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Gaussian RBF Kernels via Fock Spaces: Quaternionic and Several Complex Variables Settings
Get PDFIn this paper, we study two extensions of the complex-valued Gaussian radial basis function (RBF) kernel and discuss their connections with Fock spaces in two different settings. First, we introduce the quaternionic Gaussian RBF kernel constructed using the theory of slice hyperholomorphic functions. Then, we consider the case of Gaussian RBF kernels in several complex variables
DHEA: A Neglected Biological Signal That May Affect Fetal and Child Development
Get PDFThe stress-sensitive maternal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis through the end-product cortisol, represents a primary pathway through which maternal experience shapes fetal development with long-term consequences for child neurodevelopment. However, there is another HPA axis end-product that has been widely ignored in the study of human pregnancy. The synthesis and release of dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA) is similar to cortisol, so it is a plausible, but neglected, biological signal that may influence fetal neurodevelopment. DHEA also may interact with cortisol to determine developmental outcomes. Surprisingly, there is virtually nothing known about human fetal exposure to prenatal maternal DHEA and offspring neurodevelopment. The current study examined, for the first time, the joint impact of fetal exposure to prenatal maternal DHEA and cortisol on infant emotional reactivity. Methods
Participants were 124 mother–infant dyads. DHEA and cortisol were measured from maternal hair at 15 weeks (early gestation) and 35 weeks (late gestation). Observational assessments of positive and negative emotional reactivity were obtained in the laboratory when the infants were 6 months old. Pearson correlations were used to examine the associations between prenatal maternal cortisol, prenatal maternal DHEA, and infant positive and negative emotional reactivity. Moderation analyses were conducted to investigate whether DHEA might modify the association between cortisol and emotional reactivity. Results
Higher levels of both early and late gestation maternal DHEA were linked to greater infant positive emotional reactivity. Elevated late gestation maternal cortisol was associated with greater negative emotional reactivity. Finally, the association between fetal cortisol exposure and infant emotional reactivity was only observed when DHEA was low. Conclusions
These new observations indicate that DHEA is a potential maternal biological signal involved in prenatal programming. It appears to act both independently and jointly with cortisol to determine a child\u27s emotional reactivity. Its role as a primary end-product of the HPA axis, coupled with the newly documented associations with prenatal development shown here, strongly calls for the inclusion of DHEA in future investigations of fetal programming
Comment on “Photons Can Tell ‘Contradictory’ Answer about Where They Have Been”
Get PDFYuan and Feng (Eur. Phys. J. Plus 138:70, 2023) recently proposed a modification of the nested Mach–Zehnder interferometer experiment performed by Danan et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 111:240402, 2013) and argued that photons give “contradictory” answers about where they have been, when traces are locally imprinted on them in different ways. They concluded that their results are comprehensible from what they call the “three-path interference viewpoint,” but difficult to explain from the “discontinuous trajectory” viewpoint advocated by Danan et al. We argue that the weak trace approach (the basis of the “discontinuous trajectory” viewpoint) provides a consistent explanation of the Yuan–Feng experiment. The contradictory messages of the photons are just another example of photons lying about where they have been when the experimental method of Danan et al. is applied in an inappropriate setup
Yearly Population Data at Census Tract Level Revealed That More People Are Now Living in Highly Fire-prone Zones in California, USA
Get PDFIn California (CA), the wildland-urban interface (WUI) faces escalating challenges due to surging population and real estate development. This study evaluates communities along CA\u27s WUI that have witnessed substantial population growth from 2010 to 2021, utilizing demographic data and the 2020 WUI boundaries by the University of Wisconsin-Madison SILVIS Lab. Employing the Mann-Kendall test, we analyze yearly population trends for each census tract along the CA WUI and assess their significance. House ownership, affordability, and wildfire risk are examined as potential drivers of this demographic shift. Our findings indicate that 12.7% of CA\u27s total population now resides in census tracts with significant population increases over the past decade, labeled as \u27high-growth tracts.\u27 The Bay Area and Southern California, encompassing 76% of all high-growth tracts in CA, witnessed the most substantial population increase along the WUI. Notably, Riverside County stands out with 29.2% of its residents (approximately 717,000 residents) located in high-growth tracts, exemplifying a significant population surge within CA\u27s WUI. Our analysis identifies a significant relationship between population increase in the WUI, house ownership, and affordability, where lower-priced homes come at the expense of heightened wildfire risk. However, the impact of house affordability on population growth within the WUI varies by region, playing a more prominent role in explaining population proportions in Southern California\u27s WUI, while in the universally low-affordability Bay Area, other motivations may drive residents to live within the WUI. Given the rapid growth and insufficient consideration of wildfire risk in the WUI, policymakers must take prompt action, ensuring adequate infrastructure and resources as more individuals relocate to areas with heightened wildfire risk
Exploring LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency and DEI in Continuing Education: A Cross-sectional Review of U.S. Pharmacy Legislation
Get PDFBackground Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, or other sexual orientations or gender identities (LGBTQ+) cultural competency training is offered in pharmacy curricula to variable extents. State legislation directly dictates pharmacist training through continuing pharmacy education (CPE) requirements. Objectives This study aimed to identify the U.S. states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) that require CPE or training on topics related to LGBTQ+ cultural competency or topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in general. In addition, this study quantified and compared each state’s CPE hours required for each renewal period. Methods This cross-sectional study retrospectively examined pharmacy legislation on CPE requirements for each of the 50 U.S. states and D.C. Only state legislation that was signed into law and related to pharmacy practice was included. Official websites for each board of pharmacy were identified to locate lawbooks, laws, rules, regulations, and statutes specific to pharmacy practice. Search terms included “lgbt,” “lgbtq,” “cultural,” “cultural competency,” “equity,” “health equity,” “implicit,” and “implicit bias.” Two study investigators independently collected data from March 2023 to April 2023. Data were re-reviewed for accuracy in January 2024. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion until a consensus was reached. The total number of required CPE hours, years for each pharmacist license renewal, required LGBTQ+ cultural competency CPE hours, and required DEI-focused CPE hours were described using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 44 of 51 states and D.C. required 30 CPE hours for each 2-year renewal cycle or 15 CPE hours for each 1-year renewal cycle. California and D.C. had LGBTQ+ cultural competency CPE requirements of 1 CPE hour or 2 CPE hours per cycle, respectively. Five additional states, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington, required training or CPE on topics related to DEI as a whole. Conclusion Few U.S. states require CPE on LGBTQ+ cultural competency. This study highlights the need for standardized pharmacist training in LGBTQ+ health care
Modulation of Hippocampal Protein Expression by a Brain Penetrant Biologic TNF-α Inhibitor in the 3xTg Alzheimer’s Disease Mice
Get PDFBackground
Biologic TNF-α inhibitors (bTNFIs) can block cerebral TNF-α in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) if these macromolecules can cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Thus, a model bTNFI, the extracellular domain of type II TNF-α receptor (TNFR), which can bind to and sequester TNF-α, was fused with a mouse transferrin receptor antibody (TfRMAb) to enable brain delivery via BBB TfR-mediated transcytosis. Previously, we found TfRMAb-TNFR to be protective in a mouse model of amyloidosis (APP/PS1) and tauopathy (PS19), and herein we investigated its effects in mice that combine both amyloidosis and tauopathy (3xTg-AD). Methods
Eight-month-old female 3xTg-AD mice were injected intraperitoneally with saline (n = 11) or TfRMAb-TNFR (3 mg/kg; n = 11) three days per week for 12 weeks. Age-matched wild-type (WT) mice (n = 9) were treated similarly with saline. Brains were processed for immunostaining and high-resolution multiplex NanoString GeoMx spatial proteomics. Results
We observed regional differences in proteins relevant to Aβ, tau, and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of 3xTg-AD mice compared with WT mice. From 64 target proteins studied using spatial proteomics, a comparison of the Aβ-plaque bearing vs. plaque-free regions in the 3xTg-AD mice yielded 39 differentially expressed proteins (DEP) largely related to neuroinflammation (39% of DEP) and Aβ and tau pathology combined (31% of DEP). Hippocampal spatial proteomics revealed that the majority of the proteins modulated by TfRMAb-TNFR in the 3xTg-AD mice were relevant to microglial function (⁓ 33%). TfRMAb-TNFR significantly reduced mature Aβ plaques and increased Aβ-associated microglia around larger Aβ deposits in the 3xTg-AD mice. Further, TfRMAb-TNFR increased mature Aβ plaque-associated microglial TREM2 in 3xTg-AD mice. Conclusion
Overall, despite the low visual Aβ load in the 11-month-old female 3xTg-AD mice, our results highlight region-specific AD-relevant DEP in the hippocampus of these mice. Chronic TfRMAb-TNFR dosing modulated several DEP involved in AD pathology and showed a largely microglia-centric mechanism of action in the 3xTg-AD mice
Evaluating Future Water Availability in Texas through the Lens of a Data-Driven Approach Leveraged with CMIP6 General Circulation Models
Get PDFClimate change is escalating the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events, significantly influencing the spatial and temporal distributions of water resources. This is particularly evident in Texas, a rapidly growing state with a pronounced west-east gradient in water supply. This study utilizes Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) data and data-driven methodology to improve projections of Texas\u27s future water resources, focusing on actual evapotranspiration (AET) and water availability through enhanced Multi-Model Ensembles. The results reveal that the data-driven model significantly outperforms the CMIP5 and CMIP6 models across all skill metrics, underscoring the potential of data-driven methodologies in advancing climate science. Furthermore, the study provides an in-depth analysis of the projected changes in net water availability (NWA) and estimated water demand for different regions in Texas over the next six decades from 2015 to 2074, which reveal fluctuating patterns of water stress, with the regions (nine out of sixteen water planning regions in Texas, especially for the most populated regions) poised for heightened challenges in reconciling water demand and availability. While increasing trends are found in precipitation, AET, and NWA for the northern region of Texas based on SSP2–4.5, decreasing trends are found over the southern region for all three parameters based on SSP5–8.5. These findings underscore the importance of factoring both spatial and temporal variations in water availability and demand for effective water management strategies and the need for adaptive water management strategies for the changing water availability scenarios
Characterizing Antibiotic Regimen Modification Behavior, Patient Characteristics, and Outcomes for Patients with Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections, A Retrospective Single-Center Study
Get PDFFew studies describe the frequency of antibiotic regimen modification behaviors in the acute care setting. We sought to ascertain patient and treatment characteristics, details of regimen modification, and clinical outcomes with antibiotic modifications. This retrospective study included patients admitted to Hoag Memorial Hospital from 1 January 2019–31 March 2021 with a complicated infection caused by a Gram-negative organism resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins or with the potential for resistance (AmpC producers). A total of 400 patients were included. The predominant sources were bloodstream (33%), urine (26%), and respiratory (24%), including patients with multiple sources. The most isolated organisms were Pseudomonas spp. and ESBL-producing organisms, 38% and 34%, respectively. A total of 72% of patients had antibiotic regimen modifications to their inpatient antibiotic regimens. In patients where modifications occurred, the number ranged from one to six modifications. The most common reasons for modifications included a lack of patient response (14%), additional history reviewed (9%), and decompensation (7%). No difference in clinical outcomes was observed based on antibiotic modifications. The numerous changes in therapy observed may reflect the limitations in identifying patients with resistant organisms early on in admission. This highlights the need for more novel antibiotics and the importance of identifying patients at risk for resistant organisms