Unipotent class representatives for finite classical groups

We describe explicitly representatives of the conjugacy classes of unipotent elements of the finite classical groups

Piloting a parent and patient decision aid to support clinical trial decision making in childhood cancer

Objective: Families of a child with cancer can find the decision to enrol in a clinical trial challenging and often misunderstand key concepts that underpin trials. We pilot tested “Delta,” an online and booklet decision aid for parents with a child with cancer, and adolescents with cancer, deciding whether or not to enrol in a clinical trial. Methods: We developed Delta in accordance with the International Patient Decision Aid Standards. We conducted a pre-post pilot with parents with a child, and adolescents, who had enrolled in a paediatric phase III clinical trial for newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Parents (n = 37) and adolescents (n = 3) completed a questionnaire before and after using Delta (either the website or booklet, based on their preference). Results: Twenty-three parents (62.2%) and three adolescents (100%) reviewed the Delta website. Parents rated Delta as highly acceptable in regard to being clearly presented, informative, easy to read, useful, visually appealing, and easy to use. All participants reported that they would recommend Delta to others and that it would have been useful when making their decision. Parents' subjective (Mdiff=10.8, SDdiff = 15.69, P <.001) and objective (OR = 2.25, 95% CI, 1.66-3.04; P <.001) clinical trial knowledge increased significantly after reviewing Delta. Conclusions: To our knowledge, Delta is the first reported decision aid, available online and as a booklet, for parents and adolescents deciding whether or not to enrol in a paediatric oncology clinical trial. Our study suggests that Delta is acceptable, feasible, and potentially useful

Quantum states made to measure

Recent progress in manipulating quantum states of light and matter brings quantum-enhanced measurements closer to prospective applications. The current challenge is to make quantum metrologic strategies robust against imperfections.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Commentary for Nature Photonic

A parasite-derived 68-mer peptide ameliorates autoimmune disease in murine models of Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis

© 2016 cThe Author(s). Helminth parasites secrete molecules that potently modulate the immune responses of their hosts and, therefore, have potential for the treatment of immune-mediated human diseases. FhHDM-1, a 68-mer peptide secreted by the helminth parasite Fasciola hepatica, ameliorated disease in two different murine models of autoimmunity, type 1 diabetes and relapsing-remitting immune-mediated demyelination. Unexpectedly, FhHDM-1 treatment did not affect the proliferation of auto-antigen specific T cells or their production of cytokines. However, in both conditions, the reduction in clinical symptoms was associated with the absence of immune cell infiltrates in the target organ (islets and the brain tissue). Furthermore, after parenteral administration, the FhHDM-1 peptide interacted with macrophages and reduced their capacity to secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF and IL-6. We propose this inhibition of innate pro-inflammatory immune responses, which are central to the initiation of autoimmunity in both diseases, prevented the trafficking of autoreactive lymphocytes from the periphery to the site of autoimmunity (as opposed to directly modulating their function per se), and thus prevented tissue destruction. The ability of FhHDM-1 to modulate macrophage function, combined with its efficacy in disease prevention in multiple models, suggests that FhHDM-1 has considerable potential as a treatment for autoimmune diseases

Super-resolving phase measurements with a multi-photon entangled state

Using a linear optical elements and post-selection, we construct an entangled polarization state of three photons in the same spatial mode. This state is analogous to a ``photon-number path entangled state'' and can be used for super-resolving interferometry. Measuring a birefringent phase shift, we demonstrate two- and three-fold improvements in phase resolution.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Operational approach to open dynamics and quantifying initial correlations

A central aim of physics is to describe the dynamics of physical systems. Schrodinger's equation does this for isolated quantum systems. Describing the time evolution of a quantum system that interacts with its environment, in its most general form, has proved to be difficult because the dynamics is dependent on the state of the environment and the correlations with it. For discrete processes, such as quantum gates or chemical reactions, quantum process tomography provides the complete description of the dynamics, provided that the initial states of the system and the environment are independent of each other. However, many physical systems are correlated with the environment at the beginning of the experiment. Here, we give a prescription of quantum process tomography that yields the complete description of the dynamics of the system even when the initial correlations are present. Surprisingly, our method also gives quantitative expressions for the initial correlation.Comment: Completely re-written for clarity of presentation. 15 pages and 2 figure

Photonic quantum technologies

The first quantum technology, which harnesses uniquely quantum mechanical effects for its core operation, has arrived in the form of commercially available quantum key distribution systems that achieve enhanced security by encoding information in photons such that information gained by an eavesdropper can be detected. Anticipated future quantum technologies include large-scale secure networks, enhanced measurement and lithography, and quantum information processors, promising exponentially greater computation power for particular tasks. Photonics is destined for a central role in such technologies owing to the need for high-speed transmission and the outstanding low-noise properties of photons. These technologies may use single photons or quantum states of bright laser beams, or both, and will undoubtably apply and drive state-of-the-art developments in photonics

On the Observability of Recurrent Nova Super-Remnants

The nova super-remnant (NSR) surrounding M 31N 2008-12a (12a), the annually erupting recurrent nova (RN), is the only known example of this phenomenon. As this structure has grown as a result of frequent eruptions from 12a, we might expect to see NSRs around other RNe; this would confirm the RN–NSR association and strengthen the connection between novae and type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) as NSRs centered on SN Ia provide a lasting, unequivocal signpost to the single degenerate progenitor type of that explosion. The only previous NSR simulation used identical eruptions from a static white dwarf (WD). In this Paper, we simulate the growth of NSRs alongside the natural growth/erosion of the central WD, within a range of environments, accretion rates, WD temperatures, and initial WD masses. The subsequent evolving eruptions create dynamic NSRs tens of parsecs in radius comprising a low-density cavity, bordered by a hot ejecta pile-up region, and surrounded by a cool high-density, thin, shell. Higher density environments restrict NSR size, as do higher accretion rates, whereas the WD temperature and initial mass have less impact. NSRs form around growing or eroding WDs, indicating that NSRs also exist around old novae with low-mass WDs. Observables such as X-ray and

Pneumococcal carriage in sub-Saharan Africa--a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal epidemiology varies geographically and few data are available from the African continent. We assess pneumococcal carriage from studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) before and after the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) era. METHODS: A search for pneumococcal carriage studies published before 2012 was conducted to describe carriage in sSA. The review also describes pneumococcal serotypes and assesses the impact of vaccination on carriage in this region. RESULTS: Fifty-seven studies were included in this review with the majority (40.3%) from South Africa. There was considerable variability in the prevalence of carriage between studies (I-squared statistic = 99%). Carriage was higher in children and decreased with increasing age, 63.2% (95% CI: 55.6-70.8) in children less than 5 years, 42.6% (95% CI: 29.9-55.4) in children 5-15 years and 28.0% (95% CI: 19.0-37.0) in adults older than 15 years. There was no difference in the prevalence of carriage between males and females in 9/11 studies. Serotypes 19F, 6B, 6A, 14 and 23F were the five most common isolates. A meta-analysis of four randomized trials of PCV vaccination in children aged 9-24 months showed that carriage of vaccine type (VT) serotypes decreased with PCV vaccination; however, overall carriage remained the same because of a concomitant increase in non-vaccine type (NVT) serotypes. CONCLUSION: Pneumococcal carriage is generally high in the African continent, particularly in young children. The five most common serotypes in sSA are among the top seven serotypes that cause invasive pneumococcal disease in children globally. These serotypes are covered by the two PCVs recommended for routine childhood immunization by the WHO. The distribution of serotypes found in the nasopharynx is altered by PCV vaccination