Re-Coopering anti-psychiatry: David Cooper, revolutionary critic of psychiatry

This article offers an introduction to David Cooper (1931–86), who coined the term ‘anti-psychiatry’, and, it is argued here, has not so far received the scholarly attention that he deserves. The first section presents his life in context. The second section presents his work in detail. There follows a section on the critical reception of Cooper, and, finally, a conclusion that sets out ways in which he might be interesting and useful today

Localization and Scrambling of Quantum Information with Applications to Quantum Computation and Thermodynamics

As our demand for computational power grows, we encounter the question: What are the physical limits to computation? An answer is necessarily incomplete unless it can incorporate physics at the smallest scales, where we expect our near-term high-performance computing to occur. Microscopic physics -- namely, quantum mechanics -- behaves counterintuitively to our everyday experience, however. Quantum matter can occupy superpositions of states and build stronger correlations than are possible classically. This affects how quantum computers and quantum thermodynamic engines will behave. Though these properties may seem to overwhelmingly defeat our attempts to build a quantum computer at-first-glance, what is remarkable is that they can also be immensely helpful to computation. Quantum mechanics hinders and helps computation, and the nuanced details of how we perform computations are important. In this dissertation, we examine the transition between these two behaviors and connect it to a well-studied behavior in condensed matter physics, known as the many-body-localization transition. Our idea utilizes the fact that quantum many-body systems have an intrinsic fastest speed at which signals can travel. When this speed is maximal, we expect arbitrary universal quantum computation to be achievable, since strong quantum correlations, or entanglement, can be built quickly. When it is limited, however, the difficulty of the computation is classically simulatable. We demonstrate a similar transition in the amount of thermodynamic work that can be performed by a quantum system when entanglement is present. We first consider computations consisting of the evolution of a single particle or many noninteracting particles. When the number of such noninteracting particles is comparable to the total size of the system, we do not know of any way to simulate such computations classically. However, we find that we can still determine the fastest signal speed in such systems. We extend our result to interacting particles, which are universal for quantum computation, and observe a many-body-localization transition in a simple computational model using our algorithm. Finally, we apply ideas from quantum information to simulate the thermodynamic performance of a simple quantum system, showing that quantum effects can enable it to outperform its classical counterpart

Merging Nitrogen Management and Renewable Energy Needs

The ARBRE (ARable Biomass Renewable Energy) project, the first large-scale wood-fueled electricity generating plant in the U.K., represents a significant development in realising British and European policy objectives on renewable energy. The plant is fueled by a mix of wood from short rotation coppice (SRC) and forest residues. Where feasible, composted/conditioned sewage sludge is applied to coppice sites to increase yields and improve soil structure. In the Yorkshire Water region, typical total N:P:K composition of composted/conditioned sludge is 2.9:3.8:0.3, respectively. Sludge application is calculated on the basis of total nitrogen (N) content to achieve 750 kg N ha-1, for 3 years’ requirement. Willow coppice forms a dense, widely spaced, root network, which, with its long growing season, makes it an effective user of nutrients. This, in combination with willow’s use as a nonfood, nonfodder crop, makes it an attractive route for the recycling of sewage sludge in the absence of sea disposal, banned under the EC Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). Further work is required on the nutritional requirements of SRC in order to understand better the quantities of sludge that can be applied to SRC without having a detrimental impact on the environment. This paper suggests the source of N rerouting under the UWWTD and suggests the likely expansion of SRC as an alternative recycling pathway

The disposal site and underground construction : Part I: The disposal site and the natural barrier : Part II: Preserving the favourable properties of the bedrock during construction

Preface This report is a summary compilation of the findings of STUK’s expert reviewers in the area of geosciences and the natural barrier to support STUK’s evaluation of Posiva’s Construction License Application (CLA) for the planned spent nuclear fuel repository at Olkiluoto. The Core Group of reviewers has advised STUK over the period since the Decision in Principle to proceed with geological disposal of spent fuel at Olkiluoto. Members of the team have reviewed numerous documents developed by Posiva over the last decade or more, have made frequent visits to the ONKALO facility with STUK’s inspectors and have attended topical workshops at which issues have been discussed in detail with Posiva staff and expert contractors. This latest round of review and evaluation has assessed the suite of documentation provided by Posiva in support of its TURVA Post-Closure Safety Case, which is a major component of its CLA, submitted in 2012. Each reviewer in the Core Group has assessed the documentation relevant to their own area of expertise, with considerable overlap between the reviewers. Reviewers compiled their own comments and findings in an identical template, developed by STUK. This report consolidates and summarises the separate template reports. In the process, material has been significantly condensed and edited to provide a more readable Consolidated Review Report. Discussions between the Core Group members in May 2014 allowed identification of the key issues arising, enabled common positions to be reached and facilitated the subsequent consolidation of comments and conclusions. The consolidation was carried out by the Key Consultant for the Natural Barrier area (Professor Neil Chapman) and the resulting report was approved by the other members of the Core Group. It thus represents a consensus view of this group. The review work was supported by specialist evaluations in the fields of fractured rock hydrogeology, seismology, structural geology, hard rock construction and climate and glaciology. These expert reviewers assessed specific reports and subsequent workshops were held with Posiva on some of these topics to clarify issues. The findings and suggestions of these workshops, which were agreed between the specialist reviewers present, have been incorporated into this report.Tiivistelmä Tämä raportti on yhteenveto Säteilyturvakeskuksen (STUK) käyttämien ulkopuolisten geotieteiden asiantuntijoiden arvioinneista, jotka teetettiin Posivan rakentamislupahakemuksen tarkastuksen yhteydessä STUKin oman arvioinnin tueksi. Työhön osallistunut arviointiryhmä on toiminut STUKin tukena Posivan käytetyn ydinpolttoaineen loppusijoituksen ensimmäisestä periaatepäätöksestä lähtien. Ryhmän jäsenet ovat arvioineet useita Posivan raportteja viimeisen kymmenen vuoden aikana, he ovat vierailleet Onkalossa useita kertoja STUKin tarkastajien kanssa ja he ovat osallistuneet useisiin STUK järjestämiin aiheeseen liittyviin työpajoihin, joissa arviointihavainnoista on keskusteltu Posivan ja Posivan konsulttien kanssa. Viimeisimmällä arviointikierroksella ryhmä on keskittynyt Posivan TURVA-raporttikokonaisuuteen (pitkäaikaisturvallisuus), joka on keskeinen osa vuonna 2012 toimitettua rakentamislupahakemusta. Jokainen ryhmän jäsen on keskittynyt arviossaan omaan erikoisalueeseensa. Arviointihavainnot ja kommentit on kirjattu STUKin valmistelemaan arviointiraporttipohjaan. Tämä raportti tiivistää ja vetää yhteen erillisten arviointiraporttien havainnot. Alkuperäisiä yksittäisten konsulttien arviointiraporttien tekstejä on tiivistetty ja editoitu, jotta yhteenvetoraportista on luettava kokonaisuus. Toukokuussa 2014 järjestetyn työpajan keskusteluissa arviointiin osallistuneet asiantuntijat tunnistivat ja keskustelivat tärkeimmistä arviointihavainnoista. Yhteenvetoraportin on koonnut professori Neil Chapman, joka toimi STUKin avainkonsulttina paikkatutkimuksiin liittyvissä asioissa. Kaikki arviointiryhmän jäsenet ovat hyväksyneet raportin, joten se edustaa arviointiryhmän jäsenten näkemystä. Arviointityöhön osallistui vakiojäsenten lisäksi erikoisosaajia seuraavilta aloilta: rakoilleen kallioperän hyrdogeologia, seismologia, rakenteellinen geologia, kalliorakentaminen, ilmasto ja jääkaudet. Nämä erikoisasiantuntijat arvioivat oman erityisalansa raportteja ja osallistuivat niiden aihealueista järjestettyihin työpajoihin, joissa tutkimushavainnoista keskusteltiin Posivan kanssa. Työpajoissa kirjatut havainnot ja ehdotukset on sisällytetty tähän yhteenvetoraporttiin.1. paino

Singular value decomposition applied to compact binary coalescence gravitational-wave signals

We investigate the application of the singular value decomposition to compact-binary, gravitational-wave data-analysis. We find that the truncated singular value decomposition reduces the number of filters required to analyze a given region of parameter space of compact binary coalescence waveforms by an order of magnitude with high reconstruction accuracy. We also compute an analytic expression for the expected signal-loss due to the singular value decomposition truncation.Comment: 4 figures, 6 page

Evaluation of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for life and a cognitive behavioural therapy stress-management workshop to improve healthcare staff stress: study protocol two randomized controlled trials

Background: Healthcare workers experience higher levels of work-related stress and higher rates of sickness absence than workers in other sectors. Psychological approaches have potential in providing healthcare workers with the knowledge and skills to recognise stress and to manage stress effectively. The strongest evidence for effectiveness in reducing stress in the workplace is for stress-management courses based on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). However, research examining effects of these interventions on sickness absence (an objective indicator of stress) and compassion for others (an indicator of patient care) is limited, as is research on brief CBT stress-management courses (which may be more widely accessible) and on MBIs adapted for workplace settings. Methods/Design: This protocol is for two randomised controlled trials with participant preference between the two trials and 1:1 allocation to intervention or waitlist within the preferred choice. The first trial is examining a one-day CBT stress-management workshop and the second trial an 8-session Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Life (MBCT-L) course, with both trials comparing intervention to waitlist. The primary outcome for both trials is stress at post-intervention with secondary outcomes being sickness absence, compassion for others, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, wellbeing, work-related burnout, self-compassion, presenteeism, and mindfulness (MBCT-L only). Both trials aim to recruit 234 staff working in the National Health Service in the UK. Discussion: This trial will examine whether a one-day CBT stress-management workshop and an 8-session MBCT-L course are effective at reducing healthcare staff stress and other mental health outcomes compared to waitlist, and, whether these interventions are effective at reducing sickness absence and presenteeism and at enhancing wellbeing, self-compassion, mindfulness and compassion for others. Findings will help inform approaches offered to reduce healthcare staff stress and other key variables. A note of caution is that individual-level approaches should only be part of the solution to reducing healthcare staff stress within a broader focus on organisational-level interventions and support