29 research outputs found
Tea: A High-level Language and Runtime System for Automating Statistical Analysis
Though statistical analyses are centered on research questions and
hypotheses, current statistical analysis tools are not. Users must first
translate their hypotheses into specific statistical tests and then perform API
calls with functions and parameters. To do so accurately requires that users
have statistical expertise. To lower this barrier to valid, replicable
statistical analysis, we introduce Tea, a high-level declarative language and
runtime system. In Tea, users express their study design, any parametric
assumptions, and their hypotheses. Tea compiles these high-level specifications
into a constraint satisfaction problem that determines the set of valid
statistical tests, and then executes them to test the hypothesis. We evaluate
Tea using a suite of statistical analyses drawn from popular tutorials. We show
that Tea generally matches the choices of experts while automatically switching
to non-parametric tests when parametric assumptions are not met. We simulate
the effect of mistakes made by non-expert users and show that Tea automatically
avoids both false negatives and false positives that could be produced by the
application of incorrect statistical tests.Comment: 11 page
Testing Laser-Structured Antimicrobial Surfaces Under Space Conditions: The Design of the ISS Experiment BIOFILMS
Maintaining crew health and safety are essential goals for long-term human missions to space.
Attaining these goals requires the development of methods and materials for sustaining the
crew’s health and safety. Paramount is microbiological monitoring and contamination
reduction. Microbial biofilms are of special concern, because they can cause damage to
spaceflight equipment and are difficult to eliminate due to their increased resistance to
antibiotics and disinfectants. The introduction of antimicrobial surfaces for medical,
pharmaceutical and industrial purposes has shown a unique potential for reducing and
preventing biofilm formation. This article describes the development process of ESA’s
BIOFILMS experiment, that will evaluate biofilm formation on various antimicrobial surfaces
under spaceflight conditions. These surfaces will be composed of different metals with and
without specified surface texture modifications. Staphylococcus capitis subsp. capitis,
Cupriavidus metallidurans and Acinetobacter radioresistens are biofilm forming organisms
that have been chosen as model organisms. The BIOFILMS experiment will study the biofilm
formation potential of these organisms in microgravity on the International Space Station on inert
surfaces (stainless steel AISI 304) as well as antimicrobial active copper (Cu) based metals that
have undergone specific surface modification by Ultrashort Pulsed Direct Laser Interference
Patterning (USP-DLIP). Data collected in 1 x g has shown that these surface modifications
enhance the antimicrobial activity of Cu based metals. In the scope of this, the interaction
between the surfaces and bacteria, which is highly determined by topography and surface
chemistry, will be investigated. The data generated will be indispensable for the future selection
of antimicrobial materials in support of human- and robotic-associated activities in space
exploration
Right-Sided Location Not Associated With Missed Colorectal Adenomas in an Individual-Level Reanalysis of Tandem Colonoscopy Studies
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S2032 Defining Carcinoma Risk in Barrett Patients - Known Risk Factors May Be Less Important
Abnormal Cerebellar Volume in Patients with Remitted Major Depression with Persistent Cognitive Deficits
Cerebellar involvement in major depressive disorder (MDD) has been demonstrated by a growing number of studies, but it is unknown whether cognitive functioning in depressed individuals is related to cerebellar gray matter volume (GMV) abnormalities. Impaired attention and executive dysfunction are characteristic cognitive deficits in MDD, and critically, they often persist despite remission of mood symptoms. In this study, we investigated cerebellar GMV in patients with remitted MDD (rMDD) that showed persistent cognitive impairment. We applied cerebellum-optimized voxel-based morphometry in 37 patients with rMDD and with cognitive deficits, in 12 patients with rMDD and without cognitive deficits, and in 36 healthy controls (HC). Compared with HC, rMDD patients with cognitive deficits had lower GMV in left area VIIA, crus II, and in vermal area VIIB. In patients with rMDD, regression analyses demonstrated significant associations between GMV reductions in both regions and impaired attention and executive dysfunction. Compared with HC, patients without cognitive deficits showed increased GMV in bilateral area VIIIB. This study supports cerebellar contributions to the cognitive dimension of MDD. The data also point towards cerebellar area VII as a potential target for non-invasive brain stimulation to treat cognitive deficits related to MDD
Effects of Melatonin Administration on Post-Stroke Delirium in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Circulating Tumor DNA Profiling of a Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Patient with Secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are the most common neoplasia of the lymphatic system. Circulating cell-free DNA released from tumor cells (ctDNA) has been studied in many tumor entities and successfully used to monitor treatment and follow up. Studies of ctDNA in DLBCL so far have mainly focused on tracking mutations in peripheral blood initially detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of tumor tissue from one lymphoma manifestation site. This approach, however, cannot capture the mutational heterogeneity of different tumor sites in its entirety. In this case report, we present repetitive targeted next-generation sequencing combined with digital PCR out of peripheral blood of a patient with DLBCL relapse. By combining both detection methods, we were able to detect a new dominant clone of ctDNA correlating with the development of secondary therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) during the course of observation. Conclusively, our case report reinforces the diagnostic importance of ctDNA in DLBCL as well as the importance of repeated ctDNA sequencing combined with focused digital PCR assays to display the dynamic mutational landscape during the clinical course
Cognitive remediation therapy modulates intrinsic neural activity in patients with major depression
Cognitive impairment is a core feature of major depressive disorder (MDD). Cognitive remediation may improve cognition in MDD, yet so far, the underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. This study investigated changes in intrinsic neural activity in MDD after a cognitive remediation trial