Universal simulation of Hamiltonian dynamics for quantum systems with finite-dimensional state spaces

What interactions are sufficient to simulate arbitrary quantum dynamics in a composite quantum system? Dodd [Phys. Rev. A 65, 040301(R) (2002)] provided a partial solution to this problem in the form of an efficient algorithm to simulate any desired two-body Hamiltonian evolution using any fixed two-body entangling N-qubit Hamiltonian, and local unitaries. We extend this result to the case where the component systems are qudits, that is, have D dimensions. As a consequence we explain how universal quantum computation can be performed with any fixed two-body entangling N-qudit Hamiltonian, and local unitaries.

Psychologists as mental health case managers

The results of two independent surveys of professionals working in government-funded adult community mental health services were examined with a view to considering how psychologists rate their capacities as mental health case managers. Professional competency and personal efficacy self-report profiles for psychologists were compared with those of other professionals in related roles. The results obtained suggested that psychologists identified their strengths as being in traditional practice roles as individual clinicians. Relative to other professions, psychologists reported weaknesses in team and community-focused practice roles. The implications for professional practice and training are discussed.

Relationships between nutrition screening checklists and the health and well-being of older Australian women

Objectives: To examine associations between nutrition screening checklists and the health of older women. Design: Cross-sectional postal survey including measures of health and health service utilisation, as well as the Australian Nutrition Screening Initiative (ANSI), adapted from the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI). Setting: Australia, 1996. Subjects: In total, 12 939 women aged 70-75 years randomly selected as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Results: Responses to individual items in the ANSI checklist, and ANSI and NSI scores, were associated with measures of health and health service utilisation. Women with high ANSI and NSI scores had poorer physical and mental health, higher health care utilisation and were less likely to be in the acceptable weight range. The performance of an unweighted score (TSI) was also examined and showed similar results. Whereas ANSI classified 30% of the women as 'high-risk', only 13% and 12% were classified as 'high-risk' by the NSI and TSI, respectively. However, for identifying women with body mass index outside the acceptable range, sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values for all of these checklists were less than 60%. Conclusions: Higher scores on both the ANSI and NSI are associated with poorer health. The simpler unweighted method of scoring the ANSI (TSI) showed better discrimination for the identification of 'at risk' women than the weighted ANSI method. The predictive value of individual items and the checklist scores need to be examined longitudinally.

A survey of Australian mental health occupational therapists

Mental health reform in the western developed world has resulted in new models of care and changed work practices for all mental health professionals. Occupational therapists, as with other mental health professionals, have been required to assume new roles and responsibilities. Literature from the United Kingdom has reflected concern about this new way of working. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the current work practices of and issues faced by Australian mental health occupational therapists. One hundred and forty-eight respondents (74%) answered an occupational therapy practice in mental health questionnaire. The results from this survey suggest that there are two quite distinct groups of occupational therapists working in mental health settings in Australia. One group works as rehabilitation therapists in traditional activity-focused work roles. The other group works as case manager therapists and employs a much broader spectrum of clinical and support roles. The issues facing therapists include the development and maintenance of a clearly defined role, generic case management versus discipline-specific roles, recruitment and retention, the need for research and evidence-based practice, professional standing, and education and professional development. The concerns over the role of occupational therapy in mental health were similar to those in previous British studies. The implications of these findings include a need for education and training at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels to equip mental health occupational therapists with both discipline-specific and generic skills.

The competence of mental health occupational therapists

This research sought to investigate the self-perceived competence of mental health occupational therapists in Queensland. The research is a post-hoc analysis of survey results that formed part of the 1995 Professional Development Strategy for Adult Mental Health Services for the Queensland Health Mental Health Unit. A sample of 55 occupational therapists was compared with other professionals in relation to both general self-efficacy and efficacy in specific competencies. The devised scale for measuring self-efficacy was found to have a high level of internal reliability. The results indicated that the general self-perceived competence of occupational therapists for the whole sample was comparable to that of other professional groups, but that in the community-based sample it was significantly higher than that of social workers or nurses. In addition, occupational therapists in community settings had significantly higher general self-perceived competence than occupational therapists in hospital locations. Greater length of experience in mental health was strongly predictive of higher levels of competence for occupational therapists than for other professionals. The results suggest that occupational therapists have adapted well to the demands of multidisciplinary community practice. The possible reasons for these results, and the implications for competency-based recruitment and training, are presented.