Poisson Statistics for the Largest Eigenvalues in Random Matrix Ensemble

The paper studies the spectral properties of large Wigner, band and sample covariance random matrices with heavy tails of the marginal distributions of matrix entries.Comment: This is an extended version of my talk at the QMath 9 conference at Giens, France on September 13-17, 200

Quantum computing implementations with neutral particles

We review quantum information processing with cold neutral particles, that is, atoms or polar molecules. First, we analyze the best suited degrees of freedom of these particles for storing quantum information, and then we discuss both single- and two-qubit gate implementations. We focus our discussion mainly on collisional quantum gates, which are best suited for atom-chip-like devices, as well as on gate proposals conceived for optical lattices. Additionally, we analyze schemes both for cold atoms confined in optical cavities and hybrid approaches to entanglement generation, and we show how optimal control theory might be a powerful tool to enhance the speed up of the gate operations as well as to achieve high fidelities required for fault tolerant quantum computation.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures; From the issue entitled "Special Issue on Neutral Particles

Crowdsourcing the General Public for Large Scale Molecular Pathology Studies in Cancer

Background: Citizen science, scientific research conducted by non-specialists, has the potential to facilitate biomedical research using available large-scale data, however validating the results is challenging. The Cell Slider is a citizen science project that intends to share images from tumors with the general public, enabling them to score tumor markers independently through an internet-based interface. Methods: From October 2012 to June 2014, 98,293 Citizen Scientists accessed the Cell Slider web page and scored 180,172 sub-images derived from images of 12,326 tissue microarray cores labeled for estrogen receptor (ER). We evaluated the accuracy of Citizen Scientist's ER classification, and the association between ER status and prognosis by comparing their test performance against trained pathologists. Findings: The area under ROC curve was 0.95 (95% CI 0.94 to 0.96) for cancer cell identification and 0.97 (95% CI 0.96 to 0.97) for ER status. ER positive tumors scored by Citizen Scientists were associated with survival in a similar way to that scored by trained pathologists. Survival probability at 15 years were 0.78 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.80) for ER-positive and 0.72 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.77) for ER-negative tumors based on Citizen Scientists classification. Based on pathologist classification, survival probability was 0.79 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.81) for ER-positive and 0.71 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.74) for ER-negative tumors. The hazard ratio for death was 0.26 (95% CI 0.18 to 0.37) at diagnosis and became greater than one after 6.5 years of follow-up for ER scored by Citizen Scientists, and 0.24 (95% CI 0.18 to 0.33) at diagnosis increasing thereafter to one after 6.7 (95% CI 4.1 to 10.9) years of follow-up for ER scored by pathologists. Interpretation: Crowdsourcing of the general public to classify cancer pathology data for research is viable, engages the public and provides accurate ER data. Crowdsourced classification of research data may offer a valid solution to problems of throughput requiring human input

A self-help version of the New Forest Parenting Programme for parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder:a qualitative study of parent views and acceptability

Background Although parent interventions are recommended as a frontline treatment approach for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a number of practical and situational barriers can impact accessibility and availability. Self-help parent interventions offer a potential alternative to therapist-led interventions when barriers prevent access to face-to-face treatment. This qualitative study aims to explore participant views and acceptability of self-help parent interventions. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents/carers of 12 children (age 6–10 years) with ADHD who received the self-help version of the New Forest Parenting Programme (NFPP-SH) as part of a randomised controlled trial. Thematic analysis (as proposed by Braun and Clarke) was used to analyse the data. Results Overall, participants had favourable views of the self-help intervention but also experienced some barriers to treatment adherence. Six key themes were identified in parent interviews related to parental desire to learn more; acquisition of new skills; the flexibility of the intervention; self-help intervention vs. traditional therapist-led formats; barriers to engagement in the home environment; and need for earlier access to help. Conclusions NFPP-SH was an acceptable intervention for parents. However, some parents may need additional support to overcome barriers associated with completing an intervention at home. Implications for healthcare providers and researchers developing self-help parent interventions for ADHD and child behaviour are discussed

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Forecasting the motion of North Atlantic tropical cyclones by the objective MOHATT scheme

An objective scheme for forecasting the motion of tropical cyclones (MOHATT) , under development since 1967 by the U.S. Navy Fleet Numerical Weather Central and the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., is described and applied to the 1967-71 North Atlantic tropical cyclones for forecast intervals up to 72 hr. The MOHATT scheme involves steering of the center of the cyclone by geostrophic winds derived from heavily smoothed isobaric height fields (both analyzed and prognostic) and a statistical correction determined by the behavior of the first 12 hr of the steering forecast. The developmental sample (1967-70) used to establish the potential accuracy of MOHATT indicates 700 mb as the optimum steering level, but the fully operational test in 1971 suggests that the 850-mb level may be an improvement for forecast intervals beyond 36 hr

The size of a major epidemic of a vector-borne disease

Based on a simple model due to Dietz, it is shown that the size of a major epidemic of a vector-borne disease with basic reproduction ratio R0 > 1 is dominated by the size of a standard SIR (susceptible-infected-removed) epidemic with direct host-to-h