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We investigated the impact of the number of induction/consolidation cycles on outcomes of 3113 adult AML patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) between 2008 and 2019. Patients received allo-HCT using myeloablative (MAC) or reduced-intensity (RIC) conditioning in first complete remission (CR) or with primary induction failure (PIF). Patients who received MAC allo-HCT in CR after 1 induction cycle had 1.3-fold better overall survival (OS) than 2 cycles to CR and 1.47-fold better than ≥3 cycles. OS after CR in 2 or ≥3 cycles was similar. Relapse risk was 1.65-fold greater in patients receiving ≥3 cycles to achieve CR. After RIC allo-HCT, the number of induction cycles to CR did not affect OS. Compared to CR in 1 cycle, relapse risk was 1.24-1.41-fold greater in patients receiving 2 or ≥3 cycles. For patients receiving only 1 cycle to CR, consolidation therapy prior to MAC allo-HCT was associated with improved OS vs. no consolidation therapy. Detectable MRD at the time of MAC allo-HCT did not impact outcomes while detectable MRD preceding RIC allo-HCT was associated with an increased risk of relapse. For allo-HCT in PIF, OS was significantly worse than allo-HCT in CR after 1-3 cycles.

At the foundation of scientific evaluation is the labor-intensive process of peer review. This critical task requires participants to consume vast amounts of highly technical text. Prior work has annotated different aspects of review argumentation, but discourse relations between reviews and rebuttals have yet to be examined. We present DISAPERE, a labeled dataset of 20k sentences contained in 506 review-rebuttal pairs in English, annotated by experts. DISAPERE synthesizes label sets from prior work and extends them to include fine-grained annotation of the rebuttal sentences, characterizing their context in the review and the authors' stance towards review arguments. Further, we annotate every review and rebuttal sentence. We show that discourse cues from rebuttals can shed light on the quality and interpretation of reviews. Further, an understanding of the argumentative strategies employed by the reviewers and authors provides useful signal for area chairs and other decision makers.

We introduce DiffOpt.jl, a Julia library to differentiate through the solution of optimization problems with respect to arbitrary parameters present in the objective and/or constraints. The library builds upon MathOptInterface, thus leveraging the rich ecosystem of solvers and composing well with modeling languages like JuMP. DiffOpt offers both forward and reverse differentiation modes, enabling multiple use cases from hyperparameter optimization to backpropagation and sensitivity analysis, bridging constrained optimization with end-to-end differentiable programming. DiffOpt is built on two known rules for differentiating quadratic programming and conic programming standard forms. However, thanks ability to differentiate through model transformation, the user is not limited to these forms and can differentiate with respect to the parameters of any model that can be reformulated into these standard forms. This notably includes programs mixing affine conic constraints and convex quadratic constraints or objective function.

Although deep neural networks are typically computationally expensive to use, technological advances in both the design of hardware platforms and of neural network architectures, have made it possible to use powerful models on edge devices. To enable widespread adoption of edge based machine learning, we introduce a set of open-source tools that make it easy to deploy, update and monitor machine learning models on a wide variety of edge devices. Our tools bring the concept of containerization to the TinyML world. We propose to package ML and application logic as containers called Runes to deploy onto edge devices. The containerization allows us to target a fragmented Internet-of-Things (IoT) ecosystem by providing a common platform for Runes to run across devices., Comment: Presented at the tinyML 2021 Research Symposium

The angle of Arrival (AoA) estimation is of great interest in modern communication systems. Traditional maximum likelihood-based iterative algorithms are sensitive to initialization and cannot be used online. We propose a Bayesian method to find AoA that is insensitive towards initialization. The proposed method is less complex and needs fewer computing resources than traditional deep learning-based methods. It has a faster convergence than the brute-force methods. Further, a Hedge type solution is proposed that helps to deploy the method online to handle the situations where the channel noise and antenna configuration in the receiver change over time. The proposed method achieves $92\%$ accuracy in a channel of noise variance $10^{-6}$ with $19.3\%$ of the brute-force method's computation.

In this article, we study a discounted stochastic game to model resource optimal intrusion detection in wireless sensor networks. To address the problem of uncertainties in various network parameters, we propose a globalized robust game theoretic framework for discounted robust stochastic games. A robust solution to the considered problem is an optimal point that is feasible for all realizations of data from a given uncertainty set. To allow a controlled violation of the constraints when the parameters move out of the uncertainty set, the concept of globalized robust framework comes into view. In this article, we formulate a globalized robust counterpart for the discounted stochastic game under consideration. With the help of globalized robust optimization, a concept of globalized robust Markov perfect equilibrium is introduced. The existence of such an equilibrium is shown for a discounted stochastic game when the number of actions of the players is finite. The contraction mapping theorem, Kakutani fixed point theorem and the concept of equicontinuity are used to prove the existence result. To compute a globalized robust Markov perfect equilibrium for the considered discounted stochastic game, a tractable representation of the proposed globalized robust counterpart is also provided. Using the derived tractable representation, we formulate a globalized robust intrusion detection system for wireless sensor networks. The simulation result reveals that the proposed globalized solution is much less sensitive to data perturbations than the robust solution., Comment: paper has incorrect graphs and results

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States experience a disproportionate burden of HIV and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as gonorrhea and chlamydia. Screening levels among MSM remain inadequate owing to barriers to testing such as stigma, privacy and confidentiality concerns, transportation issues, insufficient clinic time, and limited access to health care. Self-collection of specimens at home and their return by mail for HIV and bacterial STI testing, as well as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence monitoring, could be a resource-efficient option that might mitigate some of these barriers. Objective: Project Caboodle! is a mixed-methods study that explores the acceptability and feasibility of self-collecting and returning a bundle of 5 different specimens for HIV and bacterial STI testing, as well as PrEP adherence monitoring, among sexually active HIV-negative or unknown status MSM in the United States aged 18 to 34 years. Methods: Participants will be recruited using age, race, and ethnicity varied advertising on social networking websites and mobile gay dating apps. In Phase 1, we will send 100 participants a box containing materials for self-collecting and potentially returning a finger-stick blood sample (for HIV testing), pharyngeal swab, rectal swab, and urine specimen (for gonorrhea and chlamydia testing), and hair sample (to assess adequacy for potential PrEP adherence monitoring). Specimen return will not be incentivized, and participants can choose to mail back all, some, or none of the specimens. Test results will be delivered back to participants by trained counselors over the phone. In Phase 2, we will conduct individual in-depth interviews using a video-based teleconferencing software (VSee) with 32 participants from Phase 1 (half who returned all specimens and half who returned some or no specimens) to examine attitudes toward and barriers to completing various study activities. Results: Project Caboodle! was funded in May 2018, and participant recruitment began in March 2019. The processes of designing a study logo, creating advertisements, programming Web-based surveys, and finalizing step-by-step written instructions accompanied by color images for specimen self-collection have been completed. The boxes containing 5 self-collection kits affixed with unique identification stickers are being assembled, and shipping procedures (for mailing out boxes to participants and for specimen return by participants using prepaid shipping envelopes) and payment procedures for completing the surveys and in-depth interviews are being finalized. Conclusions: Self-collection of biological specimens at home and their return by mail for HIV and bacterial STI testing, as well as PrEP adherence monitoring, might offer a practical and convenient solution to improve comprehensive prevention efforts for high-risk MSM. The potentially reduced time, expense, and travel associated with this approach could facilitate a wider implementation of screening algorithms and remote monitoring strategies. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/13647

Massive splenomegaly with severe hypersplenism can occur as a late complication of portal hypertension (PH) caused by extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO) in children. Severe hypersplenism is often refractory to treatment with endoscopic sclerotherapy (EST) and shunt surgery. We report our experience of managing this disorder surgically.We performed splenectomy and esophagogastric devascularization via laparotomy in 14 children with an average age of 9.7 years. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy had shown esophageal varices of varying grade, and EST had been done for patients with a history of bleeding. The indications for surgery were pain and discomfort caused by a large spleen greater than 15 cm below the costal margin, and intractable symptomatic hypersplenism with a total leukocyte count2500/mm3 and a platelet count50,000/mm3, or both.Postoperative recovery was uneventful and the leukocyte and platelet counts reverted to normal. After follow-up for 1-5 years, all 14 children were asymptomatic, with improved growth and nutrition and no reported episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding, sepsis, or encephalopathy.Splenectomy with devascularization is effective for children with massive splenomegaly and severe hypersplenism secondary to EHPVO.

Background/Purpose Isolated splenic abscesses are rare in pediatric patients. The recommended treatment in the literature has been in favor of splenectomy, although conservative treatment with splenic preservation is being increasingly reported. We report successful management of 4 pediatric patients with splenic abscess by needle aspirations and antibiotics. Materials and Methods Four children (aged 7-11 years; male-female, 3:1) were admitted in our institution with history of high-grade fever with chills, anorexia, left hypochondrial pain, and splenomegaly. One child was a known case of thalassemia, and one had a history of typhoid fever. The others did not have any predisposing condition. Ultrasonography (USG) and computed tomographic scan of the abdomen showed a solitary abscess in the spleen in 2 patients and multiple abscesses in the other 2. Ultrasonography-guided needle aspiration in 3 cases revealed purulent fluid, which, on culture, grew Escherichia coli in 1 case, Salmonella paratyphi A in 1 case, but sterile in 1 case. Blood culture was sterile in all the cases, but Widal's test was positive in 2 patients. Treatment protocol included USG-guided needle aspiration of pus along with intravenous ceftriaxone, metronidazole, and amikacin for 3 to 12 weeks. Results All 4 patients showed a good response to conservative treatment. Serial USG showed gradual resolution of abscess, and none was subjected to splenectomy. Conclusion Isolated splenic abscess in children can be successfully treated with needle aspirations and intravenous antibiotics, thereby avoiding splenectomy.

Video content is a massive source of entertainment, education, and income for a large population of online users. As more reliance upon this medium enters the field of education, formal and informal, people need tools to enhance their ability to tell stories and engage an audience. A tool that easily adjusts without compromising the interaction, the storytelling, or the visual moment, while also capturing as much information as possible, might be of great benefit to all creators of video content. Allowing tutorial creators the ability to efficiently record multiple views of their content may better aid in presenting concepts while retaining the attention of the viewership. The opportunity to present information effectively may have impacts on fields including education as well as entertainment. This thesis aims to explore possible reasons why content can be made to retain the audience's attention and to create a tool utilizing these facets for far reaching possibilities. Master of Science Video content is a massive source of entertainment, education, and income for a large population of online users. As more reliance upon this medium enters the field of education, formal and informal, people need tools to enhance their ability to tell stories and engage an audience. A tool that easily adjusts without compromising the interaction, the storytelling, or the visual moment, while also capturing as much information as possible, might be of great benefit to all creators of video content. Allowing tutorial creators the ability to efficiently record multiple views of their content may better aid in presenting concepts while retaining the attention of the viewership. The opportunity to present information effectively may have impacts on fields including education as well as entertainment. This thesis aims to explore possible reasons why content can be made to retain the audience's attention and to create a tool utilizing these facets for far reaching possibilities.

Malawi is currently identified as one of the poorest countries in the world, based upon economic factors and the large dependence of the country on foreign aid. Poverty is endemic, but how does one measure factors such as happiness and contentment that exists in many communities? How does one account for cultural richness and diversity? Known as the warm heart of Africa, Malawi lives up to its reputation through the warmth and hospitality shown by its people. In spite of an absence of a strong formal architectural history, one cannot help but be impressed by the crude vernacular architecture that is found throughout the country. Together these two conditions, the warm heart and vernacular architecture lead to the question concerning the role of architecture in augmenting Malawis image globally. How can these pre-liminal conditions come together as a force that would start scripting the path of progress for Malawi as a nation? This thesis evaluates the current pre-liminal situation in Malawi through the study of its activities, events and culture. It proposes an intervention in the form of a new library which at its core is developed around the principles of liminality. From the gathering spaces to the local construction techniques and the use of shaded spaces in and around the building, this thesis is an attempt to trigger a liminal shift in Malawi. Master of Architecture

What does sustainability mean with respect to furniture design and fabrication? How has technology - created and subsequently clouded - opportunities for new thinking? This body of work explores these broader questions and, more specifically, the efficiencies of bending wood. Historical precedents will guide a distillation of established bentwood technologies, which in turn will generate a more sustainable operation. The framework of this operation revolves around a minimalist approach to design coupled with an increased focus on product longevity - the paramount sustainable attribute. Additionally, an investigation of suitable alternatives to the most common - and highly toxic - adhesives is necessary. Beyond secondary research the primary research will utilize small-scale models to minimize material waste while examining the appropriateness of new processes. These studies will emulate the sculptural plywood experiments of Alvar Aalto and Charles and Ray Eames. The final manufacturing process will make use of these study models with the intent of generating a modular system of interchangeable formwork to customize sustainably produced pieces. Final deliverables include the tangible studies along with full-scale designs utilizing modular formwork and a research component documenting the potential for a more comprehensive definition of sustainability with regards to furniture. Master of Science

Recent advances in technology are reshaping and enhancing the role of the industrial designer. While industrial designers are already trained to be experts in process and possess a wide range of skills, there must be a higher level of fusion between design, science, and technology than ever before. This paradigm presents an opportunity in the emerging field of wearable technology; industrial design, engineering and computer science would be an optimal collaboration for the inevitable increase in mixes of disciplines to address all aspects of a product and its development. By investigating products from companies such as Nike and Adidas, and also by exploring themes of personal augmentation in science fiction, this thesis will explore the conceptualization of a soft, wearable garment system for runners that utilizes developing advancements in technology, apparel and graphical user interface. Master of Science