An assessment of key risk factors for surgical site infection in patients undergoing surgery for spinal metastases

Objectives This study aimed to determine the rate of surgical site infection (SSI) in patients undergoing surgery for spinal metastases, and identify key risk factors for SSI among this patient group. Methods A retrospective case note review was undertaken in 152 adult patients being treated at a single specialist centre for spinal surgery. Results Overall SSI rate was 11.2% per patients (9.7% per procedure). An increase in the risk of SSI was observed when surgery involved a greater number of vertebral levels (odds ratio 1.26, P=0.019) when controlling for primary spinal region. Controlling for the number of spinal levels, the odds of SSI increased by a factor of 5.6 (P=0.103) when the primary surgical region was thoracic, as opposed to cervical or lumbar. Conclusions In conclusion, surgery associated with multiple vertebral levels for treatment of spinal metastases, particularly of the thoracic spine, is associated with increased risk of SSI

Quantum correlation in three-qubit Heisenberg model with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

We investigate the pairwise thermal quantum discord in a three-qubit XXZ model with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction. We find that the DM interaction can increase quantum discord to a fixed value in the anti- ferromagnetic system, but decreases quantum discord to a minimum first, then increases it to a fixed value in the ferromagnetic system. Abrupt change of quantum discord is observed, which indicates the abrupt change of groundstate. Dynamics of pairwise thermal quantum discord is also considered. We show that thermal discord vanishes in asymptotic limit regardless of its initial values, while thermal entanglement suddenly disappears at finite time.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

An efficient numerical algorithm on irreducible multiparty correlations

We develop a numerical algorithm to calculate the degrees of irreducible multiparty correlations for an arbitrary multiparty quantum state, which is efficient for any quantum state of up to five qubits. We demonstrate the power of the algorithm by the explicit calculations of the degrees of irreducible multiparty correlations in the 4-qubit GHZ state, the Smolin state, and the 5-qubit W state. This development takes a crucial step towards practical applications of irreducible multiparty correlations in real quantum many-body physics.Comment: 4 pages. Comments are welcom

Precision planar drift chambers and cradle for the TWIST muon decay spectrometer

To measure the muon decay parameters with high accuracy, we require an array of precision drift detector layers whose relative position is known with very high accuracy. This article describes the design, construction and performance of these detectors in the TWIST (TRIUMF Weak Interaction Symmetry Test) spectrometer.Comment: 44 pages, 16 Postscript figures, LaTeX2e, uses Elsevier class elsart.cls, package graphicx, submitted to Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Researc

Optimal Entanglement Generation from Quantum Operations

We consider how much entanglement can be produced by a non-local two-qubit unitary operation, $U_{AB}$ - the entangling capacity of $U_{AB}$. For a single application of $U_{AB}$, with no ancillas, we find the entangling capacity and show that it generally helps to act with $U_{AB}$ on an entangled state. Allowing ancillas, we present numerical results from which we can conclude, quite generally, that allowing initial entanglement typically increases the optimal capacity in this case as well. Next, we show that allowing collective processing does not increase the entangling capacity if initial entanglement is allowed.Comment: v1.0 15 pages, 3 figures, written in revtex4. v2.0 References updated. Submitted to Phys. Rev. A v3.0 16 pages, 4 figures. Expanded explanation in section 3A, figures corrected and made clearer. Definition of entangling capacity in section 4 made explicit. Other minor typos correcte

Nonlinear analysis of a simple model of temperature evolution in a satellite

We analyse a simple model of the heat transfer to and from a small satellite orbiting round a solar system planet. Our approach considers the satellite isothermal, with external heat input from the environment and from internal energy dissipation, and output to the environment as black-body radiation. The resulting nonlinear ordinary differential equation for the satellite's temperature is analysed by qualitative, perturbation and numerical methods, which show that the temperature approaches a periodic pattern (attracting limit cycle). This approach can occur in two ways, according to the values of the parameters: (i) a slow decay towards the limit cycle over a time longer than the period, or (ii) a fast decay towards the limit cycle over a time shorter than the period. In the first case, an exactly soluble average equation is valid. We discuss the consequences of our model for the thermal stability of satellites.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures (5 EPS files