Generalised Compositional Theories and Diagrammatic Reasoning

This chapter provides an introduction to the use of diagrammatic language, or perhaps more accurately, diagrammatic calculus, in quantum information and quantum foundations. We illustrate the use of diagrammatic calculus in one particular case, namely the study of complementarity and non-locality, two fundamental concepts of quantum theory whose relationship we explore in later part of this chapter. The diagrammatic calculus that we are concerned with here is not merely an illustrative tool, but it has both (i) a conceptual physical backbone, which allows it to act as a foundation for diverse physical theories, and (ii) a genuine mathematical underpinning, permitting one to relate it to standard mathematical structures.Comment: To appear as a Springer book chapter chapter, edited by G. Chirabella, R. Spekken

Shotgun Proteomics Identifies Serum Fibronectin as a Candidate Diagnostic Biomarker for Inclusion in Future Multiplex Tests for Ectopic Pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is difficult to diagnose early and accurately. Women often present at emergency departments in early pregnancy with a 'pregnancy of unknown location' (PUL), and diagnosis and exclusion of EP is challenging due to a lack of reliable biomarkers. The objective of this study was to identify novel diagnostic biomarkers for EP. Shotgun proteomics, incorporating combinatorial-ligand library pre-fractionation, was used to interrogate pooled sera (n = 40) from women undergoing surgery for EP, termination of viable intrauterine pregnancy and management of non-viable intrauterine pregnancy. Western blot was used to validate results in individual sera. ELISAs were developed to interrogate sera from women with PUL (n = 120). Sera were collected at time of first symptomatic presentation and categorized according to pregnancy outcome. The main outcome measures were differences between groups and area under the receiver operating curve (ROC). Proteomics identified six biomarker candidates. Western blot detected significant differences in levels of two of these candidates. ELISA of sera from second cohort revealed that these differences were only significant for one of these candidates, fibronectin. ROC analysis of ability of fibronectin to discriminate EP from other pregnancy outcomes suggested that fibronectin has diagnostic potential (ROC 0.6439; 95% CI 0.5090 to 0.7788; P>0.05), becoming significant when 'ambiguous' medically managed PUL excluded from analysis (ROC 0.6538; 95% CI 0.5158 to 0.7918; P<0.05). Fibronectin may make a useful adjunct to future multiplex EP diagnostic tests

Can asthma control be improved by understanding the patient's perspective?

Clinical trials show that asthma can be controlled in the majority of patients, but poorly controlled asthma still imposes a considerable burden. The level of asthma control achieved reflects the behaviour of both healthcare professionals and patients. A key challenge for healthcare professionals is to help patients to engage in self-management behaviours with optimal adherence to appropriate treatment. These issues are particularly relevant in primary care, where most asthma is managed. An international panel of experts invited by the International Primary Care Respiratory Group considered the evidence and discussed the implications for primary care practice

Reverberation Mapping and the Physics of Active Galactic Nuclei

Reverberation-mapping campaigns have revolutionized our understanding of AGN. They have allowed the direct determination of the broad-line region size, enabled mapping of the gas distribution around the central black hole, and are starting to resolve the continuum source structure. This review describes the recent and successful campaigns of the International AGN Watch consortium, outlines the theoretical background of reverberation mapping and the calculation of transfer functions, and addresses the fundamental difficulties of such experiments. It shows that such large-scale experiments have resulted in a ``new BLR'' which is considerably different from the one we knew just ten years ago. We discuss in some detail the more important new results, including the luminosity-size-mass relationship for AGN, and suggest ways to proceed in the near future.Comment: Review article to appear in Astronomical Time Series, Proceedings of the Wise Observatory 25th Ann. Symposium. 24 pages including 7 figure

Intervention planning and modification of the BUMP intervention: a digital intervention for the early detection of raised blood pressure in pregnancy

Background: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, particularly pre-eclampsia, pose a substantial health risk for both maternal and foetal outcomes. The BUMP (Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring in Pregnancy) interventions are being tested in a trial. They aim to facilitate the early detection of raised blood pressure through self-monitoring. This article outlines how the self-monitoring interventions in the BUMP trial were developed and modified using the person-based approach to promote engagement and adherence. Methods: Key behavioural challenges associated with blood pressure self-monitoring in pregnancy were identified through synthesising qualitative pilot data and existing evidence, which informed guiding principles for the development process. Social cognitive theory was identified as an appropriate theoretical framework. A testable logic model was developed to illustrate the hypothesised processes of change associated with the intervention. Iterative qualitative feedback from women and staff informed modifications to the participant materials. Results: The evidence synthesis suggested women face challenges integrating self-monitoring into their lives and that adherence is challenging at certain time points in pregnancy (for example, starting maternity leave). Intervention modification included strategies to address adherence but also focussed on modifying outcome expectancies, by providing messages explaining pre-eclampsia and outlining the potential benefits of self-monitoring. Conclusions: With an in-depth understanding of the target population, several methods and approaches to plan and develop interventions specifically relevant to pregnant women were successfully integrated, to address barriers to behaviour change while ensuring they are easy to engage with, persuasive and acceptable

Concerns About Exercise Are Related to Walk Test Results in Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients with COPD

# The Author(s). This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com 2010 Background Although international guidelines on pulmonary rehabilitation acknowledge that psychological factors contribute to exercise intolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the few empirical studies investigating this association have found inconsistent results. Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate whether negative affect and beliefs about exercise of patients with COPD would be related to baseline 6-min walk (6-MW) test results in a pulmonary rehabilitation setting, after correction for physical variables (sex, age, height, weight, and lung function). A second aim was to examine whethe

OmpR controls Yersinia enterocolitica motility by positive regulation of flhDC expression

Flagella and invasin play important roles during the early stages of infection by the enteric pathogen Yersinia enterocolitica. Our previous study demonstrated that OmpR negatively regulates invasin gene expression at the transcriptional level. The present study focused on the role of OmpR in the regulation of flagella expression. Motility assays and microscopic observations revealed that an ompR mutant strain exhibits a non-motile phenotype due to the lack of flagella. An analysis of flhDC::lacZYA chromosomal fusions demonstrated a decrease in flhDC expression in ompR mutant cells, suggesting a role for OmpR in the positive control of flagellar master operon flhDC, which is in contrast to the negative role it plays in Escherichia coli. Moreover, high temperature or osmolarity and low pH decreased flhDC expression and OmpR was not required for the response to these factors. Evidence from an examination of the DNA binding properties of OmpR in vitro indicated that the mechanism by which OmpR regulates flhDC is direct. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays confirmed that OmpR binds specifically to the flhDC promoter region and suggested the presence of more than one OmpR-binding site. In addition, phosphorylation of OmpR by acetyl-P appeared to stimulate the binding abilities of OmpR. Together with the results of our previous studies revealing the negative role of OmpR in the regulation of invasin expression, these findings support a model in which invasion and motility might be reciprocally regulated by OmpR

Expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6) correlates with oestrogen receptor in human breast carcinoma

Multifunctional cytokines play important and only partially defined roles in mammary tumour development and progression. Normal human mammary epithelial cells constitutively produce interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8 and a non-secreted form of tumour necrosis factor. Transformation of mammary epithelial cells by different oncogenes is frequently associated with alterations of cytokine/growth factor production and responsiveness. In the present study we analysed the expression of IL-6 in 149 cases of invasive breast carcinoma and the data have been correlated with clinico-pathological variables including tumour size, histological grade, nodal status, and oestrogen and progesterone receptors, Ki67 and p53, protein expression. Though the majority of breast carcinomas expressed at least low levels of immunoreactive IL-6, we found that expression of this cytokine was inversely associated with histological tumour grade (P = 0.0017), but not with tumour size and nodal status. Ki67 positivity was inversely correlated with IL-6 expression (P = 0.027). Among biological parameters analysed, a direct association was found between the percentage of IL-6-positive cells and that of oestrogen (P = 0.00005) and progesterone (P = 0.025) receptor-positive cells. No correlation was observed between IL-6 and p53 protein expression. These data indicate that down regulation of IL-6 is associated with highly malignant mammary carcinomas. It will be of interest to evaluate whether alterations of cytokines that are constitutively produced by mammary cells are also associated with high-grade tumours

Is tension band wiring technique the "gold standard" for the treatment of olecranon fractures? A long term functional outcome study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tension band wiring (TBW) remains the most common operative technique for the internal fixation of olecranon fractures despite the potential occurrence of subjective complaints due to subcutaneous position of the hardware. Aim of this long term retrospective study was to evaluate the elbow function and the patient-rated outcome after TBW fixation of olecranon fractures.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We reviewed 62 patients (33 men and 29 women) with an average age of 48.6 years (range, 18–85 years) who underwent TBW osteosynthesis for isolated olecranon fractures. All patients were assessed both clinically with measurement of flexion-extension and pronation-supination arcs and radiologically with elbow X-Rays. Functional outcome was estimated using the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) subjective pain score and VAS patient satisfaction score. Follow up: 6–13 years (average 8.2 years).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a higher prevalence of fractures among men until the 5th decade of life and among women in elderly (p = 0.032). Slip or simple fall onto the arm was the main mechanism of injury for 38 fractures (61.3%) while high energy trauma, such as fall from a height (> 2 m) or road accident, was reported in 24 fractures (38.7%). Hardware removal performed in 51 patients (82.3%) but 34 of them (66.6% of removals) were still complaining for mild pain during daily activities. The incidence of pin migration and loosening was not statistically decreased when penetration of the anterior ulnar cortex was accomplished (p = 0.304). Supination was more often affected than pronation (p = 0.027). According to MEPS, 53 patients (85.5%) had a good to excellent result, 6 (9.7%) fair and 3 (4.8%) poor result. The average satisfaction rating was 9.3 out of 10 (range, 6–10) with 31 patients (50%) to remain completely satisfied from the final result. Degenerative changes recorded in 30 elbows (48.4%). However, no correlation could be found between radiographic findings and MEPS (p = 0.073).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Tension band wiring fixation remains the "gold standard" for the treatment of displaced and minimally comminuted olecranon fractures. In long term, low levels of pain may be evident regardless of whether the metalware is removed and degenerative changes have been developed.</p

Quantifying the Spatial Dimension of Dengue Virus Epidemic Spread within a Tropical Urban Environment

Global trends in population growth and human redistribution and movement have reshaped the map of dengue transmission risk, exposing a significant proportion of the world's population to the threat of dengue epidemics. Knowledge on the relative contribution of vector and human movement to the widespread and explosive nature of dengue epidemic spread within an urban environment is limited. By analyzing a very detailed dataset of a dengue epidemic that affected the Australian city of Cairns we performed a comprehensive quantification of the spatio-temporal dimensions of dengue virus epidemic transmission and propagation within a complex urban environment. Space and space-time analysis and models allowed derivation of detailed information on the pattern of introduction and epidemic spread of dengue infection within the urban space. We foresee that some of the results and recommendations derived from our study may also be applicable to many other areas currently affected or potentially subject to dengue epidemics