Swarm Intelligence-based Extraction and Manifold Crawling Along the Large-Scale Structure

The distribution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies on the mega-parsec scale of the Universe follows an intricate pattern now famously known as the Large-Scale Structure or the Cosmic Web. To study the environments of this network, several techniques have been developed that are able to describe its properties and the properties of groups of galaxies as a function of their environment. In this work we analyze the previously introduced framework: 1-Dimensional Recovery, Extraction, and Analysis of Manifolds (1-DREAM) on N-body cosmological simulation data of the Cosmic Web. The 1-DREAM toolbox consists of five Machine Learning methods, whose aim is the extraction and modelling of 1-dimensional structures in astronomical big data settings. We show that 1-DREAM can be used to extract structures of different density ranges within the Cosmic Web and to create probabilistic models of them. For demonstration, we construct a probabilistic model of an extracted filament and move through the structure to measure properties such as local density and velocity. We also compare our toolbox with a collection of methodologies which trace the Cosmic Web. We show that 1-DREAM is able to split the network into its various environments with results comparable to the state-of-the-art methodologies. A detailed comparison is then made with the public code DisPerSE, in which we find that 1-DREAM is robust against changes in sample size making it suitable for analyzing sparse observational data, and finding faint and diffuse manifolds in low density regions

Swarming in stellar streams: Unveiling the structure of the Jhelum stream with ant colony-inspired computation

The halo of the Milky Way galaxy hosts multiple dynamically coherent substructures known as stellar streams that are remnants of tidally disrupted systems such as globular clusters (GCs) and dwarf galaxies (DGs). A particular case is that of the Jhelum stream, which is known for its complex morphology. Using the available data from Gaia DR3, we extracted a region on the sky that contains Jhelum. We then applied the novel Locally Aligned Ant Technique (LAAT) on the position and proper motion space of stars belonging to the selected region to highlight the stars that are closely aligned with a local manifold in the data and the stars belonging to regions of high local density. We find that the overdensity representing the stream in proper motion space is composed of two components, and show the correspondence of these two signals to the previously reported narrow and broad spatial components of Jhelum. We made use of the radial velocity measurements provided by the $S^5$ survey to confirm, for the first time, a separation between the two components in radial velocity. We show that the narrow and broad components have velocity dispersions of $4.84^{+1.23}_{-0.79}$~km/s and $19.49^{+2.19}_{-1.84}$~km/s, and metallicity dispersions of $0.15^{+0.18}_{-0.10}$ and $0.34^{+0.13}_{-0.09}$, respectively. These measurements, and the difference in component widths, could be explained with a scenario where Jhelum is the remnant of a GC embedded within a DG that were accreted onto the Milky Way during their infall. Although the properties of Jhelum can be explained with this merger scenario, other progenitors of the narrow component remain possible such as a nuclear star cluster or a DG. To rule these possibilities out, we would need more observational data of member stars of the stream. Our analysis highlights the importance of the internal structure of streams with regards to their formation history

Reclaiming the city from an urban vitalism perspective: critically reflecting smart, inclusive, resilient and sustainable just city labels

This article analyses four of the most prominent city discourses and introduces the lens of urban vitalism as an overarching interdisciplinary concept of cities as places of transformation and change. We demonstrate the value of using urban vitalism as a lens to conceptualize and critically discuss different notions on smart, inclusive, resilient and sustainable just cities. Urban vitalism offers a process-based lens which enables us to understand cities as places of transformation and change, with people and other living beings at its core. The aim of the article is to explore how the lens of vitalism can help us understand and connect ongoing interdisciplinary academic debates about urban development and vice versa, and how these ongoing debates inform our understanding of urban vitalism

Infected pancreatic necrosis: outcomes and clinical predictors of mortality. A post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study

: The identification of high-risk patients in the early stages of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is critical, because it could help the clinicians to adopt more effective management strategies. We conducted a post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study to assess the association between clinical risk factors and mortality among adult patients with IPN. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify prognostic factors of mortality. We identified 247 consecutive patients with IPN hospitalised between January 2019 and December 2020. History of uncontrolled arterial hypertension (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.135-15.882; aOR 4.245), qSOFA (p = 0.005; 95% CI 1.359-5.879; aOR 2.828), renal failure (p = 0.022; 95% CI 1.138-5.442; aOR 2.489), and haemodynamic failure (p = 0.018; 95% CI 1.184-5.978; aOR 2.661), were identified as independent predictors of mortality in IPN patients. Cholangitis (p = 0.003; 95% CI 1.598-9.930; aOR 3.983), abdominal compartment syndrome (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.090-6.967; aOR 2.735), and gastrointestinal/intra-abdominal bleeding (p = 0.009; 95% CI 1.286-5.712; aOR 2.710) were independently associated with the risk of mortality. Upfront open surgical necrosectomy was strongly associated with the risk of mortality (p < 0.001; 95% CI 1.912-7.442; aOR 3.772), whereas endoscopic drainage of pancreatic necrosis (p = 0.018; 95% CI 0.138-0.834; aOR 0.339) and enteral nutrition (p = 0.003; 95% CI 0.143-0.716; aOR 0.320) were found as protective factors. Organ failure, acute cholangitis, and upfront open surgical necrosectomy were the most significant predictors of mortality. Our study confirmed that, even in a subgroup of particularly ill patients such as those with IPN, upfront open surgery should be avoided as much as possible. Study protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov (I.D. Number NCT04747990)

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Measurement of the top quark mass using charged particles in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Associations between Season and Gametocyte Dynamics in Chronic Plasmodium falciparum Infections

Introduction: In a markedly seasonal malaria setting, the transition from the transmission-free dry season to the transmission season depends on the resurgence of the mosquito population following the start of annual rains. The sudden onset of malaria outbreaks at the start of the transmission season suggests that parasites persist during the dry season and respond to either the reappearance of vectors, or correlated events, by increasing the production of transmission stages. Here, we investigate whether Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte density and the correlation between gametocyte density and parasite density show seasonal variation in chronic (largely asymptomatic) carriers in eastern Sudan. Materials and Methods: We recruited and treated 123 malaria patients in the transmission season 2001. We then followed them monthly during four distinct consecutive epidemiological seasons: transmission season 1, transmission-free season, pre-clinical period, and transmission season 2. In samples collected from 25 participants who fulfilled the selection criteria of the current analysis, we used quantitative PCR (qPCR) and RT-qPCR to quantify parasite and gametocyte densities, respectively. Results and Discussion: We observed a significant increase in gametocyte density and a significantly steeper positive correlation between gametocyte density and total parasite density during the pre-clinical period compared to the preceding transmission-free season. However, there was no corresponding increase in the density or prevalence of total parasites or gametocyte prevalence. The increase in gametocyte production during the pre-clinical period supports the hypothesis that P. falciparum may respond to environmental cues, such as mosquito biting, to modulate its transmission strategy. Thus, seasonal changes may be important to ignite transmission in unstable-malaria settings

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

„Hvenær er maður eiginlega orðinn Íslendingur?“ Um fordóma sem íslenskar konur sem eiga ættir að rekja til Mið-Austurlanda mæta á Íslandi

Ritgerð þessi er byggð á rannsókn sem gerð var á upplifun íslenskra kvenna, sem eiga ættir að rekja til Mið-Austurlanda, af fordómum á Íslandi. Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar er að varpa ljósi á fordóma í íslensku samfélagi og sýna tengsl fordóma og þjóðernis við sjálfsmyndir. Rannsóknin byggist á einstaklingsviðtölum þar sem unnið var með þrjú þemu, þ.e. fordóma, sjálfsmyndir og hvað það er að vera Íslendingur. Viðtölin voru þau greind með hjálp greiningarforrits, þar sem grunduð kenning var notuð til að finna undirþemu sem hægt er að skipta upp í a) fáfræði og neikvæða forvitni, b) vonda menn og kúgaðar konur, c) uppgang öfgahópa, d) íslenskt mál og erlend nöfn og e) skörun sjálfsmyndar. Niðurstöður rannsókninnar sýna að fordómarnir birtast oft í íslamófóbískum staðalímyndum um múslimskar konur, en þær greindu frá því að upplifa fordóma og neikvæða forvitni yfir uppruna sínum, ásamt ótta um uppgang öfga hægriafla og efasemda um eigin sjálfsmynd. Þó sýndu niðurstöður einnig ákveðinn viðsnúning hjá konunum þegar þær urðu eldri, sem fóru í auknum mæli að fagna eigin fjölbreytileika og hætta að líta á hann sem ósamræmanlegan íslensku þjóðerni.This thesis is based on a study of the experiences of Icelandic women with Middle Eastern backgrounds, of prejudice in Icelandic society. The purpose of this research is to shed light on different forms of prejudice in Icelandic society as well as how prejudice and nationalism have effects on self-identity. The thesis is based on individual interviews with three themes, which were prejudice, identity and what it is to be an Icelander. The interviews were analyzed using a qualitative data analysis program, where grounded theory was used to find sub-themes which can be devided into a) ignorance and negative curiosity, b) evil men and oppressed women, c) the rise of extremist groups, d) Icelandic language and foreign names and e) intersecting identities. The results of the study indicate that prejudices often appear in Islamophobic stereotypes about Muslim women, but the research subjects reported experiencing prejudice and negative curiosity about their origins, fearing the rise of extremist right wing groups as well as feeling insecure in their identities. However, the results also showed a certain turnaround in their identities as they grew older, when they started celebrating their own diversity and stopped seeing it as incompatible with their Icelandic identity.Öndvegisverkefnið Hreyfanleiki og þverþjóðleiki á Íslandi / Mobilities and Transnational Icelan