Worst Case Resistance Testing: A Nonresponse Bias Solution for Today's Behavioral Research Realities

This study proposes a method of nonresponse assessment based on meta-analytical file-drawer techniques, also known as worst-case resistance testing (WCRT), and suitable for a wide range of data collection scenarios. A general method is devised to estimate the number of significantly different nonrespondents it would take to significantly alter the results of an analysis. Estimates of nonrespondents can be plotted against effect sizes using "n-curves", with similar interpretation to p-curves or power curves. Variants of the general method are derived for tests of means and correlations. A sample using a well-established survey instrument from previous behavioral research is used to test the method. The results suggest that employing worst-case resistance testing can be used on its own or in conjunction with wave analysis to precisely flag nonresponse risks

Minimum Information about a Neuroscience Investigation (MINI) Electrophysiology

This module represents the formalized opinion of the authors and the CARMEN consortium, which identifies the minimum information required to report the use of electrophysiology in a neuroscience study, for submission to the CARMEN system (www.carmen.org.uk).
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Superconducting properties of (formula presented)

We present the low-temperature electronic transport properties of the intermetallic commonly known as (formula presented) In contrast to the much simpler (formula presented)-type structure of the 39-K superconductor (formula presented) (formula presented) forms a complex structure-type that is nearly unique in nature. The structure has 110.5 atoms per unit cell and a stoichiometry (formula presented) Polycrystalline (formula presented) is superconducting below (formula presented) with a critical magnetic field (formula presented) Isotopically pure (formula presented) samples have an enhanced (formula presented) Hall-effect measurements suggest that the material is intrinsically compensated. © 2002 The American Physical Society

Novel pathogenic COX20 variants causing dysarthria, ataxia, and sensory neuropathy.

COX20/FAM36A encodes a mitochondrial complex IV assembly factor important for COX2 activation. Only one homozygous COX20 missense mutation has been previously described in two separate consanguineous families. We report four subjects with features that include childhood hypotonia, areflexia, ataxia, dysarthria, dystonia, and sensory neuropathy. Exome sequencing in all four subjects identified the same novel COX20 variants. One variant affected the splice donor site of intron-one (c.41A>G), while the other variant (c.157+3G>C) affected the splice donor site of intron-two. cDNA and protein analysis indicated that no full-length cDNA or protein was generated. These subjects expand the phenotype associated with COX20 deficiency

Bacterial genomics reveal the complex epidemiology of an emerging pathogen in Arctic and boreal ungulates

Northern ecosystems are currently experiencing unprecedented ecological change, largely driven by a rapidly changing climate. Pathogen range expansion, and emergence and altered patterns of infectious disease, are increasingly reported in wildlife at high latitudes. Understanding the causes and consequences of shifting pathogen diversity and host-pathogen interactions in these ecosystems is important for wildlife conservation, and for indigenous populations that depend on wildlife. Among the key questions are whether disease events are associated with endemic or recently introduced pathogens, and whether emerging strains are spreading throughout the region. In this study, we used a phylogenomic approach to address these questions of pathogen endemicity and spread for Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, an opportunistic multi-host bacterial pathogen associated with recent mortalities in arctic and boreal ungulate populations in North America. We isolated E. rhusiopathiae from carcasses associated with large-scale die-offs of muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and from contemporaneous mortality events and/or population declines among muskoxen in northwestern Alaska and caribou and moose in western Canada. Bacterial genomic diversity differed markedly among these locations; minimal divergence was present among isolates from muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic, while in caribou and moose populations, strains from highly divergent clades were isolated from the same location, or even from within a single carcass. These results indicate that mortalities among northern ungulates are not associated with a single emerging strain of E. rhusiopathiae, and that alternate hypotheses need to be explored. Our study illustrates the value and limitations of bacterial genomic data for discriminating between ecological hypotheses of disease emergence, and highlights the importance of studying emerging pathogens within the broader context of environmental and host factors

Estimating the Hospital Burden of Norovirus-Associated Gastroenteritis in England and Its Opportunity Costs for Nonadmitted Patients.

Background: Norovirus places a substantial burden on healthcare systems, arising from infected patients, disease outbreaks, beds kept unoccupied for infection control, and staff absences due to infection. In settings with high rates of bed occupancy, opportunity costs arise from patients who cannot be admitted due to beds being unavailable. With several treatments and vaccines against norovirus in development, quantifying the expected economic burden is timely. Methods: The number of inpatients with norovirus-associated gastroenteritis in England was modeled using infectious and noninfectious gastrointestinal Hospital Episode Statistics codes and laboratory reports of gastrointestinal pathogens collected at Public Health England. The excess length of stay from norovirus was estimated with a multistate model and local outbreak data. Unoccupied bed-days and staff absences were estimated from national outbreak surveillance. The burden was valued conventionally using accounting expenditures and wages, which we contrasted to the opportunity costs from forgone patients using a novel methodology. Results: Between July 2013 and June 2016, 17.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.6%‒21.6%) of primary and 23.8% (95% CI, 20.6%‒29.9%) of secondary gastrointestinal diagnoses were norovirus attributable. Annually, the estimated median 290000 (interquartile range, 282000‒297000) occupied and unoccupied bed-days used for norovirus displaced 57800 patients. Conventional costs for the National Health Service reached £107.6 million; the economic burden approximated to £297.7 million and a loss of 6300 quality-adjusted life-years annually. Conclusions: In England, norovirus is now the second-largest contributor of the gastrointestinal hospital burden. With the projected impact being greater than previously estimated, improved capture of relevant opportunity costs seems imperative for diseases such as norovirus

Sedimentation in Quincy Bay and Potential Remedial Measures

A lake sedimentation survey determined that about 72% of the volume of Quincy Bay has been filled with sediment deposits. Remaining water depths range from 0.5 foot in Long Lake and Triangle Lake to 5.6 feet in the lower main bay. Measurements of water and sediment fluxes into the bay showed that tributaries contribute 1% of the water and 8% of the sediment, the access channel contributes 52% of the water and 22% of the sediment, and flood overflows from the Mississippi River contribute 47% of the water and 70% of the sediment The average annual sediment inflow is 1,096,000 tons, of which about 245,000 tons, or 22.4%, is deposited in the bay. A number of possible remedial measures, and comments on them from interested agencies and individuals, are presented and discussed in the report. Recommended actions include: 1) rehabilitation of Triangle Lake, 2) selective dredging for boating and fish habitat, 3) implementation of soil conservation practices on tributary watersheds, and 4) further analysis of closing the access channel and diverting all but the largest floods from most of the bay area.publishedpeer reviewedOpe

A Lambda Term Representation Inspired by Linear Ordered Logic

We introduce a new nameless representation of lambda terms inspired by ordered logic. At a lambda abstraction, number and relative position of all occurrences of the bound variable are stored, and application carries the additional information where to cut the variable context into function and argument part. This way, complete information about free variable occurrence is available at each subterm without requiring a traversal, and environments can be kept exact such that they only assign values to variables that actually occur in the associated term. Our approach avoids space leaks in interpreters that build function closures. In this article, we prove correctness of the new representation and present an experimental evaluation of its performance in a proof checker for the Edinburgh Logical Framework. Keywords: representation of binders, explicit substitutions, ordered contexts, space leaks, Logical Framework.Comment: In Proceedings LFMTP 2011, arXiv:1110.668