Colonialism, political unconscious and cognitive mapping in the space of the film "Captain Phillips"

The purpose of this article has been made through a Marxist analysis of the US film "Captain Phillips" (PaulGreengrass, 2013), based on a true story. I have found how the evolution of capitalism in the West continuesto consolidate the belief reified in a historical and geographical superiority of the political and socioeconomicwestern models regarding Africa and Asia lowers models. At the same time, through categories like dialecticalmaterialism, criticism of diffusionist theory and application of cognitive mapping to large geopoliticalspaces located in most poor areas of the world, I have realized a remark about currently being articulatingthe political unconscious of working class in rich countries and the poor in poor countries, establishing arelationship between the ideological representation that takes an individual from his historical reality (ona scale that moves from local to global), and how he has developed a mental ability to escape of the responsibilityto make a critical review of what's happening around him in all areas. Finally, through physicalspace captured in the film, I have realized a materialist critique of globalized business process that takesplace through the carriage of goods, outlining spatial and cognitively limits of the mentality of our time, bothamong "winners"as among the "losers", based on the spatial movement of capital.

Quantum-limited estimation of continuous spontaneous localization

We apply the formalism of quantum estimation theory to extract information about potential collapse mechanisms of the continuous spontaneous localisation (CSL) form.
In order to estimate the strength with which the field responsible for the CSL mechanism couples to massive systems, we consider the optomechanical interaction
between a mechanical resonator and a cavity field. Our estimation strategy passes through the probing of either the state of the oscillator or that of the electromagnetic field that drives its motion. In particular, we concentrate on all-optical measurements, such as homodyne and heterodyne measurements.
We also compare the performances of such strategies with those of a spin-assisted optomechanical system, where the estimation of the CSL parameter is performed
through time-gated spin-like measurements.

Investigating the effects of caffeine on executive functions using traditional Stroop and a new ecologically-valid virtual reality task, the Jansari assessment of Executive Functions (JEF©)

Objective: Caffeine has been shown to have effects on certain areas of cognition, but in executive functioning the research is limited and also inconsistent. One reason could be the need for a more sensitive measure to detect the effects of caffeine on executive function. This study used a new non-immersive virtual reality assessment of executive functions known as JEF© (the Jansari Assessment of Executive Function) alongside the ‘classic’ Stroop Colour- Word task to assess the effects of a normal dose of caffeinated coffee on executive function. Method: Using a double-blind, counterbalanced within participants procedure 43 participants were administered either a caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee and completed the ‘JEF©’ and Stroop tasks, as well as a subjective mood scale and blood pressure pre- and post condition on two separate occasions a week apart. JEF© yields measures for eight separate aspects of executive functions, in addition to a total average score. Results: Findings indicate that performance was significantly improved on the planning, creative thinking, event-, time- and action-based prospective memory, as well as total JEF© score following caffeinated coffee relative to the decaffeinated coffee. The caffeinated beverage significantly decreased reaction times on the Stroop task, but there was no effect on Stroop interference. Conclusion: The results provide further support for the effects of a caffeinated beverage on cognitive functioning. In particular, it has demonstrated the ability of JEF© to detect the effects of caffeine across a number of executive functioning constructs, which weren’t shown in the Stroop task, suggesting executive functioning improvements as a result of a ‘typical’ dose of caffeine may only be detected by the use of more real-world, ecologically valid tasks.

Norm Friesen: The Place of the Classroom and the Space of the Screen, Relational Pedagogy and Internet Technology. New York, Bern etc.: Lang 2011 [Rezension]

Rezension von: Norm Friesen: The Place of the Classroom and the Space of the Screen, Relational Pedagogy and Internet Technology, New York, Bern etc.: Lang 2011 (183 S.; ISBN 978-1-4331-0959-1)

Giving Peru a productivity boost : towards a system of continuous education and training

In spite of impressive rates of economic growth, the quality of the labor force’s human capital is considered a major challenge for sustaining medium term economic growth in Peru. This note reviews the skills of the Peruvian labor force, and the status of the continuous education and training system. Based on such an assessment and on learnings from international best practices, it proposes a system of continuous education and training that draws from international best practices, but that addresses local capacity and institutional issues.

Multipartite entanglement in harmonic oscillators subjected to dissipative quantum dynamics

Una detallada descripción de la dinámica de bajas energías del entrelazamiento multipartito es proporcionada para sistemas armónicos en una gran variedad de escenarios disipativos. Sin hacer ninguna aproximación central, esta descripción yace principalmente sobre un conjunto razonable de hipótesis acerca del entorno e interacción entorno-sistema, ambas consistente con un análisis lineal de la dinámica disipativa. En la primera parte se deriva un criterio de inseparabilidad capaz de detectar el entrelazamiento k-partito de una extensa clase de estados gausianos y no-gausianos en sistemas de variable continua. Este criterio se emplea para monitorizar la dinámica transitiva del entrelazamiento, mostrando que los estados no-gausianos pueden ser tan robustos frente a los efectos disipativos como los gausianos. Especial atención se dedicada a la dinámica estacionaria del entrelazamiento entre tres osciladores interaccionando con el mismo entorno o diferentes entornos a distintas temperaturas. Este estudio contribuye a dilucidar el papel de las correlaciones cuánticas en el comportamiento de la corrientes energéticas.

Neurorehabilitation of hand functions using brain computer interface

Introduction: Brain computer interface (BCI) is a promising new technology with possible application in neurorehabilitation after spinal cord injury. Movement imagination or attempted movement-based BCI coupled with functional electrical stimulation (FES) enables the simultaneous activation of the motor cortices and the muscles they control. When using the BCI- coupled with FES (known as BCI-FES), the subject activates the motor cortex using attempted movement or movement imagination of a limb. The BCI system detects the motor cortex activation and activates the FES attached to the muscles of the limb the subject is attempting or imaging to move. In this way the afferent and the efferent pathways of the nervous system are simultaneously activated. This simultaneous activation encourages Hebbian type learning which could be beneficial in functional rehabilitation after spinal cord injury (SCI). The FES is already in use in several SCI rehabilitation units but there is currently not enough clinical evidence to support the use of BCI-FES for rehabilitation. Aims: The main aim of this thesis is to assess outcomes in sub-acute tetraplegic patients using BCI-FES for functional hand rehabilitation. In addition, the thesis explores different methods for assessing neurological rehabilitation especially after BCI-FES therapy. The thesis also investigated mental rotation as a possible rehabilitation method in SCI. Methods: Following investigation into applicable methods that can be used to implement rehabilitative BCI, a BCI based on attempted movement was built. Further, the BCI was used to build a BCI-FES system. The BCI-FES system was used to deliver therapy to seven sub-acute tetraplegic patients who were scheduled to receive the therapy over a total period of 20 working days. These seven patients are in a 'BCI-FES' group. Five more patients were also recruited and offered equivalent FES quantity without the BCI. These further five patients are in a 'FES-only' group. Neurological and functional measures were investigated and used to assess both patient groups before and after therapy. Results: The results of the two groups of patients were compared. The patients in the BCI-FES group had better improvements. These improvements were found with outcome measures assessing neurological changes. The neurological changes following the use of the BCI-FES showed that during movement attempt, the activation of the motor cortex areas of the SCI patients became closer to the activation found in healthy individuals. The intensity of the activation and its spatial localisation both improved suggesting desirable cortical reorganisation. Furthermore, the responses of the somatosensory cortex during sensory stimulation were of clear evidence of better improvement in patients who used the BCI-FES. Missing somatosensory evoked potential peaks returned more for the BCI-FES group while there was no overall change in the FES-only group. Although the BCI-FES group had better neurological improvement, they did not show better functional improvement than the FES-only group. This was attributed mainly to the short duration of the study where therapies were only delivered for 20 working days. Conclusions: The results obtained from this study have shown that BCI-FES may induce cortical changes in the desired direction at least faster than FES alone. The observation of better improvement in the patients who used the BCI-FES is a good result in neurorehabilitation and it shows the potential of thought-controlled FES as a neurorehabilitation tool. These results back other studies that have shown the potential of BCI-FES in rehabilitation following neurological injuries that lead to movement impairment. Although the results are promising, further studies are necessary given the small number of subjects in the current study.

Implementation of continuous-variable quantum key distribution with composable and one-sided-device-independent security against coherent attacks

Secret communication over public channels is one of the central pillars of a modern information society. Using quantum key distribution this is achieved without relying on the hardness of mathematical problems, which might be compromised by improved algorithms or by future quantum computers. State-of-the-art quantum key distribution requires composable security against coherent attacks for a finite number of distributed quantum states as well as robustness against implementation side channels. Here we present an implementation of continuous-variable quantum key distribution satisfying these requirements. Our implementation is based on the distribution of continuous-variable Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen entangled light. It is one-sided device independent, which means the security of the generated key is independent of any memoryfree attacks on the remote detector. Since continuous-variable encoding is compatible with conventional optical communication technology, our work is a step towards practical implementations of quantum key distribution with state-of-the-art security based solely on telecom components.

Bayesian alignment of continuous molecular shapes using random fields

Statistical methodology is proposed for comparing molecular shapes. In order to account for the continuous nature of molecules, classical shape analysis methods are combined with techniques used for predicting random fields in spatial statistics. Applying a modification of Procrustes analysis, Bayesian inference is carried out using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods for the pairwise alignment of the resulting molecular fields. Superimposing entire fields rather than the configuration matrices of nuclear positions thereby solves the problem that there is usually no clear one--to--one correspondence between the atoms of the two molecules under consideration. Using a similar concept, we also propose an adaptation of the generalised Procrustes analysis algorithm for the simultaneous alignment of multiple molecular fields. The methodology is applied to a dataset of 31 steroid molecules.

Evidence for reductive genome evolution and lateral acquisition of virulence functions in two Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strains.

2011

Recovering the Elliott invariant from the Cuntz semigroup

Let A be a simple, separable C*-algebra of stable rank one. We prove that the Cuntz semigroup of C (T, A) is determined by its Murray-von Neumann semigroup of projections and a certain semigroup of lower semicontinuous functions (with values in the Cuntz semigroup of A). This result has two consequences. First, specializing to the case that A is simple, finite, separable and Z-stable, this yields a description of the Cuntz semigroup of C (T, A) in terms of the Elliott invariant of A. Second, suitably interpreted, it shows that the Elliott functor and the functor defined by the Cuntz semigroup of the tensor product with the algebra of continuous functions on the circle are naturally equivalent.

On concentrators and related approximation constants

Pippenger [Pi77] showed the existence of (6m,4m,3m,6)-concentrator for each positive integer m using a probabilistic method. We generalize his approach and prove existence of (6m,4m,3m,5.05)-concentrator (which is no longer regular, but has fewer edges). We apply this result to improve the constant of approximation of almost additive set functions by additive set functions from 44.5 (established by Kalton and Roberts in [KaRo83] to 39. We show a more direct connection of the latter problem to the Whitney type estimate for approximation of continuous functions on a cube in &b&R&/b&&sup&d&/sup& by linear functions, and improve the estimate of this Whitney constant from 802 (proved by Brudnyi and Kalton in [BrKa00] to 73.

Interpolating and sampling sequences in finite Riemann surfaces

We provide a description of the interpolating and sampling sequences on a space of holomorphic functions on a finite Riemann surface, where a uniform growth restriction is imposed on the holomorphic functions.