Coherent adiabatic transport of atoms in radio-frequency traps

Coherent transport by adiabatic passage has recently been suggested as a high-fidelity technique to engineer the center-of-mass state of single atoms in inhomogeneous environments. While the basic theory behind this process is well understood, several conceptual challenges for its experimental observation have still to be addressed. One of these is the difficulty that currently available optical or magnetic micro-trap systems have in adjusting the tunneling rate time dependently while keeping resonance between the asymptotic trapping states at all times. Here we suggest that both requirements can be fulfilled to a very high degree in an experimentally realistic setup based on radio-frequency traps on atom chips. We show that operations with close to 100% fidelity can be achieved and that these systems also allow significant improvements for performing adiabatic passage with interacting atomic clouds

The Impact of the Mathematics Support Centre on the Grades of First Year Students at the National University of Ireland Maynooth

In this paper we consider the mathematics grades of first year students at the National University of Ireland Maynooth and the influence that the Mathematics Support Centre has on these grades. We will consider evidence to suggest that the Mathematics Support Centre has a positive effect on the grades of the students who attend the centre. It seems to be particularly beneficial to students with weak mathematical backgrounds. As these students are most at risk of failing or dropping out of University, the positive impact of the Mathematics Support Centre on their grades is very encouragin

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

The Impact of the Mathematics Support Centre on the Grades of First Year Students at the National University of Ireland Maynooth

In this paper we consider the mathematics grades of first year students at the National University of Ireland Maynooth and the influence that the Mathematics Support Centre has on these grades. We will consider evidence to suggest that the Mathematics Support Centre has a positive effect on the grades of the students who attend the centre. It seems to be particularly beneficial to students with weak mathematical backgrounds. As these students are most at risk of failing or dropping out of University, the positive impact of the Mathematics Support Centre on their grades is very encouragin

Alcohol-attributable mortality in Ireland.

AIMS: The study aim was to calculate Irish alcohol-attributable fractions (AAFs) and to apply these measurements to existing data in order to quantify the impact of alcohol on mortality. METHODS: Exposure of the Irish population to alcohol was derived from a national survey and combined with estimates of the alcohol-disease/injury risk association from meta-analyses in the international literature to calculate Irish AAFs. In diseases for which relative risk estimates were not available, such as injury, AAFs were taken directly from Ridolfo and Stevenson [(2001) The quantification of drug-caused mortality and morbidity in Australia, 1998. In Drug Statistics Series no. 7. AIHW cat. no. PHE 29. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra]. AAFs were applied to national datasets to calculate alcohol-attributed mortality caused or prevented and potential years of life lost (PYLL) or saved. RESULTS: In Ireland, over the 5-year period from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2004, alcohol was estimated to have caused 4.4% (6584) of deaths and 10.8% (131,245) of all-cause PYLL. Alcohol was estimated to have prevented 2.7% (3967) of deaths and 1.5% (18,285) of all-cause PYLL. This resulted in an estimated net effect of 1.8% (2616) of deaths and 9.3% (112,959) of all-cause PYLL. Chronic conditions were responsible for 69% of alcohol-attributable deaths and acute conditions for 31%. Conditions not wholly attributable to alcohol accounted for 83% of deaths as opposed to 17% for conditions wholly caused by alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed for the first time the full magnitude of deaths from alcohol in Ireland and revealed that while young people and those dependent on alcohol are at high risk of negative outcomes due to alcohol, particularly acute injuries, at an individual level, at a population level it is in fact moderate drinkers and chronic diseases, not wholly attributable to alcohol, that are associated with most alcohol-attributed deaths. The findings of this study suggest that policies focusing on the whole population attitude to alcohol, and chronic conditions and conditions partially attributable to alcohol, would yield considerable public health benefits