Analysing multiparticle quantum states

The analysis of multiparticle quantum states is a central problem in quantum information processing. This task poses several challenges for experimenters and theoreticians. We give an overview over current problems and possible solutions concerning systematic errors of quantum devices, the reconstruction of quantum states, and the analysis of correlations and complexity in multiparticle density matrices.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, prepared for proceedings of the "Quantum [Un]speakables II" conference (Vienna, 2014

Identification of small RNAs associated with RNA chaperone Hfq reveals a new stress response regulator in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

The RNA chaperone Hfq promotes the association of small RNAs (sRNAs) with cognate mRNAs, controlling the expression of bacterial phenotype. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae hfq mutants strains are attenuated for virulence in pigs, impaired in the ability to form biofilms, and more susceptible to stress, but knowledge of the extent of sRNA involvement is limited. Here, using A. pleuropneumoniae strain MIDG2331 (serovar 8), 14 sRNAs were identified by co-immunoprecipitation with Hfq and the expression of eight, identified as trans-acting sRNAs, were confirmed by Northern blotting. We focused on one of these sRNAs, named Rna01, containing a putative promoter for RpoE (stress regulon) recognition. Knockout mutants of rna01 and a double knockout mutant of rna01 and hfq, both had decreased biofilm formation and hemolytic activity, attenuation for virulence in Galleria mellonella, altered stress susceptibility, and an altered outer membrane protein profile. Rna01 affected extracellular vesicle production, size and toxicity in G. mellonella. qRT-PCR analysis of rna01 and putative cognate mRNA targets indicated that Rna01 is associated with the extracytoplasmic stress response. This work increases our understanding of the multilayered and complex nature of the influence of Hfq-dependent sRNAs on the physiology and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae

Filtering techniques for the removal of ventilator artefact in oesophageal pulse oximetry

The oesophagus has been shown to be a reliable site for monitoring blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). However, the photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals from the lower oesophagus are frequently contaminated by a ventilator artefact making the estimation of SpO2 impossible. A 776th order finite impulse response (FIR) filter and a 695th order interpolated finite impulse response (IFIR) filter were implemented to suppress the artefact. Both filters attenuated the ventilator artefact satisfactorily without distorting the morphology of the PPG when processing recorded data from ten cardiopulmonary bypass patients. The IFIR filter was the better since it conformed more closely to the desired filter specifications and allowed real-time processing. The average improvements in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) achieved by the FIR and IFIR filters for the fundamental component of the red PPG signals with respect to the fundamental component of the artefact were 57.96 and 60.60 dB, respectively. The corresponding average improvements achieved by the FIR and IFIR filters for the infrared PPG signals were 54.83 and 60.96 dB, respectively. Both filters were also compared with their equivalent tenth order Butterworth filters. The average SNR improvements for the FIR and IFIR filters were significantly higher than those for the Butterworth filters

Suicide Prevention for Older Adults in Residential Communities: Implications for Policy and Practice

Examining an often under-appreciated area, Carol Podgorski and colleagues discuss the suicide risk and opportunities for suicide prevention in seniors' residential communities

Optimizing the two-step floating catchment area method for measuring spatial accessibility to medical clinics in Montreal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reducing spatial access disparities to healthcare services is a growing priority for healthcare planners especially among developed countries with aging populations. There is thus a pressing need to determine which populations do not enjoy access to healthcare, yet efforts to quantify such disparities in spatial accessibility have been hampered by a lack of satisfactory measurements and methods. This study compares an optimised and the conventional version of the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to assess spatial accessibility to medical clinics in Montreal.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We first computed catchments around existing medical clinics of Montreal Island based on the shortest network distance. Population nested in dissemination areas were used to determine potential users of a given medical clinic. To optimize the method, medical clinics (supply) were weighted by the number of physicians working in each clinic, while the previous year's medical clinic users were computed by ten years age group was used as weighting coefficient for potential users of each medical clinic (demand).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The spatial accessibility score (SA) increased considerably with the optimisation method. Within a distance of 1 Km, for instance, the maximum clinic accessible for 1,000 persons is 2.4 when the conventional method is used, compared with 27.7 for the optimized method. The t-test indicates a significant difference between the conventional and the optimized 2SFCA methods. Also, results of the differences between the two methods reveal a clustering of residuals when distance increases. In other words, a low threshold would be associated with a lack of precision.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results of this study suggest that a greater effort must be made ameliorate spatial accessibility to medical clinics in Montreal. To ensure that health resources are allocated in the interest of the population, health planners and the government should consider a strategy in the sitting of future clinics which would provide spatial access to the greatest number of people.</p

Motor Vehicle Crashes in Diabetic Patients with Tight Glycemic Control: A Population-based Case Control Analysis

Using a population-based case control analysis, Donald Redelmeier and colleagues found that tighter glycemic control, as measured by the HbA1c, is associated with an increased risk of a motor vehicle crash

Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 mutations in immunodeficient patients

Long-term severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in immunodeficient patients are an important source of variation for the virus but are understudied. Many case studies have been published which describe one or a small number of long-term infected individuals but no study has combined these sequences into a cohesive dataset. This work aims to rectify this and study the genomics of this patient group through a combination of literature searches as well as identifying new case series directly from the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) dataset. The spike gene receptor-binding domain and N-terminal domain (NTD) were identified as mutation hotspots. Numerous mutations associated with variants of concern were observed to emerge recurrently. Additionally a mutation in the envelope gene, T30I was determined to be the second most frequent recurrently occurring mutation arising in persistent infections. A high proportion of recurrent mutations in immunodeficient individuals are associated with ACE2 affinity, immune escape, or viral packaging optimisation.There is an apparent selective pressure for mutations that aid cell–cell transmission within the host or persistence which are often different from mutations that aid inter-host transmission, although the fact that multiple recurrent de novo mutations are considered defining for variants of concern strongly indicates that this potential source of novel variants should not be discounted