Strong Influence of Responses in Training Dialogue Response Generator

The sequence-to-sequence model is a widely used model for dialogue response generators, but it tends to generate safe responses for most input queries. Since safe responses are unattractive and boring, a number of efforts have been made to make the generator produce diverse responses, but generating diverse responses is yet an open problem. As a solution to this problem, this paper proposes a novel response generator, Response Generator with Response Weight (RGRW). The proposed response generator is a transformer-based sequence-to-sequence model of which the encoder is a pre-trained Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and the decoder is a variant of Generative Pre-Training of a language model-2 (GPT-2). Since the attention on the response is not reflected enough at the transformer-based sequence-to-sequence model, the proposed generator enhances the influence of a response by the response weight, which determines the importance of each token in a query with respect to the response. Then, the decoder of the generator processes the response weight as well as a query encoding to generate a diverse response. The effectiveness of RGRW is proven by showing that it generates more diverse and informative responses than the baseline response generator by focusing more on the tokens that are important for generating the response. Additionally, the proposed model overwhelms the Commonsense Knowledge-Aware Dialogue generation model (ConKADI), which is a state-of-the-art model.

Suppression of top-down influence decreases neuronal excitability and contrast sensitivity in the V1 cortex of cat

How top-down influence affects neuronal activity and information encoding in the primary visual cortex (V1) remains elusive. This study examined changes of neuronal excitability and contrast sensitivity in cat V1 cortex after top-down influence of area 7 (A7) was modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The neuronal excitability in V1 cortex was evaluated by visually evoked field potentials (VEPs), and contrast sensitivity (CS) was assessed by the inverse of threshold contrast of neurons in response to visual stimuli at different performance accuracy. We found that the amplitude of VEPs in V1 cortex lowered after top-down influence suppression with cathode-tDCS in A7, whereas VEPs in V1 did not change after sham-tDCS in A7 and nonvisual cortical area 5 (A5) or cathode-tDCS in A5 and lesioned A7. Moreover, the mean CS of V1 neurons decreased after cathode-tDCS but not sham-tDCS in A7, which could recover after tDCS effect vanished. Comparisons of neuronal contrast-response functions showed that cathode-tDCS increased the stimulus contrast required to generate the half-maximum response, with a weakly-correlated reduction in maximum response but not baseline response. Therefore, top-down influence of A7 enhanced neuronal excitability in V1 cortex and improved neuronal contrast sensitivity by both contrast gain and response gain.

Exploring intervention components in association with changes in preschool children’s vegetable intake: the BRA-study

Objective The present study aimed to explore kindergarten staffs’ perceived usefulness of intervention components in association with changes in children’s vegetable intake and vegetables served in the kindergarten. Assessment of the perceived usefulness of intervention components consisted of a paper-based questionnaire for the kindergarten staff assessing usefulness of posters, supplementary material and 1-day inspirational course. Children’s vegetable intake in the kindergarten was assessed by direct observation, while vegetables served was assessed by a 5-day weighted vegetable diary. Results Seventy-three kindergartens in two counties in Norway participated (response rate 15%) and parental consent was obtained for 633 children 3–5 years of age at baseline (response rate 39%). Mixed effect models indicated a tendency that posters were associated with increased child vegetable intake (P = 0.062). Surprisingly, a low degree of perceived usefulness of supplementary material was associated with the largest increase in child vegetable intake (P = 0.020). No significant associations between perceived usefulness of intervention components and vegetables served in the kindergarten were found. This study indicated a tendency that posters were associated with increased child vegetable intake; however, this may also be due to synergies between multiple intervention components. Trial registration International Standard Randomized Controlled Trials ISRCTN51962956 (http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN51962956). Registered 21 June 2016 (retrospectively registered).

Assessment and Correction of Stress in Preterm Infants and Their Mothers

The objective was to study the peculiarities of hormonal stress in preterm infants in the NICU and their mothers, and to investigate how skin-to-skin contact influences it. The study included 60 preterm infants with GA˂32 weeks who were treated in NICU and their mothers. The overall design was a baseline-response design. Saliva was collected before (baseline) and after skin-to-skin contact to measure cortisol by enzyme immunoassay method. Infant baseline salivary cortisol level was 0.587 [0.239; 1,714] µg/dL. It was significantly higher in neonates who had invasive ventilation (1.00 [0.38; 2.44]) µg/dL compared to non-ventilated infants (0.335 [0.156; 1.236]) µg/dL, p = 0.022; and positively correlated with the Apgar score at 1st and 5th minutes (r=-0.36; p = 0.011 and r=-0.34; p = 0.017) and duration of ventilation (r = 0.70; p = 0.0000). Maternal baseline salivary cortisol level was 0.212 [0.123; 0.378]µg/dL. There was significant decreasing of salivary cortisol after Kangaroo mother care with skin-to-skin contact in infants (0.162 [0.111; 0.231]) µg/dL, p˂0.001 and mothers (0.096 [0.077; 0.156]) µg/dL, p˂0.001. Conclusion: Preterm infants in the NICU and their mothers experience stress confirmed by the increased baseline cortisol levels. Kangaroo mother care with skin-to-skin contact reduces the stress and normalizes salivary cortisol levels in both infant and mother in the NICU.

P276 Influence of vedolizumab on extraintestinal manifestations in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a nationwide multicenter study of the GETECCU Eneida registry

Background Evidence regarding vedolizumab (VDZ) influence on extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) in inflammatory bowel disease patients (IBD) is scarce. Our aim was to analyze the effectiveness of VDZ in pre-existing EIMs and the occurrence of de novo EIMs during VDZ therapy in IBD. Methods We performed an observational, multicenter, retrospective cohort study including patients from the Spanish ENEIDA registry promoted by GETECCU. We retrospectively identified 551 patients from 20 centers. The co-primary outcomes were to evaluate the response of EIMs to VDZ and to assess the frequency of de novo EIMs during therapy. Secondary outcomes were to analyze associated factors with EIMs response to VDZ, time from VDZ initiation to occurrence of de novo EIMs and the discontinuation rate of VDZ because of worsening/de novo EIMs. Response and worsening of IBD and EIMs were defined by clinical and laboratory criteria according to the physician’s assessment. Results The median age of the cohort was 49.7 years (IQR 38-60), 50.8% were female, 50.8% had Crohn’s disease and 90.4% had prior biologic exposure (more than 1 biologic drug in 57.9%). At baseline 133 patients (24.1%) had pre-existing EIMs of whom 21 showed more than 1 EIM; 76.7% of EIMs were articular and 31% cutaneous. Regarding 77 patients with active EIMs at baseline, response of EIMs to VDZ at 3 months was observed in 23 (29.9%), worsening in 13 (16.9%) and no change in 41 (53.2%). Response rates for active EIMs were 35.4% for peripheral arthritis (PA), 11.8% for axial arthropathy (AA), 35.7% for cutaneous EIMs and 33.3% for ocular EIMs. Response of IBD at 3 months was the only associated factor with response of EIMs to VDZ (OR=3.72; CI 95% [1.08-12.83]). Among 56 patients with inactive EIMs at baseline, worsening of EIMs was observed in 5 patients after 12 months of VDZ therapy (13.5%) (3 cases of PA and 2 of AA). During follow-up 25 patients (4.5%) developed 27 de novo EIMs (17 cases of PA, 4 of AA, 4 of erythema nodosum, 1 of pyoderma gangrenosum and 1 of episcleritis). Median time from VDZ initiation to onset of de novo EIMs was 244 days (IQR 115-693). Presence of more than 1 pre-existing EIM was the only associated factor with de novo EIM onset during first year of VDZ therapy (OR=14.5; 95% CI [3.3-62]). Worsening of pre-existing EIMs or de novo EIMs was the cause of VDZ discontinuation in 15 patients (5.8% of all patients who discontinued VDZ). Conclusion VDZ achieved clinical response of active EIMs in nearly a third of patients after 3 months of therapy, being the response of IBD to VDZ the only associated factor. Worsening of inactive EIMs or de novo EIMs during VDZ therapy was infrequent.

Socio-economic differences in smoking among adolescents in a school-based smoking intervention: The X:IT II study

Aims: Socio-economic inequalities in health behaviour may be influenced by health interventions. We examined whether the X:IT II intervention, aiming at preventing smoking in adolescence, was equally effective among students from different occupational social classes (OSC). Methods: We used data from the multi-component school-based smoking preventive intervention X:IT II, targeting 13- to 15-year-olds in Denmark. The intervention was tested in 46 schools with 2307 eligible students at baseline (response rate=86.6%) and had three main intervention components: smoke-free school time, smoke-free curriculum and parental involvement. We used a difference-in-difference design and estimated the change in current smoking after the first year of implementation in high versus low OSC. Analyses were based on available cases ( N=1190) and imputation of missing data at follow-up ( N=1967). Results: We found that 1% of the students from high OSC and 4.9% from low OSC were smokers at baseline (imputed data), and 8.2% of the students from high OSC and 12.2% from low OSC were smokers at follow-up. Difference-in-difference estimates were close to zero, indicating no differential trajectory. Conclusions: As intended, the X:IT II intervention, designed to apply equally to students from all socio-economic groups, did not seem to create different trajectories in current smoking among adolescents in high and low socio-economic groups. To diminish social inequality in health, future studies should carefully consider the ability to affect all socio-economic groups equally, or even to appeal mainly to participants from lower socio-economic groups, as they are often the ones most in need of intervention.

Exploring Intervention Components in Association with Changes in Preschool Children’s Vegetable Intake: The BRA-study

Objective: The present study aimed to explore kindergarten staffs’ perceived usefulness of intervention components in association with changes in children’s vegetable intake and vegetables served in the kindergarten. Assessment of the perceived usefulness of intervention components consisted of a paper-based questionnaire for the kindergarten staff assessing usefulness of “posters”, “supplementary material” and “one-day inspirational course”. Children’s vegetable intake in the kindergarten was assessed by direct observation, while vegetables served was assessed by a 5-day weighted vegetable diary. Results: Seventy three kindergartens in two counties in Norway participated (response rate 15 %) and parental consent was obtained for 633 children 3-5 years of age at baseline (response rate 39 %). Mixed effect models indicated a tendency that “posters” were associated with increased child vegetable intake (P = 0.062). Surprisingly, a low degree of perceived usefulness of “supplementary material” was associated with the largest increase in child vegetable intake (P = 0.020). No significant associations between perceived usefulness of intervention components and vegetables served in the kindergarten were found. This study indicated a tendency that “posters” were associated with increased child vegetable intake, however this may also be due to synergies between multiple intervention components.Trial registration: International Standard Randomized Controlled Trials ISRCTN51962956 (http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN51962956). Registered 21 June 2016 (retrospectively registered).

The Implications of Functional Form Choice on Model Misspecification in Longitudinal Survey Mode Adjustments

In this chapter, we develop theory and methodology to support mode adjustment and hindcasting/forecasting in the presence of different possible mode effect types, including additive effects and odds-multiplicative effects. Mode adjustment is particularly important if the ultimate goal is to report one aggregate estimate of response parameters, and also to allow for comparison to historical surveys performed with different modes. Effect type has important consequences for inferential validity when the baseline response changes over time (i.e. when there is a time trend or time effect). We present a methodology to provide inference for additive and odds-multiplicative effect types, and demonstrate its performance in a simulation study. We also show that if the wrong effect type is assumed, the resulting inference can be invalid as confidence interval coverage is greatly reduced and estimates can be biased.

A strain-based investigation of the accuracy of embedded markers used in tracking cadaveric brain motion

Measurements of intracranial brain displacement in cadaveric specimens have been instrumental to the validation finite element (FE) models of brain injury. These data collections have used radiographic and sonomicrometric techniques, requiring the use of tissue-embedded tracking markers; however, marker accuracy has never been adequately characterized. Marker tracking precision has been previously conflated with measurement accuracy, not accounting for changes in the natural responseof surrounding tissues due to marker presence. Non-negligible inertia, high stiffness, and the aspect ratio of markers all contribute to this interference. This work investigated the dynamic coupling between published marker designs (NDTs, Sonomicrometry Crystals, and Tin) and a new elastomeric marker, and a block of tissue simulant subjected to a drop impact. The measured strains were compared to the baseline response of the simulant containing massless markers. The results found notable evidence of interference in simulant strain amplitudes as well as considerable directional bias in the response of some markers. The elastomeric marker was found to have minimal interference in the deformation field. FutureFE model validation will need to account for the considerable interference and directional biases to the natural response of brain tissue in existing cadaveric datasets to maintain confidence in strain predictions.

Baseline Response, Monitoring, and Cross-Resistance of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Sodium Channel Blocker Insecticides in Brazil

Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is one of the key cross-crop pests in Brazilian agroecosystems. Field-evolved resistance of S. frugiperda to some conventional insecticides and Bt proteins has already been reported. Thus, the use of insecticides with new mode of action such as sodium channel blockers (indoxacarb and metaflumizone) could be an important tool in insecticide resistance management (IRM) programs. To implement a proactive IRM, we conducted baseline response and monitoring to indoxacarb and metaflumizone in 87 field populations of S. frugiperda collected from major maize-growing regions of Brazil from 2017 to 2020, estimated the frequency of resistance alleles to indoxacarb, and evaluated cross-resistance of indoxacarb and metaflumizone to some selected insecticides and Bt proteins. Low variation in susceptibility to indoxacarb (4.6-fold) and metaflumizone (2.6-fold) was detected in populations of S. frugiperda in 2017. The frequency of the resistance allele to indoxacarb was 0.0452 (0.0382–0.0527 CI 95%), by using F2 screen method. The mean survival at diagnostic concentration, based on CL99, varied from 0.2 to 12.2% for indoxacarb and from 0.0 to 12.7% for metaflumizone, confirming high susceptibility of S. frugiperda to these insecticides in Brazil. No cross-resistance was detected between sodium channel blocker insecticides and other insecticides (organophosphate, pyrethroid, benzoylurea, spinosyn, and diamide) and Bt proteins. These findings showed that sodium channel blocker insecticides are important candidates to be exploited in IRM strategies of S. frugiperda in Brazil.