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Blog – Page 4874

face_with_colon_three circa 2008.

Opportunistic fungal pneumonias are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates [ 1–3]. Although invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is the most common type of fungal pneumonia, other angioinvasive molds, such as Fusarium and Zygomycetes species, are increasingly encountered in severely immunocompromised hosts. Because early institution of high-dose antifungal therapy is associated with improved outcomes [ 4, 5], early recognition of invasive fungal disease is important. However, cultures of respiratory secretions are neither sensitive nor specific, and lavage and invasive procedures often cannot be done for these patients because of coagulation abnormalities and thrombocytopenia [ 6, 7]. Thus, diagnosis of invasive pulmonary fungal disease relies heavily on imaging [ 8]. CT is often used in an attempt to identify fungal pneumonia in a timely fashion.

The reversed halo sign (RHS) is a CT finding, a focal round area of ground-glass attenuation surrounded by a ring of consolidation, which has been described in cryptogenic organizing pneumonia [ 9, 10].

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether the RHS is evident on CT images of patients with invasive fungal pulmonary infections, the prevalence of RHS, and whether RHS can serve as an early sign of infection.

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A once-tiny spot on the sun’s surface grew over the weekend to the size of Earth, potentially threatening our planet with radio blackout-causing solar flares and plasma eruptions that could trigger aurora displays.

The sun has been lively in the past few weeks, treating skywatchers at high latitudes and astronauts onboard the International Space Station to beautiful aurora displays. There may be more of those storms to come, as the sunspot AR3085 keeps growing and rotating toward Earth.

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Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) celebrated the opening of its Pilot Fuel Manufacturing (PFM) facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on August 18 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour attended by assistant secretary for nuclear energy Kathryn Huff, Tennessee lieutenant governor Randy McNally, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R.), representatives from the offices of Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R.) and Bill Hagerty (R.), and other distinguished guests. The next day, radiological operations began at the privately funded facility, which was designed and built in less than twelve months within an existing industrial building purchased by USNC in 2021.

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According to Heritage Daily, the legendary temple was discovered when a joint research team between the University of Seville and the Institute of Andalusian Historical Heritage (IAPH) used LiDAR, a laser remote sensing technique, to scan the Bay of Cádiz.

LiDAR images reveal hidden structures – (Image: IAPH).

They recognized a large rectangular structure submerged under water that Dr Francisco José Gacía, director of the University of Seville’s Department of Prehistory and Archeology, described to El Pais as a “spectacular find”.

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Inward Ca2+ currents conducted by voltage-gated Ca2+ (Cav) channels couple action potentials and other depolarizing stimuli to many Ca2+-dependent intracellular processes, including neurotransmission, hormone secretion, and muscle contraction (Zamponi et al., 2015). In presynaptic nerve terminals, Cav2.1, Cav2.2, and Cav2.3 channels conduct P/Q-type, N-type, and R-type Ca2+ currents that trigger rapid neurotransmission (for review, see Olivera et al., 1994; Zamponi et al., 2015; Nanou and Catterall, 2018). However, only P/Q-type Ca2+ currents conducted by Cav2.1 channels can mediate short-term synaptic facilitation at the calyx of Held in mice (Inchauspe et al., 2004), pointing to a unique role of these Ca2+ channels in short-term synaptic plasticity.

In transfected nonneuronal cells, Ca2+ entry mediated by Cav2.1 channels causes calcium-dependent facilitation (CDF) and inactivation (CDI) during single depolarizations and in trains of repetitive depolarizing pulses (Lee et al., 1999, 2000; DeMaria et al., 2001; Catterall and Few, 2008; Christel and Lee, 2012; Ben-Johny and Yue, 2014). Both CDF and CDI of Cav2.1 channels are dependent on calmodulin (CaM; Lee et al., 1999, 2000; DeMaria et al., 2001). CaM preassociates with the C-terminal domain of the pore-forming α1 subunit of Cav2.1 channels (Erickson et al., 2001). Following Ca2+ binding, CaM initially interacts with the nearby IQ-like motif (IM) and causes CDF, whereas further binding of Ca2+/CaM to the more distal CaM-binding domain (CBD) induces CDI of Cav2.1 channels (DeMaria et al., 2001; Lee et al., 2003). Introducing the IM-AA mutation into the IQ-like motif of Cav2.

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Recent developments like DALLE-2 and LaMDA are impressive and seem ready for impact. Is AI ready to change the world?

Whether you love, fear, or have mixed feelings about the future of artificial intelligence, the cultural fixation on the subject over the past decade has made it feel like the technology’s meteoric impact is just around the corner. The problem is that it is always just around the corner, yet never seems to arrive. Many hype-filled years have passed us by since the releases of Ex Machina (2014) and Westworld (2016), but it feels like we are still waiting on AI’s big splash. However, a handful of recent developments—specifically, OpenAI’s unveiling of GPT-3 and DALLE-2, and Google’s LaMDA controversy—have unleashed a new wave of excitement—and terror—around the possibility that AI’s game-changing moment is finally here.

There are several reasons why it feels it has taken a long time for AI projects to bear fruit. One is that pop culture seems almost exclusively focused on the possible endgames of the technology, rather than its broader journey. This isn’t much of a surprise. When we stream the latest sci-fi movie or binge Black Mirror episodes, we want to see killer robots and computer chip brain implants. No one is buying a ticket to see a movie about the slow, incremental rollout of existing technology—not unless it mutates and starts killing within the first 30 minutes. But while AI’s more futuristic forms are naturally the most entertaining, and provide an endless source of material for screenwriters, anyone who based their expectations for AI off of Bladerunner has got to be feeling disappointed by now.

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