More than measles: The threat to America's 'herd immunity'

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110687/1/MoreThanMeasles.pdfDescription of MoreThanMeasles.pdf : Regarding the 2015 American measles outbreak, Dr. Markel suggests that "anybody who does not accept the assessment of the world's best public health and medical experts that vaccines have prevented hundreds of millions of deaths...is too intellectually or ethically challenged to hold public office...

Solution of the inverse scattering problem by T-matrix completion. II. Simulations

This is Part II of the paper series on data-compatible T-matrix completion (DCTMC), which is a method for solving nonlinear inverse problems. Part I of the series contains theory and here we present simulations for inverse scattering of scalar waves. The underlying mathematical model is the scalar wave equation and the object function that is reconstructed is the medium susceptibility. The simulations are relevant to ultrasound tomographic imaging and seismic tomography. It is shown that DCTMC is a viable method for solving strongly nonlinear inverse problems with large data sets. It provides not only the overall shape of the object but the quantitative contrast, which can correspond, for instance, to the variable speed of sound in the imaged medium.Comment: This is Part II of a paper series. Part I contains theory and is available at arXiv:1401.3319 [math-ph]. Accepted in this form to Phys. Rev.

How playing with dangerous x-rays led to the discovery of radiation treatment for cancer

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110685/1/PlayingWithDangerousXRays.pdfDescription of PlayingWithDangerousXRays.pdf : Dr. Markel discusses the career of Chicago chemist and physician Emil Grubbe, who was among the first to use X-ray radiation to treat cancer

Nonlinear inverse problem by T-matrix completion. I. Theory

We propose a conceptually new method for solving nonlinear inverse scattering problems (ISPs) such as are commonly encountered in tomographic ultrasound imaging, seismology and other applications. The method is inspired by the theory of nonlocality of physical interactions and utilizes the relevant formalism. We formulate the ISP as a problem whose goal is to determine an unknown interaction potential $V$ from external scattering data. Although we seek a local (diagonally-dominated) $V$ as the solution to the posed problem, we allow $V$ to be nonlocal at the intermediate stages of iterations. This allows us to utilize the one-to-one correspondence between $V$ and the T-matrix of the problem, $T$. Here it is important to realize that not every $T$ corresponds to a diagonal $V$ and we, therefore, relax the usual condition of strict diagonality (locality) of $V$. An iterative algorithm is proposed in which we seek $T$ that is (i) compatible with the measured scattering data and (ii) corresponds to an interaction potential $V$ that is as diagonally-dominated as possible. We refer to this algorithm as to the data-compatible T-matrix completion (DCTMC). This paper is Part I in a two-part series and contains theory only. Numerical examples of image reconstruction in a strongly nonlinear regime are given in Part II. The method described in this paper is particularly well suited for very large data sets that become increasingly available with the use of modern measurement techniques and instrumentation.Comment: This is Part I of a paper series containing theory only. Part II contains simulations and is available as arXiv:1505.06777 [math-ph]. Accepted in this form to Phys. Rev.

A Deadly Virus Just Arrived in the U.S.

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109697/1/MERS_Markel.pdfDescription of MERS_Markel.pdf : Dr. Markel gives a rundown of the MERS virus which arrived in the U.S. in April 2014

Happy 49th birthday Medicare

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109700/1/Medicare_Markel.pdfDescription of Medicare_Markel.pdf : "LBJ had traveled to the 'Show-Me-State' to sign the Medicare Act of 1965 into law and to praise the 81-year-old Truman who, as Johnson drawled in his thick Texas accent, was 'the real daddy of Medicare.'

What a 1925 novel by Sinclair Lewis can teach us about health care today

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110686/1/WhatA1925NovelCanTeachUs.pdfDescription of WhatA1925NovelCanTeachUs.pdf : "In 1925, Sinclair Lewis Publish 'Arrowsmith,' the first novel ever devoted to the life and adventures of a medical scientist.

What a Past Epidemic Teaches Us About Ebola

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109705/1/CholeraScare_Markel.pdfDescription of CholeraScare_Markel.pdf : "It's been more than a hundred years [since the Asiastic cholera crisis of 1892], so a lot has changed...But there are some important parallels between now and then. In some respects––the fear of travelers carrying the disease, the intense criticism of public health authorities––things haven't changed much at all.

How Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle Cracked the Case of the Tuberculosis 'Remedy'

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/122713/1/Dr Arthur Conan Doyle Tuberculosis_01.pd

Louis Pasteur's risky move to save a boy from almost certain death

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/122714/1/Louis Pasteurs risky move to save a boy from almost certain death _ PBS NewsHour.pd