We introduce a codimension one construction of coarse Ricci curvature in Lorentzian geometry. Using the 1-Lorentz-Wasserstein distance ℓ_1, we compare probability measures supported on small spacelike hypersurfaces through nearby events and recover, in a precise asymptotic regime, the ambient Ricci curvature in future-directed unit timelike directions, with a universal dimensional prefactor reflecting this codimension one construction. The construction echoes the Raychaudhuri equation, which relates the evolution of spatial volume expansion along timelike geodesics to Ricci curvature. Our quantitative estimates rely on transport maps with controlled displacement, constructed through a Moser-type flow. At leading order, the slice construction is insensitive to smooth weights. By smearing the spacelike slices into thin timelike tubes and calibrating the temporal and spatial scales, we recover the timelike Bakry-Émery tensor Ric+Hess V associated with the weighted reference measure 𝔪=e^-V vol_g.
Staccato alprazolam (STAP) is a hand-held device that can provide rapid systemic delivery of alprazolam via pulmonary inhalation. UP0099/NCT04802746, a phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, evaluated pulmonary safety of two consecutive doses of STAP administered 72 h apart (days 1, 4). Part A evaluated STAP 1 mg and 2 mg vs. placebo in a three-way crossover design in healthy adults. Part B evaluated STAP 2 mg vs. placebo in a two-arm parallel-group design in adults with mild asthma. In Part A (n = 30 randomized) on day 1, mean change from baseline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) showed a statistically significant decrease vs. placebo at 5 min postdose for STAP 1 mg and 5/20 min for STAP 2 mg. On day 4, there were no statistically significant negative changes from baseline in FEV1. Respiratory treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were reported by 8/29 and 12/29 participants on STAP 1 mg/2 mg, respectively (day 1), and 8/29 and 9/28 (day 4) (placebo: 0). In Part B (n = 25 placebo, n = 23 STAP) on days 1 and 4, mean change from baseline in FEV1 showed a statistically significant decrease for STAP 2 mg vs. placebo at 5/20 min and 6 h postdose. Respiratory TEAEs were reported by 16/23 participants on STAP 2 mg on day 1, 15/22 on day 4 (placebo: 0). Most respiratory TEAEs were mild in intensity. No evidence of clinically relevant airway obstruction or respiratory TEAEs indicative of bronchospasm with STAP were observed. Two doses of STAP (1 mg/2 mg) administered 72 h apart were well tolerated in healthy participants and those with mild asthma.
The rapid expansion of materials science databases has driven machine learning-based discovery while also posing challenges in data integration, duplication, and interoperability. Robust standardization and de-duplication methods are needed to address these issues and streamline materials research. We present LeMat-Bulk, a unified dataset combining Materials Project, OQMD, and Alexandria, encompassing over 5.3 million PBE-calculated materials and also representing the largest collection of PBESol and SCAN functional calculations. Our methodology standardizes calculations across databases that utilize different parameters, effectively addressing redundancy and enhancing cross-compatibility. To de-duplicate, we propose a hashing function which we termed the Bonding Algorithm Weisfeiller-Lehman (BAWL). We comprehensively benchmark this fingerprint under atomic noise, lattice strain, and symmetry transformations, demonstrating that it outperforms existing fingerprinting techniques such as SLICES, and CLOUD in robustness while offering greater computational efficiency than similarity-based approaches such as Pymatgen's StructureMatcher. Additionally, the fingerprint facilitates the analysis of functional-dependent trends (PBE, PBESol, SCAN) offering a scalable framework for data-driven materials science.
BACKGROUND:As-needed use of albuterol-budesonide has been shown to result in a significantly lower risk of severe asthma exacerbation than as-needed use of albuterol alone among patients with moderate-to-severe asthma. Data on albuterol-budesonide in mild asthma are needed. METHODS:We conducted a fully virtual, decentralized, phase 3b, multicenter, double-blind, event-driven trial involving persons 12 years of age or older with disease that was uncontrolled despite treatment for mild asthma with a short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) with or without a low-dose inhaled glucocorticoid or leukotriene-receptor antagonist. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to a fixed-dose combination of 180 μg of albuterol and 160 μg of budesonide (with each dose consisting of two inhaler actuations of 90 μg and 80 μg, respectively) or 180 μg of albuterol (with each dose consisting of two inhaler actuations of 90 μg) on an as-needed basis for up to 52 weeks. The primary end point was the first severe asthma exacerbation, assessed in a time-to-event analysis, in the on-treatment efficacy population, and the key secondary end point was the first severe exacerbation in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary end points included the annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations and exposure to systemic glucocorticoids. RESULTS:A total of 2516 participants underwent randomization; 1797 (71.4%) completed the trial. Of 2421 participants in the full analysis population (1209 assigned to the albuterol-budesonide group and 1212 to the albuterol group), 97.2% were 18 years of age or older; 74.4% used a SABA alone at baseline. The trial was stopped for efficacy at a prespecified interim analysis. A severe exacerbation occurred in 5.1% of the participants in the albuterol-budesonide group and in 9.1% of those in the albuterol group in the on-treatment efficacy population (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39 to 0.73) and in 5.3% and 9.4%, respectively, in the intention-to-treat population (hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.73) (P<0.001 for both comparisons). The annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations was lower with albuterol-budesonide than with albuterol (0.15 vs. 0.32; rate ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.64), as was the mean annualized total dose of systemic glucocorticoids (23.2 vs. 61.9 mg per year). Adverse events were similar in the two treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS:As-needed use of albuterol-budesonide resulted in a lower risk of a severe asthma exacerbation than as-needed use of albuterol alone among participants with disease that was uncontrolled despite treatment for mild asthma. (Funded by Bond Avillion 2 Development and AstraZeneca; BATURA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05505734.)See also in NEJM Evidence: Participants as Partners in Decentralized Clinical Trials.
