A Generalization of Grover's Algorithm

We investigate the necessary and sufficient conditions in order that a unitary operator can amplify a pre-assigned component relative to a particular basis of a generic vector at the expense of the other components. This leads to a general method which allows, given a vector and one of its components we want to amplify, to choose the optimal unitary operator which realizes that goal. Grover's quantum algorithm is shown to be a particular case of our general method. However the general structure of the unitary we find is remarkably similar to that of Grover's one: a sign flip of one component combined with a reflection with respect to a vector. In Grover's case this vector is fixed; in our case it depends on a parameter and this allows optimization.Comment: 20 pages, no figure

Convergiendo diferencias: inalienabilidad de las tierras indígenas, soberanía y libre determinación en Ecuador y Colombia

En este texto reviso algunos de los antecedentes históricos que llevaron a las reformas constitucionales de Colombia en 1991 y de Ecuador en 1998 y 2008, reconociendo el carácter multisocietal de ambos estados. Dado que uno de los ejes de las resistencias y reivindicaciones de los pueblos indígenas ha sido en el régimen de propiedad, en este trabajo identifico la noción de inalienabilidad como una de las zonas de contacto para el trabajo de traducción propuesto por Santos (2009), de modo a construir una integibilidad entre los conocimientos contenidos en los sistemas tradicionales de tenencia de tierras y el régimen liberal de la propiedad privada. Pese a que las asambleas constituyentes de los años noventas hayan sido el lugar más adecuado para empezar los diálogos interculturales en el campo de los conocimientos de lo que se dice “jurídico”, es necesario un tercero marco, un marco inter-universal encarnado que surja del diálogo y de la traducción entre culturas, y que permita imaginar un nuevo pacto social y en cuyo ámbito el derecho sea visto como un sistema amplio de comunicaciones, superando la idea de un pacto civil original, y desviando el enfoque único respecto a la noción de soberanía hacia las distintas demandas de libre determinación

The psychosocial impact of assistive device scale: Italian validation in a cohort of nonambulant people with neuromotor disorders

The importance of adaptive seating system on body structure and function is widely accepted, but its impact on psychosocial aspects needs more consideration by health professionals. This article describes the Italian validation of the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Device Scale (IT-PIADS) for non-ambulant people with neuromotor disorders. Once agreement has been given by the original authors, the scale was translated and adapted to the Italian culture. The IT-PIADS was administered to different wheelchairs users with heterogeneous diagnosis. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined. Its concurrent validity was evaluated with the Italian version of the WheelCon-M-SF. The IT-PIADS was administered to 87 subjects. Cronbach's α was 0.92 (p < 0.05), and the testretest reliability (ICC) for competence, adaptability and self-esteem subscales were 0.96, 0.90, 0.93 respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the IT-PIADS with the WheelCon-M-I-SF scores showed significant data for competence and adaptability subscales. Psychosocial perception on assistive devices can be reliably measure. The IT-PIADS showed good psychometric properties and it is possible to confirm its validity for clinical and research purposes. Nevertheless, before using this measure with greater confidence, further psychometric properties tests of the IT-PIADS are recommended

Patologías mandibulares en dos esqueletos de la Edad Media

X Congreso Nacional de Paleopatología. Univesidad Autónoma de Madrid, septiembre de 200

Creativity and destructiveness in art and psychoanalysis

This paper focuses on the creativity of the patient in analysis and compares it to that of the artist. Taking artists’ descriptions of their practices as its starting point, the paper suggests that the relationship between patient and analyst parallels that between artist and medium. Psychoanalysis and artistic process can both be seen in terms of a complex interplay between oneness and separateness in which aggression and destructiveness play an essential part. The paper includes a discussion of different forms of aggression and destructiveness within the creative process with particular reference to Winnicott’s paper ‘The Use of an Object’ and Rozsika Parker’s ‘The Angel in the House’. It suggests that a consideration of artists’ creative processes can shed light both on the experience of the patient in analysis and on the role of the analyst in facilitating the development of the patient’s creativity