Exotic plant invasions and chronic high levels of herbivory are two of the major biotic stressors impacting temperate forest ecosystems in eastern North America, and the two problems are often linked. We used a 4-ha deer exclosure maintained since 1991 to examine the influence of a generalist herbivore, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), on the abundance of four exotic invasive (Rosa m...

The rapid accumulation of clinical RNA-seq data sets has provided the opportunity to associate mRNA isoform variations to clinical outcomes. Here we report a statistical method SURVIV (Survival analysis of mRNA Isoform Variation), designed for identifying mRNA isoform variation associated with patient survival time. A unique feature and major strength of SURVIV is that it models the measurement...

A b st ra ct Background and Aims: To identify predictors of need of mechanical ventilation (MV) and that of reintubation, after a planned extubation, among the patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Materials and Methods: Prospectively collected data of 82 patients with exacerbation of COPD over a one-year period were reviewed. Clinical and demographic profile, APA...

BACKGROUND For colorectal cancer screening, the predictive value of distal findings in the ascertainment of proximal lesions is not fully established. The aims of this study were to assess distal findings as predictors of advanced proximal neoplasia and to compare the predictive value of endoscopy alone vs. combined endoscopic and histopathologic data. METHODS Primary colonoscopy screening wa...

BACKGROUND We aimed to develop a multivariable model for prediction of underestimated invasiveness in women with ductal carcinoma in situ at stereotactic large core needle biopsy, that can be used to select patients for sentinel node biopsy at primary surgery. METHODS From the literature, we selected potential preoperative predictors of underestimated invasive breast cancer. Data of patients ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM HIV-infected individuals are at high risk of developing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a leading cause of end-stage liver disease in Western countries. Nonetheless, due to the invasiveness of liver biopsy, NASH remains poorly understood in HIV mono-infection. We aimed to characterize the prevalence and predictors of NASH in unselected HIV mono-infected patients by means...

The objective of this study was to identify a parsimonious set of physiological measures that could be used to best predict cognitive fatigue levels. A 37 hour sleep deprivation study was conducted to induce reduced levels of alertness and cognitive impairment as measured by a psychomotor vigilance test. Non-invasive, wearable and ambulatory sensors were used to acquire cardio-respiratory and m...

OBJECTIVES To examine the association between local recurrence and distant metastasis or disease-specific survival and identify independent factor predictors for local recurrence. METHODS We identified a study population of 146 consecutive patients treated surgically for invasive bladder cancer at our institution between 1987 and 2003. We clarified the relationship among local recurrence, dis...

BACKGROUND Invasive aspergillosis is associated with high death rates. Factors associated with increased mortality have not yet been identified in a large population of patients with various underlying conditions. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 385 cases of suspected or documented aspergillosis that occurred during a 9-year period. We identified 289 episodes that fulfilled the criteria f...

An increase in the number of citizen science programs has prompted an examination of their ability to provide data of sufficient quality. We tested the ability of volunteers relative to professionals in identifying invasive plant species, mapping their distributions, and estimating their abundance within plots. We generally found that volunteers perform almost as well as professionals in some a...