A crossed vortex bottle beam trap for single-atom qubits

We demonstrate trapping and quantum state control of single Cesium atoms in a 532 nm wavelength bottle beam trap. The three dimensional trap is formed by crossing two unit charge vortex beams. Single atoms are loaded with 50% probability directly from a magneto-optical trap. We achieve a trapping lifetime of up to 6 s, and demonstrate fast Rabi oscillations with a coherence time of $T_2\sim 43 \pm 9\rm ms$.Comment: 5 figures, minor edits to text and figures, to appear opt. let

Manipulation and Detection of a Trapped Yb+ Ion Hyperfine Qubit

We demonstrate the use of trapped ytterbium ions as quantum bits for quantum information processing. We implement fast, efficient state preparation and state detection of the first-order magnetic field-insensitive hyperfine levels of 171Yb+, with a measured coherence time of 2.5 seconds. The high efficiency and high fidelity of these operations is accomplished through the stabilization and frequency modulation of relevant laser sources.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Toppling statues and making space: prospects for anti-racist cultural activism

Statues have long been recognized as impositions of a particular past that legitimize a power-laden present. Consequently, toppling statues, and engaging with the space they once occupied, opens up the possibility of new and multiple narratives. This article takes this moment of possibility as its starting point. Drawing from nine case studies in five countries, and from thirty-one interviews with cultural activists and other stakeholders, we identify three patterns that emerge in the aftermath of removing statues. First, removing a statue changes the hegemonic narrative of the space it once occupied. Second, stakeholders resist the imposition of a singular new narrative on that space. Third, policymakers and institutions attempt to regulate the space and the narratives it carries. We argue, further, that whilst attempts to impose a new, single narrative on the same site are widely met with obstacles, empty plinths become multivocal sites of memory in their own right

Large emergency-response exercises: qualitative characteristics - a survey

Exercises, drills, or simulations are widely used, by governments, agencies and commercial organizations, to simulate serious incidents and train staff how to respond to them. International cooperation has led to increasingly large-scale exercises, often involving hundreds or even thousands of participants in many locations. The difference between ‘large’ and ‘small’ exercises is more than one of size: (a) Large exercises are more ‘experiential’ and more likely to undermine any model of reality that single organizations may create; (b) they create a ‘play space’ in which organizations and individuals act out their own needs and identifications, and a ritual with strong social implications; (c) group-analytic psychotherapy suggests that the emotions aroused in a large group may be stronger and more difficult to control. Feelings are an unacknowledged major factor in the success or failure of exercises; (d) successful large exercises help improve the nature of trust between individuals and the organizations they represent, changing it from a situational trust to a personal trust; (e) it is more difficult to learn from large exercises or to apply the lessons identified; (f) however, large exercises can help develop organizations and individuals. Exercises (and simulation in general) need to be approached from a broader multidisciplinary direction if their full potential is to be realized

Efficient Photoionization-Loading of Trapped Cadmium Ions with Ultrafast Pulses

Atomic cadmium ions are loaded into radiofrequency ion traps by photoionization of atoms in a cadmium vapor with ultrafast laser pulses. The photoionization is driven through an intermediate atomic resonance with a frequency-quadrupled mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser that produces pulses of either 100 fsec or 1 psec duration at a central wavelength of 229 nm. The large bandwidth of the pulses photoionizes all velocity classes of the Cd vapor, resulting in high loading efficiencies compared to previous ion trap loading techniques. Measured loading rates are compared with a simple theoretical model, and we conclude that this technique can potentially ionize every atom traversing the laser beam within the trapping volume. This may allow the operation of ion traps with lower levels of background pressures and less trap electrode surface contamination. The technique and laser system reported here should be applicable to loading most laser-cooled ion species.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figure

The limitations of whiteness and the boundaries of Englishness: second-generation Irish identifications and positionings in multiethnic Britain

The focus of this article is the second-generation Irish in England. It is based on data collected as part of the Irish 2 project, which examined processes of identity formation amongst the second-generation Irish population in England and Scotland. The article examines and maps identifications and positionings of second-generation Irish people and discusses how two hegemonic domains - Ireland and England - intersect in the lives of the children of Irish-born parents, with material and psychological consequences. Their positionings in multiethnic Britain are compared with those of ‘visible’ minority ethnic groups, and their narratives of belonging and non-belonging are analysed in terms of the limitations of whiteness and the boundaries of Englishness

Using the collaborative intervention planning framework to adapt a health-care manager intervention to a new population and provider group to improve the health of people with serious mental illness

Background: Health-care manager interventions improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness (SMI) and could be widely implemented in public mental health clinics. Local adaptations and customization may be needed to increase the reach of these interventions in the public mental health system and across different racial and ethnic communities. In this study, we describe how we used the collaborative intervention planning framework to customize an existing health-care manager intervention to a new patient population (Hispanics with SMI) and provider group (social workers) to increase its fit with our local community. Methods: The study was conducted in partnership with a public mental health clinic that serves predominantly Hispanic clients. A community advisory board (CAB) composed of researchers and potential implementers (e.g., social workers, primary care physicians) used the collaborative intervention planning framework, an approach that combines community-based participatory research principles and intervention mapping (IM) procedures, to inform intervention adaptations. Results: The adaptation process included four steps: fostering collaborations between CAB members; understanding the needs of the local population through a mixed-methods needs assessment, literature reviews, and group discussions; reviewing intervention objectives to identify targets for adaptation; and developing the adapted intervention. The application of this approach enabled the CAB to identify a series of cultural and provider level-adaptations without compromising the core elements of the original health-care manager intervention. Conclusions: Reducing health disparities in people with SMI requires community engagement, particularly when preparing existing interventions to be used with new communities, provider groups, and practice settings. Our study illustrates one approach that can be used to involve community stakeholders in the intervention adaptation process from the very beginning to enhance the transportability of a health-care manager intervention in order to improve the health of people with SMI

Depressed Parents’ Treatment Needs And Children’s Problems In An Urban Family Medicine Practice

Objective: The study examined interest in treatment and treatment preferences and obstacles of low-income depressed parents. Methods: A total of 273 primarily low-income, Hispanic parents of children aged seven to 17 attending an urban family medicine practice agreed to complete a survey by interview or self-report, including screening diagnoses and treatment history. Three groups were compared: major, subthreshold, and no depression. Results: Nearly one-third had major (9%) or sub-threshold depression (23%), and many in the depressed groups reported recent treatment (50% and 31%, respectively). Parents with any depression were significantly more likely than nondepressed parents to report interest in receiving help, endorse treatment obstacles, and report children’s problems. Conclusions: High rates of personal and child problems, interest in treatment, and treatment obstacles among low-income, depressed parents highlight the need to develop acceptable mental health services for them and their children, even when parents do not meet full diagnostic criteria for depression

Variation in treatment of acute childhood wheeze in emergency departments of the United Kingdom and Ireland: An international survey of clinician practice

© 2015, BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Objective: National clinical guidelines for childhood wheeze exist, yet despite being one of the most common reasons for childhood emergency department (ED) attendance, signi ficant variation in practice occurs in other settings. We, therefore, evaluated practice variations of ED clinicians in the UK and Ireland. Design: Two-stage survey undertaken in March 2013. Stage one examined department practice and stage two assessed ED consultant practice in acute childhood wheeze. Questions interrogated pharmacological and other management strategies, including inhaled and intravenous therapies. Setting and participants: Member departments of Paediatric Emergency Research in the United Kingdom and Ireland and ED consultants treating children with acute wheeze. Results: 30 EDs and 183 (81%) clinicians responded. 29 (97%) EDs had wheeze guidelines and 12 (40%) had care pathways. Variation existed between clinicians in dose, timing and frequency of inhaled bronchodilators across severities. When escalating to intravenous bronchodilators, 99 (54%) preferred salbutamol first line, 52 (28%) magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and 27 (15%) aminophylline. 87 (48%) administered intravenous bronchodilators sequentially and 30 (16%) concurrently, with others basing approach on case severity. 146 (80%) continued inhaled therapy after commencing intravenous bronchodilators. Of 170 who used intravenous salbutamol, 146 (86%) gave rapid boluses, 21 (12%) a longer loading dose and 164 (97%) an ongoing infusion, each with a range of doses and durations. Of 173 who used intravenous MgSO4, all used a bolus only. 41 (24%) used non-invasive ventilation. Conclusions: Signi ficant variation in ED consultant management of childhood wheeze exists despite the presence of national guidance. This reflects the lack of evidence in key areas of childhood wheeze and emphasises the need for further robust multicentre research studies