A very brief introduction to quantum computing and quantum information theory for mathematicians

This is a very brief introduction to quantum computing and quantum information theory, primarily aimed at geometers. Beyond basic definitions and examples, I emphasize aspects of interest to geometers, especially connections with asymptotic representation theory. Proofs of most statements can be found in standard references

Depressive symptoms are associated with analgesic use in people with Alzheimer's disease: Kuopio ALSOVA study.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) such as depression may be associated with pain, which according to the literature may be inadequately recognized and managed in this population. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with analgesic use in persons with AD; in particular, how AD severity, functional status, neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD, co-morbidities and somatic symptoms are associated with analgesic use. 236 community-dwelling persons with very mild or mild AD at baseline, and their caregivers, were interviewed over five years as part of the prospective ALSOVA study. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEEs) were used to estimate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the factors associated with analgesic use over a five year follow-up. The proportion of persons with AD using any analgesic was low (13.6%) at baseline and remained relatively constant during the follow-up (15.3% at Year 5). Over time, the most prevalent analgesic changed from non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (8.1% of persons with AD at Year 1) to acetaminophen (11.1% at Year 5). Depressive symptoms (measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) were independently associated with analgesic use, after effects of age, gender, education, AD severity, comorbidities and somatic symptoms were taken into account. For every one unit increase in BDI, the odds of analgesic use increased by 4% (OR = 1.04, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.02-1.07). Caregiver depressive symptoms were not statistically significantly associated with analgesic use of the person with AD. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with analgesic use during the five year follow-up period. Possible explanations warranting investigation are that persons with AD may express depressive symptoms as painful somatic complaints, or untreated pain may cause depressive symptoms. Greater awareness of the association between depressive symptoms and analgesic use may lead to safer and more effective prescribing for these conditions

An experimental test of non-local realism

Most working scientists hold fast to the concept of 'realism' - a viewpoint according to which an external reality exists independent of observation. But quantum physics has shattered some of our cornerstone beliefs. According to Bell's theorem, any theory that is based on the joint assumption of realism and locality (meaning that local events cannot be affected by actions in space-like separated regions) is at variance with certain quantum predictions. Experiments with entangled pairs of particles have amply confirmed these quantum predictions, thus rendering local realistic theories untenable. Maintaining realism as a fundamental concept would therefore necessitate the introduction of 'spooky' actions that defy locality. Here we show by both theory and experiment that a broad and rather reasonable class of such non-local realistic theories is incompatible with experimentally observable quantum correlations. In the experiment, we measure previously untested correlations between two entangled photons, and show that these correlations violate an inequality proposed by Leggett for non-local realistic theories. Our result suggests that giving up the concept of locality is not sufficient to be consistent with quantum experiments, unless certain intuitive features of realism are abandoned.Comment: Minor corrections to the manuscript, the final inequality and all its conclusions do not change; description of corrections (Corrigendum) added as new Appendix III; Appendix II replaced by a shorter derivatio

A test of general relativity from the three-dimensional orbital geometry of a binary pulsar

Binary pulsars provide an excellent system for testing general relativity because of their intrinsic rotational stability and the precision with which radio observations can be used to determine their orbital dynamics. Measurements of the rate of orbital decay of two pulsars have been shown to be consistent with the emission of gravitational waves as predicted by general relativity, providing the most convincing evidence for the self-consistency of the theory to date. However, independent verification of the orbital geometry in these systems was not possible. Such verification may be obtained by determining the orientation of a binary pulsar system using only classical geometric constraints, permitting an independent prediction of general relativistic effects. Here we report high-precision timing of the nearby binary millisecond pulsar PSR J0437-4715, which establish the three-dimensional structure of its orbit. We see the expected retardation of the pulse signal arising from the curvature of space-time in the vicinity of the companion object (the `Shapiro delay'), and we determine the mass of the pulsar and its white dwarf companion. Such mass determinations contribute to our understanding of the origin and evolution of neutron stars.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

High Energy Cosmic Rays From Supernovae

Cosmic rays are charged relativistic particles that reach the Earth with extremely high energies, providing striking evidence of the existence of effective accelerators in the Universe. Below an energy around $\sim 10^{17}$ eV cosmic rays are believed to be produced in the Milky Way while above that energy their origin is probably extragalactic. In the early '30s supernovae were already identified as possible sources for the Galactic component of cosmic rays. After the '70s this idea has gained more and more credibility thanks to the the development of the diffusive shock acceleration theory, which provides a robust theoretical framework for particle energization in astrophysical environments. Afterwards, mostly in recent years, much observational evidence has been gathered in support of this framework, converting a speculative idea in a real paradigm. In this Chapter the basic pillars of this paradigm will be illustrated. This includes the acceleration mechanism, the non linear effects produced by accelerated particles onto the shock dynamics needed to reach the highest energies, the escape process from the sources and the transportation of cosmic rays through the Galaxy. The theoretical picture will be corroborated by discussing several observations which support the idea that supernova remnants are effective cosmic ray factories.Comment: Final draft of a chapter in "Handbook of Supernovae" edited by Athem W. Alsabti and Paul Murdi

A computational proof of locality in entanglement

In this paper the design and proof of concept (POC) coding of a local hidden variables computer model is presented. The program violates the Clauser, Horne, Shimony and Holt inequality $|$CHSH$|$ $\leq 2$. In our numerical experiment, we find with our local computer program, CHSH $\approx 1 + \sqrt{2}$

How much contextuality?

The amount of contextuality is quantified in terms of the probability of the necessary violations of noncontextual assignments to counterfactual elements of physical reality.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Digital chronofiles of life experience

Technology has brought us to the point where we are able to digitally sample life experience in rich multimedia detail, often referred to as lifelogging. In this paper we explore the potential of lifelogging for the digitisation and archiving of life experience into a longitudinal media archive for an individual. We motivate the historical archive potential for rich digital memories, enabling individuals’ digital footprints to con- tribute to societal memories, and propose a data framework to gather and organise the lifetime of the subject

Cognitive neuropsychiatric analysis of an additional large Capgras delusion case series

Introduction:: Although important to cognitive neuropsychiatry and theories of delusions, Capgras delusion has largely been reported in single case studies. Bell et al. [2017. Uncovering Capgras delusion using a large scale medical records database. British Journal of Psychiatry Open, 3(4), 179–185] previously deployed computational and clinical case identification on a largescale medical records database to report a case series of 84 individuals with Capgras delusion. We replicated this approach on a new database from a different mental health service provider while additionally examining instances of violence, given previous claims that Capgras is a forensic risk. Methods:: We identified 34 additional cases of Capgras. Delusion phenomenology, clinical characteristics, and presence of lesions detected by neuroimaging were extracted. Results:: Although most cases involved misidentification of family members or partners, a notable minority (20.6%) included the misidentification of others. Capgras typically did not present as a monothematic delusion. Few cases had identifiable lesions with no evidence of right-hemisphere bias. There was no evidence of physical violence associated with Capgras. Conclusions:: Findings closely replicate Bell et al. (2017). The majority of Capgras delusion phenomenology conforms to the “dual route” model although a significant minority of cases cannot be explained by this framework

Entanglement Zoo II: Examples in Physics and Cognition

We have recently presented a general scheme enabling quantum modeling of different types of situations that violate Bell's inequalities. In this paper, we specify this scheme for a combination of two concepts. We work out a quantum Hilbert space model where 'entangled measurements' occur in addition to the expected 'entanglement between the component concepts', or 'state entanglement'. We extend this result to a macroscopic physical entity, the 'connected vessels of water', which maximally violates Bell's inequalities. We enlighten the structural and conceptual analogies between the cognitive and physical situations which are both examples of a nonlocal non-marginal box modeling in our classification.Comment: 11 page