Violating Bell Inequalities Maximally for Two dd-Dimensional Systems

We investigate the maximal violation of Bell inequalities for two $d$-dimensional systems by using the method of Bell operator. The maximal violation corresponds to the maximal eigenvalue of the Bell operator matrix. The eigenvectors corresponding to these eigenvalues are described by asymmetric entangled states. We estimate the maximum value of the eigenvalue for large dimension. A family of elegant entangled states $|\Psi>_{\rm app}$ that violate Bell inequality more strongly than the maximally entangled state but are somewhat close to these eigenvectors is presented. These approximate states can potentially be useful for quantum cryptography as well as many other important fields of quantum information.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure. Revised versio

Design Competencies Futures: How do we REDO Design Education?

Abstract: The REDO biannual Cumulus 2017 conference in Kolding describes “how designers struggle on many levels to gain influence on the decision-making processes” and that we need to “rethink design-doing.” In our professional and didactic experience, designers not always have the language or terminology to convey the depth, value or validity of ‘design-doing’ contributions to these decision-making processes. This raises the question whether design education can do a better job in providing language that can help design students articulate what makes ‘design doing’ so special and relevant. In order to better articulate the value, depth and validity of ‘design doing’ we have developed a framework of design competencies that maybe helpful to other design educators to define, organize and measure the value of ‘design doing’, and help future design practitioners to better understand and communicate the value of what they have learned. After a brief description of the pedagogical context from which the work originated, this paper presents a conference workshop proposal that aims to introduce participants to a framework of ‘design doing’ competencies that allows for diversity and scalability in usage, while appreciating the different cultural, national and regional backgrounds and variations for different design disciplines. In the workshop, we will guide participants through a series of hands-on exercises and ‘visual thinking’ experiences that enable design educators and practitioners to define and detail dynamic, open design competencies in a playful, energizing way. The overarching aim of the workshop is to collaboratively develop a shared language and terminology that helps educators, practitioners and design students to understand, define and communicate the value of ‘design doing’

Chinese international students at University of the Arts London:changing perceptions on creativity

Short paper, presented on Ethnography Track

Change in Phylogenetic Community Structure during Succession of Traditionally Managed Tropical Rainforest in Southwest China

Tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia are facing increasing and ever more intense human disturbance that often negatively affects biodiversity. The aim of this study was to determine how tree species phylogenetic diversity is affected by traditional forest management types and to understand the change in community phylogenetic structure during succession. Four types of forests with different management histories were selected for this purpose: old growth forests, understorey planted old growth forests, old secondary forests (∼200-years after slash and burn), and young secondary forests (15–50-years after slash and burn). We found that tree phylogenetic community structure changed from clustering to over-dispersion from early to late successional forests and finally became random in old-growth forest. We also found that the phylogenetic structure of the tree overstorey and understorey responded differentially to change in environmental conditions during succession. In addition, we show that slash and burn agriculture (swidden cultivation) can increase landscape level plant community evolutionary information content

A review of microencapsulated and composite phase change materials: Alteration of strength and thermal properties of cement-based materials

Due to the population growth and the increased reliance on cooling and heating systems, buildings have become the largest energy consumer worldwide. The use of phase change material (PCM) has shown great potential to reduce the annual cooling and heating load by up to 50%. Nowadays, the direct incorporation of PCM in cement-based materials (CBM) is creating a considerable debate in the research community with regards to the proper selection and the beneficial utilization of PCM (microencapsulated or composite) in CBM. Therefore, this paper reviews the pros and cons of using microencapsulated and composite PCM in CBM by highlighting the mechanisms involved in the mechanical strength loss and thermal properties enhancement. Generally, a high thermal energy storage CBM was obtained. However, PCM exhibited a negative effect on the compressive strength of CBM. In view of the literature review, the compressive strength reduction varies considerably with no clear trend which is understandable in view of the differences in mix designs as well as the variety of materials used in each study. Finally, an up-to-date PCM case studies, gaps and future directions are also presented to provide a reliable basis and helpful reference for the future development of eco-friendly and energy-efficient building materials containing PCM