The big Dehn surgery graph and the link of S^3

In a talk at the Cornell Topology Festival in 2005, W. Thurston discussed a graph which we call "The Big Dehn Surgery Graph", B. Here we explore this graph, particularly the link of S^3, and prove facts about the geometry and topology of B. We also investigate some interesting subgraphs and pose what we believe are important questions about B.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, 4 ancillary files. Reorganized and shortened from previous versions, while correcting one error in the proof of Theorem 5.4. Also, ancillary files detailing our computations with the computer program ORB have been provide

Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review with a focus on Africa

Health care workers in developing countries continue to lack access to basic, practical information to enable them to deliver safe, effective care. This paper provides the first phase of a broader literature review of the information and learning needs of health care providers in developing countries

Recommendations for PICO\u27s Sustainable Impact

This will suggest next steps for PICO-Rwanda to sustain its impact on communities over time, including the development of a PICO-Rwanda line of coffee

Big Dehn surgery graph and the link of s^3

Mathematic

Atrial fibrillation and survival in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Survival in colorectal cancer may correlate with the degree of systemic inflammatory response to the tumour. Atrial fibrillation may be regarded as an inflammatory complication. We aimed to determine if atrial fibrillation is a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective colorectal cancer patient database was cross-referenced with the hospital clinical-coding database to identify patients who had underwent colorectal cancer surgery and were in atrial fibrillation pre- or postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 175 patients underwent surgery for colorectal cancer over a two-year period. Of these, 13 patients had atrial fibrillation pre- or postoperatively. Atrial fibrillation correlated with worse two-year survival (p = 0.04; log-rank test). However, in a Cox regression analysis, atrial fibrillation was not significantly associated with survival. CONCLUSION: The presence or development of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer is associated with worse overall survival, however it was not found to be an independent factor in multivariate analysis

The BASES expert statement on exercise, immunity, and infection

An individual's level of physical activity influences their risk of infection, most likely by affecting immune function. Regular moderate exercise reduces the risk of infection compared with a sedentary lifestyle, but very prolonged bouts of exercise and periods of intensified training are associated with an increased risk of infection. There are several lifestyle, nutritional, and training strategies that can be adopted to limit the extent of exercise-induced immunodepression and minimize the risk of infection. This expert statement provides a background summarizing the evidence together with extensive conclusions and practical guidelines

PICO Rwanda: Analytical Report on the Accelerator Workshops

A key innovation of the workshops was the use of Rwandans as co-presenters. This cultural exchange was crucial to the success of the training. Post-workshop evaluations with the communities will inform the analysis

Applying a new concept for strategic performance indicators

Performance measurement provides critical information for strategic decision-making about the future of national infrastructure provision. The process of developing appropriate performance indicators must be based on an understanding of the high-level desired outcomes that infrastructure systems are intended to facilitate. These outcomes may be complex and dynamic and vary across the spectrum of infrastructure stakeholders. This paper demonstrates a conceptual process for developing outcome-related performance indicators by using case studies from the UK rail and water sectors. The case studies show that the process can provide an industry-specific picture of desired outcomes across the main stakeholders, together with their dimensions and associated performance indicators (so-called partial indicators). The work highlights potential shortfalls of a sector-by-sector approach to outcome-oriented strategic performance indicators and suggests that further work is required to integrate partial indicators to provide a holistic picture that recognises the contributions often made by a variety of infrastructures to a given high-level desired outcome

A conceptual approach to strategic performance indicators

Effective decision-making for the provision and maintenance of infrastructure systems requires strategic performance indicators aligned with a clear vision of the societal benefits that infrastructure will be expected to enable and systemic awareness of interdependencies between infrastructure sectors. This paper proposes a conceptual outcome-oriented approach to strategic infrastructure performance indicators as a systemic alternative to current approaches which predominantly focus on performance within individual sectors. The conceptual approach proposed aligns performance measures with stated priorities and future aspirations rather than past performance; provides a transparent framework for decision-making; can be applied at a range of scales; and creates an evidence base against which indicator design can be justified and reviewed. Additionally, the conceptual outcome-oriented approach proposed is adaptable for application in other areas of infrastructure decision-making, in particular the development of methodologies to assess what infrastructure will be needed in the future