Factorizing Numbers with the Gauss Sum Technique: NMR Implementations

Several physics-based algorithms for factorizing large number were recently published. A notable recent one by Schleich et al. uses Gauss sums for distinguishing between factors and non-factors. We demonstrate two NMR techniques that evaluate Gauss sums and thus implement their algorithm. The first one is based on differential excitation of a single spin magnetization by a cascade of RF pulses. The second method is based on spatial averaging and selective refocusing of magnetization for Gauss sums corresponding to factors. All factors of 16637 and 52882363 are successfully obtained.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; Abstract and Conclusion are slightly modified. References added and formatted with Bibte

Role of proximal femur locking plate fixation in certain unstable trochanteric fractures

Background: Comminution of the lateral trochanteric wall, postero-medial communition, reverse oblique fractures, fractures involving communition of greater trochanter are unstable fractures which had poor results with the regular methods of fixation. Our aim in this study is to evaluate radiological and functional outcome at the end of one year following proximal femur locking plate fixation for certain group of unstable intertrochanteric fractures.Methods: 20 patients (14 male and 6 female patients) with per trochanteric fractures underwent proximal femur locking plate fixation in Sri Ramachandra Medical College hospital. Intertrochanteric fractures were classified according to Boyd and Griffin. Mean age of the patients was 55.2 years (26-82 years). The Schatzker & Lambert Criteria used to evaluate the functional outcome at the end of one year. Minimum follow up period was six months and maximum follow up was one year.Results: The functional outcome was assessed by Schatzker and Lambert criteria and was excellent in 8 patients; good in 6, Fair in 4 and Poor in 2.The average time to bear weight fully and walk was 6.5 weeks.Conclusions: Union was achieved in unstable, comminuted trochanteric fractures without significant complications and neck shaft angle was maintained in majority of the cases following proximal femur locking plate fixation.One of the major drawbacks of using proximal femur locking plate is that weight bearing is to be controlled and done only after radiological evidence of callus formation.

Ultrasensitive and selective non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor based on hybrid material of graphene nanosheets/graphene nanoribbons/nickel nanoparticle

A fast, highly sensitive and selective non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor based on graphene sheet/graphene nanoribbon/nickel nanoparticles (GS/GNR/Ni) hybrid material modified electrode was fabricated. The hybrid material was synthesized via facile in-situ chemical reduction and characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The GS/GNR/Ni/GCE showed high electrochemical activity towards the oxidation of glucose in a 0.1 M NaOH solution. At an applied potential of +0.5 V, it displayed wide linear amperometric response towards glucose from the range of 5 nM–5 mM, with a detection limit of 2.5 nM and sensitivity of 2.3 mA/mM cm 2 . Moreover, the modified electrode was relatively insensitive to commonly interfering species such as dopamine, ascorbic acid, sucrose, uric acid and Cl - ions. The fabricated sensor with better reproducibility, good long term stability, makes it a promising electrode for the development of effective glucose sensor

Antibody-functionalized polymer-coated gold nanoparticles targeting cancer cells: an in vitro and in vivo study

Gold nanoparticles ( 3c5 nm) coated with plasma-polymerized allylamine were produced through plasma vapor deposition and bioconjugated with a monoclonal antibody targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor. The resulting nanoconjugates displayed an antibody loading of about 1.7 nmol mg -1 and efficiently target epidermal growth factor receptor overexpressing cell lines, as ascertained by ELISA and Western blot assays. The in vitro targeting properties were also confirmed in vivo, where a similar biodistribution profile of what was experienced for the unconjugated antibody was observed. Thanks to the possibility of doping the gold nanoparticles with radionuclides during plasma vapor deposition, the proposed functionalization strategy represents a very suitable platform for the in vivo cancer targeting with nanosized multifunctional particles. This journal is \ua9 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Large clones of pre-existing T cells drive early immunity against SARS-COV-2 and LCMV infection

T cell responses precede antibody and may provide early control of infection. We analyzed the clonal basis of this rapid response following SARS-COV-2 infection. We applied T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing to define the trajectories of individual T cell clones immediately. In SARS-COV-2 PCR+ individuals, a wave of TCRs strongly but transiently expand, frequently peaking the same week as the first positive PCR test. These expanding TCR CDR3s were enriched for sequences functionally annotated as SARS-COV-2 specific. Epitopes recognized by the expanding TCRs were highly conserved between SARS-COV-2 strains but not with circulating human coronaviruses. Many expanding CDR3s were present at high frequency in pre-pandemic repertoires. Early response TCRs specific for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus epitopes were also found at high frequency in the preinfection naive repertoire. High-frequency naive precursors may allow the T cell response to respond rapidly during the crucial early phases of acute viral infection

Rapid synchronous type 1 IFN and virus-specific T cell responses characterize first wave non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infections

Effective control of SARS-CoV-2 infection on primary exposure may reveal correlates of protective immunity to future variants, but we lack insights into immune responses before or at the time virus is first detected. We use blood transcriptomics, multiparameter flow cytometry, and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing spanning the time of incident non-severe infection in unvaccinated virus-naive individuals to identify rapid type 1 interferon (IFN) responses common to other acute respiratory viruses and cell proliferation responses that discriminate SARS-CoV-2 from other viruses. These peak by the time the virus is first detected and sometimes precede virus detection. Cell proliferation is most evident in CD8 T cells and associated with specific expansion of SARS-CoV-2-reactive TCRs, in contrast to virus-specific antibodies, which lag by 1–2 weeks. Our data support a protective role for early type 1 IFN and CD8 T cell responses, with implications for development of universal T cell vaccines

Democratic population decisions result in robust policy-gradient learning: A parametric study with GPU simulations

High performance computing on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is an emerging field driven by the promise of high computational power at a low cost. However, GPU programming is a non-trivial task and moreover architectural limitations raise the question of whether investing effort in this direction may be worthwhile. In this work, we use GPU programming to simulate a two-layer network of Integrate-and-Fire neurons with varying degrees of recurrent connectivity and investigate its ability to learn a simplified navigation task using a policy-gradient learning rule stemming from Reinforcement Learning. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we want to support the use of GPUs in the field of Computational Neuroscience. Second, using GPU computing power, we investigate the conditions under which the said architecture and learning rule demonstrate best performance. Our work indicates that networks featuring strong Mexican-Hat-shaped recurrent connections in the top layer, where decision making is governed by the formation of a stable activity bump in the neural population (a "non-democratic" mechanism), achieve mediocre learning results at best. In absence of recurrent connections, where all neurons "vote" independently ("democratic") for a decision via population vector readout, the task is generally learned better and more robustly. Our study would have been extremely difficult on a desktop computer without the use of GPU programming. We present the routines developed for this purpose and show that a speed improvement of 5x up to 42x is provided versus optimised Python code. The higher speed is achieved when we exploit the parallelism of the GPU in the search of learning parameters. This suggests that efficient GPU programming can significantly reduce the time needed for simulating networks of spiking neurons, particularly when multiple parameter configurations are investigated. © 2011 Richmond et al

Incisional hernia following colorectal cancer surgery according to suture technique: Hughes Abdominal Repair Randomized Trial (HART).

BACKGROUND: Incisional hernias cause morbidity and may require further surgery. HART (Hughes Abdominal Repair Trial) assessed the effect of an alternative suture method on the incidence of incisional hernia following colorectal cancer surgery. METHODS: A pragmatic multicentre single-blind RCT allocated patients undergoing midline incision for colorectal cancer to either Hughes closure (double far-near-near-far sutures of 1 nylon suture at 2-cm intervals along the fascia combined with conventional mass closure) or the surgeon's standard closure. The primary outcome was the incidence of incisional hernia at 1 year assessed by clinical examination. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed. RESULTS: Between August 2014 and February 2018, 802 patients were randomized to either Hughes closure (401) or the standard mass closure group (401). At 1 year after surgery, 672 patients (83.7 per cent) were included in the primary outcome analysis; 50 of 339 patients (14.8 per cent) in the Hughes group and 57 of 333 (17.1 per cent) in the standard closure group had incisional hernia (OR 0.84, 95 per cent c.i. 0.55 to 1.27; P = 0.402). At 2 years, 78 patients (28.7 per cent) in the Hughes repair group and 84 (31.8 per cent) in the standard closure group had incisional hernia (OR 0.86, 0.59 to 1.25; P = 0.429). Adverse events were similar in the two groups, apart from the rate of surgical-site infection, which was higher in the Hughes group (13.2 versus 7.7 per cent; OR 1.82, 1.14 to 2.91; P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: The incidence of incisional hernia after colorectal cancer surgery is high. There was no statistical difference in incidence between Hughes closure and mass closure at 1 or 2 years. REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN25616490 (http://www.controlled-trials.com)

Orbital infections: a complete cycle 7-year audit and a management guideline

Objectives Orbital infections are regularly encountered and are managed by various healthcare disciplines. Sepsis of the orbit and adjacent tissues can be associated with considerable acute complication and long-term sequelae. Therefore, prompt recognition and management of this condition are crucial. This article presents the outcomes of a 7-year complete cycle audit project and describes the development of the new local guideline on the management of orbital infections in our tertiary centre. Methods (1) A retrospective 5-year audit cycle on patients with orbital infections. (2) A review of available evidence on the management of orbital infections. (3) A new local multidisciplinary guideline on the management of orbital infections. (4) A retrospective 2-year second audit cycle to assess the clinical outcomes. Results Various disciplines intersect in the management of orbital infections. Standardising the management of this condition proved to be achievable through the developed guideline. However, room for improvement in practice exists in areas such as the promptness in referring patients to specialist care, the multidisciplinary assessment of patients on admission, and the improvement of scanning requests of patients