Characterization and Control of Quantum Spin Chains and Rings

Information flow in quantum spin networks is considered. Two types of control -- temporal bang-bang switching control and control by varying spatial degrees of freedom -- are explored and shown to be effective in speeding up information transfer and increasing transfer fidelities. The control is model-based and therefore relies on accurate knowledge of the system parameters. An efficient protocol for simultaneous identification of the coupling strength and the exact number of spins in a chain is presented.Comment: to appear in ISCCSP 201

An Improved Point-Line Incidence Bound Over Arbitrary Fields

We prove a new upper bound for the number of incidences between points and lines in a plane over an arbitrary field $\mathbb{F}$, a problem first considered by Bourgain, Katz and Tao. Specifically, we show that $m$ points and $n$ lines in $\mathbb{F}^2$, with $m^{7/8}<n<m^{8/7}$, determine at most $O(m^{11/15}n^{11/15})$ incidences (where, if $\mathbb{F}$ has positive characteristic $p$, we assume $m^{-2}n^{13}\ll p^{15}$). This improves on the previous best known bound, due to Jones. To obtain our bound, we first prove an optimal point-line incidence bound on Cartesian products, using a reduction to a point-plane incidence bound of Rudnev. We then cover most of the point set with Cartesian products, and we bound the incidences on each product separately, using the bound just mentioned. We give several applications, to sum-product-type problems, an expander problem of Bourgain, the distinct distance problem and Beck's theorem.Comment: 18 pages. To appear in the Bulletin of the London Mathematical Societ

banal/QUEER/spectacular: Reframing Blue is the Warmest Color

In this essay, I interrogate visual representations of a lesbian love story in Jul’ Maroh’s graphic novel Le bleu est une couleur chaude and its film adaptation by director Abdellatif Kechiche, La vie d’Adèle : Chapitres 1 et 2. By studying the diegesis of each work’s opening scene, I reveal that the graphic novel embodies Barthes’s concept of a writerly text, or one that requires its reader to produce its meaning, while the film, as a readerly work, constructs a passive viewing experience for its audience. I argue that each author’s narratological approach exemplifies the particular manner in which they portray queerness throughout these stories: the reader of the graphic novel is urged to interpret the lesbian plot point as banal, while the film steers its audience towards viewing the love story as a spectacle

Evaluation de la mise en oeuvre du projet "Nuit blanche ?" à Genève (2005-2006)

Le projet "Nuit blanche ?" se définit comme un " projet de réduction des risques liés aux substances psycho-actives consommées de manière récréative et en milieu festif " et repose sur un partenariat établi entre dix institutions/associations actives dans les domaines de la prévention et des addictions. Le projet est conduit selon trois axes d'intervention : des actions ciblées de réduction des risques en milieu festif, une information destinée au grand public, une amélioration de la formation des professionnels des secteurs de la santé et du social. L'évaluation porte uniquement sur des aspects du processus de mise en oeuvre et sur les résultats directs (outputs) de l'intervention

Transforming Consumer Behavior: Introducing Self-Inquiry-Based and Self-Experience-Based Learning for Building Personal Competencies for Sustainable Consumption

Despite growing educational efforts in various areas of society and albeit expanding knowledge on the background and consequences of consumption, little has changed about individual consumer behavior and its detrimental impact. Against this backdrop, some scholars called for a stronger focus on personal competencies, especially affective–motivational ones to foster more sustainable consumption. Such competencies, however, are rarely addressed within the context of education for sustainable consumption. Responding to this gap, we suggest two new learning formats that allow students to systematically acquire affective–motivational competencies: self-inquiry-based learning (SIBL) and self-experience-based learning (SEBL). We developed these approaches at Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany, since 2016, and applied them within the framework of two seminars called Personal Approaches to Sustainable Consumption. Conducting scholarship of teaching and learning, we investigated the potential of SIBL and SEBL for cultivating personal competencies for sustainable development in general and sustainable consumption in particular. Our results indicate that SIBL and SEBL are promising approaches for this purpose

Les interventions publiques nationales en matière d'abus de substances et de dépendances : une revue internationale

[Table des matières] Résumé. Zusammenfassung. 1. Situation de départ et mandat. 2. Problématique. 3. Questions de recherche. 4. Méthode. 5. Résultats généraux. 6. Résultats détaillés : évolution des modèles des interventions publiques en matière de dépendances. 7. Résultats détaillés : évolution des mesures en matière de dépendances. 8. Conclusions et leçons à tirer. 9. Annexes - fiches des pays : Europe, Allemagne, Autriche, Belgique, Danemark, Espagne, Finlande, France, Grèce, Irlande, Italie, Luxembourg, Norvège, Pays-Bas, Portugal, Royaume-Uni (Angleterre, Pays de Galles, Ecosse, Irlande du Nord), Suède, Australie, Canada, Etats-Unis

Quality of Life in Teduglutide-Treated Patients with Short Bowel Syndrome Intestinal Failure—A Nested Matched Pair Real-World Study

Background: Quality of life (QoL) data of chronic intestinal failure (cIF) patients treated with the GLP-2 analogue teduglutide are scarce. This study aims to analyze QoL changes over time in teduglutide-treated patients and compare the results to a matched non-treated cIF control group in a real-world setting. Methods: QoL data (SF-36 and SBS-QoL(TM)) were obtained from adult cIF patients being treated with teduglutide and compared to previously collected QoL data from a PNLiver trial (DRKS00010993), during which patients had been therapy naive. The dataset was then extended by a pairwise matched control group (non-teduglutide-treated PNLiver trial patients) and follow-up data from this group were collected accordingly. Results: Median teduglutide treatment duration and the follow-up period of controls were both 4.3 years. SBS-QoL(TM) subscales and the SBS-QoL(TM) sum score showed significant improvements over time in teduglutide-treated patients, as well as for the SF-36 physical and mental component summary scores (all p < 0.02), while non-treated patients showed no significant changes in any of the mentioned scores. Significant differences of QoL changes between treated and non-treated patients were seen for both SF-36 summary scores (p = 0.031 and 0.012). Conclusions: We herein demonstrate for the first time that QoL significantly improved during teduglutide treatment in SBS-cIF patients in a real-world setting compared to individually matched non-treated SBS-cIF patients, indicating relevant clinical benefits

139 - Leveraging Third Generation DNA Sequencing Technology to Explore Role of Epigenetics in Round Scad Fish under Global Climate Stress

Global climate change has been a recent pressing issue that has been seen to have environmental impacts on various ecosystems. Such environmental changes induce stress-related heritable traits without changes to the genome’s coding, a concept known as epigenetics. DNA methylation plays a key role in these cellular responses to environmental stress. The Round Scad fish is an affordable source of protein for common citizens in the Philippines, but is currently facing rapid decline both in population and average body size. The purpose of our study is to explore the patterns of DNA methylation in wild Round Scad to determine whether these changes are associated with epigenetic response to stress due to global climate change. Samples of fish DNA from the Philippines were collected and isolated. Using nanopore MinION, a portable third generation DNA sequencing technology, we are able to obtain initial DNA sequences. This technology has the advantage of directly identifying methylated nucleotides using built in softwares. Here, we shall report on the initial data comparing it with DNA methylation patterns in stress response genes of the model organism, Zebrafish. We anticipate that long term findings from this project will provide information critical to managing Round Scad and other marine fish facing similar environmental stressors

Stabilising a nulling interferometer using optical path difference dithering

Context. Nulling interferometry has been suggested as the underlying principle for the Darwin and TPF-I exoplanet research missions. Aims. There are constraints both on the mean value of the nulling ratio, and on its stability. Instrument instability noise is most detrimental to the stability of the nulling performance. Methods. We applied a modified version of the classical dithering technique to the optical path difference in the scientific beam. Results. Using only this method, we repeatedly stabilised the dark fringe for several hours. This method alone sufficed to remove the 1/ f component of the noise in our setup for periods of 10 minutes, typically. These results indicate that performance stability may be maintained throughout the long-duration data acquisitions typical of exoplanet spectroscopy. Conclusions. We suggest that further study of possible stabilisation strategies should be an integral part of Darwin/TPF-I research and developmen