Tunable Intervalence Charge Transfer in Ruthenium Prussian Blue Analog Enables Stable and Efficient Biocompatible Artificial Synapses.

Emerging concepts for neuromorphic computing, bioelectronics, and brain-computer interfacing inspire new research avenues aimed at understanding the relationship between oxidation state and conductivity in unexplored materials. This report expands the materials playground for neuromorphic devices to include a mixed valence inorganic 3D coordination framework, a ruthenium Prussian blue analog (RuPBA), for flexible and biocompatible artificial synapses that reversibly switch conductance by more than four orders of magnitude based on electrochemically tunable oxidation state. The electrochemically tunable degree of mixed valency and electronic coupling between N-coordinated Ru sites controls the carrier concentration and mobility, as supported by density functional theory computations and application of electron transfer theory to in situ spectroscopy of intervalence charge transfer.

Stethoscope hygiene: A call to action. Recommendations to update the CDC guidelines.

Healthcare-acquired infections are a tremendous challenge to the US medical system. Stethoscopes touch many patients, but current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not support disinfection between each patient. Stethoscopes are rarely disinfected between patients by healthcare providers.

Parallel Training of Analog Neural Network Using Electrochemical Random-Access Memory.

In-memory computing based on non-volatile resistive memory can significantly improve the energy efficiency of artificial neural networks. However, accurate training has been challenging due to the nonlinear and stochastic switching of the resistive memory elements. One promising analog memory is the electrochemical random-access memory (ECRAM), also known as the redox transistor.

Filament-Free Bulk Resistive Memory Enables Deterministic Analogue Switching.

Digital computing is nearing its physical limits as computing needs and energy consumption rapidly increase. Analogue-memory-based neuromorphic computing can be orders of magnitude more energy efficient at data-intensive tasks like deep neural networks, but has been limited by the inaccurate and unpredictable switching of analogue resistive memory. Filamentary resistive random access memory (RRAM) suffers from stochastic switching due to the random kinetic motion of discrete defects in the nanometer-sized filament.

Routine antiemetic prophylaxis with dexamethasone during COVID-19: Should oncologists reconsider?

The ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) has caused unprecedented strain on the global healthcare system, causing thousands of deaths worldwide. Patients with underlying conditions such as cancer are at substantial risk of acquiring and dying from this novel coronavirus. Numerous reports have shown that infection with SARS-CoV-2 causes depletion of B- and T-lymphocytes, including CD4 and CD8 T-cells, and is associated with severe illness and death and that patients with higher lymphocyte levels may have better outcomes.

Indomethacin and resveratrol as potential treatment adjuncts for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19.

The ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) has led to unprecedented challenges for the global healthcare system. This novel coronavirus disease phenotype ranges from asymptomatic carriage to fulminant cytokine storm with respiratory failure, polyorgan dysfunction and death. Severe disease is characterised by exuberant inflammation resulting from high circulating cytokines such as interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor.

Maximized lateral inhibition in paired magnetic domain wall racetracks for neuromorphic computing.

Lateral inhibition is an important functionality in neuromorphic computing, modeled after the biological neuron behavior that a firing neuron deactivates its neighbors belonging to the same layer and prevents them from firing. In most neuromorphic hardware platforms lateral inhibition is implemented by external circuitry, thereby decreasing the energy efficiency and increasing the area overhead of such systems. Recently, the domain wall-magnetic tunnel junction (DW-MTJ) artificial neuron is demonstrated in modeling to be intrinsically inhibitory.

Parallel programming of an ionic floating-gate memory array for scalable neuromorphic computing.

Neuromorphic computers could overcome efficiency bottlenecks inherent to conventional computing through parallel programming and readout of artificial neural network weights in a crossbar memory array. However, selective and linear weight updates and <10-nanoampere read currents are required for learning that surpasses conventional computing efficiency. We introduce an ionic floating-gate memory array based on a polymer redox transistor connected to a conductive-bridge memory (CBM).

A non-volatile organic electrochemical device as a low-voltage artificial synapse for neuromorphic computing.

The brain is capable of massively parallel information processing while consuming only ∼1-100 fJ per synaptic event. Inspired by the efficiency of the brain, CMOS-based neural architectures and memristors are being developed for pattern recognition and machine learning. However, the volatility, design complexity and high supply voltages for CMOS architectures, and the stochastic and energy-costly switching of memristors complicate the path to achieve the interconnectivity, information density, and energy efficiency of the brain using either approach.

Li-Ion Synaptic Transistor for Low Power Analog Computing.

Nonvolatile redox transistors (NVRTs) based upon Li-ion battery materials are demonstrated as memory elements for neuromorphic computer architectures with multi-level analog states, "write" linearity, low-voltage switching, and low power dissipation. Simulations of backpropagation using the device properties reach ideal classification accuracy. Physics-based simulations predict energy costs per "write" operation of <10 aJ when scaled to 200 nm × 200 nm.

Energy Scaling Advantages of Resistive Memory Crossbar Based Computation and Its Application to Sparse Coding.

The exponential increase in data over the last decade presents a significant challenge to analytics efforts that seek to process and interpret such data for various applications. Neural-inspired computing approaches are being developed in order to leverage the computational properties of the analog, low-power data processing observed in biological systems. Analog resistive memory crossbars can perform a parallel read or a vector-matrix multiplication as well as a parallel write or a rank-1 update with high computational efficiency.

e-DNA meta-barcoding: from NGS raw data to taxonomic profiling.

In recent years, thanks to the essential support provided by the Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies, Metagenomics is enabling the direct access to the taxonomic and functional composition of mixed microbial communities living in any environmental niche, without the prerequisite to isolate or culture the single organisms. This approach has already been successfully applied for the analysis of many habitats, such as water or soil natural environments, also characterized by extreme physical and chemical conditions, food supply chains, and animal organisms, including humans. A shotgun sequencing approach can lead to investigate both organisms and genes diversity.

Isothermal switching and detailed filament evolution in memristive systems.

The steady-state solution of filamentary memristive switching may be derived directly from the heat equation, modelling vertical and radial heat flow. This solution is shown to provide a continuous and accurate description of the evolution of the filament radius, composition, heat flow, and temperature during switching, and is shown to apply to a large range of switching materials and experimental time-scales.

Diagnosis and management of hiccups in the patient with advanced cancer.

Benign, self-limited hiccups are more of a nuisance, but persistent and intractable hiccups lasting more than 48 hours and 1 month, respectively, are a source of significant morbidity in the patient with advanced malignancy.The hiccup reflex is complex, but stimulation of vagal afferents followed by activation of efferent phrenic and intercostal nerve pathways results in contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, respectively.The etiology of hiccups in the cancer and palliative care population may include chemotherapy, electrolyte derangements, esophagitis, and neoplastic involvement of the central nervous system (CNS), thorax, and abdominal cavity.

Hematologic abnormalities following renal transplantation.

Recipients of renal allografts are surviving longer and, consequently, may experience a variety of complications related not only to the transplanted kidney, but also to the hematopoietic system. Common hematologic complications in the renal transplant patient include abnormalities of one cell line, such as post-transplantation erythrocytosis or anemia, that are often treatable with simple measures. Conversely, pathologies involving the leukocyte and platelet population often exist in the context of pancytopenia, which may be a manifestation of systemic infection (e.

Refeeding syndrome: an important aspect of supportive oncology.

Refeeding syndrome (RFS) is an underappreciated, yet common and potentially dangerous, constellation of metabolic derangements that can occur upon reinstitution of any type of nutritional intervention. The typical patient who experiences RFS has been malnourished for days to weeks and develops hypophosphatemia and, occasionally, hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia when administered a carbohydrate load in the form of glucose-containing fluids, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), tube feedings, or an oral diet. The pathophysiology of RFS is complex but mainly results from an acute intracellular shift in electrolytes, increased phosphate demand during tissue anabolism, and formation of high-energy phosphate bonds.

Reversible posterior leucoencephalopathy syndrome associated with anticancer drugs.

Background: Reversible posterior leucoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) is an underappreciated clinical-radiologic syndrome characterized by reversible cortical dysfunction preferentially involving the occipital lobes in conjunction with imaging findings of reversible subcortical oedema. As RPLS is being increasingly identified within the oncology population in association with cytotoxic chemotherapy and targeted agents, a review of the published work in English was carried out.

Methods: A MEDLINE search of the published work in English was conducted to identify cases of RPLS in patients more than 16 years of age who were treated with anticancer drugs for documented malignancy.

Umbilical complications of malignancy.

Introduction: Cancer patients may manifest a variety of intraabdominal complications occurring during various phases of their illness; however, little in the literature exists regarding umbilical abnormalities in this population.

Discussion: Umbilical metastases (Sister Mary Joseph's sign) are the most common malignant complication involving the umbilicus and may be the presenting manifestation of visceral malignancy. Cancer patients may occasionally experience periumbilical ecchymosis (Cullen's sign), infection, hernia, or varices, each of which may require therapy.

Anemia following Roux-en-Y surgery for morbid obesity: a review.

Morbid obesity is a significant problem in the Western world. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of patients undergoing surgical weight loss procedures. Currently, the most widely performed procedure is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operation which combines restriction of food intake with malabsorption of calories and various nutrients, resulting in weight loss and nutritional deficiencies, respectively.

Electrocardiographic changes after shoulder arthroplasty.

Hyperkalemia is a commonly encountered electrolyte abnormality in the hospitalized patient population, and can be fatal if not recognized and treated in a timely matter. Although most cases of hyperkalemia in the acute care setting occur in the context of renal failure, certain drugs can cause an increase in serum potassium. One such drug is trimethoprim-suflamethoxazole, a broad spectrum antibiotic utilized for a variety of infections.