University of Massachusetts Boston

About: University of Massachusetts Boston is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 6541 authors who have published 12918 publications receiving 411731 citations. The organization is also known as: UMass Boston.

Quantum Simulation of Generic Many-Body Open System Dynamics Using Classical Noise

Abstract: We introduce a scheme for the quantum simulation of many-body decoherence based on the unitary evolution of a stochastic Hamiltonian. Modulating the strength of the interactions with stochastic processes, we show that the noise-averaged density matrix simulates an effectively open dynamics governed by k-body Lindblad operators. Markovian dynamics can be accessed with white-noise fluctuations; non-Markovian dynamics requires colored noise. The time scale governing the fidelity decay under many-body decoherence is shown to scale as N^{-2k} with the system size N. Our proposal can be readily implemented in a variety of quantum platforms including optical lattices, superconducting circuits, and trapped ions.

The impact of androgen deprivation on quality of life after radical prostatectomy for prostate carcinoma

Abstract: BACKGROUND Androgen deprivation is commonly prescribed for men with a rising prostate specific antigen level after radical prostatectomy, despite scant evidence regarding its efficacy and side effects. In the current study, the authors compared measures of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in men who were treated with androgen deprivation after radical prostatectomy with those for men who underwent surgery but were not treated with androgen deprivation. METHODS Medicare Provider and Analysis and Review (MedPAR) files were used to identify men who had undergone radical prostatectomies between 1991–1992. Medicare Part B data then were used to select two samples: men who subsequently were androgen deprived and those who were not. In 1999, a mail survey was administered that addressed a range of disease-related and treatment-related issues, including HRQOL. Age-adjusted comparisons of responses to seven multiitem measures of HRQOL were performed. RESULTS The overall response rate was 82%. On all seven HRQOL measures (impact of cancer and treatment, concern regarding body image, mental health, general health, activity, worries about cancer and dying, and energy), there were statistically significant decrements associated with androgen deprivation. CONCLUSIONS Patients and physicians must weigh the price patients pay with regard to HRQOL against the uncertain benefits of early androgen deprivation. Cancer 2002;95:287–95. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10656

Depressive Symptoms, Chronic Pain, and Falls in Older Community-Dwelling Adults: The MOBILIZE Boston Study

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To examine whether overall depressive symptoms and symptom clusters are associated with fall risk and to determine whether chronic pain mediates the relationship between depression and fall risk in aging. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding communities. PARTICIPANTS: Older community-dwelling adults (N = 722, mean age 78.3). MEASUREMENTS: Depressive symptomatology was assessed at baseline using the 20-item Hopkins Revision of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESDR) as overall depression and two separate domains: cognitive and somatic symptoms. Chronic pain was examined at baseline as number of pain sites (none, single site, or multisite), pain severity, and pain interference with activities of daily living. Participants recorded falls on monthly postcards during a subsequent 18-month period. RESULTS: According to negative binomial regression, the rate of incident falls was highest in those with the highest burden of depressive symptoms (according to total CESDR and the cognitive and somatic CESDR domains). After adjustment for multiple confounders and fall risk factors, fall rate ratios comparing the highest three CESDR quartiles with the lowest quartile were 1.91, 1.26, and 1.11, respectively. Similarly graded associations were observed according to the CESDR domains. Although pain location and interference were mediators of the relationship between depression and falls, adjustment for pain reduced fall risk estimates only modestly. There was no interaction between depression and pain in relation to fall risk. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms are associated with fall risk in older adults and are mediated in part by chronic pain. Research is needed to determine effective strategies for reducing fall risk and related injuries in older people with pain and depressive symptoms. Language: en

Shifts in disease dynamics in a tropical amphibian assemblage are not due to pathogen attenuation.

Abstract: Infectious diseases rarely end in extinction. Yet the mechanisms that explain how epidemics subside are difficult to pinpoint. We investigated host-pathogen interactions after the emergence of a lethal fungal pathogen in a tropical amphibian assemblage. Some amphibian host species are recovering, but the pathogen is still present and is as pathogenic today as it was almost a decade ago. In addition, some species have defenses that are more effective now than they were before the epidemic. These results suggest that host recoveries are not caused by pathogen attenuation and may be due to shifts in host responses. Our findings provide insights into the mechanisms underlying disease transitions, which are increasingly important to understand in an era of emerging infectious diseases and unprecedented global pandemics.