cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving reproductive health service delivery.

This comment discusses a report focused on functionally integrating the reproductive health programs of the Ministry of Population Welfare and the Ministry of Health in Pakistan. It commends the report on laying out the dimensions of the controversy and taking an objective approach aimed towards improvements in the current Pakistan programs for promoting family planning and better reproductive health.
Impact of chevron spacing and asymmetric distribution on supersonic jet acoustics and flow

Abstract An experimental investigation into the effect of chevron spacing and distribution on supersonic jets was performed. Cross-stream and streamwise particle imaging velocimetry measurements were used to relate flow field modification to sound field changes measured by far-field microphones in the overexpanded, ideally expanded, and underexpanded regimes. Drastic modification of the jet cross-section was achieved by the investigated configurations, with both elliptic and triangular shapes attained downstream. Consequently, screech was nearly eliminated with reductions in the range of 10–25 dB depending on the operating condition. Analysis of the streamwise velocity indicated that both the mean shock spacing and strength were reduced resulting in an increase in the broadband shock associated noise spectral peak frequency and a reduction in the amplitude, respectively. Maximum broadband shock associated noise amplitude reductions were in the 5–7 dB range. Chevron proximity was found to be the primary driver of peak vorticity production, though persistence followed the opposite trend. The integrated streamwise vorticity modulus was found to be correlated with peak large scale turbulent mixing noise reduction, though optimal overall sound pressure level reductions did not necessarily follow due to the shock/fine scale mixing noise sources. Optimal large scale mixing noise reductions were in the 5–6 dB range.
Gesture controllers

We introduce gesture controllers, a method for animating the body language of avatars engaged in live spoken conversation. A gesture controller is an optimal-policy controller that schedules gesture animations in real time based on acoustic features in the user's speech. The controller consists of an inference layer, which infers a distribution over a set of hidden states from the speech signal, and a control layer, which selects the optimal motion based on the inferred state distribution. The inference layer, consisting of a specialized conditional random field, learns the hidden structure in body language style and associates it with acoustic features in speech. The control layer uses reinforcement learning to construct an optimal policy for selecting motion clips from a distribution over the learned hidden states. The modularity of the proposed method allows customization of a character's gesture repertoire, animation of non-human characters, and the use of additional inputs such as speech recognition or direct user control.
In Situ Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Mechanistic Studies of Carbon Dioxide Reactions with Liquid Amines in Aqueous Systems: New Insights on Carbon Capture Reaction Pathways

A series of closely related primary, secondary, and tertiary alkanolamine model compounds were monitored in real time in aqueous solution via in situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy while purging CO2-rich gas through the solution over a range of temperatures. The real-time in situ spectroscopic monitoring of this reaction chemistry provides new insight about reaction pathways through identification of primary products and their transformations into secondary products. New mechanistic pathways were observed and elucidated. The effects of CO2 loadings, relative absorption and desorption kinetics, pH, temperature, and other critical features of the amine/CO2 reaction system are discussed in detail. The effect of amine basicity and structure on these parameters was further elucidated by studying complementary electron-rich and -poor amines (pKa ∼ 4.5–11) and guanidines (pKa ∼ 14–15). While tertiary amines act only as simple proton acceptors, primary and secondary amines function as both bases an...
Dietary overview of Hemidactylus turcicus with possible implications of food partitioning

A stomach content analysis was conducted on Hemidactylus turcicus, the Mediterranean gecko, from 19 April 1990 to 15 October 1990, on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. Geckos (N = 167) were placed into four size groups based on snout-vent-length ( 1.52 m to c 3.05 m, and > 3.05 m). Stomach contents were analyzed and sex, size, and microhabitat groups were compared using Schoener's percent overlap index. Volumet- rically, the most important prey items taken were Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Isopoda. Geckos of different size groups showed some differences in diet. The greatest difference occurred between the smallest and largest size groups. A significant positive correlation was found between gecko size and prey size (r = 0.24, P = 0.0008). Differences in the diets of geckos inhabiting different microhabitats were very evident. Geckos occupying high perch sites ate more flying prey while geckos at lower perch sites ate more ground- dwelling prey.
Gastroesophageal reflux and asthma.

PreviewGastroesophageal reflux and asthma are linked in a number of interesting ways. Because of this interrelationship, anti-reflux therapy may often affect the status of patients with asthma. Dr Mansfield discusses this relationship and its application to clinical practice.
Coagulation and Immunology

One of the most vital functions of the vertebrates is to maintain hemostasis through coagulation and fibrinolysis. This is achieved by the interaction of vascular walls with blood components such as cells and proteins (coagulation factors, immunoglobulins, and complement). Deficiency of coagulation factors results in bleeding disorders. The immune system, in response to foreign proteins or defective self proteins, produces antibodies triggering an Ag-Ab interaction with the related host of different reactions including abnormal coagulation leading to hemorrhagic diathesis.
Marketing in a Nonprofit Organization: A Case Study

Recently marketing scholars have shown considerable interest towards marketing problems in nonprofit organizations. The nonprofit organizations are finding the marketing ideas useful in their needs to attract people, funds, and other resources. This case study is about the Kenosha Youth Foundation (KYF), a nonprofit organization, providing services primarily to Kenosha County residents in the state of Wisconsin. A total benefits concept in their marketing strategy, a survey, and positioning their service offerings are suggested in their Implementation of marketing concepts.
Higher-Order Elliptic Equations in Non-Smooth Domains: a Partial Survey

Recent years have brought significant advances in the theory of higher-order elliptic equations in non-smooth domains. Sharp pointwise estimates on derivatives of polyharmonic functions in arbitrary domains were established, followed by the higher-order Wiener test. Certain boundary value problems for higher-order operators with variable non-smooth coefficients were addressed, both in divergence form and in composition form, the latter being adapted to the context of Lipschitz domains. These developments brought new estimates on the fundamental solutions and the Green function, allowing for the lack of smoothness of the boundary or of the coefficients of the equation. Building on our earlier account of history of the subject (published in Concrete operators, spectral theory, operators in harmonic analysis and approximation). Operator Theory: Advances and Applications, vol. 236, Birkhauser/Springer, Basel, 2014, pp. 53–93), this survey presents the current state of the art, emphasizing the most recent results and emerging open problems.
Update on pharmacotherapy for treatment of opioid use disorder.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a significant public health concern, negatively impacting the medical, psychological, and social domains of an individual’s life as well as creating substantial burdens for society. Effective treatment interventions are necessary for reduction of OUD and its consequences. Pharmacotherapy represents a central component of management.Areas covered: This review focuses on pharmacologic strategies for OUD treatment, discussing both primary as well as adjunctive therapy modalities. We will discuss both medications used during detoxification to treat withdrawal, as well as those used as maintenance therapy. Detox medications include alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, such as clonidine, as well as the μ-opioid agonist, methadone, and the μ-opioid partial agonist, buprenorphine. Opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) is also discussed, focusing on those medications meant to substitute abused opioids and includes the agonists, methadone and buprenorphine, as well as supervi...
Molecular biology: Mature proteins braced by a chaperone.

Hsp70 chaperone molecules help other proteins to fold, and were thought to bind mainly to unfolded proteins. Single-molecule experiments now suggest that Hsp70s can also stabilize almost fully folded proteins. See Letter p.448 The protein-chaperone system centred on Hsp70 performs a variety of cellular control tasks, including folding assistance, protection against aggregation, trafficking and regulation of enzyme activity, a versatility that has been hard to reconcile with structural data, which suggest that Hsp70 only binds extended polypeptide segments. Now, using laser molecular tweezers, Sander Tans and colleagues show that the bacterial homolog of Hsp70, known as DnaK, relies on its 'groove' to bind unfolded proteins, but can also bind folded structures, thanks to its 'lid', with control of ATP hydrolysis by co-chaperones allowing regulation of such contrasting effects. Contrary to known stabilization mechanisms, through precise structural fit, Hsp70 can stabilize a vast repertoire of client proteins, through a clamp-like, ATP-driven conformational change.
Golden Rice: no progress to be seen. Do we still need it?

In the December 2014 issue of Environment and Development Economics, we published the article, "The economic power of the Golden Rice opposition" by Wesseler and Zilberman. The paper generated substantial interest, not only in academia but also among civil society groups. In this note, we address some of the concerns that have been raised about our results. Our main conclusion remains that misguieded regulations in the case of Golden Rice have cost millions of healthy life years and billions of dollars.
Concepts of the Neurophysiological Action of Antiepileptic Drugs

ABSTRACT.The ability to selectively depress paroxysmal firing of neurons in the reticular formation appears to be the common denominator of antiepileptic drug action. This property enables antiepileptic drugs to prevent the spread of seizure activity without significantly impairing normal neuronal activity, so that they can stop seizures without producing significant sedative side effects. The various classes of antiepileptic drugs exert these actions by different mechanisms, leading to a preferential action on different neuronal pathways and on different types of seizures. Drugs effective against absence seizures depress inhibitory pathways while drugs effective against tonic-clonic seizures also depress excitatory pathways. The selective action of antiabsence drugs on inhibitory pathways corresponds to the clinical and experimental evidence that absence seizures are due to paroxysmal discharges in inhibitory pathways in the central nervous system (CNS). The search for the mechanisms of action of antiepi...
Fabrication, Modeling, and Application of Ceramic-Thermoplastic Composites for Fused Deposition Modeling of Microwave Components

A new kind of high permittivity (high- $k$ ) and low-loss composite material for fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology based on a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) thermoplastic matrix embedded with sintered ceramic fillers was developed and characterized up to $ku$ -band. FDM printed samples made of 30 vol.% COP-MgCaTiO2 composites, with filler particles sintered at 1200 °C, show a relative permittivity ( $\varepsilon _{r}$ ) of 4.82 and a loss tangent (tan $\delta$ ) below 0.0018. Meanwhile, 3-D-printed samples composed of 25 vol.% COP-Ba0.55Sr0.45 TiO3 with particles sintered at 1340 °C exhibit a $\varepsilon _{r}$ of 4.92 and a tan $\delta$ lower than 0.0114. Also, 30 vol.% COP-TiO2 specimens with filler particles sintered at 1200 °C exhibit a $\varepsilon _{r}$ of 4.78 and a low tan $\delta$ lower than 0.0012, whereas acrylonitrile butadiene styrene-Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3 specimens with a 6% volume fraction loading of microparticle fillers sintered at 1340 °C have demonstrated a $\varepsilon _{r}$ of 3.98 and a tan $\delta$ less than 0.0086. Edge-fed microstrip patch antennas operating at 17 GHz were fabricated by a direct digital manufacturing (DDM) approach that combines FDM of electromagnetic composites and microdispensing for deposition of conductive traces and compared with reference designs implemented using commercial microwave laminates regarding antenna size and performance. Evidently, the newly developed ceramic-thermoplastic composites are well suited for microwave device applications up to $Ku$ -band and can be adapted to 3-D printing technologies.
The Novel BET Inhibitor PLX51107 Has In Vitro and In Vivo Activity Against Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has very poor long-term survival with traditional therapies. AML has a diverse pathogenesis and likely represents multiple different diseases. Various epigenetic effector proteins are altered in AML by mutation, over-expression, or compartmental displacement and these changes maintain transcriptional programs important for leukemogenesis. The bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins, including BRD2, BRD3 and BRD4, play roles in many cellular functions important to leukemogenesis, such as super-enhancer function, transcriptional elongation, histone acetylation and cell cycle progression. In particular, AML cells depend on BRD4 for expression of the pro-survival proteins MYC and BCL2. BRD4 has therefore become an attractive target for novel therapeutics. PLX51107 is a novel BET inhibitor with a unique binding mode in the acetylated lysine binding pocket of BRD4 that differentiates it from other compounds under investigation. Our group has previously shown this compound to have antineoplastic activity in models of aggressive B cell malignancies. We have now investigated the anti-leukemic properties of PLX51107 in both in vitro and in vivo models of AML. Results: PLX51107 treatment potently reduced viability and proliferation of the human AML cell lines MV4-11, MOLM-13, OCI-AML3, and Kasumi-1, with IC50 of 0.17, 1.8, 0.2 and 0.2 μM, respectively. We then evaluated the in vitro activity of PLX51007 in primary human AML samples. PLX51107 inhibited the proliferation of primary human AML cells co-cultured with HS5 stromal cells. For nearly all samples tested (n=9), the IC50 of PLX51007 was less than 1 μM (average = 0.41 μM, range 0.039 - 1.5 μM). Notably, PLX51107 showed efficacy across a broad range of AML risk groups, including samples with adverse risk features such as 11q23 abnormalities and FLT3-ITD mutations. In comparison, for the same AML samples, the average IC50 for JQ1 was 0.71 μM (range 0.02 - 3.3 μM) and for cytarabine was 3.5 μM (range 0.33 to >10 μM). Furthermore, PLX51107 treatment reduced the clonogenicity of primary AML cells. Following incubation of AML cells in 1 μM PLX51107, there was significantly decreased colony formation (p We next examined the efficacy of PLX51107 in vivo, utilizing luciferase labeled MV4-11 AML cells xenotransplanted into NOD / SCID / IL2rgnull (NSG) immunodeficient mice. Daily oral dosing with 20 mg/kg PLX51107 resulted in prolonged survival (median 47 days) compared to vehicle treated control animals (median 30 days, p Conclusions: Collectively, our results show pre-clinical activity of PLX51107 in AML, supporting further development of this compound in clinical trials for relapsed or refractory myeloid malignancies. We are currently working to define downstream targets of PLX51107 action and developing patient derived AML xenografts to further characterize the in vivo effects of PLX51107. Disclosures Walker: Gilead Sciences: Research Funding. Bhatnagar: Karyopharm: Research Funding.
Consumer Willingness to Pay for a Saline Fish Species Grown in the US Midwest: The Case of Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis

The US Midwest region has saline water resources that include saline aquifers, saline springs, water from oil extraction, effluents from coal beneficiation, water produced from coal-bed methane production, and other industrial effluents. There is considerable quantity of saline water in the Midwest to support a saltwater aquaculture industry. Striped bass, Morone saxatilis, is a saline fish species that has attracted interest in the Midwest region for aquaculture production. The study used willingness-to-pay information from consumers to assess the potential market for striped bass grown in the Midwest. The results suggest that males and consumers of age 29 yr and younger are more likely to pay higher amounts for striped bass. In particular, consumers who prefer farmed and fresh seafood, those who purchase seafood frequently for home consumption, and those who consume seafood 26–50% of the time when eating out have a higher probability of paying higher amounts for striped bass grown in the Midwest.
American Identity: Ideals Versus Illusions

This chapter traces the paradoxes in American identity, a journey that began with the founding of the nation with the dual identities of sanctimonious settlers and prosecutors of the native population. As the founding fathers were rummaging through the Greek and Roman political ideologies to construct American nationalism and identity, the American society and marketplace were growing and opening up new spaces for the common people to allow them to be active citizens. The Constitution is the perfect example of containing this paradox—encouraging citizens to be active and yet inserting structural obstacles to participation; championing the high idealism of equality and yet allowing slavery; and promoting individualism and yet retaining communitarian principles intact.
AN ONLINE EXPERIMENT ON CONSUMERS' SUSCEPTIBILITY TO FALL FOR POST-TRANSACTION MARKETING SCAMS

Post-transaction marketing offers are often designed to trick consumers into purchasing products they would not want. To increase the frequency of transactions, retailers use strategies such as subscribing consumers by default to offers, camouflaging post-transaction offers as part of primary transactions, and being unclear about the terms of the offer. Further, sharing agreements for personal consumer data and payment credentials between first and third-party retailers violate consumers’ expectations about privacy and business conduct. Some of these tactics have been mitigated in the United States with the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA). In this paper, we report the results from an online post-transaction marketing experiment. We involve over 500 consumers in a purchasing episode (i.e., a functional mock-up music store) followed by a post-transaction marketing offer with low value to consumers. In the experiment, we systematically vary important design characteristics on the offer page, and collect additional data through a post-experimental questionnaire. We investigate which factors are most predictive of acceptance of the low-value post-transaction offer. We find that ROSCA’s interventions are a step in the right direction and should be considered by European regulators, but do not go far enough.
Obesity reversibly depletes the basal cell population and enhances mammary epithelial cell estrogen receptor alpha expression and progenitor activity

Obesity is correlated with an increased risk for developing postmenopausal breast cancer. Since obesity rates continue to rise worldwide, it is important to understand how the obese microenvironment influences normal mammary tissue to increase breast cancer risk. We hypothesized that obesity increases the proportion of luminal progenitor cells, which are thought to be the cells of origin for the most common types of breast cancer, potentially leading to an increased risk for breast cancer. To study the obese microenvironment within the mammary gland, we used a high-fat diet mouse model of obesity and human breast tissue from reduction mammoplasty surgery. We identified changes in breast epithelial cell populations using flow cytometry for cell surface markers, in vitro functional assays and expression of markers on breast tissue sections. In both obese female mice and women, mammary epithelial cell populations demonstrated significant decreases in basal/myoepithelial cells, using either flow cytometry or cell-type-specific markers (SMA and p63). Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression was significantly increased in luminal cells in obese mammary tissue, compared with control mice or breast tissue from lean women. Functional assays demonstrated significantly enhanced mammary epithelial progenitor activity in obese mammary epithelial cells and elevated numbers of ERα-positive epithelial cells that were co-labeled with markers of proliferation. Weight loss in a group of obese mice reversed increases in progenitor activity and ERα expression observed in obese mammary tissue. Obesity enhances ERα-positive epithelial cells, reduces the number of basal/myoepithelial cells, and increases stem/progenitor activity within normal mammary tissue in both women and female mice. These changes in epithelial cell populations induced by obesity are reversible with weight loss. Our findings support further studies to examine how obesity-induced changes in stem/progenitor cells impact breast tumor incidence and histologic tumor types.
variability in soybean agronomic performance traits in response to 41 C heat and high relative humidity seed stress

v CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Literature Review 1 References 16 Thesis Organization 23 CHAPTER 2. VARIABILITY IN AGRONOMINC PERFORMANCE TRAITS OF SOYBEAN IN RESPONSE TO 41°C HEAT AND HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY SEED STRESS 24 Abstract 24 Introduction 25 Materials and Methods 28 Results 31 Discussion 35 Acknowledgements 39 References 40 CHAPTER 3. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 58
Impact of natural selection due to malarial disease on human genetic variation

Malaria is an important selective pressure in modern human evolution. The dynamic relationship between human hosts and Plasmodium parasites has left numerous “footprints” of natural selection within the genomes of both the host and the parasite. In this chapter we describe the evolutionary impact of malaria, caused by Plasmodium infection, on human genetic diversity. Specifically, we focus on patterns of genetic variation that alter hemoglobin structure and red blood cell function. We also discuss patterns of nucleotide variation at loci involved in malaria pathogenesis and immune defense. We describe different types of natural selection that could underlie the observed nucleotide diversity at each locus. Finally, this chapter also discusses future directions for the study of human host/pathogen coevolution. These include departure from single-gene studies and the growing application of genomic methodologies for the identification of novel genetic loci and functional variants that play a role in malarial infection.
Risk Factors for Opioid Overdose

Opioid overdoses have risen starkly over the last two decades in the USA and are now among the leading causes of overall mortality. This review summarizes the current literature on risk factors for overdose as well as public health solutions. Although opioid overdose mortality is highest among men and non-Hispanic whites, the rate of death is rising more rapidly now among women and non-Hispanic blacks. Incarceration remains a significant risk factor for overdose death, especially in the first weeks upon reentry reflecting the absence of treatment in prisons and jails despite strong evidence for the benefits of pharmacotherapy integration into these settings. Pharmacotherapy with either methadone or buprenorphine greatly reduces the risk of overdose; however, treatment discontinuation leads to an increase risk of death. Naloxone distribution both through co-prescribing and community-based opioid overdose prevention programs remains the fundament of the public health response. Both are effective and cost-effective in reducing overdose; however, uptake is hampered due to variance in state naloxone access and Good Samaritan laws. Supervised injection facilities are a promising innovation to address overdose, especially in communities with high overdose rates.
Abstract B025: Purine biosynthesis regulates mTORC1 by modulating Rheb GTPase activity

The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) regulates protein synthesis through effects on mRNA translation and ribosome biogenesis. Emerging evidence suggests that active mTORC1 also stimulates the de novo biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides. Here, using pharmacologic and genetic tools, we demonstrate that mTORC1 signaling is modulated by cellular purine nucleotide pools arising from the metabolic processes that generate ATP and GTP. Inhibition of GARFT, the enzyme that catalyzes the first folate-dependent step in purine synthesis, by the specific inhibitor AG2037, dramatically inhibits mTORC1 signaling via an AMPK-independent mechanism. GARFT inhibition suppresses the level of the activated form of the Rheb GTPase, a requisite upstream activator of mTORC1, through a global reduction in intracellular guanine-based nucleotides, and subsequently reduces Rheb protein farnesylation. Moreover, we demonstrate that mTORC1 blockade resulting from AG2037-mediated inhibition of GARFT impacts both translation initiation and pyrimidine biosynthesis and results in robust tumor growth inhibition of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) xenografts. Our findings indicate that the regulatory relationship between mTORC1 activity and purine nucleotide pool is bidirectional, and suggest that mTORC1 inhibition contributes to the clinically established antiproliferative effects of purine biosynthesis inhibitors in cancer and inflammatory diseases. Citation Format: Kezi Unsal-Kacmaz, Natasha Emmanuel, Shoba Ragunathan, Qin Shan, Fang Wang, Andreas Giannakou, Nanni Huser, Guixian Jin, Jeremy Myers, Robert T. Abraham. Purine biosynthesis regulates mTORC1 by modulating Rheb GTPase activity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B025.
Trends in lung cancer and cigarette smoking: California compared to the rest of the United States

Three cigarette smoking behaviors influence lung cancer rates: how many people start, the amount they smoke, and the age they quit. California has reduced smoking faster than the rest of the United States and trends in these three smoking behaviors should inform lung cancer trends. We examined trends in smoking behavior (initiation, intensity, and quitting) in California and the rest of United States by regression models using the 1974-2014 National Health Interview Surveys (n = 962,174). Lung cancer mortality data for 1970-2013 was obtained from the National Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Among those aged 18 to 35 years, California had much larger declines than the rest of the United States in smoking initiation and intensity, and increased quitting. In 2012-2014, among this age group, only 18.6% [95% confidence interval (CI), 16.8%-20.3%] had ever smoked; smokers consumed only 6.3 cigarettes/day (95% CI, 5.6-7.0); and 45.7% (95% CI, 41.1%-50.4%) of ever-smokers had quit by age 35. Each of these metrics was at least 24% better than in the rest of the United States. There was no marked California effect on quitting or intensity among seniors. From 1986 to 2013, annual lung cancer mortality decreased more rapidly in California and by 2013 was 28% lower (62.6 vs. 87.5/100,000) than in the rest of the United States. California's tobacco control efforts were associated with a major reduction in cigarette smoking among those under age 35 years. These changes will further widen the lung cancer gap that already exists between California and the rest of the United States.
Identifying Patients Who Are Likely to Receive Most of Their Care From a Specific Health Care System: Demonstration via Secondary Analysis

Background: In the United States, health care is fragmented in numerous distinct health care systems including private, public, and federal organizations like private physician groups and academic medical centers. Many patients have their complete medical data scattered across these several health care systems, with no particular system having complete data on any of them. Several major data analysis tasks such as predictive modeling using historical data are considered impractical on incomplete data. Objective: Our objective was to find a way to enable these analysis tasks for a health care system with incomplete data on many of its patients. Methods: This study presents, to the best of our knowledge, the first method to use a geographic constraint to identify a reasonably large subset of patients who tend to receive most of their care from a given health care system. A data analysis task needing relatively complete data can be conducted on this subset of patients. We demonstrated our method using data from the University of Washington Medicine (UWM) and PreManage data covering the use of all hospitals in Washington State. We compared 10 candidate constraints to optimize the solution. Results: For UWM, the best constraint is that the patient has a UWM primary care physician and lives within 5 miles of at least one UWM hospital. About 16.01% (55,707/348,054) of UWM patients satisfied this constraint. Around 69.38% (10,501/15,135) of their inpatient stays and emergency department visits occurred within UWM in the following 6 months, more than double the corresponding percentage for all UWM patients. Conclusions: Our method can identify a reasonably large subset of patients who tend to receive most of their care from UWM. This enables several major analysis tasks on incomplete medical data that were previously deemed infeasible.
Metapragmatic Awareness of Explanation Adequacy II

A third-grade classroom participated in a communication skills unit (CSU) that was designed and implemented collaboratively by a teacher, speech-language pathologist, and student speech-language pa...
Evaluation of the first U.S. staple foods ordinance: impact on nutritional quality of food store offerings, customer purchases and home food environments

Many lower-income and racially diverse communities in the U.S. have limited access to healthy foods, with few supermarkets and many small convenience stores, which tend to stock limited quantities and varieties of healthy foods. To address food access, in 2015 the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance became the first policy requiring food stores to stock minimum quantities and varieties of 10 categories of healthy foods/beverages, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other staples, through licensing. This study examined whether: (a) stores complied, (b) overall healthfulness of store environments improved, (c) healthy customer purchases increased, and (d) healthfulness of home food environments improved among frequent small store shoppers. Data for this natural (or quasi) experiment were collected at four times: pre-policy (2014), implementation only (no enforcement, 2015), enforcement initiation (2016) and continued monitoring (2017). In-person store assessments were conducted to evaluate food availability, price, quality, marketing and placement in randomly sampled food retailers in Minneapolis (n = 84) and compared to those in a nearby control city, St. Paul, Minnesota (n = 71). Stores were excluded that were: supermarkets, authorized through WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), and specialty stores (e.g., spice shops). Customer intercept interviews were conducted with 3,039 customers exiting stores. Home visits, including administration of home food inventories, were conducted with a sub-sample of frequent shoppers (n = 88). Overall, findings indicated significant improvements in healthy food offerings by retailers over time in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, with no significant differences in change between the two cities. Compliance was low; in 2017 only 10% of Minneapolis retailers in the sample were fully compliant, and 51% of participating Minneapolis retailers met at least 8 of the 10 required standards. Few changes were observed in the healthfulness of customer purchases or the healthfulness of home food environments among frequent shoppers, and changes were not different between cities. This study is the first evaluation a local staple foods ordinance in the U.S. and reflects the challenges and time required for implementing such policies. NCT02774330 .
DNA methylation: A mechanism for sustained alteration of KIR4.1 expression following central nervous system insult

Kir4.1, a glial-specific inwardly rectifying potassium channel, is implicated in astrocytic maintenance of K+ homeostasis. Underscoring the role of Kir4.1 in central nervous system (CNS) functioning, genetic mutations in KCNJ10, the gene which encodes Kir4.1, causes seizures, ataxia and developmental disability in humans. Kir4.1 protein and mRNA loss are consistently observed in CNS injury and neurological diseases linked to hyperexcitability and neuronal dysfunction, leading to the notion that Kir4.1 represents an attractive therapeutic target. Despite this, little is understood regarding the mechanisms that underpin this downregulation. Previous work by our lab revealed that DNA hypomethylation of the Kcnj10 gene functions to regulate mRNA levels during astrocyte maturation whereas hypermethylation in vitro led to decreased promoter activity. In the present study, we utilized two vastly different injury models with known acute and chronic loss of Kir4.1 protein and mRNA to evaluate the methylation status of Kcnj10 as a candidate molecular mechanism for reduced transcription and subsequent protein loss. Examining whole hippocampal tissue and isolated astrocytes, in a lithium-pilocarpine model of epilepsy, we consistently identified hypermethylation of CpG island two, which resides in the large intronic region spanning the Kcnj10 gene. Strikingly similar results were observed using the second injury paradigm, a fifth cervical (C5) vertebral hemi-contusion model of spinal cord injury. Our previous work indicates the same gene region is significantly hypomethylated when transcription increases during astrocyte maturation. Our results suggest that DNA methylation can bidirectionally modulate Kcnj10 transcription and may represent a targetable molecular mechanism for the restoring astroglial Kir4.1 expression following CNS insult.
Automatic controller tuning using a zeroth-order optimization algorithm

Abstract. We develop an automated controller tuning procedure for wind turbines that uses the results of nonlinear, aeroelastic simulations to arrive at an optimal solution. Using a zeroth-order optimization algorithm, simulations using controllers with randomly generated parameters are used to estimate the gradient and converge to an optimal set of those parameters. We use kriging to visualize the design space and estimate the uncertainty, providing a level of confidence in the result. The procedure is applied to three problems in wind turbine control. First, the below-rated torque control is optimized for power capture. Next, the parameters of a proportional-integral blade pitch controller are optimized to minimize structural loads with a constraint on the maximum generator speed; the procedure is tested on rotors from 40 to 400 m in diameter and compared with the results of a grid search optimization. Finally, we present an algorithm that uses a series of parameter optimizations to tune the lookup table for the minimum pitch setting of the above-rated pitch controller, considering peak loads and power capture. Using experience gained from the applications, we present a generalized design procedure and guidelines for implementing similar automated controller tuning tasks.
Encephalopathy with restricted diffusion in the splenium of corpus callosum in a case of Legionella Pneumophilia infection (2520)

Objective: n/a Background: Reported cases of Legionella continue to increase in the United States. Per CDC, there were over 7000 cases in 2017, whereas only 3522 in 2009. Legionella accounts for 2–15% of pneumonias requiring hospitalization, but diagnosis is often delayed due to varied clinical presentations, often with multiorgan system involvement and minimal pulmonary issues. Between 40–50% of patients have neurologic manifestations, including headache, confusion, psychosis, seizures, ocular movement abnormalities, and cerebellar signs. While CSF studies and MRI are often normal, there have been a handful of cases reporting Legionella in association with mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion (MERS). Design/Methods: A 38-year-old man with no significant past medical history presented with 2 days of fever, nausea, emesis, mild cough and profound watery diarrhea. Over the next few days, he developed generalized weakness, headache, progressively worsening confusion/lethargy, urinary and bowel incontinence. He was febrile to 102.7F, had disinhibited affect, difficulty with higher executive functions, and bilateral dysmetria. He had mild leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and lactic acidosis; acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis followed. Lumbar puncture was notable for elevated glucose at 83 (ref 50–70). MRI showed restricted diffusion in the splenium of corpus callosum without enhancement, while chest CT identified left lower lobe infiltrate. HIV testing was negative. A diagnosis of Legionnaires disease was made, confirmed by urine antigen testing, and he was treated with azithromycin/levofloxacin. His neurologic exam gradually improved. Follow-up MRI showed resolution of previously seen corpus callosum abnormalities. Results: n/a Conclusions: Legionella can be a challenging diagnosis, especially if patients present with neurologic symptoms while having subtle pulmonary findings. Here, we described a patient with encephalopathy associated with a reversible splenial lesion in confirmed Legionnaires disease. MERS has been previously associated with a myriad of infectious and noninfectious causes, but only a handful of case reports indicate Legionella as a possible agent. Disclosure: Dr. Stepien has nothing to disclose.
Dual-Side Auto-Encoder for High-Dimensional Time Series Segmentation

High-dimensional time series segmentation aims to segment a long temporal sequence into several short and meaningful subsequences. The high-dimensionality makes it challenging due to the complicated correlations among the sequential features. A large number of labeled data is required in existing supervised methods, and unsupervised methods mainly deploy clustering approaches, which are sensitive to outliers and hard to guarantee high performance. Also, most existing methods mainly rely on hand-craft features to deal with regular time series segmentation and achieve promising results. However, these approaches cannot effectively handle high-dimensional time series and will result in a high computational cost. In our work, we propose a novel unsupervised representation learning framework called Dual-Side Auto-Encoder (DSAE). It mainly focuses on high-dimensional time series segmentation by effectively capturing the temporal correlative patterns. Specifically, a single-to-multiple auto-encoder is designed to capture local sequential information. Besides, a long-shot distance encoding strategy is proposed. It aims to explicitly guide the learning process to obtain distinctive representations for segmentation. Furthermore, the long-short distance strategy is also executed in the decoded feature space, which implicitly directs the representation learning. Substantial experiments on six datasets illustrate the model effectiveness11Code will be released at https://github.com/yueb17/HTSS.
A Chromium-based Memento-aware Web Browser.

Web browsers provide a user-friendly means of navigating the web. Users rely on their web browser to provide information about the websites they are visiting, such as the security state. Browsers also provide a user interface (UI) with visual cues about each tab that is open, including icons for if the tab is playing audio or requires authentication to view. However, current browsers do not differentiate between the live web and the past web. If a user loads an archived webpage, known as a memento, they have to rely on UI elements present within the page itself to inform them that the page they are viewing is not the live web. Additionally, memento-awareness extends beyond recognizing a page that has already been archived. The browser should give users the ability to archive live webpages, essentially creating mementos of webpages they found important as they surf the web. In this report, the process to create a proof-of-concept browser that is aware of mementos is presented. The browser is created by adding on to the implementation of the open source web browser by Google, Chromium. Creating this prototype for a Memento-aware Browser shows that the features implemented fit well into the current Chromium implementation. The user experience is enhanced by adding the memento-awareness, and the changes to the Chromium code base are minimal.
Assessment of sodium deficiency and polyuria/polydipsia in dairy cows

Sodium (Na) deficiency was observed as a cause of decreased production and associated with polyuria/polydipsia (PU/PD) in a herd of dairy cows. Subsequent investigations revealed other herds experiencing milk loss due to Na deficiency, however PU/PD was not observed in all cases. To further study Na deficiency and diagnostic tests to confirm a diagnosis of NaCl deficiency, sixteen mid-to-late lactation dairy cows were divided into 2 groups for a 30 day Na depletion study. The control group (C) received 0.75% NaCl in their concentrate while the deficient group (E) was fed a ration without supplemental Na. There was a significant difference in production decline (9.5% vs. 29.3%) between C (25.1 to 22.7 kg) and E (18.8 to 13.3 kg). A significant difference in urine Na was observed between C vs. E (29.7 to 21.4 vs. 43.4 to 1.8 mEq/L) and in faecal excretion of Na (FENa) of C vs. E (0.357 to 0.205 vs. 0.329 to 0.016%). A significant decline in serum K was demonstrated between C vs. E (4.43 to 4.61 to 1.8 mEq/l, P<0.01), while FEK increased (39.27 to 36.68 vs. 39.47 to 50.78%). There were no significant differences observed in serum Na or other serum parameters between groups. The diagnostic values of FENa and urine Na determinations was very high. A significant difference between control and depleted animals in both determinations was observed in both experimental and field conditions. Therefore the simple determination of urinary Na concentration in a herd of lactating dairy cows can be used to diagnose Na deficiency. Sampling of 5 high producing cows could be recommended since they would be at greatest risk of deficiency in borderline salt supplementation situations.
A Framework for Adaptive Mobile Ecological Momentary Assessments Using Reinforcement Learning

Mobile ecological momentary assessments (mEMAs) require substantial user efforts to complete, resulting in low user compliance. One major source of incompliance is triggering mEMAs at inopportune moments. In this work, we propose a framework for implementing adaptive mEMAs using reinforcement learning (RL) to address the timing and context challenge, aiming to improve long term response compliance. To effectively model user state, we also propose a two-level user model with both momentary and routine state features. A novel k-routine mining algorithm is developed to extract routine state from passive sensing data. Using real mobile sensing data collected from 220 participants for over two weeks, we show that our proposed RL strategies consistently outperform the baseline methods including a random strategy and a supervised strategy in user compliance.
Paediatric patients with Cushing disease and negative pituitary MRI have a higher risk of nonremission after transsphenoidal surgery

Objective Diagnostic workup of Cushing disease (CD) involves imaging evaluation of the pituitary gland, but in many patients no tumour is visualised. The aim of this study is to describe the association of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings with the postoperative course of paediatric and adolescent patients with CD. Patients Patients with a diagnosis of CD at less than 21 years of age with MRI evaluation of the pituitary before first transsphenoidal surgery were included. Measurements Clinical, imaging and biochemical data were analysed. Results One hundred and eighty-six patients with paediatric or adolescent-onset CD were included in the study. Of all patients, 127 (68.3%) had MRI findings consistent with pituitary adenoma, while the remaining had negative or inconclusive MRI. Patients with negative MRI were younger in age and had lower morning cortisol and adrenocorticotropin levels. Of 181 patients with data on postoperative course, patients with negative MRI had higher odds of not achieving remission after the first surgery (odds ratio = 2.6, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] = 1.1-6.0) compared to those with positive MRI. In patients with remission after first transsphenoidal surgery, long-term recurrence risk was not associated with the detection of a pituitary adenoma in the preoperative MRI (hazard risk = 2.1, 95% CI = 0.7-5.8). Conclusions Up to one-third of paediatric and adolescent patients with CD do not have a pituitary tumour visualised in MRI. A negative MRI is associated with higher odds of nonremission after surgery; however, if remission is achieved, long-term risk for recurrence is not associated with the preoperative MRI findings.