Mediamusic (E-Journal)
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What fruits can we get from this tree?:A journey in phylogenetic inference through likelihood modeling
No full textThis thesis provides new tools for extracting information on the process of diversification from a phylogenetic tree. To do so the standard approach is to employ likelihood functions in order to estimate the best parameters for the diversification models via likelihood maximization. The parameters for this kind of models usually represent the diversification rates at which the various evolutionary events (e.g., speciations or extinctions) can take place in the process
Clinical and molecular practice of European thoracic pathology laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic. The past and the near future
No full textBACKGROUND: This study evaluated the consequences in Europe of the COVID-19 outbreak on pathology laboratories orientated toward the diagnosis of thoracic diseases.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was sent to 71 pathology laboratories from 21 European countries. The questionnaire requested information concerning the organization of biosafety, the clinical and molecular pathology, the biobanking, the workload, the associated research into COVID-19, and the organization of education and training during the COVID-19 crisis, from 15 March to 31 May 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned from 53/71 (75%) laboratories from 18 European countries. The biosafety procedures were heterogeneous. The workload in clinical and molecular pathology decreased dramatically by 31% (range, 3%-55%) and 26% (range, 7%-62%), respectively. According to the professional category, between 28% and 41% of the staff members were not present in the laboratories but did teleworking. A total of 70% of the laboratories developed virtual meetings for the training of residents and junior pathologists. During the period of study, none of the staff members with confirmed COVID-19 became infected as a result of handling samples.CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on most of the European pathology laboratories included in this study. Urgent implementation of several changes to the organization of most of these laboratories, notably to better harmonize biosafety procedures, was noted at the onset of the pandemic and maintained in the event of a new wave of infection occurring in Europe.</p
Dosing of factor VIII concentrate by ideal body weight is more accurate in overweight and obese haemophilia A patients
No full textAims Under- and, especially, overdosing of replacement therapy in haemophilia A patients may be prevented by application of other morphometric variables than body weight (BW) to dose factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates. Therefore, we aimed to investigate which morphometric variables best describe interindividual variability (IIV) of FVIII concentrate pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters.Methods PK profiling was performed by measuring 3 FVIII levels after a standardized dose of 50 IU kg(-1) FVIII concentrate. A population PK model was constructed, in which IIV for clearance (CL) and central volume of distribution (V1) was quantified. Relationships between CL, V1 and 5 morphometric variables (BW, ideal BW [IBW], lean BW, adjusted BW, and body mass index [BMI]) were evaluated in normal weight (BMI <25 kg m(-2)), overweight (BMI 25-30 kg m(-2)) and obese haemophilia A patients (BMI > 30 kg m(-2)).Results In total, 57 haemophilia A patients (FVIIIConclusion IBW is the most suitable morphometric variable to explain interindividual FVIII PK variability and is more appropriate to dose overweight and obese patients.</p
Evaluating Laryngopharyngeal Tumor Extension Using Narrow Band Imaging Versus Conventional White Light Imaging
No full textOBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Comparing detection and extension of malignant tumors by flexible laryngoscopy in the outpatient setting with laryngoscopy under general anesthesia using both White Light Imaging (WLI) and Narrow Band Imaging (NBI).STUDY DESIGN: Prospective randomized controlled trial.METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-three patients with laryngeal and pharyngeal lesions underwent flexible and rigid laryngoscopy, with both WLI and NBI. Extension of malignant lesions (n = 132) was compared between both techniques in detail.RESULTS: Sensitivity of NBI during flexible endoscopy (92%), was comparable with that of WLI during rigid endoscopy (91%). The correlation of tumor extension between flexible and rigid laryngoscopy was high (rs = 0.852-0.893). The observed tumor extension was significantly larger when using NBI in both settings. The use of NBI during flexible laryngoscopy leads to upstaging (12%) and downstaging (2%) of the T classification.CONCLUSIONS: NBI during flexible laryngoscopy could be an alternative to WLI rigid endoscopy. NBI improves visualization of tumor extension and accuracy of T staging.LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 2021.</p
Longitudinal bidirectional associations between internalizing mental disorders and cardiometabolic disorders in the general adult population
No full textPurpose This prospective population-based study investigated whether having any internalizing mental disorder (INT) was associated with the presence and onset of any cardiometabolic disorder (CM) at 3-year follow-up; and vice versa. Furthermore, we examined whether observed associations differed when using longer time intervals of respectively 6 and 9 years. Methods Data were used from the four waves (baseline and 3-, 6- and 9-year follow-up) of the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2, a prospective study of a representative cohort of adults. At each wave, the presence and first onset of INT (i.e. any mood or anxiety disorder) were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0; the presence and onset of CM (i.e. hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke) were based on self-report. Multilevel logistic autoregressive models were controlled for previous-wave INT and CM, respectively, and sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle covariates. Results Having any INT predicted both the presence (OR 1.28, p = 0.029) and the onset (OR 1.46, p = 0.003) of any CM at the next wave (3-year intervals). Having any CM was not significantly related to the presence of any INT at 3-year follow-up, while its association with the first onset of any INT reached borderline significance (OR 1.64, p = 0.06), but only when examining 6-year intervals. Conclusions Our findings indicate that INTs increase the risk of both the presence and the onset of CMs in the short term, while CMs may increase the likelihood of the first onset of INTs in the longer term. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the observed associations.</p
Spatial access to health care:a case study on community health centers in Asmat District, Papua, Indonesia
No full textIn recent decades, access to primary health care has become a crucial issue for health policy planners and researchers. One of the fundamental problems is inequitable access to health care due to imbalanced resource distributions between health care providers and population location. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the spatial access to Community Health Centers (CHC) in the Asmat district, one of the most isolated regions in Papua, Indonesia. We conducted the study using a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to quantify accessibility value to primary health care of each village in the district of Asmat. By taking five distance thresholds ranging from 5 to 25 km with an increment of 5 km, the results indicate that distance has a varying impact on each village. For example, within a 5-km distance threshold, 74% of villages have a zero score or have no access to CHCs, 22% have a score < 100, while only 4% of villages have a score > 100 or meet the minimum score recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). Two major related factors of these geographic disparities are the unequal distribution of CHCs and the high population dispersion. As an attempt to provide equal access to health care services, these results suggest that spatial access should be conscientiously considered by health planners and policy makers
Plant recognition, detection, and counting with deep learning
No full textIn agricultural and farm management, plant recognition, plant detection, and plant counting systems are crucial. We can apply these tasks to several applications, for example, plant disease detection, weed detection, fruit harvest system, and plant species identification. Plants can be identified by looking at their most discriminating parts, such as a leaf, fruit, flower, bark, and the overall plant, by considering attributes as shape, size, or color. However, the identification of plant species from field observation can be complicated, time-consuming, and requires specialized expertise. Computer vision and machine-learning techniques have become ubiquitous and are invaluable to overcome problems with plant recognition in research. Although these techniques have been of great help, image-based plant recognition is still a challenge. There are several obstacles, such as considerable species diversity, intra-class dissimilarity, inter-class similarity, and blurred resource images. Recently, the emerging of deep learning has brought substantial advances in image classification. Deep learning architectures can learn from images and notably increase their predictive accuracy. This thesis provides various techniques, including data augmentation and classification schemes, to improve plant recognition, plant detection, and plant counting system
I Am vs. We Are:How Biospheric Values and Environmental Identity of Individuals and Groups Can Influence Pro-environmental Behaviour
No full textMost research in environmental psychology is conducted in individualistic countries and focuses on factors pertaining to individuals. It is yet unclear whether these findings also apply to more collectivistic countries, in which group factors might play a prominent role. In the current paper, we test the individual-focused value-identity-behaviour pathway, in which personal biospheric values relate to pro-environmental actions via environmental self-identity, in an individualistic and a collectivistic country. Furthermore, we test in both countries, whether a new group-focused pathway also exists, in which group values relate to pro-environmental behaviour via environmental group-identity, particularly in collectivistic countries. Questionnaire studies were conducted among Dutch (N = 161) and Chinese (N = 168) students. Our results indicated that personal biospheric values, mostly via environmental self-identity, predict pro-environmental behaviour in both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. We also found initial support for our newly proposed value-identity-behaviour pathway at the group level, particularly in China. Yet, in both countries, the association between group-level variables and pro-environmental behaviour was weaker than for personal level variables, and partly overlapped with personal level variables. Our findings show the relevance of personal- and group-level factors in understanding pro-environmental behaviour in both individualistic and collectivistic countries, which has strong theoretical and practical implications, particularly for developing international strategies to promote pro-environmental actions across the world