The sudden change phenomenon of quantum discord

Even if the parameters determining a system's state are varied smoothly, the behavior of quantum correlations alike to quantum discord, and of its classical counterparts, can be very peculiar, with the appearance of non-analyticities in its rate of change. Here we review this sudden change phenomenon (SCP) discussing some important points related to it: Its uncovering, interpretations, and experimental verifications, its use in the context of the emergence of the pointer basis in a quantum measurement process, its appearance and universality under Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics, its theoretical and experimental investigation in some other physical scenarios, and the related phenomenon of double sudden change of trace distance discord. Several open questions are identified, and we envisage that in answering them we will gain significant further insight about the relation between the SCP and the symmetry-geometric aspects of the quantum state space.Comment: Lectures on General Quantum Correlations and their Applications, F. F. Fanchini, D. O. Soares Pinto, and G. Adesso (Eds.), Springer (2017), pp 309-33

Dating apps as digital flyovers: Mobile media and global intimacies in a postcolonial city

This chapter is about middle-class millennial Filipino women and their experiences of mediated global intimacies in the Philippines postcolonial capital of Manila. It focuses on their use of mobile technologies in exploring relationships with foreign men, and Westerners particularly. Drawing on an 18-month ethnographic research, this chapter sheds light on how the women use mobile apps to enact a distinct and temporary resolution to the challenges of experiencing global intimacies in a postcolonial city. Specifically, they construct what we call ‘digital flyovers’, that is, digital infrastructures borne out of dating apps and other mobile media that allow them to bypass what they think to be ‘uncosmopolitan’ Filipino men and to connect with foreign romantic prospects who share their own ‘globalised’ backgrounds and sensibilities. We show that, on one hand, these digital flyovers demonstrate how the women do have the privilege of accessing spaces conducive to cosmopolitan global intimacies, something that is elusive for most people in the Philippines. We also underscore, on the other hand, that these digital flyovers do nothing to change the ‘foundations’ of the society beneath them, which means that middle-class Manila’s distinct social dynamics continue to persist in their romantic and sexual lives

Análise físico-química do MTA e do cimento Portland associado a quatro diferentes radiopacificadores

INTRODUCTION: Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) is composed of Portland cement (PC), and a radiopacifier (bismuth oxide). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the setting time, solubility, pH, calcium ion release and radiopacity of pure Portland cement and its association to four radiopacifiers, (Barium sulfate, bismuth carbonate, bismuth oxide and iodoform), and White MTA (Angelus, Londrina, Brazil). MATERIAL AND METHOD: The ratio CP/radiopacifier used was 4:1 by weight (80% Portland cement and 20% radiopacifier). The setting time was evaluated according the specification ADA 57. The solubility was analyzed according to ISO 6876/2001 specification. The pH was evaluated using a digital pHmeter and the release of Ca++ ions by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The radiopacity was measured in millimeters of aluminum (mm/Al). The results were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey tests using 5% of significance level. RESULT: Barium sulfate did not alter the final setting time of the PC. Observed radiopacity was less than the minimum recommended by ADA 57 and ISO 6876/2001 for CP and CP associated with barium sulfate. The PC associated with iodoform showed solubility above the 3% recommended by ISO 6876/2001. All materials provided alkalinization and promoted calcium ion release. CONCLUSION: Bismuth carbonate and bismuth oxide provided proper initial setting time, solubility, pH, calcium ion release and radiopacity when combined with CP.INTRODUÇÃO: O Mineral Trióxido Agregado (MTA) é composto por cimento Portland (CP) e um radiopacificador (óxido de bismuto). OBJETIVO: Avaliar tempo de presa, solubilidade, pH, liberação de íons Cálcio e radiopacidade do cimento Portland puro ou associado a quatro radiopacificadores (sulfato de bário, carbonato de bismuto, óxido de bismuto e iodofórmio), comparados ao MTA branco (Angelus, Londrina, Brasil). MATERIAL E MÉTODO: A proporção empregada CP/radiopacificador foi de 4:1 em peso, (80% de cimento Portland e 20% de radiopacificador). A especificação 57 da ADA foi usada para avaliação do tempo de presa. A solubilidade foi analisada segundo a especificação ISO 6876/2001. A avaliação do pH foi realizada com peagâmetro digital e a liberação de íons Ca++foi verificada por meio de espectrofotômetro de absorção atômica. A radiopacidade foi determinada em milímetros de alumínio (mm/Al). Os resultados foram submetidos aos testes de Análise de Variância e Tukey, nível de significância 5%. RESULTADO: O sulfato de bário não alterou o tempo de presa final do CP. Radiopacidade inferior ao mínimo recomendado pelas normas da ADA nº 57 e ISO 6876/2001 foi observada para CP e CP associado com sulfato de bário. O CP associado ao iodofórmio apresentou solubilidade acima dos 3% recomendados pela ISO 6876/2001. Todos os materiais proporcionaram alcalinização do meio e promoveram liberação de íons cálcio. CONCLUSÃO: Carbonato de bismuto ou óxido de bismuto proporcionaram tempo de presa inicial, solubilidade, pH, liberação de íons Cálcio e radiopacidade adequados quando associados ao CP.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista Faculdade de OdontologiaUFJF - Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora Faculdade de OdontologiaUSP - Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de OdontologiaUNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Odontologi

Who am I? Whom can I love? And why me? Queer Christians and the spirituality of struggle

How do queer Christians navigate the tensions between faith and sexuality? This article points to the spirituality of struggle as an answer. In the context of the Philippines, a society known for its religious and moral conservatism, we define this spirituality as an ongoing process in which queer Christians aspire to discover and fulfill God’s will for their lives. We explain this spirituality in the form of three questions we gathered from our interlocutors: Who am I? Whom can I love? And why me? Taken together, these questions reflect the deepest concerns they have about faith and sexuality. Recognizing the spirituality of struggle offers significant contributions to studying religion and gender in the Philippines: by recognizing queer religious identities as dynamic, negotiated acts steeped in ambivalence and by serving as an empirical counterpoint to the militant Christianity in the country. These insights are drawn from semi-structured interviews with sixty-six young adults who self-identify as non-heterosexual men. They are also from different Christian denominations in the Greater Manila Area

The rise of trolls in the Philippines (and what we can do about it)

This chapter contributes to efforts at establishing a general account of the increasingly vitriolic online political trolling coming out of many democratically inclined societies. It pays particular attention to the rise online political trolling in the Philippines. We provide sociological explanations for this phenomenon and assess whether and how this plays a role in fostering a democratic media in the country. We begin by considering the definition of an online political troll. We argue that in the Philippines, as in many other contexts, one needs to be careful in approaching such a contested term. We then look at the role of the online political troll in Philippine politics. We attend to how they have gained unprecedented popularity through the distinct dynamics of the country’s democracy but also to how they have undermined the possibility of making better this very same democracy. We conclude by turning to normative frameworks that might help the public sphere move away from the pernicious predominance of toxic online political trolling

The State of Indigenous Education in the Philippines Today

This chapter looks into the interplay of indigenous education and global citizenship in the Philippines. The country is one of the first nations in Asia to have passed a law recognizing the specific needs of its indigenous people (IP). In 1997, the Indigenous People’s Rights Act was passed into law to ensure that IPs have access to basic health and education. But much has remained wanting in its implementation even after two decades. This chapter spells out first the historical development and the emergent conceptualization of indigenous education insofar as national policy is concerned. After which, local experiences of indigenous education are considered – particularly, the case of a local school in Bukidnon, the Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center; and an institutional program, the Philippine’s Response to Indigenous Peoples’ and Muslim Education. The chapter concludes by considering whether or not the concept of global citizenship is understood at the level of both policy and local experience

The nationalisation of religion: Youth and Soka Gakkai in Singapore

The nationalisation of religion is introduced in this article as the condition in which the secular interests and values of the state are articulated and enacted by religious organisations or individuals participating in public life. It has two attributes: (1) performances are shrouded in a nationalistic character that renders the religious significantly invisible and as a result; (2) the prevailing political order proceeds unquestioned. To make its case, the article draws from the experiences of the youth of Soka who perform in public events such as the National Day Parade and Chingay in Singapore. These performances are some of the ways in which Soka presents itself as a cultural organisation working for peace and progress in Singapore. For them, it is about sending a message that individual and collective struggles can be overcome and that in spite of their differences, people can come together