Exploratory analysis using machine learning to predict for chest wall pain in patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy.

Background and purposeChest wall toxicity is observed after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for peripherally located lung tumors. We utilize machine learning algorithms to identify toxicity predictors to develop dose-volume constraints.Materials and methodsTwenty-five patient, tumor, and dosimetric features were recorded for 197 consecutive patients with Stage I NSCLC treated with SBRT, 11 of whom (5.6%) developed CTCAEv4 grade ≥2 chest wall pain. Decision tree modeling was used to determine chest wall syndrome (CWS) thresholds for individual features. Significant features were determined using independent multivariate methods. These methods incorporate out-of-bag estimation using Random forests (RF) and bootstrapping (100 iterations) using decision trees.ResultsUnivariate analysis identified rib dose to 1 cc < 4000 cGy (P = 0.01), chest wall dose to 30 cc < 1900 cGy (P = 0.035), rib Dmax < 5100 cGy (P = 0.05) and lung dose to 1000 cc < 70 cGy (P = 0.039) to be statistically significant thresholds for avoiding CWS. Subsequent multivariate analysis confirmed the importance of rib dose to 1 cc, chest wall dose to 30 cc, and rib Dmax. Using learning-curve experiments, the dataset proved to be self-consistent and provides a realistic model for CWS analysis.ConclusionsUsing machine learning algorithms in this first of its kind study, we identify robust features and cutoffs predictive for the rare clinical event of CWS. Additional data in planned subsequent multicenter studies will help increase the accuracy of multivariate analysis

La pédagogie active en physique : les facteurs qui améliorent l'engagement et la collaboration des élèves

Affiche présentée dans le cadre du Colloque de l'ARC, «La relève scientifique et la recherche collégiale : pratiques inspirantes au regard des chercheuses et chercheurs, et enjeux spécifiques à la formation des étudiantes et étudiants», dans le cadre du 84e Congrès de l'Acfas, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, le 10 mai 2016.La pédagogie active (PA) améliore nettement l’apprentissage des élèves. Le grand défi de la PA consiste à gérer un écosystème d’apprentissage et à mobiliser les ressources humaines, documents et outils d’apprentissage à sa disposition – un processus appelé l’« orchestration ». La présente étude compare deux enseignants travaillant en PA dans un cours de physique (38 et 32 élèves respectivement). Ces enseignants sont excellents, comme le montrent les résultats remarquables de leurs élèves à un test standardisé sur les concepts en physique. Cependant, leur démarche pédagogique n’est pas la même, en raison des différences entre leurs points de vue épistémologiques et leurs ressources respectives, chacun dans leur classe aménagée de façon unique. Pour la comparaison, les deux enseignants devaient réaliser les mêmes activités. À partir d’observations en classe et de productions des élèves, nous analysons : 1) l’orchestration différente des ressources; 2) l’effet sur les productions des élèves; 3) les conséquences de ces orchestrations sur l’apprentissage et la collaboration des élèves. Selon nos résultats : 1) l’accès à des tableaux interactifs réservés aux élèves augmente les possibilités d’orchestration de l’enseignant; 2) les ressources ont un effet sur l’ampleur du suivi et de la rétroaction (évaluation par les pairs, suivi des progrès du groupe, retour en groupe classe); et 3) l’ajout d’activités intéressantes préalables au cours favorise l’engagement des élèves en classe

New Physics and Evidence for a Complex CKM

We carefully analyse the present experimental evidence for a complex CKM matrix, even allowing for New Physics contributions to $\epsilon_{K}$, $a_{J/\Psi K_S}$, $\Delta M_{B_{d}}$, $\Delta M_{B_{s}}$, and the $\Delta I=1/2$ piece of $B\to\rho\rho$ and $B\to\rho\pi$. We emphasize the crucial r\^ ole played by the angle $\gamma$ in both providing irrefutable evidence for a complex CKM matrix and placing constraints on the size of NP contributions. It is shown that even if one allows for New Physics a real CKM matrix is excluded at a 99.92% C.L., and the probability for the phase $\gamma$ to be in the interval $[-170^\circ;-10^\circ]\cup [10^\circ;170^\circ]$ is 99.7%.Comment: 24 pages, 15 figures. Revised version, analyses extended to more general New Physics; C.L. of exclusion of a real CKM matrix include

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Neutralize the Anti-tumor Effect of CSF1 Receptor Blockade by Inducing PMN-MDSC Infiltration of Tumors.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) contribute to all aspects of tumor progression. Use of CSF1R inhibitors to target TAM is therapeutically appealing, but has had very limited anti-tumor effects. Here, we have identified the mechanism that limited the effect of CSF1R targeted therapy. We demonstrated that carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are major sources of chemokines that recruit granulocytes to tumors. CSF1 produced by tumor cells caused HDAC2-mediated downregulation of granulocyte-specific chemokine expression in CAF, which limited migration of these cells to tumors. Treatment with CSF1R inhibitors disrupted this crosstalk and triggered a profound increase in granulocyte recruitment to tumors. Combining CSF1R inhibitor with a CXCR2 antagonist blocked granulocyte infiltration of tumors and showed strong anti-tumor effects

Rare decays B→Xsl+l−B\to X_sl^+l^- and B→K(∗)l+l−B\to K^{(*)}l^+l^- in SM and beyond

After a brief review of the inclusive and exclusive rare semileptonic decays of B mesons in the standard model (SM), an overview of recent theoretical developments in this field is given. New physics effects on various observables such as branching ratio, backward-forward asymmetry, polarization of lepton and CP violation in the decays are anlyzed in models beyond SM (supersymmetric models and two Higgs doublet models).Comment: 6 pages, invited talk given at the Fourth International Conference on Hyperons, Charm and Beauty Hadrons, June 27-30, 2000, Valencia, Spain, to appear in the Proceedings of the Conference, typo correcte

The Most Luminous Galaxies Discovered by WISE

We present 20 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)-selected galaxies with bolometric luminosities L_(bol) > 10^(14) L☉, including five with infrared luminosities L_(IR) ≡ L_((rest 8–1000 μm)) > 10^(14) L☉. These "extremely luminous infrared galaxies," or ELIRGs, were discovered using the "W1W2-dropout" selection criteria which requires marginal or non-detections at 3.4 and 4.6 μm (W1 and W2, respectively) but strong detections at 12 and 22 μm in the WISE survey. Their spectral energy distributions are dominated by emission at rest-frame 4–10 μm, suggesting that hot dust with T_d ~ 450 K is responsible for the high luminosities. These galaxies are likely powered by highly obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and there is no evidence suggesting these systems are beamed or lensed. We compare this WISE-selected sample with 116 optically selected quasars that reach the same L_(bol) level, corresponding to the most luminous unobscured quasars in the literature. We find that the rest-frame 5.8 and 7.8 μm luminosities of the WISE-selected ELIRGs can be 30%–80% higher than that of the unobscured quasars. The existence of AGNs with L_(bol) > 10^(14) L☉ at z > 3 suggests that these supermassive black holes are born with large mass, or have very rapid mass assembly. For black hole seed masses ~10^3 M☉, either sustained super-Eddington accretion is needed, or the radiative efficiency must be <15%, implying a black hole with slow spin, possibly due to chaotic accretion

Perception of nonnative tonal contrasts by Mandarin-English and English-Mandarin sequential bilinguals

This study examined the role of acquisition order and crosslinguistic similarity in influencing transfer at the initial stage of perceptually acquiring a tonal third language (L3). Perception of tones in Yoruba and Thai was tested in adult sequential bilinguals representing three different first (L1) and second language (L2) backgrounds: L1 Mandarin-L2 English (MEBs), L1 English-L2 Mandarin (EMBs), and L1 English-L2 intonational/non-tonal (EIBs). MEBs outperformed EMBs and EIBs in discriminating L3 tonal contrasts in both languages, while EMBs showed a small advantage over EIBs on Yoruba. All groups showed better overall discrimination in Thai than Yoruba, but group differences were more robust in Yoruba. MEBs’ and EMBs’ poor discrimination of certain L3 contrasts was further reflected in the L3 tones being perceived as similar to the same Mandarin tone; however, EIBs, with no knowledge of Mandarin, showed many of the same similarity judgments. These findings thus suggest that L1 tonal experience has a particularly facilitative effect in L3 tone perception, but there is also a facilitative effect of L2 tonal experience. Further, crosslinguistic perceptual similarity between L1/L2 and L3 tones, as well as acoustic similarity between different L3 tones, play a significant role at this early stage of L3 tone acquisition.Published versio

Law and Practice of Personal Data Protection in the Digital World: A Comparison BetweenChina, the EU, and the U.S.

    This Article makes an in-depth comparative and empirical study on China’s personal data protection legal system and its public enforcement at the state and local levels. The 2016 Cybersecurity Law and the 2021 Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) regulate important personal data protection issues such as public interests’ protection and very large online platforms’ (VLOPs) gatekeeper mechanism. China’s regulatory focus has shifted from network infrastructure construction to cybersecurity and personal data protection. Unlike the U.S. and the EU, China has delegated law enforcement to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) under a unique twin peaks model at the state level. The CAC and local agencies focus on regulating data processors based on catch-all provisions, while the MIIT focuses on regulating app developers’ activities, such as the collection and use of personal data. At the local level, China decentralized regulatory powers to local governmental agencies. In the public enforcement of data protection laws, the EU, the U.S. and China have divergent institutional structures and administrative penalties. These divergences are caused by China’s political and economic context, especially the national strategy to facilitate the development of VLOPs for global competition. China’s public interests are embodied in the ideological censorship and national security review of users’ information by data processors. It is concerning that the Chinese government might enlarge their control over the dissemination of information. China should learn from the EU’s experience in tackling specific problems of automated decision-making. To supervise the gatekeepers, Chinese law needs to strike a balance between encouraging the development of VLOPs and protecting personal data

Association studies of up to 1.2 million individuals yield new insights into the genetic etiology of tobacco and alcohol use.

Tobacco and alcohol use are leading causes of mortality that influence risk for many complex diseases and disorders1. They are heritable2,3 and etiologically related4,5 behaviors that have been resistant to gene discovery efforts6-11. In sample sizes up to 1.2 million individuals, we discovered 566 genetic variants in 406 loci associated with multiple stages of tobacco use (initiation, cessation, and heaviness) as well as alcohol use, with 150 loci evidencing pleiotropic association. Smoking phenotypes were positively genetically correlated with many health conditions, whereas alcohol use was negatively correlated with these conditions, such that increased genetic risk for alcohol use is associated with lower disease risk. We report evidence for the involvement of many systems in tobacco and alcohol use, including genes involved in nicotinic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission. The results provide a solid starting point to evaluate the effects of these loci in model organisms and more precise substance use measures