An Efficient Case Retrieval Algorithm for Agricultural Case-Based Reasoning Systems, with Consideration of Case Base Maintenance

Case-based reasoning has considerable potential to model decision support systems for smart agriculture, assisting farmers in managing farming operations. However, with the explosive amount of sensing data, these systems may achieve poor performance in knowledge management like case retrieval and case base maintenance. Typical approaches of case retrieval have to traverse all past cases for matching similar ones, leading to low efficiency. Thus, a new case retrieval algorithm for agricultural case-based reasoning systems is proposed in this paper. At the initial stage, an association table is constructed, containing the relationships between all past cases. Afterwards, attributes of a new case are compared with an entry case. According to the similarity measurement, associated similar or dissimilar cases are then compared preferentially, instead of traversing the whole case base. The association of the new case is generated through case retrieval and added in the association table at the step of case retention. The association table is also updated when a closer relationship is detected. The experiment result demonstrates that our proposal enables rapid case retrieval with promising accuracy by comparing a fewer number of past cases. Thus, the retrieval efficiency of our proposal outperforms typical approaches.

Association of K1505Ac IHC signal loss and response to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma.

e22049 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have become a mainstay of treatment for patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma. Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers to predict which patients will benefit from ICI therapy. K1505Ac immunohistochemistry (IHC) signal loss is equivalent to loss of functional PBRM1 protein, which has previously been shown to predict response to ICI therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We hypothesized that loss of K1505Ac IHC expression in patients’ tumors may predict benefit to ICI therapy. Methods: An exploratory study was conducted in patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma (n = 25) who were treated with ICI therapy at Thomas Jefferson University. Retrospective chart review was performed to determine best clinical response using RECIST 1.1 criteria. Tumor samples from these patients were tested for loss of K1505Ac IHC signals to determine the correlation to best clinical response to ICI therapy. The pathologist was blinded to clinical responses during IHC analysis. Results: The chart below demonstrates the percentage of patients with K1505Ac IHC signal loss ≥ 40% and their correlating best clinical response to ICI therapy. Four of five patients (80%) with complete or partial response displayed K1505Ac IHC signal loss ≥ 40%. Fifteen of twenty patients (75%) with stable disease or progression of disease displayed K1505Ac IHC signal loss < 40%. Conclusions: Loss of K1505Ac IHC signal was associated with better clinical response to ICI therapy for patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma. These findings suggest that K1505Ac IHC signal loss may serve as a biomarker to help determine which patients will benefit from ICI therapy. A larger cohort of patients is currently under investigation to better evaluate this association. [Table: see text]

Single institutional analysis of pancreatic cancer survival trends based on BMI.

234 Background: Body mass index (BMI) has been reported to determine risk for pancreatic cancer in addition to outcome, as those with higher BMI have decreased survival. Since May 2011, therapy for pancreatic cancer has improved with the addition of FOLFIRINOX. This study looks at overall survival in relation to BMI since the advent of the FOLFIRINOX. Methods: 2,277 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma were identified through the Mayo Clinic SPORE pancreatic cancer registry from 2000-14. Usual adult and BMI at time of enrollment were utilized as a binary variable ( < 30, ≥30 kg/m2). These were analyzed for association with survival using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: For the 2000-11 and 2011-14 groups, stage distribution was 4.4%, 34.7%, 21.6%, 39.2% and 1.2%, 39%, 22.2%, 37.6%, respectively for stage 1-4. Since pancreatic cancer commonly causes weight loss, more patients were in the higher usual adult BMI (34.6%) compared to enrollment (17.1%). For the period 2000-11, 33.8% of patients had a usual adult BMI of 30+ vs 37.8% for the 2011-14 patients. As previously reported, there was a difference in survival by BMI for the period 2000-May 2011, however, this was not seen for the period June 2011-14. Conclusions: Based on this cohort of patients, the previously reported detrimental effect of elevated BMI on survival in pancreatic cancer patients is no longer seen. This corresponds with the time period of improvement in pancreatic cancer treatment with FOLFIRINOX. Further studies should be performed to confirm our findings and to identify the causality of this association. [Table: see text]

The impact of preoperative dexamethasone on the postoperative systemic inflammatory response and complications following surgery for colorectal cancer.

692 Background: It is now clear that there is a significant association between the magnitude of the systemic inflammatory response and postoperative complications (Adamina et al. Br J Surg 2015;102(6):590-8). The present study examined the impact of preoperative steroids on the postoperative systemic inflammatory response and complications, following elective surgery for colorectal cancer. Methods: The administration of dexamethasone at induction of anaesthesia was prospectively audited from a cohort of patients who underwent elective, potentially curative surgery for colorectal cancer at a single centre between 2008 and 2013. Results: 286 patients were included, of which the majority were male (161, 57%), over 65 (190, 66%) with colonic (183, 64%) and node negative disease (192, 67%). 114 (40%) received dexamethasone at induction of anaesthesia. There was a significant association (Table 1) between preoperative dexamethasone administration and the proportion of patients breaching established CRP thresholds on postoperative days 2 (190mg/L, 14% vs. 50%, p<0.001), and 3 (170mg/L, 27% vs. 49%, p<0.001) but not 4 (145mg/L, 50% vs. 36%, p=0.658). There was no significant association between preoperative dexamethasone and postoperative complications. Conclusions: The present study suggests that the systemic inflammatory response following surgery for colorectal cancer may be attenuated by preoperative steroids. It remains to be determined whether this will lead to a reduction in postoperative complications. [Table: see text]

The Qualitative Research of Macro-Micro Association of Sand under the Monotonic Loading

By analyzing the association relationships between sand particle mechanics parameters and microscopic characteristics, this paper qualitative establishes the association table including physical and mechanical parameters such as the water content w, void ratio e and shear stress, and micro-parameters of sand particle such as particle number n, long axis L, short axis B, x, y coordinate of the centroid of particle, y-axis projection length, degree of eccentricity and orientation arrangement. Then the macro-micro relationship table of sand was established. The macro-micro relationship table of sand indicated that three micro-parameters of sand particle including particle number n, long axis L, short axis B have closely relationship with the water content w, void ratio e and shear stress. And the qualitative research between the sand particle mechanics and microscopic characteristics laid the foundation for the macro-micro association research.

Feeling life is not worth living: A cross sectional study of Greek adolescents

IntroductionThoughts of feeling life is not worth living could be the initial stage of a continuum that might end in a suicide.ObjectivesPsychiatric morbidity is quite prevalent among adolescents and has been associated with suicidal ideation.AimsOur aim was to test the association between thoughts that life is not worth living and psychiatric morbidity in a sample of Greek adolescents.MethodsA two-phase cross sectional study of 5614 adolescents aged 16–18 years old attending 25 senior high schools in Greece. A stratified random sample of 2431 subjects was selected for a detailed interview at the second phase. Psychiatric morbidity and thoughts of life is not worth living were assessed with the revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Odds ratios adjusted for age and sex were computed for the association between such thoughts and CIS-R scores.Results3,72% of the adolescents (girls:5,11%, boys:2,36%, p < 0.001) reported thoughts of feeling life is not worth living in the week before interview. Psychiatric morbidity correlated significantly with those thoughts (OR = 1.16, 95% Confidence Intervals: 1.14–1.19). The level of psychiatric morbidity was strongly associated with such thoughts with higher levels of distress showing a greater association (Table 1).[Table 1]ConclusionsPolicies aiming at preventing the overall burden of psychiatric disease in adolescence may reduce the frequency of thoughts that life is not worth living, which could eventually lead to a decrease in completed suicides.