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We introduce Larq Compute Engine, the world's fastest Binarized Neural Network (BNN) inference engine, and use this framework to investigate several important questions about the efficiency of BNNs and to design a new state-of-the-art BNN architecture. LCE provides highly optimized implementations of binary operations and accelerates binary convolutions by 8.5 - 18.5x compared to their full-precision counterparts on Pixel 1 phones. LCE's integration with Larq and a sophisticated MLIR-based converter allow users to move smoothly from training to deployment. By extending TensorFlow and TensorFlow Lite, LCE supports models which combine binary and full-precision layers, and can be easily integrated into existing applications. Using LCE, we analyze the performance of existing BNN computer vision architectures and develop QuickNet, a simple, easy-to-reproduce BNN that outperforms existing binary networks in terms of latency and accuracy on ImageNet. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of full-precision shortcuts and the relationship between number of MACs and model latency. We are convinced that empirical performance should drive BNN architecture design and hope this work will facilitate others to design, benchmark and deploy binary models.

This brief paper develops a probability density that models processes for which the physical mechanism is unknown. It has desirable properties which are not realized by densities derived from Gaussian process or other classic methods. In many areas of physics, such the analysis of chaotic phenomena, there is need for a density that has these properties.

Muons are particles with a spin of ½ that can be implanted into a wide range of condensed matter materials to act as a local probe of the surrounding atomic environment. Measurement of the muon’s precession and relaxation provides an insight into how it interacts with its local environment. From this, unique information is obtained about the static and dynamic properties of the material of interest. This has enabled muon spin spectroscopy, more commonly known as muon spin rotation/relaxation/resonance (μSR), to develop into a powerful tool to investigate material properties such as fundamental magnetism, superconductivity and functional materials. Alongside this, μSR may be used to study, for example, energy storage materials, ionic diffusion in potential batteries, the dynamics of soft matter, free radical chemistry, reaction kinetics, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and cultural artefacts. This Primer is intended as an introductory article and introduces the μSR technique, the typical results obtained and some recent advances across various fields. Data reproducibility and limitations are also discussed, before highlighting promising future developments.Muon spin spectroscopy examines how muons interact with their local environment through measurement of the muon’s precession and relaxation. This provides unique information about the static and dynamic properties of a material. This Primer gives an introductory overview to muon spin spectroscopy, describing how muons are produced and used experimentally in various applications.

Background Socio-economic inequalities are associated with unequal exposure to social, economic and environmental risk factors, which in turn contribute to health inequalities. Understanding the impact of specific public health policy interventions will help to establish causality in terms of the effects on health inequalities. Methods Systematic review methodology was used to identify systematic reviews from high-income countries that describe the health equity effects of upstream public health interventions. Twenty databases were searched from their start date until May 2017. The quality of the included articles was determined using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews tool (AMSTAR). Results Twenty-nine systematic reviews were identified reporting 150 unique relevant primary studies. The reviews summarised evidence of all types of primary and secondary prevention policies (fiscal, regulation, education, preventative treatment and screening) across seven public health domains (tobacco, alcohol, food and nutrition, reproductive health services, the control of infectious diseases, the environment and workplace regulations). There were no systematic reviews of interventions targeting mental health. Results were mixed across the public health domains; some policy interventions were shown to reduce health inequalities (e.g. food subsidy programmes, immunisations), others have no effect and some interventions appear to increase inequalities (e.g. 20 mph and low emission zones). The quality of the included reviews (and their primary studies) were generally poor and clear gaps in the evidence base have been highlighted. Conclusions The review does tentatively suggest interventions that policy makers might use to reduce health inequalities, although whether the programmes are transferable between high-income countries remains unclear. Trial registration PROSPERO registration number: CRD42016025283

Background Bacterial vaginosis (BV) affects 20–50% of reproductive-age female patients annually, arising when opportunistic pathogens outcompete healthy vaginal flora. Many patients fail to resolve symptoms with a course of metronidazole, the current first-line treatment for BV. Our study was designed to identify genomic variation associated with metronidazole resistance among strains of Gardnerella vaginalis spp. (GV), a genus of biogenic-amine-producing bacteria closely associated with BV pathogenesis, for the development of a companion molecular diagnostic. Methods Whole-genome sequencing and comparative genomic metrics, including average nucleotide identity and GC content, were performed on a diverse set of 129 GV genomes to generate data for detailed taxonomic analyses. Pangenomic analyses were employed to construct a phylogenetic tree and cluster highly related strains within genospecies. G. vaginalis spp. clinical isolates within our collection were subjected to plate-based minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing of metronidazole ( n  = 60) and clindamycin ( n  = 63). DECIPHER and MAFFT were used to identify genospecies-specific primers associated with antibiotic-resistance phenotypes. PCR-based analyses with these primers were used to confirm their specificity for the relevant genospecies. Results Eleven distinct genospecies based on standard ANI criteria were identified among the GV strains in our collection. Metronidazole MIC testing revealed six genospecies within a closely related phylogenetic clade contained only highly metronidazole-resistant strains (MIC ≥ 32 µg/mL) and suggested at least two mechanisms of metronidazole resistance within the eleven GV genospecies. All strains within the six highly metronidazole-resistant genospecies displayed susceptibility to clinically relevant clindamycin concentrations (MIC ≤ 2 µg/mL). A PCR-based molecular diagnostic assay was developed to distinguish between members of the metronidazole-resistant and mixed-response genospecies, which should be useful for determining the clade membership of various GV strains and could assist in the selection of appropriate antibiotic therapies for BV cases. Conclusions This study provides comparative genomic and phylogenetic evidence for eleven distinct genospecies within the genus Gardnerella vaginalis spp., and identifies genospecies-specific responses to metronidazole, the first-line treatment for BV. A companion molecular diagnostic assay was developed that is capable of identifying essentially all highly metronidazole-resistant strains that phylogenetically cluster together within the GV genospecies, which is informative for antibiotic treatment options.

We previously reported the construction of a P1-derived artificial chromosome (PAC) contig encompassing a set of homozygous deletions of chromosome 16q23-24.1 found in primary ovarian tumor material and several tumor cell lines. Using these PAC clones in a cDNA selection experiment, we have isolated a Sau3A fragment homologous to the WWOX transcript (GenBank accession no. AF211943) from normal human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) cells. We demonstrate the homozygous deletion of WWOX exons from ovarian cancer cells and three different tumor cell lines. We also identify an internally deleted WWOX transcript from a further primary ovarian tumor. In three of these samples the deletions result in frameshifts, and in each case the resulting WWOX transcripts lack part, or all, of the short chain dehydrogenase domain and the putative mitochondrial localization signal. Sequencing revealed several missense polymorphisms in tumor cell lines and identified a high level of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the WWOX gene. This evidence strengthens the case for WWOX as a tumor suppressor gene in ovarian cancer and other tumor types.

Necrotising fasciitis (NF) is a rare but life-threatening skin and soft tissue infection. It requires urgent surgical debridement. The most common cause of monomicrobial NF is invasive Group A Streptococcus (IGAS). We present eight patients who were all treated in a single trauma unit within a 9-month period. All cases required surgical debridement and had positive microbiology testing for IGAS. The eight patients did not present typically for NF, nor did they all have typical risk factors for the development of NF. The in-hospital mortality rate was 37.5%. This series represents an epidemiological spike of IGAS infections causing NF. The findings from this series could inform future practice if similar spikes were to be encountered.

The ISIS muon beamlines have been operating for nearly 40 years and we have recently undertaken a phased programme of refurbishment. We give an overview of the work and performance improvements obtained. The first muon beamline at ISIS started operation in 1987, and in 1993 the EMU and DEVA (now HIFI) ports were added. In 2014 we replaced the front end quadrupole doublet with a larger aperture triplet and in 2016 we replaced the remaining quadrupoles in the original beamline, taking the opportunity to improve the beam optics, and refurbished the other components. The RIKEN beamlines were constructed in 1994 with 3 ports, and Port 4 added in 2002. The refurbishment in 2021-2 involved repairing the magnets, replacing insulators on separators, adding new water services and modifying the shielding for ease of future maintenance. A replacement for the 30 year old superconducting solenoid is being manufactured. Both beamlines are now controlled by the ISIS standard “IBEX” control system based on EPICS, which allows automatic initialisation of the beam parameters, logging and alarms, and beam tuning while optimising the data on the instruments. This is particularly useful for configuring the beam momentum and polarity on the RIKEN instruments.

Socioeconomic inequalities are associated with unequal exposure to social, economic, and environmental risk factors, which in turn contribute to health inequalities. In a review of systematic reviews, we aimed to understand the impact of public health policy interventions on health inequalities. Systematic review methodology was used to identify systematic reviews (meta-analyses and narrative syntheses) from high-income countries that described the health equity effects of upstream public health interventions (eg, taxation, educational campaigns). Examples of health equity effects are differential effects across socioeconomic groups, or effects of interventions targeted at disadvantaged groups. 20 databases were searched from inception to May 4, 2017: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Social Science Citation Index, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, PROSPERO, Campbell Library, Cochrane Library, Database of Promoting Health Effectiveness Reviews, Social Care Online, and Health Systems Evidence. We did not exclude papers on the basis of language or publication date. We included reviews of studies with longitudinal experimental and observational designs. Quality was determined with AMSTAR. 24 systematic reviews reporting 128 unique relevant primary studies were identified. The reviews summarised evidence of policies (fiscal, regulation, education, preventive treatment, and screening) across eight public health domains (tobacco; food and nutrition; the control of infectious diseases; screening; road traffic injuries; air, land, and water pollution; built environment; and workplace regulations). Most of the reviews were of moderate quality, as assessed by AMSTAR, although the included primary studies mainly followed repeat cross-sectional and interrupted time-series designs and were generally considered to be low in quality. Results were mixed across the public health domains; however, there was evidence from the tobacco, food and nutrition, and control of infectious diseases domains to suggest that fiscal and regulation policies were more beneficial for reducing or preventing health inequalities than educational campaigns. This umbrella review has identified effective public health regulation interventions that could reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health. This research is part of the Health Inequalities in European Welfare States project funded by the New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Cooperation in Europe Welfare State Futures programme (grant ref 462-14-110).

Background Community pharmacies have great potential to deliver services aimed at promoting health and preventing disease, and are embedded within communities. In the light of a rapid increase in community pharmacy-delivered public health services and an accompanying increase in the evidence base, this systematic review of reviews will synthesise systematic reviews of public health community pharmacy interventions and assess their effects on public health and health inequalities. Methods/design Systematic review methodology will be used to identify all systematic reviews that describe the health and health equity effects of community pharmacy public health interventions. Twenty databases will be searched using a pre-determined search strategy to evaluate community pharmacy-delivered public health interventions. Findings from the included reviews will be pooled, and a narrative synthesis executed to identify overarching patterns and results. Discussion Findings will support future decision-making around how community pharmacy public health services can be used alongside other strategies to promote health, prevent disease and reduce health inequalities. Systematic review registration PROSPERO registration number: CRD42017056264 .