Superballistic Diffusion of Entanglement in Disordered Spin Chains

We study the dynamics of a single excitation in an infinite XXZ spin chain, which is launched from the origin. We study the time evolution of the spread of entanglement in the spin chain and obtain an expression for the second order spatial moment of concurrence, about the origin, for both ordered and disordered chains. In this way, we show that a finite central disordered region can lead to sustained superballistic growth in the second order spatial moment of entanglement within the chain.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Research claims within the education industry: managing reflective practice

The education industry is a far-reaching, innovative and rapidly evolving field of business. To ensure success and integrity in the education industry, organisations and companies strive to deliver high-quality products and services in an efficient and ethical manner. Education research plays an important part in the education industry by underpinning product and service developments, and through illustrating impact. Organisations and companies also share these research claims when marketing to potential customers and investors. However, there can sometimes exist a disjunction between those conducting research and those responsible for interpreting the research for the purpose of public dissemination. This article first investigates what constitutes an education research claim. The risks associated with such claims are then identified and a review process suggested so educational bodies can ensure accuracy and ethicality in their claims. Adopting a case study approach, educational claims-making is contextualised from the stance and perspective of a typical international awarding organisation

The evaluation of Education Maintenance Allowance Pilots: three years' evidence: a quantitative evaluation

This is the third report of the longitudinal quantitative evaluation of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) pilots and the first since the government announced that EMA is to be rolled out nationally from 2004. The evaluation was commissioned in 1999, by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) from a consortium of research organisations, led by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) and including the National Centre for Social Research, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling (NICEC). The statistical evaluation design is a longitudinal cohort study involving large random sample surveys of young people (and their parents) in 10 EMA pilot areas and eleven control areas. Two cohorts of young people were selected from Child Benefit records. The first cohort of young people left compulsory schooling in the summer of 1999 and they, and their parents, were interviewed between October 1999 and April 2000 (Year 12 interview). A second interview was carried out with these young people between October 2000 and April 2001 (Year 13 interview). The second cohort left compulsory education the following summer of 2000 and young people, and their parents, were first interviewed between October 2000 and April 2001. The report uses both propensity score matching (PSM) and descriptive techniques, each of which brings their own particular strengths to the analysis

The role of parental and child physical and mental health on behavioural and emotional adjustment in mid-childhood: a comparison of two generations of British children born 30 years apart

Poor physical health and behavioural and emotional problems in childhood have a lasting impact on well-being in adolescence and adulthood. Here we address the relationship between poor parent and child physical and mental health in early childhood (age 5) and conduct, hyperactivity and emotional problems in mid-childhood (age 10/11). We compare results across two generations of British children born 30 years apart in 1970 (n = 15,856) and 2000/2 (16,628). We take advantage of rich longitudinal birth cohort data and establish that a child’s own poor health was associated with conduct, hyperactivity and emotional problems in mid-childhood in both generations, and that with the exception of conduct problems in the 1970 cohort these relationships remained when family socio-economic status and individual characteristics were accounted for. Poor maternal mental health was similarly associated with conduct, hyperactivity and emotional problems in both generations; poor parental physical health with a child having later hyperactivity and emotional problems in the younger generation. Results also indicated that earlier behaviour problems had more influence on later problems for children in the more recent cohort. Given the increasing proportion of children and adolescents with mental health problems and that socio-economic disadvantage increases physical and mental well-being concerns within families, policy solutions must consider the holistic nature of a child’s family environment to prevent some children experiencing a ‘double whammy’ of disadvantage. The early years provide the best opportunity to promote children’s resilience and well-being and minimise the development of entrenched negative behaviours and their subsequent costs to society

Sex, ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities and trajectories in child and adolescent mental health in Australia and the UK: findings from national prospective longitudinal studies

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the sex, ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities in emotional difficulties over childhood and adolescence using longitudinal cohort studies in the UK and Australia. Estimating cross-national differences contributes to understanding of the consistency of inequalities in mental health across contexts. METHODS: Data from 19,748 participants in two contemporary representative samples in Australia (Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, n = 4,975) and UK (Millennium Cohort Study, n = 14,773) were used. Emotional difficulties were assessed using the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at ages 4/5, 6/7, 11/12 and 14/15 years and the self-reported Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire at age 14/15. Latent Growth Curve Modelling was used to examine mental health over time. RESULTS: There were significant increases in emotional difficulties in both countries over time. Emotional difficulties were higher in Australian children at all ages. The gender gap in self-reported depressive symptoms at age 14/15 was larger in the UK (8% of UK and 13% of Australian boys were above the depression cut-off, compared with 23% of girls). Ethnic minority children had higher emotional difficulties at age 4/5 years in both countries, but over time this difference was no longer observed in Australia. In the UK, this reversed whereby at ages 11/12 and 14/15 ethnic minority children had lower symptoms than their White majority peers. Socioeconomic differences were more marked based on parent education and employment status in Australia and by parent income in the UK. UK children, children from White majority ethnicity and girls evidenced steeper worsening of symptoms from age 4/5 to 14/15 years. CONCLUSIONS: Even in two fairly similar countries (i.e. English-speaking, high-income, industrialised), the observed patterns of inequalities in mental health symptoms based on sociodemographics are not the same. Understanding country and context-specific drivers of different inequalities provides important insights to help reduce disparities in child and adolescent mental health

Exploring the permanence of conservation covenants

Conservation on private land is a growing part of international efforts to stem the decline of biodiversity. In many countries, private land conservation policy often supports in-perpetuity covenants and easements, which are legally binding agreements used to protect biodiversity on private land by restricting activities that may negatively impact ecological values. With a view to understand the long-term security of these mechanisms, we examined release and breach data from all 13 major covenanting programs across Australia. We report that out of 6,818 multi-party covenants, only 8 had been released, contrasting with approximately 130 of 673 single-party covenants. Breach data was limited, with a minimum of 71 known cases where covenant obligations had not been met. With a focus on private land conservation policy, we use the results from this case study to argue that multi-party covenants appear an enduring conservation mechanism, highlight the important role that effective monitoring and reporting of the permanency of these agreements plays in contributing to their long-term effectiveness, and provide recommendations for organizations seeking to improve their monitoring programs. The collection of breach and release data is important for the continuing improvement of conservation policies and practices for private land

Construction of an optical test-bed for eLISA

In the planned eLISA mission a key part of the system is the optical bench that holds the interferometers for reading out the inter-spacecraft distance and the test mass position. We report on ongoing technology development for the eLISA optical system like the back-link between the optical benches and the science interferometer where the local beam is interfered with the received beam from the distant spacecraft. The focus will be on a setup to investigate the tilt-to-pathlength coupling in the science interferometer. To test the science interferometer in the lab a second bench providing a laser beam and a reference interferometer is needed. We present a setup with two ultra-stable low expansion glass benches and bonded optics. To suppress the tilt-to-pathlength coupling to the required level (few μm/rad) imaging optics are placed in front of the interferometer photo diodes