cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Turner Syndrome in Girls Presenting with Coarctation of the Aorta.

Objective To evaluate the frequency of Turner syndrome in a population-based, statewide cohort of girls with coarctation of the aorta. Study design The Utah Birth Defects Network was used to ascertain a cohort of girls between 1997 and 2011 with coarctation of the aorta. Livebirths with isolated coarctation of the aorta or transverse arch hypoplasia were included and patients with complex congenital heart disease not usually seen in Turner syndrome were excluded. Results Of 244 girls with coarctation of the aorta, 77 patients were excluded, leaving a cohort of 167 girls; 86 patients (51%) had chromosomal studies and 21 (12.6%) were diagnosed with Turner syndrome. All patients were diagnosed within the first 4 months of life and 5 (24%) were diagnosed prenatally. Fifteen patients (71%) had Turner syndrome-related findings in addition to coarctation of the aorta. Girls with mosaicism were less likely to have Turner syndrome-associated findings (3/6 mosaic girls compared with 12/17 girls with non-mosaic 45,X). Twelve girls (57%) diagnosed with Turner syndrome also had a bicommissural aortic valve. Conclusion At least 12.6% of girls born with coarctation of the aorta have karyotype-confirmed Turner syndrome. Such a high frequency, combined with the clinical benefits of an early diagnosis, supports genetic screening for Turner syndrome in girls presenting with coarctation of the aorta.
Paper technical communicators as facilitators of negotiation in controversial technology transfer cases

When Monsanto attempted to release transgenic wheat in the upper Midwest of the US, localization efforts to accommodate stakeholders were unsuccessful. This paper explores this case briefly and suggests a new role for technical communicators as negotiators of technology.
Peers increase adolescent risk taking by enhancing activity in the brain’s reward circuitry

The presence of peers increases risk taking among adolescents but not adults. We posited that the presence of peers may promote adolescent risk taking by sensitizing brain regions associated with the anticipation of potential rewards. Using fMRI, we measured brain activity in adolescents, young adults, and adults as they made decisions in a simulated driving task. Participants completed one task block while alone, and one block while their performance was observed by peers in an adjacent room. During peer observation blocks, adolescents selectively demonstrated greater activation in reward-related brain regions, including the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex, and activity in these regions predicted subsequent risk taking. Brain areas associated with cognitive control were less strongly recruited by adolescents than adults, but activity in the cognitive control system did not vary with social context. Results suggest that the presence of peers increases adolescent risk taking by heightening sensitivity to the potential reward value of risky decisions.
Optimization of Planar Mechanism Kinematics with Symbolic Computation

In mechanism design, the driving speeds and geometry of each member are varied and the mechanism is re-analyzed until it meets the necessary design specifications. Common design specifications monitor link positions, velocities, accelerations, joint reaction forces, and actuator power requirements. Each trial design requires an analysis whereupon the results are inspected to determine if the re-design is adequate. In the present work, this iterative design process is automated. Symbolic computation is used to generate the analysis and sensitivity analysis FORTRAN source code. The final software package is able to optimize a general multi-body system, hence it differs from the methods that generate source code on-the-fly. [1-4] The software is used to design a wheel loader bucket to maximize load capacity for a given material load cycle.
Elastic Rod Model of a DNA Loop in the Lac Operon

twist [13], using a fast, computationally inexpensive approach that can be used to study DNA conformations in many protein-DNA systems. Model.— The structure of the loop is derived from its elastic properties only, which effectively result from both internal DNA rigidity and the short-range [14] electrostatic self-repulsion of DNA. The long-range electrostatic interactions are screened out under physiological salt conditions and result in negligible forces in the case studied, as shown below. Entropic effects are also neglected since the studied loop has a length of only 26 nm, which is about half of the 50 nm persistence length of DNA [15]. The elastic rod, approximating the DNA loop, is parametrized by its arclength s, according to the classical Kirchhoff approach [16]. The centers of the cross sections of the rod at each point s constitute the centerline rs. The local coordinate frame d1s, d2s, d3s determines the orientation of each cross section. The unit vectors d1 and d2 lie along the principal axes of the DNA cross section [17]; the vector d3 is normal to d1 and d2. The components of these vectors can be expressed in terms of the Euler angles or the Euler parameters [18], which determine the rotation of the local frame relative to the lab coordinate system. The shape of the rod is described in terms of the curvature k of its centerline and the twist V around the centerline [16]. The curvature is decomposed into its components k1 and k2 which account for the bending of the rod about d1 and d2, respectively. The twist is
Finding Medical Care for Colorectal Cancer Symptoms Experiences Among Those Facing Financial Barriers

Financial barriers can substantially delay medical care seeking. Using patient narratives provided by 252 colorectal cancer patients, we explored the experience of financial barriers to care seeking. Of the 252 patients interviewed, 84 identified financial barriers as a significant hurdle to obtaining health care for their colorectal cancer symptoms. Using verbatim transcripts of the narratives collected from patients between 2008 and 2010, three themes were identified: insurance status as a barrier (discussed by n = 84; 100% of subsample), finding medical care (discussed by n = 30; 36% of subsample) and, insurance companies as barriers (discussed by n = 7; 8% of subsample). Our analysis revealed that insurance status is more nuanced than the categories insured/uninsured and differentially affects how patients attempt to secure health care. While barriers to medical care for the uninsured have been well documented, the experiences of those who are underinsured are less well understood. To improve outcomes in these patients it is critical to understand how financial barriers to medical care are manifested. Even with anticipated changes of the Affordable Care Act, it remains important to understand how perceived financial barriers may be influencing patient behaviors, particularly those who have limited health care options due to insufficient health insurance coverage.
Two Years of Cloud Cover Statistics Using VAS

The CO2 channel radiometric data from VAS are used to chart the frequency of cloud cover, the associated heights, and IR attenuation. Cloud top pressures are calculated from the ratio of VAS CO2 channel radiances in a raditive transfer equation formulation. It is found that VAS CO2 derived cloud top height and emissivity assignments are reliable for most cloud types, including thin cirrus clouds. The observations from 1985 to 1988 show that 20-30 percent of the U.S. was covered with thin semitransparent clouds, 45 percent was covered with thick opaque clouds, and 25-35 had clear sky conditions. The geographical distribution of cloud cover is a latitudinal dependence, mainly over the Pacific Ocean.
ALCOHOL AND CASUALTIES: A COMPARISON OF EMERGENCY ROOM AND CORONER DATA

Data from a probability sample of casualty patients treated at a county hospital emergency room (ER) during a 1 year period (N = 1124) are compared to data from coroner reports of all fatalities arising from unnatural causes during the same time period in the same county (N = 304). The two samples are compared on: demographic characteristics, causes of casualty (fall, laceration/puncture wound, motor vehicle, fire, ingestion, other cause), place of injury, and alcohol and drug use prior to the event. Alcohol and drug use data were obtained by breathalyzer and self-reports in the ER sample and by toxicology screening of blood upon autopsy in the coroner sample. The coroner sample was significantly more likely to be male, younger and white compared to the ER sample. A significantly larger proportion of the coroner sample was positive for alcohol (43%) compared to those breathalyzed within 6 hr of injury who reported no drinking after the event (11%) and to those who reported drinking within the 6 hr prior to the event (28%) in the ER sample. Among those who were alcohol positive no difference was found between the coroner sample and the ER sample for the proportion of those who were also drug positive (24% in each). Cases in the coroner sample were no more likely to involve violence (17%) than those in the ER sample (20%). Violence-related fatalities were more likely to involve alcohol (47%) than non-fatal injuries (19%), but were no more likely to involve drug use in combination with alcohol (39% vs. 31%, respectively).
Mayflies as Food

Mayflies are ubiquitous in freshwater environments. As a result, they are a common and important component in the flow of energy through ecosystems, both aquatic and terrestrial. Many predators include mayflies on their menu of organisms consumed including invertebrates, vertebrates and at least one plant. This paper examines the diversity of organisms that consume mayflies. Some of the more interesting aspects of this predation are discussed. A list of 224 predators is included as a table.
Lower-mantle materials under pressure

Modern high-pressure experimental techniques have enabled us to achieve the pressure and temperature at the center of Earth (about 360 GPa and 6000 K) in laboratories. However, studies of rheological properties of minerals under controlled strain rate (creep experiments) have been limited to the pressure equivalent to that in Earth's transition zone, a depth only about one-tenth of Earth's radius. Determinations of rheological laws that govern the flows and viscosities of minerals in Earth's deep mantle have been far beyond our reach. In the absence of such critical data, the nature of mantle dynamics—such as whether the convection involves the entire lower mantle, yielding a chemically homogeneous deep mantle—remains controversial. Discovery of the breakdown of ringwoodite into the denser bridgmanite and magnesiowustite phases at 24 GPa ( 1 ) removed the need for a major chemical discontinuity in Earth inferred from observations of a strong seismic reflector at 660 km depth. On page 144 of this issue, Girard et al. ( 2 ) report on the detailed rheological nature of this bridgmanite plus magnesiowustite mineral aggregate, shedding more light on the mantle convection. The integration of brilliant synchrotron radiations and rotating apposed anvils enables creep experiments for large strain at pressures equivalent to that in Earth's lower mantle.
A Retrospective Case Study Characterizing the Neurologic Spectrum of GAD65 Disease (P6.139)

Objective: To highlight the diverse clinical presentations of GAD-65 positive antibody (GAD-65 Ab) in a cohort of patients with Neurological illness primarily Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). We characterize the relationship between GAD titer level and Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS) Score, psychiatric disturbance, manifestation of other autoimmune disorders and treatment response. Background: Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies are associated with non neurologic (DM1) and neurologic conditions (epilepsy, anxiety, ataxia). Most notably is SPS, a rare autoimmune disease of insidious onset characterized by progressive muscle stiffness, rigidity and painful muscle spasms. The significance and implications of positive GAD65-Ab in relation to SPS and associated conditions remains unclear. Methods: Retrospective case review of six adults with various Neurological symptoms with positive GAD65-Ab titers. Patients were selected from a sample of neurology outpatients from 2010 to 2015 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, a rural tertiary care center. Clinical notes, laboratory findings, SPS treatment trials and Imaging studies were analyzed. Results: Of the patients presenting on initial evaluation with higher GAD-Ab titers it was noted that they tended to have lower KPS scores, exhibit greater degree of neurological dysfunction and psychiatric disturbance requiring prolonged treatment with IVIG. In addition they had a greater association with other autoimmune disease notably Cerebellar Ataxia, Myasthenia gravis, Thyroiditis and intractable Epilepsy. Conclusions: Increased GAD titer may be associated with worsened functional outcome, and decrease response to treatment. Some authors propose that the difference in pathogenicity is related to the higher titer of anti-GAD antibodies in SPS rather than differences in epitope recognition and our results tend to support the idea that the higher the titer the greater the level of disability as well as the greater the association with other autoimmune disease. Disclosure: Dr. Chen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Anandaram has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ronan Kunschner has nothing to disclose.
Tyndall Windows: Tunable Scattering of Disordered Solid–Liquid Matching Mixtures

We explain and explore sharp optical diffusion modulations of solid–liquid matching mixtures. The technique is based on sole refractive index modulation mismatch of optically matching materials at different states. This enables basic materials such as glass-based mixtures to obtain a sharp window of transparency at a desired condition. Our demonstration indicates over 3 orders of magnitude optical transmission modulation with 0.03 thermally induced modulation of the refractive index mismatch. The narrow full width at half maximum of this diffusion modulation is the result of Tyndall scattering of densely packed irregular particles that is not fully explainable by Mie theory. Such mixtures can be used as tunable phantoms and have applications in optofluidics, rheology, and cytometry.
The IBM BOLT speech transcription system.

We describe the IBM automatic speech recognition (ASR) system for the DARPA Broad Operational Language Translation (BOLT) program. The system is used to transcribe conversational telephone speech (CTS) prior to machine translation for Phase 3 of the program’s Activity A. The ASR system is a combination of novel sequence trained ensemble deep neural network acoustic models on speaker adapted features and convolutional neural network models on two kinds of spectro-temporal representations of speech, in conjunction with a variety of class, neural network and n-gram based language models. Acoustic and language models for the recognition system are built on transcribed audio released under the program and further optimized for the final machine translation task as well. The evaluation system has a word error rate of 32.7% on a 2 hour Egyptian Arabic development set for this task.
Regulatory B cells in mouse models of intestinal inflammation

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory condition with increasing incidence and prevalence around the world. Although B cells had generally been believed to play a pathogenic role in IBD due to the production of autoantibodies, a growing body of evidence from mouse models suggests the coexistence of pathogenic B cells and regulatory B cells, termed Breg, in this disorder. Since some unique techniques are required to closely study the Breg in gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT), we herein describe how to induce colitis in mice and how to analyze the phenotype and function of GALT-specific Breg.
Total and free cortisol responses and their relation to outcomes after cardiopulmonary bypass in infants

Abstract Background Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction may be partially responsible for the hemodynamic instability experienced by infants after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We report the full spectrum of the HPA response surrounding CPB for infant congenital cardiac surgery. Methods We enrolled 84 infants who received 1 mg/kg of dexamethasone before initiation of CPB. Total cortisol (TC), free cortisol (FC), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) were measured at 3 time points: immediately before CPB (TP1), on intensive care unit arrival (TP2), and at 24 hours after surgery (TP3). A 1-μg ACTH stimulation test was performed at each time point to evaluate adrenal responsiveness. Results Sixty-eight infants completed all study procedures. Levels of TC, FC, CBG, and ACTH decreased significantly between the preoperative and 24-hour postoperative measurements. There were no significant associations between preoperative FC responses and clinical outcomes after adjusting for weight and Risk-Adjusted Scores for Congenital Heart Surgery. Infants with subnormal TC responses to ACTH stimulation ( P P P = .007). Except for LOS, these differences persisted for infants with subnormal stimulation tests at TP3. Conclusions We observed a significant decline in all aspects of the HPA axis throughout the first 24 hours after infant CPB. TC and FC levels were not associated with clinical outcomes. Subnormal (Δ
Experimental study of turbulent natural-convective condensation on a vertical wall with smooth and wavy film interface

Abstract Pressurized water reactor nuclear plants, currently under construction, have been designed with passive containment cooling systems. Turbulent, natural-convective condensation, with high non-condensable mass fraction, on the walls of the containment vessel is a primary heat transfer mechanism in these new plant designs. A number of studies have been completed over the past two decades to justify use of the heat and mass transfer analogy for this scenario. These studies are founded upon natural-convective heat transfer correlations and, in many cases, apply a diffusion layer model to couple heat and mass transfer. Reasonable success in predicting experimental trends has been achieved when correction factors are applied. The corrections are attributed to mass transfer suction, film waviness or mist formation even though little experimental evidence exists to justify these claims. The purpose of this work is to investigate the influence of film waviness and mass transfer suction on the turbulent, natural-convective condensing flow with high non-condensable mass fraction. Testing was conducted using 0.457 m × 2.13 m and a 0.914 m × 2.13 m condensing surfaces suspended in a large pressure vessel. The test facility implements relatively high accuracy calorimetric and condensate mass flow measurements to validate the measured heat and mass transfer rates. Test results show a significant enhancement in heat transfer is caused by disruption of the gas boundary layer due to film waviness. This result has implications for the scalability of existing correlations. A new correlation is proposed and results compared to several datasets.
Variation in screening rates in a multi-ethnic population-based study in Chicago.

1509Background: We initiated the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS) in 2013. Here, we present screening rates for key cancers with known disparities in risk/and or outc...
Synthetic Strategies for Anisotropic and Shape-Selective Nanomaterials

This chapter gives an overview of the various approaches that have been taken to create anisotropic nanomaterials. The synthetic mechanisms of nanomaterials are being actively pursued due to the unique size and shape dependent properties that can be exploited for a myriad of applications. Nanomaterials have been synthesized in a gamut of shapes, sizes, and compositions. As their synthetic protocol progresses, scientists are becoming more and more creative in the fabrication of nanomaterials with very interesting architectures to tailor their properties for faster electronics, better resolution imaging, more efficient catalysts, among others.
Historical and Projected Climate in the Northern Rockies Region

Climate influences the ecosystem services we obtain from forest and rangelands. An understanding of how climate may change in the future is needed to consider climate change in resource planning and management. In this chapter, we present the current understanding of the future changes in climate for the Northern Rockies region. Projected climate was derived from climate models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 5 (CMIP5) database, which was used in the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. Climate models project that the Earth’s current warming trend will continue throughout the twenty-first century in the Northern Rockies. Compared to observed historical temperature, average warming across the Northern Rockies is projected to be about 2–3 °C by 2050, depending on greenhouse gas emissions. Seasonally, projected winter maximum temperature begins to rise above freezing in the mid-twenty-first century in several parts of the region. Projections for precipitation suggest a slight increase in the future, but precipitation projections, in general, have much higher uncertainty than those for temperature.
Abstract 21648: DPP-4 Inhibition Reduces Atherosclerosis in LDLRKO Mice Through Pleiptropic Effects on Blood Pressure and Modulation of Immune Function

Objective: Dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 (DPP4, CD26) inhibitors reduce post-prandial glycemia via inhibition of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) degradation. DPP4 inhibition (DPP4i) may have anti-inflammatory effects through the modulation of GLP-1 receptor function and non GLP-1 pathways in immune cells. We hypothesized that DPP4i may have protective effects in atherosclerosis. Methods: Male LDLR KO mice were randomized to a high fat diet for 8-weeks and then treated with placebo or oral alogliptin (12/group), a high affinity DPP4 inhibitor (40mg/kg/day) for 12-weeks. Metabolic parameters, blood pressure, vascular function, atherosclerosis burden and indices of inflammation were obtained in the thoracic aorta. CD11b + Ly6 hi monocytes in blood/marrow and in aorta were quantified and inflammatory gene expression in CD11b + monocytes assessed. Results: DPP4i improved fasting and post-glucose load indices, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), beta-cell function (HOMA-β) triglyceride and HDL cholesterol measures. Plasma adiponectin increased with DPP4i (6.61±0.9 vs. 4.3±0.2 μg/ml in placebo, p 2 in DPP4i vs. placebo, p + , and CD206 + macrophages in aorta when assessed by flow-cytometry (CD11b + = 52±8 vs. 40±4% CD206 + =69±7 vs. 56±7% of total mononuclear cells in DPP4i vs. placebo respectively, p + cells expressed DPP4 transcript with increase in mRNA levels in the chronic DPP4i treatment group. Additionally there was suppression of CCR2, TNFα, IFNγ and IL-6 expression in response to DPP4i. In-vitro transmigration assays in cultured human monocytes revealed suppression of monocyte migration in response to CCL2 by DPP4i. Conclusions: DPP4i exerts anti-atherosclerotic effects via pleiotropic effects on blood pressure and inflammatory monocyte activation and migration.
Gauging us and eu Seal Regimes in the Arctic against Inuit Sovereignty

The US and EU each enacted seal hunting moratoriums that provide an exception for indigenous hunters. This paper compares the respective seal regimes – the US marine mammal conservation laws and the 2015 EU trade import ban – because seal hunting is a practice that not only provides sustenance and income to Inuit and other indigenous peoples, it also defines self-hood in the Arctic. This chapter argues that whoever regulates animals is in effect regulating land and water of where animals live. And to regulate a space leads to regulating people by restricting their activities. The seal regimes are principal ways each authority negotiates its relationship with Arctic indigenous communities and expresses power in the Arctic. As such, I conclude that the EU, through its seal regime, is in effect projecting sovereign power beyond its existing territorial boundaries, and re-configuring Inuit relationships to seals, land, and water.
Assisting, Not Training, Autistic Children to Recognize and Share Each Other’s Emotions via Automatic Face-Tracking in a Collaborative Play Environment

One of the core characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the presence of early and persistent impairments in social-communicative skills; and among the diagnostic characterization, difficulty in recognizing faces and interpreting facial emotions have been reported at all stages of development in ASD. Till now, an overwhelming number of previous works focus on training children with ASD on emotion recognition mostly via face perception and learning. Few published works have attempted on designing assistive tools to help the population recognize the emotions expressed by each other and make the emotion labels aware among each other, which motivates our present study. Drawn from results from our previous works, in this paper, we offer a collaborative play environment to inform autistic children each other’s emotions with an aim to engage them happily and with much less stress. The emotion recognition is accomplished through a mounted motion capture camera which can capture users’ facial landmark data and generate emotion labels accordingly.
The interplay between moral actions and moral judgments in children and adults.

Abstract Do choices about which moral actions to take cohere with subsequent judgments of their outcomes? The first set of experiments (N = 60 preschoolers and 30 adults) directly compared whether moral choices and judgments reflect distinct considerations, and whether coherence varies based on the valence of the moral scenario. Participants’ responses suggested that moral principles may be applied differently for moral choices and judgments, and that harm-based situations are particularly demanding for children. To determine whether children’s difficulty with harm-based situations reflects demand characteristics, a second set of experiments presented forty-three preschoolers and thirty-nine adults with a moral dilemma wherein they could choose to omit an action and maximize harm or act to minimize harm. Both age groups acted to minimize harm when caused indirectly. These results suggest that making choices about harm are not unilaterally demanding for preschoolers, but they struggle to make choices that minimize harm in a forced-choice scenario.
NOx emission from soils and its consequences for the atmosphere and biosphere: critical gaps and research directions for the future

Since the first paper on soil NOx emissions was published in 1978, the understanding of NOx flux from soil has grown enormously. While rapid strides have been made, progress across the suite of disciplines required to understand NOx emission, transport, chemistry, and deposition has been uneven and has resulted in gaps in knowledge and, indeed, somewhat conflicting ideas about the regional and global importance of NOx from soils. This paper summarizes some of the findings of the papers presented at the 1996 Tsukuba NOx workshop and suggests gaps in knowledge that may limit estimation and management of NOx emissions from soils. I discuss the causes and consequences of uncertainties in global estimates of soil NOx emissions and argue for use of process simulation models for NOx estimates. I also suggest three other missing pieces that limit our understanding of and ability to predict or manage NOx fluxes: 1) information on canopy uptake of NOx emitted from soils; 2) information on NOx response to agricultural management practices and approaches for simulating those high resolution effects; and 3) information on the consequences of atmospheric transport and deposition of anthropogenic nitrogen on NOx emissions from soils.
Travel as a teaching and learning tool.

Abstract Throughout history, physicians have traveled extensively to acquire new knowledge or to learn the latest therapeutic techniques from colleagues and academicians. This “wanderlust” persists in many who want to understand the world around them and learn from others, physicians or nonphysicians. Before the era of instantaneous online telecommunication, dermatologists would enhance their education by traveling abroad to learn from world-renowned experts in Europe and elsewhere and return with a treasure trove of knowledge and new skills. With the Internet, webinars, and teledermatology, the attraction for travel has diminished, mainly due to our ever-increasing demanding world of obligations; however, face-to-face interaction with colleagues of a different culture and educational background still has an inexorable educational value. To facilitate such endeavors, many insightful educators have taken the opportunity to establish several international societies and academies, where on-site educational activities can take place. Currently, a few of the more active and popular dermatologic organizations that are conducting meetings around the world are the International League of Dermatologic Societies; International Society of Dermatology; North American Clinical Dermatologic Society; International Society of Dermatologic Surgery; International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology; and European Society of Cosmetic and Aesthetic Dermatology, all of which exemplify “travel as a teaching tool.”
Healthcare Priority-Setting: Chat-Ting Is Not Enough; Comment on “Swiss-CHAT: Citizens Discuss Priorities for Swiss Health Insurance Coverage”

CHAT has its limits. It is a three-hour exercise. However, the real world problems of healthcare rationing and priority-setting are too complex for a three-hour exercise. What is needed, as a supplement, are sustained processes of rational democratic deliberation that can address the challenges to healthcare justice posed by costly emerging medical technologies, such as these targeted cancer therapies.
A narrative review of the use of agent-based modeling in health behavior and behavior intervention

Studies of health behaviors and behavior intervention have begun to explore the potential of agent-based modeling (ABM). A review of how ABMs have been used in health behavior, behavior intervention, and corresponding insights is warranted. The goal of this study was to provide a narrative review of the applications of ABMs in health behavior change and intervention. I will focus on two perspectives: (a) the mechanism of behavior and behavior change and (b) ABMs' use for behavior intervention. I identified and reviewed 17 ABMs applied to behaviors including physical activity, diet, alcoholic drinking, smoking, and drug use. Among these ABMs, I grouped their mechanisms of behavior change into four categories and evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of each mechanism. For behavior intervention, I evaluated the use of ABMs on levels of individual, interpersonal, and neighborhood environment. Various behavior change mechanisms and simplifications existed because of our limited knowledge of behaviors at the individual level. Utility maximization was the most frequently used mechanism. ABMs offered insights for behavior intervention including the benefits of upstream interventions and multilevel intervention, as well as balances among various factors, outcomes, and populations. ABMs have been used to model a diversity of behaviors, populations, and interventions. The use of ABMs in health behavior is at an early stage, and a major challenge is our limited knowledge of behaviors at the individual level.
Internal Conflict and State Development: Evidence from Imperial China

We analyze the conditions under which internal conflict can promote or impede state development. Our study exploits original fine-grained data spanning more than half a millennium across imperial China. We find that, traditionally, the central state improved its monopoly over violence in response to mass rebellion. The mid-nineteenth century marked the start of a new geopolitical era in China, compelling the central state to levy a higher tribute on local elites in order to undertake new investments in military defense. In turn, we find evidence for a shift in security leadership toward local elites in response to mass rebellion, reducing the central state's monopoly over violence. Our analysis implies that the relationship between internal conflict and state development depends on the specific geopolitical context.
Financing of Behavioral Health Services: Insurance, Managed Care, and Reimbursement

This chapter provides an understanding how insurance-based models of financing operate in theory and in practice regarding the implications of increasing strains on private and public insurance systems, including the ACA insurance expansions and parity, for the future of behavioral health services.
Brain death nuclear imaging using Tc-99m DTPA: does equivocal cerebral flow result really matter? A retrospective study

1705 Objectives: To eliminate the “equivocal flow” group from cerebral flow studies with Tc-99m DTPA by demonstrating patients with equivocal flow will eventually follow in the brain death groups who have no flow. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive patients with requested cerebral flow studies for confirmation of brain death at the University of Wisconsin from October 2009 to December 2017. Of those requests, 2 patients died before they could obtain the cerebral flow study, and 4 patients had duplicate medical record numbers or flow studies, leaving a total of 94 evaluable patients. Patients were categorized into 3 groups: no flow, equivocal flow, and definite flow. Equivocal flow was defined as any visual uptake of radiotracer in the superior sagittal sinus without uptake elsewhere or faint uptake elsewhere in an indeterminate location or pattern not typical of normal cerebral flow. Medical records were reviewed to determine if any patients with equivocal flow did actually survive or die. Results: Seventy patients had no flow, 16 patients had equivocal flow, and 8 patients had definite flow. All patients (94/94) in all 3 groups were clinically declared brain dead by the neurointensivist team during the same hospital admission. All 16 patients in the equivocal flow group were clinically declared brain dead within 24 hours of the cerebral flow studies. There was no difference in the final outcome among the no flow and equivocal flow groups. Conclusions: All patients with “equivocal flow” were ultimately declared brain dead and thus this equivocal flow category and clinical uncertainty associated with it can be eliminated, which has the potential to expedite organ harvesting. Furthermore, given the lack of any false negative studies with Tc-99m DTPA, we suggest more expensive and logistically challenging radiopharmaceuticals such as Tc-99m HMPAO and Tc-99m ECD may not be necessary to discriminate cases of equivocal flow.
Estimated remaining fatigue life of flexible pavements based on the normalized comprehensive area ratio deflection parameter

A lot of pavement deflection data are available that may be utilized as a tool to evaluate the structural capacity of pavement structures at network and project levels. Falling weight deflectometer...
Novel Myeloma-Specific Multiple Peptides Able to Generate Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes: Potential Therapeutic Application in Multiple Myeloma and Other Plasma Cell Disorders,

Abstract 3990 Although single antigen targeted vaccination has been evaluated in multiple myeloma (MM), its efficacy has been limited. The major challenges in developing a MM-specific immunotherapy include heterogeneity of tumor associated antigens (TAA) expression, frequent mutations of specific TAA and variability of the human T-cell repertoire. We hypothesize that peptide vaccine efficacy may be enhanced by stimulating immune cells with multiple epitopes derived from different TAA. The goal of our study was to examine the effectiveness of a combination of four immunogenic HLA-A2-specific peptides derived from multiple MM-associated antigens to induce myeloma-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) ex vivo . The specific target antigens, XBP1, CD138 and CS1 play a significant role in MM pathogenesis. We have identified immunogenic HLA-A2-specific epitopes: heteroclitic XBP1 US 184–192 (YISPWILAV), heteroclitic XBP1 SP 367–375 (YLFPQLISV), native CD138 260–268 (GLVGLIFAV) and native CS1 239–247 (SLFVLGLFL). In this study, first we evaluated each of the four epitopes in parallel and confirmed strong HLA-A2 binding affinity of the four individual peptides and demonstrated comparable phenotypes and overall functional activity of CTL generated with each peptide against HLA-A2 + MM cells. We next evaluated the multipeptide-specific CTL (MP-CTL) generated using a combination of all four peptides. The MP-CTL had an increased percentage of total CD8 + T cells, CCR7 − CD45RO + (effector memory) and CD69 + (activated) cells. In addition, the MP-CTL demonstrated polyfunctional immune activities [higher IFN-g production, cell proliferation and cytotoxicity] against HLA-A2 + primary MM cells and MM cell lines, but not to HLA-A2 − MM cells or HLA-A2 + breast cancer cells. Importantly, the MP-CTL demonstrated peptide-specific responses to all relevant epitopes including heteroclitic XBP1 US 184–192 (YISPWILAV), heteroclitic XBP1 SP 367–375 (YLFPQLISV), native CD138 260–268 (GLVGLIFAV) and native CS1 239–247 (SLFVLGLFL), but not to an irrelevant CMV pp65 (NLVPMVATV) peptide in a various functional assays evaluated cytokine production and cytotoxicity. Moreover, the MP-CTL demonstrated similar or greater response against MM, compared to CTL generated using the individual peptides. Thus, targeting MM-associated antigens using a cocktail of specific peptides may provide an effective therapeutic application in patients with MM and related plasma cell disorders. Disclosures: Anderson: Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Munshi: Millennium: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Onyx: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Baseline predictions of elliptic flow and fluctuations for the RHIC Beam Energy Scan using response coefficients

Currently the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) Beam Energy Scan is exploring a new region of the quantum chromodynamic phase diagram at large baryon densities that approaches nuclear astrophysics regimes. This provides an opportunity to study relativistic hydrodynamics in a regime where the net conserved charges of baryon number, strangeness, and electric charge play a role, which will significantly change the theoretical approach to simulating the baryon-dense quark-gluon plasma. Here we detail many of the important changes needed to adapt both initial conditions and the medium to baryon-rich matter. Then, we make baseline predictions (i.e., assuming a high-energy approach) for the elliptical flow and fluctuations based on extrapolating the physics at Large Hadron Collider and top RHIC energies to support future analyses of where and how the new baryon-dense physics causes these extrapolations to break down. First we compare eccentricities across beam energies, exploring their underlying assumptions; we find the extrapolated initial state is predicted to be nearly identical to that at AuAu $\sqrt{{s}_{NN}}=200$ GeV. Then we make exploratory predictions of the final flow harmonic based on linear $+$ cubic response. We discuss preliminary STAR results in order to determine the implications that they have for linear $+$ cubic response coefficients at the lowest beam energy of AuAu $\sqrt{{s}_{NN}}=7$ GeV.
One Child, Only Hope? No More: The Evolution of China’s Population Control Policy and Its Impact on Parenting and Childcare

This chapter begins with a historical overview of China’s family planning policies, including the One-Child Policy, and the Universal Two-Child Policy, elucidating the historical, social, and political context of the implementation. It discusses the effects of the family planning policies on human capital investment and parent–child relationship. This chapter further explores how parenting philosophy, expectations, and practices have changed in response to globalization. It concludes with the findings from the current empirical case study.
Queueing Inventory Model for Crowdsourcing

We consider a multi- server queueing inventory system with two types of customers: Type I and Type II. Type II customers are virtual ones. Arrival of both Type I and Type II customers follow two independent Poisson processes. Type I are to be served by one of the servers and service time is assumed to be exponentially distributed. Type II customer may be served by a Type I customer having already been served and ready to act as a server or by one of the servers with exponentially distributed service time. Type I customer has non preemptive priority over Type II. Type II is served by a Type I only if inventory is available after attaching inventory to the existing Type-I customers available in the system. Type II is served by a Type I with probability p on completion of latter’s service and with complementary probability \(q=1-p\) served Type I leaves the system without serving a Type-II. Fresh arrivals of both type of customers are permitted to join the system only when excess inventory, which is defined as the difference between on hand inventory and number of busy servers is positive. System capacity for Type I is limited, where as Type II has unlimited waiting area. When inventory level drops to \(c+s\), an order for replenishment is placed to bring the level to \(c+S\). The ordered items are received after a random amount of time which is exponentially distributed. A revenue function is constructed and effect of probability p on the revenue function for single server, two and three servers is numerically analyzed. Effects of parameter \(\beta \) of the exponentially distributed lead time, on the loss rate of customers and revenue function are numerically analyzed.
Distributions of Income and Wealth

Many societies have entrenched disparities between rich and poor because of royalty and birth. These people maintain their superior position relative to the masses by inter-marriage and governmental edicts. In America, many of the wealthy initially attained their wealth by providing goods and services people wanted, but some accumulated wealth with the connivance of government officials. What is an optimal distribution of income and wealth? Do the wealthy have ethical duties toward the poor or the poor to the rich? Many industrialists voluntarily donated large sums to various philanthropic causes.
Analysis of vitamin A and retinoids in biological matrices

Vitamin A signaling pathways are predominantly driven by the cellular concentrations of all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA), as the main mechanism of retinoid signaling is via activation of retinoic acid receptors. atRA concentrations are in turn controlled by the storage of vitamin A and enzymatic processes that synthesize and clear atRA. This has resulted in the need for robust and highly specific analytical methods to accurately quantify retinoids in diverse biological matrices. Tissue-specific differences in both the quantity of retinoids and background matrix interferences can confound the quantification of retinoids, and the bioanalysis requires high performance instrumentation, such as liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS). Successful bioanalysis of retinoids is further complicated by the innate structural instability of retinoids and their relatively high lipophilicity. Further, in vitro experiments with retinoids require attention to experimental design and interpretation to account for the instability of retinoids due to isomerization and degradation, sequential metabolism to numerous structurally similar metabolites, and substrate depletion during experiments. In addition, in vitro biological activity is often confounded by residual presence of retinoids in common biological reagents such as cell culture media. This chapter identifies common biological and analytical complexities in retinoid bioanalysis in diverse biological matrices, and in the use of retinoids in cell culture and metabolic incubations. In addition, this chapter highlights best practices for the successful detection and quantification of the vitamin A metabolome in a wide range of biological matrices.
Breeding Maize Maternal Haploid Inducers

Maize doubled haploid (DH) lines are usually created in vivo, through crosses with maternal haploid inducers. These inducers have the inherent ability of generating seeds with haploid embryos when used to pollinate other genotypes. The resulting haploid plants are treated with a doubling agent and self-pollinated, producing completely homozygous seeds. This rapid method of inbred line production reduces the length of breeding cycles and, consequently, increases genetic gain. Such advantages explain the wide adoption of this technique by large, well-established maize breeding programs. However, a slower rate of adoption was observed in medium to small-scale breeding programs. The high price and/or lack of environmental adaptation of inducers available for licensing, or the poor performance of those free of cost, might explain why smaller operations did not take full advantage of this technique. The lack of adapted inducers is especially felt in tropical countries, where inducer breeding efforts are more recent. Therefore, defining optimal breeding approaches for inducer development could benefit many breeding programs which are in the process of adopting the DH technique. In this manuscript, we review traits important to maize maternal haploid inducers, explain their genetic basis, listing known genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL), and discuss different breeding approaches for inducer development. The performance of haploid inducers has an important impact on the cost of DH line production.
Laparoscopic sandwich repair technique for spleen salvage after high-grade blunt splenic trauma

Objective To evaluate the effect of laparoscopic sandwich repair technique in spleen salvage for patients with high-grade blunt splenic trauma.Methods A retrospective study was performed in 24 patients with high-grade blunt splenic trauma undergone sandwich repair laparoscopically for hemostasis and spleen preservation after the failed non-operative therapy.Surgical techniques,surgical outcomes,postoperative recovery,and follow-up results were evaluated.Results Of all,21 patients (88％) underwent laparoscopic sandwich repair for hemostasis and spleen preservation successfully; 2 were converted to the laparoscopic splenectomy due to complex splenic rupture; 1 was converted to an open splenectomy due to unstable hemodynamics.Mean time to reach hemostasis was (36.7 ± 22.0) minutes and operation time was (136.3 ±40.3) minutes; mean blood loss was (1 598.0 ±940.0) ml and length of hospital stay was (10.8 ± 5.4) days.All patients were recovered at discharge.There were no complications of re-bleeding,total splenic infarction,or abdominal abscess at the 3-month follow-up.Conclusion Laparoscopic sandwich repair technique can be used effectively for spleen salvage in patients with high-grade splenic trauma. Key words: Abdominal injuries; Spleen ; Rupture; Laparoscopes
Correction to: Ultrasound in the Limited-Resource Setting: A Systematic Qualitative Review

The original version of the article, unfortunately, contained a typographical error in one author’s name in the author group. The author’s name was published as ‘Amy Struder’ and the corrected name is ‘Amy C. Studer’.