Some Distributional Facts about Fricatives and a Perceptual Explanation

Across and within languages voiced sibilants tend to be disfavored relative to voiceless ones. This paper explores the claim that voicing more adversely affects the distinctive acoustic properties of sibilants than those of nonsibilants. One prediction associated with this claim is that voicing differentially lowers the amplitude of frication noise for sibilants and non-sibiliants so that amplitude differences between the two classes are reduced. Acoustic measurements confirm this prediction. A second prediction is that voicing has a greater negative effect on the identification of sibilants than nonsibilants. Perceptual results from this and previous studies are somewhat variable, but averaged data support this prediction. The findings suggest that voiced sibilants are disfavored in part for perceptual reasons

Presenting medical statistics from proposal to publication

Designed for researchers presenting medical statistics for publication, this guide emphasises the principles of good presentation through examples. It contains tips, information boxes and figures, as well as references for the statistical methods used. It also presents the different stages of the research process

Cancer Data Visualization: Developing Tools to Serve the Needs of Diverse Stakeholders

Purpose of review To describe how cancer data visualization tools can catalyze novel research and inform local cancer control planning. Recent findings In recent years, cancer centers across the nation have increasingly embraced geospatial tools to respond to the unique distributions of disease and multilevel risk factors within their catchment areas. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, Florida, recently developed a publicly available, interactive, web-based cancer data visualization tool called SCAN360. Using SCAN360 as an example, we discuss key considerations and challenges for the development of cancer data visualization tools that serve the needs of stakeholders in community, academic and government settings. Cancer data visualization tools are useful for stakeholders from diverse sectors and may facilitate a range of cancer control efforts, from identifying regions for targeted outreach and engagement, to informing the allocation of resources for government and community initiatives, and motivating collaborative, interdisciplinary cancer research

Detection of Disease Genes by Use of Family Data. II. Application to Nuclear Families

Two likelihood-based score statistics are used to detect association between a disease and a single diallelic polymorphism, on the basis of data from arbitrary types of nuclear families. The first statistic, the nonfounder statistic, extends the transmission/disequilibrium test to accommodate affected and unaffected offspring and missing parental genotypes. The second statistic, the founder statistic, compares observed or inferred parental genotypes with those of some reference population. In this comparison, the genotypes of affected parents or of those with many affected offspring are weighted more heavily than are the genotypes of unaffected parents or of those with few affected offspring. Genotypes of single unrelated cases and controls can be included in this analysis. We illustrate the two statistics by applying them to data on a polymorphism of the SDR5A2 gene in nuclear families with multiple cases of prostate cancer. We also use simulations to compare the power of the nonfounder statistic with that of the score statistic, on the basis of the conditional logistic regression of offspring genotypes

Histologic types of epithelial ovarian cancer: have they different risk factors?

The histologic types of epithelial ovarian cancer differ in clinical behavior, descriptive epidemiology, and genetic origins. The goals of the current study were to characterize further the relation of histologic-specific ovarian cancer risks to reproductive and lifestyle attributes. The authors conducted a pooled analysis of 10 case-control studies of ovarian cancer in US White women, involving 1834 patients with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (1067 serous, 254 mucinous, 373 endometrioid, and 140 clear cell) and 7484 control women. Risks of all four histological types were inversely associated with parity and oral contraceptive use, but the histologic types showed different associations with nonreproductive factors. Unique associations include an inverse relation of serous cancer risk to body mass index, a positive relation of mucinous cancer risk to cigarette smoking, and a weakly positive relation of endometrioid cancer risk to body mass index. Risk of all histologic types was unassociated with age at menarche, age at menopause, a history of infertility, noncontraceptive estrogen use, and alcohol consumption. The most important modifiers of ovarian cancer risk (parity and oral contraceptive use) showed similar associations across the histologies. Nevertheless, the unique associations seen for other modifiers support the conjecture that the histologic types of epithelial ovarian cancer have different etiologies, which should be addressed in future investigations of the molecular basis of ovarian cancers and their responses to therapies

Diagnostic discrepancies between second-opinion and referring pathology reports of neuroendocrine tumors.

e15011 Background: The nomenclature and histologic classification schemes for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) have historically been heterogeneous and inconsistent. However, clinicians require specific descriptors to determine treatment plans for patients. In 2010, Klimstra, et al. published a set of NET pathology reporting guidelines. Using these guidelines, we undertook a systematic evaluation of discrepancies between referring versus Stanford second-opinion NET pathology reports. Methods: We developed a cohort ofall NET cases seen at Stanford University Hospital between April 1998 and December 2012 with available Stanford and referring pathology reports for the same specimen to identify the discrepancies between their clinical diagnoses. Results: Of 170 cases, histological diagnoses were discrepant in 79% of the reports; 89 (66%) of which were clinically insignificant, and 46 (34%) clinically significant. Stanford used 14 unique terms for histological description, and referring institutions used 49 unique terms. Grade, mitotic index (MI), and Ki67 were among the variables examined; they were not reported (NR) from the majority of cases in one or both reports, yet more likely to be included in the Stanford report. Grade was NR in one or both reports in 152 cases (89%); of the 18 cases reporting grade in both reports, 3 (2%) were discrepant. MI was NR in one or both reports in 128 cases (75%); of the 42 cases reporting MI in both reports, 27 (16%) were discrepant. Ki67 was NR in one or both reports in 153 cases (90%); of the 17 cases reporting Ki67 in both reports, 12 (7%) were discrepant. Reporting was found to improve over time for these variables (five-year blocks from 1998-2012). There was a trend towards improved reporting from academic hospitals (vs. non-academic hospitals) and by Stanford NET pathology experts (vs. general pathologists). Conclusions: Clinically relevant differences were frequently found between Stanford and referring pathology reports for NETs. Future studies of NET pathology discrepancies are warranted to allow additional time for adoption of the 2010 guidelines

An Evaluation of the Dyslexia Training Program A Multisensory Method for Promoting Reading in Students with Reading Disabilities

The development of reading and spelling skills in students with dyslexia, by definition, is delayed and often remains delayed despite years of instruction. Three qualities are thought to facilitate reading development in these children: the provision of a highly structured phonetic-instruction training program with heavy emphasis on the alphabetic system, drill and repetition to compensate for short-term verbal memory deficits, and multisensory methods to promote nonlanguage mental representations. The Dyslexia Training Program, a remedial reading program derived from Orton-Gillingham methods, embodies these qualities. Following their 2-year program, students displaying dyslexia demonstrated significantly higher reading recognition and comprehension compared with a control group. The two groups did not differ in spelling. In addition, the degree of improvement in reading demonstrated by students who received the Dyslexia Training Program by videotape and by those who received it live from instructors did not differ

Identifying Neighborhoods with Cervical Cancer Disparities for Targeted Community Outreach and Engagement by an NCI-Designated Cancer Center: A Geospatial Approach

Abstract Background: Cervical cancer disparities exist in the United States with the highest incidence in Hispanic women and the highest mortality in Black women. Effective control of cervical cancer in the population requires targeted interventions tailored to community composition in terms of race, ethnicity, and social determinants of health (SDOH). Methods: Using cancer registry and SDOH data, geospatial hot spot analyses were carried out to identify statistically significant neighborhood clusters with high numbers of cervical cancer cases within the catchment area of an NCI-designated cancer center. The locations, racial and ethnic composition, and SDOH resources of these hot spots were used by the center’s community outreach and engagement office to deploy mobile screening units (MSU) for intervention in communities with women facing heightened risk for cervical cancer. Results: Neighborhood hot spots with high numbers of cervical cancer cases in South Florida largely overlap with locations of poverty. Cervical cancer hot spots are associated with a high percentage of Hispanic cases and low SDOH status, including low income, housing tenure, and education attainment. Conclusions: A geospatially referenced cancer surveillance platform integrating cancer registry, SDOH, and cervical screening data can effectively identify targets for cervical cancer intervention in neighborhoods experiencing disparities. Impact: Guided with a data-driven surveillance system, MSUs proactively bringing prevention education and cervical screening to communities with more unscreened, at-risk women are an effective means for addressing disparities associated with cervical cancer control