The cost of systemic corticosteroid-induced morbidity in severe asthma : a health economic analysis

The study data-set was supported by the Respiratory Effectiveness Group through their academic partnership with Optimum Patient Care. Ciaran O'Neill was funded under a HRB Research Leader Award (RL/13/16).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

New spin squeezing and other entanglement tests for two mode systems of identical bosons

For any quantum state representing a physical system of identical particles, the density operator must satisfy the symmetrization principle (SP) and conform to super-selection rules (SSR) that prohibit coherences between differing total particle numbers. Here we consider bi-partitite states for massive bosons, where both the system and sub-systems are modes (or sets of modes) and particle numbers for quantum states are determined from the mode occupancies. Defining non-entangled or separable states as those prepared via local operations (on the sub-systems) and classical communication processes, the sub-system density operators are also required to satisfy the SP and conform to the SSR, in contrast to some other approaches. Whilst in the presence of this additional constraint the previously obtained sufficiency criteria for entanglement, such as the sum of the ˆSx and ˆSy variances for the Schwinger spin components being less than half the mean boson number, and the strong correlation test of |haˆm (bˆ†)ni|2 being greater than h(aˆ†)maˆm (bˆ†)nbˆni(m, n = 1, 2, . . .) are still valid, new tests are obtained in our work. We show that the presence of spin squeezing in at least one of the spin components ˆSx , ˆSy and ˆSz is a sufficient criterion for the presence of entanglement and a simple correlation test can be constructed of |haˆm (bˆ†)ni|2 merely being greater than zero.We show that for the case of relative phase eigenstates, the new spin squeezing test for entanglement is satisfied (for the principle spin operators), whilst the test involving the sum of the ˆSx and ˆSy variances is not. However, another spin squeezing entanglement test for Bose–Einstein condensates involving the variance in ˆSz being less than the sum of the squared mean values for ˆSx and ˆSy divided by the boson number was based on a concept of entanglement inconsistent with the SP, and here we present a revised treatment which again leads to spin squeezing as an entanglement test

Sugar additives for MALDI matrices improve signal allowing the smallest nucleotide change (A:T) in a DNA sequence to be resolved

Sample preparation for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) of DNA is critical for obtaining high quality mass spectra. Sample impurity, solvent content, substrate surface and environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) all affect the rate of matrix–analyte co-crystallization. As a result, laser fluence threshold for desorption/ionization varies from spot to spot. When using 3-hydroxypicolinic acid (3-HPA) as the matrix, laser fluence higher than the threshold value reduces mass resolution in time-of-flight (TOF) MS as the excess energy transferred to DNA causes metastable decay. This can be overcome by either searching for ‘hot’ spots or adjusting the laser fluence. However, both solutions may require a significant amount of operator manipulation and are not ideal for automatic measurements. We have added various sugars for crystallization with the matrix to minimize the transfer of excess laser energy to DNA molecules. Fructose and fucose were found to be the most effective matrix additives. Using these additives, mass resolution for DNA molecules does not show noticeable deterioration as laser energy increases. Improved sample preparation is important for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using primer extension with a single nucleotide. During automatic data acquisition it is difficult to routinely detect heterozygous A/T mutations, which requires resolving a mass difference of 9 Da, unless a sugar is added during crystallization

Teleportation of a quantum state of a spatial mode with a single massive particle

Mode entanglement exists naturally between regions of space in ultra-cold atomic gases. It has, however, been debated whether this type of entanglement is useful for quantum protocols. This is due to a particle number superselection rule that restricts the operations that can be performed on the modes. In this paper, we show how to exploit the mode entanglement of just a single particle for the teleportation of an unknown quantum state of a spatial mode. We detail how to overcome the superselection rule to create any initial quantum state and how to perform Bell state analysis on two of the modes. We show that two of the four Bell states can always be reliably distinguished, while the other two have to be grouped together due to an unsatisfied phase matching condition. The teleportation of an unknown state of a quantum mode thus only succeeds half of the time.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, this paper was presented at TQC 2010 and extends the work of Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 200502 (2009

Bell inequality for pairs of particle-number-superselection-rule restricted states

Proposals for Bell inequality tests on systems restricted by superselection rules often require operations that are difficult to implement in practice. In this paper, we derive a new Bell inequality, where pairs of states are used to by-pass the superselection rule. In particular, we focus on mode entanglement of an arbitrary number of massive particles and show that our Bell inequality detects the entanglement in the pair when other inequalities fail. However, as the number of particles in the system increases, the violation of our Bell inequality decreases due to the restriction in the measurement space caused by the superselection rule. This Bell test can be implemented using techniques that are routinely used in current experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures; v2 is the published versio

The utility of saliva for the assessment of anti-pneumococcal antibodies: investigation of saliva as a marker of antibody status in serum

Context: Salivary antibodies may act as non-invasive marker of systemic immunity enabling assessment of vaccination and protection against bacterial infections. Objective: To assess if levels of anti-pneumococcal (Pn) antibodies in saliva reflect concentrations in serum and determine whether saliva can accurately identify protective concentrations in serum. Methods: IgG, IgA and IgM antibody levels in paired saliva and serum samples were measured against 12 Pn polysaccharide antigens in 72 healthy adults. Results: Antibody levels in saliva correlated positively with serum across immunoglobulin classes, most strongly for IgA. Individuals who had protective antibody levels in serum demonstrated significantly higher IgG and IgA salivary antibody concentrations/secretion rates. Salivary IgG and IgA Pn antibodies were able to distinguish between those with/without protective levels in serum for the majority of serotypes. Salivary IgM antibodies were not able to differentiate protective status. Median IgG and IgA Pn salivary parameters were able to identify individuals who had protective levels in serum on ≥8/12 serotypes with moderate accuracy: median IgA secretion rates provided the best sensitivity (73%) and specificity (71%). Conclusions: These findings suggest that IgG and IgA Pn specific antibodies in saliva may be useful surrogate markers of antibody status in serum

Serum free light chains are reduced in endurance trained older adults: Evidence that exercise training may reduce basal inflammation in older adults

Traditionally, free light chains (FLCs) are used as key serum biomarkers in the diagnosis and monitoring of plasma cell malignancies, but polyclonal FLCs can also be used as an accurate real-time indicator of immune-activation and inflammation. The primary aim of the present study was to assess the effects of exercise training status on serum FLCs in older adults, and secondly, to examine if training status moderated serum FLC responses to acute exercise. Kappa and lambda serum FLC levels were measured in 45 healthy older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) who were either sedentary, physically active or endurance trained. FLCs were measured at baseline and in response to an acute bout of submaximal exercise. The endurance trained group had significantly lower levels of kappa and lambda serum FLCs compared with physically active or sedentary elderly adults; these effects were independent of age, BMI and renal function. There was no significant difference in whole immunoglobulins between groups. Exercise training status had no effect on serum FLC responses to acute exercise, which were marginal. In conclusion, endurance training was associated with lower FLC levels compared with less physically active individuals. These findings suggest that long-term endurance training may be beneficial in reducing basal inflammation in older adults as well as elevated FLCs present in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, often associated with ageing. FLCs may serve as a useful biomarker for monitoring the efficacy of exercise intervention studies in healthy and clinical populations

Raman spectroscopy analysis of Paleolithic industry from Guadalteba terrace river, Campillos (Guadalteba county, Southern of Iberian Peninsula)

Artículo sobre la aplicación de la espectroscopía ramán a los materiales de la terraza fluvial del Río Guadalteba, en Campillos