cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship of aging and cytokines to the immunomodulation by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on murine lymphoid cells

The effect of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the major psychoactive component of marijuana, was investigated utilizing lymphoid cells from 2-week, 2-month, and 18-month-old mice. Previous studies have shown a differential modulation by THC related to age such that cells from adult mice could be up-regulated by THC when stimulated by their CD3 receptor. Cells from 2-week-old and 18-month-old mice were resistant to this THC-mediated enhancement. This paper questioned whether these resistant cells could be up-regulated by either addition or removal of cytokines or by exposure to supernatants derived from adult cells. IL-1, IL-4, and IL-6 modified cell proliferation in general, and their effects had some age-related differences, but these actions were independent of THC. In contrast, the THC-induced enhancement appeared to be related in part to IL-2 levels in the adult cell cultures such that when IL-2 was removed, not only did up-regulation not occur, but THC was, in fact, suppressive. Addition of IL-2 or supernatants from adult cells did lead to a modified THC-induced up-regulation of proliferation in cells from adult or 2-week-old mice. Cells from 18-month-old mice remained resistant to this modulation by THC. This did not represent a general anergy of these older cells since they did proliferate well in culture. These results demonstrate a difference in immune response to THC related to the age of the mice which correlates at least in part to IL-2 levels in 2-week-old and young adult mice. THC modulation, whether immunoenhancing or suppressing, appears to be influenced by the presence of other cell stimulators such as cytokines, and is sensitive to the timing of THC exposure relative to such stimuli.
Estimation of cortical multivariate autoregressive models for EEG/MEG using an expectation-maximization algorithm

A new method for estimating multivariate autoregressive (MVAR) models of cortical connectivity from surface EEG or MEG measurements is presented. Conventional approaches to this problem first attempt to solve the inverse problem to estimate cortical signals and then fit an MVAR model to the estimated signals. Our new approach expresses the measured data in tens of a hidden state equation describing MVAR cortical signal evolution and an observation equation that relates the hidden state to the surface measurements. We develop an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to find maximum likelihood estimates of the MVAR model parameters. Simulations show that this one-step approach performs significantly better than the conventional two-step approach at estimating the cortical signals and detecting functional connectivity between different cortical regions.
Optical Surface Specification using the Structure Function

The structure function is suggested as a means of specifying surface figure and roughness in order to avoid surface errors that have regions of high slope that produce unacceptable imaging performance.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXERCISE HEART RATE AND AGE IN MEN VERSUS WOMEN

Peak exercise heart rate (pHR) has been estimated as 220 -age for both men and women. We analyze a large cohort of exercise testing to determine if separate sex-based equations are indicated and also report sex differences in HR reserve and HR recovery. Non-imaging exercise tests (Bruce protocol)
Bos indicus and Bos indicus x Bos taurus heifers performance under two grazing systems in the Arid Chaco of Argentina

The objective of this study was to assess the beef cattle production potential of the Arid Chaco ecosystem through a sylvopastoral system with two different breeds Nelore (Bos Indicus) and Braford (Bos indicus x Bos taurus), and two grazing managements (rotative and alternative) on a Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) var. Nueces pasture. Twenty-eight growing heifers (365-385 days of age), 14 Nelore (Bos indicus) and 14 Braford (Bos indicus x Bos taurus), were randomly assigned into two groups containing seven heifers of each breed. Stocking rates of two heifers/ha were assigned. The most significant finding in this study was the capacity of the silvopastoral system to support two growing heifers/ha, up to 270 kg live weight gain/ha/year, without any feed supplementation. The kg/ha yield in the silvopastoral system means a great improvement compared to the present yields (4 to10 kg beef/ha/year) obtained at the Arid Chaco with traditional beef cattle production systems. Results indicate the great potential of the silvopastoral system to produce beef cattle on the Arid Chaco, without performing a complete elimination of the natural tree stratus.
The Making of a Picornavirus Genome

Picornavirus genomes have a unique structure, and they developed mechanisms of gene expression different from those of their prokaryotic counterparts. Genetic analyses have played a crucial role in deciphering the genome function of picornaviruses. One of the hallmarks in RNA virus research was the discovery of genetic recombination, an accomplishment received with great skepticism for several years. Cell-free synthesis, which duplicates essential steps of viral proliferation in the living cell, opened new strategies for studying individual steps of picornavirus replication in the absence of cell membrane barriers. In poliovirus (PV), the cloverleaf (CL) is followed by a short spacer of 24 nt that does not appear to engage in any base-pairing with adjacent nucleotides, as deduced from a detailed study with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3). In cardioviruses and aphthoviruses, the genome segment preceding the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) differs completely from that of the enteroviruses. There is no CL; instead, a succession of elaborate RNA structures is followed by a long stretch of poly(C) that in encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) can exceed 600 nt (and plays a role in mouse pathogenesis). The most interesting trait of the poly proteins is that they contain the information for cis-cleavages, either as self-processing oligopeptide sequences (in aphtho- and cardioviruses) and/or as proteinases that are able to clip the polypeptide chain at their own N termini. Genetic complementation has been firmly established in picornavirus replication.
Mediators Secreted by Myeloid Cells May Protect and Repair the Infarcted Myocardium

Myeloid-derived growth factor (C19orf10) mediates cardiac repair following myocardial infarction Korf-Klingebiel et al Nat Med . 2015;21:140–149. In the infarcted myocardium, cardiomyocyte necrosis activates inflammatory cascades resulting in recruitment of myeloid cells that have been suggested to extend ischemic injury, but also clear the infarct from dead cells and matrix debris, and stimulate the reparative process. A growing body of evidence suggests that subsets of myeloid cells may exert protective actions on the infarcted myocardium. A recently published study in Nature Medicine , identified myeloid-derived growth factor as an antiapoptotic and angiogenic mediator that is secreted by a subset of macrophages and may protect the infarcted heart from adverse remodeling. The adult mammalian heart has negligible regenerative capacity. Cardiomyocyte necrosis triggers an intense inflammatory reaction leading to the formation of a collagen-based scar.1 The infarcted myocardium is rapidly infiltrated with abundant myeloid cells, which are primarily localized in the border zone and interact with viable cardiomyocytes. Over the past 3 decades, researchers have struggled to identify detrimental and protective inflammatory signals, to design therapeutic strategies for patients with myocardial infarction. A large body of experimental evidence suggested that neutrophils and proinflammatory monocytes may extend ischemic injury, inducing cytotoxic effects on surviving cardiomyocytes and promoting extracellular matrix degradation.1 In experimental models, targeted inhibition of β2 integrins to disrupt the adhesive cascade that mediates neutrophil recruitment in the infarct showed great promise, reducing infarct size in rodent, canine and primate models of myocardial infarction.2 Unfortunately, in human patients, 3 small clinical trials targeting β2 integrins failed to reduce infarct size.3 More recently, several studies have focused on the protective actions of leukocyte subpopulations. In experimental models, cell therapy with bone marrow mononuclear cells enhanced function of the infarcted heart.4 These observations suggested that myeloid cell subsets secrete …
A multilevel ACO approach for solving forest transportation planning problems with environmental constraints

Abstract This paper presents a multilevel ant colony optimization (MLACO) approach to solve constrained forest transportation planning problems (CFTPPs). A graph coarsening technique is used to coarsen a network representing the problem into a set of increasingly coarser level problems. Then, a customized ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm is designed to solve the CFTPP from coarser to finer level problems. The parameters of the ACO algorithm are automatically configured by evaluating a parameter combination domain through each level of the problem. The solution obtained by the ACO for the coarser level problems is projected into finer level problem components, which are used to help the ACO search for finer level solutions. The MLACO was tested on 20 CFTPPs and solutions were compared to those obtained from other approaches including a mixed integer programming (MIP) solver, a parameter iterative local search (ParamILS) method, and an exhaustive ACO parameter search method. Experimental results showed that the MLACO approach was able to match solution qualities and reduce computing time significantly compared to the tested approaches.
Focused orientation and position imaging (FOPI) of single anisotropic plasmonic nanoparticles by total internal reflection scattering microscopy.

The defocused orientation and position imaging (DOPI) and polarization-based in-focus imaging techniques have been widely used for detecting rotational motions with anisotropic gold nanorods (AuNRs) as orientation probes. However, these techniques have a number of significant limitations, such as the greatly reduced signal intensity and relatively low spatial and temporal resolutions for out-of-focus AuNRs and the angular degeneracy for in-focus AuNRs. Herein, we present a total internal reflection (TIR) scattering-based focused orientation and position imaging (FOPI) of AuNRs supported on a 50 nm thick gold film, which enables us to overcome the aforementioned limitations. Imaging AuNRs under the TIR scattering microscope provides excellent signal-to-noise ratio and results in no deteriorating images. The scattering patterns of AuNRs on the gold substrate are affected by the strong interaction of the excited dipole in the AuNR with the image dipole in the gold substrate. The doughnut-shaped scattering fi...
Interaction between maternal obesity and 1-hour glucose challenge test results on maternal and perinatal outcomes.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between positive glucose challenge test (GCT) values and perinatal outcomes stratified by maternal body mass index (BMI). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort of singleton gestations with a GCT performed at >20 weeks and documented BMI at entry to care. Subjects were classified by GCT level and BMI. Primary outcomes included large for gestational age (LGA), macrosomia, shoulder dystocia, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Cochran-Armitage tests for trend and logistic regression were used to compare the GCT categories. RESULTS A total of 14,525 women met enrollment criteria-8,521 with a GCT < 120 mg/dL and 6,004 with a GCT ≥ 120 mg/dL. When BMI < 25 kg/m(2) was considered, the risks were not increased at any level of GCT for any outcome. However, for subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2), the risk of LGA for a GCT 130 to 134 mg/dL was increased, but not at GCT of 135 to 139 mg/dL (p < 0.001). Similar, but nonsignificant, trends were observed for macrosomia and shoulder dystocia. CONCLUSION Increasing GCT is associated with adverse outcomes primarily in women with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2). Women with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2) and a GCT 135 to 140 mg/dL appear to have less risk of LGA than women with GCT 130 to 134 mg/dL, suggesting a possible effect of diagnosing and treating gestational diabetes mellitus in this group.
Intellectual Property, Piracy, and Counterfeiting

This review argues that the elastic space between intellectual property (IP) and unauthorized use (including piracy and counterfeiting) is an increasingly important feature of contemporary textual production and circulation. Within the context of digital textuality, circulatory legitimacy becomes integral to both contextualization and entextualization. The dynamic relationship between IP and piracy/counterfeiting appears as a means of organizing sense-perception and subjectivity, parsing geopolitical space, handling the surfeits and deficits that emerge in contemporary text circulation, distinguishing formality from informality, and deciding levels and forms of acceptable participation in the production and consumption of commodities. This becomes particularly fraught in the face of anxieties about the potential limitlessness of circulation.
Cyclic AMP, PKA, and the Physiological Regulation of Adiposity

The major regulator of lipolysis in white adipocytes and brown adipocytes is cAMP and the actions of cAMP are mediated by protein kinase A (PKA). Multiple subunits of PKA, including RII beta, R1 alpha, C alpha, and C beta 1, are expressed in fat cells but the major holoenzyme assembled under normal conditions contains RII beta and C alpha. Targeted disruption of the RII beta gene in mice revealed that both white and brown adipocytes are capable of compensating by increasing the level of RI alpha. Nevertheless, the mice display a lean phenotype, have an elevated metabolic rate due to activation and induction of uncoupling protein in brown fat, and are resistant to diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Although the metabolic disturbances in white and brown fat tissue may explain most of the phenotypic changes, the loss of neuronal expression of RII beta may also contribute to the alterations in energy balance. Specific neuronal defects have been characterized that prevent the normal changes in gene expression seen with drugs that act through the dopaminergic pathway. The RII beta mutant mouse provides an interesting model of obesity resistance and demonstrates that chronic changes in the PKA signaling system can lead to stable alterations in energy storage and utilization.
Services and innovation for the competitiveness of the Ecuadorian economy

Ecuador is one of the least diversified countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, depending heavily on oil and agriculture. This policy paper examines how services and innovation can play a role in transforming the Ecuadorian economy from one based on natural resources to one based on knowledge and services. The paper assesses the performance of the services sector and its contribution to other sectors. The paper shows that services make a significant contribution to the country's economic growth (albeit below the average for the region). However, the services sector in Ecuador performs poorly in productivity and trade competitiveness. Further, services do not add enough value for export providers and users over time. The deficit in the integration of business services, especially knowledge-intensive business services, is particularly high, affecting the competiveness of all sectors and their value chains. Among the drivers of productivity and competitiveness, innovation is the key quality and differentiation factor (as distinguished from price-related, regulatory, and competition factors). Innovation in Ecuadorian services firms does not significantly affect performance (for example, sales and exports), although innovation in manufacturing does improve the performance of manufacturing firms. Finally, the paper provides some conclusions and meaningful crosscutting policy recommendations for a services-related policy aimed at fostering competitiveness and innovation. Services need action in innovation policy (innovation programs could be better adapted to services innovation specificities), but also in areas such as coordination at the institutional level; internationalization and foreign direct investment; and quality, regulatory, and competition issues affecting the investment climate.
Integrating New Capabilities into NetPIPE

The performance of the communication network can greatly affect the ability of scientific applications to make efficient use of the computational power available in high-performance computing systems. Many tools exist for analyzing network performance, but most concentrate on a single layer in the communication subsystem or on one type of network hardware. NetPIPE was developed to provide a complete and consistent set of analytical tools in a flexible framework that can be applied to analyze the message-passing libraries and the native software layers that they run on. Examples are given on how NetPIPE is being enhanced to enable research in channel bonding multiple Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, to analyze InfiniBand hardware and the MPI libraries being developed for it, and to optimize memory copy routines to make SMP message-passing more efficient.
Back-End-of-Line Test Structure Design and Simulation for Subsurface Metrology with Scanning Probe Microscopy | NIST

As demands in the semiconductor industry call for further miniaturization and performance enhancement of electronic systems, the traditional planar (2D) electronic interconnection and packaging technologies show their difficulties in meeting the ever-advancing standards of the industry. To overcome such limitations, 3D stacked integrated circuits (3D-SICs) draw tremendous research interest and have been widely studied.[1] In the end, the billions of transistors are interconnected with tens of kilometers of wires that packed into an area of square centimeters, making a giant “metallic forest”.[2-4] The complexity of the multi metallization levels of back-end of line (BEOL) brings challenges such as resistive-capacitive (RC) delay and reliability issues.
Mental Health Symptoms, Quality of Life and Barriers to Accessing Health Care in Sickle Cell Disease

Abstract 337 Background: Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) face a number of barriers as they attempt to access timely and appropriate health care. We previously reported that adult and pediatric patients with SCD differed on some barriers reported, with adults citing more barriers related to insurance and provider knowledge and attitudes. Patients9 emotional status, including worry, frustration and anger, were also reported barriers to accessing health care. However, there has been limited research formally assessing mental health symptoms as potential barriers to accessing health care in SCD. Objective: To investigate the relation between mental health symptoms, quality of life and reported barriers to accessing healthcare. We hypothesized that 1) mental health symptoms would be predictive of reported barriers, for adults with SCD compared with children, and 2) quality of life would be inversely related to the number of reported barriers, for adults and children. Methods: 112 patients with SCD were enrolled in a cross sectional study. Pediatric patients and their parents, and adults with SCD completed screening measures of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 or Children9s Depression Inventory) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder- 7 or Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children-10) and were categorized with no, mild, moderate or severe symptoms. They also completed quality of life measures (SF 36v2® or PedsQL®) and a validated checklist of barriers to accessing healthcare for SCD. Results: Participants were 35 children (M age 9.5, 1– 17 years) and their parents, and 77 adults (M age 31.2, 18 – 68 years); 53% female; 75% African American; 71% diagnosed with Hgb SS. Sixty one percent of adults reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms, compared with 4% of children (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
An Extension of the Stefan-Type Solution Method Applicable to Multi-component, Multi-phase 1D Systems

We present an extension of the Stefan-type solution method applicable to multi-component, multi-phase 1D porous flows, and illustrate the method by applying it to phase separation dynamics in an NaCl– $$\hbox {H}_2\hbox {O}$$ -saturated hydrothermal heat pipe. For this example, three mathematical models are constructed. The first two models concern the rate of progression of two interfaces, one separating brine from two-phase fluid and another separating two-phase fluid from single-phase liquid at seawater salinity. The brine layer model shows that the layer may reach quasi-steady-state thickness even while the salt content of the layer continues to increase; the two-phase layer model shows how variable heat flux at the top of the layer leads to departure from the linear growth rate predicted by a simpler model. The third model concerns the temperature profile in the entire column. The governing advection–diffusion equation has highly variable coefficients, with no negligible terms in it in the region of parameter space considered. We present a method to solve this type of equation by constructing a propagator and a corresponding Green’s function. Finally, we show how to use the developed framework to test the internal consistency of numerical simulations, again using the 1D heat pipe as an example.
The Changing Influence of Educational Policy and Race on Metropolitan Inequality, 1970–2010

AbstractSchools do not receive much recognition within urban sociological research for the role they perform in shaping the demographic, structural, and social features of neighborhoods, cities, and metropolitan areas. In contrast, this article links schools, and the racial avoidance that operates through educational policy, to the extreme economic polarization of metropolitan areas. The author considers why the expansion of school choice has not yet produced the decline in economic polarization that research suggested it might.
Dose Individualization for High-dose anti-cancer Chemotherapy

We described the use of Bayesian decision theory in the design of a dose-individualization study. The particular application was treatment of leukemia with high-dose chemotherapy and stem-qell transplantation. Data were assumed already available from earlier phase II studies in which patients received a fixed high dose of chemotherapy. In one of the earlier studies, patients received a low, test dose of the drug, in addition to the same high-dose chemotherapy as in the other phase II study. We wanted to combine the historical information with inference about a patient’s own pharmacokinetics to help make more precise predictions of the patient’s AUC at various high doses, compared with using only the patient’s low-dose PK information. With the use of a simple, asymmetric loss function, we computed the expected loss for each possible dose and determined the dose that minimized the loss.
In Reply: Seizure Outcomes in Occipital Lobe and Posterior Quadrant Epilepsy Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Occipital lobe epilepsy (OLE) is an uncommon but debilitating focal epilepsy syndrome with seizures often refractory to medical management. While surgical resection has proven a viable treatment, previous studies examining postoperative seizure freedom rates are limited by small sample size and patient heterogeneity, thus exhibiting significant variability in their results. Objective To review the medical literature on OLE so as to investigate rates and predictors of both seizure freedom and visual outcomes following surgery. Methods We reviewed manuscripts exploring surgical resection for drug-resistant OLE published between January 1990 and June 2015 on PubMed. Seizure freedom rates were analyzed and potential predictors were evaluated with separate meta-analyses. Postoperative visual outcomes were also examined. Results We identified 27 case series comprising 584 patients with greater than 1 yr of follow-up. Postoperative seizure freedom (Engel class I outcome) was observed in 65% of patients, and was significantly predicted by age less than 18 yr (odds ratio [OR] 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-2.18), focal lesion on pathological analysis (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.58-2.89), and abnormal preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (OR 3.24, 95% 2.03-6.55). Of these patients, 175 also had visual outcomes reported with 57% demonstrating some degree of visual decline following surgery. We did not find any relationship between postoperative visual and seizure outcomes. Conclusion Surgical resection for OLE is associated with favorable outcomes with nearly two-thirds of patients achieving postoperative seizure freedom. However, patients must be counseled regarding the risk of visual decline following surgery.
Calcium Intake and Cancer Risk: Current Evidence and Future Research Directions

Previous epidemiological studies reported equivocal associations between calcium intake and cancer risk by organ site. Here, we summarized the latest evidence on associations between calcium intake and risk of major cancers (lung, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers) from epidemiological studies and the potential molecular mechanisms supporting such associations. In observational studies, calcium intake from food and/or supplements was inversely associated with risk of colorectal and breast cancers and suggestively inversely associated with lung cancer risk, whereas it was positively associated with prostate cancer risk. In trials of calcium-containing supplements, a protective effect was suggested for prostate cancer and no consistent effects for colorectal, breast, and lung cancers. Potential molecular mechanisms by cancer site are discussed. More studies are needed to evaluate associations between cancer and sources of calcium intake, and to further elucidate potential molecular mechanisms and how these may differ by cancer site.
On-the-fly Learning and Monitoring of Partially Observed Navigation Plan

This work focuses on a robot's task of predicting the navigation intent of human teammates using Inverse Reinforcement Learning. The purpose of this study is to introduce the On-the-fly Maximum Margin Planner (OTF-MMP) method which estimates a predictive navigation model in real-time from the observed actions of a human teammate. We include an experiment to test the predictive ability of the method using simulation.
Characteristics Of BaTiO3 For Electro-Optic Devices

Characteristics of BaTiO3 for electro -optic devices*M. B. KleinHughes Research Laboratories3011 Malibu Canyon Road, Malibu, CA 90265AbstractWe describe a number of promising applications which make use of the favorableelectro -optic properties of BaTiO3.IntroductionBaTiO3 is one of the first ferroelectric materials to be discovered, and also one of thefirst to be recognized as photorefractive [1]. The particular advantage of BaTiO3 for manyapplications is the very large value of its electro -optic tensor component r42, which leadsto a low half -wave voltage in modulator applications, and a large beam coupling gain andfour -wave mixing reflectivity for photorefractive applications.In this paper we will describe three different applications which combine various aspectsof the photorefractive, electro -optic and ferroelectric properties of BaTiO3. We will firstdescribe how BaTiO3 can be used as an integrated optic modulator or switch. The keyrequirement for such a device is to optimize the crystal cut in order to couple to the larger42 coefficient. Second, we will show how the favorable photorefractive properties ofBaTiO3 can be combined with its basic ferroelectric characteristic --the reversibility ofits spontaneous polarization - -to implement an optical switch with a large dynamic range.Finally, we will describe a novel spatial light modulator using BaTiO3 which can be usedfor a variety of data processing applications.Integrated optical modulatorSince the development of thin film integrated optics, LiNb03 has been the material ofchoice when an electro -optic substrate has been required. The advantages of LiNb03 are itsready availability, high optical quality, the ease in producing guiding channels usingTi in- diffusion, and the large wafer diameters of commercial samples. Furthermore, the highCurie temperature of LiNb03 allows processing at elevated temperatures without interferencefrom unwanted phase transitions. For most integrated optics applications, the samples areoriented and cut to exploit the electro -optic coefficient r33 =30 pm /V (high frequency orclamped value [2]). This leads to half -wave voltages which are reasonable for manyapplications, but which are still relatively high. On the other hand, in BaTiO3 thecoefficient r42 =r51 =820 pm /V (at high frequencies [2]), which suggests that much lowerhalf -wave voltages should be attainable in this material.In LiNb03 the coefficient r33 corresponds to a first order change in refractive indexalong the c -axis, when an electric field is applied along this same axis. To exploit thiscoefficient, a sample cut along principal axes can be used. In BaTiO3, the coefficient r42corresponds to a rotation of the index ellipsoid about the x -axis, for a field applied along
Alternate layer wound symmetrical inductor with high-q characteristics for differential RFICs

This paper describes a new symmetric inductor configuration for improved quality factor (Q). For symmetric inductors (SI), Q values are limited by lateral inter-turn capacitance. By realizing adjacent half segments of the spiral on top two (alternate) layers, an alternate layer symmetric inductor (ASI) is constructed. Significant reduction in lateral capacitance is observed which translates to improved Q values. A 0.18 μm RS-SOI technology with two thick metals is used to evaluate the performance of proposed ASI configuration. With ASI configuration, improvements up to 45% (5.7–8.3) in peak-Q value, 33% (0.6 GHz–0.8 GHz) in peak-Q frequency, 55% (0.9 GHz–1.4 GHz) in self resonant frequency are observed when compared to SI configuration.
A Bicriteria Approximation Algorithm for the k -Center and k -Median Problems

The k-center and k-median problems are two central clustering techniques that are well-studied and widely used. In this paper, we focus on possible simultaneous generalizations of these two problems and present a bicriteria approximation algorithm for them with constant approximation factor in both dimensions. We also extend our results to the so-called incremental setting, where cluster centers are chosen one by one and the resulting solution must have the property that the first k cluster centers selected must simultaneously be near-optimal for all values of k.
Quantitative fetal fibronectin and cervical length in symptomatic women: results from a prospective blinded cohort study.

Objectives: Our objectives were to determine whether quantitative fetal fibronectin (fFN) and cervical length (CL) screening can be used alone or in combination as prognostic tests to identify symp...
Temperature versus Sm concentration phase diagram and quantum criticality in the correlated electron system Ce 1 − x Sm x CoIn 5

We report electrical resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat measurements on the correlated electron system ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sm}}_{x}{\mathrm{CoIn}}_{5}$ ($0\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}1$). Superconductivity (SC) in the heavy-fermion compound ${\mathrm{CeCoIn}}_{5}$, which is suppressed with increasing Sm concentration $x$, and antiferromagnetic (AFM) order of ${\mathrm{SmCoIn}}_{5}$, which is suppressed with decreasing $x$, converge near a quantum critical point at ${x}_{\mathrm{QCP}}\ensuremath{\approx}0.15$, with no indication of coexistence of SC and AFM in the vicinity of the QCP. Non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) behavior is observed in the normal-state electrical resistivity, $\ensuremath{\rho}(T)$, and specific heat, $C(T)$, in the vicinity of the QCP; e.g., the coefficient and the exponent of the power-law $T$ dependence of $\ensuremath{\rho}(T)$ exhibit pronounced maxima and minima, respectively, at ${x}_{\mathrm{QCP}}$, while $C(T)/T$ exhibits a logarithmic divergence in $T$ at ${x}_{\mathrm{QCP}}$. A low-temperature upturn in $\ensuremath{\rho}(T)$ develops in the range $0.70\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}0.85$ which is reminiscent of a single impurity Kondo effect, suggesting that Sm substitution tunes the relative strength of competing Kondo and Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida energy scales. The suppression of SC with increasing $x$ is probably associated with the exchange interaction between the Ce quasiparticles involved in the superconductivity and the magnetic moments of the Sm ions.
Pulmonary Hypertension is Associated with Increased Mortality and Readmission in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Admitted for Heart Failure Exacerbation

Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common among patients with heart failure (HF) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but little data exists regarding how it influences readmission and mortality Objectives We assessed the hypothesis that the presence and severity of PH in patients with OSA admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) are associated with hospital readmission and mortality Methods We retrospectively examined consecutive patients admitted to the hospital for ADHF between September 2014 and September 2015 and identified patients with OSA. For patients admitted multiple times, only the index admission was included. The primary endpoints were readmission for heart failure and all-cause readmission. All-cause mortality was a secondary endpoint. The severity of PH was assessed using transthoracic echocardiography. Estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressures (PASP) were individually verified by a single reviewer. Right atrial pressures were estimated using American Society of Echocardiography guidelines on inferior vena cava diameter. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression was used to assess the relationship between PASP and outcomes Results Of 263 patients admitted for ADHF, 62 (24%) had OSA. Patients were 70±7 years old, predominantly white (77%) and male (100%). Thirty-eight (61%) of the OSA patients had PH classified as PASP>36 mmHg; 11 (18%) had severe PH as classified as PASP >60 mmHg. Of the 38 patients with OSA and PH, 17 (44%) had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and 21 (55%) had some degree of right ventricular dysfunction as noted on the echocardiogram report. ADHF+OSA patients with PH were more likely to be readmitted within 90 days than those without PH (55% vs 37%). Over a mean follow-up duration of 15 months, ADHF+OSA patients with PH also had significantly increased risk of mortality (HR=2.74, 95% CI 1.01-7.49, p=0.048) Conclusions Patients with HF and OSA have a high prevalence of PH and right ventricular dysfunction. The presence of PH as estimated by echocardiography is associated with readmission and mortality in these patients. Figure 1
PTSD as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Post-Concussive Symptoms and Pain Among OEF/OIF/OND Veterans.

Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI), pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly co-occur in Veteran populations, particularly among Veterans returning from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Extant research indicates that both TBI and PTSD can negatively impact pain broadly; however, less is known about how these variables impact one another. The current study examines the impact of self-reported post-concussive symptoms on both pain severity and pain interference among Veterans with PTSD who screened positive for a possible TBI, and subsequently, evaluates the potential mediating role of PTSD in these relationships. Materials and Methods Participants were 126 combat Veterans that served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn who were being evaluated for participation in a multisite treatment outcomes study. As part of an initial evaluation for inclusion in the study, participants completed several self-report measures and interviews, including the Brief Traumatic Brain Injury Screen, Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory, Brief Pain Inventory, and the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale, which were utilized in these analyses. Results For pain severity, greater post-concussive symptoms significantly predicted increased pain severity with a significant indirect effect of post-concussive symptoms on pain severity through PTSD (indirect effect = 0.03; 95% confidence interval = 0.0094-0.0526). Similar results were found for pain interference (indirect effect = 0.03; 95% confidence interval = 0.0075-0.0471). Conclusions These findings replicate and extend previous findings regarding the relationship between TBI, pain, and PTSD. Self-reported post-concussive symptoms negatively impact both pain severity and pain interference among Veterans with probable TBI, and PTSD serves as a mediator in these relationships. Clinically, these results highlight the importance of fully assessing for PTSD symptoms in Veterans with a history of TBI presenting with pain. Further, it is possible that providing effective PTSD treatment to reduce PTSD severity may provide some benefit in reducing post-concussive and pain symptoms.
Reporting Quality Results

As our ability to use quality reporting systems has progressively improved, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving from a fee-for-service to a value-based incentive program for physician compensation. Programs such as Hospital Compare, Physician Compare, and Open Payments have also recently been launched by CMS to improve public reporting and healthcare transparency in the United States. These programs are all relatively new and are currently undergoing improvements to increase the accuracy and reliability of the data they provide.
A Game of Public Facilities on Networks

In this paper we take on the challenge of characterizing the effect of network structure on the economy of public goods by studying a natural model of public facilities with cascading utility. In this game of public facilities, each node of the network is a strategic agent that has the choice to either open a public facility at its location for a certain purchase-cost or take advantage of a public facility opened by another node. It is assumed that using a facility at another node has a cost relative to its distance from the agent. We study the behavior of agents in this game and show that there always exists a pure Nash equilibrium for the game. Moreover, best-response dynamics converges to a pure Nash equilibrium in finitely many steps. We also explore a set of related optimization problems including finding a social optimum for the game and also present a simple algorithm for finding a Nash equilibrium. We then compare the social welfare of the Nash equilibria to that of the social optima using standard game theoretic measures. We show that the price of anarchy is upper-bounded by the diameter of the network and the universal purchase-cost.
Circulating bullous pemphigoid autoantibodies in the setting of negative direct immunofluorescence findings for bullous pemphigoid: A single-center retrospective review.

Background Bullous pemphigoid (BP) autoantibody levels are generally elevated in patients with BP but can be present nonspecifically in patients without BP. Objective To analyze the clinical findings of patients with elevated BP180 or BP230 autoantibody levels and negative direct immunofluorescence (DIF) study findings. Methods We retrospectively reviewed records of patients seen at our institution during January 1, 2005-December 31, 2015, who were positive for BP180 or BP230 autoantibodies and had a negative DIF study finding. These patients' demographic characteristics and BP180 and BP230 levels were compared with those of a BP control group who were positive for BP180 or BP230 autoantibodies and had positive DIF study findings. Results We identified 208 patients with BP autoantibodies but without positive DIF study findings. These patients' mean age and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay values were significantly lower than those of the control group. Dermatitis was the most common final clinical diagnosis. Of the 208 patients, 41 (19.7%) had at least 2 years' follow-up. Four patients had positive DIF results upon repeating the test and ultimately received pemphigoid diagnoses. Limitations Retrospective design with limited follow-up. Conclusion Patients might harbor serum BP autoantibodies in the context of a wide range of dermatoses. Low positive BP180 and BP230 autoantibody levels should not be overinterpreted as evidence for BP in the setting of a negative DIF.
Outcome analysis of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for morbid obesity. The first 116 cases.

Background: Morbid obesity has been described as a continuing epidemic affecting a growing portion of our population. We report an outcome analysis of our early experience with laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) in the treatment of morbid obesity. Methods: Two surgeons performed 116 consecutive LRYGBs at a single institution, creating a 25-ml pouch and a 90- to 150-cm Roux limb. The prospectively collected data included patient demographics, comorbidities, postoperative weight loss, and complications. Results: All eight conversions to an open procedure occurred early during the experience of the surgeons. The mean operating room time for the first 50 cases was 272 min, which decreased to 198 min with experience. The mean length of hospital stay was 3 days. There were 34 complications in 27 patients (23.3%), 14 of which (12%) required reoperation. At 18 months postoperatively, the patients had lost 77% of their excess weight, and their body mass index had decreased from a mean of 49.3 to 32.6 kg/m2. As a result of LRYGB, 25% of the patients were rendered completely free of any pharmacologic treatment for their preexisting comorbidities. Conclusions: Although technically challenging, LRYGB can be performed safely with excellent long-term results. The mean operating room time and conversion rate improved with experience. As this study showed, LRYGB achieves an excellent rate of weight loss and improvement in preoperative comorbidities with a minimal length of hospital stay and an acceptable complication rate.
Friends Don't Let Friends Deploy Black-Box Models: The Importance of Intelligibility in Machine Learning

Every data set is flawed, often in ways that are unanticipated and difficult to detect. If you can't understand what your model has learned, then you almost certainly are shipping models that are less accurate than they could be and which might even be risky. Historically there has been a tradeoff between accuracy and intelligibility: accurate models such as neural nets, boosted tress and random forests are not very intelligible, and intelligible models such as logistic regression and small trees or decision lists usually are less accurate. In mission-critical domains such as healthcare, where being able to understand, validate, edit and ultimately trust a model is important, one often had to choose less accurate models. But this is changing. We have developed a learning method based on generalized additive models with pairwise interactions (GA2Ms) that is as accurate as full complexity models yet even more interpretable than logistic regression. In this talk I'll highlight the kinds of problems that are lurking in all of our datasets, and how these interpretable, high-performance GAMs are making what was previously hidden, visible. I'll also show how we're using these models to uncover bias in models where fairness and transparency are important. (Code for the models has recently been released open-source.)
Trajectories of Online Racial Discrimination and Psychological Functioning Among African American and Latino Adolescents

This study investigated trajectories of individual and vicarious online racial discrimination (ORD) and their associations with psychological outcomes for African American and Latinx adolescents in 6th-12th grade (N = 522; Mgrade = 9th) across three waves. Data were analyzed using growth mixture modeling to estimate trajectories for ORD and to determine the effects of each trajectory on Wave 3 depressive symptoms, anxiety, and self-esteem. Results showed four individual and three vicarious ORD trajectories, with the majority of participants starting out with low experiences and increasing over time. Older African American adolescents and people who spend more time online are at greatest risk for poor psychological functioning.
Iron-based shape memory alloy and fiber reinforced polymers rods for prestressed NSM strengthening of RC beams

Abstract The present study involves flexural strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams by prestressed fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) and iron-based shape memory alloys (Fe-SMAs) using the near surface mounted (NSM) technique. ANSYS nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) software was employed to model RC beams which were validated using the data from an existing experimental study in the literature. Parameters considered were rod length and NSM rod material type under three prestressing levels 20, 30 and 40%. The influence of these parameters on the beams’ load carrying capacity, midspan displacement, ductility index, and failure mode were determined. The results showed that at higher levels of rod prestressing, cracking, yielding, and ultimate load capacities of the beam were improved. However, the displacement was decreased and consequently, the ductility index reduced as prestressing level increased. Furthermore, the Fe-SMA material was able to provide significant ductility. The optimum prestressing level could be identified based on the primary RC beams’ design criteria to either improve load or displacement capacity or both.