Effects of Information about Invasive Species on Risk Perception and Seafood Demand by Gender and Race

In this paper we consider the effects of negative and positive risk information on perceived seafood risks and seafood consumption by gender and race. The data is from a Mid-Atlantic survey of coastal seafood consumers. We elicit risk perceptions in three risk scenarios with a dichotomous choice with a follow-up question format. We elicit continuous revealed and stated preference seafood consumption in nine risk and price scenarios. Analysis in four gender and race categories indicates that demographic groups respond to the positive and negative information in different ways. Communication of risk information as risk mitigation policy is a challenge. Key Words:

Kernel Matrix-Based Heuristic Multiple Kernel Learning

Kernel theory is a demonstrated tool that has made its way into nearly all areas of machine learning. However, a serious limitation of kernel methods is knowing which kernel is needed in practice. Multiple kernel learning (MKL) is an attempt to learn a new tailored kernel through the aggregation of a set of valid known kernels. There are generally three approaches to MKL: fixed rules, heuristics, and optimization. Optimization is the most popular; however, a shortcoming of most optimization approaches is that they are tightly coupled with the underlying objective function and overfitting occurs. Herein, we take a different approach to MKL. Specifically, we explore different divergence measures on the values in the kernel matrices and in the reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). Experiments on benchmark datasets and a computer vision feature learning task in explosive hazard detection demonstrate the effectiveness and generalizability of our proposed methods

Long-Range Periodic Patterns in Microbial Genomes Indicate Significant Multi-Scale Chromosomal Organization

Genome organization can be studied through analysis of chromosome position-dependent patterns in sequence-derived parameters. A comprehensive analysis of such patterns in prokaryotic sequences and genome-scale functional data has yet to be performed. We detected spatial patterns in sequence-derived parameters for 163 chromosomes occurring in 135 bacterial and 16 archaeal organisms using wavelet analysis. Pattern strength was found to correlate with organism-specific features such as genome size, overall GC content, and the occurrence of known motility and chromosomal binding proteins. Given additional functional data for Escherichia coli, we found significant correlations among chromosome position dependent patterns in numerous properties, some of which are consistent with previously experimentally identified chromosome macrodomains. These results demonstrate that the large-scale organization of most sequenced genomes is significantly nonrandom, and, moreover, that this organization is likely linked to genome size, nucleotide composition, and information transfer processes. Constraints on genome evolution and design are thus not solely dependent upon information content, but also upon an intricate multi-parameter, multi-length-scale organization of the chromosome

Who Gives a Trump? Evidence of Framing Effects in Tax Policy

We use a framed survey to measure how associating the name “Trump” with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) affects people’s satisfaction of said Act. Our research included 72 participant clients from a Volunteer Income Tax Assistants (VITA) program, who were asked to provide baseline data regarding political affiliation and attitudes prior to having tax returns completed. We find that using the name “Trump” with people who self-identify as Republican results in more satisfaction with the Act, whereas, for people with who do not self-identify as Republican, association with the name “Trump” does not precipitate stronger or weaker satisfaction with the Act

Whole-genome sequencing shows that patient-to-patient transmission rarely accounts for acquisition of Staphylococcus aureus in an intensive care unit

BACKGROUND  Strategies to prevent Staphylococcus aureus infection in hospitals focus on patient-to-patient transmission. We used whole-genome sequencing to investigate the role of colonized patients as the source of new S. aureus acquisitions, and the reliability of identifying patient-to-patient transmission using the conventional approach of spa typing and overlapping patient stay. METHODS Over 14 months, all unselected patients admitted to an adult intensive care unit (ICU) were serially screened for S. aureus. All available isolates (n = 275) were spa typed and underwent whole-genome sequencing to investigate their relatedness at high resolution. RESULTS Staphylococcus aureus was carried by 185 of 1109 patients sampled within 24 hours of ICU admission (16.7%); 59 (5.3%) patients carried methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Forty-four S. aureus (22 MRSA) acquisitions while on ICU were detected. Isolates were available for genetic analysis from 37 acquisitions. Whole-genome sequencing indicated that 7 of these 37 (18.9%) were transmissions from other colonized patients. Conventional methods (spa typing combined with overlapping patient stay) falsely identified 3 patient-to-patient transmissions (all MRSA) and failed to detect 2 acquisitions and 4 transmissions (2 MRSA). CONCLUSIONS Only a minority of S. aureus acquisitions can be explained by patient-to-patient transmission. Whole-genome sequencing provides the resolution to disprove transmission events indicated by conventional methods and also to reveal otherwise unsuspected transmission events. Whole-genome sequencing should replace conventional methods for detection of nosocomial S. aureus transmission

Cilia Have a Significant Role in Regulating Cell Size in Response to Fluid Flow Induced Shear Stress in a Flow Chamber

Cilia are hair-like protrusions on the apical surface of cells. Their function is to relay mechanical signals like shear stress from extracellular into intracellular environment and thereby maintain cellular homeostasis. Ciliary dysfunctions include polycystic kidney disease and new therapeutic interventions based on ciliary function are under investigation. The current study evaluates the use of a custom designed fluid flow chamber’s ability to study the role of cilia in regulating cell size in response to shear stress. A fluid flow chamber that continually maintains laminar flow at different flow rates and temperature was designed. Endothelial wild type cells (ETWT) that have cilia and polycystic kidney disease cells (PKD) that lost their ciliary function are grown on different glass slides. Cells on each glass slide are then exposed to continuous flow of phosphate-buffered saline at 37oC in the flow chamber. The optimal flow rate and duration of flow were first determined by measuring the total protein concentration before and after exposing the cells. Cell radius and area before and after exposing them to flow are measured using the NIS Software available on the microscope. The results from protein concentrations (n=12) indicate that cells are still attached at normal physiological flow rate 467 mL/min (2.8 µg/µL) and did not significantly differ from 60 mL/min (4.08 µg/µL) or 600 mL/min (2.73 µg/µL). The results for duration of fluid flow (n=22) show that 60 minutes (0.09 + 0.01 µg/µL) is optimal compared to 120 minutes (0.06 + 0.01 µg/µL) or 180 minutes (0.10 + 0.02 µg/µL). Under these optimal conditions, the average area of ETWT cells (n=300) measured from different slides before and after the flow is 4420.81+ 67.40 µm2 and 4678.17 + 87.15 µm2 (n=200) respectively. For PKD cells, the average area before and after the flow (n=300) is 5682.46 + 105.48 µm2 and 4173.74 + 263.97 µm2 (n=250). These results are in agreement with the published literature on the ability of cilia to maintain cell size in ETWT cells in response to shear stress that is similar to normal blood flow. However, under similar conditions, PKD cells could not maintain their cell size as the mechano-chemical signaling pathway that communicates external signals to prepare appropriate intracellular response is disrupted. These results provide confirmation that the custom designed parallel plate fluid flow chamber is a reliable tool to investigate the specific targets in the mechano-chemical cell signaling pathways

The cost effectiveness of bevacizumab when added to capecitabine, with or without mitomycin-C, in first line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: results from the Australasian phase III MAX study

Background: Based on the clinical data, bevacizumab has been approved in Australia and globally for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. However, limited evidence exists for its cost-effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of adding bevacizumab to capecitabine monotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, using data from the prospective economic evaluation conducted alongside the MAX trial. Methods: Individual patient level data on resource use and progression free survival were prospectively collected in the phase III MAX trial. Resource use data were collected for the period between randomisation and disease progression, and unit costs were assigned from the perspective of the Australian health care funder. Effectiveness was measured in quality adjusted progression free survival years, with utility scores obtained from both the community valued EQ-5D questionnaire and the patient valued UBQ-C questionnaire. Progression free survival was used as a secondary effectiveness measure. Results: The addition of bevacizumab to capecitabine monotherapy cost approximately $192,156 (95$135,619 to $326,894) per quality adjusted progression free survival year gained when using publicly listed pharmaceutical prices and utility values from the EQ-5D questionnaire. This decreased to$149,455 (95% CI, $100,356 to$245,910) when values from the UBQ-C questionnaire were applied. The incremental cost per progression free survival year was $145,059 (95$106,703 to $233,225). Conclusions: Bevacizumab was not found to be cost effective at its listed price, based on results from the MAX trial.Roche Products Pty Lt

The cost effectiveness of bevacizumab when added to capecitabine, with or without mitomycin-C, in first line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: results from the Australasian phase III MAX study

Background: Based on the clinical data, bevacizumab has been approved in Australia and globally for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. However, limited evidence exists for its cost-effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of adding bevacizumab to capecitabine monotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, using data from the prospective economic evaluation conducted alongside the MAX trial. Methods: Individual patient level data on resource use and progression free survival were prospectively collected in the phase III MAX trial. Resource use data were collected for the period between randomisation and disease progression, and unit costs were assigned from the perspective of the Australian health care funder. Effectiveness was measured in quality adjusted progression free survival years, with utility scores obtained from both the community valued EQ-5D questionnaire and the patient valued UBQ-C questionnaire. Progression free survival was used as a secondary effectiveness measure. Results: The addition of bevacizumab to capecitabine monotherapy cost approximately $192,156 (95$135,619 to $326,894) per quality adjusted progression free survival year gained when using publicly listed pharmaceutical prices and utility values from the EQ-5D questionnaire. This decreased to$149,455 (95% CI, $100,356 to$245,910) when values from the UBQ-C questionnaire were applied. The incremental cost per progression free survival year was $145,059 (95$106,703 to $233,225). Conclusions: Bevacizumab was not found to be cost effective at its listed price, based on results from the MAX trial.Roche Products Pty Lt

Posttreatment periresectional ADC in GBM

BACKGROUND: Although targeted by radiotherapy, recurrence in glioblastoma occurs mainly periresectionally owing to tumor infiltration. An increase in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) has been shown in the large high-T2 area on magnetic resonance imaging posttreatment; however, until now ADC has not been investigated directly in the more relevant periresectional area. METHODS: Histogram analysis was used to assess periresectional ADC values in patients with glioblastoma postradiotherapy versus preradiotherapy. Periresectional ADC values starting at 0-5 mm in 5-mm increments up to 20-25 mm were extracted and compared using 2-way repeated-measurements analysis of variance. RESULTS: Mean ADC values directly adjacent to the resection area (0-5 mm) were significantly higher postradiotherapy compared with preradiotherapy (P = .017). ADC values in the 0- to 5-mm region were also higher than those in 5- to 10-, 10- to 15-, and 15- to 20-mm regions (P < .05). Regional standard deviations in ADC values were higher postradiotherapy compared with preradiotherapy for the 0- to 5-mm region up to the 15- to 20-mm region, inclusive (P < .05); however, Cox regression analysis showed no survival benefits from the increased ADC in the 0- to 5-mm region postradiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Increased ADC values, representing a decrease in infiltrative tumor load, were demonstrated in a limited direct periresectional area. This finding adds to previous studies evaluating ADC response in the larger high-T2 area in relation to survival.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2016.04.12

Extent of resection of peritumoral diffusion tensor imaging-detected abnormality as a predictor of survival in adult glioblastoma patients

OBJECTIVE Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been shown to detect tumor invasion in glioblastoma patients and has been applied in surgical planning. However, the clinical value of the extent of resection based on DTI is unclear. Therefore, the correlation between the extent of resection of DTI abnormalities and patients' outcome was retrospectively reviewed.METHODS A review was conducted of 31 patients with newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma who underwent standard 5-aminolevulinic-acid aided surgery with the aim of maximal resection of the enhancing tumor component. All patients underwent presurgical MRI, including volumetric postcontrast T1-weighted imaging, DTI, and FLAIR. Postsurgical anatomical MR images were obtained within 72 hours of resection. The diffusion tensor was split into an isotropic (p) and anisotropic (q) component. The extent of resection was measured for the abnormal area on the p, q, FLAIR, and postcontrast T1-weighted images. Data were analyzed in relation to patients' outcome using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models controlling for possible confounding factors including age, O-6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase methylation status, and isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 mutation.RESULTS Complete resection of the enhanced tumor shown on the postcontrast II-weighted images was achieved in 24 of 31 patients (77%). The mean extent of resection of the abnormal p, q, and FLAIR areas was 57%, 83%, and 59%, respectively. Increased resection of the abnormal p and q areas correlated positively with progression-free survival (p = 0.009 and p = 0.006, respectively). Additionally, a larger, residual, abnormal q volume predicted significantly shorter time to progression (p = 0.008). More extensive resection of the abnormal q and contrast-enhanced area improved overall survival (p = 0.041 and 0.050, respectively).CONCLUSIONS Longer progression-free survival and overall survival were seen in glioblastoma patients in whom more DTI-documented abnormality was resected, which was previously shown to represent infiltrative tumor. This highlights the potential usefulness and the importance of an extended resection based on DTI-derived maps.</p