cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crystal Arthropathies: Recognizing and Treating “The Gouch”

Gout is a common disease and the prevalence is increasing. Chronic hyperuricemia (uric acid serum levels >6.8 mg/dL) is a key feature. Treating to a target uric acid level of 6.0 mg/dL is recommended. In addition to cochicine, probenecid, and allopurinol, feboxostat is a new option for urate-lowering therapy.
Some Experiments below Resonance with a Mechanical Parametric Amplifier

It is shown that the parametric action produced in a mechanical circuit by a spring with time-variable stiffness can increase the subresonant or long period response of a pendulum. The theory of operation of such a mechanical parametric amplifier is described in terms of Mathieu's equation. The construction of the device in the form of a seismometer is described. Experimental data are given showing a two order of magnitude increase in low-frequency response.
Forest conservation and land development in Puerto Rico

In the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, rapid land-use changes over the past century have included recent land-cover conversion to urban/built-up lands. Observations of this land development adjacent to reserves or replacing dense forest call into question how the changes relate to forests or reserved lands. Using existing maps, this study first summarizes island-wide land-cover change between 1977-78 and 1991-92. Then, using binomial logit modeling, it seeks evidence that simple forest cover attributes, reserve locations, or existing land cover influence land development locations. Finally, this study quantifies land development, reserve protection and forest cover by ecological zone. Results indicate that 1) pasture is more likely to undergo land development than shrubland plus forest with low canopy density, 2) forest condition and conservation status appear unimportant in that development locations neither distinguish between classes of forest canopy development nor relate to forest patch size or reserve proximity, and 3) most land development occurs in the least-protected ecological zones. Outside the boundaries of strictly protected forest and other reserves, accessibility, proximity to existing urban areas, and perhaps desirable natural settings, serve to increase land development. Over the coming century, opportunities to address ecological zone gaps in the island’s forest reserve system could be lost more rapidly in lowland ecological zones, which are relatively unprotected.
BroadScale: Efficient scaling of heterogeneous storage systems

Scalable storage architectures enable digital libraries and archives for the addition or removal of storage devices to increase storage capacity and bandwidth or retire older devices. Past work in this area have mainly focused on statically scaling homogeneous storage devices. However, heterogeneous devices are quickly being adopted for storage scaling since they are usually faster, larger, more widely available, and more cost-effective. We propose BroadScale, an algorithm based on Random Disk Labeling, to dynamically scale heterogeneous storage systems by distributing data objects according to their device weights. Assuming a random placement of objects across a group of heterogeneous storage devices, our optimization objectives when scaling are to ensure a uniform distribution of objects, redistribute a minimum number of objects, and maintain fast data access with low computational complexity. We show through experimentation that BroadScale achieves these requirements when scaling heterogeneous storage.
Time-frequency analysis of shock data with application to shock response spectrum waveform synthesis

The shock pulse synthesis technique, which produces a pulse which satisfies SRS (shock response spectrum) model parameters while maintaining optimal time-frequency (t-f) Characteristics, is considered. Experimental results illustrate the use of t-f information in shock pulse synthesis. Investigation relating the joint t-f distribution of a transient signal using the RWED (running windowed exponential distribution) appears promising as a tool for providing t-f information. The knowledge obtained from the t-f investigation used in conjunction with the SRS can be applied directly to waveform synthesis of an input waveform of an input pulse for a laboratory test. The resulting synthesized pulse will not only be dynamically equivalent, it will also have normal t-f characteristics, resulting in a more accurate functional test with less chance of unwarranted test failure. >
ON BEHALF OF LABELING THEORY

This paper responds to a number of recent criticisms of labeling theory. Some have criticized labeling theory for empathizing with deviants. These critics ignore the emphasis of the interactionist perspective to take the role of the other in social research. Marxists criticize labeling theory for ignoring oppression and exploitation. But it is argued that the interactionist perspective demands the sort of investigation urged by Marxists. Finally conceptual problems of defining what is deviance and who is a deviant are discussed.
Inhibition of hSP-B promoter in respiratory epithelial cells by a dominant negative retinoic acid receptor

Retinoic acid (RA) receptors (RARs) belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily and play important roles in lung differentiation, growth, and gene regulation. Surfactant protein (SP) B is a ...
Low-Temperature (<300°C) Phosphate Ceramics from Reactive Aluminas

Reactive aluminas, including rapidly calcined gibbsites, offer exciting potential for forming ceramic materials at low temperatures. New x-ray amorphous aluminas will react with water at room temperatures to form compacts with 10–50 MPa tensile strengths, via viscous slurries. The cementious behavior of these materials has been examined. The results of TGA, x-ray diffraction, SEM, mechanical properties, and other characterization techniques, as applied to these systems, will be discussed.
The Nicotine Metabolite, Cotinine, Alters the Assembly and Trafficking of a Subset of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Exposure to nicotine alters the trafficking and assembly of nicotinic receptors (nAChRs), leading to their up-regulation on the plasma membrane. Although the mechanism is not fully understood, nicotine-induced up-regulation is believed to contribute to nicotine addiction. The effect of cotinine, the primary metabolite of nicotine, on nAChR trafficking and assembly has not been extensively investigated. We utilize a pH-sensitive variant of GFP, super ecliptic pHluorin, to differentiate between intracellular nAChRs and those expressed on the plasma membrane to quantify changes resulting from cotinine and nicotine exposure. Similar to nicotine, exposure to cotinine increases the number of α4β2 receptors on the plasma membrane and causes a redistribution of intracellular receptors. In contrast to this, cotinine exposure down-regulates α6β2β3 receptors. We also used single molecule fluorescence studies to show that cotinine and nicotine both alter the assembly of α4β2 receptors to favor the high sensitivity (α4)2(β2)3 stoichiometry.
Nurses’ Perceptions of End-of-Life Care After Multiple Interventions for Improvement

BACKGROUND Nurses working in intensive care units may lack knowledge and skills in end-of-life care, find caring for dying patients and the patients' families stressful, and lack support to provide this care. OBJECTIVES To describe nurses' perceptions of (1) knowledge and ability, (2) work environment, (3) support for staff, (4) support for patients and patients' families, and (5) stress related to specific work situations in the context of end-of-life care before (phase 1) and after (phase 2) implementation of approaches to improve end-of-life care. The approaches were a nurse-developed bereavement program for patients' families, use of a palliative medicine and comfort care team, preprinted orders for the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, hiring of a mental health clinical nurse specialist, and staff education in end-of-life care. METHODS Nurses in 4 intensive care units at a university medical center reported their perceptions of end-of-life care by using a 5-subscale tool consisting of 30 items scored on a 4-point Likert scale. The tool was completed by 91 nurses in phase 1 and 127 in phase 2. RESULTS Improvements in overall mean scores on the 5 sub-scales indicated that the approaches succeeded in improving nurses' perceptions. In phase 2, most of the subscale overall mean scores were higher than a desired criterion (<2.0, good). Analysis of variance indicated that some improvements occurred over time differently in the units; other improvements occurred uniformly. CONCLUSIONS Continued practice development is needed in end-of-life care issues.
Evaluation of a Wearable Physiological Status Monitor During Simulated Fire Fighting Activities

A physiological status monitor (PSM) has been embedded in a fire-resistant shirt. The purpose of this research study was to examine the ability of the PSM-shirt to accurately detect heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) when worn under structural fire fighting personal protective equipment (PPE) during the performance of various activities relevant to fire fighting. Eleven healthy, college-aged men completed three activities (walking, searching/crawling, and ascending/descending stairs) that are routinely performed during fire fighting operations while wearing the PSM-shirt under structural fire fighting PPE. Heart rate and RR recorded by the PSM-shirt were compared to criterion values measured concurrently with an ECG and portable metabolic measurement system, respectively. For all activities combined (overall) and for each activity, small differences were found between the PSM-shirt and ECG (mean difference [95%CI]: overall: −0.4 beats/min [−0.8, −0.1]; treadmill: −0.4 beats/min [−0.7, −0.1]; search...
Progression to Type 2 Diabetes Characterized by Moderate Then Rapid Glucose Increases

OBJECTIVE—The transition of an individual from normoglycemia to diabetes has generally been thought to involve either moderate or rapid changes in glucose over time, although few studies have analyzed these changes. We sought to determine whether a general pattern of glucose change exists in most individuals who become diabetic. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We examined longitudinal data from Pima Indians who developed diabetes after several biennial examinations to characterize changes in 2-h plasma glucose. A distinct pattern of glucose change was apparent in the time course of most individuals, an initial linear trend followed by a steeper rise in glucose values. A model consisting of additive linear and exponential functions was hypothesized to account for this pattern and was tested for goodness of fit on 55 individuals who became diabetic after at least 10 previous examinations. RESULTS—The combined linear and exponential model provided a significantly better fit than linear or exponential models alone in 40 of the 55 cases ( P −38 ). Using this model, the timeframe over which glucose values rose suddenly was estimated, having a median time to onset of CONCLUSIONS—We conclude that there are two distinct processes affecting glucose levels in most individuals who progress to type 2 diabetes and that the rapid glucose rise identified in these people may be an important period for physiologic and preventive research.
The Developing Test for State Regulatory Jurisdiction in Indian Country: Application in the Context of Environmental Law

The extent of state jurisdiction over Indians and Indians lands has created conflicts between the federal, state, and tribal governments since the nation's inception. Congressional responses to this inveterate problem have fluctuated significantly. At times, Congress has favored the assimilation of Indians into the majority society and the destruction of tribal identities, with consequent increases in state jurisdiction. At other times, Congress has favored separatism for Indians and the preservation of tribal cultures and governments. In 1832, the Supreme Court, in the case of Worcester v. Georgia, held that state laws had no effect within Indian reservations. Since Worcester, the Court has allowed increasingly significant state incursions into tribal sovereignty in response to state pressures. In two landmark cases, Williams v. Lee in 1959 and McClanahan v. Arizona State Tax Commission in 1973, the Court attempted to resolve a morass of decisions into a coherent doctrine of state jurisdiction in Indian country. Each case not only upheld greater state incursions into tribal sovereignty than permissible under previous decisions but also heralded even further incursions. States are likely to seek these unprecedented incursions in the context of environmental law with an eye toward the Indian lands that are rich in mineral resources. Part I of this Comment will trace the development of state jurisdictional doctrine from the Worcester tribal sovereignty doctrine through the Willams infringement test to the McClanahan preemption analysis. Part II will then explore the recent cases involving state regulatory jurisdiction. Based on those cases, this Comment will project what test the Court is developing for state regulatory jurisdiction. Part III will then apply the projected test to four hypothetical situations within an environmental regulation context. The Comment finally will examine the implications of the test in the environmental context and will suggest how tribes may avoid increased state incursions.
High-Speed Motion-Picture Photography of Electrical Arcs on a High-Voltage Power System

In order to obtain data on deionization times of high-voltage fault-arc paths the Bonneville Power Administration has made oscillographic and photographic records of electrical arcs produced on 115- and 230-kv buses with current magnitudes up to 25,000 amp. Speeds of 4000 frames/sec were used. Since the arcing times were very brief (0.1 to 0.01 sec), camera timing was critical. This, and estimation of the actinic value of the self-luminous arc, were the principal problems encountered. Another problem was photography of a self-luminous arc of high intensity against a background which must also appear in the picture when the arc is out.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Experimental Study of Lithium Ion Transport in Dilithium Ethylene Dicarbonate

Understanding the properties of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) of lithium batteries is important for minimizing interfacial resistance and improving battery safety and cycling. Ion transport has been investigated in the dilithium ethylene dicarbonate (Li2EDC) component of the SEI by impedance spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations employing a revised many-body polarizable APPLE&P force field. The developed force field accurately described the binding energies in LiCH3CO3, its dimer, and Li2EDC calculated at the G4MP2 and MP2 levels. M05-2X and LC-ωPBE functionals predicted too high binding energy in lithium alkyl carbonates compared to the G4MP2 results, while the MP2 and M06-L predictions agreed well with the G4MP2 data. The conductivity of Li2EDC at room temperature was found to be 10–9 S/cm from impedance measurements and extrapolation of MD simulation results. A near Arrhenius temperature dependence of Li2EDC’s conductivity was found in the MD simulations with an activation energ...
Study of an Electro-Optic Technique of Level Transmitter Using Mach-Zehnder Interferometer and Float as Primary Sensing Elements

Measurement of liquid level in a storage tank using float is one of the important, simplest and cheapest method. However, the main drawback of this sensor is its inability to transmit the reading. Costlier and complicated designs are developed to transmit the float position to a remote station like control room. Direct transmission of electrical signal through connecting wires is generally prohibited in the inflammable region. In this paper, a very simple electro-optic system has been developed to transmit the electrical signal output of the transducer to a remote location using Mach–Zehnder interferometer. The necessary equations describing the principle of operation of the proposed transmitter are derived and presented in this paper. The operation of the transmitter is experimentally tested, and the experimental results are reported in this paper. A very good linearity and repeatability of the transducer and transmitter characteristics have been observed.
Strain measuring in concrete beam with fiber bragg grating sensors

A fiber-optic sensor based on fiber bragg grating and its principle of detecting strain in concrete was briefly introduced.Internal strains in concrete beam were measured via embedded novel optical fiber sensors and with a grating strain measuring system.The comparison of the results with those obtained from strain-pieces demonstrated the reliability of bragg grating sensor in concrete.It showed such advantages as strong capability to survive,absolute value measurement and long service life over conventional electrical strain gauge.
Analysis of Absorption Heat Pump System of Circulating Water in Power Plant

Generally,circulating water heat of thermal power plant is released to the atmosphere through cooling tower environment,waste heat recovery and utilization for this part,carried out a study on the energy system of the water source heat pump. Deduction of the consumption-driven heat pump system supplying steam heat,deducts new drive power consumption and amends heat losses increase caused by decline in condenser vacuum,to determine the final energy. Through actual 4 × 200 MW thermal power plant of circulating water absorption heat pump system evaluated have access to save 9985. 74 tons of standard coal a year,works to achieve ideal energy saving effect.
Thoracic surgery in India: challenges and opportunities.

India has the dubitable honor of being ranked first in the world with regards to lung disease burden. A good proportion of this disease burden is amenable to surgical treatment. However, patients have limited access to quality thoracic surgical care due to a number of obstacles. This review article summarizes these obstacles and the implied opportunities that exist in this nascent surgical discipline in the world’s second most populous country.
The Importance and Complexity of Assessing Urban Fiscal Health

The following is a review of Richard M. Bird and Enid Slack’s edited volume Is Your City Healthy? Measuring Urban Fiscal Health. The review addresses major themes in the book as well as its place w...
Der Mond, der Jupiter und das Leben auf der Erde

Die grosste Angst des Astronomen besteht vielleicht darin, dass ihn fruher oder spater jemand als Astrologen bezeichnen konnte. Eine alte Uberzeugung der Astrologen besagt, dass Sterne und Planeten einen erheblichen Einfluss auf unser tagliches Leben haben. Astronomen werden nicht mude, das zuruckzuweisen. Neue Forschungsergebnisse haben nun aber bewiesen, dass die Astrologen in gewisser Weise Recht haben: Zwei grose Himmelskorper, namlich der Mond und der Jupiter, spielen eine zentrale Rolle fur unsere Existenz. Ohne den Mond und ohne den Jupiter wurde heute mit groser Wahrscheinlichkeit kein hoheres Leben auf der Erde existieren. Beide nehmen deshalb auch eine Schlusselrolle fur die Hypothese der Einsamen Erde ein, wenn auch aus verschiedenen Grunden.
The Ecology of Public Policy Implementation

we wrote that our study of the SB 1953 experience was initiated to help us answer three questions we considered central to understanding natural hazard public policy implementation, particularly when the policy focused on regulating the behavior and investments of others.
A Distributed Multi-Point Network Interface for Low-Latency, Deadlock-Free On-Chip Interconnects

The notion of a Network-on-Chip (NoC) is rapidly gaining a foothold as the communication fabric in complex System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures. Scalability is the NoC's most valuable asset, which makes it ideal for larger designs. However, increasingly diminishing feature sizes have rendered the interconnect as the primary bottleneck in terms of both latency and power consumption in on-chip systems. It is, therefore, imperative to optimize the network infrastructure to maximize performance. Research has primarily focused on architectural improvements within the router and the development of deadlock avoidance/recovery schemes. The latter tend to rely on fairly complex algorithms, which are sometimes infeasible to implement in NoCs due to their resource-constrained nature. In this paper, we propose a new NoC topology and architecture which injects data into the network using four sub-NICs (Network Interface Controllers), rather than one NIC, per node. It is shown that this scheme achieves significant improvements in network latency and energy consumption with only negligible area overhead and complexity over existing architectures. In fact, in the case of MESH network topologies, the proposed scheme provides substantial savings in area as well, because it requires fewer routers. Cycle-accurate simulation validates our assertions. Most importantly, it is also shown that this implementation is inherently deadlock-free, thus eliminating the need to rely on specialized, resource-hungry algorithms for deadlock avoidance.
“I Feel Different”: Ovarian Cancer and Sexual Self-Concept

ABSTRACTOvarian cancer and its treatments affect women's sexuality and sexual health. The disease affects a core element of womanhood and femininity—the ovaries. Scholars and others argue that the position of the ovaries in the interior of the female body and the prognosis of the disease contribute to limited public awareness. In the present study the author used a feminist lens to conduct interviews and focus-group discussions with 28 women affected with ovarian cancer. The results showed that ovarian cancer and its treatments affect women's understanding of their sexual self-concept. Their understanding is also influenced by life conditions at the time of diagnosis, the treatment regimen, and factors such as age and level of social support. Thus sexual self-concept in the context of ovarian cancer needs to be reconceptualized to account for how the disease presents itself.
Three-dimensional quasi-periodic shifted Green function throughout the spectrum, including Wood anomalies.

This work, part II in a series, presents an efficient method for evaluation of wave scattering by doubly periodic diffraction gratings at or near what are commonly called ‘Wood anomaly frequencies’. At these frequencies, there is a grazing Rayleigh wave, and the quasi-periodic Green function ceases to exist. We present a modification of the Green function by adding two types of terms to its lattice sum. The first type are transversely shifted Green functions with coefficients that annihilate the growth in the original lattice sum and yield algebraic convergence. The second type are quasi-periodic plane wave solutions of the Helmholtz equation which reinstate certain necessary grazing modes without leading to blow-up at Wood anomalies. Using the new quasi-periodic Green function, we establish, for the first time, that the Dirichlet problem of scattering by a smooth doubly periodic scattering surface at a Wood frequency is uniquely solvable. We also present an efficient high-order numerical method based on this new Green function for scattering by doubly periodic surfaces at and around Wood frequencies. We believe this is the first solver able to handle Wood frequencies for doubly periodic scattering problems in three dimensions. We demonstrate the method by applying it to acoustic scattering.
Small core SiGe alloy optical fibers by templated deposition

Small core Si-Ge alloy optical fibers have been fabricated by templated deposition inside silica capillaries using high-pressure chemical vapor deposition. These fibers can have a wide variety of applications in optics and optoelectronics.
Systolic heart failure after liver transplantation: Incidence, predictors, and outcome

Although most patients presenting for liver transplantation have normal left ventricular function, some develop left ventricular failure after transplantation. The primary objective of our study was to determine the predictors of systolic heart failure (HF) occurring immediately after liver transplantation. Its etiology, prospects of recovery, and factors associated with nonrecovery were also studied. Liver transplantations performed at our institution from January 2006 to February 2015 were evaluated using prospectively collected institutional registries. Patients with echocardiographically documented decline in ejection fraction to <45% within 6 months after liver transplantation were identified. Four controls were chosen per case: matched for age, gender, transplant year, and model for end-stage liver disease score. Conditional multivariable logistic regression was used for primary analysis and nonparametric tests for comparison between groups. In a cohort of 1284 adult patients, 45 cases and 180 controls were identified. Diastolic dysfunction (DD) was an independent predictor (OR 5.26, 95% CI 1.03-28.57, P = .04) of systolic HF in multivariable analysis. Stress-induced cardiomyopathy was the most common etiology. Left ventricular function recovered in 21 patients. Pretransplant DD decreased the chances of recovery (P = .05). In conclusion, patients with pretransplant DD need close post-transplant follow-up for timely identification of HF.
DNA Tumor Virus Regulation of Host DNA Methylation and Its Implications for Immune Evasion and Oncogenesis

Viruses have evolved various mechanisms to evade host immunity and ensure efficient viral replication and persistence. Several DNA tumor viruses modulate host DNA methyltransferases for epigenetic dysregulation of immune-related gene expression in host cells. The host immune responses suppressed by virus-induced aberrant DNA methylation are also frequently involved in antitumor immune responses. Here, we describe viral mechanisms and virus–host interactions by which DNA tumor viruses regulate host DNA methylation to evade antiviral immunity, which may contribute to the generation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment during cancer development. Recent trials of immunotherapies have shown promising results to treat multiple cancers; however, a significant number of non-responders necessitate identifying additional targets for cancer immunotherapies. Thus, understanding immune evasion mechanisms of cancer-causing viruses may provide great insights for reversing immune suppression to prevent and treat associated cancers.
Peripheral blood monoclonal plasma cells as a predictor of survival in patients with multiple myeloma.

The purpose of this study was to quantitate the number and labeling index of monoclonal plasma cells in the blood of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) to learn if these values were independent prognostic factors for survival. Patients were candidates for this study if they had untreated myeloma requiring therapy, were evaluated at our institution between 1984 and 1993, and had a sample of blood analyzed with a sensitive immunofluorescence technique for monoclonal plasma cells and the blood B-cell labelling index (BLI). The % blood monoclonal plasma cells (%BPC) and the BLI were analyzed along with stage, marrow plasma cell LI, % marrow plasma cells, calcium, creatinine, albumin, beta-2-microglobulin, and C-reactive protein as univariate and multivariate factors for survival. Eighty percent of the 254 patients accrued to this study had monoclonal BPC detected. The median % BPC was 6% and 57% (144 of 254) of patients had a high number (> or = 4%). Patients with > or = 4% BPC had a median survival of 2.4 years vs 4.4 years for those with < 4% BPC (P < .001). The BLI was also prognostic (P = .008). In a multivariate analysis, the % BPC, age, albumin, stage, marrow plasma cell LI, and the BLI were independent factors for survival. The %BPC and the marrow plasma cell LI best separated the group into low, intermediate, and high risk myeloma with median survivals of 52, 35, and 26 months, respectively. Patients with high %BPC were less likely to have lytic bone disease from their MM (P = .002). The %BPC and the BLI are independent prognostic factors for survival and are useful in identifying patients as low, intermediate, and high risk. Clonal cells in the blood should be quantified in future clinical trials for myeloma.
Critical pedagogy and language learning in the age of social media

ABSTRACT This paper examines the possibilities of critical pedagogy in our era of social media. With the emergence of social media over the past 10 years, these online spaces have facilitated what has been called “public pedagogy” - the varied educational and learning activities occurring in public domains beyond traditional educational institutions. These sites and practices of public pedagogy “are just as crucial, if not more so, to our understanding of the formation of identities and social structures as the teaching that goes on within formal classrooms” (BURDICK & SANDLIN, 2010, p. 349) inasmuch as these “informal and everyday spaces and discourses themselves [are seen] as innately and pervasively pedagogical” (p. 350). For quite some time now, with the increase in digital devices with constant Internet access, many have been engaging in ‘digital literacies’, with frequent texting, posting, and commenting through various media sources. Without subscribing to a ‘moral panic’ over a sometimes non-stop Internet use among some youth, the learning spaces in which a digital disconnection is warranted also needs to be examined. In both of these online and offline spaces, how can critical pedagogy facilitate language learning through students’ encounters with the language and discourses used to construct hegemonic and naturalized societal representations they face in the classroom and online?
Semantics-Preserving Parallelization of Stochastic Gradient Descent

Stochastic gradient descent (SGD) is a well-known method for regression and classification tasks. However, it is an inherently sequential algorithm – at each step, the processing of the current example depends on the parameters learned from previous examples. Prior approaches to parallelizing linear learners using SGD, such as Hogwild! and AllReduce, do not honor these dependencies across threads and thus can potentially suffer poor convergence rates and/or poor scalability. This paper proposes SymSGD, a parallel SGD algorithm that, to a first-order approximation, retains the sequential semantics of SGD. Each thread learns a local model in addition to a model combiner, which allows local models to be combined to produce the same result as what a sequential SGD would have produced. This paper evaluates SymSGD's accuracy and performance on 6 datasets on a shared-memory machine shows up-to 11x speedup over our heavily optimized sequential baseline on 16 cores and 2.2x, on average, faster than Hogwild!.
A Concurrent Learning Approach to Monocular, Vision-Based Regulation of Leader/Follower Systems

This paper describes a concurrent learning approach to relative range estimation by a single vehicle following a lead vehicle and using only passive, monocular vision for feedback. The standard extended Kalman filter approach is augmented by a concurrently executed parametric estimator, which modifies the execution of the filter. The primary difficulty with this monocular vision range estimation and regulation scenario arises from the loss of observability during target acceleration, which is presumed unknown, as well as the need for persistent excitation (PE). The concurrent learning inspired approach relaxes the PE constraint by learning the target size during feedback-induced moments of PE, then using it to provide a range pseudo-measurement. Simulated scenarios demonstrate improved range regulation compared to existing methods while minimizing the a priori knowledge needed.
Use of Acellular Dermal Matrix Following Fasciectomy for the Treatment of Dupuytren's Disease.

Background Recurrence rates following surgical intervention for Dupuytren's disease (DD) remains high. In this study, we investigate the use of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) to reduce recurrence and improve long-term clinical outcome. Methods We examined 132 patients undergoing open fasciectomy for DD from 2007 to 2017. The experimental group had a sheet of ADM (FlexHD) sutured into the surgical bed controls were not closed with ADM. Patient characteristics, range of motion, and complications were examined. Results Twenty-eight (21.2%) patients were treated with acellular dermal matrix, whereas 104 (78.8%) patients were not. The median age was 67.0 years (range 34-91 years). with no differences between group regarding age, comorbidities, and laterality. The mean preoperative interphalangeal joint flexion contracture in the ADM group of 66.5 ± 29.9 degrees was corrected to 9.7 ± 12.4 degrees, whereas the mean metacarpophalangeal joint preoperative flexion contracture of 51.4 ± 23.9 degrees was corrected to 7.8 ± 14.1 degrees at postoperative examination (P < 0.05). The median follow-up was 18.7 months, during which the recurrence of contracture was observed in 1 of 28 patients in the group receiving ADM compared with 9 of 104 in the control group (P = 0.37). There were no differences in the incidence of minor wound complications observed. Conclusion The adjunct placement of acellular dermal matrix into the wound bed following fasciectomy for DD may be an important surgical strategy to reduce recurrence rates as well as augment coverage of exposed vital structures in cases of severe flexion contracture.
The “Problem Patient Clinic”: A Valuable Teaching Method for Psychiatric and Medical Residents

The “Problem Patient Clinic” is a weekly educational experience for medical and psychiatric residents. Ambulatory patients are referred by medical residents who have had difficulties either in diagnosing or management. The team consists of an internist, a psychiatry faculty member, and from one to five residents on rotation. Patients are seen for one to three one-hour sessions by a resident and a faculty member. The other faculty member and residents watch on closed circuit television. This format allows for discussion of interview techniques, diagnostic and management issues, and community resources. Relevant readings are assigned and discussed. This teaching experience provides a service to residents and patients and provides teaching of the biopsychosocial approach.
Interrupting the Pathway from Gestational Diabetes Mellitus to Type 2 Diabetes: The Role of Primary Care

Abstract Objective Our objective was to describe patient-, provider-, and health systems-level factors associated with likelihood of obtaining guideline-recommended follow-up to prevent or mitigate early-onset type 2 diabetes after a birth complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods This study presents a retrospective cohort analysis of de-identified demographic and health care system characteristics, and clinical claims data for 12,622 women with GDM who were continuously enrolled in a large, national U.S. health plan from January 31, 2006, to September 30, 2012. Data were obtained from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse. We extracted 1) known predictors of follow-up (age, race, education, comorbidities, GDM severity); 2) novel factors that had potential as predictors (prepregnancy use of preventive measures and primary care, delivery hospital size); and 3) outcome variables (glucose testing within 1 and 3 years and primary care visit within 3 years after delivery). Results Asian ethnicity, higher education, GDM severity, and delivery in a larger hospital predicted greater likelihood of post-GDM follow-up. Women with a prepregnancy primary care visit of any type were two to three times more likely to receive postpartum glucose testing and primary care at 1 year, and 3.5 times more likely to have obtained testing and primary care at 3 years after delivery. Conclusions A history of use of primary care services before a pregnancy complicated by GDM seems to enhance the likelihood of postdelivery surveillance and preventive care, and thus reduce the risk of undetected early-onset type 2 diabetes. An emphasis on promoting early primary care connections for women in their early reproductive years, in addition to its overall value, is a promising strategy for ensuring follow-up testing and care for women after complicated pregnancies that forewarn risk for later chronic illness. Health systems should focus on models of care that connect primary and reproductive/maternity care before, during, and long after pregnancies occur.
Mining Factors Impact Wafer Circuit Probing Via Neural Network and Statistics for Semiconductor Device Fabrication

Wafer circuit probing (CP) testing is one of the most important processes for semiconductor manufacturing to ensure the wafers are of good quality. However, the outcomes of CP measurements are not always as good as expected. Engineers take lots of efforts to diagnose CP measurement and classify the features so that make the root cause more evident. In searching the root cause for low yield wafers, gathering the bad wafers and finding their correlation between yields and stages for each process is a common procedure to check whether the stage or the corresponding equipment is the one of the factors that lowers the yield significantly. A system was developed to realize the procedure that defines wafer status and points out the problems that make the yield lower. Once a wafer was inputted into this system, a diagnosis for the wafer will be made automatically. And hence this system was named auto commonality, which means grouping the bad wafers and finding the root cause then making decisions without any manpower.
CandiDating Game: An Exercise in Interviewing and Hiring:

This article describes a game show-style classroom exercise that is appropriate for any management-related courses that wish to enrich students’ understanding of a key phase of the hiring process. ...
Role of School Social Work Interns in the US: Voices from the Field

School is a sacred place, a safe place, a learning environment, a space for growth, and a place for children to be socialised to the world around them. Yet, the COVID19 pandemic changes and news of children shot to death at point-blank range, teachers using their bodies to shield children from flying bullets, the need for armed school teachers, principals, and personnel, and the marketing of children’s bulletproof gear and backpacks is changing the roles of schools and their personnel, including school social workers. The purpose of this chapter is to combine literature with the voices of school social work interns in the field. They describe the changing roles of school social work interns, the knowledge foundations which guide their work, and how their ability to collaborate and communicate as a school social work interns help school to navigate changing roles and while providing the best care possible.
Improving Neural Network With Uniform Sparse Connectivity

Neural network forms the foundation of deep learning and numerous AI applications. Classical neural networks are fully connected, expensive to train and prone to overfitting. Sparse networks tend to have convoluted structure search, suboptimal performance and limited usage. We proposed the novel uniform sparse network (USN) with even and sparse connectivity within each layer. USN has one striking property that its performance is independent of the substantial topology variation and enormous model space, thus offers a search-free solution to all above mentioned issues of neural networks. USN consistently and substantially outperforms the state-of-the-art sparse network models in prediction accuracy, speed and robustness. It even achieves higher prediction accuracy than the fully connected network with only 0.55% parameters and 1/4 computing time and resources. Importantly, USN is conceptually simple as a natural generalization of fully connected network with multiple improvements in accuracy, robustness and scalability. USN can replace the latter in a range of applications, data types and deep learning architectures. We have made USN open source at https://github.com/datapplab/sparsenet .
Globalisation, foreign demand, real exchange rate and Bangladesh exports: some empirical tests

Using unit root testing, cointegration and vector error correction modelling, and utilising the longest available annual time-series data for Bangladesh, this study estimated the long-run equilibrium relationship between real exports with foreign demand, real effective exchange rate and trade globalisation. The cointegration tests and the associated short-run dynamic analysis confirm the existence of a long-run relationship. The system is found stable with a short-run speed of adjustment at the rate of about 18% per year. The dominant positive effects on exports came from foreign demand and the country's global integration. However, the real effective exchange rate variable displayed results that were not consistent with the traditional hypothesis. The results indicate that the policy makers need to focus more on global integration to open new geographic and product markets to diversify its export base instead of trying to keep the real effective exchange rate stable.
Predicting the Efficacy of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donor Units with the Lumit Dx anti-Receptor Binding Domain Assay.

BackgroundThe novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 that causes COVID-19 has resulted in the death of more than 2.5 million people, but no cure exists. Although passive immunization with COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) provides a safe and viable therapeutic option, the selection of optimal units for therapy in a timely fashion remains a barrier. Study design and methodsSince virus neutralization is a necessary characteristic of plasma that can benefit recipients, the neutralizing titers of plasma samples were measured using a retroviral-pseudotype assay. Binding antibody titers to the spike (S) protein were also determined by a clinically available serological assay (Ortho-Vitros total IG), and an in-house ELISA. The results of these assays were compared to a measurement of antibodies directed to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV2 S protein (Promega Lumit Dx). ResultsAll measures of antibodies were highly variable, but correlated, to different degrees, with each other. However, the anti-RBD antibodies correlated with viral neutralizing titers to a greater extent than the other antibody assays. DiscussionOur observations support the use of an anti-RBD assay such as the Lumit Dx assay, as an optimal predictor of the neutralization capability of CCP.
Honoring Our Ancestors: Using Reconciliatory Pedagogy to Dismantle White Supremacy

The US social work profession has historically claimed primarily middle-class white women as the "founders" of the profession, including Jane Addams and Mary Richmond. Scholarship of the history of the profession has focused almost entirely on settlement houses, anti-poverty advocacy, and charity in the late 1800s in the northeastern United States as the groundwork of current social work practice. Courses in social work history socialize students into this historical framing of the profession and perpetuate a white supremacist narrative of white women as the primary doers of social justice work that colonizes the bodies and knowledge of Indigenous people and their helping systems. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the US have always had indigenous systems of social care. Yet, the social justice work of BIPOC, and especially Indigenous people in the US, is left out of the dominant narrative of the history of social work practice for several reasons including racism, colonialism, and white supremacy. In this paper the authors contribute to the critique of the role of white supremacy as a colonizing process in social work history narratives and discuss frameworks for decolonizing social work pedagogy through a reconciliatory practice that aims to dismantle white supremacy.
Probing the Quantum Nature of Gravity in the Microgravity of Space.

Conventionally, experiments probing the quantum nature of gravity were thought to be prohibitive due to the extremely high energy scales involved. However, recent and rapid advances at the intersection of quantum information and gravity, along with quantum technologies that allow preparation and control of mechanical systems in the quantum regime, indicate that such tests may well be within reach of upcoming experimental capabilities. The microgravity of space offers a unique environment to carry out this endeavor, allowing possibilities to control and manipulate delicate quantum characteristics in larger systems, better than current Earth-based setups. In this white paper, we lay out the science case for furthering a community effort to study and lead progress in both theoretical and experimental aspects for space-based tests of fundamental physics, particularly to probe the elusive quantum nature of gravity.
E-Portal for Construction Engineering Managers: Framework and 4-Tier Archtecture

Electronic construction information portals have become popular in recent years but most portals are intended for business transaction processing. This paper describes a web-based construction information portal (e-Portal) intended for use by construction engineers. A functional framework for the portal is presented along with a 4-Tier architecture including the Presentation Layer, Application Layer, Application Programming Interface(API) Layer, and the Database Layer. Construction related information such as legal regulations, standard specifications, technical manuals, construction materials and manufacturers is organized and presented to reflect the multiple functions of the e-Portal. With the presented e-Portal architecture, construction information can be acquired and processed via a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), mobile devices, and WWW(World Wide Web) with the use of the Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) and Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL)).
No Reason for the Reasonable Person: Feminist Lessons from the Fourth Amendment

This Article questions the universal reasonableness, objectivity, and a-perspectivity that the reasonable person standard and its specific application purport to embody. It aims to expose the inherent arbitrary and artificial construction of the 'reasonable person,' so that its maintenance can no longer be justified on grounds of rational, coherent, and bright guidelines. Once the logical analytical foundations of the reasonable person standard break down, feminist theories suggest that the courts maintain the fiction of the reasonable person as a mechanism of perpetuating patriarchy and subordinating women and others.
Are the eating disorders becoming more common in blacks

Prevalence accrue de la prevalence (faible jusqu'ici) des troubles du comportement alimentaire chez les Noirs americains. Tour d'horizon de la litterature et vignettes cliniques
The Role of Social and Personal Identities in Self-Esteem Among Ethnic Minority College Students

This study examined the latent personal-social identity profiles that emerged from simultaneous consideration of ethnic, national (United States), and personal identities among ethnic minority college students (N = 3,009) as well as how personal and social identities are jointly associated with self-esteem. Results indicated that the structure of personal-social identity profiles significantly differed across ethnicity, but also indicated some commonalities. The study identified three profiles among Blacks, four among Asian Americans, and two among Latinos. Some personal-social identity profiles were common across multiple ethnic groups, but others were unique within one specific ethnic group. Overall, the profiles indicated important associations between ethnic identity, U.S. identity, and personal identity. These profiles were linked with self-esteem such that individuals who reported high levels of multiple social and personal identities had the highest self-esteem compared to other profiles.