How to Probe for Dynamical Structure in the Collapse of Entangled States Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

The spin state of two magnetically inequivalent protons in contiguous atoms of a molecule becomes entangeled by the indirect spin-spin interaction (j-coupling). The degree of entanglement oscillates at the beat frequency resulting from the splitting of a degeneracy. This beating is manifest in NMR spectroscopy as an envelope of the transverse magnetization and should be visible in the free induction decay signal. The period (approximately 1 sec) is long enough for interference between the linear dynamics and collapse of the wave-function induced by a Stern-Gerlach inhomogeneity to significantly alter the shape of that envelope. Various dynamical collapse theories can be distinguished by their observably different predictions with respect to this alteration. Adverse effects of detuning due to the Stern-Gerlach inhomogeneity can be reduced to an acceptable level by having a sufficiently thin sample or a strong rf field.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, PDF, submitted to PR

Event-based personal retrieval

People who work in a research, academic or business environment often have personal information collections which are large enough to need retrieval aids. A major difference between personal information retrieval and normal document retrieval is that the items to be retrieved are often associated with events in the searcher's life and can be retrieved by their relationship to other events as well as by content. This paper describes some of the background to event-based retrieval and then describes a prototype graphical event-based retrieval system

Teaching Rules or Teaching Creativity: a Paradigm Shift

Structure is everything in a screenplay we are told. If indeed there are any rules to screenwriting then this would be carved in tablets of stone. Within pedagogical frameworks we are diligent in our instruction of the three acts, advocating it as a paradigm. We pass on tools for the analysis of character that are gleaned from psychology. But I have seen students struggle with this toolbox. They feel constrained by concrete techniques. So often seeing principles as rules, structure as restriction. The stifling of free-form ideas is further compounded by the plethora of books that claim the path to glory lies only in structural devices. Some even purport to have a formula, a simple prescriptive model that will bestow almost certain success. Yet this is an industry that abhors formula, that hungers for the fresh and the new. Without bravado, imagination and experimentation with character and form, the best structured screenplay in the world is merely a typing exercise. As educators we have a duty to retain a balance between letting a student’s mind dance and keeping them to the tempo. This study will compare a variety of diverse structures, from Hegel to Alcoholics Anonymous, Kubler Ross to Jung. It will analyse recent journal articles, on both new techniques in teaching creativity and new approaches to the instruction of screenwriting, to suggest a model of how best to inform the application of structure to HE students and keep creativity uppermost. A structure of emotional truth. An equal appreciation of both the tools of our craft and an imaginative exploration of character and world that can unlock our originality and our artistry

Chinese herbal medicine for treating menopausal symptoms in London women: developing a good practice protocol via the factor analysis of prescribing patterns in a clinical study

The objective of the study described in this paper was to define Chinese medicine formula patterns for the treatment of menopausal women in London. These formula patterns are intended to become best practice guidelines for a future pragmatic randomised controlled trial with the ultimate goal of evaluating the possibility of integrating Chinese medicine treatment strategies for menopausal symptoms into the UK National Health Service. Data from a clinical study that had demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of Chinese medicine in treating 117 perimenopausal women at the Westminster University Polyclinic in London was analysed for symptom occurrence and herb use. The frequency of occurrence of different presenting symptoms and the frequency of use of individual herbs is described, and the patterns of combined herb use and the correlations between these patterns and the presenting symptoms is analysed by means of factor analysis. Treating these use patterns as Chinese herbal medicine formulas, five distinctive formula patterns emerged in the course of this study. While there is some overlap between these formulas and their associated symptom patterns and those described in Chinese medicine textbooks, some formula patterns appear to be unique to London women. This indicates that best practice guidelines for the Chinese medicine treatment of menopausal symptoms, which have been shown to vary cross-culturally, need to be derived from local clinical practice. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the methods – action based clinical study plus factor analysis – we employed to this end

Not all camps have camouflage: gay writing and the great South African dream

I shall be addressing the question of the constitutive importance of sexuality, and specifically of articulations and representations of homosexuality, in the self-defining national imagination of post-apartheid South Africa. I shall be concerned with ways of thinking the representation of marginalised sexualities, as well as of the significance of the paradoxical or oxymoronic centrality of those marginalities within the project of fabricating a national identity. To this end, I shall consider the specific field of cultural production that might most conveniently bear the name "South African gay writing in English." I will, perhaps presumptuously, engage with the problematic of what an appropriate or productive political aesthetics of "gay writing" might be within our particular historical moment

The viroses and virus-like diseases of the grapevine

A bibliographic report, 1979-198

The artist biopic: a historical analysis of narrative cinema, 1934-2010

The thesis provides an historical overview of the artist biopic that has emerged as a distinct sub-genre of the biopic as a whole, totalling some ninety films from Europe and America alone since the first talking artist biopic in 1934. Their making usually reflects a determination on the part of the director or star to see the artist as an alter-ego. Many of them were adaptations of successful literary works, which tempted financial backers by having a ready-made audience based on a pre-established reputation. The sub-genre’s development is explored via the grouping of films with associated themes and the use of case studies. These examples can then be used as models for exploring similar sets of data from other countries and time periods. The specific topics chosen for discussion include the representation of a single painter, for example, Vincent Van Gogh, to see how the treatment of an artist varies across several countries and over seventy years. British artist biopics are analysed as a case study in relation to the idea of them posing as a national stereotype. Topics within sex and gender studies are highlighted in analysis of the representation of the female artist and the queer artist as well as artists who have lived together as couples. A number of well-known gallery artists have become directors of artist biopics and their films are considered to see what particular insights a professional working artist can bring to the portrayal of artistic genius and creation. In the concluding part of the thesis it is argued that the artist biopic overall has survived the bad press which some individual productions have received and can even be said to have matured under the influence of directors producing a quality product for the art house, festival and avant-garde distribution circuits. As a genre it has proved extremely adaptable and has reflected the changing attitudes towards art and artists within the wider community. It has both encouraged renewed interest in the work of established national artists and also raised the profile of those relatively obscure such as Séraphine de Senlis and Pirosmani

Peripapillary choroidal neovascularization associated with melanocytoma of the optic disc: a clinicopathologic case report

Background: Melanocytoma of the optic disc is a benign melanocytic tumor that rarely causes visual impairment. We report a case of a melanocytoma of the optic disc with a decreased vision related to a peripapillary choroidal neovascular membrane (PCNVM) that was successfully treated by submacular surgery. Methods: A 45-year-old southern European patient had a melanocytoma of the optic disc in his left eye with vision of 20/100. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated a PCNVM impeding the fovea associated with a subretinal hemorrhage. Results: The patient underwent a complete vitrectomy and removal of the PCNVM. Subsequently, the subretinal hemorrhage disappeared and visual acuity improved to 20/25. Visual acuity remained good for a period of 14months' follow-up without any recurrence of neovascular membrane. Conclusions: Submacular surgery is a potentially effective treatment for large PCNVM associated with a melanocytoma of the optic dis