Higher Absolute Difference Research Articles

Net survival in colon and rectal cancer by stage according to neoadjuvant treatment. A French population-based study

AimReal-life estimations of survival by stage in colorectal cancer are scanty. We estimated population-based net survival by pathological stage and location, and for rectal cancer by patterns of evolution according to clinical and pathological stage with regard to neoadjuvant therapy. MethodAge-standardized net survival was estimated on 19,630 colorectal cancers diagnosed between 2009 and 2015. ResultsFive-year net survival was 64 % for colon and 62 % for rectal cancer. The highest absolute difference between colon and rectum was 12 % for stage II women aged 75 (91% vs. 79 %). Among patients with clinical stage III rectal cancer, 67 % no longer had pathological node involvement after neoadjuvant treatment. Survival was similar in clinical stage I, II or III and pathological stage III after neoadjuvant treatment and in pathological stage III without neoadjuvant treatment (between 67 % and 72 %). It ranged between 80 and 82 % in pathological stage II, without neoadjuvant treatment or with clinical stage I, II or III before neoadjuvant treatment. Survival ranged between 93 % and 95 % in pathological stage I, treated with surgery only or with clinical stage II or III before neoadjuvant treatment. ConclusionPrognosis is associated with stage determined on surgical specimens rather than stage at the initial workup.

Assessing the performance of the simple noise chart method for construction noise prediction in earth-moving activity

Construction activity has long been associated with health problems caused by excessive noise exposure from the high noise emission machines. Indeed, predicting noise levels during the planning stages of a construction project can be challenging, particularly when considering complex and dynamic noise sources. This study aims to determine the accuracy and reliability of the simple prediction charts method in predicting construction noise. A case study of piling activity had been conducted at a construction site in Klang valley, Malaysia. The results showed that the average predicted noise levels were slightly higher than the actual measurements, but the highest absolute difference was only 0.9 dBA. The simple prediction charts can approximate the sound pressure level with high reliability with R2 values of 0.9959. These results show that the simple prediction charts can accurately and reliably predict construction noise levels, providing a useful tool for predicting the noise levels from earthmoving machines at any point of the construction site. With the help of these charts, construction noise practitioners can more easily anticipate and manage potential noise issues.

Economic Inequality in Healthy and Junk Foods Consumption and its determinants in Children and Adolescents: the CASPIAN- IV Study

Background: Nutritional habits and its determinants, especially in children and adolescents have recently turned into the one of the major concerns of health researches. We examine the diet contribution inequality in according to socio-demographic factors, age, gender, physical activity and body image to alleviate this gap in Iranian children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: Study sample was comprised of 14,880 students aged 6-18 years who selected from urban and rural districts of 30 provinces of Iran via stratified multi-stage sampling method. A short food frequency questionnaire was used for estimating the food group consumption. The Blinder-Oaxaca method was applied to investigate the inequality in the prevalence of healthy and junk foods consumption between the first and fifth socio-economic status (SES) quintiles. Results: The frequency of healthy and junk foods consumption showed considerable differences between the SES quintiles. The highest differences were found in the frequency of fresh fruit (25.38%), vegetable (12.92%), and milk (10.74%) consumption, respectively. The daily consumption of vegetables, and fresh and dried fruits increased linearly by increasing the SES quintiles. The highest absolute difference was seen in the frequency of fresh fruit consumption between the bottom and top of the socioeconomic groups (SII value=-32%). The estimated SII was statistically significant for the consumption of all healthy and junk foods except for fast foods and milk consumption. The estimated C index for consumption of healthy and junk foods was positive and negative, respectively. Conclusion: This study provides the considerable information on the consumption of healthy and junk foods and its determinants among Iranian children and adolescents for better programming, developing health policies, and future complementary analyses.

Similarity of Mothers’ and Preschool Teachers’ Evaluations of Socialization Goals in a Cross-Cultural Perspective

This study examines the similarity of socialization goals of a group of mothers with different cultural backgrounds and their children’s respective preschool teachers in Germany. Additionally, the researchers were interested in the relationship between the degree of mother-teacher similarity and maternal satisfaction with child care. Questionnaire data of nonmigrant (n = 464), Turkish migrant (n = 83), and Former Soviet Union (FSU) migrant (n = 112) mothers and their respective preschool teachers (n = 244) were analyzed. Significant cross-cultural differences between mothers and teachers were evident in the lower correlation of socialization goal evaluations between migrant mothers and teachers, and higher absolute difference scores for migrant mothers. However, maternal satisfaction with institutional child care was not related to similarity of socialization goals and was generally high across all groups. Results point to the importance of cross-cultural differences in child-rearing ideas in terms of the interaction between parents and child care professionals.

Higher difference structure of some discrete processes

A method for analyzing discrete processes based on consideration of their higher difference structure is presented. Two kinds of processes, deterministic systems (discrete dynamical systems) and the sequences of random binary independent variables, are considered. Two main statements, computation of higher absolute differences and restoring the original by a given higher order difference image, are studied. Some applications to dynamical systems are given.

Global habitat suitability models of terrestrial mammals.

Detailed large-scale information on mammal distribution has often been lacking, hindering conservation efforts. We used the information from the 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as a baseline for developing habitat suitability models for 5027 out of 5330 known terrestrial mammal species, based on their habitat relationships. We focused on the following environmental variables: land cover, elevation and hydrological features. Models were developed at 300 m resolution and limited to within species' known geographical ranges. A subset of the models was validated using points of known species occurrence. We conducted a global, fine-scale analysis of patterns of species richness. The richness of mammal species estimated by the overlap of their suitable habitat is on average one-third less than that estimated by the overlap of their geographical ranges. The highest absolute difference is found in tropical and subtropical regions in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia that are not covered by dense forest. The proportion of suitable habitat within mammal geographical ranges correlates with the IUCN Red List category to which they have been assigned, decreasing monotonically from Least Concern to Endangered. These results demonstrate the importance of fine-resolution distribution data for the development of global conservation strategies for mammals.

A Comparison of Door‐to‐balloon Times and False‐positive Activations between Emergency Department and Out‐of‐hospital Activation of the Coronary Catheterization Team

The objectives were to compare the proportion of false-positive activations and intervention times between emergency department (ED) and field-based activation of the coronary catheterization laboratory (cath) team for emergency medical services (EMS) patients identified by out-of-hospital (OOH) 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This was a retrospective review of prospectively collected continuous quality improvement data at a single, urban, academic medical center. By protocol, weekday activation of the cath team occurred based on OOH notification of a computer-interpreted OOH ECG indicating potential STEMI. Night and weekend activation occurred at the discretion of the attending emergency physician (EP) after advanced ED notification and after patient arrival and assessment. Basic demographic information and cardiac risk factors were recorded, as well as door-to-balloon (DTB) and ultimate diagnosis. From May 2007 through March 2008, there were 23 field activations and 33 ED activations. There was no difference in demographic or clinical characteristics between the two groups. In the field activation group, 9/23 (39%) were false-positives, while 3/33 (9%) were false-positives in the ED activation group (30% higher absolute difference in the field activation group, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 8% to 52%, p = 0.02). OOH times and time spent in the ED were similar between the two groups. DTB times were 77 minutes for field activation and 68 minutes for ED activation, respectively (difference 9 minutes, 95% CI = -9 to 27). Emergency physician activation of the cath team results in a lower proportion of false-positive activations without clearly sacrificing DTB time when compared to field activation based solely on the results of the OOH ECG.

Lamb fat thickness and longissimus muscle area measured by a computerized ultrasonic system

Sixty lambs of Manchego, Merino and Ile de France × Merino (20 lambs per each) breeds were divided randomly in groups by sex up to finishing weights ranging from 22 to 28 kg. Fat thickness and longissimus dorsi cross-sectional area between the 12th and 13th ribs were measured using real-time ultrasound in vivo and on the carcass after slaughter. Correlations between actual and ultrasound measurements were higher for longissimus muscle area ( r = 0.88; P < 0.001) and fat thickness ( r = 0.74; P < 0.001) than for longissimus muscle depth ( r = 0.56; P < 0.001). No differences were found for longissimus muscle area and depth between sex and among breeds, but the accuracy of ultrasound fat thickness predictor was lower for females than males as indicated by higher absolute differences ( P < 0.05), whereas the accuracy for prediction for Manchego and Merino was lower and not significant than for crossbreds. Results indicate that ultrasonic measurements of fat thickness and longissimus muscle area taken before slaughter combined with video image analysis may be accurate predictors of final carcass fat thickness and longissimus muscle area in lambs.

Prediction of carcass characteristics by real-time ultrasound in barrows and gilts slaughtered at three weights.

The carcass characteristics of 27 market barrows and 27 market gilts were evaluated at various times (n = 8) with real-time ultrasound (Aloka 210 DX) from approximately 20 kg until slaughter at three end points. The pigs were randomly assigned to slaughter weight groups of 91, 104.5, and 118 kg at weaning time. Correlations were determined over slaughter weight group and sex, and the accuracies of ultrasound measurements were also evaluated. The regressions of ultrasound 10th-rib fat and ultrasound longissimus muscle area on live weight were also developed. Correlations between actual and ultrasound-measured last-rib fat, 10th-rib fat, and longissimus muscle area were high (r = .91, .63, and .53, respectively; P less than .01). The accuracy of ultrasound longissimus muscle area prediction was lower for 118-kg pigs than for the two lighter groups, whereas the accuracy for prediction of last-rib fat was lower for 91-kg pigs than for the two heavier groups, as indicated by higher absolute differences (P less than .05). Last-rib fat and longissimus muscle area tended to be overestimated and 10th-rib fat tended to be underestimated by real-time ultrasound. Prediction of last-rib fat by ultrasound was more accurate for gilts than for barrows, as indicated by a lower absolute difference (P less than .05).