Probing the structure of entanglement with entanglement moments

We introduce and define a set of functions on pure bipartite states called entanglement moments. Usual entanglement measures tell you if two systems are entangled, while entanglement moments tell you both if and how two systems are entangled. They are defined with respect to a measurement basis in one system (e.g., a measuring device), and output numbers describing how a system (e.g., a qubit) is entangled with that measurement basis. The moments utilize different distance measures on the Hilbert space of the measured system, and can be generalized to any N-dimensional Hilbert space. As an application, they can distinguish between projective and non-projective measurements. As a particular example, we take the Rabi model's eigenstates and calculate the entanglement moments as well as the full distribution of entanglement.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

In search of Askia Mohammed: The epic of Askia Mohammed as cultural history and Songhay foundational myth

This thesis offers a detailed historical analysis of The Epic of Askia Mohammed, a foundational myth that ranks among the more well-known global tales of cultural heroes and state formation. The sudden regime change that resulted in the collapse of the Songhay Sunni dynasty and the ascent of the Songhay Askia dynasty in 1492-93 is one of the most important events in West African history. This swift rebellion reversed decades of destructive economic and religious policies. As such, the memory of these dynamic and transformative times was captured by the griots, the oral historians of the Sudan. Nouhou Malio, a Songhay griot, recounted his version of the demise of Sunni Ali and the rise of Askia Mohammed to Penn State professor Thomas Hale in 1980-81. This tale is packed with symbolic meaning. When placed in historical and cultural context, one finds that Malio communicated complex social and political ideas in what Joseph Campbell termed the picture language of mythology. Campbell\u27s theory of the Hero\u27s Journey is the standard against which the themes of the epic are gauged. The epic is compared to the historical record in order to find the deeper meaning and kernels of truth buried in the allegories of the tale. Sunni Ali is remembered as a great warrior and a magician-king, while Askia Mohammed is viewed as an able administrator and devout Muslim. This is a false dichotomy. A nuanced understanding is achieved upon close investigation into the period of regime change. Ultimately, one finds that the epic is brimming with details concerning the Songhay past and present and that the players are much more complex than popularly perceived

In Search of Askia Mohammed

This is my MA thesis. I contextualized the Songhay oral history concerning king Askia Mohammed. I placed the folk lore in cultural and historical context to illustrate that the Epic of Askia Mohammed is a complex work of mythology that communicates difficult and complicated information in easily understandable picture stories. These stories are not at all factual and often distort the historical narrative, but they do so in order that the audience is entertained, cultural norms are reinforced, and the historical account is preserved in a culturally approved framework

Public Data Analysis of Parent-Child Well Relationships Across US Unconventional Basins

Parent-child wells are horizontal wells drilled in close proximity to each other in unconventional basins. Simulation work in the technical literature demonstrates how the depletion effects and fracture communication between parent and child wells can lead to child well underperformance. High-level, basin-wide data analysis of unconventional basins confirms this effect. However, as completion designs evolve and more state-of-the-art horizontal wells are completed in these basins, it is necessary to revisit this analysis and make adjustments and additions to the previous body of work. Specifically, initial production differences between parent and child wells need to be correlated to cumulative production differences, and more analysis regarding the effect of timing and spacing were in order. In this study, parent-child well pairs for wells completed within the last seven years in nine different unconventional basins are identified with Python code and Enverus public data obtained in November 2020. Those basins include the Bakken, Delaware, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Marcellus/Utica, Midland, Niobrara, Powder River, and Scoop/Stack Basins. In Python, calculations are performed to create the necessary comparative metrics for analysis. Four cumulative production proxies are created and First 12 Months BOE (barrel of oil equivalent) is chosen as the appropriate metric for analysis. Basin-to-basin comparisons are conducted, and the effects of well spacing and infill timing are investigated. The study finds that as stated in the technical literature, child well performance increases with spacing and decreases with infill timing but asserts that parent produced BOE at child completion is a better indicator of child performance. Additionally, the study finds that child well productivity decreases with parent proppant loading and increases with child proppant and fluid loading. Overall, these assessments can help operators manage child well underperformance and can help them understand the effects of differing completion metrics on child well performance in different US unconventional basins.Petroleum and Geosystems Engineerin

Protocol and Training of Educators for the Use of Technology to Enhance Learning in Tennessee Certified Schools

The purposes of this study were (a) to determine the Tennessee protocol and standards for the initial certification of teachers and re-certification of experienced teachers, (b) to determine the technology skills necessary and competency level of these skills needed to meet and/or exceed the levels that are mandated by the individual curriculum frameworks and standards of Tennessee, and (c) how this technology use is evaluated in the classroom. This was based on published information on the State of Tennessee Department of Education website. Additionally, information was secured from other reliable sources with pertinent data required to fully examine and answer the questions of this research regarding course and/or technology curriculum standards for all grade levels and the use of technology to enhance learning. Interviews with county school district personnel in a representative group of the twelve counties in an extended East Tennessee area were used in this study to establish the details of “what is really being done” in the local school districts. Analyzation of the personal interviews and a review of County Technology Plans and other significant information from the county websites provided interesting and pertinent information. This information could be considered a reliable representative sampling of what is being done across all of Tennessee since the counties selected for this study were chosen for their significance of the array of variables that might influence technology use and their demographic representation of all areas of the state. While findings of this study did indicate positive results in the use of technology to enhance instruction techniques or for the enhancement of student learning in the classroom, there is still one area that must receive considerable attention before meaningful results can ever become a reality. Infrastructure and the computer to student ratio (less than 5:1) in most school districts investigated in this study are in place, indicating, at the very least, the ability for significant inroads into the use of technology to enhance learning, but with one monumental holdup… the inability of a large percentage of teachers to use the available equipment

Chemistry and Thermochemistry of Selected Fatty Acids Using Correlation Gas Chromatography

Correlation gas chromatography (c-GC) is a special application of the gas chromatography technique and is used for the evaluation of both vaporization enthalpy and vapor pressures of organic compounds. Its use in measuring vaporization enthalpies has been extensively documented. This method is useful for measurements of both liquids and solids. For substances that are solids, since each analyte is dilutely adsorbed on the condensed phase of the gas chromatographic column, it is not crystalline. The vapor pressure that it exhibits behaves as an excellent model of the sub-cooled liquid as demonstrated by various thermochemical cycles. Thermochemical measurements are important to several industrial fields such as chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing as well as to the fields of environmental and petrochemical sciences. This work focuses on the measurement of the vaporization enthalpies and vapor pressures of a series of naturally-occurring saturated and unsaturated fatty acids having a chain length between 5 and 26 carbons. Many of these materials are important commercial products and are produced in large quantities. They are often present in aerosols and are of concern as environmental pollutants. A particular fatty acid studied, valproic acid or 2-propylpentanoic acid, has been an important pharmaceutical product for many years. Its uses include the treatment of epilepsy, bipolar and other affective disorders, as well as neuropathic pain and neuralgia