Evaluating Large Language Models on a Highly-specialized Topic, Radiation Oncology Physics

We present the first study to investigate Large Language Models (LLMs) in answering radiation oncology physics questions. Because popular exams like AP Physics, LSAT, and GRE have large test-taker populations and ample test preparation resources in circulation, they may not allow for accurately assessing the true potential of LLMs. This paper proposes evaluating LLMs on a highly-specialized topic, radiation oncology physics, which may be more pertinent to scientific and medical communities in addition to being a valuable benchmark of LLMs. We developed an exam consisting of 100 radiation oncology physics questions based on our expertise at Mayo Clinic. Four LLMs, ChatGPT (GPT-3.5), ChatGPT (GPT-4), Bard (LaMDA), and BLOOMZ, were evaluated against medical physicists and non-experts. ChatGPT (GPT-4) outperformed all other LLMs as well as medical physicists, on average. The performance of ChatGPT (GPT-4) was further improved when prompted to explain first, then answer. ChatGPT (GPT-3.5 and GPT-4) showed a high level of consistency in its answer choices across a number of trials, whether correct or incorrect, a characteristic that was not observed in the human test groups. In evaluating ChatGPTs (GPT-4) deductive reasoning ability using a novel approach (substituting the correct answer with "None of the above choices is the correct answer."), ChatGPT (GPT-4) demonstrated surprising accuracy, suggesting the potential presence of an emergent ability. Finally, although ChatGPT (GPT-4) performed well overall, its intrinsic properties did not allow for further improvement when scoring based on a majority vote across trials. In contrast, a team of medical physicists were able to greatly outperform ChatGPT (GPT-4) using a majority vote. This study suggests a great potential for LLMs to work alongside radiation oncology experts as highly knowledgeable assistants

Early signals of vaccine driven perturbation seen in pneumococcal carriage population genomic data

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) have reduced pneumococcal diseases globally. Pneumococcal genomic surveys elucidate PCV effects on population structure but are rarely conducted in low-income settings despite the high disease burden. METHODS:We undertook whole genome sequencing of 660 pneumococcal isolates collected through surveys from healthy carriers two years from PCV14 introduction and one-year post-rollout in northern Malawi. We investigated changes in population structure, within-lineage serotype dynamics, serotype diversity, and frequency of antibiotic resistance (ABR) and accessory genes. RESULTS:In the under-fives, frequency and diversity of vaccine serotypes (VT) decreased significantly post-PCV but no significant changes occurred in over-fives. Clearance of VT serotypes was consistent across different genetic backgrounds (lineages). There was an increase of non-vaccine serotypes (NVT) namely 7C, 15B/C, 23A in under-fives but 28F increased in both age groups. While carriage rates have been recently shown to remain stable post-PCV due replacement serotypes, there was no change in diversity of NVTs. Additionally, frequency of intermediate-penicillin-resistant lineages decreased post-PCV. While frequency of ABR genes remained stable, other accessory genes especially those associated with MGEs and bacteriocins showed changes in frequency post-PCV. CONCLUSIONS:We demonstrate evidence of significant population restructuring post-PCV driven by decreasing frequency of vaccine serotypes and increasing frequency of few NVTs mainly in under-fives. Continued surveillance with WGS remains crucial to fully understand dynamics of the residual VTs and replacement NVT serotypes post-PCV

Alcohol consumption in tertiary education students

Background Heavy alcohol consumption among adolescents and young adults is an issue of significant public concern. With approximately 50% of young people aged 18-24 attending tertiary education, there is an opportunity within these settings to implement programs that target risky drinking. The aim of the current study was to survey students and staff within a tertiary education institution to investigate patterns of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, knowledge of current National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for alcohol consumption and intentions to seek help for alcohol problems. Methods Students of an Australian metropolitan university (with staff as a comparison group) participated in a telephone interview. Questions related to knowledge of NHMRC guidelines, drinking behaviour, alcohol-related problems and help-seeking intentions for alcohol problems. Level of psychological distress was also assessed. Results Of the completed interviews, 774 (65%) were students and 422 (35%) were staff. While staff were more likely to drink regularly, students were more likely to drink heavily. Alcohol consumption was significantly higher in students, in males and in those with a history of earlier onset drinking. In most cases, alcohol-related problems were more likely to occur in students. The majority of students and staff had accurate knowledge of the current NHMRC guidelines, but this was not associated with lower levels of risky drinking. Psychological distress was associated with patterns of risky drinking in students. Conclusions Our findings are consistent with previous studies of tertiary student populations, and highlight the disconnect between knowledge of relevant guidelines and actual behaviour. There is a clear need for interventions within tertiary education institutions that promote more effective means of coping with psychological distress and improve help-seeking for alcohol problems, particularly among young men

Isolation and Characterization of Broad and Ultrapotent Human Monoclonal Antibodies with Therapeutic Activity against Chikungunya Virus

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted RNA virus that causes acute febrile infection associated with polyarthralgia in humans. Mechanisms of protective immunity against CHIKV are poorly understood, and no effective therapeutics or vaccines are available. We isolated and characterized human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that neutralize CHIKV infectivity. Among the 30 mAbs isolated, 13 had broad and ultrapotent neutralizing activity (IC50 < 10 ng/mL), and all of these mapped to domain A of the E2 envelope protein. Potent inhibitory mAbs blocked post-attachment steps required for CHIKV membrane fusion, and several were protective in a lethal challenge model in immunocompromised mice, even when administered at late time points after infection. These highly protective mAbs could be considered for prevention or treatment of CHIKV infection, and their epitope location in domain A of E2 could be targeted for rational structure-based vaccine development

High-intensity exercise to promote accelerated improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (HI-PACE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: African Americans have a disproportionate prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes compared with Caucasians. Recent evidence indicates that low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) level, an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes, is also more prevalent in African Americans than Caucasians. Numerous studies in Caucasian populations suggest that vigorous exercise intensity may promote greater improvements in CRF and other type 2 diabetes risk factors (e.g., reduction of glucose/insulin levels, pulse wave velocity, and body fat) than moderate intensity. However, current evidence comparing health benefits of different aerobic exercise intensities on type 2 diabetes risk factors in African Americans is negligible. This is clinically important as African Americans have a greater risk for type 2 diabetes and are less likely to meet public health recommendations for physical activity than Caucasians. The purpose of the HI-PACE (High-Intensity exercise to Promote Accelerated improvements in CardiorEspiratory fitness) study is to evaluate whether high-intensity aerobic exercise elicits greater improvements in CRF, insulin action, and arterial stiffness than moderate-intensity exercise in African Americans. Methods/Design: A randomized controlled trial will be performed on overweight and obese (body mass index of 25–45 kg/m2) African Americans (35–65 years) (n = 60). Participants will be randomly assigned to moderate-intensity (MOD-INT) or high-intensity (HIGH-INT) aerobic exercise training or a non-exercise control group (CON) for 24 weeks. Supervised exercise will be performed at a heart rate associated with 45–55% and 70–80% of VO2 max in the MOD-INT and HIGH-INT groups, respectively, for an exercise dose of 600 metabolic equivalents of task (MET)-minutes per week (consistent with public health recommendations). The primary outcome is change in CRF. Secondary outcomes include change in insulin sensitivity (measured via an intravenous glucose tolerance test), skeletal muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity (via near-infrared spectroscopy), skeletal muscle measurements (i.e., citrate synthase, COX IV, GLUT-4, CPT-1, and PGC1-α), arterial stiffness (via carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity), body fat, C-reactive protein, and psychological outcomes (quality of life/exercise enjoyment). Discussion: The anticipated results of the HI-PACE study will provide vital information on the health effects of high-intensity exercise in African Americans. This study will advance health disparity research and has the potential to influence future public health guidelines for physical activity

Croissance et caractéristiques des grandes villes du Sud-Est asiatique : foyers du nouveau culte

McGee Terence Gary. Croissance et caractéristiques des grandes villes du Sud-Est asiatique : foyers du nouveau culte. In: Tiers-Monde, tome 8, n°31, 1967. pp. 567-604

Les villes du Tiers Monde : théâtres d'accumulation, centres de diffusion

Armstrong Warwick R., McGee Terence Gary. Les villes du Tiers Monde : théâtres d'accumulation, centres de diffusion. In: Tiers-Monde, tome 26, n°104, 1985. pp. 823-840

La formation des mégapoles en Asie

Asia is on the verge of urban explosion which will see an increase of 1,680 million inhabitants in the years between 1980 and 2020. Much of this increase will occur in large mega-urban regions which are now emerging in Asia. This paper attempts to explain this process.L’Asie est au bord d’une explosion urbaine, avec un accroissement de 1 680 millions d’habitants entre 1980 et 2020. Cet accroissement se produira en grande partie dans les grandes mégapoles en train d’apparaître (1). Cet article tente d’expliquer le processus en cours.Asia se encuentra al borde de una explosión urbana, con un crecimiento de 1680 millones de habitantes entre 1980 y 2020 ? Este crecimiento se producirá principalmente en la grandes megalópolis que están naciendo. Este artículo trata de explicar el proceso pendiente.McGee Terence Gary, Yao-Lin Wang. La formation des mégapoles en Asie. In: Mappemonde, 1992/4. Asies. pp. 2-3