Second order error correction in quantum computing

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 23).Error correction codes are necessary for the development of reliable quantum computers. Such codes can prevent the lost of information from decoherence caused by external perturbations. This thesis evaluates a five qubit code for correcting second order bit-flip errors. The code consists of encoding, decoherence, decoding, and error correction steps. This work analyzes the proposed code using geometric algebra methods and examines the state of the system after each step in the process.by Sarah Sheldon.S.B

Antimicrobial Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Proceedings of the STAR Sexually Transmitted Infection-Clinical Trial Group Programmatic Meeting.

The goal of the Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinical Trial Group's Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) meeting was to assemble experts from academia, government, nonprofit and industry to discuss the current state of research, gaps and challenges in research and technology and priorities and new directions to address the continued emergence of multidrug-resistant NG infections. Topics discussed at the meeting, which will be the focus of this article, include AMR NG global surveillance initiatives, the use of whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics to understand mutations associated with AMR, mechanisms of AMR, and novel antibiotics, vaccines and other methods to treat AMR NG. Key points highlighted during the meeting include: (i) US and International surveillance programs to understand AMR in NG; (ii) the US National Strategy for combating antimicrobial-resistant bacteria; (iii) surveillance needs, challenges, and novel technologies; (iv) plasmid-mediated and chromosomally mediated mechanisms of AMR in NG; (v) novel therapeutic (eg, sialic acid analogs, factor H [FH]/Fc fusion molecule, monoclonal antibodies, topoisomerase inhibitors, fluoroketolides, LpxC inhibitors) and preventative (eg, peptide mimic) strategies to combat infection. The way forward will require renewed political will, new funding initiatives, and collaborations across academic and commercial research and public health programs

Involvement of the RNA polymerase II-associated Paf1 complex in transcriptional regulation and 3'-end formation of snoRNAs

Transcription elongation is an important regulatory step in the RNA polymerase II transcription cycle. Previous work from our laboratory and others strongly suggests that the Paf1 complex interacts with and regulates the activity of RNA polymerase II during transcription elongation. Affinity purification of Paf1 revealed that it exists in a complex in vivo with Ctr9, Rtf1, Cdc73 and Leo1 called the Paf1 complex. To further investigate the function of the Paf1 complex in vivo, we used a genetic approach to study the component Rtf1 and microarray analyses to identify Ctr9-regulated genes. Null mutations in RTF1 confer two phenotypes associated with defective transcription elongation, sensitivity to base analogs and the Spt- phenotype. To identify novel mutations in RTF1, we performed a genetic screen for rtf1 mutations that confer conditional mutant phenotypes. We identified three new rtf1 missense mutations. To identify proteins that functionally interact with the Paf1 complex, we performed a screen for multicopy suppressors of the rtf1 mutations. This screen identified NAB3 as a suppressor of rtf1. Nab3 interacts with the RNA polymerase II-associated hnRNP Nrd1. Together, Nrd1 and Nab3 are required for efficient 3'-end formation of certain nonpolyadenylated RNA polymerase II transcripts, including snoRNAs. Using assays to detect transcriptional readthrough of snoRNA genes, we have shown that deletion of certain Paf1 complex members causes strong defects in snoRNA 3'-end formation. By chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis, we have found that the Paf1 complex and Nab3 associate with snoRNA genes in vivo. In the second approach, expression analyses revealed a role for the Paf1 complex in directly regulating the expression of certain genes that are not transcribed during growth in rich media. ChIP experiments indicated that the Paf1 complex associates along the length of ARG1 and with the promoter region of SER3. Together, our results reinforce the idea that the Paf1 complex is involved in the production of mRNAs and provide evidence that the Paf1 complex also participates in snoRNA transcription and 3'-end formation during RNA polymerase II transcription

The organisational and human resource challenges facing primary care trusts : protocol of a multiple case study

BACKGROUND: The study is designed to assess the organisational and human resource challenges faced by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). Its objectives are to: specify the organisational and human resources challenges faced by PCTs in fulfilling the roles envisaged in government and local policy; examine how PCTs are addressing these challenges, in particular, to describe the organisational forms they have adopted, and the OD/HR strategies and initiatives they have planned or in place; assess how effective these structures, strategies and initiatives have been in enabling the PCTs to meet the organisational and human resources challenges they face; identify the factors, both internal to the PCT and in the wider health community, which have contributed to the success or failure of different structures, strategies and initiatives. METHODS: The study will be undertaken in three stages. In Stage 1 the key literature on public sector and NHS organisational development and human resources management will be reviewed, and discussions will be held with key researchers and policy makers working in this area. Stage 2 will focus on detailed case studies in six PCTs designed to examine the organisational and human resources challenges they face. Data will be collected using semi-structured interviews, group discussion, site visits, observation of key meetings and examination of local documentation. The findings from the case study PCTs will be cross checked with a Reference Group of up to 20 other PCG/Ts, and key officers working in organisational development or primary care at local, regional and national level. In Stage 3 analysis of findings from the preparatory work, the case studies and the feedback from the Reference Group will be used to identify practical lessons for PCTs, key messages for policy makers, and contributions to further theoretical development

Trauma history and depression predict incomplete adherence to antiretroviral therapies in a low income country.

As antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV becomes increasingly available in low and middle income countries (LMICs), understanding reasons for lack of adherence is critical to stemming the tide of infections and improving health. Understanding the effect of psychosocial experiences and mental health symptomatology on ART adherence can help maximize the benefit of expanded ART programs by indicating types of services, which could be offered in combination with HIV care. The Coping with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania (CHAT) study is a longitudinal cohort study in the Kilimanjaro Region that included randomly selected HIV-infected (HIV+) participants from two local hospital-based HIV clinics and four free-standing voluntary HIV counselling and testing sites. Baseline data were collected in 2008 and 2009; this paper used data from 36 month follow-up interviews (N = 468). Regression analyses were used to predict factors associated with incomplete self-reported adherence to ART. INCOMPLETE ART ADHERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO BE REPORTED AMONGST PARTICIPANTS WHO EXPERIENCED A GREATER NUMBER OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMATIC EVENTS: sexual abuse prior to puberty and the death in childhood of an immediate family member not from suicide or homicide were significantly more likely in the non-adherent group and other negative childhood events trended toward being more likely. Those with incomplete adherence had higher depressive symptom severity and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In multivariable analyses, childhood trauma, depression, and financial sacrifice remained associated with incomplete adherence.\ud This is the first study to examine the effect of childhood trauma, depression and PTSD on HIV medication adherence in a low income country facing a significant burden of HIV. Allocating spending on HIV/AIDS toward integrating mental health services with HIV care is essential to the creation of systems that enhance medication adherence and maximize the potential of expanded antiretroviral access to improve health and reduce new infections

Negative frequency dependent prey selection by two canid predators and its implications for the conservation of a threatened rodent in arid Australia

Unprecedented anthropogenic changes to biodiversity and biogeography demand a greater understanding of the consequences of altered faunal composition for ecosystem functioning. Selective predation has important, yet poorly understood effects on ecosystem stability, and can be strongly influenced by the relative frequencies of different prey types in the environment. Yet, how predators adjust their selection for prey according to their environmental frequency is often overlooked. Here, we assessed frequency dependent selection of prey by dingoes and foxes in the Australian desert, biannually, across a nine-year period (2007-2016). Both predators exhibited potentially destabilizing, negative frequency dependent selection for prey. Foxes persisted to preferentially consume a threatened, native rodent (Notomys fuscus) when it was environmentally scarce. Bolstered by the observation that N.fuscus occurs at low densities in areas where foxes are common, our results suggest that N.fuscus is particularly vulnerable to predation by this predator; possibly because it is naive and/or lacks adaptations to avoid or escape predation by the relatively recently introduced fox. Dingoes tended to consume reptiles when they were scarce; potentially constituting a conservation concern if selected reptilian taxa are threatened. Foxes avoided, thus were unlikely to control populations of overabundant kangaroos, while both foxes and dingoes showed a preference for, and may therefore control populations of invasive rabbits. The integration of our results into the relative suites of (de)stabilizing influences exerted by dingoes and foxes is important to provide a more dynamic insight into how each predator impacts their naturally fluctuating ecosystems

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Rangelore Interview - Elizabeth Roe

A transcript of a Rangelore interview conducted by Sheldon F. Gauthier for the Works Progress Administration\u27s Federal Writers\u27 Project in the 1930s with Elizabeth Roe. Roe was born Elizabeth Fletcher in 1855 on her father\u27s farm in Ash Creek, near Azle, Texas. Her father died during the Civil War, leaving her mother and their three children to run the farm. In her interview, Roe discusses farming cattle and hogs, growing crops, making clothing, dealing with rustlers, and Native American raids. She later married a Texas Ranger and describes the beginnings of the town of Azle.https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/specialcollections_workprojectsadministration/1072/thumbnail.jp