cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relapse Prevention Among Women Who Stop Smoking Early in Pregnancy: A Randomized Clinical Trial of a Self-help Intervention

Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions targeted at women who are smoking during pregnancy. In contrast, there is limited information about the experience of smokers who have stopped before entering prenatal care--"spontaneous quitters." These women constitute the majority of women who stop smoking sometime during pregnancy, although evidence suggests that as many as one third relapse prior to delivery. We report the results of a population-based randomized clinical trial that tested the effectiveness of a relapse prevention program for spontaneous quitters. The intervention consisted predominantly of printed materials received through the mail. The population (n = 171) of spontaneous quitters was an ethnically diverse group of women enrolled in a large health maintenance organization. Biochemical confirmation of continuous abstinence through delivery revealed that 16% of the women in the experimental self-help program relapsed compared with 20% of usual care controls (NS). Analysis confirmed that the program was equally ineffective among all subgroups including women at highest risk for relapse. Given the negative outcomes associated with self-help materials and clinic-based counseling reported in this and other trials, alternative intervention strategies need to be developed and tested for this significant group of prepregnancy smokers.
SEPARATION AND ESTIMATION OF 17-ALPHA-ESTRADIOL.

Evidence for the specificity of Haenni’s iron-Kober reagent B for 17α-estradiol permitting the estimation of this estrogen in the presence of 17β-estradiol has been confirmed and extended. Other naturally occurring estrogens did not react with this reagent. Treatment of urine with β-glucuronidase and dilute acid and purification of the extracts by silica gel chromatography permitted the detection and estimation, as well as providing information regarding the mode of conjugation, of small amounts of 17α-estradiol in urine of the pregnant cow and of the rabbit treated with estrone. While 17α-estradiol was not detected in pooled specimens of human pregnancy urine, evidence was obtained of its presence in the case of one individual. The possible significance of this finding is discussed. (Endocrinology 74: 870, 1964)
Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) has become an important method in recent years for the growth of high-quality epitaxial layers of various semiconductor materials particularly for use in sophisticated heterostructure and quantum well laser structures. In a typical reactor lower-order metal alkyls, such as trimethylgallium (TMGa) and trimethylaluminum (TMA1), are mixed in the vapor phase with a hydride such as arsine.
Label-Free Sickle Cell Disease Diagnosis using a Low-Cost, Handheld Platform

Recent technological advancements have made strides in shifting clinical diagnostics from large centralized laboratories to the point of care, thus widely increasing the accessibility to such diagnostic procedures worldwide. For sickle cell disease diagnostics, many current technologies require costly equipment and specialized training while others rely on subjective interpretation of results and can be vulnerable to user error. In contrast, the self-contained, user-friendly, and low-cost platform proposed here uses magnetic focusing to separate, image, and analyze blood cells based on their densities. Here, the applicability of this approach is demonstrated to provide a quantitative diagnosis of sickle cell disease. Further, in low-resource settings such as sub-Saharan Africa (where the disease is common but no ubiquitous testing and monitoring procedures are in place), this technology can enable simple, rapid, and accessible sickle cell disease diagnostics and monitoring.
Measures of emotion reactivity and emotion regulation: Convergent and discriminant validity ☆

Emotion reactivity and emotion regulation are salient constructs in theories of emotion and emotion disorders; however, little is known about the convergent and discriminant validity of instruments used to measure them. The current paper examines the validity of four emotion-regulation and three emotion-reactivity instruments (with a total of 27 subscales) across three independent samples of university students (total N = 715). Eight subscales from a coping instrument were also examined. Confirmatory factor analysis failed to show the expected patterns of convergent and discriminant validity; however, exploratory factor analysis revealed three different factors, reflecting out-of-control negative emotion, emotion awareness and expression, and cognitive strategies for emotion regulation. Results have implications for both basic emotions research and clinical science.
Baryon and Lepton Number Violation in Astrophysics

The cosmological and astrophysical significance of baryon and lepton number violating process is the subject of this talk. The possibility of baryon-number violating processes in the electroweak transition in the early universe is reviewed. The implications of lepton-number violation via Nambu-Goldstone bosons are discussed in detail.
Bridging the Distance: Common Issues of the Rural West. Edited by David B. Danbom. Foreword by David M. Kennedy

Bridging the Distance: Common Issues of the Rural West . Edited by David B. Danbom. Foreword by David M. Kennedy. (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2015. xiii + 296 pp. Illustrations, maps, charts, tables, notes, bibliography, index. $30.00, paper.) Congratulations to editor David B. Danbom on his excellent timing for explaining the motivations behind the ranchers’ occupation of Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during winter 2016 as well as the responses of the local community and the Burns Paiute Tribe. This interdisciplinary collection of essays illuminates the consequences of historical decisions. David M. Kennedy’s foreword and Jon K. Lauck’s essay introduce the volume with a solid western historiography. Kennedy observed how surprised Frederick Jackson Turner would be that today’s census data reveals even fewer residents in many areas than in the … glaserles{at}ccsu.edu
Use of spectral reflectance for indirect selection of yield potential and stability in Pacific Northwest winter wheat.

Abstract The use of canopy spectral reflectance as a high throughput selection method has been recommended to augment genetic gain from yield based selection in highly variable environments. The objectives of this study were to estimate genotypic correlations between grain yield and spectral reflectance indices (SRIs), and estimate heritability, expected response to selection, relative efficiency of indirect selection, and accuracy of yield predictive models in Pacific Northwest winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) under a range of moisture regimes. A diversity panel of 402 winter wheat genotypes (87 hard and 315 soft) was grown in rain-fed and irrigated conditions across the eastern Washington in 2012 and 2013. Canopy spectral reflectance measured at heading, milk, soft dough, and hard dough stages were used to derive several SRIs which generally had higher broad sense heritability ( H 2 ) than yield per se . Grain yield and SRIs showed generally high genetic variability and response to selection in moist-cool rain-fed condition. Efficiency of indirect selection for yield using SRIs was high in drought environment and exceeded efficiency of yield-based selection in the soft winter subgroup. Normalized water band index (NWI) showed consistent response to selection across environments, higher genetic correlation with yield (0.51–0.80, p p
Finding positive meaning in negative experiences engages ventral striatal and ventromedial prefrontal regions associated with reward valuation

Neuroimaging research has identified systems that facilitate minimizing negative emotion, but how the brain is able to transform the valence of an emotional response from negative to positive is unclear. Behavioral and psychophysiological studies suggest a distinction between minimizing reappraisal, which entails diminishing the arousal elicited by negative stimuli, and positive reappraisal, which instead changes the emotional valence of arousal from negative to positive. Here we show that successful minimizing reappraisal tracked with decreased activity in the amygdala, but successful positive reappraisal tracked with increased activity in regions involved in computing reward value, including the ventral striatum and ventromedial pFC vmPFC. Moreover, positive reappraisal enhanced positive connectivity between vmPFC and amygdala, and individual differences in positive connectivity between vmPFC and amygdala, ventral striatum, dorsomedial pFC, and dorsolateral pFC predicted greater positive reappraisal success. These data broaden models of emotion regulation as quantitative dampening of negative emotion and identify activity in a network of brain valuation, arousal, and control regions as a neural basis for the ability to create positive meaning from negative experiences.
Forcible Stops: Police and Citizens Speak Out

A recent federal district court decision found that the New York City Police Department engaged in unconstitutional policing. Officers stopped millions of minority young men over the span of several years. Most of those stopped were innocent of any wrongdoing. This article uses qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate these inequities, examining the views of both the police and those who were stopped. The authors find that pressure on officers emanating from headquarters was responsible for much of the illegal behavior by lower-level officers. Additionally, youth in minority neighborhoods felt mistreated by the police; this led to distrust in the police. The authors suggest solutions to ameliorate this painful episode in police practice. The article concludes with specific recommendations such as reducing management pressure on officers and police developing community partnerships.
The Cerebral Cortex

The cerebral cortex represents the highest level of function of the human brain. This chapter considers the overall organization of cortex from the gross topographic down to the cellular neurophysiology of the cortex. Concepts are addressed including the division of the cortex into perceptual and executive regions, the laminar and columnar structure of the cortex, the principal cell types in the cortical circuit, and their modulation by transmitter systems. The modular organization of the cortex into functionally distinct regions is discussed as an approach to understanding the ramifications of lesions of the cortex. The networked nature of these cortical regions as they collaborate in mediating the most complex cognitive tasks is also discussed.
Pd/C–Al–water facilitated selective reduction of a broad variety of functional groups

The chemoselective reduction of a broad variety of functional groups by a Pd/C–Al–H2O system is described. The reduction is based on the reaction of Al with the solvent water that in situ produces hydrogen that is utilized by the supported Pd catalyst toward the hydrogenation of the target functional groups. The hydrogenations are carried out under mild conditions and provided the products in high yields and selectivity. The reduction system appeared to be effective for a broad range of functional groups, including C–C, C–N, C–O and N–O multiple bonds, aromatic rings, hydrogenolysis of C–O, C–N and C–Halogen bonds. The appropriate selection of the reaction conditions allowed the selective preparation of different products from the same substrate. The simplicity, cost, tunability and the environmentally benign character of the catalytic system offer numerous advantages over the currently available methods.
A Dual-Path 4-Phase Nonuniform Wideband Receiver With Digital MMSE Harmonic Rejection Equalizer

This paper presents a dual-path nonuniform blocker tolerant wideband receiver that employs digital harmonic rejection to suppress local oscillator (LO) harmonic interferers. The proposed receiver performs harmonic rejection of any LO harmonic including seventh and ninth using only four uniformly spaced clocks each with 25% duty cycle. An adaptive minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) harmonic rejection equalizer is developed that minimizes the desired signal distortion in the mean-squared error sense in the presence of harmonic interferers and the correlated noise between the two paths. The chip prototype is fabricated in 130 nm CMOS process and achieved harmonic rejection ratio (HRR) >75 dB for LO harmonic interferers up to the measured 11th harmonic. The 3.1 dB noise figure (NF) at 1 GHz frequency, 14.5 dBm out-of-band third-order intermodulation intercept point (OBIIP3) at 80 MHz offset from 1 GHz and higher than 10 dB return loss in the frequency range of 100–1450 MHz is measured for the proposed receiver.
Convective-Scale Data Assimilation for the Weather Research and Forecasting Model Using the Local Particle Filter

AbstractParticle filters (PFs) are Monte Carlo data assimilation techniques that operate with no parametric assumptions for prior and posterior errors. A data assimilation method introduced recently, called the local PF, approximates the PF solution within neighborhoods of observations, thus allowing for its use in high-dimensional systems. The current study explores the potential of the local PF for atmospheric data assimilation through cloud-permitting numerical experiments performed for an idealized squall line. Using only 100 ensemble members, experiments using the local PF to assimilate simulated radar measurements demonstrate that the method provides accurate analyses at a cost comparable to ensemble filters currently used in weather models. Comparisons between the local PF and an ensemble Kalman filter demonstrate benefits of the local PF for producing probabilistic analyses of non-Gaussian variables, such as hydrometeor mixing ratios. The local PF also provides more accurate forecasts than the ens...
Sex and Chronic Psychiatric Illness

Sexual functioning is an important quality of life factor that is often compromised in individuals living with chronic psychiatric illness, yet many clinicians still feel reluctant to address sexuality in psychiatric patients. This chapter aims to provide an overview of sexual functioning in individuals with major DSM-5 disorders, including neurodevelopmental, schizophrenia spectrum, depressive, bipolar, anxiety, and other disorders. Pathophysiology, psychosocial factors, reproductive health risks, and clinical implications are discussed. The extant literature summarized in this chapter supports the importance of integrating sexual health into both medical and mental health care practices.
Strength and deformation of shocked diamond single crystals: Orientation dependence

Understanding and quantifying the strength or elastic limit of diamond single crystals is of considerable scientific and technological importance, and has been a subject of long standing theoretical and experimental interest. To examine the effect of crystalline anisotropy on strength and deformation of shocked diamond single crystals, plate impact experiments were conducted to measure wave profiles at various elastic impact stresses up to \ensuremath{\sim}120 GPa along [110] and [111] crystal orientations. Using laser interferometry, particle velocity histories and shock velocities in the diamond samples were measured and were compared with similar measurements published previously for shock compression along the [100] direction. Wave profiles for all three orientations showed large elastic wave amplitudes followed by time-dependent inelastic deformation. From the measured wave profiles, the elastic limits were determined under well characterized uniaxial strain loading conditions. The measured elastic wave amplitudes for the [110] and [111] orientations were lower for higher elastic impact stress (stress attained for an elastic diamond response), consistent with the result reported previously for [100] diamond. The maximum resolved shear stress (MRSS) on the {111}⟨110⟩ slip systems was determined for each orientation, revealing significant orientation dependence. The MRSS values for the [100] and [110] orientations (\ensuremath{\sim}33 GPa) are 25%--30% of theoretical estimates; the MRSS value for the [111] orientation is significantly lower (\ensuremath{\sim}23 GPa). Our results demonstrate that the MRSS depends strongly on the stress component normal to the {111} planes or the resolved normal stress (RNS), suggesting that the RNS plays a key role in inhibiting the onset of inelastic deformation. Lower elastic wave amplitudes at higher peak stress and the effect of the RNS are inconsistent with typical dislocation slip mechanisms of inelastic deformation, suggesting instead an inelastic response characteristic of shocked brittle solids. The present results show that the elastic limit (or material strength) of diamond single crystals cannot be described using traditional isotropic approaches, and typical plasticity models cannot be used to describe the inelastic deformation of diamond. Analysis of the measured wave profiles beyond the elastic limit, including characterization of the peak state, requires numerical simulations that incorporate a time-dependent, anisotropic, inelastic deformation response. Development of such a material description for diamond is an important need.
Characteristics of Bullies and Victims among Students with Emotional Disturbance Attending Approved Private Special Education Schools

The goal of this study was to describe rates and types of bullying and victimization among 407 students with emotional disturbance (ED) in grades 6 through 10 attending private approved special edu...
New Approaches to Database Security: Report on Discussion

Although multi-level secure operating systems have been a reality for several years, their use has yet to become widespread. This is due, in part, to the lack of secure software available for such systems, in particular to the lack of secure software for data-intensive applications, for which multi-level secure databases are a necessity.
Amount of Chemical Weathering

Direct comparison of chemical analyses of fresh and weathered rocks shows that some constituents have been lost from fresh rock during weathering, and that some have accumulated in the weathered material. Some minerals are more stable than others to the weathering processes, and some chemical elements react with the watery solutions that cause alteration, whereas others do not.
Very-high-resolution photon-echo measurements of depolarizing collisions

The collisional scattering of magnetically polarized atoms is of fundamental interest since the scattering process couples translational and internal degrees of freedom.1 Photon-echo techniques have recently been used to study this coupling by preparing active atoms in a superposition of magnetic sublevels and then quantitatively correlating collisional velocity changes with collisional depolarization.2–5 These experiments provide previously unmeasured information about the collision process. For example, they elucidate the differential relaxation experienced by different types of magnetic order (k-multipoles) and clarify the structure of polarization preserving collision kernels.
Robust foreground detection in videos using adaptive color histogram thresholding and shadow removal

Fundamental to advance video processing such as object tracking, gait recognition and video indexing is the issue of robust background and foreground segmentation. Several methods have been explored regarding this application, but they are either time or memory consuming or not so efficient in segmentation. This paper proposes an accurate and fast foreground detection technique for object tracking in videos with quasi-stationary backgrounds. The background is modeled using a novel real-time kernel density estimations approach based on online histogram learning. It is noted that shadows are classified as part of foreground pixels if further processing on illumination conditions of the foreground regions is not performed. A developed morphological approach to remove shadows from the segmented foreground image is used. The main contribution of the proposed foreground detection approach is its low memory requirements, low processing time, suitability for parallel processing, and accurate segmentation. The technique has been tested on a variety of both indoor and outdoor sequences for segmentation of foreground and background. The data is structured in such a way that it could be processed using multi-core parallel processing architectures. Tests on dual and quad core processors proved the two and four times speed up factors achieved by distributing the system on parallel hardware architectures. A potential direction for the proposed approach is to investigate its performance on a CUDA enabled Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) as parallel processing capabilities are built into our architecture.
Effective angiogenesis requires regulation of phosphoinositide signaling.

Abstract Phosphoinositide signaling regulates numerous downstream effectors that mediate cellular processes which influence cell cycle progression, migration, proliferation, growth, survival, metabolism and vesicular trafficking. A prominent role for phosphoinositide 3-kinase, which generates phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate, a phospholipid that activates a plethora of effectors including AKT and FOXO during embryonic and postnatal angiogenesis, has been described. In addition, phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate signaling is required for endosomal trafficking, which contributes to vascular remodeling. This review will examine the role phosphoinositide signaling plays in the endothelium and its contribution to sprouting angiogenesis.
Understanding the Density and Distribution of Restaurants in Los Angeles County to Inform Local Public Health Practice.

Introduction To describe the potential reach of restaurant-based strategies that seek to improve the healthfulness of menu options, it is important to understand the local restaurant environment, including the extent to which restaurants subject to policy mandates are located in communities disproportionately affected by diet-related diseases. Methods This cross-sectional study examined the restaurant environment in Los Angeles County, a large jurisdiction with diverse geographic and socioeconomic characteristics, specifically 1) the number and characteristics of restaurants; 2) the association between neighborhood sociodemographics and restaurant density; and 3) the association between neighborhood sociodemographics and restaurant characteristics, including chain status (large chain, small chain, independent restaurant). Data sources were 1) industry data on restaurant location and characteristics (N = 24,292 restaurants) and 2) US Census data on neighborhood sociodemographics (N = 247 neighborhoods). We conducted descriptive and bivariate analyses at the restaurant and neighborhood level. Results Countywide, only 26.5% of all restaurants were part of a large chain (a chain with ≥20 locations). We found positive associations between restaurant density and neighborhood proportions of non-Hispanic white residents and residents with more than a high school education. We found limited support to suggest a greater density of large chains in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status. Conclusion Results highlight the potentially limited reach of strategies targeting chain restaurants and point to the importance of including small chain restaurants and independent restaurants in public health efforts to improve the healthfulness of restaurants. Understanding where restaurants are in relation to priority populations is a critical step to planning strategies that address diet-related disparities.
Revealing the Relative Electronic Landscape of Colloidal ZnO and TiO2 Nanoparticles via Equilibration Studies

Interest in metal oxide semiconductors for energy processes has increased due to their prominent roles in photocatalysis, electrical energy storage, and conversion. However, an understanding of the...
Two minds are better than one

Artificial intelligence is evolving, says Douglas Heaven, and it will soon change the way we think
Genome-wide association analysis of 19,629 individuals identifies variants influencing regional brain volumes and refines their genetic co-architecture with cognitive and mental health traits

Volumetric variations of the human brain are heritable and are associated with many brain-related complex traits. Here we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of 101 brain volumetric phenotypes using the UK Biobank sample including 19,629 participants. GWAS identified 365 independent genetic variants exceeding a significance threshold of 4.9 × 10−10, adjusted for testing multiple phenotypes. A gene-based association study found 157 associated genes (124 new), and functional gene mapping analysis linked 146 additional genes. Many of the discovered genetic variants and genes have previously been implicated in cognitive and mental health traits. Through genome-wide polygenic-risk-score prediction, more than 6% of the phenotypic variance (P = 3.13 × 10−24) in four other independent studies could be explained by the UK Biobank GWAS results. In conclusion, our study identifies many new genetic associations at the variant, locus and gene levels and advances our understanding of the pleiotropy and genetic co-architecture between brain volumes and other traits. Genome-wide analyses in 19,629 individuals identify 365 independent variants associated with brain volumetric phenotypes. The study provides insight into the overlapping genetic architecture of brain volume measures and cognitive and mental health traits.
PAD-Beads enrichment enhances detection of PrP Sc using real-time quaking-induced conversion

Scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that naturally occurs in sheep and goats. This fatal neurodegenerative disease results from misfolding of the normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) to a pathogenic prion protein form (PrPSc). This pathogenic form, PrPSc, accumulates in the brain and lymphoid tissues. The presence of PrPSc can be detected by an in vitro conversion assay known as real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC). RT-QuIC has been used to detect PrPSc in a variety of biological tissues from brains to fluids. While this technique is both rapid and sensitive, enhancing the detection of prions would be valuable in the diagnostic laboratories. In this study, we assessed whether PrPSc detection sensitivity of RT-QuIC can be increased by enriching PrPSc in scrapie tissue homogenates using commercially available aggregated protein binding ligands coated magnetic beads (PAD-Beads). Coupling of RT-QuIC to PAD-Beads based cleanup allowed detection of PrPSc rapidly and without dilution of scrapie sheep brain homogenates prior to RT-QuIC. The PAD-Beads sample pretreatment step prior to RT-QuIC is a useful enhancement in the diagnosis of TSEs.
Lethal Pulmonary Embolism Following Left Upper Extremity Angiogram/Angioplasty with Thrombectomy at Malfunctioning Arteriovenous Fistula

A 41-one-year-old female on chronic hemodialysis with a medical history of systemic lupus erythematosus and end-stage renal disease presented with clotted hemodialysis access. She was sent to the operating room for angiogram/angioplasty with thrombectomy. Although the thrombectomy was successful, toward the end of the case, she went into cardiac arrest secondary to a massive pulmonary embolization that probably originated from her clotted arteriovenous fistula. Spontaneous circulation returned only after a prolonged period of resuscitation using advanced cardiac life support. She was transferred to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) intubated while receiving minimal cardiovascular pharmacological support. Computerized tomography (CT) scan of the head indicated extensive anoxic brain injury and she expired two days later.
Rare variant enriched identity-by-descent enables the detection of distant relatedness and older divergence between populations

Motivation: The global human population has experienced an explosive growth from a few million to roughly 7 billion people in the last 10,000 years. Accompanying this growth has been the accumulation of rare variants that can inform our understanding of human evolutionary history. Common variants have primarily been used to infer the structure of the human population and relatedness between two individuals. However, with the increasing abundance of rare variants observed in large-scale projects, such as Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed), the use of rare variants to decipher cryptic relatedness and fine-scale population structure can be beneficial to the study of population demographics and association studies. Identity-by-descent (IBD) is an important framework used for identifying these relationships. IBD segments are broken down by recombination over time, such that longer shared haplotypes give strong evidence of recent relatedness while shorter shared haplotypes are indicative of more distant relationships. Current methods to identify IBD accurately detect only long segments (> 2cM) found in related individuals. Algorithm: We describe a metric that leverages rare-variants shared between individuals to improve the detection of short IBD segments. We computed IBD segments using existing methods implemented in Refined IBD where we enrich the signal using our metric that facilitates the detection of short IBD segments (
Characterizing developmental prosopagnosia beyond face perception: Impaired recollection but intact familiarity recognition

Converging lines of research suggests that many developmental prosopagnosics (DPs) have impairments beyond face perception, but currently no framework exists to characterize these impaired mechanisms. One potential extra-perceptual deficit is that DPs encode/retrieve faces in a distinct manner from controls that does not sufficiently support individuation. To test this possibility, 30 DPs and 30 matched controls performed an old/new face recognition task while providing confidence ratings, to which a model-based ROC analysis was applied. DPs had significantly reduced recollection compared to controls, driven by fewer 'high-confidence target' responses, but intact familiarity. Recollection and face perception ability uniquely predicted objective and subjective prosopagnosia symptoms, together explaining 51% and 56% of the variance, respectively. These results suggest that a specific deficit in face recollection in DP may represent a core aspect of the difficulty in confidently identifying an individual by their face.
Autotaxin Activity Predicts 30-Day Mortality in Sepsis Patients and Correlates With Platelet Count and Vascular Dysfunction.

Objectives We investigated whether platelet count associated with biomarkers of endothelial function, and additionally sought to identify novel predictors of outcomes in a cohort of patients with severe sepsis at a quaternary care academic medical center. Design Prospective, observational cohort. Patients Eighty-six sepsis patients admitted into intensive care units were prospectively enrolled into an on-site sepsis registry and biobank. Interventions None. Measurements and main results Platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet mass, plasma angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2, syndecan-1, platelet factor 4, sCD40L concentrations, and plasma autotaxin activity were determined for each patient at enrollment. Patient mortality was recorded up to 30 days following hospital discharge. Platelet count and plasma sCD40L was significantly lower in patients who did not survive up to 30 days following hospital discharge. Angiopoietin-2 and the angiopoietin-2/1 ratio were significantly higher in patients who did not survive up to 30 days following discharge. Furthermore, plasma autotaxin activity was significantly higher in patients who did not survive up to 30 days. Interestingly, autotaxin activity correlated with platelet count and the ratio of angiopoietin-2/1 across our population. Conclusions Platelet count, the ratio of angiopoietin-2/1, and autotaxin activity all predicted 30-day mortality. Autotaxin activity within the plasma correlates with both platelet counts and vascular dysfunction biomarkers across both survivors and non-survivors indicating a possible involvement of autotaxin within sepsis.
Addressing Fertility: an Essential Aspect of Comprehensive Care for Young Patients with Breast Cancer

Approximately 12,000 women between 20 and 39 years of age are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer (BC) annually in the USA. We aim to summarize data regarding the impact of BC treatment on fertility and strategies for fertility preservation in young women with BC. Standard curative therapies for breast cancer can lead to subfertility, infertility, and primary ovarian insufficiency by their direct gonadotoxic effects and/or by delaying the age at which a woman can attempt pregnancy. Oocyte and embryo cryopreservation are the preferred options for fertility preservation and, if done efficiently within an established referral system, will not negatively impact long-term outcomes or the ability to receive neoadjuvant therapy in a timely fashion. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists may be included alongside chemotherapy but should not be relied on for fertility preservation. All premenopausal women should be counseled regarding the potential impact of systemic therapies on fertility. A multi-disciplinary approach is needed, including early referral to reproductive endocrinology, to effectively address fertility concerns in young patients with breast cancer.
Degradation of Transcriptional Repressor ATF4 during Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity

Maintenance of long-term synaptic plasticity requires gene expression mediated by cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB). Gene expression driven by CREB can commence only if the inhibition by a transcriptional repressor activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4; also known as CREB2) is relieved. Previous research showed that the removal of ATF4 occurs through ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated proteolysis. Using chemically induced hippocampal long-term potentiation (cLTP) as a model system, we investigate the mechanisms that control ATF4 degradation. We observed that ATF4 phosphorylated at serine-219 increases upon induction of cLTP and decreases about 30 min thereafter. Proteasome inhibitor β-lactone prevents the decrease in ATF4. We found that the phosphorylation of ATF4 is mediated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Our initial experiments towards the identification of the ligase that mediates ubiquitination of ATF4 revealed a possible role for β-transducin repeat containing protein (β-TrCP). Regulation of ATF4 degradation is likely to be a mechanism for determining the threshold for gene expression underlying maintenance of long-term synaptic plasticity and by extension, long-term memory.
The Interaction between Political Typology and Filter Bubbles in News Recommendation Algorithms

Algorithmic personalization of news and social media content aims to improve user experience; however, there is evidence that this filtering can have the unintended side effect of creating homogeneous “filter bubbles,” in which users are over-exposed to ideas that conform with their preexisting perceptions and beliefs. In this paper, we investigate this phenomenon in the context of political news recommendation algorithms, which have important implications for civil discourse. We first collect and curate a collection of over 900K news articles from 41 sources annotated by topic and partisan lean. We then conduct simulation studies to investigate how different algorithmic strategies affect filter bubble formation. Drawing on Pew studies of political typologies, we identify heterogeneous effects based on the user’s pre-existing preferences. For example, we find that i) users with more extreme preferences are shown less diverse content but have higher click-through rates than users with less extreme preferences, ii) content-based and collaborative-filtering recommenders result in markedly different filter bubbles, and iii) when users have divergent views on different topics, recommenders tend to have a homogenization effect.
Exploration of the Impact of Combining Risk Phenotypes on the Likelihood of Alcohol Problems in Young Adults.

AIMS We tested the hypothesis that high novelty seeking (NS-an externalizing trait), sweet-liking (SL-a phenotype that may reflect processing of hedonic stimuli) and initial insensitivity to the impairing effects of alcohol (SRE-A) act independently and synergistically to increase the likelihood of having alcohol-related problems in young adults. METHODS A sample of 145 young adults, ages 18-26, balanced for gender and alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) scores <8 or ≥8 were selected from a prior sample. NS, SL and SRE-A were assessed along with AUDIT score and family history of alcoholism (FH). The effect of phenotypes and their interaction on the likelihood of alcohol problems was assessed. RESULTS All three phenotypes contribute to the total AUDIT score. The best-fitting model explaining 35.8% of AUDIT variance includes all three phenotypes and an interaction between NS and SL/sweet-disliking (SDL) status. The addition of FH to the model explains an additional 4% of variance in both models. Classification and regression tree analysis showed that the main phenotype influencing AUDIT score is NS. The SL/SDL phenotype is a strong modifying factor for high NS. SRE-A was shown to be a weak modifier for individuals with low NS. CONCLUSION The evidence supports the hypothesis that the presence of multiple alcohol use disorders (AUD) risk phenotypes with different underlying neurobiological mechanisms within an individual (SL, NS and SRE-A) represents a higher likelihood for developing alcohol-related problems and may allow for a graded assessment of risk for AUD and offer the possibility for early intervention strategies.
Associations Between Weight-Based Bullying, Developmental Internal Assets, and Perceived Social Support Among Youth.

Background Youth with obesity are likely to experience weight-based bullying victimization, and adolescents have the highest obesity rates among children. Factors that protect youth from traditional bullying victimization may protect youth from weight-based bullying victimization: internal assets such as positive identity and social competence, and external assets such as perceived support from parents and friends. Methods To examine this proposition, data from 8th, 9th, and 11th graders were obtained from the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey (N = 126,495). Logistic regressions were conducted to identify the relationship between assets and weight-based bullying and to determine possible moderation by weight status. Results Results demonstrate that positive identity, parent support, and friend support were associated with lower odds of experiencing weight-based bullying victimization. Moderation analyses revealed that perceived parent support was most protective against experiencing weight-based bullying victimization among youth with obesity compared to youth with overweight, normal weight, or underweight. Conclusion School administrators, counselors, and teachers should be aware of the increased risk of weight-based bullying for youth with obesity and underweight. Results underscore the need to foster youth's internal assets like positive identity to promote a strength-based approach for prevention. Parent involvement is warranted in weight-based bullying prevention efforts.
Using Personas with Visual Impairments to Explore the Design of an Accessible Self-Driving Vehicle Human-Machine Interface:

Recent reports have suggested that most self-driving vehicle technology being developed is not currently accessible to users with disabilities. We purport that this problem may be at least partiall...
Fundamentals of Multivariate Analysis Part III. Analysis of Variance for One-Way Classifications

In a continuation of the elements of multivariate analysis, this installment is devoted to multivariate extensions of the analysis of variance. The likelihood ratio test of Wilks and the union-intersection test of Roy are introduced...
Effects of implant annealing on the power conversion efficiency of vertical cavity top-surface emitting lasers

Annealing of implant damage in proton implant isolated, top-emitting VCSELs at temperatures up to 400 /spl deg/C has been shown to improve power conversion efficiency through threshold current reduction. Additionally, lower temperature (300 /spl deg/C) annealing substantially reduces the series resistance of some device geometries, specifically for larger devices without overlapping contacts. >
Iterative k Data Algorithm for solving both the least squares SVM and the system of linear equations

We introduce a novel learning algorithm dubbed Iterative k Data Algorithm (IkDA) for solving a system of linear equations having symmetric positive definite matrix (SPD) when direct solution is not feasible. More specifically, we apply it to both a system of linear equations and to the least squares support vector machines (LS SVM). The new algorithm is an extension of the Iterative Single Data Algorithm (ISDA) which is an excellent, coordinate descent, approach for training SVMs. ISDA performs an optimization along a single variable which is, in fact, a Gauss-Seidel method. Unlike the former, IkDA searches for a minimum of an SVM's quadratic cost function over the subspace of k worst violating data i.e. coordinates. The novel algorithm shows a superior performance in respect to ISDA and consequently to all the other SVM training approaches slower than ISDA. Hence, IkDA is very promising for classifying large and ultra-large datasets when direct solution of LS SVM model is not feasible.
Improved KCN Medium

A semisolid tetrazolium salt agar medium developed for testing sensitivity to KCN is easier to interpret, has a longer storage life, and is less critical in the size of inoculum than is Moeller KCN broth medium.
Increasing Influenza Immunization for Long‐Term Care Facility Staff Using Quality Improvement

OBJECTIVES: To improve staff immunization rates for influenza in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). DESIGN: A quality improvement project. SETTING: LTCFs ranging in size from 50 to 2,000 beds. PARTICIPANTS: Staff members at facilities. MEASUREMENTS: Change in staff influenza immunization rate. RESULTS: Of the 13 nursing homes involved, 11 improved their staff influenza immunization rates; nine improved more than 10%, and six improved to a rate greater than 55%, a level that corresponds to substantial protection against outbreaks. Staff education was essential but insufficient. Direct encouragement and dramatic informative endeavors helped, as did financial incentives, competitions, and requiring unambiguously worded consents for refusals. Paying staff members $150 each achieved improvement rapidly. CONCLUSION: Quality improvement increased staff immunization rates at LTCFs, which reduces the risk of an influenza outbreak. Based on the insights learned about effective changes, the project developed a change package for use by other LTCFs.
Hybrid filtering in semantic query processing

This dissertation presents a hybrid filtering method and a case-based reasoning framework for enhancing the effectiveness of Web search. Web search may not reflect user needs, intent, context, and preferences, because today’s keyword-based search is lacking semantic information to capture the user’s context and intent in posing the search query. Also, many users have difficulty in representing such intent and preferences in posing a semantic query due to lack of domain knowledge and different schemas used by data providers. This dissertation introduces a hybrid filtering method, query-to-query hybrid filtering, which combines semantic content-based filtering with collaborative filtering to refine user queries based not only on an active user’s search history, but also on other users’ search histories. Thus, previous search experience not only of an active user, but also of the other users is used to assist the active user in formulating a query. In addition, a case-based reasoning framework with Semantic Web technologies is introduced to systematically/semantically manage and reuse user search histories for query refinement. Finally, ontologies are used for the hybrid filtering to mine preferable content patterns based on semantic match rather than just a keyword match. Validation of the query-to-query hybrid filtering method is performed on the GroupLens movie data sets.
Vitamin D deficiency and rickets

Classical experimental rickets in the rat is a dual deficiency, resulting from both phosphate and vitamin D deficiency, with many of the features of rickets reproducible by simple phosphorus deficiency. Simple vitamin D deficiency differs markedly from experimental rickets, with only the absence of the vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding proteins common to both situations. The expression at the bone level of vitamin D deficiency differs in the two conditions, with rickets leading to profound structural and metabolic changes, whereas simple vitamin deficiency primarily compromises the regulatory function of bone, without obvious structural alterations. It is proposed that human nutritional rickets is the result of a nutritional vitamin D deficiency that aggravates the expression of a pre-existing metabolic defect in phosphate transport. Simple nutritional vitamin D deficiency, unaccompanied by rickets, may occur, but probably has always been rare.
Household Investment Asset Variation and Wealth

Frequent shifting of household portfolio composition may erode wealth due to poor market timing and transaction costs. If household preferences are stable, the optimal wealth maximizing strategy is periodically rebalancing to maintain a relatively constant ratio of investment assets to wealth from year to year. However, some households may fail to rebalance, or may change their preference for broad asset classes because of inexperience or behavioral biases. This research tests the impact of variation in the capital accumulation ratio (CAR), a commonly used ratio of investment assets to net worth, on changes in wealth using quantile regression. Using quantile regression, we find that having a high standard deviation of CAR results in the greatest losses among those with the lowest change in wealth between 1994 and 2004.
Clutter complexity analysis of hyper-spectral bands

This work investigates the use of a clutter complexity measure for the selection of bands for a detector operating over forward looking hyper-spectral image cubes. By clutter complexity, we mean an aggregation of statistical image features that predict the "degree of difficulty" to detect and/or identify a target object in an image. We show that clutter complexity correlates well with single-band automatic target recognition (ATR) performance. We also show the performance of the multi-band ATR when the bands are selected based on clutter complexity. To baseline this ATR performance, we consider a uniform band ordering strategy and an "optimal" ordering strategy determined by an exhaustive search. Our results show that the ordering by clutter complexity results in an improvement of the ATR performance when compared to the uniform ordering strategy. This improved performance is however not as good as the performance obtained for the optimal ordering.