Search

On a recent mercilessly hot morning, the eastern sidewalk of Central Park West is filled with women in linen and sandals pushing strollers north. It's a holiday, the kids are [...]

There is no one solution to the issue of water shortages. If the discussion is about helping people get fresh water, most will initially think of water wells as the [...]

I once had someone tell me 'I don't care where water comes from as long as it comes out of that faucet when I turn it on.' I know of [...]

It was August 2019 when I was last published in PM magazine. I wrote about the failure of cast iron soil pipe, which now has customers often waiting two weeks [...]

Aidan Levy has written a revealing, comprehensive biography of the improviser-hero Sonny Rollins. SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins, by Aidan Levy Two images stay in the [...]

I first became familiar with Cheyenne beadwork many years ago when I began looking at the decorated canvas lodge covers made by the Cheyenne Women's Sewing Society. I spent many [...]

From 23 April through 9 May 2019, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, hosted Maneuver Support, Sustainment, and Protection Integration Experiment (MSSPIX) 19, which was a collaborative effort between the Maneuver Support [...]

In the face of widespread shutdowns and heightened market uncertainty in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals and health systems secured commitments to lines of credit to [...]

Local delivery of immune-activating agents has shown promise in overcoming an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and stimulating antitumor immune responses in tumors. However, systemic therapy is ultimately needed to treat tumors that are not readily locatable or accessible. To enable systemic delivery of immune-activating agents, we employ poly(lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) with a track record in systemic application. The surface of PLGA NPs is decorated with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a damage-associated molecular pattern to recruit antigen-presenting cells (APCs). The ATP-conjugated PLGA NPs (NPpD-ATP) are loaded with paclitaxel (PTX), a chemotherapeutic agent inducing immunogenic cell death to generate tumor antigens in situ. We show that the NPpD-ATP retains ATP activity in hostile TME and provides a stable “find-me” signal to recruit APCs. Therefore, the PTX-loaded NPpD-ATP helps populate antitumor immune cells in TME and attenuate the growth of CT26 and B16F10 tumors better than a mixture of PTX-loaded NPpDand ATP. Combined with anti-PD-1 antibody, PTX-loaded NPpD-ATP achieves complete regression of CT26 tumors followed by antitumor immune memory. This study demonstrates the feasibility of systemic immunotherapy using a PLGA NP formulation that delivers ICD-inducing chemotherapy and an immunostimulatory signal.

ABSTRACTThe Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS) is a general-purpose Monte Carlo radiation transport code that can simulate the behavior of most particle species with energies up to 1 TeV (per nucleon for ions). Its new version, PHITS3.33, was recently developed and released to the public. In the new version, the compatibility with nuclear data libraries and the algorithm of the track-structure modes have been improved, and they are recommended to be used for certain simulation conditions. Some utility functions and software have been developed and integrated into the new PHITS package, such as PHITS Interactive Geometry viewer in 3D (PHIG-3D) and RadioTherapy packaged based on PHITS (RT-PHITS). With these upgraded features, PHITS can be applied in a wide diversity of fields – beyond traditional nuclear engineering domains – including cosmic-ray, environmental, medical, life, and material sciences. In this paper, we summarize the upgraded features of PHITS3.33 with respect to the physics models, utility functions, and application software introduced since the release of PHITS3.02 in 2017.

Superresolution (SR) methods become essential when an undersampled low-resolution (LR) image is unable to provide accurate target detection. The estimation of an HR image from a single LR image is ill-posed problem, and hence requires prior information. More the constraints, better is the reconstruction accuracy and this forms the basis of most of the contemporary state-of-the-art (SOTA) superresolution methods such as SRCNN and SRGAN which implement prior information as training set. Yet another approach to overcome the ill-posedness of the problem is to have multiple diverse LR images with the potential to reconstruct accurate HR image. Here we present the performance analysis of a generalized sampling theorem (GST) based multi-frame SR method. A simulation study using Gaussian targets is conducted, and a comparative performance analysis of the GST multi-frame SR method with the traditional multi-frame interpolation schemes and SOTA methods is presented using the percentage mean square error ($\%$MSE) and Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM). Our findings indicate that the GST SR method can outperform traditional interpolation and the SOTA methods.

Early warning scores detecting clinical deterioration in pediatric inpatients have wide-ranging performance and use a limited number of clinical features. This study developed a machine learning model leveraging multiple static and dynamic clinical features from the electronic health record to predict the composite outcome of unplanned transfer to the ICU within 24 hours and inpatient mortality within 48 hours in hospitalized children.Using a retrospective development cohort of 17 630 encounters across 10 388 patients, 2 machine learning models (light gradient boosting machine [LGBM] and random forest) were trained on 542 features and compared with our institutional Pediatric Early Warning Score (I-PEWS).The LGBM model significantly outperformed I-PEWS based on receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for the composite outcome of ICU transfer or mortality for both internal validation and temporal validation cohorts (AUROC 0.785 95% confidence interval [0.780–0.791] vs 0.708 [0.701–0.715] for temporal validation) as well as lead-time before deterioration events (median 11 hours vs 3 hours; P = .004). However, LGBM performance as evaluated by precision recall curve was lesser in the temporal validation cohort with associated decreased positive predictive value (6% vs 29%) and increased number needed to evaluate (17 vs 3) compared with I-PEWS.Our electronic health record based machine learning model demonstrated improved AUROC and lead-time in predicting clinical deterioration in pediatric inpatients 24 to 48 hours in advance compared with I-PEWS. Further work is needed to optimize model positive predictive value to allow for integration into clinical practice.

Byline: by Evan Ratliff PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRISTIE HEMM KLOK This is Nathan Wolfe. We should have listened to him. The San Francisco virologist worked with a 140-year-old German insurance giant [...]

Diamine ligands are effective structural scaffolds for tuning the reactivity of transition-metal complexes for catalytic, materials, and phosphorescent applications and have been leveraged for biological use. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of a novel class of cyclometalated [C^N] Au(III) complexes bearing secondary diamines including a norbornane backbone, (2R,3S)-N2,N3-dibenzylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-diamine, or a cyclohexane backbone, (1R,2R)-N1,N2-dibenzylcyclohexane-1,2-diamine. X-ray crystallography confirms the square-planar geometry and chirality at nitrogen. The electronic character of the conformationally restricted norbornane backbone influences the electrochemical behavior with redox potentials of −0.8 to −1.1 V, atypical for Au(III) complexes. These compounds demonstrate promising anticancer activity, particularly, complex 1, which bears a benzylpyridine organogold framework, and supported by the bicyclic conformationally restricted diaminonorbornane, shows good potency in A2780 cells. We further show that a cellular response to 1evokes reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and does not induce mitochondrial dysfunction. This class of complexes provides significant stability and reactivity for different applications in protein modification, catalysis, and therapeutics.

Hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) are fourth-generation refrigerants designed to function as efficient refrigerants with no ozone depletion potential and zero global warming potential. Despite extensive studies on their chemical and physical properties, the ground- and excited-state chemistry of their atmospheric oxidation products is less well understood. This study focuses on the ground- and excited-state chemistry of the simplest fluorinated Criegee intermediate (CI), fluoroformaldehyde oxide (HFCOO), which is the simplest fluorinated CI formed from the ozonolysis of HFOs. HFCOO contains syn- and anti-conformers, which have Boltzmann populations of, respectively, 87 and 13% at 298 K. For both conformers, the calculated ground-state reaction energy profiles associated with cyclization to form fluorodioxirane is lower than the equivalent unimolecular decay path in the simplest CI, H2COO, with anti-HFCOO returning a barrier height more than half of that of H2COO. The excited-state dynamics reveal that photoexcitation to the bright S2state of syn-HFCOO and anti-HFCOO is expected to undergo a prompt O–O fission─with the former conformer expected to dissociate with an almost unity quantum yield and to form both O (1D) + HFCO (S0) and O (3P) + HFCO (T1) products. In contrast, photoexcitation of anti-HFCOO is expected to undergo an O–O bond fission with a non-unity quantum yield. The fraction of photoexcited anti-HFCOO that dissociates is predicted to exclusively form O (1D) + HFCO (S0) products, which is in sharp contrast to H2COO. The wider implications of our results are discussed from both physical and atmospheric chemistry perspectives.

The recently enacted Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act contains provisions that reduce the burdens on emerging growth companies seeking to raise funding through an initial public offering. They also address [...]

illus

Fresh, healthy cooking drove most of the introductions at the recent International Home + Housewares Show and gadgets were no exception. The best new gadgets master the tasks of grating, [...]

This paper addresses two concerns with the state of the art in network revenue management with dependent demands. The first concern is that the basic attraction model (BAM), of which [...]

Objectives: The Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents a unique burden specifically for workers in service industries. However, limited research on service worker’s experience during the onset of COVID-19 exists. We aimed to describe the experiences and concerns of service industry workers during the pandemic’s onset.Methods: This is a mixed-method study. Participants were recruited through social media and completed either a survey or a phone interview during May and June 2020. The survey and transcribed interview data were analyzed using the SPSS software and content analysis, respectively.Results: Twenty-seven individuals completed audio-recorded phone interviews and 28 completed the survey. Participants were mostly women between 19 and 65 years old. Participants worked in food retail (n= 23), restaurant (n= 25), and hospitality (n= 7) industries. There was discordance in perceived threat level of COVID-19. Most participants reported that their workplace complied with their state’s mandates for protection measures, while others reported lacking basic supplies such as soap, hand sanitizer, and masks. Job insecurity, change of job tasks, and work hours were the most common ways that COVID-19 affected the workers. Worker’s assertiveness to self-protect while at work was influenced by their perceived severity of the pandemic.Conclusion/Application to Practice: This study highlights the vulnerability of service workers relating to job security and job tasks during the pandemic. Organizational processes are needed to promote safe work environments and facilitate access to resources for these workers. In addition, occupational health practitioners need to be aware of and address the emerging health risks and worker needs.

Every healthcare organization has a portfolio of financial risks and resources, which leaders deploy to balance the pursuit of growth with guardrails to ensure financial health. Sustainable growth requires the [...]

In 2003, the World Bank began publishing findings about regulations that appear to help business versus regulations that might hurt business. Updates are published annually in a 'Doing Business' report [...]

Sophie Brickman, author of the novel "Plays Well With Others," discusses the inspiration behind her book, which satirizes the absurdity of New York City's private school admissions process. Brickman, who grew up in the Upper West Side and attended prestigious schools herself, wrote the novel after going through the admissions process for her own children. She highlights the ridiculousness of tasks like writing essays about a 4-year-old's strengths and weaknesses and the pressure placed on young children during playdate assessments. While some may worry about the consequences of publishing a satirical tell-all about a world she still inhabits, Brickman remains undaunted, emphasizing that her book is a work of fiction and satire. [Extracted from the article]