Nonconvexity of private capacity and classical environment-assisted capacity of a quantum channel

The capacity of classical channels is convex. This is not the case for the quantum capacity of a channel: The capacity of a mixture of different quantum channels exceeds the mixture of the individual capacities and thus is nonconvex. Here we show that this effect goes beyond the quantum capacity and holds for the private and classical environment-assisted capacities of quantum channels.S.S. acknowledges the support of Sidney Sussex College and European Union under project QALGO (Grant Agreement No. 600700). D.E. has been partially supported by STW, the NWO Vidi grant “Large quantum networks from small quantum devices,” and by the project HyQuNet (Grant No. TEC2012-35673), funded by Ministerio de Econom´ıa y Competitividad (MINECO), Spain

The involuntary nature of binge drinking: goal directedness and awareness of intention

Binge drinking represents a public health issue and is a known risk factor in the development of alcohol use disorders. Previous studies have shown behavioural as well as neuroanatomical alterations associated with binge drinking. Here, we address the question of the automaticity or involuntary nature of the behaviour by assessing goal-directed behaviour and intentionality. In this study, we used a computational two-step task, designed to discern between model-based/goal-directed and model-free/habitual behaviours, and the classic Libet clock task, to study intention awareness, in a sample of 31 severe binge drinkers (BD) and 35 matched healthy volunteers. We observed that BD had impaired goal-directed behaviour in the two-step task compared with healthy volunteers. In the Libet clock task, BD showed delayed intention awareness. Further, we demonstrated that alcohol use severity, as reflected by the alcohol use disorders identification test, correlated with decreased conscious awareness of volitional intention in BD, although it was unrelated to performance on the two-step task. However, the time elapsed since the last drinking binge influenced the model-free scores, with BD showing less habitual behaviour after longer abstinence. Our findings suggest that the implementation of goal-directed strategies and the awareness of volitional intention are affected in current heavy alcohol users. However, the modulation of these impairments by alcohol use severity and abstinence suggests a state effect of alcohol use in these measures and that top-down volitional control might be ameliorated with alcohol use cessation.N.D. is a research fellow of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DO1915/1-1). This study was funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellowship to V.V. (983705/Z/10/Z). V.V. is funded by a Medical Research Council Senior Fellowship (MR/P008747/1)

Impaired awareness of motor intention in functional neurological disorder: implications for voluntary and functional movement

Functional neurological disorders (FNDs), also known as conversion disorder, are unexplained neurological symptoms unrelated to a neurological cause. The disorder is common, yet poorly understood. The symptoms are experienced as involuntary but have similarities to voluntary processes. Here we studied intention awareness in FND. A total of 26 FND patients and 25 healthy volunteers participated in this functional magnetic resonance study using Libet's clock. FND is characterized by delayed awareness of the intention to move relative to the movement itself. The reporting of intention was more precise, suggesting that these findings are reliable and unrelated to non-specific attentional deficits. That these findings were more prominent with aberrant positive functional movement symptoms rather than negative symptoms may be relevant to impairments in timing for an inhibitory veto process. Attention towards intention relative to movement was associated with lower right inferior parietal cortex activity in FND, a region early in the processing of intention. During rest, aberrant functional connectivity was observed with the right inferior parietal cortex and other motor intention regions. The results converge with observations of low inferior parietal activity comparing involuntary with voluntary movement in FND, emphasizing core deficiencies in intention. Heightened precision of this impaired intention is consistent with Bayesian theories of impaired top-down priors that might influence the sense of involuntariness. A primary impairment in voluntary motor intention at an early processing stage might explain clinical observations of slowed effortful voluntary movement, heightened self-directed attention and underlie functional movements. These findings further suggest novel therapeutic targets.N.D. is a research fellow of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DO1915/1-1). V.V. is a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellow (983705/Z/10/Z). The study was funded by the Biomedical Research Council

Nonconvexity of private capacity and classical environment-assisted capacity of a quantum channel

The capacity of classical channels is convex. This is not the case for the quantum capacity of a channel: The capacity of a mixture of different quantum channels exceeds the mixture of the individual capacities and thus is nonconvex. Here we show that this effect goes beyond the quantum capacity and holds for the private and classical environment-assisted capacities of quantum channels.Quantum Information and Softwar

Финансовая поддержка МСП в Свердловской области

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the mechanism for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the Sverdlovsk region. At the beginning, the trend of SMEs development in the region is analyzed. Also, actions for the implementation of regional support projects are given. In addition, the key areas of activity of the Sverdlovsk Regional Entrepreneurship Support Fund and its contribution to expanding access to concessional financing for small and medium-sized businesses are presented. At the end of the article, a conclusion is made about the problems of the SME sector that the regional government has yet to solve.В статье рассматривается механизм поддержки малого и среднего предпринимательства (МСП) в Свердловской области. В начале статьи анализируется тенденция развития МСП в регионе. Далее рассматриваются меры по реализации региональных проектов поддержки. Кроме того, приводятся ключевые направления деятельности Свердловского областного фонда поддержки предпринимательства и его вклад в расширение доступа к льготному финансированию для малого и среднего бизнеса. В конце статьи делается вывод о проблемах сектора МСП, которые правительству области еще предстоит решить

Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) to prevent transition to psychosis in people with an at-risk mental state (ARMS): a mixed method feasibility study

Background: Trauma plays an important role in the development of psychosis, but no studies have investigated whether a trauma-focused therapy could prevent psychosis.Aims: This study aimed to establish whether it would be feasible to conduct a multi-centre randomised controlled trial (RCT) to prevent psychosis in people with ARMS using EMDR.Method: This started as a mixed-method randomised study comparing EMDR to treatment as usual but, due to low patient recruitment, was changed to single-arm feasibility study. The proposed primary outcome for a RCT was transition to psychosis by 12-month follow-up. Data on secondary outcomes were also collected. Qualitative interviews were conducted with patients and therapists. Results: 14 participants were recruited from the Early Intervention (EI) teams. Most patients who expressed an interest in taking part attended an assessment to determine eligibility. All those eligible consented to take part. 64% (7 of 11) of participants who were offered EMDR were followed up at 12 months. Of the 11 participants offered EMDR, one (11%, 95%CI: 0.2%, 48%) transitioned to psychosis. Nine patients and three therapists were interviewed. Patients who completed therapy (n=4; mean 10.5 sessions) found EMDR helpful, but those who discontinued (n=6; mean 5.2 sessions) said it had not benefited them overall. Therapists said EMDR could be effective, although not for all patients. Conclusions: Future studies recruiting ARMS to a RCT may need to extend recruitment beyond EI teams. Whilst some patients found EMDR helpful, reasons for discontinuing need to be addressed in future studies.Trial registration number: ISRCTN31976295KeywordsEMDR, ARMS, psychosis, prevention, feasibility study<br/

Effect of High Energy Electron Irradiation on Structure and Optical Properties of ZnO Films

Zinc oxide films were grown on sapphire substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering and irradiated by electrons with energy 10 MeV and fluences $10^{16}$ and $2 \times 10^{16} cm^{-2}$. As-grown and irradiated samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy. It was found that radiation causes the appearance of complex defects, reducing the size of coherent scattering regions and the increase of the defect PL band