Erratum: Evolution of π^{0} Suppression in Au+Au Collisions from sqrt[s_{NN}]=39 to 200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 152301 (2012)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.152301.

0789 Decreased Sigma Band Power During NREM Sleep in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Introduction

REM sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is characterized by dream enacting behaviors and a loss of atonia during REM sleep. Early detection of RBD is important because it is considered premonitory symptoms neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we investigated the slow and fast sigma band power of patients with RBD using frequency analysis.

Methods

Twenty patients who were diagnosed as RBD according to the ICSD-3 criteria and 20 age-matched controls who underwent polysomnography (PSG) for other sleep disorders (insomnia, snoring) and showed normal to mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). NREM sleep EEG data was extracted and N1 sleep data was excluded to minimize arousal artifact. Fast Fourier transform-based spectral power analysis was used to compute the power spectral densities of the EEG in the MATLAB environment. The sigma bands were divided into 2 discrete bands: slow sigma (11 to 13 Hz) and- fast sigma (13 to 15 Hz). Mann-Whitney U test by SPSS was used.

Results

RBD patients (61.9 ± 7.1 years old; 12 men) had a significantly lower sigma band power than the control group (61.5 ± 1.1 years old; 11 men) in central region (p = 0.028). Particularly, the slow sigma band power showed a bigger difference in all regions except O1 (F3 = 0.017, F4 = 0.027, C3 = 0.004, C4 = 0.009, O2 = 0.017).

Conclusion

Sigma power was lower in the RBD patients than in the control. It suggests that RBD has impaired cortical activity. Thus, decreased spindle activity during NREM sleep may be a potential biomarker of RBD.

Support

 

Evaluation of practice to promote physical activity in schools in a unitary authority in England

OBJECTIVES

To explore what actually happens in relation to physical activity promotion in primary and junior schools within one unitary authority and to relate this to Public Health England (PHE) promising principles of practice to promote physical activity in schools.

STUDY DESIGN

A qualitative approach was undertaken to explore practice in all primary and junior schools in the unitary authority of Southampton.

METHODS

All primary (n = 36) and junior (n = 8) schools in Southampton were involved in the study. Publicly available primary physical education and sport premium (PESP) funding reports (n = 36) alongside a school survey (n = 14) were collated. The collated qualitative data set was semantically coded and then a multilayered approach including identification, reviewing, defining and naming meaningful and important themes were inductively developed. The inductively developed themes were then fitted in relation to PHE eight promising principles.

RESULTS

There was evidence of practice across all eight promising principles although this varied in depth and scale. There was one set of data that did not fit appropriately within the PHE eight promising principles and warranted its own category broadly termed 'rewards to recognise physical activity'. There was widespread evidence of PESP funding providing increased provision, variety and quality of sport opportunities but limited evidence of physical activity practice or programmes targeting the least active. Two different approaches in relation to ensuring a skilled workforce materialised continuing professional development which reflected in impact statements linked to increased confidence to deliver and quality of physical education versus outsourcing to specialists with little impact cited other than offering specialist or diverse sports.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrated that the PHE eight promising principles of practice was a useful framework in relation to current practice, although a ninth promising principle of rewarding physically active behaviour should be considered. The two key themes that need to be addressed for the ambitions established in the new school sport and activity action plan to be deliverable, with PESP funding as a driver, are skilled workforce and development of a wider understanding of what physical activity is.

Combined effects of sous-vide cooking conditions on meat and sensory quality characteristics of chicken breast meat

This study investigated the combined effects of cooking temperature and time on the meat and eating quality characteristics of the sous-vide chicken breast. For the control group, chicken breast samples were cooked in a convection oven until the internal temperature reached 71°C. Each sample for sous-vide cooking was vacuum packaged and then cooked under continuous thermocontrolled conditions in a water bath at 6 combinations of cooking temperature (60 and 70°C) and time (1, 2, and 3 h). Sous-vide cooked chicken meat at 60°C for 1 h (SV60-1h) showed lower cooking loss (6.58 vs. 26.5%, P < 0.05), Warner-Bratzler shear force (21.7 vs. 29.1 N, P < 0.05), and hardness (9.40 vs. 17.3 N, P < 0.05) than meat cooked by conventional oven. Similar to the objective tenderness parameters, cooked chicken meat from the SV60 treatments for all cooking times showed higher scores in all the tenderness attributes than the control group (P < 0.05). However, a higher flavor intensity was observed in the SV70-3h and control groups than in the SV60 treatments (P < 0.05). Owing to a lesser developed flavor in chicken meat from the SV60-1h treatment, the SV60-2h and 3h treatments were assigned a higher acceptability rating for overall impression (P < 0.05). Therefore, cooking temperature and time of sous-vide significantly influenced the physicochemical and palatability characteristics of chicken breast. In this study, the optimum conditions for the sous-vide chicken breast are to continuously cook at 60°C for 2 to 3 h to improve sensory quality characteristics without reducing the water-holding capacity.

Persuasive Data Videos: Investigating Persuasive Self-Tracking Feedback with Augmented Data Videos

Self-tracking feedback with engaging and persuasive visualizations not only helps convey data but can also affect people's attitudes and behaviors. We investigate persuasive self-tracking feedback by augmenting data videos (DVs)-novel, engaging storytelling media. We introduce a new class of DVs, called Persuasive Data Videos (PDVs), by incorporating four persuasive elements-primary task, dialogue, system credibility, and social supports-drawn from the Persuasive System Design Model. We describe the iterative design of PDVs and a within-subjects preliminary validation to check their persuasive potential. We then assess PDVs' feasibility using the Persuasive Potential Questionnaire in a between-subjects study comparing a PDV against a conventional DV on Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 252). Our results indicate the feasibility of using PDVs in providing individuals' self-tracking feedback to convey persuasive health messages, based on which we discuss opportunities for designing persuasive behavioral feedback in an engaging way.

Reaching Broader Audiences With Data Visualization

The visualization research community can and should reach broader audiences beyond data-savvy groups of people, because these audiences could also greatly benefit from visual access to data. In this article, we discuss four research topics-personal data visualization, data visualization on mobile devices, inclusive data visualization, and multimodal interaction for data visualization-that, individually and collaboratively, would help us reach broader audiences with data visualization, making data more accessible.

Investigating data accessibility of personal health apps

OBJECTIVE

Despite the potential values self-tracking data could offer, we have little understanding of how much access people have to "their" data. Our goal of this article is to unveil the current state of the data accessibility-the degree to which people can access their data-of personal health apps in the market.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reviewed 240 personal health apps from the App Store and selected 45 apps that support semi-automated tracking. We characterized the data accessibility of these apps using two dimensions-data access methods and data types.

RESULTS

More than 90% of our sample apps (n = 41) provide some types of data access support, which include synchronizing data with a health platform (ie, Apple Health), file download, and application program interfaces. However, the two approachable data access methods for laypeople-health platform and file download-typically put a significant limit on data format, granularity, and amount, which constrains people from easily repurposing the data.

DISCUSSION

Personal data should be accessible to the people who collect them, but existing methods lack sufficient support for people in accessing the fine-grained data. Lack of standards in personal health data schema as well as frequent changes in market conditions are additional hurdles to data accessibility.

CONCLUSIONS

Many stakeholders including patients, healthcare providers, researchers, third-party developers, and the general public rely on data accessibility to utilize personal data for various goals. As such, improving data accessibility should be considered as an important factor in designing personal health apps and health platforms.

Determination of Patulin in Apple Juice by Liquid Chromatography: Collaborative Study

An AOAC International-International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry-International Fruit Juice Union (AOAC-IUPAC-IFJU) collaborative study was conducted to evaluate a liquid chromatographic (LC) procedure for determination of patulin in apple juice. Patulin is a mold metabolite found naturally in rotting apples. Patulin is extracted with ethyl acetate, treated with sodium carbonate solution, and determined by reversed-phase LC with UV detection at 254 or 276 nm. Water, water-tetrahydrofuran, or water-acetonitrile was used as mobile phase. Levels determined in spiked test samples were 20, 50,100, and 200 μg/L. A test sample naturally contaminated at 31 μg/L was also included. Twenty-two collaborators in 10 countries analyzed 12 test samples of apple juice. Recoveries averaged 96%, with a range of 91-108%. Repeatability relative standard deviations (RSDr) ranged from 10.9 to 53.8%. The reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSDR) ranged from 15.1 to 68.8%. The LC method for determination of patulin in apple juice has been adopted first action by AOAC INTERNATIONAL.

Effects of long-term cattle market conditions on continuous season-long and rotational grazing system revenues

In this study we evaluated the combination of long-term market conditions and the price slide in the cattle market on revenues associated with continuous and rotational grazing systems. A price slide is a market phenomenon in which lighter cattle sell at a higher price per unit of liveweight compared with their heavier counterparts. We used actual herd average starting and ending weights in this market analysis, and analysed the outcome using five years’ data from a continuous and rotational comparative grazing study. Despite consistently lower weight gains with rotational grazing, differences in gross revenues per steer between grazing treatments ranged from US$43.46 to minus $5.72 across the study years. We observed annual differences in the net returns across years between the two grazing systems; net returns were greater for steers in the continuous grazing treatment in three of the five years, one year with net returns that did not differ between systems, and one year in which net returns were lower with continuous grazing. These variable results showcase the complexity in having both differences in end of grazing season weight classes between the grazing systems and the differential effects of price slide among weight classes. Therefore, we argue that it may be a better management strategy for land managers to determine the optimal ending weights and the time of year to market livestock to meet the goals of an operation, rather than trying to determine which grazing system is ‘best’.

A Comparative Evaluation of Animation and Small Multiples for Trend Visualization on Mobile Phones

We compare the efficacy of animated and small multiples variants of scatterplots on mobile phones for comparing trends in multivariate datasets. Visualization is increasingly prevalent in mobile applications and mobile-first websites, yet there is little prior visualization research dedicated to small displays. In this paper, we build upon previous experimental research carried out on larger displays that assessed animated and non-animated variants of scatterplots. Incorporating similar experimental stimuli and tasks, we conducted an experiment where 96 crowdworker participants performed nine trend comparison tasks using their mobile phones. We found that those using a small multiples design consistently completed tasks in less time, albeit with slightly less confidence than those using an animated design. The accuracy results were more task-dependent, and we further interpret our results according to the characteristics of the individual tasks, with a specific focus on the trajectories of target and distractor data items in each task. We identify cases that appear to favor either animation or small multiples, providing new questions for further experimental research and implications for visualization design on mobile devices. Lastly, we provide a reflection on our evaluation methodology.

Critical Reflections on Visualization Authoring Systems

An emerging generation of visualization authoring systems support expressive information visualization without textual programming. As they vary in their visualization models, system architectures, and user interfaces, it is challenging to directly compare these systems using traditional evaluative methods. Recognizing the value of contextualizing our decisions in the broader design space, we present critical reflections on three systems we developed -Lyra, Data Illustrator, and Charticulator. This paper surfaces knowledge that would have been daunting within the constituent papers of these three systems. We compare and contrast their (previously unmentioned) limitations and trade-offs between expressivity and learnability. We also reflect on common assumptions that we made during the development of our systems, thereby informing future research directions in visualization authoring systems.

ShapeWordle: Tailoring Wordles using Shape-aware Archimedean Spirals

We present a new technique to enable the creation of shape-bounded Wordles, we call ShapeWordle, in which we fit words to form a given shape. To guide word placement within a shape, we extend the traditional Archimedean spirals to be shape-aware by formulating the spirals in a differential form using the distance field of the shape. To handle non-convex shapes, we introduce a multi-centric Wordle layout method that segments the shape into parts for our shape-aware spirals to adaptively fill the space and generate word placements. In addition, we offer a set of editing interactions to facilitate the creation of semantically-meaningful Wordles. Lastly, we present three evaluations: a comprehensive comparison of our results against the state-of-the-art technique (WordArt), case studies with 14 users, and a gallery to showcase the coverage of our technique.

Development and validation of the comprehensive assessment scale for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in survivors of cancer

Background

Appropriate assessment is essential for the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), an intractable symptom that cannot yet be palliated, which is high on the list of causes of distress for cancer patients. However, objective assessment by medical staff makes it easy to underestimate the symptoms and effects of CIPN in cancer survivors. As a result, divergence from subjective evaluation of cancer survivors is a significant problem. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a subjective scale with high accuracy and applicability that reflects the experiences of cancer patients. We developed a comprehensive assessment scale for CIPN in cancer survivors, named the Comprehensive Assessment Scale for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Survivors of Cancer (CAS-CIPN), and demonstrated its reliability and validity.

Methods

We developed a questionnaire based on qualitative studies of peripheral neuropathy in Japanese cancer patients and literature review. Twelve cancer experts confirmed the content validity of the questionnaire. A draft version comprising 40 items was finalized by a pilot test on 100 subjects. The participants in the present study were 327 Japanese cancer survivors. Construct validity was determined by factor analysis, and internal validity by confirmation factor analysis and Cronbach’s α.

Results

Factor analysis showed that the structure consisted of 15 items in four dimensions: “Threatened interference in daily life by negative feelings”, “Impaired hand fine motor skills”, “Confidence in choice of treatment/management,” and “Dysesthesia of the palms and soles.” The CAS-CIPN internal consistency reliability was 0.826, and the reliability coefficient calculated using the Spearman-Brown formula [q = 2r/(1 + r)] was 0.713, confirming high internal consistency and stability. Scores on this scale were strongly correlated with Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity scores (r = 0.714, p < 0.01), confirming its criterion-related validity.

Conclusions

The CAS-CIPN is an assessment tool with high reliability and validity for the comprehensive evaluation of CIPN in cancer survivors. The CAS-CIPN is simple to use, and can be used by medical professionals for appropriate situational assessment and intervention.

Circulating tumor DNA as a potential marker of adjuvant chemotherapy benefit following surgery for localized pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

In early-stage pancreatic cancer, there are currently no biomarkers to guide selection of therapeutic options. This prospective biomarker trial evaluated the feasibility and potential clinical utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis to inform adjuvant therapy decision making.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients considered by the multidisciplinary team to have resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma were enrolled. Pre- and post-operative samples for ctDNA analysis were collected. PCR-based-SafeSeqS assays were used to identify mutations at codon 12, 13 and 61 of KRAS in the primary pancreatic tumor and to detect ctDNA. Results of ctDNA analysis were correlated with CA19-9, recurrence-free and overall survival (OS). Patient management was per standard of care, blinded to ctDNA data.

RESULTS

Of 112 patients consented pre-operatively, 81 (72%) underwent resection. KRAS mutations were identified in 91% (38/42) of available tumor samples. Of available plasma samples (N = 42), KRAS mutated ctDNA was detected in 62% (23/37) pre-operative and 37% (13/35) post-operative cases. At a median follow-up of 38.4 months, ctDNA detection in the pre-operative setting was associated with inferior recurrence-free survival (RFS) [hazard ratio (HR) 4.1; P = 0.002)] and OS (HR 4.1; P = 0.015). Detectable ctDNA following curative intent resection was associated with inferior RFS (HR 5.4; P < 0.0001) and OS (HR 4.0; P = 0.003). Recurrence occurred in 13/13 (100%) patients with detectable ctDNA post-operatively, including in seven that received gemcitabine-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

ctDNA studies in localized pancreatic cancer are challenging, with a substantial number of patients not able to undergo resection, not having sufficient tumor tissue for analysis or not completing per protocol sample collection. ctDNA analysis, pre- and/or post-surgery, is a promising prognostic marker. Studies of ctDNA guided therapy are justified, including of treatment intensification strategies for patients with detectable ctDNA post-operatively who appear at very high risk of recurrence despite gemcitabine-based adjuvant therapy.