Metric Structure of the Space of Two-Qubit Gates, Perfect Entanglers and Quantum Control

We derive expressions for the invariant length element and measure for the simple compact Lie group SU(4) in a coordinate system particularly suitable for treating entanglement in quantum information processing. Using this metric, we compute the invariant volume of the space of two-qubit perfect entanglers. We find that this volume corresponds to more than 84% of the total invariant volume of the space of two-qubit gates. This same metric is also used to determine the effective target sizes that selected gates will present in any quantum-control procedure designed to implement them.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figure

The Indian Diaspora in the UK : Accommodating "Britishness"

This paper sets out to explore the growth of the Indian diaspora within the UK. First of all, we shall evidence how, despite the humble beginnings of this diasporic community, their strong sense of community and tenacity has helped them gain visibility within British society. From there, we shall look at the complexities of this heterogeneous community and how they have negotiated new spaces within a society that, initially, was hostile to their presence. Despite a prevailing multicultural ethos, we shall then evidence how a system of 'adjacent cultures' has been installed within the UK. To further our understanding on this mutual isolation within diversity we shall apply Homi Bhabha's theories on cultural difference. Then we shall look at a number of biographies and life writings, penned by South Asian authors, so as to elucidate upon this theoretical background.El presente artículo explora el crecimiento de la diáspora india dentro del contexto británico. En primer lugar, demostraremos que a pesar de los orígenes humildes de esta comunidad diaspórica, su fuerte sentido de comunidad y su tenacidad les ha ayudado a hacerse visibles dentro de la sociedad británica. En segundo lugar, y partiendo de este hecho, analizaremos las complejidades de esta comunidad heterogénea y cómo han sabido negociar espacios nuevos dentro de una sociedad que, en principio, era hostil a su presencia. Pasaremos, después, a discutir cómo se ha instalado en el Reino Unido un sistema de "culturas adjacentes" por encima de un carácter multicultural imperante. Para profundizar en el tema del aislamiento mutuo dentro de la diversidad aplicaremos las teorías de Homi Bhabha sobre las diferencias culturales. Por último nos detendremos en una serie de biografías y memorias escritas por autores asiáticos para aportar más luz a esta base teóric

Characterization of strychnine binding sites in the rodent spinal cord

The convulsant alkaloid strychnine is a selective and highly potent antagonist at postsynaptic receptor for the inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine. These properties have led to the extensive use of strychnine as a ligand to probe the postsynaptic glycine receptor. Despite the recent increased understanding of the molecular structure of this receptor protein there is still much dispute as to the nature of the interaction between glycine and strychnine. In an attempt to more clearly define this interaction the experiments described, combine the techniques of protein modification and ligand binding. These investigations also revealed a novel [3H]-strychnine binding site in the rodent CNS and attempts were made to characterize this phenomenon. The results described suggest that glycine is a fully competitive inhibitor of [3H]-strychnine binding and its reported action as a partial competitive inhibitor is an artefact of the assay conditions. The disruption of [3H]-strychnine binding by residue selective protein modifying reagents suggests some overlap in the strychnine and glycine binding sites at the receptor. Protection studies confirm this and the results are best explained by overlapping yet conformationally distinct recognition sites for strychnine and glycine. Experiments which describe protein modification and ligand protection of strychnine binding antisera highlight possible congruence in the molecular recognition at the antisera and the receptor. This is of interest in the light of proposed models of the strychnine binding site at the postsynaptic glycine receptor. Modification of spinal cord membranes by the arginine selective reagent 2,3-butanedione (BD) reveals a low affinity and high capacity [3H]-strychnine binding site which is not detectable in untreated membranes. This binding site showed a similar distribution in the CNS as the high affinity site. However, experiments using affinity purified glycine receptor and crude membrane preparations from the mutant mouse spastic indicated that the BD-induced binding site is not located on the postsynaptic glycine receptor. Competition studies revealed that [3H]-strychnine binding sites in untreated and BD-treated membranes have different structural determinants. The ability to effectively inhibit [3H]-strychnine binding to the BD-induced site by cation channel blockers is in accord with reports that strychnine can interact with various cation channels to open or block them. In addition several compounds that inhibit the BD-induced [3H]-strychnine binding can also modulate the reaction of BD with spinal cord membranes if present during the treatment, suggesting a conformational dependent modification. Upon exposure to ultraviolet light [3H]-strychnine is specifically incorporated into a low molecular weight peptide in BD-treated membranes in addition to the ligand binding subunit of the inhibitory glycine receptor, which is the only peptide photolabelled in untreated membranes. The significance of this biochemical and pharmacological characterization of this previously undescribed strychnine binding site is presently unclear. However, the uneven distribution in the CNS and the interaction with important therapeutic agents; local anaesthetics and anti-arrhythmics, indicate the possible biological importance of the novel strychnine binding site

South Asian Muslim Identity in the UK

Este artículo examina la identidad concreta de los musulmanes de ascendencia sud-asiática dentro del Reino Unido. Los acontecimientos recientes en el mundo han hecho que el Islam esté más que nunca en la palestra pública, por lo que exploraremos el efecto que este hecho ha tenido para las comunidades de fe islámica residentes en Gran Bretaña. El formar parte de una hermandad islámica internacionalizada parece gustar a muchos jóvenes asiáticos desfavorecidos de ascendencia musulmana, y comprobaremos cómo dicha identidad entra a veces en conflicto con el ideal de ciudadanía. La exclusión de estas minorías de los discursos de la nación puede identificarse como parte del problema, pero examinaremos también influencias de clase como factores desencadenantes. Tendremos cuidado de diferenciar muy bien las minorías ajustadas que abrazan el jihadismo, la noción de jahiliyya y otras posiciones radicales que son realmente distorsiones de la fe islámica, y una comunidad de fieles mucho más amplia que se siente atrapada entre el secularismo y un Islam radical mucho más polarizado. Dilucidaremos cómo esta población de musulmanes del sudeste asiático se encuentra atrapada en un dilema complejo y a veces inconmensurable. Por una parte, deben confrontar los radicales dentro de su propia comunidad que distorsionan los valores de su fe para conseguir sus fines, mientras por otra encaran una comunidad autóctona que no aceptaría verdaderamente su fe como parte de la construcción nacional. Dicha disyuntiva los coloca en una posición social mucho más complicada que la de sus homólogos hindúes.This paper aims at examining the specific identity of South East Asian Muslims within the United Kingdom. Recent world events have brought Islam into the public eye and we shall explore the effect these events have had on Islamic faith communities residing within Britain. An affiliation with an internationalised Islamic brotherhood seems to be a comfort zone for many disenfranchised Asian youths who proceed from a Muslim heritage, and we shall look at how this identity may enter in conflict with an ideal of citizenship. The exclusion of these minorities from the discourses of nation can be identified as part of the problem, but we shall also examine issues of class as motivating factors. We shall be very careful to differentiate between a small minority that embraces jihadism, the notion of jahiliyya and other radical positions that are in fact distortions of Islamic faith, and a much broader based faith community that feels trapped between secularism and an ever more polarised radical Islam. We shall elucidate upon how this population of South East Asian Muslims find themselves caught within a complex and sometimes incommensurable dilemma. On the one hand, they must confront the radicals within their own community who are distorting their faith values for their own ends, while on the other they must face an autochthonous community who will not truly accept their faith as part of the national fabric. This disjunctive makes a finding of their place in society more complicated as compared to their Hindu counterparts

Los desafíos de la fluidez étnica en las obras de Ronnie Govender

Este articulo explora cómo el dramaturgo y autor de ficción, Ronnie Govender, narra la identidad diaspórica dentro del contexto de la sociedad surafricana. Mi premisa de arranque es que la presencia india en Suráfrica es ambigua en cuanto a que representa una subjetividad en la que se negocian las categorías ontológicas de lo blanco y lo negro. Con esta relación triangulada en mente, procederé a evidenciar como Govender presenta una lectura multifacética de la fluidez étnica y como ésta se vio históricamente truncada por una minoría blanca quien, de una forma sistemática, dinamitó la convivencia dentro de Suráfrica como una estrategia para garantizar sus privilegios. Para este estudio me centraré sobre todo en los siguientes textos: The Lahnee’s Pleasure, At The Edge and Other Cato Manor Stories, and Black Chin White Chin: The Song of the Atman.Este articulo explora cómo el dramaturgo y autor de ficción, Ronnie Govender, narra la identidad diaspórica dentro del contexto de la sociedad surafricana. Mi premisa de arranque es que la presencia india en Suráfrica es ambigua en cuanto a que representa una subjetividad en la que se negocian las categorías ontológicas de lo blanco y lo negro. Con esta relación triangulada en mente, procederé a evidenciar como Govender presenta una lectura multifacética de la fluidez étnica y como ésta se vio históricamente truncada por una minoría blanca quien, de una forma sistemática, dinamitó la convivencia dentro de Suráfrica como una estrategia para garantizar sus privilegios. Para este estudio me centraré sobre todo en los siguientes textos: The Lahnee’s Pleasure, At The Edge and Other Cato Manor Stories, and Black Chin White Chin: The Song of the Atman

Exploring the Hindu/Muslim Divide through the Partition of Bengal

En este artículo estudiaremos el cambio de identidad local a identidad nacional en la sociedad bengalí y cómo la religión tuvo un papel central en el mismo. El auge del sectarismo religioso estuvo relacionado con la estrategia de las autoridades coloniales de crear colegios electorales distintos para musulmanes e hindúes, lo que claramente abrió una brecha insalvable entre ambas comunidades. Para conocer mejor la complejidad de las relaciones sociorreligiosas, nos centraremos en los efectos de la Partición en Bengala y al efecto recurriremos a memorias y textos literarios escritos en bengalí y traducidos a inglés. Inferimos que la Partición dejó irresoluta una serie de problemas que afectan a India en la actualidad, debido a la manipulación de la identidad religiosa con fines políticos, en el pasado tanto como en el presente.In this paper we shall explore the move from localised to politicised identities in Bengali society and evidence how religious affiliation became a central consideration within this shift. The growth of communalism, we shall argue, has much to do with the colonial strategy of establishing separate electoral systems for Hindus and Muslims, cementing the separation between these religious groupings. Our critical interest centres around the Partition of Bengal, and we shall employ memoirs and literary texts, written in Bengali and translated into English, so as to elucidate upon the complexities of the Hindu/Muslim relationship. We shall argue that the unresolved issues of Partition still cast their shadow on contemporary India, and shall draw connections between past and present manipulations of religious identities for expedient political ends

Delivering an mHealth adherence support intervention for patients with HIV: Mixed methods process evaluation of the Philippines connect for life study

Background: The Philippines HIV epidemic is one of the fastest growing epidemics globally, and infections among men who have sex with men are increasing at an alarming rate. Connect for Life Philippines is a mobile health (mHealth) intervention that supports antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence in this key population through individualized voice calls and SMS text messages. Objective: The objective of this process evaluation is to assess the intervention reach, dose delivered and received, fidelity, and acceptability and to describe contextual factors affecting the implementation of an mHealth adherence support intervention for patients on ART in a clinic in Metro Manila, Philippines. Methods: A mixed methods process evaluation approach was used in an observational cohort study. Quantitative data sources for the process evaluation were call and SMS text message logs obtained from the mHealth platform and questionnaires collected at 12-, 24-, and 48-week study visits. Qualitative data were collected from process reports and through a series of focus group discussions conducted with a subset of participants during the intervention development phase, after an initial 8-week pilot phase, and at the end of the study. Results: The 462 study participants received 31,095 interactive voice calls and 8234 SMS text messages during the study. Owing to technical issues, intervention fidelity was low, with only 22.1% (102/462) of the participants receiving reminders via voice calls and others (360/462, 77.9%) receiving only SMS text messages during the intervention. After 48 weeks in the study, 63.5% (293/462) of the participants reported that they would be quite likely or very likely to recommend the program to a friend, and 53.8% (249/462) of the participants reported that they benefited quite a bit or very much from the intervention. Participants who were on ART for <6 months at the beginning of the study and those who received the daily or weekly pill reminders were more likely to report that they benefited from the intervention (P=.02 and P=.01, respectively). Conclusions: The Connect for Life intervention had high participant satisfaction and acceptability, especially among those who received high dose of the intervention. However, poor reliability of local telecommunication networks had a large impact on the intervention’s usability, fidelity, and dose receive

Whey protein effects on energy balance link the intestinal mechanisms of energy absorption with adiposity and hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression

peer-reviewedWe tested the hypothesis that dietary whey protein isolate (WPI) affects the intestinal mechanisms related to energy absorption and that the resulting energy deficit is compensated by changes in energy balance to support growth. C57BL/6 mice were provided a diet enriched with WPI with varied sucrose content, and the impact on energy balance-related parameters was investigated. As part of a high-sucrose diet, WPI reduced the hypothalamic expression of pro-opiomelanocortin gene expression and increased energy intake. The energy expenditure was unaffected, but epididymal weight was reduced, indicating an energy loss. Notably, there was a reduction in the ileum gene expression for amino acid transporter SLC6a19, glucose transporter 2, and fatty acid transporter 4. The composition of the gut microbiota also changed, where Firmicutes were reduced. The above changes indicated reduced energy absorption through the intestine. We propose that this mobilized energy in the adipose tissue and caused hypothalamic changes that increased energy intake, acting to counteract the energy deficit arising in the intestine. Lowering the sucrose content in the WPI diet increased energy expenditure. This further reduced epididymal weight and plasma leptin, whereupon hypothalamic ghrelin gene expression and the intestinal weight were both increased. These data suggest that when the intestine-adipose-hypothalamic pathway is subjected to an additional energy loss (now in the adipose tissue), compensatory changes attempt to assimilate more energy. Notably, WPI and sucrose content interact to enable the component mechanisms of this pathway

Cross-sectional associations between high deprivation home and neighbourhood environments and health-related variables among Liverpool children

Objectives: (1) To investigate differences in health-related, home and neighbourhood environmental variables between Liverpool children living in areas of high deprivation (HD) and medium-to-high deprivation (MD) and (2) to assess associations between these perceived home and neighbourhood environments and health-related variables stratified by deprivation group. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: 10 Liverpool primary schools in 2014. Participants: 194 children aged 9–10 years. Main outcome measures: Health-related variables (self-reported physical activity (PA) (Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children, PAQ-C), cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index (BMI) z-scores, waist circumference), home environment variables: (garden/backyard access, independent mobility, screen-based media restrictions, bedroom media) and neighbourhood walkability (Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale for Youth, NEWS-Y). Explanatory measures: Area deprivation. Results: There were significant differences between HD and MD children's BMI z-scores (p<0.01), waist circumference (p<0.001) and cardiorespiratory fitness (p<0.01). HD children had significantly higher bedroom media availability (p<0.05) and independent mobility scores than MD children (p<0.05). MD children had significantly higher residential density and neighbourhood aesthetics scores, and lower crime safety, pedestrian and road traffic safety scores than HD children, all of which indicated higher walkability (p<0.01). HD children's BMI z-scores (β=−0.29, p<0.01) and waist circumferences (β=−0.27, p<0.01) were inversely associated with neighbourhood aesthetics. HD children's PA was negatively associated with bedroom media (β=−0.24, p<0.01), and MD children's PA was positively associated with independent mobility (β=0.25, p<0.01). MD children's independent mobility was inversely associated with crime safety (β=−0.28, p<0.01) and neighbourhood aesthetics (β=−0.24, p<0.05). Conclusions: Children living in HD areas had the least favourable health-related variables and were exposed to home and neighbourhood environments that are unconducive to health-promoting behaviours. Less access to bedroom media equipment and greater independent mobility were strongly associated with higher PA in HD and MD children, respectively. Facilitating independent mobility and encouraging outdoor play may act as effective strategies to enhance PA levels and reduce sedentary time in primary school-aged children