A fibre-based single-photon source

The controlled emission and absorption of single photons is an important enabling technology in the fields of quantum communication, cryptography and computing. We have realised a novel single photon source, based on a miniature ‘endcap’ ion trap with integrated optical fibres. To minimise distortion of the trapping field the fibres are tightly integrated and recessed within the two hollow cylindrical rf electrodes of the trap. This allows us to bring the fibres to within approximately 300 μm of the trapped ion. With the fibres in place we are able to collect the ion’s fluorescence using no further optics. In this thesis the ion trap is fully characterised, and the quantum nature of the light demonstrated in the results of a variant on the Hanbury Brown-Twiss photon-correlation experiment. The scheme will ultimately be extended to implement a coherent ion-photon interface through strong coupling cavity-QED. Towards this end, an ultra-high-finesse cavity has been designed and fabricated by laser-machining and coating surfaces with a range of radii of curvature on the end facets of the fibres. To improve the stability and precision manipulation of the cavity in-vacuum, an entirely new trap has been designed and built. Finally, the current status of the fibre cavity and the outlook for the experiment are presented

Cardiac Depression Scale: Mokken scaling in heart failure patients

Background: There is a high prevalence of depression in patients with heart failure (HF) that is associated with worsening prognosis. The value of using a reliable and valid instrument to measure depression in this population is therefore essential. We validated the Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) in heart failure patients using a model of ordinal unidimensional measurement known as Mokken scaling. Findings: We administered in face-to-face interviews the CDS to 603 patients with HF. Data were analysed using Mokken scale analysis. Items of the CDS formed a statistically significant unidimensional Mokken scale of low strength (H<0.40) and high reliability (Rho>0.8). Conclusions: The CDS has a hierarchy of items which can be interpreted in terms of the increasingly serious effects of depression occurring as a result of HF. Identifying an appropriate instrument to measure depression in patients with HF allows for early identification and better medical management. Keywords: Cardiac Depression Scale, Heart failure, Depression, Mokken scalin

Virtual Roman Leicester (VRL): An interactive Computer Model of a Romano-British City

This paper describes the background, development and use of a new Virtual Reality (VR) model of the built fabric of Roman Leicester (Ratae Corieltauvo-rum) which has been based upon direct archaeologi-cal evidence, literary evidence and comparisons with the remains of similar Romano-British cities. It forms the conclusion of the first stage of a larger ongoing collaborative research project to create an inhabited virtual Romano-British world populated by interact-ing avatars programmed using a novel form of artifi-cial intelligence (AI) to have a range of Romano-British morals and values for the purposes of examin-ing resultant emergent behaviors and societal devel-opment. Virtual Roman Leicester (VRL) has been created in a popular games engine to allow real-time exploration by real world users and has a multiplat-form capability to also examine issues surrounding the use of Virtual Reality for public outreach and the wider understanding of cultural heritage. Here we focus firstly upon issues surrounding the interpreta-tion of the archaeological evidence and its extrapola-tion into full buildings (using a technique we call architectural forensics), secondly upon technical is-sues concerning importation of ancient land surface terrain and thirdly upon aspects of initial user expe-rience following an extensive public exhibition of the model

Associations of specific-age and decade recall body mass index trajectories with obesity-related cancer.

From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: ppub 2021-05-01, epub 2021-05-05Publication status: PublishedFunder: Manchester Biomedical Research Centre; Grant(s): IS-BRC-1215-20007BackgroundExcess body fatness, commonly approximated by a one-off determination of body mass index (BMI), is associated with increased risk of at least 13 cancers. Modelling of longitudinal BMI data may be more informative for incident cancer associations, e.g. using latent class trajectory modelling (LCTM) may offer advantages in capturing changes in patterns with time. Here, we evaluated the variation in cancer risk with LCTMs using specific age recall versus decade recall BMI.MethodsWe obtained BMI profiles for participants from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. We developed gender-specific LCTMs using recall data from specific ages 20 and 50 years (72,513 M; 74,837 W); decade data from 30s to 70s (42,113 M; 47,352 W) and a combination of both (74,106 M, 76,245 W). Using an established methodological framework, we tested 1:7 classes for linear, quadratic, cubic and natural spline shapes, and modelled associations for obesity-related cancer (ORC) incidence using LCTM class membership.ResultsDifferent models were selected depending on the data type used. In specific age recall trajectories, only the two heaviest classes were associated with increased risk of ORC. For the decade recall data, the shapes appeared skewed by outliers in the heavier classes but an increase in ORC risk was observed. In the combined models, at older ages the BMI values were more extreme.ConclusionsSpecific age recall models supported the existing literature changes in BMI over time are associated with increased ORC risk. Modelling of decade recall data might yield spurious associations

Khallaf and Sidebottom Guiding Stent for Temporomandibular Joint Arthrocentesis: A New Era for Joint Space Puncturing Techniques (Registered Technical Note)

Arthrocentesis is becoming the cornerstone of minimally-invasive surgical treatment for inter­nal derangement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJID). Nitzan et al. first described arthrocentesis as the simplest form of surgery in the TMJID. Repeated arthrocentesis up to five times is 91% effective in treating patients with anterior disc displacement without reduction. It depends on lavage of the joint space through placement of two needles inside the superior joint space. The majority of surgeons use conventional puncturing technique (CPT), which is a blind technique for needle placement, in spite of its complications (extra-articular injection, multiple puncturing, facial nerve injury, intracranial penetration).Others use image guided puncturing techniques (CBCT,MSCT, MRI, or US) for superior joint space puncturing, which is proven to be a more accurate and precise technique with fewer complications. We fabricated a new customized guiding stent on a 3D soft and hard tissue model, printed out from MSCT, with adjusted depth and angulation for superior joint space puncturing. The puncturing using this new stent is easy and does not subject patients to imaging each time, as the confirmation of the needle positioning has already been done by the accurate measurements on MSCT. In addition, the procedure no longer requires general anesthesia or deep sedation. Clinically significant differences were noted between the use of IGPT and the present guiding stent, especially on the level of procedural time. These observations confirmed that the use of this stent was a predictable and highly efficient new approach for superior joint space puncturing

Differential localization patterns of pyruvate kinase isoforms in murine naïve, formative, and primed pluripotent states

Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and mouse epiblast stem cells (mEpiSCs) represent opposite ends of the pluripotency continuum, referred to as naïve and primed pluripotent states, respectively. These divergent pluripotent states differ in several ways, including growth factor requirements, transcription factor expression, DNA methylation patterns, and metabolic profiles. Naïve cells employ both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), whereas primed cells preferentially utilize aerobic glycolysis, a trait shared with cancer cells referred to as the Warburg Effect. Until recently, metabolism has been regarded as a by-product of cell fate, however, evidence now supports metabolism as being a driver of stem cell state and fate decisions. Pyruvate kinase muscle isoforms (PKM1 and PKM2) are important for generating and maintaining pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and mediating the Warburg Effect. Both isoforms catalyze the final, rate limiting step of glycolysis, generating adenosine triphosphate and pyruvate, however, the precise role(s) of PKM1/2 in naïve and primed pluripotency is not well understood. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the cellular expression and localization patterns of PKM1 and PKM2 in mESCs, chemically transitioned epiblast-like cells (mEpiLCs) representing formative pluripotency, and mEpiSCs using immunoblotting and confocal microscopy. The results indicate that PKM1 and PKM2 are not only localized to the cytoplasm, but also accumulate in differential subnuclear regions of mESC, mEpiLCs, and mEpiSCs as determined by a quantitative confocal microscopy employing orthogonal projections and airyscan processing. Importantly, we discovered that the subnuclear localization of PKM1/2 changes during the transition from mESCs, mEpiLCs, and mEpiSCs. Finally, we have comprehensively validated the appropriateness and power of the Pearson\u27s correlation coefficient and Manders\u27s overlap coefficient for assessing nuclear and cytoplasmic protein colocalization in PSCs by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. We propose that nuclear PKM1/2 may assist with distinct pluripotency state maintenance and lineage priming by non-canonical mechanisms. These results advance our understanding of the overall mechanisms controlling naïve, formative, and primed pluripotency