Oblivious remote state preparation

We consider remote state preparation protocols for a set of pure states whose projectors form a basis for operators acting on the input Hilbert space. If a protocol (1) uses only forward communication and entanglement, (2) deterministically prepares an exact copy of the state, and (3) does so obliviously -- without leaking further information about the state to the receiver -- then the protocol can be modified to require from the sender only a single specimen of the state. Furthermore, the original protocol and the modified protocol use the same amount of classical communication. Thus, under the three conditions stated, remote state preparation requires at least as much classical communication as teleportation, as Lo has conjectured [PRA 62 (2000) 012313], which is twice the expected classical communication cost of some existing nonoblivious protocols

Remote preparation of quantum states

Remote state preparation is the variant of quantum state teleportation in which the sender knows the quantum state to be communicated. The original paper introducing teleportation established minimal requirements for classical communication and entanglement but the corresponding limits for remote state preparation have remained unknown until now: previous work has shown, however, that it not only requires less classical communication but also gives rise to a trade-off between these two resources in the appropriate setting. We discuss this problem from first principles, including the various choices one may follow in the definitions of the actual resources. Our main result is a general method of remote state preparation for arbitrary states of many qubits, at a cost of 1 bit of classical communication and 1 bit of entanglement per qubit sent. In this "universal" formulation, these ebit and cbit requirements are shown to be simultaneously optimal by exhibiting a dichotomy. Our protocol then yields the exact trade-off curve for arbitrary ensembles of pure states and pure entangled states (including the case of incomplete knowledge of the ensemble probabilities), based on the recently established quantum-classical trade-off for quantum data compression. The paper includes an extensive discussion of our results, including the impact of the choice of model on the resources, the topic of obliviousness, and an application to private quantum channels and quantum data hiding.Comment: 21 pages plus 2 figures (eps), revtex4. v2 corrects some errors and adds obliviousness discussion. v3 has section VI C deleted and various minor oversights correcte

Defining Classical Tenor Saxophone: performer identity, performance practice and contemporary repertoire

The tenor saxophone has gained prominence as a classical instrument for composers and performers during the last four decades. Interest in the instrument has inspired the creation of innovative works and tenor saxophonists are charged with preparing these works for performance. Performing new repertoire has impacted the way in which the classical tenor saxophonists explore the musical potential of their instrument and their role in a larger sense. The aim of this study is to identify important works in the contemporary classical tenor saxophone repertoire, establish how performers approach these works, and discover their perceptions of the instrument. Twenty-two professional saxophonists from Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States of America completed a questionnaire in which they identified significant contemporary classical tenor saxophone works and explained why the works were important to the instrument’s modern repertoire. Twelve saxophonists then participated in an interview in which they explored their perceptions of classical tenor saxophone performance, and gave insights into their experiences studying, performing and teaching the most significant repertoire. Three key works written between 1986 and 2011 were identified, all of which utilised the tenor saxophone’s extensive musical and technical capabilities. These works were all written in a contemporary style and featured strong influences from jazz/pop music. Saxophonists regarded the tenor saxophone as a versatile instrument remarkably suited to the classical idiom and unique in the saxophone family. These professionals employed novel technical and musical approaches in their performance of the contemporary tenor saxophone repertoire to create successful and authentic interpretations. They explained their common perceptions of the instrument and shared a collective musical identity as classical tenor saxophonists

Oscillation and convergence behaviors exhibited in an ‘unstable’ second-order digital filter with saturation-type nonlinearity

This letter explains the oscillatory behaviors exhibited in a second-order digital filter with saturation-type nonlinearity via the Hopf bifurcation theorem. It is shown that depending on the bifurcation parameter, the state variables may converge to zero even when the eigenvalues of the system matrix are outside the unit circle

The impact of a postgraduate learning experience on the confidence of General Dental Practitioners

This study aimed to explore the relationship between participating in a learning experience and the ensuing changes in confidence. A self-selected group of General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) entered a five-year, part-time postgraduate master’s training programme in restorative dentistry. Confidence in communication with patients and technical skills were measured at the start of the programme by questionnaire and at the conclusion of the programme by questionnaire and personal interview. A total of 72 clinicians started the programme; 27% (n = 20) completed the master’s degree. Assessment of confidence revealed a spread from 4/10 to 10/10 for communication with patients and clinical skills in restorative dentistry before the programme started. A total of 15% (n = 11) volunteered for interview. Analysis of qualitative data revealed (i) a perceived increase in confidence from all clinicians; (ii) a perceived greater ability to treat patients; (iii) an increase in treatment options being offered to patients; (iv) a perceived increase in treatment uptake by patients; and (v) greater job opportunities. The study showed a positive relationship between the learning experience and the perceived increase in confidence of clinicians. The increase in confidence manifested itself in better communication and clinical skills

Ranking algorithms for implicit feedback

This report presents novel algorithms to use eye movements as an implicit relevance feedback in order to improve the performance of the searches. The algorithms are evaluated on "Transport Rank Five" Dataset which were previously collected in Task 8.3. We demonstrated that simple linear combination or tensor product of eye movement and image features can improve the retrieval accuracy

The use of picture cards to elicit postgraduate dental student feedback

The aim of this study was to elicit information about the use of picture cards to stimulate student feedback following a postgraduate dental course. Twenty-nine general dental practitioners (GDPs) volunteered for the study. Following an explanation of how this style of feedback worked, students were asked to choose a picture card from those available and use that image to stimulate their feedback. An independent interviewer introduced the topic and gathered comments in the form of qualitative data, generated by pre-formed questions. 93% (n = 26) questionnaires were completed and returned. 77% (n = 20) GDPs reported enjoying giving their feedback by ‘picture card’ technique; 83% (n = 20) reported this form of feedback stimulated their thoughts. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. Some GDPs felt the picture cards helped them formulate their feedback, others felt being able to give feedback to a third party they did not know was beneficial and giving feedback as a group was helpful. This novel approach of using picture cards to stimulate feedback was well received by these GDPs. A mixed result as to the value of this style of feedback was evident. A group feedback session facilitated by a stranger was considered to be a valuable approach to take