11,621 research outputs found
The Relevance of Evolutionary Science For Economic Theory and Policy
NSFâs âDear Colleague Letterâ reflects the widely perceived need to go beyond current economic theory in the formulation of public policy. At the same time, there is a profound lack of unity among the disciplines that comprise the behavioral, social, and economic sciences. This white paper emphasizes the relevance of evolutionary science as a way to integrate the SBE sciences, similar to the integration that is more advanced in the biological sciences. Modern evolutionary science is broadly construed to include cultural in addition to biological evolution and the study of neural and psychological mechanisms (proximate causation) in addition to the environmental factors that brought the mechanisms into existence and result in the expression of specific behaviors (ultimate causation). It provides an exceptionally useful set of theoretical and empirical tools for integrating the many disciplines in the biological and SBE sciences required to formulate economic theory and public policy for the 21st century. The task of integration is already in progress and can be applied to the formulation of public policy without a long academic time lag. We therefore call for integration across disciplines and evolutionary science as an integrative framework to be recognized as a funding priority by NSF.
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An independently validated nomogram for isocitrate dehydrogenase-wild-type glioblastoma patient survival.
BackgroundIn 2016, the World Health Organization reclassified the definition of glioblastoma (GBM), dividing these tumors into isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wild-type and IDH-mutant GBM, where the vast majority of GBMs are IDH-wild-type. Nomograms are useful tools for individualized estimation of survival. This study aimed to develop and independently validate a nomogram for IDH-wild-type patients with newly diagnosed GBM.MethodsData were obtained from newly diagnosed GBM patients from the Ohio Brain Tumor Study (OBTS) and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) for diagnosis years 2007-2017 with the following variables: age at diagnosis, sex, extent of resection, concurrent radiation/temozolomide (TMZ) status, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation status, and IDH mutation status. Survival was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression, random survival forests, and recursive partitioning analysis, with adjustment for known prognostic factors. The models were developed using the OBTS data and independently validated using the UCSF data. Models were internally validated using 10-fold cross-validation and externally validated by plotting calibration curves.ResultsA final nomogram was validated for IDH-wild-type newly diagnosed GBM. Factors that increased the probability of survival included younger age at diagnosis, female sex, having gross total resection, having concurrent radiation/TMZ, having a high KPS, and having MGMT methylation.ConclusionsA nomogram that calculates individualized survival probabilities for IDH-wild-type patients with newly diagnosed GBM could be useful to physicians for counseling patients regarding treatment decisions and optimizing therapeutic approaches. Free software for implementing this nomogram is provided: https://gcioffi.shinyapps.io/Nomogram_For_IDH_Wildtype_GBM_H_Gittleman/
Ultrasound by emergency physicians to detect abdominal aortic aneurysms: a UK case series
Early identification of abdominal aortic aneurysms in some
patients can be difficult and the diagnosis is missed in up to
30% of patients. Ultrasound cannot be used to identify a leak,
but the presence of an aneurysm in an unstable patient is
conclusive. With minimal training emergency physicians can
easily identify the aorta and thus in the early phase of
resuscitation an aneurysm can be confidently excluded. The
purpose of the examination is not to delineate the extent of
the aneurysm, but to identify those patients that will need
emergency surgery. A series of patients presented to the
department in an unstable condition with equivocal abdominal
signs. An ultrasound scan in the resuscitation room by
members of the emergency department revealed an aneurysm,
which was enough to convince the vascular surgeons to
take the patient straight to theatre with good results. In
patients who are stable, computed tomography will continue
to be used to evaluate the extent of the aneurysm and identify a leak
Moving NRQCD for B Form Factors at High Recoil
We derive the continuum and lattice tree-level moving NRQCD (mNRQCD) through
order 1/m^2. mNRQCD is a generalization of NRQCD for dealing with hadrons with
nonzero velocity u_mu. The quark's total momentum is written as P^mu=Mu^mu+k^mu
where k^mu << Mu^mu is discretized and Mu^mu is treated exactly. Radiative
corrections to couplings on the lattice are discussed. mNRQCD is particularly
useful for calculating B->pi and B->D form factors since errors are similar at
low and high recoil.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, Lattice2002(heavyquark
A keystone Methylobacterium strain in biofilm formation in drinking water
The structure of biofilms in drinking water systems is influenced by the interplay between
biological and physical processes. Bacterial aggregates in bulk fluid are important in seeding biofilm
formation on surfaces. In simple pure and co-cultures, certain bacteria, including Methylobacterium,
are implicated in the formation of aggregates. However, it is unclear whether they help to form
aggregates in complex mixed bacterial communities. Furthermore, different flow regimes could affect
the formation and destination of aggregates. In this study, real drinking water mixed microbial
communities were inoculated with the Methylobacterium strain DSM 18358. The propensity of
Methylobacterium to promote aggregation was monitored under both stagnant and flow conditions.
Under stagnant conditions, Methylobacterium enhanced bacterial aggregation even when it was
inoculated in drinking water at 1% relative abundance. Laminar and turbulent flows were developed
in a rotating annular reactor. Methylobacterium was found to promote a higher degree of aggregation
in turbulent than laminar flow. Finally, fluorescence in situ hybridisation images revealed that
Methylobacterium aggregates had distinct spatial structures under the different flow conditions.
Overall, Methylobacterium was found to be a key strain in the formation of aggregates in bulk water
and subsequently in the formation of biofilms on surfaces
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