Compressively sampling the optical transmission matrix of a multimode fibre.

The measurement of the optical transmission matrix (TM) of an opaque material is an advanced form of space-variant aberration correction. Beyond imaging, TM-based methods are emerging in a range of fields, including optical communications, micro-manipulation, and computing. In many cases, the TM is very sensitive to perturbations in the configuration of the scattering medium it represents.

Seeing around corners with edge-resolved transient imaging.

Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging is a rapidly growing field seeking to form images of objects outside the field of view, with potential applications in autonomous navigation, reconnaissance, and even medical imaging. The critical challenge of NLOS imaging is that diffuse reflections scatter light in all directions, resulting in weak signals and a loss of directional information. To address this problem, we propose a method for seeing around corners that derives angular resolution from vertical edges and longitudinal resolution from the temporal response to a pulsed light source.

Considering tumour volume for motion corrected DWI of colorectal liver metastases increases sensitivity of ADC to detect treatment-induced changes.

ADC is a potential post treatment imaging biomarker in colorectal liver metastasis however measurements are affected by respiratory motion. This is compounded by increased statistical uncertainty in ADC measurement with decreasing tumour volume. In this prospective study we applied a retrospective motion correction method to improve the image quality of 15 tumour data sets from 11 patients.

Computational periscopy with an ordinary digital camera.

Computing the amounts of light arriving from different directions enables a diffusely reflecting surface to play the part of a mirror in a periscope-that is, perform non-line-of-sight imaging around an obstruction. Because computational periscopy has so far depended on light-travel distances being proportional to the times of flight, it has mostly been performed with expensive, specialized ultrafast optical systems. Here we introduce a two-dimensional computational periscopy technique that requires only a single photograph captured with an ordinary digital camera.

Transcranial Doppler-Based Surrogates for Cerebral Blood Flow: A Statistical Study.

It is commonly assumed that perfusion in a given cerebral territory can be inferred from Blood Flow Velocity (BFV) measurements in the corresponding stem artery. In order to test this hypothesis, we construct a cerebral blood flow (CBF) estimator based on transcranial Doppler (TCD) blood flow velocity and ten other easily available patient characteristics and clinical parameters. A total of 261 measurements were collected from 88 older patients.

Combinatorial Treatment Effects in a Cell Culture Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, and as its prevalence increases, so does its detrimental impact on society. The currently available therapies have limited efficacy, leaving AD patients on an irrevocably fatal path of this disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test efficacy of a novel combinatorial treatment approach to alleviate AD-like pathology.

Genus-Wide Comparative Genomics of Malassezia Delineates Its Phylogeny, Physiology, and Niche Adaptation on Human Skin.

Malassezia is a unique lipophilic genus in class Malasseziomycetes in Ustilaginomycotina, (Basidiomycota, fungi) that otherwise consists almost exclusively of plant pathogens. Malassezia are typically isolated from warm-blooded animals, are dominant members of the human skin mycobiome and are associated with common skin disorders. To characterize the genetic basis of the unique phenotypes of Malassezia spp.

Fungi on the skin: dermatophytes and Malassezia.

Several human skin diseases and disorders are associated with two groups of fungi, the dermatophytes and Malassezia. Although these skin-related problems are not generally life threatening, they are among the most common diseases and disorders of mankind. These fungi are phylogenetically divergent, with the dermatophytes within the Ascomycota and Malassezia within Basidiomycota.

Underrepresented minorities in academic medicine: is Florida better off?

Objectives: The state of Florida has experienced challenges recruiting and retaining underrepresented minority faculty in academic medicine, as well as maintaining a population-like balance of minority physicians practicing in the state. We sought to quantify the percentage of practicing minority physicians as compared to the general population of Florida and focus specifically on black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander physicians in academic medicine. We hypothesized that because of the diversity of the state, the number of underrepresented minority academic physicians in Florida would be higher than the national average.

Students' perceptions of the impact a creative arts journal has on their medical education.

Background And Objectives: Student-produced creative arts journals now exist in several medical schools. The Florida State University College of Medicine (FSUCOM) has created HEAL: Humanism Evolving through Arts and Literature. This study sought to determine what influence, if any, HEAL publications may have on medical students.

Genomic insights into the atopic eczema-associated skin commensal yeast Malassezia sympodialis.

Unlabelled: Malassezia commensal yeasts are associated with a number of skin disorders, such as atopic eczema/dermatitis and dandruff, and they also can cause systemic infections. Here we describe the 7.67-Mbp genome of Malassezia sympodialis, a species associated with atopic eczema, and contrast its genome repertoire with that of Malassezia globosa, associated with dandruff, as well as those of other closely related fungi.

Comparative genome analysis of Trichophyton rubrum and related dermatophytes reveals candidate genes involved in infection.

The major cause of athlete's foot is Trichophyton rubrum, a dermatophyte or fungal pathogen of human skin. To facilitate molecular analyses of the dermatophytes, we sequenced T. rubrum and four related species, Trichophyton tonsurans, Trichophyton equinum, Microsporum canis, and Microsporum gypseum.

Adolescent cigarette smokers' and non-cigarette smokers' use of alternative tobacco products.

Introduction: This study uses the most recent data from the nationally representative National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) to examine the use of alternative tobacco products among U.S. cigarette smokers and non-cigarette smokers aged 14-17.

Zinc pyrithione inhibits yeast growth through copper influx and inactivation of iron-sulfur proteins.

Zinc pyrithione (ZPT) is an antimicrobial material with widespread use in antidandruff shampoos and antifouling paints. Despite decades of commercial use, there is little understanding of its antimicrobial mechanism of action. We used a combination of genome-wide approaches (yeast deletion mutants and microarrays) and traditional methods (gene constructs and atomic emission) to characterize the activity of ZPT against a model yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Access to cigarettes by daily smokers in Florida's public middle schools and high schools.

Introduction: Youth who smoke daily have diverse methods for obtaining cigarettes, which range from commercial sources to essentially black market transactions. This study examines access to cigarettes, attitudes toward tobacco, and the demographic characteristics of youth who are daily cigarette smokers.

Methods: Biennial data from the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, a representative sample of Florida public middle- and high-school students, were used.

How well does diagnosis-based risk-adjustment work for comparing ambulatory clinical outcomes?

This paper examines the empirical consistency of the Diagnosis Cost Groups/Hierarchical Condition Categories (DCG/HCC) risk-adjustment method for comparing 7-day mortality between hospital-based outpatient departments (HOPDs) and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). We used patient level data for the three most common outpatient procedures provided during the 1997-2004 period in Florida. We estimated base-line logistic regression models without any diagnosis-based risk adjustment and compared them to logistic regression models with the DCG/HCC risk-adjustment, and to conditional logit models with a matched cohort risk-adjustment approach.

Bypassing the local rural hospital for outpatient procedures.

Purpose: To assess the amount of local rural hospital outpatient department (HOPD) bypass for outpatient procedures.

Methods: We analyzed data on colonoscopies and upper gastrointestinal endoscopies performed in the state of Florida over the period 1997-2004.

Findings: Approximately, 53% of colonoscopy and 45% of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy patients bypassed their local rural hospital for treatment at either a free-standing ambulatory surgical center (ASC) or a nonlocal hospital outpatient department.

A comparative study of quality outcomes in freestanding ambulatory surgery centers and hospital-based outpatient departments: 1997-2004.

Research Objective: To compare quality outcomes from surgical procedures performed at freestanding ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital-based outpatient departments (HOPDs).

Data Sources: Patient-level ambulatory surgery (1997-2004), hospital discharge (1997-2004), and vital statistics data (1997-2004) for the state of Florida were assembled and analyzed.

Study Design: We used a pooled, cross-sectional design.

Is there a relationship between physician and facility volumes of ambulatory procedures and patient outcomes?

This study explores associations between patient outcomes (7- and 30-day hospitalization and mortality) and healthcare provider (physician and facility) volumes of outpatient colonoscopy, cataract removal, and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy performed in outpatient surgical settings in Florida. Findings indicate that patients treated by high-volume physicians or facilities had lower adjusted odds ratios for hospitalizations and mortality. When physician and facility volume were assessed simultaneously, physician volume accounted for larger effects than facility volume in hospitalization models.

Quality of care in accredited and nonaccredited ambulatory surgical centers.

Background: Little is known about quality outcomes in accredited and nonaccredited ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). Quality outcomes in ASCs accredited by either the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) or The Joint Commission were compared with those of nonaccredited ASCs in Florida.

Methods: Patient-level ambulatory surgery and hospital discharge data from Florida for 2004 were merged and analyzed.

Hospital quality of care: does information technology matter? The relationship between information technology adoption and quality of care.

Background: Hospitals have been slow to adopt information technology (IT) largely because of a lack of generalizable evidence of the value associated with such adoption.

Purpose: To explore the relationship between IT adoption and quality of care in acute-care hospitals.

Methods: Primary data on hospital IT adoption were combined with secondary hospital discharge data.

Hospital adoption of information technologies and improved patient safety: a study of 98 hospitals in Florida.

Most of the studies linking the use of information technology (IT) to improved patient safety have been conducted in academic medical centers or have focused on a single institution or IT application. Our study explored the relationship between overall IT adoption and patient safety performance across hospitals in Florida. Primary data on hospital IT adoption were combined with secondary hospital discharge data.