Using decision analytic modelling to simulate pregnancy

Decision analytic modelling enables decision makers to assess the cost-effectiveness associated with a proposed change in a cunent system without physically implementing the changes. This can be achieved by formulating a mathematical model that represents all the major events occuning in the system through fmmulas and algorithms, and estimating the likely outcomes along with their costs. This type of modelling has been identified by the State Health Research Advisory Council (SHRAC) of the Western Australian Depmiment of Health as an asset for the plmming of health care investments in the future. One such area in which the Western Australian Department of Health has identified the need for future planning is in the improvement of perinatal outcomes of Aboriginal women living in rural and remote areas of Western Australia. Various investigations into policy changes that have given some evidence of improving pregnancy outcomes have recently provided the need for an appropriate decision analytic model to be constructed. This requires the formulation of a mathematical model that can simulate the pregnancy events and outcomes consistent with those observed in practice. This thesis will outline a mathematical model with the objective to simulate a large cohort of individual Aboriginal women going through pregnancy in remote regions of W A that is representative of the populations\u27 current outcomes. The scope of the model is limited to the prediction of clinical outcomes during the antenatal period of pregnancy for individual patients whilst the implementation of costs will not be considered. The validity of the simulation model will be shown to be very accurate by providing comparisons of simulated outcomes to those from the observed data. A discussion on the benefits of the methods used to construct this model will then be identified, concluding with a range of further uses this model could be applied to

Alkene Chemoselectivity in Ruthenium-Catalyzed Z-Selective Olefin Metathesis

Chelated ruthenium catalysts can facilitate highly chemoselective olefin metathesis. Terminal and internal Z olefins reacted selectively to form new Z olefins in the presence of internal E olefins. Chemoselectivity for terminal olefins was also observed over both sterically hindered and electronically deactivated alkenes

From Soup to Nuts: Expanding Liaison and Technical Services for OER Development

This case study highlights an ongoing library collaboration with faculty recipients of a statewide Wikipedia Image Open educational resources (OER) are free and openly licensed educational materials that can be used for teaching, learning, research, and other purposes. OER textbook grant at a rural public research university in the southeast. It emphasizes the evolving needs of teaching faculty open to OER grant writing and development, and the necessity of librarians to be creative in delivering this support. The authors describe how they expanded liaison and technical service roles to educate faculty about the meaning and benefits of OERs, guided selection of appropriately licensed and pedagogically aligned materials, supported development of the grant proposal, and supported development and maintenance of the OER product itself. Central to this study is how liaison and technical services librarians collaborated with faculty to open up the LibGuides CMS platform to host OER materials. This paper provides a comprehensive case study encompassing service development in support of the grant funding process, development of the content management infrastructure for hosting and developing the OER product, next steps, and recommendations of best practices. Throughout, the authors argue for the importance of intra-library collaboration and expanding liaison and technical services roles for effective OER support

Everyone Loves Gummi Bears! Removing the Intimidation factor from Research Data Management with Yummy Fun.

How do you get students excited about research data management and attract over 70 participants to a voluntary workshop? How do you get Librarians excited about teaching a research data management workshop to undergraduates? With the promise of Gummi Bears and hands-on fun! During this workshop session, presenters will break down their experience overhauling a faculty workshop into an active learning session to expose students of all experience levels to basic research data management concepts and techniques. Presenters will walk participants through their design process from inception to delivery, highlighting how Gummi Bears lessened students’ intimidation with this complex topic (20 minutes). Participants will then engage in the workshop activities and work on the same specific deliverables created by students, highlighting the connection between the activities and the specific learning objectives and supported ACRL frames (35 minutes). Half of the group will work the simulation on provided laptops, and half of the group will work the simulation in physical form. A detailed breakdown of workshop assessment will provide insight into the adaptability of the workshop, and how to adjust the workshop to different experience levels, as well as addressing possible lack of technology availability (10 minutes). Finally, participants will engage in a discussion of marketing tactics possible to facilitate student and faculty buy-in, as well as ask any additional questions (10 minutes). Participants will be provided access to workshop materials and a best practices handout for running the workshop at their own institutions. Presentation Description How do you get students excited about research data management? How do you get Librarians excited about teaching a research data management workshop to undergraduates? With the promise of Gummi Bears and hands-on fun! Presenters will walk participants through their design process from inception to delivery, highlighting how Gummi Bears lessened students’ intimidation with this complex topic. Participants will be provided access to workshop materials and a best practices handout for running the workshop at their own institutions. Session Goals Provide guidance and instruction in offering research data management workshop to students. Provide hands-on opportunity for participants to experience the workshop as a student (both digitally and physically). Provide assessment options that clearly indicate support of ACRL Framework. Provide materials so participants can run a similar workshop at their own institutions. Session Objectives Participants will understand how gummi bears are a neutral data point that can be adapted to a variety of research interests and experience levels. Participants will experience creating the same deliverables that students will be asked to complete. Participants will gain knowledge on assessment options that will support the learning objectives and specific ACRL frames. Participants will brainstorm marketing techniques aimed at developing faculty buy-in for workshop. Participants will understand how a similar workshop can be run at their own institution

Informal Science Engagement via Extension Exhibits: A Pilot Evaluation of Adult State Fairgoers’ Experiences, Attitudes, and Learning at Raising Nebraska

Science communication and informal science education collide in the context of Extension state fair exhibits for engaging public audiences in critical agricultural and natural resource issues impacting people’s daily lives. A need exists to employ systematic communication and education theory and techniques to effectively deliver scientific information in informal learning spaces. In an effort to apply and expand systematic instructional design thinking and research in informal science learning, this study piloted a touchscreen iPad survey evaluation (n= 93; ages 19-66) of adult state fairgoers’ demographics, experiences, attitudes, and learning during their visit to a 25,000 square-foot facility featuring an Extension museum-quality exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair in 2016. The exhibit included content such as farmers’ and ranchers’ stories, food security, soil quality, and water flow via natural landscapes and irrigation. Survey results included fairgoers’ demographics and backgrounds, as well as insights into favorite exhibit features, attitudes toward agricultural and environmental issues, and exhibit experience and attitude differences between visitors with agricultural backgrounds versus non-agricultural backgrounds. Results showed respondents were predominantly Caucasian with ties to agriculture, preferred physical and electronic engagement pieces of the exhibit compared to static text panels, and expressed slight changes in attitudes about agriculture with larger shifts in attitudes about the role of science in agriculture. Recommendations include systematically developing Extension informal learning efforts and exhibits such as the one in this study by conducting needs assessments and evaluations, as well as expanding exhibit locations, access, and topics to reach more diverse demographics

Increased risk for other cancers in individuals with Ewing sarcoma and their relatives.

BackgroundThere are few reports of the association of other cancers with Ewing sarcoma in patients and their relatives. We use a resource combining statewide genealogy and cancer reporting to provide unbiased risks.MethodsUsing a combined genealogy of 2.3 million Utah individuals and the Utah Cancer Registry (UCR), relative risks (RRs) for cancers of other sites were estimated in 143 Ewing sarcoma patients using a Cox proportional hazards model with matched controls; however, risks in relatives were estimated using internal cohort-specific cancer rates in first-, second-, and third-degree relatives.ResultsCancers of three sites (breast, brain, complex genotype/karyotype sarcoma) were observed in excess in Ewing sarcoma patients. No Ewing sarcoma patients were identified among first-, second-, or third-degree relatives of Ewing sarcoma patients. Significantly increased risk for brain, lung/bronchus, female genital, and prostate cancer was observed in first-degree relatives. Significantly increased risks were observed in second-degree relatives for breast cancer, nonmelanoma eye cancer, malignant peripheral nerve sheath cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and translocation sarcomas. Significantly increased risks for stomach cancer, prostate cancer, and acute lymphocytic leukemia were observed in third-degree relatives.ConclusionsThis analysis of risk for cancer among Ewing sarcoma patients and their relatives indicates evidence for some increased cancer predisposition in this population which can be used to individualize consideration of potential treatment of patients and screening of patients and relatives

Neutrophil–Lymphocyte and Platelet–Lymphocyte Ratios as Prognostic Factors after Stereotactic Radiation Therapy for Early-Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

IntroductionThe hematologic indices of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are correlated with clinical outcomes after stereotactic radiation.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated the pretreatment NLR and PLR in patients treated with stereotactic radiation for early stage non–small-cell lung cancer at our institution. A total of 149 patients treated for non–small-cell lung cancer were identified, and 59 had stage I disease with neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte levels within a 3-month period before treatment. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to examine cutoff values for survival and nonlocal failure followed by Kaplan–Meier analysis for survival.ResultsWith a median follow-up of 17 months, 28 deaths were observed, and the median overall survival for all patients was 43 months. Based on the ROC analysis, NLR and PLR cutoff values for further survival analysis were determined based on the ROC analysis to be 2.98 and 146. The median overall survival was not reached for patients with low NLR or PLR but the survival was 23 months for patients with high NLR or PLR. There was no correlation between NLR and nonlocal failure, but on multivariate analysis PLR was found to be associated with freedom from nonlocal failure. Nonlocal failure rates were 11% for patients with PLR less than 250 and 58% for PLR greater than 250 (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe pretreatment NLR and PLR represented significant prognostic indicators of survival in patients treated for early-stage non–small-cell lung carcinoma with stereotactic radiation. The PLR may be used as a prognostic indicator for nonlocal failure after stereotactic radiation for early-stage lung cancer