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A new approach based on deep learning methods is presented for reconstructing $L$-band brightness temperature images from the inversion of interferometric data, namely, complex visibilities here simulated from observations of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) interferometric radiometer. A specific deep neural network (DNN) architecture composed of a fully connected layer followed by a contracting and expansive path is proposed to learn the relationship between the simulated visibilities and the brightness temperature maps. The performances of the DNN are compared with those of algebraic inversions based on Fourier theory, which are all affected by strong aliases in the synthesized field of view (FOV), as a consequence of the spacing between the elementary antennas of SMOS, which does not satisfy the Nyquist criteria. In the alias-free FOV (AFFOV) of the algebraic reconstructions, these latter are outperformed by the DNN reconstructions: average mean absolute error (MAE) of about 0.7 K for the DNN instead of 3.7 K. Outside the AFFOV of the algebraic reconstructions, the DNN reconstructions do not show significant signs of field aliasing although the MAE increases: average MAE of about 1.5 K in the whole FOV. An analysis of the role of different neurons in the hidden layers is presented, and it is shown that some neurons are specialized in reconstructing what corresponds roughly to the AFFOV region of algebraic approaches, while other neurons are specialized in dealing with the external regions of this AFFOV.

Synthetic aperture interferometry (SAI) is a signal processing technique that mixes the signals collected by pairs of elementary antennas to obtain high-resolution images with the aid of a computer. This note aims at studying the effects of the distance between the synthetic aperture interferometer and an observed scene with respect to the size of the antenna array onto the imaging capabilities of the instrument. Far-field conditions and near-field ones are compared from an algebraic perspective with the aid of simulations conducted at microwave frequencies with the Microwave Imaging Radiometer by Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) onboard the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. Although in both cases the signals kept by pairs of elementary antennas are cross-correlated to obtain complex visibilities, there are several differences that deserve attention at the modeling level, as well as at the imaging one. These particularities are clearly identified, and they are all taken into account in this study: near-field imaging is investigated with spherical waves, without neglecting any terms, whereas far-field imaging approximation is considered with plane waves according to the Van–Citter Zernike theorem. From an algebraic point of view, although the corresponding modeling matrices are both rank-deficient, we explain why the singular value distributions of these matrices are different. It is also shown how the angular synthesized point-spread function of the antenna array, whose shape varies with the distance to the instrument, can be helpful for estimating the boundary between the Fresnel region and the Fraunhofer one. Finally, whatever the region concerned by the aperture synthesis operation, it is shown that the imaging capabilities and the performances in the near-field and far-field regions are almost the same, provided the appropriate modeling matrix is taken into account.

Abstract Real-world data were collected to examine antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevalence, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes among female patients with uncomplicated urinary tract infection (uUTI) in Germany. Data were from a retrospective physician-based chart review completed by physicians treating patients with uUTI. Non-pregnant women aged ≥ 12 years, with a uUTI diagnosis, an E. coli-positive urine culture between January 2017–December 2019, and susceptibility test results for ≥ 4 drug classes were eligible. Patients were stratified into three cohorts by drug class susceptibility: susceptible to all (SUS), resistant to one or two drug classes (DR1/2), and resistant to ≥ 3 (MDR) drug classes tested. Among 386 eligible patients [SUS (67.1%); DR1/2 (29.0%); MDR (3.9%)], AMR prevalence was highest for FMIs (18.3%) and lowest for fluoroquinolones (5.2%). The most prescribed drugs were fosfomycin in SUS (44.0%), DR1/2 (41.4%), and fluoroquinolones in MDR (40.0%). Treatment for uUTI failed for 8.8% of patients; failure was more likely in MDR versus SUS [adjusted odds ratio [95% CI] = 4.21 [1.14–1.50]; P = 0.031); incidence of recurrent infection in the 6-months post-index period was higher in DR1/2 versus SUS. These findings may have implications for empiric prescribing, suggesting an unmet need for new treatments.

For almost five years, phase 0 and phase A studies have been conducted by the French space agency for a second generation of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite devoted to a High Resolution (HR) follow-on mission. Within the frame of the preliminary results obtained with a candidate array for this SMOS-HR project, this contribution focuses on what could happen to any synthetic aperture imaging radiometer when the shortest spacing between the antennas of the interferometric array becomes smaller than a geometrical limit below which the synthesized field of view seems to be wider than the field of view seen by each elementary antenna. It is shown that in such a situation, the inversion of the complex visibilities becomes unstable in presence of noise and this instability is characterized by the undesirable presence of a phantom in the retrieved brightness temperature maps. The origin of this phantom is explained and a solution to cure the interferometric array from that issue is proposed and assessed with the aid of numerical simulations.

This US retrospective study described treatment outcomes among patients with castration resistant prostate cancer receiving docetaxel following next generation hormonal agents in the metastatic setting from 2013-2019 )N = 5,213). Treatment duration with docetaxel in second/third-line was short (~4 months), and most patients died within one year. Results highlight a significant unmet need and serve as a benchmark for future studies. Background: Real-world evidence suggest that next generation hormonal agents (NHAs) abiraterone and enzalutamide were preferred as first-line (1L) therapies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in the United States (US) pre-2020, with chemotherapies, particularly docetaxel, being preferred in subsequent lines (2L + ). This real-world study described patient characteristics, treatment patterns, time on treatment (ToT) and overall survival (OS) among patients with mCRPC treated with 2L and 3L docetaxel post-NHAs in the mCRPC setting. Methods: Adults with confirmed adenocarcinoma mCRPC diagnosis and =1 month of follow-up post-diagnosis were selected from a US electronic health record-derived oncology de-identified database (01/2013-03/2019). Based on the observed line of therapy sequences post-mCRPC diagnosis, patients who received NHA therapy in 1L and docetaxel therapy in 2L were included in the 2L docetaxel cohort, and patients who received NHA therapy in both 1L and 2L and docetaxel therapy in 3L were included in the 3L docetaxel cohort. ToT and OS were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: Among 5,213 patients with mCRPC, 278 and 166 were included in the 2L and the 3L docetaxel cohorts, respectively (median age: 73 years for both cohorts). ADT was the most used class of medication pre-mCRPC (> 75%). For the 2L cohort, the most common sequence post-mCRPC was 1L abiraterone → 2L docetaxel (52.5%), while the median ToT and OS post-2L start were 4.1 and 10.5 months, respectively; for the 3L cohort, the most common sequence post-mCRPC was 1L abiraterone → 2L enzalutamide → 3L docetaxel (67.5%), while the median ToT and OS post-3L start were 3.8 and 8.7 months, respectively. Conclusions: This real-world study provides novel data on patients treated with docetaxel post-NHAs in a mCRPC setting and highlights the critical unmet need for developing more effective treatment options in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We compared the risk of environmental contamination among patients with COVID-19 who received high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), noninvasive ventilation (NIV), and conventional oxygen therapy (COT) via nasal cannula for respiratory failure. Methods: Air was sampled from the hospital isolation rooms with 12 air changes/hr where 26 patients with COVID-19 received HFNC (up to 60 l/min, n = 6), NIV (n = 6), or COT (up to 5 l/min of oxygen, n = 14). Surface samples were collected from 16 patients during air sampling. Results: Viral RNA was detected at comparable frequency in air samples collected from patients receiving HFNC (3/54, 5.6%), NIV (1/54, 1.9%), and COT (4/117, 3.4%) (P = 0.579). Similarly, the risk of surface contamination was comparable among patients receiving HFNC (3/46, 6.5%), NIV (14/72, 19.4%), and COT (8/59, 13.6%) (P = 0.143). An increment in the cyclic thresholds of the upper respiratory specimen prior to air sampling was associated with a reduced SARS-CoV-2 detection risk in air (odds ratio 0.83 [95% confidence interval 0.69-0.96], P = 0.027) by univariate logistic regression. Conclusion: No increased risk of environmental contamination in the isolation rooms was observed in the use of HFNC and NIV vs COT among patients with COVID-19 with respiratory failure. Higher viral load in the respiratory samples was associated with positive air samples.

ABSTRACT Immune imprinting is a driver known to shape the anti-hemagglutinin (HA) antibody landscape of individuals born within the same birth cohort. With the HA and neuraminidase (NA) proteins evolving at different rates under immune selection pressures, anti-HA and anti-NA antibody responses since childhood influenza virus infections have not been evaluated in parallel at the individual level. This is partly due to the limited knowledge of changes in NA antigenicity, as seasonal influenza vaccines have focused on generating neutralizing anti-HA antibodies against HA antigenic variants. Here, we systematically characterized the NA antigenic variants of seasonal A(H1N1) viruses from 1977 to 1991 and completed the antigenic profile of N1 NAs from 1977 to 2015. We identified that NA proteins of A/USSR/90/77, A/Singapore/06/86, and A/Texas/36/91 were antigenically distinct and mapped N386K as a key determinant of the NA antigenic change from A/USSR/90/77 to A/Singapore/06/86. With comprehensive panels of HA and NA antigenic variants of A(H1N1) and A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses, we determined hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) and neuraminidase inhibition (NI) antibodies from 130 subjects born between 1950 and 2015. Age-dependent imprinting was observed for both anti-HA and anti-NA antibodies, with the peak HI and NI titers predominantly detected from subjects at 4 to 12 years old during the year of initial virus isolation, except the age-independent anti-HA antibody response against A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses. More participants possessed antibodies that reacted to multiple antigenically distinct NA proteins than those with antibodies that reacted to multiple antigenically distinct HA proteins. Our results support the need to include NA proteins in seasonal influenza vaccine preparations. IMPORTANCE Seasonal influenza vaccines have aimed to generate neutralizing anti-HA antibodies for protection since licensure. More recently, anti-NA antibodies have been established as an additional correlate of protection. While HA and NA antigenic changes occurred discordantly, the anti-HA and anti-NA antibody profiles have rarely been analyzed in parallel at the individual level, due to the limited knowledge on NA antigenic changes. By characterizing NA antigenic changes of A(H1N1) viruses, we determined the anti-HA and anti-NA antibody landscape against antigenically distinct A(H1N1) and A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses using sera of 130 subjects born between 1950 and 2015. We observed age-dependent imprinting of both anti-HA and anti-NA antibodies against strains circulated during the first decade of life. A total of 67.7% (88/130) and 90% (117/130) of participants developed cross-reactive antibodies to multiple HA and NA antigens at titers ≥1:40. With slower NA antigenic changes and cross-reactive anti-NA antibody responses, including NA protein in influenza vaccine preparation may enhance vaccine efficacy.

Dette essay udspringer af vores erfaringer med at blive forvekslet med hinanden i konteksten af dansk akademia. At blive forvekslet er selvfølgelig ikke en erfaring, der er forbeholdt østasiatiske kroppe som vores. Vores afsæt er den racialiserende forveksling, som produceres gennem et hvidt akademisk blik, der både udvisker forskellighed og bestemmer hvilke former for forskellighed, der skal tillægges vægt og betydning. Vi anvender dermed forvekslingerne som en indgang til at reflektere over, hvordan race og hvidhed fungerer som organiserende principper i akademia, og på hvilke måder forskellige former for racialiseringsprocesser gør sig gældende i vores arbejdsliv.

Soroprevalence for Hepatitis C virus is reported as 2.12% in Northern Brazil, with about 50% of the patients exhibiting a sustained virological response (SVR). Aiming to associate polymorphisms in Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) with chronic hepatitis C and therapy responses we investigated 125 chronic patients and 345 controls. Additionally, 48 ancestry markers were genotyped to control for population stratification. The frequency of the KIR2DL2 and KIR2DL2+HLA-C Asp80 gene and ligand was higher in chronic infected patients than in controls (p < 0.0009, OR = 3.4; p = 0.001, OR = 3.45). In fact, KIR2DL3 is a weaker inhibitor of NK activity than KIR2DL2, which could explain the association of KIR2DL2 with chronic infection. Moreover, KIR2DS2 and KIR2DS2+HLA-C Asp80 (p < 0.0001, OR = 2.51; p = 0.0084, OR = 2.62) and KIR2DS3 (p < 0.0001; OR = 2.57) were associated with chronic infection, independently from KIR2DL2. No differences in ancestry composition were observed between control and patients, even with respect to therapy response groups. The allelic profile KIR2DL2/KIR2DS2/KIR2DS3 was associated with the chronic hepatitis C (p < 0.0001; OR = 3). Furthermore, the patients also showed a higher mean number of activating genes and a lower frequency of the homozygous AA profile, which is likely secondary to the association with non-AA and/or activating genes. In addition, the KIR2DS5 allele was associated with SVR (p = 0.0261; OR = 0.184).The ancestry analysis of samples ruled out any effects of population substructuring and did not evidence interethnic differences in therapy response, as suggested in previous studies.

Abstract: Tupí linguistic groups display a wide geographical dispersion in South America, probably originated, as pointed by linguistic, from Madeira-Guaporé Region (MGR) in Brazil. The present study reviewed genetic data on Tupians for autosomal and uniparental (Y-chromosome and mtDNA) markers, using it to evaluate Tupians geographic origin as well as the demographic dynamics of their dispersion from a genetic point of view. Comparison of genetic variability and mtDNA haplogroups D frequencies suggests a scenario where MGR is the Tupí homeland. The relationship between five estimators of genetic variability (Thetas-S, -Pi, -m2, -H and -k) shows that Tupí groups from MGR and non-MGR experienced different patterns of demographic dynamics, with an ancient Tupí expansion in MGR, followed by dispersion to other South America regions, probably associated to depopulation/founder effect events. Furthermore, other recent depopulation events could also be detected in both regions. Finally, the dispersion seems to be related to patrilocality, as suggested by comparison of uniparental markers genetic differentiation. This genetic model of dispersion dynamics may have an important impact in the interpretation of archeological and linguistic data, allowing to test if female associated technologies, like ceramic, are more extensively shared between dispersed populations than those which are not female-exclusive.