Detection of Single Ion Spectra by Coulomb Crystal Heating

The coupled motion of ions in a radiofrequency trap has been used to connect the frequency- dependent laser-induced heating of a sympathetically cooled spectroscopy ion with changes in the fluorescence of a laser-cooled control ion. This technique, sympathetic heating spectroscopy, is demonstrated using two isotopes of calcium. In the experiment, a few scattered photons from the spectroscopy ion are transformed into a large deviation from the steady-state fluorescence of the control ion. This allows us to detect an optical transition where the number of scattered photons is below our fluorescence detection limit. Possible applications of the technique to molecular ion spectroscopy are briefly discussed.Comment: 7 Pages,10 Figure

Pioneering Tree Improvement in Oklahoma

The pioneering tree improvement work in Oklahoma started in 1965 when Clayton Posey moved from Auburn University to Oklahoma State University. Clayton was hired by Glen Durrell (Department Head) to fill a teaching/research position in the Department of Forestry. As a native Oklahoman, Clayton recognized the need to start some long-term studies with the economically important timber species in the state. Fortunately he had access to McIntire-Stennis funds which he used to initiate studies with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) and eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides). Tree selection started in 1966 and concurrently the Kiamichi Field Station was transferred to the Forestry Department from Horticulture. In typical Oklahoma fashion a strong spirit of cooperation emerged with Dierks Lumber Company (soon to be acquired by Weyerhaeuser), Herron Lumber Company, Oklahoma Forestry Division, and the Tiak District of the Ouachita National Forest all assisting with the program. The cooperative spirit was formalized in 1980 when the Oklahoma Forestry Division officially joined the Western Gulf Forest Tree Improvement Program.Papers and abstracts from the 27th Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference held at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma on June 24-27, 2003

The physical progress of a professional Scottish soccer academy over a ten-year period.

Increases in high-intensity locomotor activity of match play have been recorded in elite soccer. This places an onus on academy practitioners to develop players for the future demands of the game. At an academy level, locomotor data are not available for analysis over a longitudinal period, and thus changes can only be assessed with physical attribute assessment. The aim of the present study is to establish if changes in physical capacity were observed in a professional Scottish soccer academy over a ten-year period. A retrospective analysis was completed where linear mixed effect (LME) models were individually fitted to explain variation across each measure of physical capacity. Model selection was undertaken with likelihood ratio tests where the initial complex models were compared to simpler nested models to arrive at the final model by maximum likelihood. The main findings were that most recent players' sprint test data revealed a significant improvement in 5m, 10m and 20m sprint performance, greater increases in CMJ performance in older age groups, and greater increases in YYIR1 performance at U13 and U14. Most physical results showed increased performance with greater relative height and weight. Players recruited more recently to academies are fitter than they were previously. Reference values within clubs that establish first team requirements will contribute to appropriate planning and implementation of training

Effect of a Patient-Centered Phone Call by a Clinical Officer at Time of HIV Testing on Linkage to Care in Rural Kenya.

In a randomized controlled trial, we tested whether a structured, patient-centered phone call from a clinical officer after HIV testing improved linkage to/re-engagement in HIV care. Among 130 HIV-positive persons, those randomized to the phone call were significantly more likely to link to care by 7 and 30 days (P = .04)

Resource Requirements for Fault-Tolerant Quantum Simulation: The Transverse Ising Model Ground State

We estimate the resource requirements, the total number of physical qubits and computational time, required to compute the ground state energy of a 1-D quantum Transverse Ising Model (TIM) of N spin-1/2 particles, as a function of the system size and the numerical precision. This estimate is based on analyzing the impact of fault-tolerant quantum error correction in the context of the Quantum Logic Array (QLA) architecture. Our results show that due to the exponential scaling of the computational time with the desired precision of the energy, significant amount of error correciton is required to implement the TIM problem. Comparison of our results to the resource requirements for a fault-tolerant implementation of Shor's quantum factoring algorithm reveals that the required logical qubit reliability is similar for both the TIM problem and the factoring problem.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

Factors predictive of successful retention in care among HIV-infected men in a universal test-and-treat setting in Uganda and Kenya: A mixed methods analysis.

BackgroundPrevious research indicates clinical outcomes among HIV-infected men in sub-Saharan Africa are sub-optimal. The SEARCH test and treat trial (NCT01864603) intervention included antiretroviral care delivery designed to address known barriers to HIV-care among men by decreasing clinic visit frequency and providing flexible, patient-centered care with retention support. We sought to understand facilitators and barriers to retention in care in this universal treatment setting through quantitative and qualitative data analysis.MethodsWe used a convergent mixed methods study design to evaluate retention in HIV care among adults (age > = 15) during the first year of the SEARCH (NCT01864603) test and treat trial. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate predictors of retention in care. Longitudinal qualitative data from n = 190 in-depth interviews with HIV-positive individuals and health care providers were analyzed to identify facilitators and barriers to HIV care engagement.ResultsThere were 1,863 men and 3,820 women who linked to care following baseline testing. Retention in care was 89.7% (95% CI 87.0-91.8%) among men and 89.0% (86.8-90.9%) among women at one year. In both men and women older age was associated with higher rates of retention in care at one year. Additionally, among men higher CD4+ at ART initiation and decreased time between testing and ART initiation was associated with higher rates of retention. Maintaining physical health, a patient-centered treatment environment, supportive partnerships, few negative consequences to disclosure, and the ability to seek care in facilities outside of their community of residence were found to promote retention in care.ConclusionsFeatures of the ART delivery system in the SEARCH intervention and social and structural advantages emerged as facilitators to retention in HIV care among men. Messaging around the health benefits of early ART start, decreasing logistical barriers to HIV care, support of flexible treatment environments, and accelerated linkage to care, are important to men's success in ART treatment programs. Men already benefit from increased social support following disclosure of their HIV-status. Future efforts to shift gender norms towards greater equity are a potential strategy to support high levels of engagement in care for both men and women