USING DATA MINING TO DETECT ANOMALOUS PRODUCER BEHAVIOR: AN ANALYSIS OF SOYBEAN PRODUCTION AND THE FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE PROGRAM

The analysis was conducted on the USDA's Risk Management Agency insurance data and NRCS Land Resource Regions from 1994 - 2001 to assist RMA in improving program integrity. The objective is to develop a data-mining algorithm that identifies anomalous producers and counties within LRRs based upon the percentage of acres harvested.Risk and Uncertainty,

Weight Watchers on prescription: an observational study of weight change among adults referred to Weight Watchers by the NHS.

BACKGROUND: The scale of overweight and obesity in the UK places a considerable burden on the NHS. In some areas the NHS has formed partnerships with commercial companies to offer weight management services, but there has been little evaluation of these schemes.This study is an independent audit of the Weight Watchers NHS Referral scheme and evaluates the weight change of obese and overweight adults referred to Weight Watchers (WW) by the NHS. METHOD: Data was obtained from the WW NHS Referral Scheme database for 29,326 referral courses started after 2nd April 2007 and ending before 6th October 2009 [90% female; median age 49 years (IQR 38-61 years); median BMI 35.1 kg/m2 (IQR 31.8-39.5 kg/m2). Participants received vouchers (funded by the PCT following referral by a healthcare professional) to attend 12 WW meetings. Body weight was measured at WW meetings and relayed to the central database. RESULTS: Median weight change for all referrals was -2.8 kg [IQR -5.9--0.7 kg] representing -3.1% initial weight. 33% of all courses resulted in loss of ≥5% initial weight. 54% of courses were completed. Median weight change for those completing a first course was -5.4 kg [IQR -7.8--3.1 kg] or -5.6% of initial weight. 57% lost ≥5% initial weight. CONCLUSIONS: A third of all patients who were referred to WW through the WW NHS Referral Scheme and started a 12 session course achieved ≥5% weight loss, which is usually associated with clinical benefits. This is the largest audit of NHS referral to a commercial weight loss programme in the UK and results are comparable with other options for weight loss available through primary care.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Promoting Renewable Energy Use Through Community-Based Education

The goal of this project was to provide recommendations to the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) in Mae Mo to develop a learning center about renewable energy and its applications. Communities of Mae Mo currently rely on conventional sources of energy to meet their needs. There is a gap in knowledge about the costs of conventional energy and benefits of renewable energy technologies. Using a community-based approach, we have developed recommendations to PDA regarding the development of a learning center to educate communities on using renewable energy to reduce their dependence on energy derived from fossil fuels

CD39 activity correlates with stage and inhibits platelet reactivity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by accumulation of mature appearing lymphocytes and is rarely complicated by thrombosis. One possible explanation for the paucity of thrombotic events in these patients may be the presence of the ecto-nucleotidase CD39/NTDPase-1 on the surface of the malignant cells in CLL. CD39 is the major promoter of platelet inhibition <it>in vivo </it>via its metabolism of ADP to AMP. We hypothesize that if CD39 is observed on CLL cells, then patients with CLL may be relatively protected against platelet aggregation and recruitment and that CD39 may have other effects on CLL, including modulation of the disease, via its metabolism of ATP.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Normal and malignant lymphocytes were isolated from whole blood from patients with CLL and healthy volunteers. Enzyme activity was measured via radio-TLC assay and expression via FACS. Semi-quantititative RT-PCR for CD39 splice variants and platelet function tests were performed on several samples.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Functional assays demonstrated that ADPase and ATPase activities were much higher in CLL cells than in total lymphocytes from the normal population on a per cell basis (p-value < 0.00001). CD39 activity was elevated in stage 0–2 CLL compared to stage 3–4 (p < 0.01). FACS of lymphocytes demonstrated CD39 expression on > 90% of normal and malignant B-lymphocytes and ~8% of normal T-lymphocytes. RT-PCR showed increased full length CD39 and splice variant 1.5, but decreased variant 1.3 in CLL cells. Platelet function tests showed inhibition of platelet activation and recruitment to ADP by CLL cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>CD39 is expressed and active on CLL cells. Enzyme activity is higher in earlier stages of CLL and decreased enzyme activity may be associated with worsening disease. These results suggest that CD39 may play a role in the pathogenesis of malignancy and protect CLL patients from thrombotic events.</p

What’s All the Racket? Comparing Physical Health Outcomes Between Pickleball and Tennis in Older Athletes

Background: Pickleball is rising in popularity, especially among older adults. Pickleball boasts psychological and physical benefits to aging athletes. Singles pickleball has been found to approximate brisk walking in metabolic equivalents (METs) at 4.1, while the METs level for singles tennis is 7.0-8.0. The physical health benefits of tennis are known to be positive while those of pickleball are still being explored. With objective differences in MET level it may be surmised that health outcomes might vary between the two sports. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use the Senior Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE) to quantify and compare the health characteristics of older pickleball athletes to older tennis athletes. Methods: Senior athletes who completed the SAFE at the National Senior Games between 2013 and 2019 and were exclusively registered to compete in pickleball or tennis were analyzed. Screening was conducted by trained personnel and included subtests for cardiovascular health, strength, mobility, flexibility, and balance. Demographic information and SAFE subtest results were compared between tennis and pickleball groups. Results: Significant differences were found between tennis and pickleball athletes in the categories of single leg balance with eyes open (p = 0.03), fast gait speed (p = 0.02), and shoulder range of motion (p \u3c 0.01). Pickleball players performed better than tennis in all significantly different outcome measures. Conclusion: Pickleball and tennis provide similar health benefits to older athletes, leaving more options for older adults interested in staying healthy. Previously reported intensity levels for pickleball may be underestimated

A Longitudinal Study of Pediatricians Early in their Careers: PLACES

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) launched the Pediatrician Life and Career Experience Study (PLACES), a longitudinal study that tracks the personal and professional experiences of early career pediatricians, in 2012. We used a multipronged approach to develop the study methodology and survey domains and items, including review of existing literature and qualitative research with the target population. We chose to include 2 cohorts of US pediatricians on the basis of residency graduation dates, including 1 group who were several years out of residency (2002–2004 Residency Graduates Cohort) and a second group who recently graduated from residency at study launch (2009–2011 Residency Graduates Cohort). Recruitment into PLACES was a 2-stage process: (1) random sample recruitment from the target population and completion of an initial intake survey and (2) completion of the first Annual Survey by pediatricians who responded positively to stage 1. Overall, 41.2% of pediatricians randomly selected to participate in PLACES indicated positive interest in the study by completing intake surveys; of this group, 1804 (93.7%) completed the first Annual Survey and were considered enrolled in PLACES. Participants were more likely to be female, AAP members, and graduates of US medical schools compared with the target sample; weights were calculated to adjust for these differences. We will survey PLACES pediatricians 2 times per year. PLACES data will allow the AAP to examine career and life choices and transitions experienced by early-career pediatricians

Dominant male song performance reflects current immune state in a cooperatively breeding songbird.

Conspicuous displays are thought to have evolved as signals of individual "quality", though precisely what they encode remains a focus of debate. While high quality signals may be produced by high quality individuals due to "good genes" or favourable early-life conditions, whether current immune state also impacts signalling performance remains poorly understood, particularly in social species. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that male song performance is impaired by immune system activation in the cooperatively breeding white-browed sparrow weaver (Plocepasser mahali). We experimentally activated the immune system of free-living dominant males via subcutaneous injection of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and contrasted its effects with those of a control (phosphate buffered saline) injection. PHA-challenged males showed significant reductions in both the duration and the rate of their song performance, relative to controls, and this could not be readily attributed to effects of the challenge on body mass, as no such effects were detected. Furthermore, male song performance prior to immune-challenge predicted the scale of the inflammatory response to the challenge. Our findings suggest that song performance characteristics are impacted by current immune state. This link between current state and signal performance might therefore contribute to enforcing the honesty of signal performance characteristics. Impacts of current state on signaling may be of particular importance in social species, where subordinates may benefit from an ability to identify and subsequently challenge same-sex dominants in a weakened state

Gender essentialism and occupational segregation in insolvency practice

Advances towards egalitarianism in professional recruitment may be offset by processes of occupational re-segregation. Drawing on gender theory this paper investigates horizontal segregation in the UK insolvency profession, as revealed through the lived experiences of female and male practitioners. It is shown that horizontal segregation pervades at different levels of practice and is undergirded by various elements of gender essentialism. Physical essentialism explains why insolvency practice has been traditionally gendered male. Interactional essentialism combines with the management of work-life balance to define the subfields of corporate and personal insolvency as masculine and feminine respectively. Gender essentialist assumptions also pervade the distribution of roles and the allocation of work tasks. Networks are identified as arenas for the reproduction and perpetuation of occupational segregation. The findings indicate the continuing potency of gender in everyday professional life, the limitations of diversity-orientated policies and the complexities of formulating transformative agendas

High throughput in vivo functional validation of candidate congenital heart disease genes in Drosophila.

Genomic sequencing has implicated large numbers of genes and de novo mutations as potential disease risk factors. A high throughput in vivo model system is needed to validate gene associations with pathology. We developed a Drosophila-based functional system to screen candidate disease genes identified from Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) patients. 134 genes were tested in the Drosophila heart using RNAi-based gene silencing. Quantitative analyses of multiple cardiac phenotypes demonstrated essential structural, functional, and developmental roles for more than 70 genes, including a subgroup encoding histone H3K4 modifying proteins. We also demonstrated the use of Drosophila to evaluate cardiac phenotypes resulting from specific, patient-derived alleles of candidate disease genes. We describe the first high throughput in vivo validation system to screen candidate disease genes identified from patients. This approach has the potential to facilitate development of precision medicine approaches for CHD and other diseases associated with genetic factors

Metformin for treatment of cytopenias in children and young adults with Fanconi anemia

Fanconi anemia (FA), a genetic DNA repair disorder characterized by marrow failure and cancer susceptibility. In FA mice, metformin improves blood counts and delays tumor development. We conducted a single institution study of metformin in nondiabetic patients with FA to determine feasibility and tolerability of metformin treatment and to assess for improvement in blood counts. Fourteen of 15 patients with at least 1 cytopenia (hemoglobin < 10 g/dL; platelet count < 100 000 cells/µL; or an absolute neutrophil count < 1000 cells/µL) were eligible to receive metformin for 6 months. Median patient age was 9.4 years (range 6.0-26.5). Thirteen of 14 subjects (93%) tolerated maximal dosing for age; 1 subject had dose reduction for grade 2 gastrointestinal symptoms. No subjects developed hypoglycemia or metabolic acidosis. No subjects had dose interruptions caused by toxicity, and no grade 3 or higher adverse events attributed to metformin were observed. Hematologic response based on modified Myelodysplastic Syndrome International Working Group criteria was observed in 4 of 13 evaluable patients (30.8%; 90% confidence interval, 11.3-57.3). Median time to response was 84.5 days (range 71-128 days). Responses were noted in neutrophils (n = 3), platelets (n = 1), and red blood cells (n = 1). No subjects met criteria for disease progression or relapse during treatment. Correlative studies explored potential mechanisms of metformin activity in FA. Plasma proteomics showed reduction in inflammatory pathways with metformin. Metformin is safe and tolerable in nondiabetic patients with FA and may provide therapeutic benefit. This trial was registered at as #NCT03398824