however their priorities in response to the pandemic had differed. With GP time and services stretched to limits, GP practice-attached ‘Link Workers’ had taken on counselling and advocacy roles, sometimes for serious mental health cases. Community-based SPCs had mostly assumed a health education role, and those on the Western Isles of Scotland a digital support role. In both rural or urban areas, combatting loneliness and isolation- especially given social distancing- remained a pivotal aspect of the SPC role.
Conclusions
Our study highlights significant challenges and shifts in focus in social prescribing in response to the pandemic. Use of multiple digital technologies has assumed a central role in social prescribing and this situation seems likely to remain. With statutory and non-statutory services stretched to their limits, there is a danger of SPCs assuming new tasks without adequate training or support
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