Case reports and the fight against cancer

Some of the earliest case reports describing individual patients afflicted with cancer can be traced all the way back to the papyrus records of Ancient Egyptian medicine of approximately 1600 B.C.. Throughout the centuries physicians have continued the practice of writing case reports. Case reporting has provided significant advances in the knowledge of cancer on several fronts. It is without question that case reports do not replace well designed randomized clinical trials in advancing medical knowledge about cancerous diseases. However, case reports have their unique role in evidence-based medicine and often constitute the first line of evidence. This editorial reviews the many useful aspects of case reports and describes specific reports known to have revolutionized cancer management. Journal of Medical Case Reports is committed to publish well written case reports from around the world and be a source of inspiration for clinicians and scientists about newer research directions

Quantum control of proximal spins using nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging

Quantum control of individual spins in condensed matter systems is an emerging field with wide-ranging applications in spintronics, quantum computation, and sensitive magnetometry. Recent experiments have demonstrated the ability to address and manipulate single electron spins through either optical or electrical techniques. However, it is a challenge to extend individual spin control to nanoscale multi-electron systems, as individual spins are often irresolvable with existing methods. Here we demonstrate that coherent individual spin control can be achieved with few-nm resolution for proximal electron spins by performing single-spin magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is realized via a scanning magnetic field gradient that is both strong enough to achieve nanometric spatial resolution and sufficiently stable for coherent spin manipulations. We apply this scanning field-gradient MRI technique to electronic spins in nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and achieve nanometric resolution in imaging, characterization, and manipulation of individual spins. For NV centers, our results in individual spin control demonstrate an improvement of nearly two orders of magnitude in spatial resolution compared to conventional optical diffraction-limited techniques. This scanning-field-gradient microscope enables a wide range of applications including materials characterization, spin entanglement, and nanoscale magnetometry.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Sensing remote nuclear spins

Sensing single nuclear spins is a central challenge in magnetic resonance based imaging techniques. Although different methods and especially diamond defect based sensing and imaging techniques in principle have shown sufficient sensitivity, signals from single nuclear spins are usually too weak to be distinguished from background noise. Here, we present the detection and identification of remote single C-13 nuclear spins embedded in nuclear spin baths surrounding a single electron spins of a nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond. With dynamical decoupling control of the centre electron spin, the weak magnetic field ~10 nT from a single nuclear spin located ~3 nm from the centre with hyperfine coupling as weak as ~500 Hz is amplified and detected. The quantum nature of the coupling is confirmed and precise position and the vector components of the nuclear field are determined. Given the distance over which nuclear magnetic fields can be detected the technique marks a firm step towards imaging, detecting and controlling nuclear spin species external to the diamond sensor

Reasons and Means to Model Preferences as Incomplete

Literature involving preferences of artificial agents or human beings often assume their preferences can be represented using a complete transitive binary relation. Much has been written however on different models of preferences. We review some of the reasons that have been put forward to justify more complex modeling, and review some of the techniques that have been proposed to obtain models of such preferences

Isolated thumb carpometacarpal joint dislocation: a case report and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Isolated thumb carpometacarpal dislocation is a rare injury pattern and the optimal treatment option is still controversial.</p> <p>Case Description</p> <p>We present a 27-year-old basketball player who underwent an isolated dorsal dislocation of the thumb carpometacarpal joint after a fall. The dislocation was successfully reduced by closed means but the joint was found to be grossly unstable. Due to inherent instability, repair of the ruptured dorsoradial ligament and joint capsule was performed.</p> <p>The ligament was detached from its proximal insertion into trapezium and subsequently stabilized via suture anchors. The torn capsule was repaired in an end-to-end fashion and immobilization of the joint was applied for 6 weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At 3-year follow up evaluation the patient was pain free and returned to his previous level of activity. No restriction of carpometacrpal movements or residual instability was noticed. Radiographic examination showed normal joint alignment and no signs of subluxation or early osteoarthritis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Surgical stabilization of the dorsal capsuloligamentous complex may be considered the selected treatment option in isolated carpometacarpal joint dislocations, that remain unstable after closed reduction in young and high demand patients.</p> <p><b>Level of Clinical Evidence: </b>Level IV</p

Topologically Protected Quantum State Transfer in a Chiral Spin Liquid

Topology plays a central role in ensuring the robustness of a wide variety of physical phenomena. Notable examples range from the robust current carrying edge states associated with the quantum Hall and the quantum spin Hall effects to proposals involving topologically protected quantum memory and quantum logic operations. Here, we propose and analyze a topologically protected channel for the transfer of quantum states between remote quantum nodes. In our approach, state transfer is mediated by the edge mode of a chiral spin liquid. We demonstrate that the proposed method is intrinsically robust to realistic imperfections associated with disorder and decoherence. Possible experimental implementations and applications to the detection and characterization of spin liquid phases are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

Characterizations of perfect recall

This paper considers the condition of perfect recall for the class of arbitrarily large discrete extensive form games. The known definitions of perfect recall are shown to be equivalent even beyond finite games. Further, a qualitatively new characterization in terms of choices is obtained. In particular, an extensive form game satisfies perfect recall if and only if the set of choices, viewed as sets of ultimate outcomes, fulfill the Trivial Intersection property, that is, any two choices with nonempty intersection are ordered by set inclusion

Transformations structurelles et essor du métal

The role of multiattribute utility theory is first placed in the overall context of decision analysis. Then an approach that has proven useful in adapting the theory to be a practical tool is illustrated. Several cases where multiattribute utility has been used are briefly discussed. These include both operational and strategic problems involving, for example, siting of large-scale facilities (airports, power plants), medical treatment, the structuring corporate objectives, environmental management, and personal investment strategy

Scalable Architecture for a Room Temperature Solid-State Quantum Information Processor

The realization of a scalable quantum information processor has emerged over the past decade as one of the central challenges at the interface of fundamental science and engineering. Much progress has been made towards this goal. Indeed, quantum operations have been demonstrated on several trapped ion qubits, and other solid-state systems are approaching similar levels of control. Extending these techniques to achieve fault-tolerant operations in larger systems with more qubits remains an extremely challenging goal, in part, due to the substantial technical complexity of current implementations. Here, we propose and analyze an architecture for a scalable, solid-state quantum information processor capable of operating at or near room temperature. The architecture is applicable to realistic conditions, which include disorder and relevant decoherence mechanisms, and includes a hierarchy of control at successive length scales. Our approach is based upon recent experimental advances involving Nitrogen-Vacancy color centers in diamond and will provide fundamental insights into the physics of non-equilibrium many-body quantum systems. Additionally, the proposed architecture may greatly alleviate the stringent constraints, currently limiting the realization of scalable quantum processors.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure