cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A predictive algorithm for evaluating elevated serum prolactin in patients with a sellar mass.

Abstract Hyperprolactinemia occurs in patients with a prolactinoma and in those with a sellar mass compressing the pituitary stalk. Distinguishing these two diagnostic possibilities guides treatment with dopamine agonist therapy or surgical resection. We aimed to identify a simple, predictive algorithm to aid in the diagnosis of prolactinoma in patients with an elevated serum prolactin and a sellar mass. A case-control analysis of pathologically confirmed prolactinomas and non-endocrine secreting controls from the University of California, San Francisco was performed. From 2001 to 2011, this resulted in 177 patients with prolactinomas and 87 controls. Univariate and classification and regression tree (CART) analysis determined the significance of demographic variables, patient symptoms, laboratory values, and radiographic findings in distinguishing pathology. Additionally, a subset of patients with mildly elevated serum prolactin (25–125 ng/ml) was independently analyzed. Prolactinomas had a mean pre-operative prolactin of 858 ng/ml versus 17.57 ng/ml in controls ( p 10 mm) compared to 74 (92.5%) of the controls ( p 41.5 ng/ml), age ( 40 ng/ml) as key variables. These two factors correctly predicted 98.6% (69/70) of cases. Our model correctly classifies most patients with elevated serum prolactin and identifies those patients most amenable to surgical treatment.
Using indexing functions to reduce conflict aliasing in branch prediction tables

High-accuracy branch prediction is crucial for high-performance processors. Inspired by the work on indexing functions to eliminate conflict-misses in memory hierarchy, this paper explores different indexing approaches to reduce conflict aliasing in branch-prediction tables. Our results show that indexing functions provide a highly complexity-effective way to enhance prediction accuracy
Optimization of the Energy Window for PETbox4, a Preclinical PET Tomograph With a Small Inner Diameter

Small animal positron emission tomography (PET) systems are often designed by employing close geometry configurations. Due to the different characteristics caused by geometrical factors, these tomographs require data acquisition protocols that differ from those optimized for conventional large diameter ring systems. In this work we optimized the energy window for data acquisitions with PETbox4, a 50 mm detector separation (box-like geometry) pre-clinical PET scanner, using the Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE). The fractions of different types of events were estimated using a voxelized phantom including a mouse as well as its supporting chamber, mimicking a realistic mouse imaging environment. Separate code was developed to extract additional information about the gamma interactions for more accurate event type classification. Three types of detector backscatter events were identified in addition to the trues, phantom scatters and randoms. The energy window was optimized based on the noise equivalent count rate (NECR) and scatter fraction (SF) with lower-level discriminators (LLD) corresponding to energies from 150 keV to 450 keV. The results were validated based on the calculated image uniformity, spillover ratio (SOR) and recovery coefficient (RC) from physical measurements using the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU-4 image quality phantom. These results indicate that when PETbox4 is operated with a more narrow energy window (350-650 keV), detector backscatter rejection is unnecessary. For the NEMA NU-4 image quality phantom, the SOR for the water chamber decreases by about 45% from 15.1% to 8.3%, and the SOR for the air chamber decreases by 31% from 12.0% to 8.3% at the LLDs of 150 and 350 keV, without obvious change in uniformity, further supporting the simulation based optimization. The optimization described in this work is not limited to PETbox4, but also applicable or helpful to other small inner diameter geometry scanners.
Privacy and social implications of distinct sensing approaches to implementing smart homes for older adults

Two distinct approaches to smart home design, namely Distributed Direct Sensing (DDS) and Infrastructure Mediated Sensing (IMS), have distinguishing features and implications resulting from their implementation. These two distinct smart home approaches have not been directly compared pertaining to their technical performance or their acceptance by the end users. It is also unclear what the perceived privacy and obtrusiveness concerns are when it comes to the implementation of these two different approaches in homes. The study presented here aimed to evaluate acceptance of these two sensing approaches by older adults and assess the perceived privacy and obtrusiveness concerns and ultimately define their social implications.
Moving least‐square interpolants in the hybrid particle method

The hybrid particle method (HPM) is a particle-based method for the solution of high-speed dynamic structural problems. In the current formulation of the HPM, a moving least-squares (MLS) interpolant is used to compute the derivatives of stress and velocity components. Compared with the use of the MLS interpolant at interior particles, the boundary particles require two additional treatments in order to compute the derivatives accurately. These are the rotation of the local co-ordinate system and the imposition of boundary constraints, respectively. In this paper, it is first shown that the derivatives found by the MLS interpolant based on a complete polynomial are indifferent to the orientation of the co-ordinate system. Secondly, it is shown that imposing boundary constraints is equivalent to employing ghost particles with proper values assigned at these particles. The latter can further be viewed as placing the boundary particle in the centre of a neighbourhood that is formed jointly by the original neighbouring particles and the ghost particles. The benefit of providing a symmetric or a full circle of neighbouring points is revealed by examining the error terms generated in approximating the derivatives of a Taylor polynomial by using a linear-polynomial-based MLS interpolant. Symmetric boundaries have mostly been treated by using ghost particles in various versions of the available particle methods that are based on the strong form of the conservation equations. In light of the equivalence of the respective treatments of imposing boundary constraints and adding ghost particles, an alternative treatment for symmetry boundaries is proposed that involves imposing only the symmetry boundary constraints for the HPM. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach for symmetric boundaries in an axisymmetric impact problem. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antimicrobial peptide response to Group B Streptococcus in human extraplacental membranes in culture

Objective Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) is an important cause of chorioamnionitis. This study characterizes GBS colonization and stimulation of antimicrobial responses in human extraplacental membranes using an ex vivo transwell two-compartment system of full-thickness membranes and live GBS.
Scale Adaptive Blind Deblurring

The presence of noise and small scale structures usually leads to large kernel estimation errors in blind image deblurring empirically, if not a total failure. We present a scale space perspective on blind deblurring algorithms, and introduce a cascaded scale space formulation for blind deblurring. This new formulation suggests a natural approach robust to noise and small scale structures through tying the estimation across multiple scales and balancing the contributions of different scales automatically by learning from data. The proposed formulation also allows to handle non-uniform blur with a straightforward extension. Experiments are conducted on both benchmark dataset and real-world images to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. One surprising finding based on our approach is that blur kernel estimation is not necessarily best at the finest scale.
Characterizing Dangerous Waves for Ocean Wave Energy Converter Survivability

Ocean Wave Energy Converters (OWECs) operating on the water surface are subject to storms and other extreme events. In particular, high and steep waves, especially breaking waves, are likely the most dangerous to OWECs. A method for quantifying the breaking severity of waves is presented and applied to wave data from Coastal Data Information Program station 139. The data are wave height and length statistics found by conducting a zero-crossing analysis of time-series wave elevation records. Data from two of the most severe storms in the data set were analyzed. In order to estimate the breaking severity, two different steepness-based breaking criteria were utilized, one being the steepness where waves begin to show a tendency to break, the other the steepness above which waves are expected to break. Breaking severity is assigned as a fuzzy membership function between the two conditions. The distribution of breaking severity is found to be exponential. It is shown that the highest waves are not necessarily the most dangerous. Even so, waves expected to be breaking are observed being up to 17 meters tall at station 139.
CHARGE TRANSFER ACROSS PIGMENTED BILAYER LIPID MEMBRANE AND ITS INTERFACES

— The technique of forming bilayer lipid membranes (BLM) has made it possible to study photoreactions of pigments in an environment that is much closer to those in photosynthetic and visual membranes. A pigmented BLM system with Mg2+-porphyrins as membrane-bound pigments and with ferricyanide and ferrocyanide as the aqueous electron acceptor and donor, respectively, was used to illustrate the photoelectric effects due to coupled interfacial charge transfer reactions. The steady-state continuous photoresponse was studied by means of the voltage clamp method and a null current method. The independence of the pigment conductance channel and the ionic conductance channel was demonstrated. A tunable voltage clamp method was used to study the transient pulsed photoresponses. Such a measurement permits us to characterize the photosystem in terms of an equivalent circuit model which contains a novel chemical capacitance. Molecular interpretation of this equivalent circuit model was given. A microscopic model based on the Gouy–Chapman theory and chemical kinetics calculation leads to an equivalent circuit which is also equivalent to the previous one. Generalization of this microscopic model further leads to a physical mechanism of the generation of the early receptor potential (ERP) in visual membranes. Relevance of pigmented BLM research to photosynthesis and other disciplines was also discussed.
The Hotplate Precipitation Gauge

Abstract A new instrument designed to measure precipitation, the “hotplate precipitation gauge,” is described. The instrument consists of a heated thin disk that provides a reliable, low-maintenance method to measure precipitation rate every minute without the use of a wind shield. The disk consists of two heated, thermally isolated identical aluminum plates—one facing upward and the other downward. The two plates are heated independently, and both are maintained at constant temperature above 75°C by electronic circuitry that heats the plates depending on the deviation from the set temperature. Precipitation rate is estimated by calculating the power required to either melt or evaporate snow or to evaporate rain on the upward-facing plate, compensated for wind effects by subtracting out the power on the lower, downward-facing plate. Data from the World Meteorological Organization reference standard for liquid-equivalent snowfall rate measurements, the Double Fence Intercomparison Reference (DFIR) shield s...
Plasma Convection Near the Magnetic Null of a Snowflake Divertor During an ELM Event

A snowflake magnetic configuration is created in a tokamak when the poloidal magnetic field and its first spatial derivatives become zero at a certain point. The separatrix then acquires a characteristic hexagonal shape reminiscent of a snowflake. We study new features of the plasma macroscopic equilibrium and stability in the vicinity of the snowflake null. We note that, compared to the standard X-point divertor, the zone of weak poloidal magnetic field is much larger. The weak poloidal field leads to development of intense plasma convection over the expanded area around the null-point during the ejection phase of an edge localized mode (ELM) event when the plasma pressure in the scrape-off layer increases compared to its inter-ELM value. Intense convection may lead to a roughly-equal splitting of the heat flux between the 4 snowflake divertor legs and to a broadening of the plasma wetted area in each leg, thereby mitigating damage to divertor plates (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Are meaning and purpose distinct? An examination of correlates and predictors

Existing empirical literature has typically treated meaning and purpose as identical. Based on previous theoretical propositions of these two constructs as distinct, we hypothesized that meaning (defined as a sense of comprehension and significance in life) and purpose (defined as a sense of goals, aims, and direction in life) would have different predictors and correlates. We utilized a longitudinal design and collected data from 167 cancer survivors at two time points one year apart. Although meaning and purpose were strongly correlated, they had different predictors and correlates. Regression analyses showed Time 2 meaning was predicted by Time 1 spirituality, whereas Time 2 purpose was predicted by Time 1 social support. At Time 2, meaning was positively correlated with posttraumatic growth and negatively with posttraumatic depreciation, whereas purpose was negatively correlated with intrusive thoughts pertaining to cancer. Implications of an understanding of meaning and purpose as distinct constructs...
Tourism in America before World War II

This article surveys the history of tourism in America from colonial times to World War II. In that time there were substantial increases in the numbers of tourists, in the extent to which middle-income classes participated, and in the number and type of tourist destinations; but most of that growth may have been confined to the period after World War I. The growth of income and reduced costs of travel no doubt explain most of the growth, but some cultural factors helped to shift out the demand curve. The industry also possesses characteristics that should make further study of interest to economic historians. “I am moved to confess that day by day the mass of my memories of the excursion have grown more and more pleasant as the disagreeable incidents of travel which encumbered them flitted one by one out of my mind.”Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad, p. 488.Mark Twain
Parathyroid Hormone Activates Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase in Opossum Kidney Cells

Many G protein-coupled receptor agonists activate p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), using signaling pathways that are a function of receptor, G protein-coupled, and effector complement. In opossum kidney (OK) cells, activation of endogenous PTH receptors caused a time- (peak within 15‐30 min, sustained for ; 2h ) and dose-dependent (EC50 ;3 3 10 210 M) activation of MAPK. Immunoblot analysis with an activation- specific MAPK antibody indicated that PTH activated both p42 and p44 MAPK. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) also activated p42 and p44MAPK in a time- (peak at 5 min, return to basal within 2 h) and dose-dependent (EC50 ;3 ng/ml) fashion. PTH-dependent MAPK activation was mimicked by the protein kinase C activator (PKC) phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), and the protein kinase A activators 8 bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP) and forskolin but was not affected by pertussis toxin pretreatment. PMA or 8-Br-cAMP pretreatment blocked MAPK activation by reexposure to each kinase activator but caused no significant reduction in MAPK activation by PTH. MAPK activation by PTH, EGF, and 8-Br-cAMP was inhibited by the MAPK kinase inhibitor PD98059 and an EGF receptor (EGFR)-selective inhibitor tyrphostin AG1478. AG1478 also blocked MAPK activation by insulin-like growth factor-1 and plateletderived growth factor. EGF and PTH caused time- and AG1478sensitive phosphorylation of the EGFR, but EGFR desensitization did not affect MAPK activation by PTH. EGF, PMA, and low doses of PTH (10 12 to 10 29 M) stimulated while 8-Br-cAMP and high doses of PTH (10 28 to 10 26 M) inhibited [ 3 H]thymidine uptake. These data demonstrate that PTH activates MAPK and suggest that PKC, protein kinase A, and the EGFR play roles in PTH signaling. The biphasic effect of PTH on DNA synthesis suggests that MAPK activation by the hormone leads to distinct cellular responses. (Endocrinology 140: 5771‐5779, 1999)
Minimax nonparametric classification .I. Rates of convergence

This paper studies minimax aspects of nonparametric classification. We first study minimax estimation of the conditional probability of a class label, given the feature variable. This function, say f, is assumed to be in a general nonparametric class. We show the minimax rate of convergence under square L/sub 2/ loss is determined by the massiveness of the class as measured by metric entropy. The second part of the paper studies minimax classification. The loss of interest is the difference between the probability of misclassification of a classifier and that of the Bayes decision. As is well known, an upper bound on risk for estimating f gives an upper bound on the risk for classification, but the rate is known to be suboptimal for the class of monotone functions. This suggests that one does not have to estimate f well in order to classify well. However, we show that the two problems are in fact of the same difficulty in terms of rates of convergence under a sufficient condition, which is satisfied by many function classes including Besov (Sobolev), Lipschitz, and bounded variation. This is somewhat surprising in view of a result of Devroye, Gorfi, and Lugosi (see A Probabilistic Theory of Pattern Recognition, New York: Springer-Verlag, 1996).
Use of biomedical obstetric care in rural Tanzania: The role of social and material inequalities

Despite over 20 years of efforts to improve maternal health, complications of pregnancy and childbirth continue to threaten women's lives in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce maternal mortality levels and achieve Millennium Development Goal Five, institutions working for safe motherhood are committed to making biomedical obstetric care more available to women during childbirth. However, implementation of this strategy is not reaching women at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum for reasons that are not well understood. Using data from fieldwork conducted between September 2007 and June 2008, this study examines women's use of biomedical obstetric care in two rural districts of south-central Tanzania where this care was being supplied. Specifically, it seeks to explain how social and material inequalities affect decisions and behaviors related to childbirth. In addressing this aim we employed a mixed-methods study design. Effects of sociodemographic characteristics on obstetric care use were examined with logistic regression analysis (n = 1150), while perspectives and experiences of childbearing women were explored with participant observation and in-depth interviews (n = 48). The results from quantitative and qualitative study components were interpreted in light of each other. Statistically significant social and material factors related to use of care included ethnicity, education, parity, and household assets. Qualitative themes involved physical, economic, and social access to health facilities as well as issues of risk perception and self-identity. The overall findings suggest that use of obstetric care is influenced by a complex interplay of factors closely tied to relative status in family and community. As individual agents differentially positioned by multiple markers of power, women pragmatically negotiate amidst a wide array of deterrents and motivators to secure the best care they can. In order to improve use of biomedical obstetric care, interventions aimed at increasing availability of these services should focus on improving access for women who are disadvantaged.
Impact of aging on pulmonary responses to acute ozone exposure in mice: role of TNFR1.

Context: Chamber studies in adult humans indicate reduced responses to acute ozone with increasing age. Age-related changes in TNFα have been observed. TNFα induced inflammation is predominantly mediated through TNFR1.Objective: To examine the impact of aging on inflammatory responses to acute ozone exposure in mice and determine the role of TNFR1 in age-related differences.Materials and methods: Wildtype and TNFR1 deficient (TNFR1−/–) mice aged 7 or 39 weeks were exposed to ozone (2 ppm for 3 h). Four hours after exposure, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed and BAL cells, cytokines, chemokines, and protein were examined.Results: Ozone-induced increases in BAL neutrophils and in neutrophil chemotactic factors were lower in 39- versus 7-week-old wildtype, but not (TNFR1−/–) mice. There was no effect of TNFR1 genotype in 7-week-old mice, but in 39-week-old mice, BAL neutrophils and BAL concentrations of MCP-1, KC, MIP-2, IL-6 and IP-10 were significantly greater following ozone exposure in TNFR1−/– ...
Role Of Institutions In Growth Of Countries

The purpose of this paper was to look at the role of institutions in growth of countries. We compared income and quality of institutions’ data among 87 developing countries to see if institutions that promote economic freedom and investment lead to higher economic growth. In addition, we wanted to look at the role of institutions in economic growth at the local level in a country. For this analysis, we compared income and quality of institutions’ data for different states in India. In both cases, we found that growth is significantly affected by the quality of institutions.
High-Throughput Intracellular Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Legionella pneumophila

Legionella pneumophila is a Gram-negative opportunistic human pathogen that causes a severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. Notably, in the human host, the organism is believed to replicate solely within an intracellular compartment, predominantly within pulmonary macrophages. Consequently, successful therapy is predicated on antimicrobials penetrating into this intracellular growth niche. However, standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods test solely for extracellular growth inhibition. Here, we make use of a high-throughput assay to characterize intracellular growth inhibition activity of known antimicrobials. For select antimicrobials, high-resolution dose-response analysis was then performed to characterize and compare activity levels in both macrophage infection and axenic growth assays. Results support the superiority of several classes of nonpolar antimicrobials in abrogating intracellular growth. Importantly, our assay results show excellent correlations with prior clinical observations of antimicrobial efficacy. Furthermore, we also show the applicability of high-throughput automation to two- and three-dimensional synergy testing. High-resolution isocontour isobolograms provide in vitro support for specific combination antimicrobial therapy. Taken together, findings suggest that high-throughput screening technology may be successfully applied to identify and characterize antimicrobials that target bacterial pathogens that make use of an intracellular growth niche.
OSHA Compliance Issues

This OSHA inspection was initiated by a landscaping employer report of a fatality occurring at a site in northern Illinois. In late May 2012, at approximately 2:30 p.m., a co-worker noticed that th...
A Review of: “Practical Multivariate Analysis, Fifth Edition, by A. Afifi, S. May, and V. A. Clark”

Many statistical textbooks present methods in a logical order from the viewpoint of learning the techniques and basic theory but ignore the fundamental aspect of performing the analysis. These text...
First, design for data sharing

To upend current barriers to sharing clinical data and insights, we need a framework that not only accounts for choices made by trial participants but also qualifies researchers wishing to access and analyze the data.
Effect of Insecticide Applications in Soybeans on Trissolcus basalis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Field studies were conducted to determine the effect of the primary insecticides that are applied to control Louisiana soybean insect pests on the survival of an important biological control agent of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Adult egg parasitoids, Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston), were affected little by permethrin field applications, but methyl parathion had an adverse but short-lived effect on parasitoid survival. High levels of adult parasitoid mortality were observed only within the first 6 h following methyl parathion application. Neither insecticide affected emergence of parasitoids from their host eggs, suggesting that stink bug eggs provided a barrier to insecticide penetration. However, parasitoids apparently contacted insecticide residues when chewing through host egg shells to emerge, resulting in some mortality after emergence, caused by methyl parathion. The degree of this mortality was affected by three factors: parasitoid developmental stage at time of insecticide application, position of parasitized egg masses in the soybean canopy, and parasitoid gender. Overall, results of this study suggest a general compatibility between a major biological control agent of stink bugs, T. basalis , and insecticidal control of stink bugs and lepidopterous pests in Louisiana soybeans.
1009 ESTIMATION OF SERUM BILIRUBIN BY SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE OF THE SKIN

A study was undertaken to determine whether the serum bilirubin level could be estimated by the light reflectance of skin. The reflectance of skin over the abdomen was measured at five wavelengths (λ = 629, 556, 511, 465, 424), and compared with reflectance of a white standard. A formula was derived which related measurements of skin reflectance with serum bilirubin level. Thirty Black and 14 Caucasian term infants were then prospectively studied with simultaneous spectral reflectance and serum bilirubin levels. All infants were less than one week of age, and none had received phototherapy. Serum bilirubin levels ranged from 1 mg/dl to 12 mg/dl and correlated with spectral reflectance estimates with a coefficient of 0.94. Agreement was within 2 mg/dl in all cases. Measurement of spectral reflectance of skin is an accurate and non-invasive screening method for estimation of serum bilirubin.
Study on Current Situation & Developing Strategy of Domestic Auto Industry Third-party Logistics

TPL is the trend of the development of modern logistics,this mode of operation of logistics has been more and more recognized and used by the car business. The paper introduces the present situation of the domestic auto industry logistics,pointed out that the chance and problems in the development. At last,the paper discusses about how to development the auto industry third-party logistics in the future. Some suggestions of improving modern logistics management and enhancing competitive power of domestic auto enterprises in global market are also given.
Nutritional consequences of bowel segments in the lower urinary tract.

AbstractTo assess for altered fat absorption in a group of 26 patients who underwent bladder replacement or augmentation between 1975 and 1988 serum samples were assayed for levels of B12 and carotene. Reconstruction was done with ileum and/or cecum in 22 patients, and 4 who had undergone sigmoid cystoplasty and were not expected to be at risk for fat malabsorption were included as controls. Followup ranged from 4 months to more than 8 years. No patient demonstrated low values of B12 or carotene regardless of postoperative duration, bowel segment location or length of segment. Use of ileal segments less than 45cm. long even with associated incorporation of the ileocecal valve and adjacent cecum does not appear to compromise fat absorption or the enterohepatic circulation.
Memoirs by the Other Survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Women’s Orchestra and the Second Generation Legacy

In the years after the appearance of Fania Fenelon’s Holocaust memoir Playing for Time, other members of the women’s orchestra at Auschwitz-Birkenau began to publish their own remembrances. These served the dual purpose of providing more accurate representations of themselves and of rebutting the distorted elements in Fenelon’s account. In this chapter Eischeid details some of these other memoirs, and gives an update on the women and their lives. Featured musicians include Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Helena Dunicz Niwinska, Violette Jacquet Silberstein, Esther Bejarano, Rachela Zelmanowicz Olewski, Hilde Grunbaum Simche and Flora Schrijver Jacobs. The emotional legacy of Fania Fenelon’s memoir has also extended to the children of the other survivors and Eischeid additionally explores these longer term legacies.
Developing a Consistent Multidisciplinary Delivery of Therapy Care System for Acute Care Therapy Services

Determining the appropriate frequency of therapy (physical, occupational, and speech) for inpatients can be challenging in the acute care setting. The situation is compounded at a large teaching hospital due to the limited clinical experience and turnover that often accompanies a therapy staff team at such an institution. The resulting variety of therapy treatment plans in regard to frequency of visits decreases customer satisfaction.
Becoming a Girl: Pop Culture’s First Stage of Gender Training

This past year, millions of little girls have likely belted out the Oscar-winning song from Disney’s Frozen, ‘Let It Go.’ The catchy tune has been hailed as an anthem for individuality and girl power, with lines that encourage girls to ‘test the limits and break through’, to reject rules, overcome fears, and abandon dictates to be a ‘good’ and ‘perfect girl.’ The song has even been embraced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities as a subtle coming out song.1 The film itself has found mass appeal and has been lauded as a feminist success (with feminism, in this case, having one of its rare positive connotations in pop culture). According to its supporters, Disney has created its best princess film to date: one that features two strong female protagonists and rejects the traditional fairytale ending. So, mission accomplished: we’re now raising girls in a female paradise where they’ll encounter only positive gendered imagery. No more feminist media critics needed, right? Well, perhaps we should re-check the cultural pulse.
Hypomelanosis of Ito: A Genetic Mosaicism

Evidence purporting that the so-called hypomelanosis of Ito (HI) syndrome does not exist as a distinct multisystem birth defect is presented by geneticists and dermatologists at Bad Salzschlirf, and Philipp University of Marburg, Germany.
FRI0353 A Longitudinal Analysis of Change in Lupus Disease Activity Pattern in Hopkins Lupus Cohort Using A Multistate Markov Model Approach

Background Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-systemic inflammatory disease with extreme variability of its activity over time. We have described three main patterns: long quiescence (LQ), chronic activity (CA) and relapsing-remitting (RR). Patients may move through a series of these activity states over time. To capture these complex fluctuations, we used a Multistate Markov model to evaluate SLE disease activity patterns over time in a longitudinal lupus cohort. Objectives To describe burden of disease activity patterns over time among patients with SLE. To estimate the probability of transition between disease activity patterns and survival at 1, 2 and 5 years after SLE diagnosis. To identify predictors of change in disease activity patterns. Methods SLE patients were followed up quarterly in Hopkins Lupus Cohort for 1–28 years. Medication, disease activity (by Physician Global Assessment (PGA) and SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI)), C3, C4, anti-dsDNA, antiphospholipid antibodies and urine protein/creatinine ratio were recorded at each visit. For each patient, visits were divided into 1-year blocks. Any 1-year block with only one visit or patients followed for only 1 year were excluded. SLE disease activity patterns were defined using PGA and SLEDAI. LQ: SLEDAI/PGA=0 for all visits within 1-year blocks; RR: periods of disease activity (SLEDAI/PGA>0) interspersed with periods of disease inactivity (SLEDAI/PGA=0) within 1-year block; CA: SLEDAI/PGA>0 for all visits within 1-year block. Multistate Markov models were used to provide estimates of relative transition rates and identify predictors of change in disease activity patterns. Results 1735 SLE patients were included in this analysis. 92.3% were females, mean ± SD age 32.8±13.1 years at diagnosis. 52.9% were Caucasian and 40.3% African American, the remainders were mostly Asian. 127 patients died during follow up. Likelihood of deterioration (LQ to RR; RR to CA; LQ to CA) was greater than improvement (RR to LQ; CA to RR; CA to LQ). At year 1, 63.6% remained in LQ, while at year 2 and year 5, 58.2% and 84.1% had deteriorated from LQ pattern to either RR or CA pattern. From the RR pattern, the estimated probability for deterioration (to CA pattern) was higher than improvement (to LQ pattern), regardless of years since SLE diagnosis. Multivariate analysis (see table 1) identified that race/ethnicity (African American), low C3, low C4, ESR >20, taking prednisone, plaquenil or anti-hypertension drug were predictors for deterioration. Plaquenil improved survival. Conclusions 1 year after SLE diagnosis, more than half of patient with LQ deteriorated. Patients in RR were more likely to deteriorate than improve. Plaquenil showed great promise in improving survival. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Flame retardants and their metabolites in the homes and urine of pregnant women residing in California (the CHAMACOS cohort)

Organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs), used in consumer products since the 1970s, persist in the environment. Restrictions on penta-polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants resulted in increased use of Firemaster® 550 (FM® 550), and the organophosphate triesters: tris(1,3- dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP); tris(chloropropyl) phosphate (TCIPP); tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP); and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP). The objectives of this study were to (1) identify determinants of flame retardants (4 PFRs, PentaBDEs and FM® 550) in house dust, (2) measure urinary PFR metabolites in pregnant women, and (3) estimate health risks from PFR exposure. We measured flame retardants in house dust (n = 125) and metabolites in urine (n = 310) collected in 2000-2001 from Mexican American women participating in the CHAMACOS birth cohort study in California. We detected FM® 550 and PFRs, including two (TCEP and TDCIPP) known to the state of California to cause cancer, in most dust samples. The maximum TCEP and TDCIPP dust levels were among the highest ever reported although the median levels were generally lower compared to other U.S. cohorts. Metabolites of TDCIPP (BDCIPP: bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate) and TPHP (DPHP: diphenyl phosphate) were detected in 78% and 79% of prenatal urine samples, respectively. We found a weak but positive correlation between TPHP in dust and DPHP in 124 paired prenatal urine samples (Spearman rho = 0.17; p = 0.06). These results provide information on PFR exposure and risk in pregnant women from the early 2000's and are also valuable to assess trends in exposure and risk given changing fire safety regulations and concomitant changes in chemical flame retardant use.
Synchronization of Two Pulse-Coupled Oscillators

There is a vast literature on the question when firing-triggered pulsatile signaling among neurons will lead to synchrony. In this chapter, we analyze the simplest formalization of this question. Perhaps the main worthwhile conclusion from the analysis presented here is that there is no general statement of the form “excitatory interactions synchronize” or “inhibitory interactions synchronize.” Whether or not pulse-coupling synchronizes depends on the detailed nature of the responses of the neurons to signals they receive; see Proposition 26.2. Approximately speaking, excitatory pulse-coupling synchronizes if the phase response is of type 2, or if there is strong refractoriness; this will be made precise in inequality (26.12).
Data Breach and Multiple Points to Stop It

Preventing unauthorized access to sensitive data is an exceedingly complex access control problem. In this keynote, I will break down the data breach problem and give insights into how organizations could and should do to reduce their risks. The talk will start with discussing the technical reasons behind some of the recent high-profile data breach incidents (e.g., in Equifax, Target), as well as pointing out the threats of inadvertent or accidental data leaks. Then, I will show that there are usually multiple points to stop data breach and give an overview of the relevant state-of-the-art solutions. I will focus on some of the recent algorithmic advances in preventing inadvertent data loss, including set-based and alignment-based screening techniques, outsourced screening, and GPU-based performance acceleration. I will also briefly discuss the role of non-technical factors (e.g., organizational culture on security) in data protection. Because of the cat-and-mouse-game nature of cybersecurity, achieving absolute data security is impossible. However, proactively securing critical data paths through strategic planning and placement of security tools will help reduce the risks. I will also point out a few exciting future research directions, e.g., on data leak detection as a cloud security service and deep learning for reducing false alarms in continuous authentication and the prickly insider-threat detection.
Cost containment, DRGs, and the ethics of health care. Ethical perspectives on prospective payment.

KIE: The prospective payment system (PPS) for reimbursement of Medicare hospital charges through diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) and peer review organizations (PROs) is explained and its ethical implications for health care are examined. Concern that PPS has had a negative impact on patients is focused around hospital admissions, care for the sickest of patients, the quality of hospital care, and the appropriateness of discharge from the hospital. Professionals who provide health care have felt the impact of PPS through new pressures from PROs and from hospital administrators, from caring for sicker patients, and from providing more care outside the hospital setting. Recommendations are made to monitor the quality of care in other settings after discharge from an acute care hospital, to control hospitals' ability to shift DRG profits out of direct patient care, to insulate health care professionals against financial pressures, and to maintain the vitality of informed consent.
Neuropeptide-Y (NPY) Reduces Cutaneous Microcirculatory Blood Flow and Increases Total Blood Flow in the Rat Tail

The in vivo effects of neuropeptide-Y (NPY) on microvascular cutaneous blood flow are described in the tail and foot of the rat and on total blood flow in the tail. NPY (16, 32, and 128 µ/kg, i.v.) induced immediate, marked, dose-related decreases in both tail and foot cutaneous blood flow and significant increases in tail total blood flow, tail blood volume, and tail skin temperature. Findings suggest some tail vessels are dilating in response to NPY and are most likely arteriovenous anastomoses.
Chapter 19 Hydraulic Pulses in the Earth's Crust

The analysis in this chapter attempts to quantify the coupling between pore space deformation and pore pressure in the earth's crust. Clearly, the state of free water deep in the crust is inseparable from the state of porosity, permeability, and pore pressure. If porosity and permeability are time-invariant, crustal pore pressure at depth must be close to hydrostatic. This is in conflict with evidence for ubiquitous high pore pressure at depth. Consequently crustal porosity, permeability, and water content must decrease with time, as pores close inelastically in the crust. When crustal permeability is low, and its rate of decrease with porosity is large, pore pressure Pp of trapped fluids must rise with time until spontaneous hydrofracturing, pulsed release of water, and the loss of some porosity occurs, followed by a drop in pore pressure and sealing of the system. After a Pp buildup period, another hydrofracturing episode occurs. Because inelastic pore deformation is enhanced by shear stress, this episodic process is most probable in tectonically active areas. Dimensional analysis shows that tens to hundreds of Pp episodes or 'burps,' each lasting 103-105 years, can occur before the crust dewaters in 106-107 years. Oceanic crust subduction may prolong this process to 108 years or more. High pore pressure can explain deep crustal seismic reflectors and detachments, and large-scale horizontal fluid migration in the crust. Episodic pore pressure buildup and release in the crust can explain the formation of hydrothermal ore deposits and mineralized veins, and possibly some aspects of the mechanics of very large earthquakes.
The Homology Cobordism Group

Let Σ 0 and Σ 1 be integral homology 3-spheres. They are said to be homology cobordant, or H-cobordant, if there exists a smooth compact oriented 4-manifold W with boundary ∂W= -Σ 0 ∪ Σ 1 such that the inclusions Σ i → W induce isomorphisms H *(Σ i , ℤ) → H *(W, ℤ), i = 0, 1. Equivalently, Σ 0 and Σ 1 are homology cobordant provided (-Σ 0) # Σ 1 bounds a smooth acyclic 4-manifold, that is a smooth compact oriented 4-manifold W with H *(W, ℤ) = H *(D 4, ℤ). Note that we do not require that π;1(W) = 0, only that H 1(W, ℤ) = 0. A homology sphere Σ is said to be homology cobordant to zero if it is homology cobordant to S 3 or, equivalently, bounds a smooth acyclic 4-manifold. Note that the requirement that the homology cobordism be smooth is essential — it is known [98] that any integral homology 3-sphere bounds a topological compact oriented 4-manifold which is acyclic.
Isolation of LYVE-1+ Endothelial Cells from Mouse Embryos

Lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1, or LYVE-1, is a type 1 integral membrane glycoprotein expressed by lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). LYVE-1 is commonly used as a biological marker to visually distinguish developing lymphatic vessels from blood endothelial cells (arteries or veins). As our understanding of lymphatic biology is still lacking today, the need to isolate LECs apart from other endothelial cells has taken on greater importance. The following procedure describes a magnetic bead separation procedure for isolating LEC-rich populations of cells from developing mouse embryos.
“Big Data” in Educational Administration: An Application for Predicting School Dropout Risk:

Purpose: In an era of unprecedented student measurement and emphasis on data-driven educational decision making, the full potential for using data to target resources to students has yet to be real...
A Fast Fiber k-Nearest-Neighbor Algorithm with Application to Group-Wise White Matter Topography Analysis.

Finding the fiber k-nearest-neighbors (k-NN) is often essential to brain white matter analysis yet it is computationally prohibitive, and no efficient approximation to it is known to the best of our knowledge. We observe a strong relationship between the point-wise distances and tract-wise distances. Based on this observation, we propose a fast algorithm for approximating the k-NN distances of large fiber bundles with point-wise K-NN algorithm, and we call it the fast fiber k-NN algorithm. Furthermore, we apply our fast fiber k-NN algorithm to white matter topography analysis, which is an emerging problem in brain connectomics reasearch. For the latter task, we first propose to quantify the white matter topography by metric embedding, which gives rise to the first anatomically meaningful fiber-wise measure of white matter topography to the best of our knowledge. In addition, we extend the individual white matter topography analysis to group-wise analysis using the k-NN fiber distances computed with our fast algorithm. In our experiments, (a) we find that our fast fiber k-NN algorithm reasonably approximates the ground-truth distance at 1–2 percent of its computational cost, (b) we also verify the anatomical validity of our proposed topographic measure, and (c) we find that our fast fiber k-NN algorithm performs identically well compared with the exhaustive fiber distance computation, for the group-wise white matter topography analysis for 792 subjects from the Human Connectome Project.
Osimertinib induced cardio-toxicity: A retrospective review of FDA adverse events reporting system (FAERS).

9044Background: Osimertinib is an oral third generation irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI). In the FLAURA trial (a Phase III randomized-control trial...
Night-to-night variability in the bedtime routine predicts sleep in toddlers

The present study examined relations between nightly bedtime routines and sleep outcome measures in a sample of 185 toddlers aged 30 months. Parents reported on their toddler's sleep duration and the length and activities included in the bedtime routine each night for approximately 2 weeks. Toddlers wore actigraphs to track their sleep during the same time period. Correlation, mean difference, and regression analyses indicated that toddlers experienced different bedtime routines and exhibited differences in parent reported sleep duration between weeknights and weekends. Multi-level models revealed that variability in the bedtime routine on an individual night most consistently affected parent reported sleep duration on that night. Differences in the bedtime routines between weeknights and weekends also affected actigraph recorded sleep duration and sleep efficiency. Results suggest that keeping consistent bedtime routines between weeknights and weekends is important for optimal sleep outcomes.
Reducing Rapid Streptococcal Pharyngitis Testing in Patients Less than 3 Years Old

Background: Pharyngitis is common; however, in patients < 3 years of age, Group A streptococcus (GAS) is an uncommon etiology and sequelae such as acute rheumatic fever are rare. Inappropriate testing leads to increased cost of healthcare and unnecessary exposure to antibiotics. Thus, rapid streptococcal testing (RST) for GAS pharyngitis is not routinely indicated in this age group unless the patient meets clinical criteria and has a household contact with documented streptococcal pharyngitis. …
Electrospun acellular scaffolds for mimicking the natural anisotropy of the extracellular matrix

In tissue engineering, the use of scaffolds helps establish a synergistic relationship between the scaffolds and the tissues by improving cell–scaffold interaction. This interaction is enhanced when physiologically relevant biophysical cues are replicated in the artificial scaffolds. Here, we present a novel scaffold that mimics the natural anisotropy of the native extracellular matrix of tissues, fabricated by electrospinning a combination of three polymers: polycaprolactone (PCL), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyaniline (PANI). The scaffolds were characterized for their morphology, surface and mechanical properties. Rat cardiomyoblast (H9c2) cells, cultured on the PCL–PANI–PVDF scaffold, demonstrated cell alignment, penetration and proliferation across the entire surface area of the scaffold without any external chemical or physical stimuli. The PCL–PANI–PVDF scaffold, unlike other scaffolds, does not require post-processing or specific temperature conditions of storage, prior to use. These acellular scaffolds fabricated through polymer blending, open new avenues for research on functional acellular scaffolds for tissue engineering, based on synthetic materials.