1,813 research outputs found
A Definition of STS Accommodations for Attached Payloads
An input to a study conducted to define a set of carrier avionics for supporting large structures experiments attached to the Space Shuttle Orbiter is reported. The "baseline" Orbier interface used in developing the avionics concept for the Space Technology Experiments Platform, STEP, which Langley Research Center has proposed for supporting experiments of this sort is defined. Primarily, flight operations capabilities and considerations and the avionics systems capabilities that are available to a payload as a "mixed cargo" user of the Space Transportation System are addressed. Ground operations for payload integration at Kennedy Space Center, and ground operations for payload support during the mission are also discussed
Accident Reduction through Crew Resource Management
The advent of technology has aided pilots navigate challenging terrain and avoid potentially disastrous weather systems, but the large mounts of information required to process have significantly hindered crews, some to overwhelming proportions with catastrophic results. Crew Resource Management (CRM) is a skill set utilized by crews to recognize, avoid, and mitigate risk. This report discusses some of the factors facing crews in today\u27s flight environment and looks at some recent accidents that were attributed to CRM failures. Also, we\u27ll analyze recommended changes to the traditional CRM concept and how they are being incorporated in commercial and general aviation. I\u27ll also discuss the technological upgrades and the pilfdk associated with the advancement of avionics and computerized flight control
Space shuttle engineering and operations support. Avionics system engineering
The shuttle avionics integration laboratory (SAIL) requirements for supporting the Spacelab/orbiter avionics verification process are defined. The principal topics are a Spacelab avionics hardware assessment, test operations center/electronic systems test laboratory (TOC/ESL) data processing requirements definition, SAIL (Building 16) payload accommodations study, and projected funding and test scheduling. Because of the complex nature of the Spacelab/orbiter computer systems, the PCM data link, and the high rate digital data system hardware/software relationships, early avionics interface verification is required. The SAIL is a prime candidate test location to accomplish this early avionics verification
Hardy's paradox and violation of a state-independent Bell inequality in time
Tests such as Bell's inequality and Hardy's paradox show that joint
probabilities and correlations between distant particles in quantum mechanics
are inconsistent with local realistic theories. Here we experimentally
demonstrate these concepts in the time domain, using a photonic entangling gate
to perform nondestructive measurements on a single photon at different times.
We show that Hardy's paradox is much stronger in time and demonstrate the
violation of a temporal Bell inequality independent of the quantum state,
including for fully mixed states.Comment: Published Version, 4 pages, 3 figures. New, more boring titl
Reasoning with comparative moral judgements: an argument for Moral Bayesianism
The paper discusses the notion of reasoning with comparative moral judgements
(i.e judgements of the form “act a is morally superior to act b”) from the point of view of several meta-ethical positions. Using a simple formal result, it is argued that only a version of moral cognitivism that is committed to the claim that moral beliefs come in degrees can give a normatively plausible account of such reasoning. Some implications of accepting such a version of moral cognitivism are discussed
Discrete single-photon quantum walks with tunable decoherence
Quantum walks have a host of applications, ranging from quantum computing to
the simulation of biological systems. We present an intrinsically stable,
deterministic implementation of discrete quantum walks with single photons in
space. The number of optical elements required scales linearly with the number
of steps. We measure walks with up to 6 steps and explore the
quantum-to-classical transition by introducing tunable decoherence. Finally, we
also investigate the effect of absorbing boundaries and show that decoherence
significantly affects the probability of absorption.Comment: Published version, 5 pages, 4 figure
Efficient measurement of quantum dynamics via compressive sensing
The resources required to characterise the dynamics of engineered quantum
systems-such as quantum computers and quantum sensors-grow exponentially with
system size. Here we adapt techniques from compressive sensing to exponentially
reduce the experimental configurations required for quantum process tomography.
Our method is applicable to dynamical processes that are known to be
nearly-sparse in a certain basis and it can be implemented using only
single-body preparations and measurements. We perform efficient, high-fidelity
estimation of process matrices on an experiment attempting to implement a
photonic two-qubit logic-gate. The data base is obtained under various
decoherence strengths. We find that our technique is both accurate and noise
robust, thus removing a key roadblock to the development and scaling of quantum
technologies.Comment: New title and authors. A new experimental section. Significant
rewrite of the theor
Two-photon quantum walks in an elliptical direct-write waveguide array
Integrated optics provides an ideal test bed for the emulation of quantum
systems via continuous-time quantum walks. Here we study the evolution of
two-photon states in an elliptic array of waveguides. We characterise the
photonic chip via coherent-light tomography and use the results to predict
distinct differences between temporally indistinguishable and distinguishable
two-photon inputs which we then compare with experimental observations. Our
work highlights the feasibility for emulation of coherent quantum phenomena in
three-dimensional waveguide structures.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
Concepts of mental disorders in the United Kingdom : Similarities and differences between the lay public and psychiatrists
BACKGROUND: The lay public often conceptualise mental disorders in a different way to mental health professionals, and this can negatively impact on outcomes when in treatment. AIMS: This study explored which disorders the lay public are familiar with, which theoretical models they understand, which they endorse and how they compared to a sample of psychiatrists. METHODS: The Maudsley Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ), typically used to assess mental health professional's concepts of mental disorders, was adapted for use by a lay community sample (N = 160). The results were compared with a sample of psychiatrists (N = 76). RESULTS: The MAQ appeared to be accessible to the lay public, providing some interesting preliminary findings: in order, the lay sample reported having the best understanding of depression followed by generalised anxiety, schizophrenia and finally antisocial personality disorder. They best understood spiritualist, nihilist and social realist theoretical models of these disorders, but were most likely to endorse biological, behavioural and cognitive models. The lay public were significantly more likely to endorse some models for certain disorders suggesting a nuanced understanding of the cause and likely cure, of various disorders. Ratings often differed significantly from the sample of psychiatrists who were relatively steadfast in their endorsement of the biological model. CONCLUSION: The adapted MAQ appeared accessible to the lay sample. Results suggest that the lay public are generally aligned with evidence-driven concepts of common disorders, but may not always understand or agree with how mental health professionals conceptualise them. The possible causes of these differences, future avenues for research and the implications for more collaborative, patient-clinician conceptualisations are discussed.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
Neural correlates of visuospatial working memory in the ‘at-risk mental state’
Background. Impaired spatial working memory (SWM) is a robust feature of schizophrenia and has been linked to
the risk of developing psychosis in people with an at-risk mental state (ARMS). We used functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural substrate of SWM in the ARMS and in patients who had just
developed schizophrenia.
Method. fMRI was used to study 17 patients with an ARMS, 10 patients with a first episode of psychosis and 15 agematched
healthy comparison subjects. The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response was measured while
subjects performed an object–location paired-associate memory task, with experimental manipulation of mnemonic
load.
Results. In all groups, increasing mnemonic load was associated with activation in the medial frontal and medial
posterior parietal cortex. Significant between-group differences in activation were evident in a cluster spanning the
medial frontal cortex and right precuneus, with the ARMS groups showing less activation than controls but greater
activation than first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients. These group differences were more evident at the most
demanding levels of the task than at the easy level. In all groups, task performance improved with repetition of the
conditions. However, there was a significant group difference in the response of the right precuneus across repeated
trials, with an attenuation of activation in controls but increased activation in FEP and little change in the ARMS.
Conclusions. Abnormal neural activity in the medial frontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex during an SWM task
may be a neural correlate of increased vulnerability to psychosis
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