Rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern by single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping using TaqMan assays.

We evaluated the performance of SARS-CoV-2 TaqMan real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assays (ThermoFisher) for detecting 2 nonsynonymous spike protein mutations, E484K and N501Y. Assay accuracy was evaluated by whole genome sequencing (WGS). Residual nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 positive samples (N = 510) from a diverse patient population in New York City submitted for routine SARS-CoV-2 testing during January-April 2020 were used.

Building Tools for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Cancer Research: Best Practices and a Case Study with the PathML Toolkit for Computational Pathology.

Imaging datasets in cancer research are growing exponentially in both quantity and information density. These massive datasets may enable derivation of insights for cancer research and clinical care, but only if researchers are equipped with the tools to leverage advanced computational analysis approaches such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. In this work, we highlight three themes to guide development of such computational tools: scalability, standardization, and ease of use.

A Worldwide Study of Bullets Fired From 10 Consecutively Rifled 9MM RUGER Pistol Barrels-Analysis of Examiner Error Rate.

This technical note is an update on a continuing study, first designed and initiated by Brundage et al. over twenty years ago , which seeks to test the community of forensic firearms examiners' ability to associate fired bullets with the barrels through which they passed. To date, 697 participants have utilized over 240 test sets consisting of bullets fired through 10 consecutively rifled RUGER P-85 pistol barrels.