Learning Rich Geographical Representations: Predicting Colorectal Cancer Survival in the State of Iowa

Neural networks are capable of learning rich, nonlinear feature representations shown to be beneficial in many predictive tasks. In this work, we use these models to explore the use of geographical features in predicting colorectal cancer survival curves for patients in the state of Iowa, spanning the years 1989 to 2012. Specifically, we compare model performance using a newly defined metric -- area between the curves (ABC) -- to assess (a) whether survival curves can be reasonably predicted for colorectal cancer patients in the state of Iowa, (b) whether geographical features improve predictive performance, and (c) whether a simple binary representation or richer, spectral clustering-based representation perform better. Our findings suggest that survival curves can be reasonably estimated on average, with predictive performance deviating at the five-year survival mark. We also find that geographical features improve predictive performance, and that the best performance is obtained using richer, spectral analysis-elicited features.Comment: 8 page

Questionnaire Responses in the Agricultural Health Study by Private Versus Commerical Applicators From Iowa

The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is a large epidemiologic study of registered pesticide applicators and their spouses in Iowa and North Carolina (Alavanja, Sandler et al., 1996). A goal of this study is to enroll 75,000 of these individuals and follow them for at least the next 10 years to evaluate the role of agricultural exposures in the development of cancer and other diseases. Enrollment began in December 1993. As of October 1996, 73,500 individuals had enrolled with 46,000 coming from Iowa and consisting of 5,400 commercial pesticide applicators, 26,100 private applicators, and 14,500 spouses of private applicators. The objectives of the AHS are to: 1) identify and quantify cancer risks among men and women associated with specific agricultural exposures and practices ~ 2) identify and quantify cancer and other disease risks associated with diet, cooking practices, and chemicals resulting from cooking processes~ 3) evaluate cancer risks among spouses and children of farmers that may arise from indirect exposures to agricultural chemicals ~ 4) study relationships between the development of cancer and agricultural exposures, biomarkers of exposure and disease, and genetic susceptibility factors~ 5) develop an integrated exposure assessment strategy for agricultural exposures that incorporates periodic interviews with environmental and biological monitoring~ and 6) provide an agricultural population for research on health conditions other than cancer. The AHS has three major components: 1) main cohort study, 2) nested case-control studies, and 3) exposure assessment study. The purpose of this report is to provide descriptive information comparing questionnaire responses between commercial and private applicators who have enrolled into the AHS with an emphasis placed on information related to pesticide use

Managing the Going Concern Risk in an Uncertain Environment An Analysis of Regulatory Guidance and Financial Relief for the COVID-19 Pandemic

manufacturing company Regal Beloit reports that it has drawn $255 million on its line of credit, even though it has a strong balance sheet and does not currently intend to use the borrowed proceeds, but believes an abundance of caution regarding its cash position is prudent at this time. Management\u27s Responsibility The responsibility to prepare financial statements on a going concern basis under U.S. GAAP and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) falls on management. Managers must look forward for a reasonable period of time, defined as 12 months from the financial statement issue date or 12 months from the date financials would have been issued for entities that are neither SEC filers nor conduit bond obligors for debt securities that are traded in a public market. Under ASC 205-40, managers must disclose an uncertainty regarding the ability of the business to continue as a going concern if substantial doubt exists when the conditions and events described above, considered in aggregate, indicate that it is probable that the entity will be unable to meet obligations as they become due

Residential radon exposure and lung cancer: variation in risk estimates using alternative exposure scenarios

The most direct way to derive risk estimates for residential radon progeny exposure is through epidemiologic studies that examine the association between residential radon exposure and lung cancer. However, the National Research Council concluded that the inconsistency among prior residential radon case-control studies was largely a consequence of errors in radon dosimetry. This paper examines the impact of applying various epidemiologic dosimetry models for radon exposure assessment using a common data set from the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study (IRLCS). The IRLCS uniquely combined enhanced dosimetric techniques, individual mobility assessment, and expert histologic review to examine the relationship between cumulative radon exposure, smoking, and lung cancer. The a priori defined IRLCS radon-exposure model produced higher odds ratios than those methodologies that did not link the subject\u27s retrospective mobility with multiple, spatially diverse radon concentrations. In addition, the smallest measurement errors were noted for the IRLCS exposure model. Risk estimates based solely on basement radon measurements generally exhibited the lowest risk estimates and the greatest measurement error. The findings indicate that the power of an epidemiologic study to detect an excess risk from residential radon exposure is enhanced by linking spatially disparate radon concentrations with the subject\u27s retrospective mobility

Cancer risk and parental pesticide application in children of Agricultural Health Study participants.

Parental exposure to pesticides may contribute to childhood cancer risk. Through the Agricultural Health Study, a prospective study of pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina, we examined childhood cancer risk and associations with parental pesticide application. Identifying information for 17,357 children of Iowa pesticide applicators was provided by parents via questionnaires (1993-1997) and matched against the Iowa Cancer Registry. Fifty incident childhood cancers were identified (1975-1998). Risk of all childhood cancers combined was increased [standardized incidence ratio (SIR) = 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03-1.79]. Risk of all lymphomas combined was also increased (SIR = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.13-4.19), as was risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma (SIR = 2.56; 95% CI, 1.06-6.14). We used logistic regression to explore associations between self-reported parental pesticide application practices and childhood cancer risk. No association was detected between frequency of parental pesticide application and childhood cancer risk. An increased risk of cancer was detected among children whose fathers did not use chemically resistant gloves [odds ratio (OR) = 1.98; 95% CI, 1.05-3.76] compared with children whose fathers used gloves. Of 16 specific pesticides used by fathers prenatally, ORs were increased for aldrin (OR = 2.66), dichlorvos (OR = 2.06), and ethyl dipropylthiocarbamate (OR = 1.91). However, these results were based on small numbers and not supported by prior biologic evidence. Identification of excess lymphoma risk suggests that farm exposures including pesticides may play a role in the etiology of childhood lymphoma

M22 - A Modern Visual Novel Framework

This paper presents a modern, open-source game engine/framework for the visual novel genre of interactive narrative. It takes the insights from the engines of visual novel games and the products made with them to produce a free engine that contains all the features and components required of a standard visual novel, and demonstrates its capabilities with a demo artefact. Visual novels provide authors with a powerful way of presenting their fiction and narratives, yet they are often considered less viable due to the costs required against the profit in sales, or because of their technical requirements to use. The M22 engine aims to address both these issues

Residential radon-222 exposure and lung cancer: exposure assessment methodology

Although occupational epidemiological studies and animal experimentation provide strong evidence that radon-222 (222Rn) progeny exposure causes lung cancer, residential epidemiological studies have not confirmed this association. Past residential epidemiological studies have yielded contradictory findings. Exposure misclassification has seriously compromised the ability of these studies to detect whether an association exists between 222Rn exposure and lung cancer. Misclassification of 222Rn exposure has arisen primarily from: 1) detector measurement error; 2) failure to consider temporal and spatial 222Rn variations within a home; 3) missing data from previously occupied homes that currently are inaccessible; 4) failure to link 222Rn concentrations with subject mobility; and 5) measuring 222Rn gas concentration as a surrogate for 222Rn progeny exposure. This paper examines these methodological dosimetry problems and addresses how we are accounting for them in an ongoing, population-based, case-control study of 222Rn and lung cancer in Iowa

A restatement of the natural science evidence base concerning grassland management, grazing livestock and soil carbon storage

Approximately a third of all annual greenhouse gas emissions globally are directly or indirectly associated with the food system, and over a half of these are linked to livestock production. In temperate oceanic regions, such as the UK, most meat and dairy is produced in extensive systems based on pasture. There is much interest in the extent to which such grassland may be able to sequester and store more carbon to partially or completely mitigate other greenhouse gas emissions in the system. However, answering this question is difficult due to context-specificity and a complex and sometimes inconsistent evidence base. This paper describes a project that set out to summarize the natural science evidence base relevant to grassland management, grazing livestock and soil carbon storage potential in as policy-neutral terms as possible. It is based on expert appraisal of a systematically assembled evidence base, followed by a wide stakeholders engagement. A series of evidence statements (in the appendix of this paper) are listed and categorized according to the nature of the underlying information, and an annotated bibliography is provided in the electronic supplementary material.</p