RHPTree—Risk Hierarchical Pattern Tree for Scalable Long Pattern Mining

Risk patterns are crucial in biomedical research and have served as an important factor in precision health and disease prevention. Despite recent development in parallel and high-performance computing, existing risk pattern mining methods still struggle with problems caused by large-scale datasets, such as redundant candidate generation, inability to discover long significant patterns, and prolonged post pattern filtering. In this article, we propose a novel dynamic tree structure, Risk Hierarchical Pattern Tree (RHPTree), and a top-down search method, RHPSearch, which are capable of efficiently analyzing a large volume of data and overcoming the limitations of previous works. The dynamic nature of the RHPTree avoids costly tree reconstruction for the iterative search process and dataset updates. We also introduce two specialized search methods, the extended target search (RHPSearch-TS) and the parallel search approach (RHPSearch-SD), to further speed up the retrieval of certain items of interest. Experiments on both UCI machine learning datasets and sampled datasets of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)—Simon’s Simplex Collection (SSC) datasets demonstrate that our method is not only faster but also more effective in identifying comprehensive long risk patterns than existing works. Moreover, the proposed new tree structure is generic and applicable to other pattern mining problems.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy for Depression Among Adolescents and Young Adults Diagnosed With Cancer: An Open Pilot Trial

Purpose This pilot study evaluates the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) for depression, anxiety, and hope among adolescent and young adult (AYA) diagnosed with cancer. Method: 10 AYAs with a primary sarcoma diagnosis participated in an open pilot of SFBT for their depression between January and June 2019 delivered by trained social work interns. Results All participants completed four planned sessions and reported strong acceptability of SFBT. Statistically significant improvements were observed for pre- and post-treatment scores for depression, anxiety, and levels of hope. These improvements were maintained at 1-month follow up, with significant patterns of difference in study participants’ depression, anxiety, and levels of hope over time. Conclusions SFBT is an acceptable intervention approach for depression (and anxiety) among AYAs diagnosed with cancer. SFBT offers a brief, strength-based, and hope-engendering approach to address mental health concerns among young adult diagnosed with cancer.

Dermoscopy as a diagnostic tool to differentiate between tinea pedis and plantar psoriasis

<p><strong>Background</strong>: Clinical differentiation between tinea pedis and plantar psoriasis may sometimes be challenging, with consequent diagnostic delays and unnecessary therapies; in such cases histopathological analysis helps to differentiate the 2 conditions. In this study we used a dermoscope as a non-invasive tool to investigate the significance of specific dermoscopic features and to improve their non-invasive differentiation.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> A clinical diagnosis of plantar psoriasis/tinea pedis was made on basis of accepted literature and proved by histopathology. Image capturing was performed using a dermoscope. Based on combination of history, clinical, and dermoscopic examination conclusive diagnosis with specific dermoscopic features for each disease was achieved.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> The 15 patients of biopsy proven tinea pedis and 17 patients of biopsy proven plantar psoriasis were selected. We found that the presence of whitish powdery scales located in the furrows with apparently uninvolved skin in between was significant in tinea pedis whereas the presence of silvery white scales on a pinkish red erythematous background with regularly distributed red dots was significant in plantar psoriasis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Dermoscopy showed significant patterns in tinea pedis and plantar psoriasis due to their well-known different histological and physio pathological background, with white diffuse scales reflecting the dry and hyperkeratotic nature of plantar psoriasis and the red dots signifying the pin point blood vessels seen clinically as Auspitz sign. The peculiar scaling in tinea pedis might result from the predilection of dermatophytes to proliferate in moist environment, such as the furrows.</p>

Quantitative photogrammetric methodology for measuring mammalian belly score in the painted dog

The use of “belly scoring” can offer a novel, non-invasive objective management tool to gauge food intake between individuals, groups, and populations, and thus, population fitness. As food availability is increasingly affected by predation, ecological competition, climate change, habitat modification, and other human activities, an accurate belly scoring tool can facilitate comparisons among wildlife populations, serving as an early warning indicator of threats to wildlife population health and potential population collapse. In social species, belly scores can also be a tool to understand social behavior and ranking. We developed and applied the first rigorous quantitative photogrammetric methodology to measure belly scores of wild painted dogs (Lycaon pictus). Our methodology involves: (1) Rigorous selection of photographs of the dorso/lateral profile of individuals at a right angle to the camera, (2) photogrammetrically measuring belly chord length and “belly drop” in pixels, (3) adjusting belly chord length as a departure from a standardized leg angle, and (4) converting pixel measurements to ratios to eliminate the need to introduce distance from the camera. To highlight a practical application, this belly score method was applied to 631 suitable photographs of 15 painted dog packs that included 186 individuals, all collected between 2004–2015 from allopatric painted dog populations in and around Hwange (n = 462) and Mana Pools National Parks (n = 169) in Zimbabwe. Variation in mean belly scores exhibited a cyclical pattern throughout the year, corresponding to biologically significant patterns to include denning demand and prey availability. Our results show significant differences between belly scores of the two different populations we assessed, thus highlighting food stress in the Hwange population. In the face of growing direct and indirect anthropogenic disturbances, this standardised methodology can provide a rapid, species-specific non-invasive management tool that can be applied across studies to rapidly detect emergent threats.

SOME ASPECTS OF POLISH-UKRAINIAN GEOLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL RESEARCHES OF WESTERN VOLYN-PODILLIA DURING THE POLISH INVASION

The proposed article is based on an analysis of publications on field observations published in the then Polish and Ukrainian periodicals, collections of materials from scientific forums at various levels, works collections of individual Polish and foreign scientific institutes, etc. The purpose of the article was an attempt to analyze and generalize the research results of the study area in the field of Quaternary geology and geomorphology. It should also be noted that publications from the listed sections of physical geography are encountered quite sporadically and in significantly smaller numbers than articles on purely geological disciplines such as mineralogy, petrography, lithology, tectonics, etc. The study of geological and geomorphological objects and processes was carried out on the territory of Western Volyn-Podillia, which at that time was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The works mainly concerned the study of the stratigraphy of anthropogenic sediments distributed in the Podillia loess and loess soils, continental glaciations and related glacial and fluvial-glacial deposits, surface and underground karst, etc. It was established that significant in volume and depth of generalization of works on the geological and geomorphological structure the region features at that time was not. The studies that were carried out were not systematic, they were often carried out on the researchers initiative and without adequate funding, with localization mainly in the territory with open at that time deposits of certain minerals types. Analysis of publications can be stated as follows: the study of Quaternary deposits of the region and loess in particular was carried out with extensive use of laboratory studies, paleontological method, chemical, particle size distribution mineralogical and petrographic analyzes, the method of separation of loess minerals in heavy liquids, paleontological and archaeological observations, etc., were progressive at that time. It should be noted that individual reports on the determination of the age of the Quaternary strata were poorly synchronized with each other and a reliable generally accepted scale for the division of these deposits in this period was not agreed. During this period, factually substantiated schemes of geomorphological zoning of both the Podillia region as a whole and its individual components were proposed. Regular relationships of the relief features of the region with the lithogenic base, neotectonic movements, glacial and fluvial-glacial processes are traced. Significant progress is noted in the study of stratigraphy, lithology of local loess strata, problematic issues of their genesis are discussed. Among the few works on the study of the loess cover of Volyn-Podillia, the work of Yu. Polianskyi and Yu. Tokarskyi attracts attention first of all. The works on the study of loess are important due to: a) their almost ubiquitous distribution in the described territories; b) value for stratigraphic subdivision of the Pleistocene; c) controversial genesis; d) widespread use for the production of bricks and tiles. Work on the study of surface and underground forms of the Podillia karst has spread. Systematic mapping of individual underground cavities begins which gave impetus to their use in the future as objects of tourism. The largest number of works is devoted to the problems of studying the relief and modern physical and geographical processes in the interwar period. At the same time, along with purely descriptive publications, works appear where conclusions are based on the use of cartographic materials, which allowed researchers to identify significant patterns in the morphological features of the region. In the period under study, numerous publications by soil scientists also appeared, in which Quaternary sediments are considered as parent rocks on which soils were formed, the dependence of the type of soil on the lithology of the underlying rocks is established. In general, the works of Polish and Ukrainian researchers in the characterized period laid a reliable foundation for modern ideas about the geological and geomorphological features of the region. Keywords: geomorphological studies, Quaternary deposits, glacial deposits, stratigraphy, morphology, loess deposits.

Patterns of Healthcare Costs Among Older Adults: Demographics, Health Personality, and Resilience

The purpose of this study was to examine healthcare costs of older adults in relation to demographic characteristics, individual health personality traits, and resilience. Data included 3,907 participants, 65 and older, collected by a large provider of Medicare Supplemental Health Insurance. The Health Personality Assessment*, Brief Resilience Scale, total healthcare cost, and demographic information were used. In our sample, the average healthcare cost was $13,283.69 (SD=30,784.87), ranging from $0–$989,084, and higher healthcare costs were found among older, male, and less health-neurotic (i.e., lower health-related anxiety) adults. Configural frequency analyses were conducted to identify “types” and patterns of healthcare costs by age and gender. The following significant patterns emerged: Women in the oldest group with high healthcare costs and women in the young-old age group who had low healthcare costs occurred significantly more than expected by chance, p&lt;.01. Next, we hypothesized configuration patterns for resilience, health personality, and healthcare costs. Results confirmed the following “types” or patterns occurring more often than expected by chance: less-resilient individuals with high health neuroticism and high healthcare costs, p&lt;.001, and less-resilient, less-health-conscientious adults with high healthcare costs, p&lt;.001. The results suggest higher healthcare costs for individuals who are less resilient, more neurotic about their health, and less disciplined in their health practices. Future intervention programs may benefit from promoting resilience, reducing health neuroticism, and increasing health conscientiousness. *The Health Personality Assessment (HPA) is © 2021 United HealthCare Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hepatic Burdens of PCB and PCDD/F Congeners in Federally Endangered Shortnose Sturgeon and Atlantic Sturgeon from the Hudson River, New York, USA: Burden Patterns and Potential Consequences in Offspring

Sturgeon populations worldwide are threatened with extirpation but little is known about their tendency to bioaccumulate contaminants and their sensitivities to environmental burdens of these contaminants. Shortnose sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon, two species that are federally endangered in the U.S., co-occur in the Hudson River (HR) where high sediment levels of PCBs and PCDD/Fs occur. Previous controlled laboratory studies showed that young life-stages of both species are sensitive to toxicities at low levels of TCDD and PCB126 exposure. The objective here was to measure congener-specific hepatic levels of PCBs and PCDD/Fs in HR specimens in order to determine if in situ bioaccumulation of these compounds was sufficiently high to cause the early life-stage toxicities previously observed. Estimates of hepatic burdens of PCBs and PCDD/Fs were obtained from a small number of specimens of each species collected between 2014 and 2016 and specimens of shortnose sturgeon collected over 30 yr earlier and archived in a museum collection. Several significant patterns emerged. Hepatic levels of legacy PCBs and PCDDs were low in specimens of both species, but typically higher in shortnose than Atlantic sturgeon, a pattern consistent with their habitat use in the HR. Hepatic burdens from archived specimens of shortnose sturgeon tended to be higher than more recently collected ones despite expected reduction in their burdens due to preservation methods. Several inadvertent PCBs congeners were detected, including PCB11, but their possible toxicity to natural populations remains to be determined in future experiments. Levels of select PCDFs congeners, 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 2,3,4,7,8 PeCDF, were elevated in some shortnose sturgeon individuals from the HR. Using Relative Potency (ReP) factors derived from white sturgeon, the observed levels of some hepatic PCDFs in HR shortnose sturgeon may have been sufficiently high to impair recruitment of young life-stages in this ecosystem.

Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Damascus Steel

This article deals with examination of the mechanical properties of Damascus steel. Damascus steel is steel used for blades or knives – similar to the past (Damascus steel was a type of steel used for blades in the Near East – made from wootz steel – imported from India). This steel is characterized by significant patterns. The aim of the present study is to point out the laborious method of Damascus production, and to compare the mechanical properties of the initial Damascus steel layers comparison with whole reference Damascus material steel itself.

Nazewnictwo czarnogórskich klubów piłkarskich

The Names of Montenegrin Football ClubsThis article analyses the names of the Montenegrin football clubs taking part in the 2019/20 league competitions. The semantic analysis of their names presented in the study indicates that the most popular pattern is the use of a geographical name (the name of a mountain, river, lake, etc.). Other significant patterns are the use of the names of people (including the names of occupations, inhabitants of a particular region, or famous people associated with the region) and the names of abstract relations between people. Some clubs, mostly from the lowest level in the league system, use only an acronym and the name of their town/village. Nazewnictwo czarnogórskich klubów piłkarskichAutor analizuje nazwy czarnogórskich klubów piłkarskich uczestniczących w rozgrywkach sezonu 2019/20. Analiza semantyczna pokazuje, że najbardziej popularnym schematem nazewniczym jest użycie nazwy geograficznej (nazwy gór, rzek, jezior itp.). Inne istotne schematy wykorzystują nazwy ludzi (w tym nazwy zawodów, mieszkańców regionów i sławnych ludzi związanych z regionem), a także nazwy abstrakcyjne relacji międzyludzkich. Niektóre kluby, zwłaszcza z najniższego poziomu rozgrywkowego, używają wyłącznie skrótowca oraz nazwy miejscowości, w której funkcjonują.

Seismic Attributes to Constrain the Distribution of Rakopi Formation Coals in the Southwest Offshore Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

<p>The Rakopi Formation, in the Taranaki Basin of New Zealand, is a Late Cretaceous (Haumurian) sequence of coal measures interbedded with siltstone and sparse sandstone. It is the lowest widespread stratigraphic unit in the Taranaki Basin, and has a syn-rift deposition which is concentrated in isolated grabens and sub-basins. It was deposited during the extensional tectonic regime linked to the breakup of Gondwana. The Rakopi is one of the major hydrocarbon source rocks in the Taranaki Basin; New Zealand’s only currently-producing basin. However, there are very few well penetrations of the Cretaceous interval within the basin, and this fact – coupled with the non-continuous deposition – means that the Rakopi’s distribution is poorly constrained further away from wells. In petroleum systems models, the entire Rakopi Formation interval is commonly represented entirely as source rock facies. By observing the limited well penetrations available, it is known that this is not the case. As such, it is likely that the total hydrocarbons generated within the basin are overestimated when modelled. Improved constraint of the distribution of the coal within the Rakopi Formation will improve the accuracy of these models. This study presents the results of the extraction and analysis of a suite of seismic attributes from 3D seismic reflection surveys in the southwest offshore Taranaki Basin, for the purpose of constraining the distribution of coal within the Rakopi Formation. The attribute outputs were temporally averaged, with the resulting frequency distributions analysed for significant patterns or variations between the coaly- versus non-coaly vertical intervals of the formation. Within the Maari 3D seismic reflection volume, six attributes were identified which correlated with the presence of coals observed in the Maui-4 well. These attributes were temporally averaged within the Rakopi Formation interval in both the Maari 3D and Pipeline 3D volumes, with the areas of high average values identified as being more likely to contain coal. Using this attribute analysis method, the distribution of coal within the Rakopi Formation has been better constrained. Attribute analysis is easily transferable, and has the potential to be utilised elsewhere for the identification of hydrocarbon source rocks.</p>