Cognitive Debiasing to Improve Diagnosis of Mood Disorders

Diagnosis of mental disorders should be as accurate as possible, particularly for a difficult subject such as depression and bipolar disorder. These mood disorders, the latter in particular, can be suspect to misdiagnosis from a number of reasons, including common comorbidities, symptom presentation during assessment, use of evidence-based practices, cultural differences, and the conceptualization of mental illness by the public and by clinicians. Some research has suggested cognitive biases may occur in clinical settings in a way that can lead to diagnostic inaccuracy, but there is little literature focused on practical applications to offset these heuristics. This study builds on previous research and tests how online tools can be used to improve diagnosis of mood disorders, particularly across different cultures including the United States and Asia. An online cognitive debiasing video presentation describing common heuristics and practical solutions to offset them was presented to participants in the experimental group, who were hypothesized to diagnose more accurately than the control group. All participants diagnosed and recommended treatment to short clinical vignettes based on actual cases. This study had several recruitment and retention problems, resulting in a small sample size to extract data from. Preliminary results suggested participants gave overall partially accurate diagnoses and that they learned something new from the debiasing module (M=3.50, SD=0.55). Future studies need to expand recruitment from professional samples, revamp information presentation, expand on implementation research, and prioritize applied practice of intervention techniques to improve diagnosis.Bachelor of Scienc

Magnetic excitations of the Cu2+^{2+} quantum spin chain in Sr3_3CuPtO6_6

We report the magnetic excitation spectrum as measured by inelastic neutron scattering for a polycrystalline sample of Sr$_3$CuPtO$_6$. Modeling the data by the 2+4 spinon contributions to the dynamical susceptibility within the chains, and with interchain coupling treated in the random phase approximation, accounts for the major features of the powder-averaged structure factor. The magnetic excitations broaden considerably as temperature is raised, persisting up to above 100 K and displaying a broad transition as previously seen in the susceptibility data. No spin gap is observed in the dispersive spin excitations at low momentum transfer, which is consistent with the gapless spinon continuum expected from the coordinate Bethe ansatz. However, the temperature dependence of the excitation spectrum gives evidence of some very weak interchain coupling.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Arterial Stiffness in a Cohort of Young People Living With Perinatal HIV and HIV Negative Young People in England

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased life expectancy and consequently the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults living with HIV. We investigated the levels and predictors of arterial stiffness in young people (YP) living with perinatal HIV (PHIV) and HIV negative YP in the Adolescents and Adults Living with Perinatal HIV (AALPHI) study. Methods: AALPHI was a prospective study evaluating the impact of HIV infection and exposure to ART on YP living with PHIV (aged 13-21 years) who had known their HIV status for at least 6 months, and HIV negative YP (aged 13-23 years) who either had a sibling, friend or parent living with HIV. Participants were enrolled from HIV clinics and community services in England. Two hundred and thirteen PHIV and 65 HIV negative YP (42% siblings of PHIV) had pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements taken (Vicorder software) from the supra-sternal notch to the middle of the thigh cuff, at their second interview in the study between 2015 and 2017. Average PWV was calculated from the three closest readings (≥3 and ≤ 12 m/s) within 0.6 m/s of each other. Linear regression examined predictors of higher (worse) PWV, including age, sex, HIV status and height as a priori, ethnicity, born outside UK/Ireland, alcohol/nicotine/drug use, weight, waist-to-hip-ratio, mean arterial pressure (MAP), caffeine 2 h before PWV and nicotine on day of PWV. A separate PHIV model included CD4, viral load, years taking ART and ART regimen. Findings: One hundred and twenty eight (60%) PHIV and 45 (69%) HIV negative YP were female (p = 0.18), with median (IQR) age 18 (16, 20) and 18 (16, 21) years (p = 0.48) respectively. Most PHIV were taking a combination of three ART drugs from two classes. There was a trend toward higher (worse) mean PWV in the PHIV group than the HIV negative group [unvariable analysis 6.15 (SD 0.83) m/s vs. 5.93 (0.70) m/s, respectively, unadjusted p = 0.058], which was statistically significant in the multivariable analysis [adjusted p (ap) = 0.020]. In multivariable analysis being male (ap = 0.002), older age (ap < 0.001), higher MAP (ap < 0.001) and nicotine use on day of measurement (ap = 0.001) were also predictors of higher PWV. The predictors were the same in the PHIV model. Interpretation: By late adolescence PHIV had worse PWV in comparison to HIV negative peers, and traditional risk factors for CVD (higher arterial pressure, being male and older age) were associated with higher PWV values. Regular detailed monitoring of cardiovascular risk factors should become standard of care for every young person with PHIV worldwide

Compact fibre Bragg grating-based thermometer for on-line temperature monitoring of drill bits

In this communication, a novel compact fibre Bragg grating-based thermometer for on-line temperature monitoring of drill bits is reported. Our proposed technique can potentially be used to optimize any drilling process, requiring the use of small drill bits, through direct temperature measurement at the drill bit instead of relying on indirect parameters (speed of rotation, applied force) in order to avoid an overheating as it is currently done nowadays

Exploring Fitness and Edit Distance of Mutated Python Programs

Genetic Improvement (GI) is the process of using computational search techniques to improve existing software e.g. in terms of execution time, power consumption or correctness. As in most heuristic search algorithms, the search is guided by fitness with GI searching the space of program variants of the original software. The relationship between the program space and fitness is seldom simple and often quite difficult to analyse. This paper makes a preliminary analysis of GI’s fitness distance measure on program repair with three small Python programs. Each program undergoes incremental mutations while the change in fitness as measured by proportion of tests passed is monitored. We conclude that the fitnesses of these programs often does not change with single mutations and we also confirm the inherent discreteness of bug fixing fitness functions. Although our findings cannot be assumed to be general for other software they provide us with interesting directions for further investigation

Kumasi Marketing Strategy: Tourism

Kumasi needs to position itself strategically as a cultural destination, communicate its attributes more effectively to tourists already in Ghana and differentiate itself from other cities and attractions. Position should entail marketing a larger cultural region than just Kumasi. Several positioning statements can transmit Kumasi's new marketing strategy: Kumasi - Heart of the Kingdom of Ashanti, Ashanti - The Hidden Kingdom, Kumasi - Come and See! Kumasi is well placed to capitalize on the growth of tourism in Ghana due to its status as a cultural capital. The financial impact of tourism growth is potentially significant for the city and its surrounding districts. The creation of the Ashanti Region Marketing Corporation is fundamental to proper coordination among stakeholders

Similar self-organizing scale-invariant properties characterize early cancer invasion and long range species spread

Occupancy of new habitats through dispersion is a central process in nature. In particular, long range dispersal is involved in the spread of species and epidemics, although it has not been previously related with cancer invasion, a process that involves spread to new tissues. We show that the early spread of cancer cells is similar to the species individuals spread and that both processes are represented by a common spatio-temporal signature, characterized by a particular fractal geometry of the boundaries of patches generated, and a power law-scaled, disrupted patch size distribution. We show that both properties are a direct result of long-distance dispersal, and that they reflect homologous ecological processes of population self-organization. Our results are significant for processes involving long-range dispersal like biological invasions, epidemics and cancer metastasis.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figure

The spectral energy distribution of D-type symbiotic stars: the role of dust shells

We have collected continuum data of a sample of D-type symbiotic stars. By modelling their spectral energy distribution in a colliding-wind theoretical scenario we have found the common characteristics to all the systems: 1) at least two dust shells are clearly present, one at \sim 1000 K and the other at \sim 400 K; they dominate the emission in the IR; 2) the radio data are explained by thermal self-absorbed emission from the reverse shock between the stars; while 3) the data in the long wavelength tail come from the expanding shock outwards the system; 4) in some symbiotic stars, the contribution from the WD in the UV is directly seen. Finally, 5) for some objects soft X-ray emitted by bremsstrahlung downstream of the reverse-shock between the stars are predicted. The results thus confirm the validity of the colliding wind model and the important role of the shocks. The comparison of the fluxes calculated at the nebula with those observed at Earth reveals the distribution throughout the system of the different components, in particular the nebulae and the dust shells. The correlation of shell radii with the orbital period shows that larger radii are found at larger periods. Moreover, the temperatures of the dust shells regarding the sample are found at 1000 K and <=400 K, while, in the case of late giants, they spread more uniformly throughout the same range.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Evaluating the utility of knowledge-based planning for clinical trials using the TROG 08.03 post prostatectomy radiation therapy planning data

Background and purpose: Poor quality radiotherapy can detrimentally affect outcomes in clinical trials. Our purpose was to explore the potential of knowledge-based planning (KBP) for quality assurance (QA) in clinical trials. Materials and methods: Using 30 in-house post-prostatectomy radiation treatment (PPRT) plans, an iterative KBP model was created according to the multicentre clinical trial protocol, delivering 64 Gy in 32 fractions. KBP was used to replan 137 plans. The KB (knowledge based) plans were evaluated for their ability to fulfil the trial constraints and were compared against their corresponding original treatment plans (OTP). A second analysis between only the 72 inversely planned OTPs (IP-OTPs) and their corresponding KB plans was performed. Results: All dose constraints were met in 100% of KB plans versus 69% of OTPs. KB plans demonstrated significantly less variation in PTV coverage (Mean dose range: KB plans 64.1 Gy-65.1 Gy vs OTP 63.1 Gy-67.3 Gy, p \u3c 0.01). KBP resulted in significantly lower doses to OARs. Rectal V60Gy and V40Gy were 17.7% vs 27.7% (p \u3c 0.01) and 40.5% vs 53.9% (p \u3c 0.01) for KB plans and OTP respectively. Left femoral head (FH) V45Gy and V35Gy were 0.4% vs 7.4% (p \u3c 0.01) and 7.9% vs 34.9% (p \u3c 0.01) respectively. In the second analysis plan improvements were maintained. Conclusions: KBP created high quality PPRT plans using the data from a multicentre clinical trial in a single optimisation. It is a powerful tool for utilisation in clinical trials for patient specific QA, to reduce dose to surrounding OARs and variations in plan quality which could impact on clinical trial outcomes

A neonate with left pulmonary artery thrombosis and left lung hypoplasia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Spontaneous intrauterine arterial thrombosis and congenital pulmonary hypoplasia are rare conditions and have not been reported to occur together. The literature rather includes two reports of babies with neonatal pulmonary artery occlusion and post-infarction cysts of the lungs.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of a live Caucasian male newborn with left lung hypoplasia that occurred in association with left pulmonary artery thrombosis. Despite a critical neonatal course, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, this infant is alive and well at 18 months of age without any neurodevelopmental sequelae or reactive airway disease.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This association suggests the possibility of an intrauterine vascular event between the fifth and eighth weeks of gestation during early pulmonary artery and lung development.</p