Practical quantum metrology in noisy environments

This is the final version. Available from American Physical Society via the DOI in this recordThe problem of estimating an unknown phase φ using two-level probes in the presence of unital phase-covariant noise and using finite resources is investigated. We introduce a simple model in which the phase-imprinting operation on the probes is realized by a unitary transformation with a randomly sampled generator. We determine the optimal phase sensitivity in a sequential estimation protocol and derive a general (tight-fitting) lower bound. The sensitivity grows quadratically with the number of applications N of the phase-imprinting operation, then attains a maximum at some N opt , and eventually decays to zero. We provide an estimate of N opt in terms of accessible geometric properties of the noise and illustrate its usefulness as a guideline for optimizing the estimation protocol. The use of passive ancillas and of entangled probes in parallel to improve the phase sensitivity is also considered. We find that multiprobe entanglement may offer no practical advantage over single-probe coherence if the interrogation at the output is restricted to measuring local observables.European Research CouncilRoyal Societ

Factores asociados al pronóstico y supervivencia en pacientes adultos hospitalizados con diagnóstico de leucemia mieloide aguda del hospital nacional dos de mayo período 2014 a 2016: Factors associated with prognosis and survival in hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at the hospital nacional dos de mayo period 2014 to 2016

Introduction:Survival in patients diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) can be affected by various clinical, cytogenetic and immunophenotypic factors.Objective:To determine the characteristics of the CCU cancer screening in 08 health facilities (EESS) of Metropolitan Lima, the headquarters of the Medical Board of the FAMURP in 2017.Methods:An observational, transversal, retrospective and analytical study was carried out, based on the review of storiesClinics of all adult patients diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, diagnosed in April 2014 to December 2016 and followed up to determine its final outcome at 2 years, associating it with the presence of mortality conditions factors. The final sample was 39 patients.Results:Of the 39 patients, 16 (41%) were older than 60 years, 23 (59%) were younger than 60 years, 13 of the patients (33%) had a Leukocyte count greater than 50,000 at diagnosis and 26 (77%). ) presented a figure of less than 50,000. 33 patients presented a Novo Leukemia (84%) and 6 (16%) presented a Leukemia secondary to a Dysplastic Myel Syndrome or some previous history of chemotherapy. Data were not obtained for all patients according to the British American British classification (FAB), Immunophenotype and Karyotype. Survival was evaluated in 3 times, at 6 months, at one year and at 2 years from the date of diagnosis, while at 6 months the overall survival of the 39 patients had been 69% (25), at 49 % (18) and at 2 years remained in the same range. Survival at 1 year and 2 years after diagnosis was obtained with the same Odds Ratio (OR) of 4.5 for the variable Leukocytes at diagnosis greater than 50 000 (95% CI: 1,008 - 20,507), considering it as a risk factor for mortality. In the survival analysis of the same variable mentioned with one year survival and two years survival was significantly lower in the group of patients with leukocytes at diagnosis greater than 50,000.Conclusion:In our study population, statistical significance was found when evaluating the Leukocyte variable at diagnosis greater than 50,000, finding it as a factor associated with 2-year mortality, with a significantly greater survival than the group of patients with Leukocytes at diagnosis less than 50. 000.   DOI:  10.25176/RFMH.v19.n1.1789Introduccion: La supervivencia en pacientes con diagnóstico de Leucemia Mieloide Aguda (LMA) se puede ver afectada por diversos factores clínicos, citogenéticos e inmunofenotípicos. Objetivo: Determinar las características del tamizaje para cáncer CCU en 08 establecimientos de salud (EESS) de Lima Metropolitana sedes del Internado Médico de la FAMURP en el 2017. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, transversal, retrospectivo y analítico, basado en la revisión de historias clínicas de todos los pacientes adultos con diagnóstico de Leucemia Mieloide Aguda, diagnosticados en Abril del 2014 a diciembre de 2016 y se realizó un seguimiento para determinar su desenlace final a 2 años asociándolo a la presencia de factores condiciones de mortalidad. La muestra final fue de 39 pacientes. Resultados: De los 39 pacientes 16 (41%) fueron mayores de 60 años, 23 (59%) fueron menores de 60 años, 13 de los pacientes (33%) presentaron una cifra de Leucocitos mayor a 50 000 al diagnóstico y 26 (77%) presentaron una cifra menor a 50 000. 33 pacientes presentaron una Leucemia de Novo (84%) y 6 (16%) presentaron una Leucemia secundaria a un Síndrome Mielo Displásico o algún antecedente de quimioterapia previa. No se obtuvo datos de todos los pacientes según clasificación Franco Americano Británica (FAB), Inmunofenotipo y Cariotipo. La supervivencia se evaluó en 3 tiempos, a los 6 meses, al año y a los 2 años desde la fecha del diagnóstico, teniendo que a los 6 meses la sobrevida global de los 39 pacientes había sido el 69 % (25), al año 49% (18) y a los 2 años se mantuvo en el mismo rango. La supervivencia al año y 2 años del diagnóstico se obtuvo el mismo Odds Ratio (OR) de 4.5 para la variable Leucocitos al diagnóstico mayor a 50 000 (IC 95%: 1.008 – 20.507), considerándola como un factor de riesgo para mortalidad. En el análisis de supervivencia de la misma variable mencionada con la supervivencia al año y dos años que la supervivencia fue significativamente menor en el grupo de pacientes con leucocitos al diagnóstico mayor a 50 000. Conclusión: En nuestra población de estudio se encontró significancia estadística al momento de evaluar la variable Leucocitos al diagnóstico mayor a 50 000 encontrándola como factor asociado a la mortalidad a 2 años, con una supervivencia significativamente mayor que el grupo de pacientes con Leucocitos al diagnóstico menor a 50 000.   DOI:  10.25176/RFMH.v19.n1.178

Evaluation of Bayesian Networks in Participatory Water Resources Management, Upper Guadiana Basin, Spain

Stakeholder participation is becoming increasingly important in water resources management. In participatory processes, stakeholders contribute by putting forward their own perspective, and they benefit by enhancing their understanding of the factors involved in decision making. A diversity of modeling tools can be used to facilitate participatory processes. Bayesian networks are well suited to this task for a variety of reasons, including their ability to structure discussions and visual appeal. This research focuses on developing and testing a set of evaluation criteria for public participation. The advantages and limitations of these criteria are discussed in the light of a specific participatory modeling initiative. Modeling work was conducted in the Upper Guadiana Basin in central Spain, where uncontrolled groundwater extraction is responsible for wetland degradation and conflicts between farmers, water authorities, and environmentalists. Finding adequate solutions to the problem is urgent because the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive requires all aquatic ecosystems to be in a “good ecological state” within a relatively short time frame. Stakeholder evaluation highlights the potential of Bayesian networks to support public participation processes

Application of Bayesian Networks to the Upper Guadiana Basin

The need for more stakeholder participation is becoming increasingly important in natural resource management and for water resources in particular. There are a number of methods to facilitate the participatory process but in many cases the quality of these methods is difficult to evaluate because of the lack of appropriate benchmarks. Therefore there is a need of researches evaluating participatory process with clear evaluation criteria. This paper describes the development of a participatory decision support system based on Bayesian networks (Bns) and evaluates the implementation of the methodology using selected criteria. The work has been conducted in the Upper Guadiana Basin (UGB) in central Spain, a site of serious water management conflict, where groundwater-based irrigation is the main water consumer, accounting for 95% of the total uses. The uncontrolled exploitation of groundwater resources along several decades has led to an important environmental degradation and significant conflicts among stakeholder groups. The need to find solutions is becoming more urgent since the implementation of the Water Framework requires a good state of water ecosystems in the short term. The participatory building of Bayesian networks was lead to three-fold objectives: (1) To develop a DSS in the UGB, which allows the impacts of different water management options on the groundwater levels and agricultural economy to be evaluated. (2) To improve the knowledge of key water users and provide a platform for dialogue among stakeholders. (3) To evaluate the ability of Bns to provide support in complex conflict situations and as a means to more effectively engage stakeholders in the decision making process. The results obtained show that, in this context, the elaboration of a Bayesian network requires simplification of the problem, which helps stakeholders to understand the elements involved in the problem and the relationships among them. In addition to this, Bayesian networks have proved to be a good tool to deal with stakeholder participation, due to their defined structured elaboration process

'Stuff it': Respectability and the voice of resistance in letter to brezhnev

Exploring Letter to Brezhnev through concepts of respectability as feminine cultural capital this article suggests that the film’s affective impulse stems from its representation of a female, working class experience under Thatcherism. This experience is articulated through two structures of feeling derived from the intersecting conventions of social realism, and the consumerist and romantic tropes of the ‘woman’s film’. Through this intersection the daily abjection of women through degrading work or unemployment is traced, whilst being counterpointed to the escapist pleasures of a ‘night out’ constituted through the spatial and aesthetic shifts of the narrative, and the feminisation of the ‘jack the lad’ staple of British screen culture. In this way, Letter to Brezhnev exposes the centrality of respectability to women’s social mobility, or lack of it, thus offering a powerful critique of Thatcherite ideologies and women’s position as primary consumers within them. The article also offers a corrective to existing scholarship that has focussed on cinematic representations of a crisis of masculinity under Thatcherism to the neglect of its corrosive impact on feminine respectability

Are different groups of patients with stroke more likely to be excluded from the new UK general medical services contract? A cross-sectional retrospective analysis of a large primary care population

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Ecological succession of a Jurassic shallow-water ichthyosaur fall.

After the discovery of whale fall communities in modern oceans, it has been hypothesized that during the Mesozoic the carcasses of marine reptiles created similar habitats supporting long-lived and specialized animal communities. Here, we report a fully documented ichthyosaur fall community, from a Late Jurassic shelf setting, and reconstruct the ecological succession of its micro- and macrofauna. The early 'mobile-scavenger' and 'enrichment-opportunist' stages were not succeeded by a 'sulphophilic stage' characterized by chemosynthetic molluscs, but instead the bones were colonized by microbial mats that attracted echinoids and other mat-grazing invertebrates. Abundant cemented suspension feeders indicate a well-developed 'reef stage' with prolonged exposure and colonization of the bones prior to final burial, unlike in modern whale falls where organisms such as the ubiquitous bone-eating worm Osedax rapidly destroy the skeleton. Shallow-water ichthyosaur falls thus fulfilled similar ecological roles to shallow whale falls, and did not support specialized chemosynthetic communities

Halogenated oxindole and indoles from the South African marine ascidian Distaplia skoogi:

The known 3,6-dibromoindole (1), 6-bromo-3-chloroindole (2) and 6-bromo-2-oxindole (3) were isolated from the marine ascidian (sea squirt) Distapia skoogi collected from Algoa Bay, South Africa. Standard spectroscopic techniques were used to elucidate the structures of 1-3. All three compounds were found to be moderately cytotoxic to metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

Pneumonia in adults - Quality standard QS110

IntroductionThis quality standard covers adults (18 years and older) with a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia. For more information see the pneumonia topic overview.Why this quality standard is neededPneumonia is an infection of the lung tissue. When a person has pneumonia the air sacs in their lungs become filled with microorganisms, fluid and inflammatory cells and their lungs are not able to work properly. Diagnosis of pneumonia is based on symptoms and signs of an acute lower respiratory tract infection, and can be confirmed by a chest X-ray showing new shadowing that is not due to any other cause (such as pulmonary oedema or infarction). The NICE guideline on pneumonia classifies pneumonia depending on the source of the infection as community acquired or hospital-acquired, which need different management strategies. Every year between 0.5% and 1% of adults in the UK will have community-acquired pneumonia. It is diagnosed in 5–12% of adults who present to GPs with symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection, and 22–42% of these are admitted to hospital, where the mortality rate is between 5% and 14%. Between 1.2% and 10% of adults admitted to hospital with community acquired pneumonia are managed in an intensive care unit, and for these patients the risk of dying is over 30%. More than half of pneumonia-related deaths occur in people older than 84 years.At any time, 1.5% of hospital patients in England have a hospital-acquired respiratory infection, more than half of which are hospital-acquired pneumonia and are not associated with intubation. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is estimated to increase a hospital stay by about 8 days and has a reported mortality rate ranging from 30–70%. There are variations in clinical management and outcomes across the UK