Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of an Incentive on the Use of an Online Self-Directed Wellness and Self-Management Program

Background Those who pay for health care are increasingly looking for strategies to influence individuals to take a more active role in managing their health. Incenting health plan members and/or employees to participate in wellness programs is a widely used approach. Objective In this study, we examine financial incentives to health plan members to participate in an online self-management/wellness program—US $20 for completing the patient activation measure (PAM) and an additional US $40 for completing 8 learning modules. We examined whether the characteristics of plan members differed by the degree to which they responded to the incentives. Further, we examined whether participation in the wellness program was associated with improvements in PAM scores and changes in health care utilization. Methods This retrospective study compared demographic characteristics and change in PAM scores and health utilization for 144,625 health plan members in 2011. Four groups were compared: (1) those who were offered the incentives but chose not to participate (n=128,634), (2) those who received the initial incentive (PAM only) but did not complete 8 topics (n=7099), (3) those who received both incentives (completing 8 topics but no more) (n=2693), and (4) those who received both incentives and continued using the online program beyond what was required by the incentives (n=6249). Results The vast majority of health plan members did not participate in the program (88.91%, 128,634/144,675). Of those who participated, only 7099 of 16,041 (44.25%) completed the PAM for the first incentive, 2693 (16.79%) completed 8 topics for the second incentive, and 6249 (38.96%) received both incentives and continued using the program beyond the incentive requirements. Nonparticipants were more likely to be men and to have lower health risk scores on average than the other three groups of participants (P<.001). In multivariate regression models, those who used the online program (8 topics or beyond) increased their PAM score by approximately 1 point more than those who only took the PAM and did not use the wellness program (P<.03). In addition, emergency department visits were lower for all groups who responded to any level of the incentive as compared to those who did not (P<.01). No differences were found in other types of utilization. Conclusions The incentive was not sufficient to spark most health plan members to use the wellness program. However, the fact that many program participants went beyond the incentive in their use of the online wellness program suggests that the users of the online program found value in using it, and it was their own internal motivation that stimulated this additional use. Providing an incentive for program participation may be an effective pathway for working with less activated patients, particularly if the program is tailored to the needs of the less activated.
Sphingosine Kinase 1 Induces Tolerance to Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 and Prevents Formation of a Migratory Phenotype in Response to Sphingosine 1-Phosphate in Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Cells

ABSTRACT We demonstrate here a new concept termed “oncogene tolerance” whereby human EGF receptor 2 (HER2) increases sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) expression in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) MCF-7 HER2 cells and SK1, in turn, limits HER2 expression in a negative-feedback manner. The HER2-dependent increase in SK1 expression also limits p21-activated protein kinase 1 (p65 PAK1) and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK-1/2) signaling. Sphingosine 1-phosphate signaling via S1P3 is also altered in MCF-7 HER2 cells. In this regard, S1P binding to S1P3 induces a migratory phenotype via an SK1-dependent mechanism in ER+ MCF-7 Neo cells, which lack HER2. This involves the S1P stimulated accumulation of phosphorylated ERK-1/2 and actin into membrane ruffles/lamellipodia and migration. In contrast, S1P failed to promote redistribution of phosphorylated ERK-1/2 and actin into membrane ruffles/lamellipodia or migration of MCF-7 HER2 cells. However, a migratory phenotype in these cells could be induced in response to S1P when SK1 expression had been knocked down with a specific siRNA or when recombinant PAK1 was ectopically overexpressed. Thus, the HER2-dependent increase in SK1 expression functions to desensitize the S1P-induced formation of a migratory phenotype. This is correlated with improved prognosis in patients who have a low HER1-3/SK1 expression ratio in their ER+ breast cancer tumors compared to patients that have a high HER1-3/SK1 expression ratio.
Double-outlet left atrium: Ventriculo-atrial malalignment defect

A four-month-old female infant presented with heart failure and cyanosis. On echocardiography, there was no outlet to the right atrium except an atrial septal defect and the left atrium drained into the respective ventricles by two atrioventricular valves. The case is reported for its rarity, with a brief literature review.
Generation and Characterization of Chimeric Antibodies against NS3, NS4, NS5, and Core Antigens of Hepatitis C Virus

ABSTRACT Mouse-human chimeric antibodies (cAbs) against hepatitis C virus (HCV) core, NS3 (nonstructural), NS4, and NS5 antigens were developed as quality control (QC) reagents to replace the use of human sera/plasma for Abbott HCV immunoassays. The cAb retains the mouse monoclonal antibody (MAb) specificity and affinity but still reacts in the existing HCV assay format, which measures human anti-HCV immunoglobulin. Mouse heavy-chain (VH) and light-chain (VL) variable regions of anti-HCV core, NS3, NS4, and NS5 antigens were PCR amplified from hybridoma lines and then cloned with human IgG1 heavy-chain (CH) and light-chain (CL) constant regions, respectively. A single mammalian expression plasmid containing both heavy-chain and light-chain immunoglobulin genes was constructed and transfected into dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR)-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The transfected CHO cells were selected using hypoxanthine- and thymidine-free medium and screened by an enzyme immunoassay (EIA). The clone secreting the highest level of antibody was isolated from the CHO transfectants and further subcloned. Each cAb-expressing CHO cell line was weaned into serum-free medium, and the cAb was purified by protein A affinity chromatography. The levels of cAb production for the various CHO cell lines varied from 10 to 20 mg/liter. Purified anti-HCV cAbs were tested with Abbott HCV immunoassays and showed reactivity. Moreover, yeast surface display combined with alanine-scanning mutagenesis was used to map the epitope at the individual amino acid level. Our results suggest that these HCV cAbs are ideal controls, calibrators, and/or QC reagents for HCV assay standardization.
Beam pattern analysis based on sensor distribution in uncertain environment

This paper addresses the beam pattern analysis in uncertain environment. Assuming that beamforming is achieved along one given receiver direction, the beam pattern is controlled via the sensor distribution to make different goals. Given two different applications, we show that the sensor nodes are located in a straight line perpendicular to the receiver direction, different distance between the sensors contributes towards separate purposes, respectively. Simulation results are provided to validate the effectiveness of our approach.
Pusher-watcher: an approach to fault-tolerant tightly-coupled robot coordination

We present a distributed planar object manipulation algorithm inspired by human behavior. The system, which we call pusher-watcher, enables the cooperative manipulation of large objects by teams of autonomous mobile robots. The robots are not equipped with gripping devices, but instead move objects by pushing against them. The pusher robots have no global positioning information, and cannot see over the object; thus a watcher robot has the responsibility for leading the team (and object) to the goal, which only it can perceive. The system is entirely distributed, with each robot under local control. Through the use of MURDOCH, an auction-based resource-centric general purpose task-allocation framework, roles in the team are automatically assigned in an efficient manner. Further, robot failures are easily tolerated and, when possible, automatically recovered. We present results and analysis from a battery of experiments with pusher-watcher implemented on a group of Pioneer 2 mobile robots.
Psychological Interventions for the Management of Glycemic and Psychological Outcomes of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials

Introduction China has the largest number of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) cases globally, and T2DM management has become a critical public health issue in China. Individuals with T2DM have an increased risk of developing mental health disorders, psychological disturbances, and functional problems associated with living with their condition. Previous systematic reviews have demonstrated that, generally, psychological interventions are effective in the management of T2DM-related outcomes; however, these reviews have predominantly included studies conducted within English-speaking countries and have not determined the efficacy of the varying types of psychological interventions. As such, this paper aims to synthesize evidence and quantify the efficacy of psychological therapies for the management of glycemic and psychological outcomes of T2DM in China, relative to control conditions. Methods A systematic search (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wangfang Data) for all years to December 2014 identified all available literature. Eligibility criteria included: peer-reviewed journal articles, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of a psychological therapy for the management of T2DM, adult participants (≥18 years) diagnosed with T2DM or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and Chinese speaking participants only (in mainland China). Outcome measures were glycated hemoglobin, blood glucose concentration, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Effect sizes were pooled using a random effects model. Negative effect sizes corresponded to positive outcomes favoring the intervention. Results Forty-five RCTs were eligible for the meta-analyses. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) were more effective than the control condition in the reduction of glycated hemoglobin [CBT: −0.97 (95% CI −1.37 to −0.57); MI: −0.71 (95% CI −1.00 to −0.43)]. CBT and client-centered therapy (CCT) were also associated with reductions in depression and blood glucose concentration, and CBT was associated with reductions in anxiety. Conclusion Psychological interventions, namely, CBT, MI, and CCT are effective in improving certain T2DM-related outcomes in China. Considerable levels of heterogeneity and unclear risk of bias associated with most included RCTs suggest caution when interpreting results. In China, where the burden of T2DM is increasing significantly, psychological interventions may provide promising approaches to assist in the management of T2DM to delay the progression of T2DM related outcomes.
Call That Gibberish?

The Ninth World Multiconference SCI (Systematics, Cybernetics, and Informatics) 2005 has attracted more attention than its vaporific title usually merits by accepting a spoof paper from three MIT graduate students. The Times (of London, by default, of course) ran the eye-catching headline, “How gibberish put scientists to shame” (April 6, 2005). One of the students, Jeremy Stribling, explains how they had developed a computer program to generate random sequences of technobabble in order to confirm their suspicions that papers of dubious academicity were bypassing serious, or indeed, any scrutiny. In fact, the students claim ulterior, financial motives behind this lack of proper peer review. The SCI organizers, it is suggested, solicit admissions via substantial e-mail shots and usually charge a fee for accepted papers to be presented at their conference.
Computer-aided 3-D 99mTc-DPD-SPECT reconstruction to assess mandibular invasion by intraoral squamous cell carcinoma: diagnostic improvement or not?

OBJECTIVE A prospective study was designed to compare computer-aided 3-D 99mTc-DPD-SPECT (Technetium-Dicarboxy propan-single photon emission CT) reconstruction with clinical examination, panoramic radiography, CT scan and conventional 99mTc-DPD-SPECT investigation in the assessment of mandibular bone invasion by squamous cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between October 1997 and December 1999, 88 patients with intraoral squamous cell carcinoma of the regions adjacent to the mandible were enrolled in this study. In 50 cases, mandibular resection (segmental or marginal) was performed based on the pre-treatment diagnostic results. Imaging studies were read independently by four experienced observers. RESULTS No differences could be found between presurgical 3-D 99mTc-DPD-SPECT reconstruction and conventional 99mTc-DPD-SPECT investigation. Both techniques revealed a sensitivity of 100% whereas CT scan showed the greatest specificity (93.8%). SPECT investigation had a specificity of 91.6% and the greatest efficiency (95.4%). The greatest predictive positive value was found for CT scan (92.3%). Clinical examination and panoramic radiography displayed the lowest sensitivity, 82.5% vs. 85.0%, and specificity, 79.2% vs. 89.5% respectively. CONCLUSION This investigation does not provide evidence that 3-D 99mTc-DPD-SPECT reconstruction has any advantages when compared to conventional 99mTc-DPD-ECT investigation in the assessment of mandibular invasion by squamous cell carcinoma. Despite a sensitivity of 100% the specificity is still in need of improvement. Until newer methods or techniques become available the combination of CT scanning and conventional 99mTc-DPD-SPECT investigation appears to be the best means of detecting tumour invasion preoperatively and is thus helpful in directing appropriate surgical procedure.
DROIT+: Taint Tracking for Storage Access on Android

The leakage of sensitive data has been a major concern in Android ecosystem. Analysts therefore propose dynamical taint tracking to effectively track the data flow of accessed data. However, the off-the-shelf taint tracking systems lack byte-granularity support for storage tracking. In this paper, we propose DROIT+ which uses the fine-grained storage tracking technique to track data flow among Android storages. DROIT+ is able to reveal the composition of data flows. Storage tracking on Android is difficult since data flows of apps may span heterogeneous media including memory, SD cards, NAND Flash, and network adapters. To capture a whole picture of data flows in storage, we formally define data flow and propose our method from both logical and physical perspectives. The method has also been implemented as an extension to the proposed tracking system, DROIT. Two case studies and two benchmark tools are used for the evaluation in terms of storage tracking ability, network tracking ability, and efficiency, respectively. The result shows that DROIT+ provides a better coverage using byte-granularity taint tracking.
Scanned Document Compression Using Block-Based Hybrid Video Codec

This paper proposes a hybrid pattern matching/transform-based compression method for scanned documents. The idea is to use regular video interframe prediction as a pattern matching algorithm that can be applied to document coding. We show that this interpretation may generate residual data that can be efficiently compressed by a transform-based encoder. The efficiency of this approach is demonstrated using H.264/advanced video coding (AVC) as a high-quality single and multipage document compressor. The proposed method, called advanced document coding (ADC), uses segments of the originally independent scanned pages of a document to create a video sequence, which is then encoded through regular H.264/AVC. The encoding performance is unrivaled. Results show that ADC outperforms AVC-I (H.264/AVC operating in pure intramode) and JPEG2000 by up to 2.7 and 6.2 dB, respectively. Superior subjective quality is also achieved.
Monitoring epidemiologic surveillance data using hidden Markov models.

The analysis of routinely collected surveillance data is an important challenge in public health practice. We present a method based on a hidden Markov model for monitoring such time series. The model characterizes the sequence of measurements by assuming that its probability density function depends on the state of an underlying Markov chain. The parameter vector includes distribution parameters and transition probabilities between the states. Maximum likelihood estimates are obtained with a modified EM algorithm. Extensions are provided to take into account trend and seasonality in the data. The method is demonstrated on two examples: the first seeks to characterize influenza-like illness incidence rates with a mixture of Gaussian distributions, and the other, poliomyelitis counts with mixture of Poisson distributions. The results justify a wider use of this method for analysing surveillance data.
Racial Disparity in Juvenile Diversion

Purpose: Interpretations of focal concerns and “loose coupling” are used to explain juvenile diversion decisions by police and prosecutors from a large metropolitan county in the Midwest. Methods: Juveniles eligible for police diversion are compared to those actually diverted using a population of juveniles arrested in eight police urban and suburban agencies. Multinomial logistic regression is used to analyze data on juveniles referred for charging in the same county. Results: Non-White juveniles were significantly less likely to be diverted by police, formally entering them into the juvenile justice system earlier than their White counterparts. Prosecutors charged, rather than diverted, non-White juveniles significantly more frequently than White juveniles, particularly for theft cases. Conclusion: The racial disparity observed may result from differing focal concerns and loose coupling in the first stages of the justice system.
Debugging Inconsistent Answer Set Programs

In this paper we examine how we can find contradictions from Answer Set Programs (ASP). One of the most important phases of programming is debugging, finding errors that have crept in during program implementation. Current ASP systems are still mostly experimental tools and their support for debugging is limited. This paper addresses one part of ASP debugging, finding the reason why a program does not have any answer sets at all. The basic idea is to compute diagnoses that are minimal sets of constraints whose removal returns consistency. We compute also conflict sets that are sets of mutually incompatible constraints. The final possible source of inconsistency in an ASP program comes from odd negative loops and we show how these may also be detected. We have created a prototype for the ASP debugger that is itself implemented using ASP.
A generalized analytic solution to the win ratio to analyze a composite endpoint considering the clinical importance order among components

A composite endpoint consists of multiple endpoints combined in one outcome. It is frequently used as the primary endpoint in randomized clinical trials. There are two main disadvantages associated with the use of composite endpoints: a) in conventional analyses, all components are treated equally important; and b) in time‐to‐event analyses, the first event considered may not be the most important component. Recently Pocock et al. (2012) introduced the win ratio method to address these disadvantages. This method has two alternative approaches: the matched pair approach and the unmatched pair approach. In the unmatched pair approach, the confidence interval is constructed based on bootstrap resampling, and the hypothesis testing is based on the non‐parametric method by Finkelstein and Schoenfeld (1999). Luo et al. (2015) developed a close‐form variance estimator of the win ratio for the unmatched pair approach, based on a composite endpoint with two components and a specific algorithm determining winners, losers and ties. We extend the unmatched pair approach to provide a generalized analytical solution to both hypothesis testing and confidence interval construction for the win ratio, based on its logarithmic asymptotic distribution. This asymptotic distribution is derived via U‐statistics following Wei and Johnson (1985). We perform simulations assessing the confidence intervals constructed based on our approach versus those per the bootstrap resampling and per Luo et al. We have also applied our approach to a liver transplant Phase III study. This application and the simulation studies show that the win ratio can be a better statistical measure than the odds ratio when the importance order among components matters; and the method per our approach and that by Luo et al., although derived based on large sample theory, are not limited to a large sample, but are also good for relatively small sample sizes. Different from Pocock et al. and Luo et al., our approach is a generalized analytical method, which is valid for any algorithm determining winners, losers and ties. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Study and Methods for Cloud Based CDN

Cloud computing becomes a popular trend in recent years. In the meanwhile, content delivery network has been used for many years to distribute content all over the world. The relation between cloud computing and content delivery network is very interesting. In this paper, we proposed a cloud based content delivery network. This architecture integrates cloud infrastructure and content delivery network system together. It provides a low cost and elastic web serving cloud platform. Besides, it also provides easy way to manage data for web content developers, and accelerate the speed for users to access web sites. This system uses Hadoop Distributed File System as a cloud infrastructure service, and creates many data clusters around the world. Therefore, content providers could place content to closest node from end users. The result shows a high performance and flexible solution to build a personal content delivery network over cloud.
Using Robust Queueing to Expose the Impact of Dependence in Single-Server Queues

Queueing applications are often complicated by dependence among interarrival times and service times. Such dependence is common in networks of queues, where arrivals are departures from other queues or superpositions of such complicated processes, especially when there are multiple customer classes with class-dependent service-time distributions. We show that the robust queueing approach for single-server queues proposed in the literature can be extended to yield improved steady-state performance approximations in the standard stochastic setting that includes dependence among interarrival times and service times. We propose a new functional robust queueing formulation for the steady-state workload that is exact for the steady-state mean in the M/GI/1 model and is asymptotically correct in both heavy traffic and light traffic. Simulation experiments show that it is effective more generally. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.2017. 1649.