Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The different effects of “living together”

Utilizing a sample of 1365 never-married cohabiting couples, we developed a typology of premarital cohabitation. Latent class analysis was used to create a five-class model of cohabiting couples who were then compared to engaged and non-engaged non-cohabiting couples on measures of interpersonal dynamics and relational outcomes. Results suggested that being in different types of cohabiting relationships was associated with different risks and benefits in terms of relational outcomes. Engaged cohabiting couples who have an agreed trajectory toward marriage appear to do as well, or better, than other types of couples. Cohabiting couples who are not utilizing cohabitation as a current pathway toward marriage appeared very similar to non-cohabiting dating couples. It was also found that couples with ambiguity regarding their perceived movement toward marriage were at risk for negative relationship outcomes compared to other couple types.
Deeper Insights into Graph Convolutional Networks for Semi-Supervised Learning

Many interesting problems in machine learning are being revisited with new deep learning tools. For graph-based semi-supervised learning, a recent important development is graph convolutional networks (GCNs), which nicely integrate local vertex features and graph topology in the convolutional layers. Although the GCN model compares favorably with other state-of-the-art methods, its mechanisms are not clear and it still requires considerable amount of labeled data for validation and model selection. In this paper, we develop deeper insights into the GCN model and address its fundamental limits. First, we show that the graph convolution of the GCN model is actually a special form of Laplacian smoothing, which is the key reason why GCNs work, but it also brings potential concerns of over-smoothing with many convolutional layers. Second, to overcome the limits of the GCN model with shallow architectures, we propose both co-training and self-training approaches to train GCNs. Our approaches significantly improve GCNs in learning with very few labels, and exempt them from requiring additional labels for validation. Extensive experiments on benchmarks have verified our theory and proposals.
Mechanisms of Unexplained Neurological Deterioration After Intravenous Thrombolysis

Background and Purpose— Unstable clinical course characterizes the first 24 hours after thrombolysis for anterior circulation stroke, including early neurological deterioration (END), a secondary complication consistently predictive of poor outcome. Apart from straightforward causes, such as intracerebral hemorrhage and malignant edema, the mechanism of END remains unclear in the majority of cases (ENDunexplained). Based on the core/penumbra model, we tested the hypothesis that ENDunexplained is caused by infarct growth beyond the initial penumbra and assessed the associated vascular patterns. Methods— From our database of consecutive thrombolyzed patients (n=309), we identified 10 ENDunexplained cases who had undergone both admission and 24-hour MRI. Diffusion-weighted imaging lesion growth both within and beyond the acute penumbra (Tmax>6 seconds) was mapped voxelwise. These 10 cases were compared with 30 no-END controls extracted from the database blinded to 24-hour diffusion-weighted imaging to individually match cases (3/case) according to 4 previously identified clinical and imaging variables. Results— As predicted, lesion growth beyond initial penumbra was present in 9 of 10 ENDunexplained patients (substantial in 8) and its volume was significantly larger in cases than controls (2P=0.047). All ENDunexplained cases had proximal arterial occlusion initially, of which only 2 had recanalized at 24 hours. Conclusions— In this exploratory study, most instances of ENDunexplained were related to diffusion-weighted imaging growth beyond acute penumbra. Consistent presence of proximal occlusion at admission and lack of recanalization at 24 hours in most cases suggest that hemodynamic factors played a key role, via for instance systemic instability/collateral failure or secondary thromboembolic processes. Preventing END after tissue-type plasminogen activator using, eg, early antithrombotics may therefore be feasible.
English Learners’ Time to Reclassification

This study uses 9 years of longitudinal, student-level data from the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide updated, empirically-based estimates of the time necessary for English learners (ELs) to become reclassified as proficient in English, as well as factors associated with variation in time to reclassification. To illustrate how different aspects of proficiency develop, estimates of the time necessary for ELs to attain six separate reclassification criteria are provided. Findings corroborate prior cross-sectional research suggesting that the development of full proficiency in a second language typically takes 4 to 7 years. However, after 9 years in the district, approximately one-fourth of students had not been reclassified. There appears to be a reclassification window during the upper elementary grades, and students not reclassified by this point in time become less likely ever to do so. Findings illustrate the crucial role that students’ initial academic language proficiencies, both in English and their primary language, play in their likelihood of reclassification. This work has implications for the design of next-generation assessment and accountability systems, as well as for instructional practices.
KCNQ1 rs2237895 polymorphism is associated with Gestational Diabetes in Pakistani Women

Background and Objective: Genetic studies on gestational diabetes (GDM) are relatively scarce; moreover, limited data is available for KCNQ1 polymorphism in Pakistani pregnant women. We aimed to determine the frequency of KCNQ1 rs2237895 in GDM and normal pregnant controls and its association with GDM-related phenotypes. Methods: A total of 637 pregnant females (429 controls and 208 cases) in their second trimester were classified according to the International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study criteria in this study. Their blood samples were genotyped for KCNQ1 SNP rs2237895 using PCR-RFLP method and sequencing. Fasting and two hour-post glucose load blood levels, serum HbA1c, insulin, and anthropometric assessment was performed. : Pearson’s Chi Square test, Mann- Whitney U test, and regression analyses were performed. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The variant genotyped was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p>0.05). The rs2237895 showed an association with GDM (OR 2.281; 1.388-3.746: p <0.001) and remained significant after multiple adjustments for age and body mass index (OR 2.068; 1.430-2.997: p=0.005). The C allele showed positive association with insulin level, and HOMA-IR in study subjects. Conclusions: This study identifies that KCNQ1 rs2237895 polymorphisms might be associated with risk of GDM in Pakistani population and that it is related to higher glucose levels and insulin resistance. Further large scale studies are required to consolidate on the functional aspect of this polymorphism.
Measuring Deviant Sexual Interest Using the Emotional Stroop Task

The emotional Stroop task has been used to assess deviant sexual interests of sexual abusers. Two limitations noted in the literature are difficulties surrounding the choice of word stimuli and the task’s inability to elicit significant differences between offender subtypes thus far. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in emotional Stroop bias between three adult groups using new, empirically derived word stimuli intended to reflect sexual interests more specific to sexual abusers. Significant differences were found between sexual abusers and nonoffending controls for affective and sexual word stimuli. The results further support differential processing biases between sexual offenders and nonoffenders; however, difficulties in differentiating between offender groups are still evident. Implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.
Floer homology and surface decompositions

Sutured Floer homology, denoted by SFH, is an invariant of balanced sutured manifolds previously defined by the author. In this paper we give a formula that shows how this invariant changes under surface decompositions. In particular, if (M, \gamma)--> (M', \gamma') is a sutured manifold decomposition then SFH(M',\gamma') is a direct summand of SFH(M, \gamma). To prove the decomposition formula we give an algorithm that computes SFH(M,\gamma) from a balanced diagram defining (M,\gamma) that generalizes the algorithm of Sarkar and Wang. As a corollary we obtain that if (M, \gamma) is taut then SFH(M,\gamma) is non-zero. Other applications include simple proofs of a result of Ozsvath and Szabo that link Floer homology detects the Thurston norm, and a theorem of Ni that knot Floer homology detects fibred knots. Our proofs do not make use of any contact geometry. Moreover, using these methods we show that if K is a genus g knot in a rational homology 3-sphere Y whose Alexander polynomial has leading coefficient a_g non-zero and if the rank of \hat{HFK}(Y,K,g) < 4 then the knot complement admits a depth < 2 taut foliation transversal to the boundary of N(K).
Analysis of Results of Recurrence and Progression Rates of High-Grade Ta Bladder Cancer and Comparison with Results of High-Grade T1

Introduction We aimed to evaluate the long-term recurrence and progression rates in a Turkish population with high-grade Ta and T1 bladder cancer and to determine malign potential of high-grade Ta bladder cancer. Methods 191 patients who had non-invasive bladder cancer were evaluated at a single institution between 2005 and 2010. Median follow-up was 55.6 months (13-108). Long-term follow-up results of recurrence and progression rates of high-grade Ta and T1 were analyzed and compared with each other. Results Of the 191 patients, 143 (74.9%) were high-grade T1 and 48 (25.1%) were high-grade Ta. Of the 143 patients who were high-grade T1, 39 (27.2%) responded to the induction BCG without recurrence. 33 (23%) patients had invasion deep into the muscle layer. 61 (42%) patients had recurred as high-grade T1. Of the 48 patients who were high-grade Ta, 15 (31%) responded to induction BCG without recurrence. 18 (37.5%) patients had recurrence as high-grade Ta. 12 (25%) patients had invasion deep into to the muscle layer. Of all the patients, 13 (7%) patients died of causes related to bladder cancer. In a multivariate analysis, concomitant CIS was statistically significant for the progression of high-grade Ta bladder cancer (p<0.005). Conclusions According to the data of the current study, the presence of concomitant CIS in patients with high-grade bladder cancers is associated with a higher risk of progression. There is a need for larger scale multi-institutional studies in order to support the hypothesis that high-grade Ta tumors should be considered as T1 tumors.
The Impact of Losing in a Competition on the Willingness to Seek Further Challenges

How do people react to setbacks and successes? I introduce a new measure of challenge-seeking to determine the effect of winning and losing in a competition on the willingness to seek further challenges. Participants in a lab experiment compete in two-person tournaments and are then informed of their score and the outcome of the competition. Conditional on the score, winning or losing is random. Participants then have to decide on a performance target for a second round: the higher the target, the higher the potential reward, but participants who do not reach the target earn nothing. I find that, conditional on first round scores, losers go for a more challenging target but perform worse, leading to lower earnings and a higher probability of failure. These findings could have important implications for our understanding of individual career paths. Early outcomes coul d alter the probability of success and failure in the long term.
Cauda equina lymphoma – a rare presentation of primary central nervous system lymphoma: case report and literature review

The spinal cord is an extremely rare site for primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma (< 1%). Very few cases of primary cauda equina (including conus) lymphoma were previously reported. We report such a case, and with literature review, discuss their clinical features, operative and histopathological findings. Although rare, with an increasing incidence of CNS lymphoma, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intradural lesions. Furthermore, with intraoperative smear to establish diagnosis, extensive surgery can be avoided. The controversial role of glucocorticoids in the management of these patients is also discussed.
Predicting, Explaining, and Preventing Children's Reading Difficulties

Several decades of research have made it clear that by the time children enter school they already vary widely in their reading–related knowledge and skills. How well do these differences predict differences in reading acquisition? What can they tell us about the causes of reading disabilities? How might these research findings be used to reduce the number of children who have difficulty learning to read? Answers to such questions are fundamental for designing early interventions for children at risk. In this paper, we summarize what has been learned so far, and discuss what directions need to be taken in future research so as to provide fuller answers.
Cascades of Multiheaded Chimera States for Coupled Phase Oscillators

Chimera state is a recently discovered dynamical phenomenon in arrays of nonlocally coupled oscillators, that displays a self-organized spatial pattern of coexisting coherence and incoherence. We discuss the appearance of the chimera states in networks of phase oscillators with attractive and with repulsive interactions, i.e. when the coupling respectively favors synchronization or works against it. By systematically analyzing the dependence of the spatiotemporal dynamics on the level of coupling attractivity/repulsivity and the range of coupling, we uncover that different types of chimera states exist in wide domains of the parameter space as cascades of the states with increasing number of intervals of irregularity, so-called chimera's heads. We report three scenarios for the chimera birth: (1) via saddle-node bifurcation on a resonant invariant circle, also known as SNIC or SNIPER, (2) via blue-sky catastrophe, when two periodic orbits, stable and saddle, approach each other creating a saddle-node periodic orbit, and (3) via homoclinic transition with complex multistable dynamics including an "eight-like" limit cycle resulting eventually in a chimera state.
Obstructive sleep apnea: diagnosis with ultrafast CT.

Patients with sleep-disordered breathing often have physiologic and anatomic abnormalities of the upper airway that are demonstrable while awake. An ultrafast computed tomographic (CT) scanner was used to measure the oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal cross-sectional areas of 11 patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Twenty-four healthy volunteers served as control subjects. The percentage of change in cross-sectional area during quiet tidal breathing was used as a measure of airway compliance. Compared with weight-matched control subjects, patients with obstructive sleep apnea had smaller oropharyngeal airways (40.4 vs 177.8 mm2) (P less than .001) and smaller nasopharyngeal airways (31.3 vs 134.2 mm2) (P less than .001). In addition, their oropharyngeal airways were significantly more compliant (75% vs 27%) (P less than .001). Patients with obstructive sleep apnea are characterized by a small, collapsible oropharyngeal airway and by nasopharyngeal airway narrowing. These abnormalities can cause sleep-disordered breathing. Ultrafast CT scanning allows rapid, noninvasive assessment of airway variables.
Systematic study of acuABC operon in Bacillus subtilis 168

Bacillus subtilis grown in media containing glycolytic carbon sources secretes pyruvate, organic acids and acetoin. Acetoin can be reused by Bacillus when other carbon sources are exhausted from growth media. acuABC and acoABCL operons are two proposed pathways for acetoin catabolism. However the mode of involvement of acuABC is not well understood yet. The work presented here focuses on the comparative study of acuABC and acoABCL operon. We have observed an accumulation of acetoin in a 168acuAstrain upto the late stationary phase of growth. Promoter expression studies in acetoin and other carbon source suggest that acuABC operon had a direct role in acetoin catabolism.
DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF RUBBERWOOD BY IMPINGING HOT-AIR AND MICROWAVE HEATING

A potential continuous microwave heating method, and an impinging hot-air drying method have been employed to characterize efficacy of two alternatives rubberwood drying. Rubberwood sample was 1 in. thick 46 in. long with width ranging from 1 to 4 in. Two drying experiments include a hot-air heating where temperature and jet f low velocity were kept at 60-80°C and maximum 10 m.s-1, respectively, and a microwave heating with a maximum power input of 200 W. Results revealed that drying times in impinging hot-air exhibited significantly shortened drying time as compared with microwave heating method. The increasing width size resulted in decrease of the specific energy consumption values in both methods. The statistical analysis is also conducted to evaluate an accurate effect of similar temperature between two techniques and rubberwood with varying widths on mechnical properties. It is positive to assert that both methods are practicable without residual stresses inside rubberwood after drying.
Should We Intervene to Modify Type A Behaviours in Patients with Manifest Heart Disease?

Until the mid 1980s Type A Behaviour (TAB) was considered to confer the same magnitude of risk for CHD as smoking, hypertension and raised serum cholesterol. As such, it was considered a suitable target for modification, particularly in post-infarction populations. More recently, three arguments have been suggested that counter such optimism: (i) recent evidence may suggest TAB is not predictive of heart disease in post-infarction populations; (ii) interventions do not influence physiological processes underpinning TAB and, accordingly, do not reduce risk for disease progression; (iii) there are other, more useful, interventions that may be conducted with cardiac patients. The validity of each of these challenges is critically examined. It is concluded that interventions to modify TAB in patients with manifest heart disease are still of value in reducing risk for further disease progression.
Cell cycle regulation of dynein association with membranes modulates microtubule-based organelle transport

Cytoplasmic dynein is a minus end-directed microtubule motor that performs distinct functions in interphase and mitosis. In interphase, dynein transports organelles along microtubules, whereas in metaphase this motor has been implicated in mitotic spindle formation and orientation as well as chromosome segregation. The manner in which dynein activity is regulated during the cell cycle, however, has not been resolved. In this study, we have examined the mechanism by which organelle transport is controlled by the cell cycle in extracts of Xenopus laevis eggs. Here, we show that photocleavage of the dynein heavy chain dramatically inhibits minus end-directed organelle transport and that purified dynein restores this motility, indicating that dynein is the predominant minus end-directed membrane motor in Xenopus egg extracts. By measuring the amount of dynein associated with isolated membranes, we find that cytoplasmic dynein and its activator dynactin detach from the membrane surface in metaphase extracts. The sevenfold decrease in membrane-associated dynein correlated well with the eightfold reduction in minus end-directed membrane transport observed in metaphase versus interphase extracts. Although dynein heavy or intermediate chain phosphorylation did not change in a cell cycle- dependent manner, the dynein light intermediate chain incorporated approximately 12-fold more radiolabeled phosphate in metaphase than in interphase extracts. These studies suggest that cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of cytoplasmic dynein may regulate organelle transport by modulating the association of this motor with membranes.
Northern Hemisphere winter climate variability: Response to North American snow cover anomalies and orography

Links between autumn‐winter snow anomalies over North America and winter climate parameters throughout the Northern Hemisphere are examined. GCM integrations are performed from September through February, with prescribed snow forcings over North America (NA) reflecting realistic, observed high/low autumn snow conditions. Forty‐member ensemble differences reveal robust responses in surface air temperature and sea level pressure (SLP) fields. Over NA a negative temperature/positive SLP response occurs while over Europe a positive temperature/negative SLP response emerges. Additionally, a dynamic wave response occurs in the troposphere, across NA and extending downgradient into Eurasia. The contribution of North American (NA) orography is evaluated via an additional pair of experiments in which mountains are removed. The resulting climatic response is mitigated considerably, which suggests a nonlinear coupling of thermal and mechanical forcings. Finally, possible physical pathways for the remote response are hypothesized, involving dynamical mechanisms consistent with previous studies.
Search Concentration, Bias, and Parochialism: A Comparative Study of Google, Baidu, and Jike's Search Results From China

Do search engines drive Web traffic to well-established sites leading to a high degree of search results concentration? Do search engines favor their own content while demoting others? How parochial or cosmopolitan are search engines in directing traffic to sites beyond users’ national borders? This study explores these issues by empirically comparing search results of Baidu, Google and Jike from mainland China obtained in August 2011 and August 2012. It finds that search engines in China, particularly Baidu, tend to drive traffic to well-established sites. Baidu’s results also raise serious doubts over its impartiality. Rather than making users’ search experiences more cosmopolitan, tuned to the larger world around them, search engines rarely direct Chinese users to content beyond national borders.