Characterization of the spectral distribution of hyperspectral imagery for improved exploitation

Widely used methods of target, anomaly, and change detection when applied to spectral imagery provide less than desirable results due to the complex nature of the data. In the case of hyperspectral data, dimension reduction techniques are employed to reduce the amount of data used in the detection algorithms in order to produce better results and/or decreased computation time. This essentially ignores a significant amount of the data collected in k unique spectral bands. Methods presented in this work explore using the distribution of the collected data in the full k dimensions in order to identify regions of interest contained in spatial tiles of the scene. Here, interest is defined as small and large scale manmade activity. The algorithms developed in this research are primarily data driven with a limited number of assumptions. These algorithms will individually be applied to spatial subsets or tiles of the full scene to indicate the amount of interest contained. Each tile is put through a series of tests using the algorithms based on the full distribution of the data in the hyperspace. The scores from each test will be combined in such a way that each tile is labeled as either interesting or not interesting. This provides a cueing mechanism for image analysts to visually inspect locations within a hyperspectral scene with a high likelihood of containing manmade activity

Impact of Invasive Fungal Infections on Mortality, Length of Hospital Stay, and Costs in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients

Over the last decade, unrelated donors have become a vital resource for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and the number of allogeneic HSCT (allo-HSCT) has increased significantly. While invasive fungal infections (IFIs) remain major concerns in these patients, data regarding impact of these infections on mortality, length of hospital stay, and hospital charge are limited in the United States at a national level. Additionally, with many updates in transplant practice, risk factors for IFIs in these patients may have changed

Application of the 2008 Definitions for Invasive Fungal Diseases to the Trial Comparing Voriconazole Versus Amphotericin B for Therapy of Invasive Aspergillosis: A Collaborative Study of the Mycoses Study Group (MSG 05) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Infectious Diseases Group

Episodes of invasive aspergillosis (IA) recruited to the voriconazole trial were reclassified according to the revised EORTC/MSG definitions. The efficacy of voriconazole was confirmed for possible, probable, and proven IA and was still better than found for the comparator ar

Anidulafungin compared with fluconazole for treatment of candidemia and other forms of invasive candidiasis caused by Candida albicans: a multivariate analysis of factors associated with improved outcome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Candida albicans </it>is the most common cause of candidemia and other forms of invasive candidiasis. Systemic infections due to <it>C. albicans </it>exhibit good susceptibility to fluconazole and echinocandins. However, the echinocandin anidulafungin was recently demonstrated to be more effective than fluconazole for systemic <it>Candida </it>infections in a randomized, double-blind trial among 245 patients. In that trial, most infections were caused by <it>C. albicans</it>, and all respective isolates were susceptible to randomized study drug. We sought to better understand the factors associated with the enhanced efficacy of anidulafungin and hypothesized that intrinsic properties of the antifungal agents contributed to the treatment differences.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Global responses at end of intravenous study treatment in patients with <it>C. albicans </it>infection were compared post-hoc. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to predict response and to adjust for differences in independent baseline characteristics. Analyses focused on time to negative blood cultures, persistent infection at end of intravenous study treatment, and 6-week survival.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In total, 135 patients with <it>C. albicans </it>infections were identified. Among these, baseline APACHE II scores were similar between treatment arms. In these patients, global response was significantly better for anidulafungin than fluconazole (81.1% vs 62.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI] for difference, 3.7-33.9). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, the odds ratio for global response was 2.36 (95% CI, 1.06-5.25). Study treatment and APACHE II score were significant predictors of outcome. The most predictive logistic regression model found that the odds ratio for study treatment was 2.60 (95% CI, 1.14-5.91) in favor of anidulafungin, and the odds ratio for APACHE II score was 0.935 (95% CI, 0.885-0.987), with poorer responses associated with higher baseline APACHE II scores. Anidulafungin was associated with significantly faster clearance of blood cultures (log-rank <it>p </it>< 0.05) and significantly fewer persistent infections (2.7% vs 13.1%; <it>p </it>< 0.05). Survival through 6 weeks did not differ between treatment groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In patients with <it>C. albicans </it>infection, anidulafungin was more effective than fluconazole, with more rapid clearance of positive blood cultures. This suggests that the fungicidal activity of echinocandins may have important clinical implications.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00058682">NCT00058682</a></p

Efficacy of anidulafungin in 539 patients with invasive candidiasis: a patient-level pooled analysis of six clinical trials

Item does not contain fulltextObjectives: To evaluate the efficacy of anidulafungin for the treatment of candidaemia and invasive candidiasis in a large dataset, including patients with deep-seated tissue candidiasis, neutropenia and infection due to non- albicans Candida species. Methods: Data were pooled from six prospective, multicentre, multinational studies: four open-label, non-comparative studies of anidulafungin and two double-blind, double-dummy, randomized studies of anidulafungin versus caspofungin (clinical trial registrations: NCT00496197, NCT00548262, NCT00537329, NCT00689338, NCT00806351 and NCT00805740; ClinicalTrials.gov). In all studies, patients with culture-confirmed invasive candidiasis received a single intravenous (iv) loading dose of anidulafungin 200 mg on day 1, followed by 100 mg once-daily. Switch to oral fluconazole or voriconazole was permitted after 5-10 days of iv treatment in all studies except one. Antifungal treatment (iv plus oral therapy if applicable) was maintained for >/=14 days after the last positive Candida culture. The primary endpoint was successful global response at end of iv therapy (EOivT) in the modified ITT (mITT) population. Results: In total, 539 patients were included (mITT population). The most common baseline Candida species were Candida albicans (47.9%), Candida glabrata (21.0%), Candida tropicalis (13.7%), Candida parapsilosis (13.2%) and Candida krusei (3.5%). Median duration of anidulafungin iv treatment was 10.0 days. The global response success rate at EOivT was 76.4% (95% CI 72.9%-80.0%). All-cause mortality was 13.0% on day 14 and 19.1% on day 28. Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with the known AE profile for anidulafungin. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that anidulafungin is effective for treatment of candidaemia and invasive candidiasis in a broad patient population

Application of the 2008 definitions for invasive fungal diseases to the trial comparing voriconazole versus amphotericin B for therapy of invasive aspergillosis: a collaborative study of the Mycoses Study Group (MSG 05) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Infectious Diseases Group.

BACKGROUND: Strict definition of invasive aspergillosis (IA) cases is required to allow precise conclusions about the efficacy of antifungal therapy. The Global Comparative Aspergillus Study (GCAS) compared voriconazole to amphotericin B (AmB) deoxycholate for the primary therapy of IA. Because predefined definitions used for this trial were substantially different from the consensus definitions proposed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group in 2008, we recategorized the 379 episodes of the GCAS according to the later definitions. METHODS: The objectives were to assess the impact of the current definitions on the classification of the episodes and to provide comparative efficacy for probable/proven and possible IA in patients treated with either voriconazole or AmB. In addition to original data, we integrated the results of baseline galactomannan serum levels obtained from 249 (65.7%) frozen samples. The original response assessment was accepted unchanged. RESULTS: Recategorization allowed 59 proven, 178 probable, and 106 possible IA cases to be identified. A higher favorable 12-week response rate was obtained with voriconazole (54.7%) than with AmB (29.9%) (P &lt; .0001). Survival was higher for voriconazole for mycologically documented (probable/proven) IA (70.2%) than with AmB (54.9%) (P = .010). Higher response rates were obtained in possible IA treated with voriconazole vs AmB with the same magnitude of difference (26.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.2%-45.3%) as in mycologically documented episodes (24.3%; 95% CI, 11.9%-36.7%), suggesting that possible cases are true IA. CONCLUSIONS: Recategorization resulted in a better identification of the episodes and confirmed the higher efficacy of voriconazole over AmB deoxycholate in mycologically documented IA

Active Imagination in 'Answer to Job'

In this chapter I will address one significant theme in Answer to Job given insufficient attention by Jung scholars to date: the role of active imagination in the creation of the narrative of this much criticized and misunderstood monograph. More specifically, I will not only argue that Jung’s reading of the biblical figures of Yahweh and Job was the product of active imagination, which led him to the ‘difficult and unpopular task of talking with God, rather than about him’, but also that the relationship between Job and Yahweh is, for Jung, a paradigmatic expression of this Jungian meditative practice of 'dreaming with open eyes'. Jung’s active imagination on the Job/Yahweh relationship (as well as his alchemical and kabbalistic observation that ‘whoever knows God has an effect on him’) triggered his perception of the ‘immensity of God’. And this perception, I will argue, provides the point of departure for Jung’s conscious, speculative, and hermeneutical engagement with other biblical figures addressed in the text (including Satan, Sophia, Christ, the Paraclete, the Virgin Mary), informed by his earlier writings, particularly Aion