cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A methodological study of factors affecting the judgment of misarticulated /s/.

Abstract Two studies involving judgments of /s/ misarticulation are described. The first involved simultaneous audio and video recording of three clinically different /s/ misarticulating children. Their recorded /s/ productions, embedded in 54 sentences with varying phonetic contexts, were judged on an acceptable/unacceptable/questionable basis. There was a large proportion of judgments in the questionable category, relatively low interjudge reliability, and few clear enhancing contexts. To better define the problems inherent in using recorded /s/ misarticulations, a second study was undertaken in which six specially chosen /s/ defective and eight normally speaking subjects spoke a set of 12 sentences containing a total of 24 /s/ target words. These productions were judged dichotomously as correct/incorrect under live conditions and from tape recorded conditions. Both normal and /s/ defectives were easily and reliably detected under live speaking conditions; judgments from tape recording showed a reduction in reliability of judgment and reduced ability to detect the /s/ defective speakers' error. Examination of the recorded /s/ defective productions revealed that certain phonetic contexts, especially adjacent apical stops, appeared to encourage judgment of correct /s/ productions. The discussion includes suggestions concerning techniques for sampling and judging /s/ misarticulations.
Adeno-associated virus type 2 infection activates caspase dependent and independent apoptosis in multiple breast cancer lines but not in normal mammary epithelial cells

In normal cells proliferation and apoptosis are tightly regulated, whereas in tumor cells the balance is shifted in favor of increased proliferation and reduced apoptosis. Anticancer agents mediate tumor cell death via targeting multiple pathways of programmed cell death. We have reported that the non-pathogenic, tumor suppressive Adeno-Associated Virus Type 2 (AAV2) induces apoptosis in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) positive cervical cancer cells, but not in normal keratinocytes. In the current study, we examined the potential of AAV2 to inhibit proliferation of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 (both weakly invasive), as well as MDA-MB-231 (highly invasive) human breast cancer derived cell lines. As controls, we used normal human mammary epithelial cells (nHMECs) isolated from tissue biopsies of patients undergoing breast reduction surgery. AAV2 infected MCF-7 line underwent caspase-independent, and MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines underwent caspase-dependent apoptosis. Death of MDA-MB-468 cells was marked by caspase-9 activation, whereas death of MDA-MB-231 cells was marked by activation of both caspase-8 and caspase-9, and resembled a mixture of apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Cellular demise was correlated with the ability of AAV2 to productively infect and differentially express AAV2 non-structural proteins: Rep78, Rep68 and Rep40, dependent on the cell line. Cell death in the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 lines coincided with increased S phase entry, whereas the MDA-MB-468 cells increasingly entered into G2. AAV2 infection led to decreased cell viability which correlated with increased expression of proliferation markers c-Myc and Ki-67. In contrast, nHMECs that were infected with AAV2 failed to establish productive infection or undergo apoptosis. AAV2 regulated enrichment of cell cycle check-point functions in G1/S, S and G2 phases could create a favorable environment for Rep protein expression. Inherent Rep associated endonuclease activity and AAV2 genomic hair-pin ends have the potential to induce a cellular DNA damage response, which could act in tandem with c-Myc regulated/sensitized apoptosis induction. In contrast, failure of AAV2 to productively infect nHMECs could be clinically advantageous. Identifying the molecular mechanisms of AAV2 targeted cell cycle regulation of death inducing signals could be harnessed for developing novel therapeutics for weakly invasive as well as aggressive breast cancer types.
In vivo quantification of retraction deformation modeling for updated image-guidance during neurosurgery

The use of coregistered preoperative anatomical scans to provide navigational information in the operating room has greatly benefited the field of neurosurgery. Nonetheless, it has been widely acknowledged that significant errors between the operating field and the preoperative images are generated as surgery progresses. Quantification of tissue shift can be accomplished with volumetric intraoperative imaging; however, more functional, lower cost alternative solutions to this challenge are desirable. We are developing the strategy of exploiting a computational model driven by sparse data obtained from intraoperative ultrasound and cortical surface tracking to warp preoperative images to reflect the current state of the operating field. This paper presents an initial quantification of the predictive capability of the current model to computationally capture tissue deformation during retraction in the porcine brain. Performance validation is achieved through comparisons of displacement and pressure predictions to experimental measurements obtained from computed tomographic images and pressure sensor recordings. Group results are based upon a generalized set of boundary conditions for four subjects that, on average, account for at least 75% of tissue motion generated during interhemispheric retraction. Individualized boundary conditions can improve the degree of data-model match by 10% or more but warrant further study. Overall, the level of quantitative agreement achieved in these experiments is encouraging for updating preoperative images to reflect tissue deformation resulting from retraction, especially since model improvements are likely as a result of the intraoperative constraints that can be applied through sparse data collection.
DEVIANT PLACES: A THEORY OF THE ECOLOGY OF CRIME

It is well known that high rates of crime and deviance can persist in specific neighborhoods despite repeated, complete turnovers in the composition of their populations. That this occurs suggests that more than “kinds of people” explanations are needed to account for the ecological concentration of deviance—that we also need to develop “kinds of places” explanations. This essay attempts to codify more than a century of ecological research on crime and deviance into an integrated set of 30 propositions and offers these as a first approximation of a theory of deviant places.
Dependence of magnetic properties on crack size in steels

A crack induces a local inhomogeneity in the magnetic flux path in a material and any change in crack area results in change in the distribution of magnetic flux. From the results of measurements on A533B steel and Cr-Mo steels, not only were the magnetic properties found to change with crack area, but also a linear relationship between measured remanence and crack area was observed. A model equation has been developed which shows agreement with the observed relationship. On the other hand, the coercivity and its relationship to crack area were found to depend upon the sensor position relative to the crack. 3D finite element analysis of the leakage field above a crack also showed the position dependence. Therefore, using the remanence measurement method described here fatigue damage and crack area in steel components can be evaluated nondestructively.
Semiconducting (Conjugated) Polymers as Materials for Solid‐State Lasers

Light-emissive polymers are outstanding laser materials because they are intrinsically “4-level” systems, they have luminescence efficiencies higher than 60 % even in undiluted films, they emit at colors that span the visible spectrum, and they can be processed into optical quality films by spin casting. The important materials issues are reviewed and the prospects for making polymer diode lasers are discussed.
Visual information mining and ranking using graded relevance assessments in satellite image databases

With recent technological advances, the geospatial industry produces digital image data at an astonishing rate. Such large amounts of data need to be analyzed for visual content in a timely fashion. For in-depth analysis of the geospatial there is a need to find efficient methods to process the visual information into actionable knowledge. One of the most promising methods is to evaluate the relevance of geospatial images to domain-specific visual semantics. Most of existing methods for annotating semantic meaning to geospatial images are trained using binary feedback from users. Such approaches may lead to suboptimal models especially due to the fact that semantic relevance of images is rarely a binary problem. In this paper, we report an algorithm to link low-level image features with high-level visual semantics using graded relevance feedback from image analysts. This linkage is done using flexible possibility functions that mathematically model the existence of visual semantics in new images added to the database. Our experimental results show that our technique improves the knowledge discovery process as evidenced by increased mean average precision of semantic queries.
Pathways of Parenting Style on Adolescents' College Adjustment, Academic Achievement, and Alcohol Risk.

This study examined the pathways of parenting style (permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative) to alcohol consumption and consequences through the mediators of college adjustment and academic achievement (grade point average [GPA]). Participants were 289 students from a private, mid-size, West Coast university (mean age 19.01 years, 58.8% female, and 59.3% Caucasian) who completed online surveys. A path model discovered that receipt of permissive and authoritarian parenting uniquely predicted poorer college adjustment, but authoritative parenting predicted better college adjustment. Further, authoritarian parenting predicted lower GPA, but authoritative parenting predicted higher GPA. Better college adjustment, in turn, was predictive of fewer negative alcohol-related consequences, whereas higher GPA predicted lower drinking levels. Preventive implications for collegiate counseling centers and collaborative campus-wide health promotion efforts are discussed.
EGFR molecular testing in African-American non-small cell lung cancer patients - a review of discrepant data

Substantial discrepancy in the literature has recently emerged regarding epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutational frequency in African American (AA) NSCLC. The first wave of tissue profiling studies, including by our group in 2009, consistently observed a significantly lower frequency of EGFR mutation in AA vs. White NSCLC, whereas three recent reports appear to directly contradict these findings. Reasons for this discrepancy are unclear, but one plausible explanation arises from Simpson's paradox, the consequence of aggregating heterogeneous study cohorts (in this case, the proportion of never-smokers in the study cohort). Our review of all prior studies (combined total 386 AA NSCLC cases) underscores the wide variation in the proportion of AA never-smokers among various studies (13-57%), calling inter-study comparisons into question. In parallel, we assessed objective response by RECIST to EGFR targeted therapy for AA NSCLC in the community setting, prior to the advent of routine EGFR testing. We observed a trend toward reduced response for community-based treatment of unselected AA NSCLC (5%; 3/57) as compared to overall response rates of 10% reported by large North American trials of primarily White NSCLC patients, but this was not significant (P=0.223).
Human T-cell Lymphotropic Viruses: Review and Prospects for Antiviral Therapy

The human T-cell lymphotropic viruses types I and II (HTLV-I, II) pose challenges to researchers and clinicians who seek to unveil mechanisms of viral transformation and pathogenesis. HTLV-I infection in humans is associated with a wide array of primary and secondary diseases ranging from mild immunosuppression to adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma and HTLV-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), a neurological degenerative syndrome. As retroviruses, HTLV-I and II share similar replicative cycles with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. However, in contrast to HIV-I which destroys CD4+T cells HTLV-I and II can preferebtially transform a CD4+T-cell subset to an unrestricted growth state
Studies of the Production and Life Span of Erythrocytes in Myeloid Metaplasia

1. Four patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia and one patient with polycythemia vera and myeloid metaplasia were studied with Fe 59 , Cr 51 and glycine-2-C 14 . 2. Three of the patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia had active splenic, hepatic or renal erythropoiesis. One had deficient erythropoiesis. 3. The red cell life span was short in all of the patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia, definite splenic sequestration occurring in two patients. The red cell life span was normal in the patient with polycythemia vera and myeloid metaplasia. 4. The possible indications for splenectomy were discussed.
Phenobarbital-enhanced hepatobiliary scintigraphy in diagnosis of biliary atresia: Two decades of experience at a tertiary center

259 Objectives Hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) is highly sensitive for diagnosing biliary atresia (BA), however its specificity has varied from 30-97% in different studies. The aim of this study was to re-evaluate the accuracy of Phenobarbital-enhanced HBS in differentiating BA from other causes of neonatal cholestasis. Methods Our routine protocol for HBS in neonatal cholestasis has been pretreatment with Phenobarbital (5mg/kg/day for 5 days) and to achieve a Phenobarbital level of ≥ 15 mcg/ml. We retrospectively reviewed all hepatobiliary scans and patient charts for infants with cholestasis from December 1990 to May 2011. Results A total of 185 patients with 209 hepatobiliary scans comprised the study group, of whom 3 did not receive Phenobarbital premedication for their initial study. Forty three patients (23.2%) had BA. Initial HBS was 100% sensitive and 88.7% specific in diagnosing BA, the overall accuracy being 91.3%. Of the 24 patients with repeat scans, 16 had non excretion with good hepatic uptake on the initial scans. Seven of these showed excretion on the repeat study and did not have BA. Of the remaining 9 with no excretion even on repeat scans, 8 had BA and 1 had Alagille syndrome. Taking into account the results of the repeat scans, the specificity increased to 93.6%. There were 111 term infants of whom 39 (35.1%) had BA, and 66 preterm infants of whom only 2 (3.3%, gestational ages 31 and 36.5 weeks) had BA. Conclusions Phenobarbital enhanced HBS is highly accurate in differentiating BA from other causes of neonatal cholestasis. Alagille syndrome is a mimicker of BA on HBS. BA is rare in the premature population
A harmonic projection and least–squares method for quantifying Kelvin wave activity

Abstract. A new method for isolating the equatorial and coastal Kelvin wave signal from alongtrack satellite altimetry data is presented and applied to sea level anomaly (SLA) observations in the tropical Indian Ocean. The method consists of sequential projections onto the SLA data, starting with meridional or cross-shore Kelvin wave profiles derived from shallow water theory (y-projections). Next, Fourier basis functions in x-t (along-waveguide distance and time respectively) space with the phase speed ranges of Kelvin and Rossby waves are projected onto the y-projections. After projections in all three dimensions have been carried out, least-squares methods are applied to optimize the non-orthogonal basis function coefficients and minimize the misfit of their along-waveguide forcing and dissipation. Lastly, the westward-propagating (Rossby wave-related) signals are removed, generating a Kelvin wave coefficient K that represents Kelvin wave activity. Along the Indian Ocean equatorial-coastal waveguide, Hovmoller diagrams of K show reduced high-wavenumber noise compared to analogous diagrams of pre-processed sea level anomaly. Results from a Monte Carlo simulation demonstrate that Kelvin wave signals generated a priori can be effectively recovered even when superimposed with strong Rossby waves; the signs of all but the weakest waves are diagnosed correctly in over 90 % of cases. When the method is applied to 21 years of satellite observations and the SLA signal associated with K is removed, the large residual in the equatorial SLA signal has a spatial distribution consistent with wind-forced Rossby waves. The equatorial SLA variability in the western part of the basin is poorly correlated with the SLA field associated with K, as the superimposed SLA profile of Rossby waves can distort the true origin locations of Kelvin waves in the raw SLA field. Therefore, this method offers improved tracking of Kelvin waves compared to the raw SLA dataset, and may provide the opportunity to study weakly nonlinear aspects of these waves by comparison with linear models.
LUNG FUNCTION, RESPIRATORY DISEASE, AND SMOKING IN FAMILIES

Respiratory symptoms, disease and lung function were studied in 376 families with 816 children who participated in a survey in three USA towns. Parental smoking had no effect on children's symptoms and lung function. Also, there was no evidence that passive smoking affected either lung function or symptoms of adults. There was no association between prevalence of self-reported cough and/or phlegm in parents and their children. There was a highly significant association between the prevalence of wheeze in parents and their younger children, for whom parents reported this symptom. Wheeze in children was also significantly associated with a parental history of asthma, and lung function was lower in children with a family history of asthma. Even after accounting for height, weight, age, sex and race, children's lung function correlated significantly with parents' lung function. However, the contribution of familial factors (i.e., parents' lung function, smoking, and history of asthma) to children's lung function is small compared to the effects of height, weight and age.
Review: House of Cars: Innovation and the Parking Garage

House of Cars: Innovation and the Parking Garage . National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.. 17 October 2009–11 July 2010 The history of the parking garage likely ranks among the last subjects that would come to many people's minds as a good subject for a museum exhibition. The parking garage, after all, has always been a structure shaped by utilitarian considerations related to the mundane realm of motor vehicle storage. It may be welcome as a convenience, but it is seldom thought about in any other terms. Work of this genre seldom figures in the accomplishments of leading architects and it has even more rarely attracted the attention of historians. True to form, the National Building Museum has defied conventional wisdom and shown the spotlight on the lowly parking garage. House of Cars is the latest in a series of unorthodox but superbly crafted exhibitions that the museum has developed, including ones devoted to sheet metal, concrete, offices, fences, and the domestic environment created by the do-it-yourself culture. Like its predecessors, the garage show demonstrates the basic importance of things we tend to take for granted. House …
Multi-perspective Fluorescence Talbot Microscopy

We demonstrate a long imaging depth, multi-perspective fluorescence scanning microscopy based on Talbot effect generated from a microlens array. An object with two layers that are 155μm apart was reconstructed from different perspectives.
Interleukin-2 therapy for advanced chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is usually treated with either alpha-interferon or hydrea. Median survival is 6 years. Eventually, in most CML patients, the disease evolves to blast phase with clinical and morphologic characteristics of an acute leukemia. This phase is commonly associated with systemic symptoms and the appearance of new cytogenetic abnormalities. Therapy for this phase is of limited value, resulting in a mean survival of 4 months. We describe four consecutive patients seen at our clinic with advanced stage CML (three blast, one accelerated phase) who were treated with interleukin-2 (Proleukin). The mean survival in these patients was 22 months (range 9-35 months) and two are still alive 25 and 35 months after the start of therapy. One patient had a complete cytogenetic response and another a partial response. Toxicity was minimal and no patient had to discontinue therapy because of it.
Joseph F. Rychlak (1928–2013).

Joseph Frank Rychlak was born on December 17, 1928 and passed away on April 16, 2013. Joe's major contributions to psychology vary widely, as mentioned, but they are all carefully connected to a rigorously humanistic understanding of the person. It may be stretching it to use the phrase "one of the last grand theorists" to describe him and his contribution to psychology. There are still many important living theorists in the field. However, it is not an exaggeration to use the term "grand" because Rychlak's work is nothing if not subsuming, spanning not only the personality and psychotherapy literatures but also works on cognition, humanism, and the philosophy of science. Throughout his long and productive examination of these ideas, Joe remained a man of the highest integrity, vision, and caring.
Molecular Mechanisms of Spin Crossover in the {Fe(pz)[Pt(CN)4]} Metal-Organic Framework upon Water Adsorption.

The rational design of multifunctional materials with properties that can be selectively controlled at the molecular level is key to the development and application of nanoscale devices. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations using ligand-field molecular mechanics are performed to elucidate, for the first time, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the variation of the spin-crossover properties of the {Fe(pz)[Pt(CN)4]} metal–organic framework upon water adsorption. The simulations demonstrate a direct relationship between the water loading adsorbed in the pores and the variation of the spin-crossover transition temperature, with the high-spin state of the material becoming gradually more stabilized as the number of adsorbed water molecules increases. The decrease of the spin-crossover temperature of {Fe(pz)[Pt(CN)4]} upon water adsorption predicted by the simulations is in agreement with the available experimental data and is traced back to the elongation of the bonds between the Fe(II) atoms an...
A Prolactin Family Paralog Regulates Placental Adaptations to a Physiological Stressor

The prolactin (PRL) family of hormones and cytokines participates in the regulation of optimal reproductive performance in the mouse and rat. Members of the PRL family are expressed in the anterior pituitary, uterus, and/or placenta. In the present study, we investigated the ontogeny of PRL family 7, subfamily b, member 1 (PRL7B1; also called PRL-like protein-N, PLP-N) expression in the developing mouse placenta and established a mouse model for investigating the biological function of PRL7B1. Transcripts for Prl7b1 were first detected on Gestation Day (d) 8.5. From gestation d8.5 through d14.5, Prl7b1 was expressed in trophoblast cells residing at the interface between maternal mesometrial decidua and the developing placenta. On gestation d17.5, the predominant cellular source of Prl7b1 mRNA was migratory trophoblast cells invading into the uterine mesometrial decidua. The Prl7b1 null mutant allele was generated via replacement of the endogenous Prl7b1 coding sequence with beta-galactosidase (LacZ) reporter and neomycin cassettes. The mutant Prl7b1 allele was successfully passed through the germline. Homozygous Prl7b1 mutant mice were viable and fertile. Under standard animal housing conditions, Prl7b1 had undetectable effects on placentation and pregnancy. Hypoxia exposure during pregnancy evoked adaptations in the organization of the wild-type placenta that were not observed in Prl7b1 null placentation sites. In summary, PRL7B1 is viewed as a part of a pathway regulating placental adaptations to physiological stressors.
Analysis of epidemic characteristics and control effect on rabies in Dehong Prefecture of Yunnan Province,China

Objective To analyze epidemic characteristic and control effect on rabies in Dehong Prefecture of Yunnan. Methods Information and data of rabies in animal and human were collected to carry out descriptive epidemiology analysis and evaluate the control effect. Results There were totally 52 outbreaks of rabies in animals,with 17 dead cases in human. The epidemic involved 17 natural villages and 15 townships of 3 counties. The human cases mainly died of rabies without treated according to appropriate criteria after lyssodexis. There were often imported cases from Burma. The epidemic was controlled after taking comprehensive measures in combination with multi-department,such as"administration,immunity and elimination"of dogs. Epidemic situation was under control. Conclusions There is natural foci of rabies in Dehong Prefecture and canine rabies occurred frequently with severe epidemic situation. It is necessary to implement comprehensive control measures,including health education,standardize post-exposure prophylaxis and dog management,immunity,as well as preventing imported rabies from Burma.
Should Pneumococcal Vaccines Eliminate Nasopharyngeal Colonization

Streptococcus pneumoniae remains an important human pathogen. For more than 100 years, there have been vaccine efforts to prevent pneumococcal infection. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have significantly reduced invasive disease. However, these vaccines have changed pneumococcal ecology within the human nasopharynx. We suggest that elimination of the pneumococcus from the human nasopharynx can have consequences that should be considered as the next generation of pneumococcal vaccines is developed.
Three Group Approaches with Socially Deprived Latency-Age Children

(1965). Three Group Approaches with Socially Deprived Latency-Age Children. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 434-445.
Primary diagnosis of disseminated coccidioidomycosis by fine needle aspiration of a neck mass. A case report.

Abstract Coccidioidomycosis is a pulmonary fungal infection endemic to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Disseminated coccidioidomycosis occurs in 0.1-0.5% of cases and is a life-threatening condition. We report a case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis in an immunocompetent black male with cutaneous lesions, a flocculent neck mass, bilateral hilar adenopathy, persistent fever, night sweats and malaise. The clinical suspicion was lymphoma with cutaneous involvement. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the neck mass provided the primary diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis. It was confirmed by culture of FNA-obtained fluid and a subsequent biopsy of a cutaneous lesion. As shown in this case, FNA of soft tissue masses may provide rapid identification of the responsible organism and allow early initiation of therapy for this potentially life-threatening infection.
Can Culture Translate to the Virtual World

The United States consists of a diverse population of ethnic groups. Catering health care to such a culturally diverse population can be difficult for health care professionals. Culture plays a complex role in the development of health and human service delivery programs. Cultural Competence has emerged as an important issue to improve quality and eradicate racial/ethical disparities in health care. The Nursing Standards of proficiency for nursing education emphasize that nurses should be able to acknowledge patients cultural practices and take cultural influences into account when providing nursing care. A major challenge facing the nursing profession is educating and assisting nurses in providing culturally relevant care. To tackle this issue we have created virtual humans that will represent different cultures. These virtual humans will serve as educational tool that allow nurses to understand and handle patients from different cultures. Our first culturally-specific virtual human is a young Indian girl. In this paper we will discuss the architecture to create a culturally specific virtual patient.
Pre-Particle Chemistry in Soot Formation

Species and reactions involved in the early stages of soot formation prior to the formation of particles have been studied in flat low pressure flames of benzene using a molecular beam mass spectrometer system. In a near-sooting (equivalence ratio φ = 1.8) benzene-oxygen-argon flame, the profiles of molar flux versus distance from the burner for several reactant, intermediate, and product species were calculated from the mole fraction profiles. The flux profiles indicate that CO, C6H6O and C5H6 are early intermediates in the ring destruction process but that C2H2 is not. The flux profiles of C6H6 and C2H2 are consistent with benzene consumption by OH addition and the OH + C6H6 reaction having a much larger rate coefficient than OH + C2H2. A mechanism is outlined for production of C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5 species from benzene that is consistent with the flux profiles of intermediate species. The production of more hydrogenated species from those of low H/C ratio as they diffuse toward the burner surface is discussed.
Showing up for class: Training graduate students in acceptance and commitment therapy

Abstract Growing use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) increases the need for quality training of graduate students in professional psychology. This pilot study examined the impact of a semester long ACT course among 10 clinical and counseling psychology doctoral students. Reliable change index scores were used to evaluate individual changes in psychological flexibility and stress, which were measured pre-class, post-class, and 4 months following the class. Overall trends support increases in ACT knowledge appropriate to the nature of the course and modest improvements in personal growth over time. However, positive results were not consistent across all students or all measurements. A description of course components is included, and the clinical implications of these results are explored.
Sexuality, Fertility, and Pregnancy in Crohn's Disease

Many factors influence the sexual health of people with Crohn's disease, but active disease and depression play key roles. The fertility rate in nonoperated patients with inflammatory bowel disease with quiescent disease is similar to that in the general population. Crohn's disease can increase the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, but being in remission on a stable, steroid-free medication regimen for at least 3 months before conception and adhering to the treatment throughout pregnancy can improve outcomes. Infants with intrauterine exposure to anti-tumor necrosis factor medications should avoid live vaccines for the first 9 months or until drug concentrations are undetectable.
ASSESSING DAMAGE LOCALIZATION IN CONCRETE CYLINDERS TESTED IN COMPRESSION

ABSTRACT The compressive stress-strain behavior of concrete is a critical material descriptor that is used in the design and analysis of concrete structures. While significant research has been performed to illustrate the importance of the peak strength and initial elastic modulus, further work is needed to explain how damage develops, dissipates energy, and results in stiffness degradation. While the stress-strain response has long been considered a material property, recent research has shown that this relationship is dependent upon specimen geometry and size. This research investigated the development of damage, its localization into a band, the size of this band, and the implications of this damage band on the overall stress-strain response. In addition to load and deformation measurements, acoustic emission was used to quantify damage. Specifically, a detailed analysis using acoustic emission activity is presented to describe damage in terms of event amplitude, duration, and energy. To support the correlation between the acoustic activity and physical damage in concrete that was loaded to different levels, the damaged cylindrical specimens were sectioned, ground, polished, and imaged to inspect the extent of cracking and the resulting damage at different locations in the cylinders. Image analysis was compared to the acoustic measurements to present clear picture of how damage develops and localizes in concrete under compressive loading.
Using human phenotype ontology for phenotypic analysis of clinical notes

Phenotypes are defined as observable characteristics of organisms. To facilitate the translation between genotype and phenotype, Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) was developed as a semantically computable standardized vocabulary to capture phenotypic abnormalities found in human. In this study, we investigated the use of HPO to annotate phenotypic information in clinical domain by leveraging a corpus of 12.8 million clinical notes created from 2010 to 2015 for 729 thousand patients at Mayo Clinic Rochester campus.
‘That's not the kind of church we are’: Heteroglossic ambiguity and religious identity in contexts of LGB+ exclusion

Abstract Focusing on a formal gathering between two Christian organizations with different viewpoints on gender and sexuality, I show how speakers from both groups share narratives in which they enact and disalign from Christian figures of personhood engaged in overt exclusion of LGB + people. Because of their use of religious language these narratives operate at multiple scales, with differing levels of indirectness and various implications for religious identity and institutional values. Additionally, I argue that disalignment can generate moral norms for conduct and that the moral norms generated in this context allow for personal, but not systemic, opposition to LGB + exclusion.
Clinical Impact of a Rapid Streptococcal Antigen Test on Antibiotic Use in Adult Patients.

Abstract Introduction Adult pharyngitis is rarely attributable to group A streptococci. Utilization of a rapid streptococcal antigen test (RADT) may improve appropriate prescribing for bacterial pharyngitis. Methods Clinic 1 performed RADTs with subsequent Group A DNA probe test (GADNA) from November 2014-March 2015 and November 2015-March 2016 while Clinic 2 was the control clinic, then implemented the RADT with a GADNA from November 2015-March 2016. All GADNA results were obtained for each clinic from October 2013-March 2016. Results At Clinic 1, 22.2% versus 8.5% of patients received inappropriately prescribed antibiotics for a GADNA or RADT result, respectively (p=0.048). For Clinic 2, 51.1% compared to 21.4% of patients were inappropriately prescribed antibiotic for a GADNA or RADT result, respectively (p=0.038). Overall, the total GADNA without RADT testing or RADTs with subsequent GADNA testing, 41.6% versus 11% of patients were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics, respectively (p= Conclusion Utilizing the RADT prevented unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics in adults.
Statistical methods in evaluating the outcome of infertility therapy

Analytic methods for assessing the results of infertility therapy are reviewed and deficiencies discussed. A classification and staging scheme to define the type and severity of infertility problems is needed. Once homogeneous groups of patients are defined, the results of infertility therapy can be documented by the life-table method of analysis. A detailed description and format for this type of analysis are presented. To help conceptualize statistical probability as it pertains to infertility data, we have borrowed a mathematical model of fertility from demographers. This model can be used to predict the cumulative probability of conception over time, given a certain monthly probability of conception or fecundability. Also given that a couple has a certain duration of infertility, the model can be used to provide an estimate of an upper limit of the couple's likely monthly fecundability.
Neural Network Training With Levenberg–Marquardt and Adaptable Weight Compression

Difficult experiments in training neural networks often fail to converge due to what is known as the flat-spot problem, where the gradient of hidden neurons in the network diminishes in value, rending the weight update process ineffective. Whereas a first-order algorithm can address this issue by learning parameters to normalize neuron activations, the second-order algorithms cannot afford additional parameters given that they include a large Jacobian matrix calculation. This paper proposes Levenberg–Marquardt with weight compression (LM-WC), which combats the flat-spot problem by compressing neuron weights to push neuron activation out of the saturated region and close to the linear region. The presented algorithm requires no additional learned parameters and contains an adaptable compression parameter, which is adjusted to avoid training failure and increase the probability of neural network convergence. Several experiments are presented and discussed to demonstrate the success of LM-WC against standard LM and LM with random restarts on benchmark data sets for varying network architectures. Our results suggest that the LM-WC algorithm can improve training success by 10 times or more compared with other methods.
Models for the Claim Number Distribution

In this chapter four different probability models are developed to represent the distribution of the number of claims in an insurance portfolio. The Poisson distribution is shown to provide a good description of the behavior of individual policyholders. It will be used in chapters 4 to 9 to compare the different BMS from a policyholder’s perspective. The Poisson is, however, inadequate to describe the number of losses in an insurance portfolio. The negative binomial distribution provides much better fits and will be used in chapters 10 to 14 to build optimal BMS. Two other distributions that belong to the class of mixed Poisson processes are also introduced.
A novel genetic marker of decreased inflammation and improved survival after acute myocardial infarction

The CHRNA5 gene encodes a neurotransmitter receptor subunit involved in multiple processes, including cholinergic autonomic nerve activity and inflammation. Common variants in CHRNA5 have been linked with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Association of variation in CHRNA5 and specific haplotypes with cardiovascular outcomes has not been described. The aim of this study was to examine the association of CHRNA5 haplotypes with gene expression and mortality among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and explore potential mechanisms of this association. Patients (N = 2054) hospitalized with AMI were genotyped for two common variants in CHRNA5. Proportional hazard models were used to estimate independent association of CHRNA5 haplotype with 1-year mortality. Both individual variants were associated with mortality (p = 0.0096 and 0.0004, respectively) and were in tight LD (D' = 0.99). One haplotype, HAP3, was associated with decreased mortality one year after AMI (adjusted HR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.26, 0.68; p = 0.0004). This association was validated in an independent cohort (N = 637) of post-MI patients (adjusted HR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.07, 0.79; p = 0.019). Differences in CHRNA5 expression by haplotype were investigated in human heart samples (n = 28). Compared with non-carriers, HAP3 carriers had threefold lower cardiac CHRNA5 mRNA expression (p = 0.023). Circulating levels of the inflammatory marker hsCRP were significantly lower in HAP3 carriers versus non-carriers (3.43 ± 4.2 versus 3.91 ± 5.1; p = 0.0379). Activation of the inflammasome, an important inflammatory complex involved in cardiovascular disease that is necessary for release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1 β, was assessed in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) from CHRNA5 knockout mice and wild-type controls. In BMDM from CHRNA5 knockout mice, IL-1β secretion was reduced by 50% compared to wild-type controls (p = 0.004). Therefore, a common haplotype of CHRNA5 that results in reduced cardiac expression of CHRNA5 and attenuated macrophage inflammasome activation is associated with lower mortality after AMI. These results implicate CHRNA5 and the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in survival following AMI.
Full-waveform inversion and least-squares reverse-time migration imaging of collimated ultrasonic-beam data for high-resolution wellbore integrity monitoring

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has recently developed an ultrasonic side-lobe suppressed Bessel collimated beam transducer for low-frequency imaging through highly attenuating materials. We study the effectiveness of using such a collimated ultrasonic-beam transducer for imaging concrete heterogeneities outside borehole casing for high-resolution borehole imaging and wellbore integrity monitoring. We obtain detailed concrete heterogeneities including a low-velocity zone using ultrasound data acquired with a 3D imaging prototype and our recently developed full-waveform inversion and least-squares reverse-time migration methods. Full-waveform inversion fits synthetic ultrasonic waveforms with recorded waveforms to build a high-resolution velocity model. Least-squares reverse-time migration produces a high-resolution structural image showing material discontinuities. Our results demonstrate that LANL's 3D imaging system with a collimated ultrasonic-beam transducer together with full-waveform inversion and least-squares reverse-time migration imaging has great potential for high-resolution single-well borehole imaging and non-destructive evaluation.
Recent advances in cardiac SPECT instrumentation and imaging methods.

Cardiac SPECT continues to play a critical role in detecting and managing cardiovascular disease, in particularly coronary artery disease (CAD) (Jaarsma et al 2012 J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 59 1719-28), (Agostini et al 2016 Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging 43 2423-32). While conventional dual-head SPECT scanners using parallel-hole collimators and scintillation crystals with photomultiplier tubes are still the workhorse of cardiac SPECT, they have the limitations of low photon sensitivity (~130 count s-1 MBq-1), poor image resolution (~15 mm) (Imbert et al 2012 J. Nucl. Med. 53 1897-903), relatively long acquisition time, inefficient use of the detector, high radiation dose, etc. Recently our field observed an exciting growth of new developments of dedicated cardiac scanners and collimators, as well as novel imaging algorithms for quantitative cardiac SPECT. These developments have opened doors to new applications with potential clinical impact, including ultra-low-dose imaging, absolute quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR), multi-radionuclide imaging, and improved image quality as a result of attenuation, scatter, motion, and partial volume corrections (PVCs). In this article, we review the recent advances in cardiac SPECT instrumentation and imaging methods. This review mainly focuses on the most recent developments published since 2012 and points to the future of cardiac SPECT from an imaging physics perspective.
A Wireless Smart Camera Network for Parking Monitoring

In this paper we present a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), which is intended to provide a scalable solution for active cooperative monitoring of wide geographical areas. The system is designed to use different smart-camera prototypes: where the connection to the power grid is available a powerful embedded hardware implements a Deep Neural Network, otherwise a fully autonomous energy-harvesting node based on a low-energy custom board employs lightweight image analysis algorithms. Parking lots occupancy monitoring in the historical city of Lucca (Italy) is the application where the implemented smart cameras have been deployed. Traffic monitoring and surveillance are possible new scenarios for the system.
Predicting 90-Day and 1-Year Mortality in Spinal Metastatic Disease: Development and Internal Validation.

Background Increasing prevalence of metastatic disease has been accompanied by increasing rates of surgical intervention. Current tools have poor to fair predictive performance for intermediate (90-d) and long-term (1-yr) mortality. Objective To develop predictive algorithms for spinal metastatic disease at these time points and to provide patient-specific explanations of the predictions generated by these algorithms. Methods Retrospective review was conducted at 2 large academic medical centers to identify patients undergoing initial operative management for spinal metastatic disease between January 2000 and December 2016. Five models (penalized logistic regression, random forest, stochastic gradient boosting, neural network, and support vector machine) were developed to predict 90-d and 1-yr mortality. Results Overall, 732 patients were identified with 90-d and 1-yr mortality rates of 181 (25.1%) and 385 (54.3%), respectively. The stochastic gradient boosting algorithm had the best performance for 90-d mortality and 1-yr mortality. On global variable importance assessment, albumin, primary tumor histology, and performance status were the 3 most important predictors of 90-d mortality. The final models were incorporated into an open access web application able to provide predictions as well as patient-specific explanations of the results generated by the algorithms. The application can be found at https://sorg-apps.shinyapps.io/spinemetssurvival/. Conclusion Preoperative estimation of 90-d and 1-yr mortality was achieved with assessment of more flexible modeling techniques such as machine learning. Integration of these models into applications and patient-centered explanations of predictions represent opportunities for incorporation into healthcare systems as decision tools in the future.
Complications after vascularized jejunal mesenteric lymph node transfer: A 3-year experience.

Background Vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) is a well-established method for the surgical management of refractory extremity lymphedema. Generally, donor lymph nodes are harvested from the axilla, groin, or supraclavicular area. However, these sites offer their own disadvantages and introduce risk for inducing lymphedema at the surgical donor site. In our experience, the jejunal mesentery can be an excellent source of lymph nodes without the risk of donor site lymphedema. Long term complications are unknown for this procedure; we report our experience, complication rates, and lessons learned. Methods A retrospective review was performed for all patients at our institution undergoing surgical treatment of lymphedema using jejunal mesenteric VLNT from February 2015 to February 2018. Demographic data, length of follow up, and surgical complications were reviewed. Results Twenty-nine patients have undergone jejunal VLNT at our institution during the three-year study period, with a total of 30 transfers. Five patients had a concurrent omental lymph node transfer. Average length of follow up was 17.6 months (range 1.0-36.8 months). There was one flap loss in this time frame (3.3%). Four patients developed hernias post-operatively (13.8%), and three had nonoperative small bowel obstructions (10.3%). One patient had a postoperative wound infection at the abdominal incision (3.4%). Conclusions Jejunal VLNT can be an effective option for surgical treatment of lymphedema, without the risk of postoperative donor site lymphedema. Patients and surgeons should be aware of the risks of hernia and small bowel obstruction with this method compared to other lymph node sources.
Effect of Substrate to Inoculum Ratio on Bioenergy Recovery from Food Waste, Yard Waste, and Biosolids by High Solids Anaerobic Digestion

Residual biosolids from wastewater treatment facilities and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), such as food and yard wastes (FW and YW), are difficult to manage due to increased...