Coastal survey data for Perranporth Beach and Start Bay in southwest England (2006-2021).

Records of beach morphologic change and concurrent hydrodynamic forcing are needed to understand how coastlines in different environments change over time. This submission contains data for the period 2006 to 2021, for two contrasting macrotidal environments in southwest England: (i) cross-shore dominated, dissipative, sandy Perranporth Beach, Cornwall; and (ii) longshore-dominated, reflective gravel beaches within Start Bay, Devon. Data comprise monthly to annual beach profile surveys, annual merged topo-bathymetries, in addition to observed and numerically modelled wave and water levels. These data provide a valuable resource for modelling the behaviour of coastal types not covered by other currently available datasets.

Cue utilisation reduces the impact of response bias in histopathology.

Histopathologists make diagnostic decisions that are thought to be based on pattern recognition, likely informed by cue-based associations formed in memory, a process known as cue utilisation. Typically, the cases presented to the histopathologist have already been classified as 'abnormal' by clinical examination and/or other diagnostic tests. This results in a high disease prevalence, the potential for 'abnormality priming', and a response bias leading to false positives on normal cases. This study investigated whether higher cue utilisation is associated with a reduction in positive response bias in the diagnostic decisions of histopathologists. Data were collected from eighty-two histopathologists who completed a series of demographic and experience-related questions and the histopathology edition of the Expert Intensive Skills Evaluation 2.0 (EXPERTise 2.0) to establish behavioural indicators of context-related cue utilisation. They also completed a separate, diagnostic task comprising breast histopathology images where the frequency of abnormality was manipulated to create a high disease prevalence context for diagnostic decisions relating to normal tissue. Participants were assigned to higher or lower cue utilisation groups based on their performance on EXPERTise 2.0. When the effects of experience were controlled, higher cue utilisation was specifically associated with a greater accuracy classifying normal images, recording a lower positive response bias. This study suggests that cue utilisation may play a protective role against response biases in histopathology settings.

What can an echocardiographer see in briefly presented stimuli? Perceptual expertise in dynamic search.

BACKGROUND: Experts in medical image perception are able to detect abnormalities rapidly from medical images. This ability is likely due to enhanced pattern recognition on a global scale. However, the bulk of research in this domain has focused on static rather than dynamic images, so it remains unclear what level of information that can be extracted from these displays. This study was designed to examine the visual capabilities of echocardiographers-practitioners who provide information regarding cardiac integrity and functionality. In three experiments, echocardiographers and naïve participants completed an abnormality detection task that comprised movies presented on a range of durations, where half were abnormal. This was followed by an abnormality categorization task. RESULTS: Across all durations, the results showed that performance was high for detection, but less so for categorization, indicating that categorization was a more challenging task. Not surprisingly, echocardiographers outperformed naïve participants. CONCLUSIONS: Together, this suggests that echocardiographers have a finely tuned capability for cardiac dysfunction, and a great deal of visual information can be extracted during a global assessment, within a brief glance. No relationship was evident between experience and performance which suggests that other factors such as individual differences need to be considered for future studies.

Are trends in the proportions of non-medically indicated inductions different by Medicaid status?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Medicaid status influenced the effect of a quality improvement effort. STUDY DESIGN: Using a data set consisting of the 2006 to 2010 vital statistics data linked with Medicaid status data, we identified non-medically indicated inductions between 36 0/7 and 38 6/7 weeks gestational age and compared rates of non-medically indicated inductions between women with Medicaid and all other payers. We also compared these rates in hospitals that did and did not participate in the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative (OPQC). RESULTS: A total of 232 935 births with gestational ages between 36 0/7 and 38 6/7 weeks were included in this study. In the sample, 32 371 births (13.9%) were non-medically indicated inductions. Overall, rates of non-medically indicated deliveries for all insurance types dropped over the course of the initiative. Interestingly, in OPQC participating hospitals, the Medicaid mothers' rates of non-medically indicated inductions prior to 39 weeks were well below rates for other insurance types prior to the initiative. By the end of the initiative, rates for all insurance types had dropped significantly but non-medically indicated inductions<39 weeks rates dropped more dramatically in the non-Medicaid mothers, resulting in higher rates for Medicaid than for non-Medicaid mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Non-medically indicated deliveries decreased for women irrespective of Medicaid enrollment status. However, non-medically indicated delivery rates did not drop as sharply for women enrolled in Medicaid.

SU-E-T-472: Characterization of the Very High Energy Electrons, ISO - 250 MeV (VHEE) Beam Generated by ALPHA-X Laser Wakefield Accelerator Beam Line for Utilization in Monte Carlo Simulation for Biomedical Experiment Planning.

PURPOSE: Progress in the development of compact high-energy pulsed laser- plasma wakefield accelerators is opening up the potential for using Very High Energy Electron (VHEEs) beams in the range of 150 - 250 MeV for biomedical studies. Initial experiments using VHEE for this purpose have been carried out using the ALPHA-X laser-plasma wakefield accelerator beam line at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. The purpose of this investigation is to use Monte Carlo simulations to plan experiments and compare with characterization of the interaction of the VHEE beam using a dosimeter. METHODS: An experiment using the VHEE beam to irradiate a muscle-equivalent BANG polymer gel dosimeter has been carried out. Simulations have been used to prepare for the experiments. These were undertaken using the expected average energy for a pulse set and an energy spread approximated by Gaussian distribution. The model was implemented in FLUKA Monte Carlo code with follow up modeling using the Geant4 toolkit. The results have been compared with 1mm̂3 voxel laser CT based measurements of the dose deposited in the BANG dosimeter and with measurement of the induced radioactivity. RESULTS: The results of the measured dose from induced radioactivity have been compared with data from the FLUKA simulations. The beam model based on an average energy of particles in irradiation gives an acceptable estimate of the induced radioactivity and the dose deposited in the BANG dosimeter. Comparison with the dosimeter scanned profiles shows that the structure of the spectra of VHEE beams in the experiment and secondary scattered particles in the beam line should be accounted for in any model. Such model description of the VHEE beam for the ALPHA-X beam line has been developed. CONCLUSIONS: Monte Carlo simulations using the FLUKA code is an efficient way to plan a VHEE experiment and analyze data from measurements.

The effect of various Mycoplasma bovis isolates on bovine leukocyte responses.

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) contributes to a number of clinical syndromes in cattle; in particular, chronic pneumonia that is poorly responsive to therapy has been increasingly recognized as an important cause of morbidity, mortality, and financial loss. M. bovis impairs host immune function, but little is known about whether field isolates vary significantly in their effect on immune function. This research tested the hypothesis that different field isolates vary in their ability to suppress cellular metabolism and cellular production of radical oxygen species (ROS) by bovine leukocytes. Total blood leukocytes from 6 cattle were exposed to six field isolates, two diagnostic lab isolates, and two high passage laboratory isolates of M. bovis, and ROS production was measured by oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR-123). Cellular metabolism was measured by reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). Significant differences in the response to some field isolates were identified. Three field isolates and both diagnostic lab isolates significantly decreased ROS production by leukocytes from multiple cattle, while the high pass laboratory isolates did not. In contrast, MTT reduction was not significantly impaired by any of the M. bovis strains tested. M. bovis impairs ROS production by bovine leukocytes; the magnitude of the effect appears to be isolate-dependent, and is not related to a general impairment of cellular metabolism. Chronic M. bovis infection in some cattle may be related to impaired ability of leukocytes to produce ROS when exposed to M. bovis.

Primary hepatic lymphoma: imaging findings.

Primary hepatic lymphoma (PHL) is rare, accounting for less than 1% of all extranodal lymphomas. In this article, we retrospectively reviewed the imaging features of 12 pathologically proven cases of primary hepatic lymphoma.

Effectiveness of a social support intervention on infant feeding practices: randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: To assess whether monthly home visits from trained volunteers could improve infant feeding practices at age 12 months, a randomised controlled trial was carried out in two disadvantaged inner city London boroughs. METHODS: Women attending baby clinics with their infants (312) were randomised to receive monthly home visits from trained volunteers over a 9-month period (intervention group) or standard professional care only (control group). The primary outcome was vitamin C intakes from fruit. Secondary outcomes included selected macro and micro-nutrients, infant feeding habits, supine length and weight. Data were collected at baseline when infants were aged approximately 10 weeks, and subsequently when the child was 12 and 18 months old. RESULTS: Two-hundred and twelve women (68%) completed the trial. At both follow-up points no significant differences were found between the groups for vitamin C intakes from fruit or other nutrients. At first follow-up, however, infants in the intervention group were significantly less likely to be given goats' or soya milks, and were more likely to have three solid meals per day. At the second follow-up, intervention group children were significantly less likely to be still using a bottle. At both follow-up points, intervention group children also consumed significantly more specific fruit and vegetables. CONCLUSIONS: Home visits from trained volunteers had no significant effect on nutrient intakes but did promote some other recommended infant feeding practices. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN55500035.

Tunable polymer lens.

A new type of solid-state variable focal length lens is described. It is based on shape changes in an elastomeric membrane driven by compression of a reservoir of a polymer gel. A novel fabrication process based on individual lens components allows for customization of lens power based on the desired application. The lens shape as a function of applied compressive strain is measured using direct surface profile measurements. The focal length of a solid state lens was reversibly changed by a factor of 1.9. Calculated back focal lengths of the lens were consistent with experimental measurements.

Effects of repeated oral examinations on ophthalmology residents.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Oral examinations are required for board certification in Ophthalmology in the USA. The current literature offers no recommendation on the number of administrations during residency. The purpose of this study was to determine how often oral examinations (OEs) should be administered and what effects repeated OEs might have on residents' comfort level with OEs and confidence level in their knowledge base. METHODS: From 2004 to 2006, a structured oral examination was administered every 4 months to ophthalmology residents at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. A survey was administered just prior to each oral examination. RESULTS: After two oral examinations, self-confidence and ability to self-assess one's knowledge increased and anxiety decreased in the residents. Residents' belief that they could pass an oral examination for board certification statistically improved after the third oral examination. CONCLUSIONS: To achieve the full benefits of oral examination training, the exam should be taken at least three times during residency. Formal, structured oral examinations, repeated over time, seem to reduce resident anxiety and improve the residents' ability to realistically assess their level of preparation for an OE.

Evolving a Bayesian Classifier for ECG-based Age Classification in Medical Applications.

OBJECTIVE: To classify patients by age based upon information extracted from their electro-cardiograms (ECGs). To develop and compare the performance of Bayesian classifiers. METHODS AND MATERIAL: We present a methodology for classifying patients according to statistical features extracted from their ECG signals using a genetically evolved Bayesian network classifier. Continuous signal feature variables are converted to a discrete symbolic form by thresholding, to lower the dimensionality of the signal. This simplifies calculation of conditional probability tables for the classifier, and makes the tables smaller. Two methods of network discovery from data were developed and compared: the first using a greedy hill-climb search and the second employed evolutionary computing using a genetic algorithm (GA). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The evolved Bayesian network performed better (86.25% AUC) than both the one developed using the greedy algorithm (65% AUC) and the naïve Bayesian classifier (84.75% AUC). The methodology for evolving the Bayesian classifier can be used to evolve Bayesian networks in general thereby identifying the dependencies among the variables of interest. Those dependencies are assumed to be non-existent by naïve Bayesian classifiers. Such a classifier can then be used for medical applications for diagnosis and prediction purposes.

Effects of presentation method on the understanding of informed consent.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Knowledge of which presentation methods impart the most information to patients can improve the informed consent discussion. The purpose of this study was to determine if the comprehension and recall of the informed consent discussion varied with presentation method. METHODS: Randomised, prospective study at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. 90 freshmen medical students were randomly assigned to one of three groups and separately went through an informed consent on cataract surgery. Group A heard an informed consent presentation. Group B was shown diagrams while hearing the same presentation. Group C heard the consent and then watched an informational video on cataract surgery. A 10 point multiple choice quiz was administered after the presentation and repeated again 1 week later. RESULTS: Scores from each group were averaged as number correct out of 10 questions. For same day scores, group C scores (7.70 (SD 1.24)) were significantly higher than group A (6.39 (1.63)). One week testing revealed that group C (6.96 (1.62)) recalled more between the two time periods and scored significantly higher than groups A (5.15 (2.11)) and B (5.54 (1.64)). CONCLUSIONS: This study found differences in the participants' ability to recall facts based on the manner in which the material was presented. It clearly demonstrated that the use of visual aids improved the ability to remember facts and risks associated with cataract surgery beyond a verbal presentation alone. It also showed a benefit of the repetition of information as provided by audiovisual presentations that can be used in conjunction with the physician-patient discussion.

Postnatal support for mothers living in disadvantaged inner city areas: a randomised controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of two forms of postnatal social support for disadvantaged inner city mothers on maternal and child health outcomes. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial with economic and process evaluations and follow up at 12 and 18 months. The two intervention groups received either the offer of a year of monthly supportive listening home visits by a support health visitor (SHV), or a year of support from community groups providing drop in sessions, home visiting and/or telephone support (CGS). Each was compared with a control group that received standard health visitor services. SETTING: Two disadvantaged boroughs of London, United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS: 731 women from culturally diverse backgrounds with infants. MAIN RESULTS: At 12 and 18 months, there was little impact for either intervention on the main outcomes: child injury (SHV: relative risk 0.99; 95% confidence intervals 0.68 to 1.45, CGS: 0.91; 0.61 to1.36), maternal smoking (SHV: 0.86; 0.62 to 1.19, CGS: 0.97; 0.72 to 1.33) or maternal depression (SHV: 0.86; 0.62 to1.19, CGS: 0.93; 0.69 to 1.27). SHV women had different patterns of health service use (with fewer taking their children to the GP) and had less anxious experiences of motherhood than control women. User satisfaction with the SHV intervention was high. Uptake of the CGS intervention was low: 19%, compared with 94% for the SHV intervention. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence of impact on the primary outcomes of either intervention among this culturally diverse population. The SHV intervention was associated with improvement in some of the secondary outcomes.

The Social Support and Family Health Study: a randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of two alternative forms of postnatal support for mothers living in disadvantaged inner-city areas.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether increased postnatal support could influence maternal and child health outcomes. DESIGN: This was a randomised controlled trial comparing maternal and child health outcomes for women offered either of the support interventions with those for control women receiving standard services only. Outcome data were collected through questionnaires distributed 12 and 18 months postrandomisation. Process data were also collected. There was also an integral economic evaluation. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Women living in deprived enumeration districts in selected London boroughs were eligible for the trial if they gave birth between 1 January and 30 September 1999. RESULTS: The 731 participants were found to be well matched in terms of socio-economic characteristics and health and support variables (14% of the participants were non-English speaking). Response rates at the two follow-up points were 90% and 82%. At both points there were no differences that could not be attributed to chance on the primary outcomes of maternal depression, child injury or maternal smoking. At the first follow-up, there was reduced use of general practitioners by support health visitor (SHV) children, but increased use of NHS health visitors and social workers by mothers. At the second follow-up, both community group support (CGS) and SHV mothers had less use of midwifery services (fewer were pregnant), and SHV mothers were less worried about their child's health and development. Uptake of the CGS intervention was low: 19%, compared with 94% for the SHV intervention. Satisfaction with the intervention among women in the SHV group was high. Based on the assumptions and conditions of the costing methods, the economic evaluation found no net economic cost or benefit of choosing either of the two interventions. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence of impact on the primary outcomes of either intervention. The SHV intervention was popular with women, and was associated with improvement in some of the secondary outcomes. This suggests that greater emphasis on the social support role of health visitors could improve some measures of family well-being. Possible areas for future research include a systematic review of social support and its effect on health; developing and testing other postnatal models of support that match more closely the age of the baby and the changing patterns of mothers' needs; evaluating other strategies for mobilising 'non-professional' support; developing and testing more culturally specific support interventions; developing more culturally appropriate standardised measures of health outcomes; providing longer term follow-up of social support interventions; and exploring the role of social support on the delay in subsequent pregnancy.

Sex differences in grade three students' attitudes toward physical activity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes children have towards physical activity and whether boys and girls differ significantly. Sex differences were hypothesized on one or more of the subdomains of Grade 3 Children's Attitudes Toward Physical Activity inventory. The 46 boys and 51 girls ranged from 8 to 10 years of age. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated a significant effect for sex, and subsequent univariate analysis indicated that the boys had significantly lower scores than the girls on the Aesthetic subscale. Results were discussed in terms of attitides about activity in physical education classes and continued research with younger children.

Effect of warm-up and flexibility treatments on vertical jump performance.

Although different warm-up and flexibility routines are often prescribed before physical activity, little research has been conducted to determine what effects these routines have on athletic performance in activities. The purpose of this investigation was to determine to what degree different warm-up routines affect performance in the vertical jump test. The 40 female participants were asked to perform a general warm-up only, a general warm-up and static stretching, and a general warm-up and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) on 3 nonconsecutive days. Each of the treatments was followed by a vertical jump test. A 1-way repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in vertical jump performance. A post hoc analysis revealed decreased vertical jump performances for the PNF treatment group. Based on the results of this study, performing PNF before a vertical jump test would be detrimental to performance.

Biodegradation of polyether polyurethane inner insulation in bipolar pacemaker leads.

Several bipolar coaxial pacemaker leads, composed of an outer silicone rubber insulation and an inner polyether polyurethane (PEU) insulation, which were explanted due to clinical evidence of electrical dysfunction, were analyzed in this study. Optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to determine the cause of failure. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared microscopy (ATR-FTIR) was used to analyze the PEU insulation for chemical degradation. In all leads, the silicone rubber outer insulation showed no signs of physical damage. Physical damage to the inner PEU insulation was the source of electrical dysfunction. Cracks through the PEU compromised the insulation between the inner and outer conductor coils in the lead. It was observed with SEM that these cracks originated on the outer surface of the inner insulation and progressed inward. ATR-FTIR analysis showed that the PEU had chemically degraded via oxidation of the ether soft segment. Furthermore, it was revealed that chemical degradation was more advanced on the outer surface of the PEU. It was hypothesized that hydrogen peroxide permeated through the outer silicone insulation and decomposed into hydroxyl radicals that caused the chemical degradation of PEU. The metal in the outer conductor coil catalyzed the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide. Chemical degradation of the PEU could also have been catalyzed by metal ions created from the corrosion of the metal in the outer conductor coil by hydrogen peroxide. Physical damage probably occurred in regions of the leads that were subjected to a higher hydrogen peroxide concentration from inflammatory cells and high degrees and rates of strain due to intercorporeal movement, including, but not limited to, cardiac movement. Chemical degradation and physical damage probably had a synergistic affect on failure of the insulation, in that as chemical degradation proceeded, the polymer surface became brittle and more susceptible to physical damage. As physical damage proceeded, cracks propagated into the unaffected bulk, exposing it to oxidants.

Analysis of body esteem in female college athletes and nonathletes.

This research compared the scores on the three subscales of the Body Esteem Scale of 67 female intercollegiate athletes from various sports, and 57 female nonathlete college students enrolled in regular college classes. Analysis indicated no significant differences between the groups on the Sexual Attractiveness and Weight Concern subscales, but only on the Physical Condition subscale, with athletes reporting higher scores and more positive perceptions of body esteem than nonathletes.