Qubit Entanglement Driven by Remote Optical Fields

We examine the entanglement between two qubits, supposed to be remotely located and driven by independent quantized optical fields. No interaction is allowed between the qubits, but their degree of entanglement changes as a function of time. We report a collapse and revival of entanglement that is similar to the collapse and revival of single-atom properties in cavity QED.Comment: v3, major changes, published in Optics Letter

Educational Quality and Labour Market Performance in Developing Countries: Some Evidence from Pakistan

Several studies have shown that investment in the quality of education has a higher payoff than investment in quantity alone.1 However, in many developing countries, investment in improving educational quality is still accorded a lower priority than investment in educational quantity. Countries which commit more resources towards education are generally observed to expand their enrolment ratios while paying little attention on improving such schooling inputs as student-teacher ratio that contribute towards improvement of educational quality (Table 1). There is also a tendency to allocate minimal resources towards upgrading existing schools by improving quality of teaching, facilities, and curricula. Greater emphasis is placed on rapid expansion of the number of educational institutions to reach out a large proportion of population.

Coherent State Control of Non-Interacting Quantum Entanglement

We exploit a novel approximation scheme to obtain a new and compact formula for the parameters underlying coherent-state control of the evolution of a pair of entangled two-level systems. It is appropriate for long times and for relatively strong external quantum control via coherent state irradiation. We take account of both discrete-state and continuous-variable degrees of freedom. The formula predicts the relative heights of entanglement revivals and their timing and duration.Comment: Published in PRA, 10 pages, 7 figure

Serum homocysteine level in hormonal contraceptive users in Kano Metropolis

Background: Homocysteine is a sulfur containing amino acid that is normally present in all cells of the body. The homocysteine level is linked to folate and Vitamin B-12 levels. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hormonal contraceptives (HCPs) on homocysteine levels among healthy women using the HCPs. Method: A total of 90 participants were recruited in this study; 60 women on hormonal contraceptives served as the case group and 30 non-HCP users were considered as control. Blood samples were collected, and serum was analyzed for homocysteine levels in both groups. The mean ± standard deviation of the homocysteine levels were then determined and compared using student t-test. Results: The mean ± standard deviation of Serum Homocysteine in the case group, (14.14 ± 7.56μmol/L, was found to be significantly higher than the mean ± standard deviation of the control group which was 9.59 ± 5.87μmol/L (p-value of 0.005). The study also found statistically significant positive correlation (r<1) between duration of hormonal contraceptives use and serum homocysteine levels of HCPs users with r-value of 0.058. Conclusion: This study observed significant relationship between HCPs and increased serum homocysteine. Significantly increased homocysteine levels were observed in HCPs users compared to non-users. There was also positive correlation between the duration of HCP usage and increased homocysteine levels. Keywords: Contraception; Folate; Homocystinuria; Oral contraceptive

Educational Quality and Labour Market Performance in Developing Countries: Some Evidence from Pakistan

vSeveral studies have shown that investment in the quality of education has a higher payoff than investment in quantity alone.1 However, in many developing countries, investment in improving educational quality is still accorded a lower priority than investment in educational quantity. Countries which commit more resources towards education are generally observed to expand their enrolment ratios while paying little attention on improving such schooling inputs as student-teacher ratio that contribute towards improvement of educational quality (Table 1).2 There is also a tendency to allocate minimal resources towards upgrading existing schools by improving quality of teaching, facilities, and curricula. Greater emphasis is placed on rapid expansion of the number of educational institutions to reach out a large proportion of population

Acceleration of Nucleophilic CH Activation by Strongly Basic Solvents

(IPI)Ru(II)(OH)_n(H_2O)_m, 2, where IPI is the NNN-pincer ligand, 2,6-diimidizoylpyridine, is shown to catalyze H/D exchange between hydrocarbons and strongly basic solvents at higher rates than in the case of the solvent alone. Significantly, catalysis by 2 is accelerated rather than inhibited by increasing solvent basicity. The evidence is consistent with the reaction proceeding by base modulated nucleophilic CH activation

Reinforced Concrete Beams with Drop-in- Ends of Vertical and Inclined Reinforcement and having Pockets Loaded by In-Plane Static Forces

This research presents an experimental investigation on the behaviour of RC dapped end beams with loaded openings that have been strengthened initially with four different techniques including steel fibre concrete, inclined crossed bars, jacketing with steel plates and the composite section technique. Ten specimens with a rectangular opening at the midspan are tested under in-plane point load within opening. Such beams are categorized into two groups with five specimens per group. The dapped end zone of the first group is reinforced with standard vertical stirrups, while for the other groups inclined bar reinforcement has been used. Two main parameters have been considered which are the detailing of the reinforcement around the opening and the effect of inclusion of the dapped ends. The response has been discussed in terms the first cracking load, ultimate load, maximum deflection, failure modes, load-deflection curves, crack patterns, crack width, to recognize the optimum strengthening proposal of the opening. Results indicated that the modified reinforcement configurations of the dapped ends yielded better response and the ultimate load increased when adopting the composite section method in (21-23%) relative to the conventional beams.  Regarding strengthening by steel SFRC method, an improvement in load capacity by (8-10%) has been observed. Whereas, strengthening with crossed inclined bars yielded an enhancement of (8.5-11%). Furthermore, using steel plates increases the load capacity by about (11-13%)