5,613 research outputs found
Children's Databases - Safety and Privacy
This report describes in detail the policy background, the systems that are being built, the problems with them, and the legal situation in the UK. An appendix looks at Europe, and examines in particular detail how France and Germany have dealt with these issues. Our report concludes with three suggested regulatory action strategies for the Commissioner: one minimal strategy in which he tackles only the clear breaches of the law, one moderate strategy in which he seeks to educate departments and agencies and guide them towards best practice, and finally a vigorous option in which he would seek to bring UK data protection practice in these areas more in line with normal practice in Europe, and indeed with our obligations under European law
Layer by layer generation of cluster states
Cluster states can be used to perform measurement-based quantum computation.
The cluster state is a useful resource, because once it has been generated only
local operations and measurements are needed to perform universal quantum
computation. In this paper, we explore techniques for quickly and
deterministically building a cluster state. In particular we consider
generating cluster states on a qubus quantum computer, a computational
architecture which uses a continuous variable ancilla to generate interactions
between qubits. We explore several techniques for building the cluster, with
the number of operations required depending on whether we allow the ability to
destroy previously created controlled-phase links between qubits. In the case
where we can not destroy these links, we show how to create an n x m cluster
using just 3nm -2n -3m/2 + 3 operations. This gives more than a factor of 2
saving over a naive method. Further savings can be obtained if we include the
ability to destroy links, in which case we only need (8nm-4n-4m-8)/3
operations. Unfortunately the latter scheme is more complicated so choosing the
correct order to interact the qubits is considerably more difficult. A half way
scheme, that keeps a modular generation but saves additional operations over
never destroying links requires only 3nm-2n-2m+4 operations. The first scheme
and the last scheme are the most practical for building a cluster state because
they split up the generation into the repetition of simple sections.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figure
Efficient optical quantum information processing
Quantum information offers the promise of being able to perform certain
communication and computation tasks that cannot be done with conventional
information technology (IT). Optical Quantum Information Processing (QIP) holds
particular appeal, since it offers the prospect of communicating and computing
with the same type of qubit. Linear optical techniques have been shown to be
scalable, but the corresponding quantum computing circuits need many auxiliary
resources. Here we present an alternative approach to optical QIP, based on the
use of weak cross-Kerr nonlinearities and homodyne measurements. We show how
this approach provides the fundamental building blocks for highly efficient
non-absorbing single photon number resolving detectors, two qubit parity
detectors, Bell state measurements and finally near deterministic control-not
(CNOT) gates. These are essential QIP devicesComment: Accepted to the Journal of optics B special issue on optical quantum
computation; References update
Limits in the characteristic function description of non-Lindblad-type open quantum systems
In this paper I investigate the usability of the characteristic functions for
the description of the dynamics of open quantum systems focussing on
non-Lindblad-type master equations. I consider, as an example, a non-Markovian
generalized master equation containing a memory kernel which may lead to
nonphysical time evolutions characterized by negative values of the density
matrix diagonal elements [S.M. Barnett and S. Stenholm, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 64},
033808 (2001)]. The main result of the paper is to demonstrate that there exist
situations in which the symmetrically ordered characteristic function is
perfectly well defined while the corresponding density matrix loses positivity.
Therefore nonphysical situations may not show up in the characteristic
function. As a consequence, the characteristic function cannot be considered an
{\it alternative complete} description of the non-Lindblad dynamics.Comment: Revised version. 4 pages, 1 figur
Succinct Indexable Dictionaries with Applications to Encoding -ary Trees, Prefix Sums and Multisets
We consider the {\it indexable dictionary} problem, which consists of storing
a set for some integer , while supporting the
operations of \Rank(x), which returns the number of elements in that are
less than if , and -1 otherwise; and \Select(i) which returns
the -th smallest element in . We give a data structure that supports both
operations in O(1) time on the RAM model and requires bits to store a set of size , where {\cal B}(n,m) = \ceil{\lg
{m \choose n}} is the minimum number of bits required to store any -element
subset from a universe of size . Previous dictionaries taking this space
only supported (yes/no) membership queries in O(1) time. In the cell probe
model we can remove the additive term in the space bound,
answering a question raised by Fich and Miltersen, and Pagh.
We present extensions and applications of our indexable dictionary data
structure, including:
An information-theoretically optimal representation of a -ary cardinal
tree that supports standard operations in constant time,
A representation of a multiset of size from in bits that supports (appropriate generalizations of) \Rank
and \Select operations in constant time, and
A representation of a sequence of non-negative integers summing up to
in bits that supports prefix sum queries in constant
time.Comment: Final version of SODA 2002 paper; supersedes Leicester Tech report
2002/1
Lessons learned in Liberia: preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of trust and teamwork among maternal healthcare workers
Abstract
Background
Post-conflict Liberia has one of the fastest growing populations on the continent and one of the highest maternal mortality rates among the world. However, in the rural regions, less than half of all births are attended by a skilled birth attendant. There is a need to evaluate the relationship between trained traditional healthcare providers and skilled birth attendants to improve maternal health outcomes. This evaluation must also take into consideration the needs and desires of the patients. The purpose of this pilot study was to establish the validity and reliability of a survey tool to evaluate trust and teamwork in the working relationships between trained traditional midwives and certified midwives in a post-conflict country.
Methods
A previously established scale, the Trust and Teambuilding Scale, was used with non- and low-literate trained traditional midwives (n=48) in rural Liberia to evaluate trust and teamwork with certified midwives in their communities. Initial results indicated that the scale and response keys were culturally inadequate for this population. A revised version of the scale, the Trust and Teamwork Scale – Liberia, was created and administered to an additional group of non- and low-literate, trained traditional midwives (n=42). Exploratory factor analysis using Mplus for dichotomous variables was used to determine the psychometric properties of the revised scale and was then confirmed with the full sample (n=90). Additional analyses included contrast validity, convergent validity, and Kuder-Richardson reliability.
Results
Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors in the revised Trust and Teamwork Scale – Liberia. These two factors, labeled trust and teamwork, included eleven of the original eighteen items used in the Trust and Teamwork Scale and demonstrated contrast and convergent validity and adequate reliability.
Conclusions
The revised scale is suitable for use with non- and low-literate, trained traditional midwives in rural Liberia. Continued cross-cultural validation of tools is essential to ensure scale adequacy across populations. Future work should continue to evaluate the use of the Trust and Teamwork Scale – Liberia across cultures and additional work is needed to confirm the factor structure.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112398/1/12913_2012_Article_2549.pd
The efficiencies of generating cluster states with weak non-linearities
We propose a scalable approach to building cluster states of matter qubits
using coherent states of light. Recent work on the subject relies on the use of
single photonic qubits in the measurement process. These schemes can be made
robust to detector loss, spontaneous emission and cavity mismatching but as a
consequence the overhead costs grow rapidly, in particular when considering
single photon loss. In contrast, our approach uses continuous variables and
highly efficient homodyne measurements. We present a two-qubit scheme, with a
simple bucket measurement system yielding an entangling operation with success
probability 1/2. Then we extend this to a three-qubit interaction, increasing
this probability to 3/4. We discuss the important issues of the overhead cost
and the time scaling. This leads to a "no-measurement" approach to building
cluster states, making use of geometric phases in phase space.Comment: 21 pages, to appear in special issue of New J. Phys. on
"Measurement-Based Quantum Information Processing
Biofilm formation is a risk factor for mortality in patients with Candida albicans bloodstream infection-Scotland, 2012-2013
Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award for Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology 097377/Z/11/Z. Data collection was supported by a grant from Pfizer. G. Ramage was also supported by a research fellowship grant from Gilead Sciences. We are grateful to microbiology colleagues throughout Scotland for submitting isolates.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The initial development of a jet caused by fluid, body and free surface interaction. Part 5. Parasitic capillary waves on an initially horizontal surface
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