J plots: a new method for characterizing structures in the interstellar medium

Large-scale surveys have brought about a revolution in astronomy. To analyse the resulting wealth of data, we need automated tools to identify, classify, and quantify the important underlying structures. We present here a method for classifying and quantifying a pixelated structure, based on its principal moments of inertia. The method enables us to automatically detect, and objectively compare, centrally condensed cores, elongated filaments, and hollow rings. We illustrate the method by applying it to (i) observations of surface density from Hi-GAL, and (ii) simulations of filament growth in a turbulent medium. We limit the discussion here to 2D data; in a future paper, we will extend the method to 3D data

Experimental Demonstration of Optimal Unambiguous State Discrimination

We present the first full demonstration of unambiguous state discrimination between non-orthogonal quantum states. Using a novel free space interferometer we have realised the optimum quantum measurement scheme for two non-orthogonal states of light, known as the Ivanovic-Dieks-Peres (IDP) measurement. We have for the first time gained access to all three possible outcomes of this measurement. All aspects of this generalised measurement scheme, including its superiority over a standard von Neumann measurement, have been demonstrated within 1.5% of the IDP predictions

The noise performance of electron-multiplying charge-coupled devices at soft X-ray energy values

The use of electron-multiplying charge-coupled devices (CCDs) for high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy has been proposed in previous studies, and the analysis that followed experimentally identified and verified a modified Fano factor for X-ray detection using an 55Fe X-ray source. However, further experiments with soft X-rays at 1000 eV were less successful, attributed to excessive split events. More recently, through the use of deep-depletion e2v CCD220 and on-chip binning, it has been possible to greatly reduce the number of split events, allowing the result for the modified Fano factor at soft X-ray energy values to be verified. This paper looks at the earlier attempt to verify the modified Fano factor at 1000 eV with e2v CCD97 and shows the issues created by splitting of the charge cloud between pixels. It then compares these earlier results with new data collected using e2v CCD220, investigating how split-event reduction allows the modified Fano factor to be verified for low-energy X-rays

Predicting university performance in psychology: the role of previous performance and discipline-specific knowledge

Recent initiatives to enhance retention and widen participation ensure it is crucial to understand the factors that predict students' performance during their undergraduate degree. The present research used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test three separate models that examined the extent to which British Psychology students' A-level entry qualifications predicted: (1) their performance in years 1-3 of their Psychology degree, and (2) their overall degree performance. Students' overall A-level entry qualifications positively predicted performance during their first year and overall degree performance, but negatively predicted their performance during their third year. Additionally, and more specifically, students' A-level entry qualifications in Psychology positively predicted performance in the first year only. Such findings have implications for admissions tutors, as well as for students who have not studied Psychology before but who are considering applying to do so at university

Epidemiology and healthcare factors associated with neonatal enterococcal infections

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiology and healthcare factors associated with late-onset neonatal enterococcal infections. DESIGN: Multicentre, multinational retrospective cohort study using prospectively collected infection data from a neonatal infection surveillance network between 2004 and 2016; this was supplemented with healthcare data from a questionnaire distributed to participating neonatal units. SETTING: Sixty neonatal units across Europe (UK, Greece, Estonia) and Australia. PATIENTS: Infants admitted to participating neonatal units who had a positive culture of blood, cerebrospinal fluid or urine after 48 hours of life. RESULTS: In total, 414 episodes of invasive Enterococcus spp infection were reported in 388 infants (10.1% of a total 4083 episodes in 3602 infants). Enterococcus spp were the second most common cause of late-onset infection after coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp and were strongly associated with necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) (adjusted OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.03, p=0.038), total parenteral nutrition (TPN) (adjusted OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.70, p=0.016), increasing postnatal age (per 1-week increase: adjusted OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.06, p<0.001) and decreasing birth weight (per 1 kg increase: adjusted OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.97, p=0.017). There was no evidence that inadequate nurse to patient staffing ratios in high-dependency units were associated with a higher risk of enterococcal infections. CONCLUSIONS: Enterococcus spp were the second most frequent cause of late-onset infections. The association between enterococcal infections, NEC and TPN may inform empiric antimicrobial regimens in these contexts and provide insights into reducing these infections

Fragmentation of Collapsar Disks and the Production of Gravitational Waves

We argue that gravitational instability in the outer parts of collapsar disks may lead to fragmentation near the radius where helium photodisintegrates, because of the strong cooling provided by this process. This physics sets clear physical scales for the fragmentation conditions and the properties of gravitationally bound clumps. Collapse of a fragment proceeds until the neutrons become degenerate; a neutron star of mass ~0.1-1Msun may result. We find that tidal disruption of a fragment and accretion by the central black hole are too rapid to account for the durations of observed X-ray flares from long gamma-ray bursts. Prior to disruption, migration of the fragment is driven by gravitational radiation and disk viscosity, which act together to produce a unique gravitational-wave signature. Advanced LIGO may be able to detect such sources within ~100 Mpc.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, 5 pages, 2 figures; added noise estimates for enhanced LIGO and expanded discussion of rate

Galectin-9 Is a Possible Promoter of Immunopathology in Rheumatoid Arthritis by Activation of Peptidyl Arginine Deiminase 4 (PAD-4) in Granulocytes

The aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unknown, but citrullination of proteins is thought to be an initiating event. In addition, it is increasingly evident that the lung can be a potential site for the generation of autoimmune triggers before the development of joint disease. Here, we identified that serum levels of galectin-9 (Gal-9), a pleiotropic immunomodulatory protein, are elevated in RA patients, and are even further increased in patients with comorbid bronchiectasis, a lung disease caused by chronic inflammation. The serum concentrations of Gal-9 correlate with C-reactive protein levels and DAS-28 score. Gal-9 activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (granulocytes) in vitro, which was characterized by increased cytokine secretion, migration, and survival. Further, granulocytes treated with Gal-9 upregulated expression of peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD-4), a key enzyme required for RA-associated citrullination of proteins. Correspondingly, treatment with Gal-9 triggered citrullination of intracellular granulocyte proteins that are known contributors to RA pathogenesis (i.e., myeloperoxidase, alpha-enolase, MMP-9, lactoferrin). In conclusion, this study identifies for the first time an immunomodulatory protein, Gal-9, that triggers activation of granulocytes leading to increased PAD-4 expression and generation of citrullinated autoantigens. This pathway may represent a potentially important mechanism for development of RA

Interlayer c-axis transport in the normal state of cuprates

A theoretical model of c-axis transport properties in cuprates is proposed. Inter-plane and in-plane charge fluctuations make hopping between planes incoherent and diffusive (the in-plane momentum is not conserved after tunneling). The non-Drude optical conductivity $\sigma_c(\omega)$ and the power-law temperature dependence of the {\it dc} conductivity are generically explained by the strong fluctuations excited in the process of tunneling. Several microscopic models of the charge fluctuation spectrum are considered.Comment: 8 page