Complete quantum teleportation using nuclear magnetic resonance

Quantum mechanics provides spectacular new information processing abilities (Bennett 1995, Preskill 1998). One of the most unexpected is a procedure called quantum teleportation (Bennett et al 1993) that allows the quantum state of a system to be transported from one location to another, without moving through the intervening space. Partial implementations of teleportation (Bouwmeester et al 1997, Boschi et al 1998) over macroscopic distances have been achieved using optical systems, but omit the final stage of the teleportation procedure. Here we report an experimental implementation of the full quantum teleportation operation over inter-atomic distances using liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The inclusion of the final stage enables for the first time a teleportation implementation which may be used as a subroutine in larger quantum computations, or for quantum communication. Our experiment also demonstrates the use of quantum process tomography, a procedure to completely characterize the dynamics of a quantum system. Finally, we demonstrate a controlled exploitation of decoherence as a tool to assist in the performance of an experiment.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures. Minor differences between this and the published versio

Incommensurable worldviews? Is public use of complementary and alternative medicines incompatible with support for science and conventional medicine?

Proponents of controversial Complementary and Alternative Medicines, such as homeopathy, argue that these treatments can be used with great effect in addition to, and sometimes instead of, ?conventional? medicine. In doing so, they accept the idea that the scientific approach to the evaluation of treatment does not undermine use of and support for some of the more controversial CAM treatments. For those adhering to the scientific canon, however, such efficacy claims lack the requisite evidential basis from randomised controlled trials. It is not clear, however, whether such opposition characterises the views of the general public. In this paper we use data from the 2009 Wellcome Monitor survey to investigate public use of and beliefs about the efficacy of a prominent and controversial CAM within the United Kingdom, homeopathy. We proceed by using Latent Class Analysis to assess whether it is possible to identify a sub-group of the population who are at ease in combining support for science and conventional medicine with use of CAM treatments, and belief in the efficacy of homeopathy. Our results suggest that over 40% of the British public maintain positive evaluations of both homeopathy and conventional medicine simultaneously. Explanatory analyses reveal that simultaneous support for a controversial CAM treatment and conventional medicine is, in part, explained by a lack of scientific knowledge as well as concerns about the regulation of medical research

Transport coefficients for inelastic Maxwell mixtures

The Boltzmann equation for inelastic Maxwell models is used to determine the Navier-Stokes transport coefficients of a granular binary mixture in $d$ dimensions. The Chapman-Enskog method is applied to solve the Boltzmann equation for states near the (local) homogeneous cooling state. The mass, heat, and momentum fluxes are obtained to first order in the spatial gradients of the hydrodynamic fields, and the corresponding transport coefficients are identified. There are seven relevant transport coefficients: the mutual diffusion, the pressure diffusion, the thermal diffusion, the shear viscosity, the Dufour coefficient, the pressure energy coefficient, and the thermal conductivity. All these coefficients are {\em exactly} obtained in terms of the coefficients of restitution and the ratios of mass, concentration, and particle sizes. The results are compared with known transport coefficients of inelastic hard spheres obtained analytically in the leading Sonine approximation and by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The comparison shows a reasonably good agreement between both interaction models for not too strong dissipation, especially in the case of the transport coefficients associated with the mass flux.Comment: 9 figures, to be published in J. Stat. Phy

PERMIAN FUSULINID ASSEMBLAGES AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE TRANSCAUCASIA

The Permian sequence of the Transcaucasia, which comprises the Davaly, Asni, Gnishik, Arpa, Khachik, and Akhura Formations, is described. A precise dating of the formations based on the analysis of fusulinid assemblages is also provided. The Davaly Formation corresponds to the Bolorian Stage of the Lower Permian (Cisuralian); the Asni Formation corresponds to the Kubergandian Stage, and to the lower half of the Murgabian Stage of the Middle Permian (Guadalupian); the Gnishik Formation corresponds approximately to the upper half of the Murgabian Stage; and the Arpa and Khachik Formations represent the entire Midian Stage of the Middle Permian. Only the uppermost Chanakhchy Beds of the Khachik Formation are referred to the upper series of the Permian (Lopingian), based on the latest proposal of the International Subcommission on Permian Stratigraphy concerning series boundaries. The Akhura Formation encompasses the Dzhulfian and Dorashamian Stages of the Upper Permian. Refined correlations between the Permian sequence of the Transcaucasia and the most complete Permian sequences of the Tethyan region (Central Iran, southestern Pamirs, South China, Japan ) are presented. The transgressive overlapping of the Permian deposits is recorded in these areas, similar to the Transcaucasia. Although the transgression began during the Bolorian, it reached the widest extent in the Kubergandian and therefore, in most sections the transgressive series begins with deposits of Kubergandian age. The Middle and Upper Permian deposits of the Transcaucasia, Iran, and southern Turkey belonged to a single carbonate platform. Similar extensive carbonate platforms are recorded in the southern parts of Afghanistan and China. A change in the sedimentary regime was recorded in all these platforms at the boundary between the Guadalupian and Lopingian epochs. The Guadalupian time was marked by the intensive accumulation of biolitithic and detrital limestones produced by benthic organisms, mainly algae and foraminifers, whereas in the Lopingian time, carbonate and clayey micritic deposition dominated, and the role of nectonic-planctonic and nectonic organisms, such as cephalopods and conodonts, increased. The sedimentation change was abrupt and caused probably by the short-term post-Midian regression. The change resulted in a significant biotic crisis when larger fusulinids, goniatitids and agoniatitids, tabulate corals, most rugose corals and other organisms became entirely extinct. These events marked the onset of the Late Permian "Great Extinction", which ended at the Permian/Triassic boundary. Nine paleontological plates show the main fusulinid assemblages. Nine new species are described: Codonofusiella (?) vediensis, Chalaroschwagerina davalensis, Pseudofusulina arpaensis, P. araxensis, P. pjatakovae, Rugosochusenella davalensis, Misellina (Misellina) caucasica, Cancellina armenica, and Sumatrina vediensis.&nbsp

PERMIAN STRATIGRAPHY AND FUSULINIDS OF THE TETHYS

The diversity curve of Permian fusulinid genera shows two peaks corresponding to the Asselian-Sakmarian and Midian times. The minimal generic diversity is recorded in the late Bolorian. The most significant extinction events occurred at the end of the Midian (71% of all genera), Bolorian (48%), Asselian (27%) and Sakmarian (23%) ages. The fusulinid assemblage was most notably changed by the appearance of new genera (52% of the total number) in the Kubergandian age. These data  identify two main stages (Asselian-Bolorian and Kubergandian-Dorashamian) and four second-order stages (Asselian-Sakmarian, Yakhtashian-Bolorian, Kubergandian-Midian, and Dzhulfian-Dorashamian) in the Permian history of fusulinids. The main stages correspond to two Permian series of the East European scale, which can be considered as subsystems named Cisuralian and Tethysian, respectively. The latter are subdivided into the Uralian, Darvasian, Yanghsingian and Lopingian series which correspond to the second-order stages. The scale suggested does not contradict the traditional two-member subdivision and has an advantage over the accepted global three-member chronostratigraphic scale because the series suggested are more proportional to each other in scope and reflect natural evolutionary processes of the marine biota. In addition, the application of the global scale to the Tethyan sequences is hampered by a limited number of criteria used in the drawing of series and stage boundaries, as evidenced by the existing different views on the position of the lower Guadalupian boundary in the Tethyan sections.&nbsp

The clinical features of the piriformis syndrome: a systematic review

Piriformis syndrome, sciatica caused by compression of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle, has been described for over 70 years; yet, it remains controversial. The literature consists mainly of case series and narrative reviews. The objectives of the study were: first, to make the best use of existing evidence to estimate the frequencies of clinical features in patients reported to have PS; second, to identify future research questions. A systematic review was conducted of any study type that reported extractable data relevant to diagnosis. The search included all studies up to 1 March 2008 in four databases: AMED, CINAHL, Embase and Medline. Screening, data extraction and analysis were all performed independently by two reviewers. A total of 55 studies were included: 51 individual and 3 aggregated data studies, and 1 combined study. The most common features found were: buttock pain, external tenderness over the greater sciatic notch, aggravation of the pain through sitting and augmentation of the pain with manoeuvres that increase piriformis muscle tension. Future research could start with comparing the frequencies of these features in sciatica patients with and without disc herniation or spinal stenosis

The role of the right temporoparietal junction in perceptual conflict: detection or resolution?

The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is a polysensory cortical area that plays a key role in perception and awareness. Neuroimaging evidence shows activation of rTPJ in intersensory and sensorimotor conflict situations, but it remains unclear whether this activity reflects detection or resolution of such conflicts. To address this question, we manipulated the relationship between touch and vision using the so-called mirror-box illusion. Participants' hands lay on either side of a mirror, which occluded their left hand and reflected their right hand, but created the illusion that they were looking directly at their left hand. The experimenter simultaneously touched either the middle (D3) or the ring finger (D4) of each hand. Participants judged, which finger was touched on their occluded left hand. The visual stimulus corresponding to the touch on the right hand was therefore either congruent (same finger as touch) or incongruent (different finger from touch) with the task-relevant touch on the left hand. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered to the rTPJ immediately after touch. Accuracy in localizing the left touch was worse for D4 than for D3, particularly when visual stimulation was incongruent. However, following TMS, accuracy improved selectively for D4 in incongruent trials, suggesting that the effects of the conflicting visual information were reduced. These findings suggest a role of rTPJ in detecting, rather than resolving, intersensory conflict

The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethno-medicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK

Studies have shown that a significant proportion of people with epilepsy use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM use is known to vary between different ethnic groups and cultural contexts; however, little attention has been devoted to inter-ethnic differences within the UK population. We studied the use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine in a sample of people with epilepsy of South Asian origin living in the north of England

CARBONIFEROUS-PERMIAN STRATIGRAPHY AND FUSULINIDS OF THE EAST IRAN. GZEHELIAN AND ASSELIAN DEPOSITS OF THE OZBAK-KUH REGION

Deposits of the Gzhelian-Asselian Stages were recognized by fusulinid occurrences in the upper part of the Sardar Formation (Zaladu Member) of the Ozbak Kuh region, East Iran. These deposits cannot be referred to the Bage-Vang Formation, which contains Bolorian fusulinids of the early Permian and lies at the base of a trangressive carbonate sequence. The results obtained in the Carboniferous-Permian section of East Iran are similar to those of western and southern Tethys. Everywhere the Asselian and, locally, the Sakmarian deposits are closely related to the Upper Carboniferous ones. After the late Sakmarian.Yakhtashian regression, carbonate platforms were formed from the Bolorian time through the Late Permian. The Zaladu Member contains 10 genera – Rauserites, Kushanella (?), Schellwieina, Anderssonites (?), Praepseudofusulina, Quasitriticites, Ruzhenzevites, Paraschwagerina, Pseudoschwagerina, Sphaeroschawagerina (?), and 37 species and subspecies of fusulinids. New species and subspecies are described: Rauserites infrequentis, R. tabasensis, R. fusoides, R. inobservabilis, R. (?) persicus, Quasitriticites iranicus, Ruzhenzevites zaladuensis zaladuensis, R. zalanduensis brevis, and R. ferganensis curtus.&nbsp

Collective Animal Behavior from Bayesian Estimation and Probability Matching

Animals living in groups make movement decisions that depend, among other factors, on social interactions with other group members. Our present understanding of social rules in animal collectives is based on empirical fits to observations and we lack first-principles approaches that allow their derivation. Here we show that patterns of collective decisions can be derived from the basic ability of animals to make probabilistic estimations in the presence of uncertainty. We build a decision-making model with two stages: Bayesian estimation and probabilistic matching.
In the first stage, each animal makes a Bayesian estimation of which behavior is best to perform taking into account personal information about the environment and social information collected by observing the behaviors of other animals. In the probability matching stage, each animal chooses a behavior with a probability given by the Bayesian estimation that this behavior is the most appropriate one. This model derives very simple rules of interaction in animal collectives that depend only on two types of reliability parameters, one that each animal assigns to the other animals and another given by the quality of the non-social information. We test our model by obtaining theoretically a rich set of observed collective patterns of decisions in three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, a shoaling fish species. The quantitative link shown between probabilistic estimation and collective rules of behavior allows a better contact with other fields such as foraging, mate selection, neurobiology and psychology, and gives predictions for experiments directly testing the relationship between estimation and collective behavior