A follow-up study of the social adjustment of referred children after group termination

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

A follow-up study of the social adjustment of referred children after group termination

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Dynamical Generation of Noiseless Quantum Subsystems

We present control schemes for open quantum systems that combine decoupling and universal control methods with coding procedures. By exploiting a general algebraic approach, we show how appropriate encodings of quantum states result in obtaining universal control over dynamically-generated noise-protected subsystems with limited control resources. In particular, we provide an efficient scheme for performing universal encoded quantum computation in a wide class of systems subjected to linear non-Markovian quantum noise and supporting Heisenberg-type internal Hamiltonians.Comment: 4 pages, no figures; REVTeX styl

A subsystem-independent generalization of entanglement

We introduce a generalization of entanglement based on the idea that entanglement is relative to a distinguished subspace of observables rather than a distinguished subsystem decomposition. A pure quantum state is entangled relative to such a subspace if its expectations are a proper mixture of those of other states. Many information-theoretic aspects of entanglement can be extended to the general setting, suggesting new ways of measuring and classifying entanglement in multipartite systems. By going beyond the distinguishable-subsystem framework, generalized entanglement also provides novel tools for probing quantum correlations in interacting many-body systems.Comment: 5 pages, 1 encapsulated color figure, REVTeX4 styl

Suppression of decoherence in quantum registers by entanglement with a nonequilibrium environment

It is shown that a nonequilibrium environment can be instrumental in suppressing decoherence between distinct decoherence free subspaces in quantum registers. The effect is found in the framework of exact coherent-product solutions for model registers decohering in a bath of degenerate harmonic modes, through couplings linear in bath coordinates. These solutions represent a natural nonequilibrium extension of the standard solution for a decoupled initial register state and a thermal environment. Under appropriate conditions, the corresponding reduced register distribution can propagate in an unperturbed manner, even in the presence of entanglement between states belonging to distinct decoherence free subspaces, and despite persistent bath entanglement. As a byproduct, we also obtain a refined picture of coherence dynamics under bang-bang decoherence control. In particular, it is shown that each radio-frequency pulse in a typical bang-bang cycle induces a revival of coherence, and that these revivals are exploited in a natural way by the time-symmetrized version of the bang-bang protocol.Comment: RevTex3, 26 pgs., 2 figs.. This seriously expanded version accepted by Phys.Rev.A. No fundamentally new content, but rewritten introduction to problem, self-contained introduction of thermal coherent-product states in standard operator formalism, examples of zero-temperature decoherence free Davydov states. Also fixed a typo that propagated into an interpretational blunder in old Sec.3 [fortunately of no consequence

On Quantum Control via Encoded Dynamical Decoupling

I revisit the ideas underlying dynamical decoupling methods within the framework of quantum information processing, and examine their potential for direct implementations in terms of encoded rather than physical degrees of freedom. The usefulness of encoded decoupling schemes as a tool for engineering both closed- and open-system encoded evolutions is investigated based on simple examples.Comment: 12 pages, no figures; REVTeX style. This note collects various theoretical considerations complementing/motivated by the experimental demonstration of encoded control by Fortunato et a

Improving an online higher education pharmacology course based on students’ perception

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak transformed education thoroughly. Our in-classroom Pharmacology course had to be adapted precipitously into a completely online modality. Hence, we aimed to evaluate its efficacy for learning and improve it based on our students’ perception. Methods: Semi-open questionnaires were designed and applied at the end of the 2020 and 2021 courses to assess students’ satisfaction on the following fields: eLearning platform, lectures, synchronous discussion section, asynchronous collaborative work, and assessments. Data from the first online course was analyzed and evidence-based improvements were performed for the 2021 course. Quantitative comparison of cohorts was carried out. Furthermore, students’ perception from the last in-person course (2019) was analyzed. Results: The 2019-course questionnaire demonstrated a good acceptance towards an incipient use of the virtual campus. Comparison of the complete online cohorts revealed a significant increase in positive answers in six items: complementarity of lectures with discussion sections (85% vs. 100%), teaching strategy (30% vs. 84%), adequacy of faculty’s role (47% vs. 79%), pre- and post-class activities (30% vs. 55%), wording of exercises (30% vs. 55%) and assessments (50% vs. 97%). Moreover, a modification of the students’ requests expressed in the comment section was observed. Conclusions: Custom-designed semi-open questionnaires used to evaluate students’ perception and receiving feedback on the Pharmacology course provided high quality information to promote student-oriented changes that allowed for an improvement in the teaching-learning process

Simultaneous determination of 148 pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in sewage sludge based on ultrasound-assisted extraction and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

This paper describes the development and validation of a new method for the simultaneous determination of 148 substances in sewage sludge. The selected compounds belong to different classes of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, analgesic and/or anti-inflammatory drugs, antiepileptics, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, and antidepressants, among others, and illicit drugs, including opiates, opioids, cocaine, amphetamines, cannabinoids, and their metabolites. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first method in the peer-reviewed literature covering such a large number of target drugs for determination in a complex matrix like sewage sludge. The method presented herein combines ultrasoundassisted extraction (USE) and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Good analytical performance was achieved, with limit-of-detection values below 10 ng g−1 d.w. for 91 % of the analytes and absolute recovery in the range 50–110 % for more than 77 % of the studied compounds. A combination of methanol and acidified water, also containing EDTA, proved to be the optimum solvent mixture to perform the extractions. An extra solid-phaseextraction clean-up step was not required, substantially reducing sample-preparation time and solvent consumption. Finally, the developed method was applied to the analysis of different sewage-sludge samples from five wastewater treatment plants of Santorini Island (Greece). Out of the 148 target compounds, 36 were detected. Several compounds, including acetylsalicylic acid, citalopram, and ciprofloxacin among others, had maximum concentrations above 100 ng g−1 d.w