TESTING FOR DIFFERENCES IN CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF IDENTICALLY APPEARING POTATO VARIETIES

Like many other vegetables, potatoes are marketed by type (russet, round white, red), rather than by variety (Burbak, Katahdin, Pontiac). Although varieties of the same type have similar outward appearances, they are also known to have different internal and cooking characteristics. There has been considerable controversy over the need for variety identification promotion in the potato industry. A consumer response study that distinguished between user satisfaction with different potato varieties was viewed as a step toward resolving this issue.Consumer/Household Economics,

Ultrasonic Thermometry for Recession Measurements in Ablative Materials

Recent developments in ultrasonic instrumentation & sensors, improved signal processing, and high speed data acquisition have rekindled interest in ultrasonic thermometry and made temperature localization feasible and economically attractive to a wider range of applications. Ultrasound-based temperature measurements offer several advantages: they are non-intrusive, have high temporal response, isolate the sensor from explosive or chemically harsh environments and do not adversely influence thermal transport. Ultrasonic thermometry techniques rely on precise measurements of ultrasonic time-of-flight (ToF) which forms the basis for many applications including measurements of flow, heat flux, temperature, ablation and strain. In this report, we characterize the ultrasonic propagation characteristics of several ablative materials. Properties relevant to ultrasonic thermometry include backscattering properties, attenuation coefficient, ultrasonic velocity, and velocity-temperature coefficient. We will present preliminary experiments directed at developing ultrasonic methods for simultaneous temperature and recession measurements on ablators. Various approaches to measuring recession, heat flux, and internal temperature profiles in ablators will be described

Convergence Conditions for Random Quantum Circuits

Efficient methods for generating pseudo-randomly distributed unitary operators are needed for the practical application of Haar distributed random operators in quantum communication and noise estimation protocols. We develop a theoretical framework for analyzing pseudo-random ensembles generated through a random circuit composition. We prove that the measure over random circuits converges exponentially (with increasing circuit length) to the uniform (Haar) measure on the unitary group and describe how the rate of convergence may be calculated for specific applications.Comment: 4 pages (revtex), comments welcome. v2: reference added, title changed; v3: published version, minor changes, references update

Quantum Process Tomography of the Quantum Fourier Transform

The results of quantum process tomography on a three-qubit nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information processor are presented, and shown to be consistent with a detailed model of the system-plus-apparatus used for the experiments. The quantum operation studied was the quantum Fourier transform, which is important in several quantum algorithms and poses a rigorous test for the precision of our recently-developed strongly modulating control fields. The results were analyzed in an attempt to decompose the implementation errors into coherent (overall systematic), incoherent (microscopically deterministic), and decoherent (microscopically random) components. This analysis yielded a superoperator consisting of a unitary part that was strongly correlated with the theoretically expected unitary superoperator of the quantum Fourier transform, an overall attenuation consistent with decoherence, and a residual portion that was not completely positive - although complete positivity is required for any quantum operation. By comparison with the results of computer simulations, the lack of complete positivity was shown to be largely a consequence of the incoherent errors during the quantum process tomography procedure. These simulations further showed that coherent, incoherent, and decoherent errors can often be identified by their distinctive effects on the spectrum of the overall superoperator. The gate fidelity of the experimentally determined superoperator was 0.64, while the correlation coefficient between experimentally determined superoperator and the simulated superoperator was 0.79; most of the discrepancies with the simulations could be explained by the cummulative effect of small errors in the single qubit gates.Comment: 26 pages, 17 figures, four tables; in press, Journal of Chemical Physic

A Dichotomous Role for Nitric Oxide During Acute Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Mice

Production of nitric oxide by macrophages is believed to be an important microbicidal mechanism for a variety of intracellular pathogens, including Toxoplasma gondii. Mice with a targeted disruption of the inducible nitric oxide synthase gene (iNOS) were infected orally with T. gondii tissue cysts. Time to death was prolonged compared with parental controls. Histologic analysis of tissue from infected mice showed scattered small foci of inflammation with parasites in various tissues of iNOS−/− mice, whereas tissue from the parental C57BL/6 mice had more extensive tissue inflammation with few visible parasites. In particular, extensive ulceration and necrosis of distal small intestine and fatty degeneration of the liver was seen in the parental mice at day 7 postinfection, as compared with the iNOS−/− mice where these tissues appeared normal. Serum interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α levels postinfection were equally elevated in both mouse strains. Treatment of the parental mice with a NO synthase inhibitor, aminoguanidine, prevented early death in these mice as well as the hepatic degeneration and small bowel necrosis seen in acutely infected control parentals. These findings indicate that NO production during acute infection with T. gondii can kill intracellular parasites but can be detrimental, even lethal, to the host

Experimental Implementation of the Quantum Baker's Map

This paper reports on the experimental implementation of the quantum baker's map via a three bit nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantum information processor. The experiments tested the sensitivity of the quantum chaotic map to perturbations. In the first experiment, the map was iterated forward and then backwards to provide benchmarks for intrinsic errors and decoherence. In the second set of experiments, the least significant qubit was perturbed in between the iterations to test the sensitivity of the quantum chaotic map to applied perturbations. These experiments are used to investigate previous predicted properties of quantum chaotic dynamics.Comment: submitted to PR

Metastatic prostate cancer masquerading clinically and radiologically as a primary caecal carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Prostatic carcinoma is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in males in the West. Approximately 20% of patients present with metastatic disease. We describe the case of a patient with metastatic prostate cancer to the bowel presenting clinically and radiologically as a primary caecal cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72 year-old man presented with abdominal discomfort and a clinically palpable caecal mass and a firm nodule on his thigh, the latter behaving clinically and radiologically as a lipoma. Computed tomographic (CT) scan showed a luminally protuberant caecal mass with regional nodal involvement. The patient was being treated (Zoladex(®)) for prostatic cancer diagnosed 6 years previously and was known to have bony metastases. On admission his PSA was 245.4 nmol/ml. The patient underwent a right hemicolectomy. Histology showed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma which was PSA positive, confirming metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma to the caecum. The patient underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and is free from recurrence a year later. CONCLUSION: Metastasis of prostatic carcinoma to the bowel is a very rare occurrence and presents a challenging diagnosis. The diagnosis is supported by immunohistochemistry for PSA. The treatment for metastatic prostate cancer is mainly palliative

Evaluating the 'lessons learned' in transitioning a digital health technology for dementia from lab to care home

The introduction of technologies and devices to support wellbeing in dementia are often evaluated using sensing technologies in a rather tech-heavy approach. The information presented by these devices is efficiently generated and typically low maintenance but this does not come without certain caveats.By nature, sensing of any type is a probing modality. Hence the information is inquisitory and personal in one form or another. The assurance that this information is collected, managed and shared in the correct manner is essential in ensuring its acceptability. Therefore it seems apparent that careful design of the system architecture and research protocols are key to achieving these objectives. However, as with any research study there are unforeseen circumstances that emerge when operating technology within a new site, presenting new challenges while seemingly at the pinnacle of a study protocol. This can be a head-scratcher for researchers and case-specific issues can demand thinking outside the box. This study considers the specific case of a lighting technology to support the synchronisation of the circadian rhythm for people living with dementia. This represents an interesting case since the amount of research conducted in this area is scarce making standard guidelines for implementation essentially non-existent. As such, this research dissects the following themes from technical, ethical, logistical and coordination issues often present when implementing a new technology in a care home. 1) Technical: The issues of networking and gateway communications are discussed alongside the question of data. How do we ensure it is of the required quality? Is it consistently transferred and stored? How does it remain secure?2) Ethical: The ethical process for implementing technology in care homes is addressed, while considering the perspective of people living with dementia. The question of medical device status is outlined alongside the discussion of consent.3) Logistical/planning: A review of site survey checklists, materials and structural composition of the built environment is evaluated, alongside an insight into the adherence to site-specific requirements.4) Coordination: Implementing a research protocol requires aligning the needs of the residents and care staff in an approach that best suits them in their daily routines, therefore the coordination and communication involved in this process is also outlined.To conclude, an informal evaluation of the entire system and study design is conducted between researchers and the care home manager. The study therefore closes with an approach to revising future designs for larger scale deployments and recommendations for a step-by-step process for designing trials from the lab to care home environment.<br/