cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-term quality of life after posterior cervical foraminotomy for radiculopathy

Abstract Objectives Cervical radiculopathy may cause symptoms and loss of function that can lead to a significant reduction in health related quality of life (HRQOL). As part of a comprehensive review of long-term outcomes, we examined HRQOL in a large cohort of patients undergoing posterior cervical foraminotomy (FOR) for radiculopathy. Patients and methods 338 patients who underwent FOR between 1990 and 2009 participated in a telephone interview designed to measure symptomatic and functional improvements following surgery. We also administered the EQ-5D, a standardized tool for assessing HRQOL. We analyzed this data for associations between patient and treatment characteristics, improvements in symptoms and function, and HRQOL as measured by the EQ-5D. Results Mean follow-up was 10.0 years. The average EQ-5D at follow-up was 0.81 ± 0.18, and improvements in pain, weakness and function as well as ability to return to work correlated with improved EQ-5D score (p Conclusion These data provide evidence that FOR for cervical radiculopathy is associated with improved HRQOL at long-term follow-up. The lack of correlation between length of follow-up and HRQOL suggests that FOR is a durable treatment option. Moreover, FOR is associated with improved HRQOL whether radiculopathy is due to soft disc or osteophyte pathology.
Bargains Among Behemoths: TPP and TTIP Implications for Developing Countries

At a moment when a global effort to pursue a development-oriented trade round seems to have stalled, some of the largest economies in international trade have turned their attentions to regional accords. The Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership cover large fractions of global trade and have the potential to establish new standards across a range of issues, from the treatment of services to rules on state-owned enterprises. This paper considers the implications for developing countries of this shift toward large plurilaterals. While the economic impact on developing countries is ambiguous, the change poses a threat to the global trading system and diminishes the voice that developing countries are likely to have in setting new standards in trade.
Counit Inclusion in Hydrogenated Polynorbornene Copolymer Crystals

Model crystallizable copolymers of norbornene and two 5-alkylnorbornenes were synthesized to investigate the extent and consequences of defect inclusion into hydrogenated polynorbornene (hPN) cryst...
Coming to America: The Journey of an Immigrant Scholar

Vedula N. Murty, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Statistics at Penn State University, has spent his adult life coming to and going from America. He has studied in both India and the United States, and has worked professionally in these countries and also in Indonesia. His employers have included the Central Statistical Office of India, the United Nations, and the Pennsylvania State University. He was elected to the International Statistical Institute in 1985 and received the George Polya Award of the Mathematical Association of America in 1983, in recognition of his article (co-authored with Warren Page), "Nearness Relations Among Measures of Central Tendency," in the Two-Year College Mathematics Journal Working in mathematics as well as statistics, he has been a frequent problem solver and poser for the American Mathematical Monthly, the College Mathematics Journal, and Crux Mathematicorum, and has served on the editorial board of the College Mathematics Journal.
Romantic, sexual, and sexual risk behaviours of adolescent females with severe obesity.

Summary Background There is an increasing adolescent population with severe obesity with impairments in social and romantic relationships that are seeking clinical weight management, including weight loss surgery (WLS). Objective To document romantic, sexual and sexual risk behaviours in a clinical sample of adolescent females with severe obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m2) compared to those of healthy weight (HW). Methods This multi-site study—an ancillary to a prospective longitudinal observational study documenting health in adolescents having WLS—presents pre-operative/baseline data from 108 females undergoing WLS, 68 severely obese seeking lifestyle intervention and 118 of HW. Romantic and sexual risk behaviour and birth control information sources were assessed using the Sexual Activities and Attitudes Questionnaire (SAAQ). Results Severely obese females reported engaging in fewer romantic and sexual behaviours compared to HW. Similar to HW, a subgroup (25%) of severely females were engaging in higher rates of sexual risk behaviours and reported pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A considerable number (28–44%) reported receiving no birth control information from physicians. Conclusions Discussion topics with the adolescent patient should extend beyond reproductive health needs (e.g. contraception, unintended pregnancies) to include guidance around navigating romantic and sexual health behaviours that are precursors to these outcomes.
Amorphous Doping Superlattices

Amorphous films consisting of a periodic sequence of n- and p-doped layers are expected to exhibit similar peculiarities as crystalline doping superlattices. It is also shown that the study of amorphous doping superlattices can provide new information about the host material. Examples include the determination of the gap density of states, and of the relaxation and recombination lifetimes of non-equilibrium carriers.
Access to a better life

SHARE OUR STRENGTH WAS BUILT ON the belief that everyone has a strength to share; sometimes it’s a gift that you may take for granted but that can be deployed to benefit others. Sharing strength goes beyond writing a check once you are financially successful or volunteering at a food bank or homeless shelter. Rather it means giving of yourself, of your unique value added, as chefs have done by cooking at food and wine benefits or by teaching nutrition and food budgeting skills to low-income families. In the same way we have engaged authors, architects, public relations and marketing executives, and numerous others.
An NMR-Guided Screening Method for Selective Fragment Docking and Synthesis of a Warhead Inhibitor.

Selective hits for the glutaredoxin ortholog of Brucella melitensis are determined using STD NMR and verified by trNOE and 15N-HSQC titration. The most promising hit, RK207, was docked into the target molecule using a scoring function to compare simulated poses to experimental data. After elucidating possible poses, the hit was further optimized into the lead compound by extension with an electrophilic acrylamide warhead. We believe that focusing on selectivity in this early stage of drug discovery will limit cross-reactivity that might occur with the human ortholog as the lead compound is optimized. Kinetics studies revealed that lead compound 5 modified with an ester group results in higher reactivity than an acrylamide control; however, after modification this compound shows little selectivity for bacterial protein versus the human ortholog. In contrast, hydrolysis of compound 5 to the acid form results in a decrease in the activity of the compound. Together these results suggest that more optimization is warranted for this simple chemical scaffold, and opens the door for discovery of drugs targeted against glutaredoxin proteins—a heretofore untapped reservoir for antibiotic agents.
Loss of Pink1 modulates synaptic mitochondrial bioenergetics in the rat striatum prior to motor symptoms: concomitant complex I respiratory defects and increased complex II-mediated respiration.

Purpose : Mutations in PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (Pink1), a mitochondrial serine/threonine kinase, cause a recessive inherited form of Parkinson's disease (PD). Pink1 deletion in rats results in a progressive PD-like phenotype, characterized by significant motor deficits starting at 4 months of age. Despite the evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction, the pathogenic mechanism underlying disease due to Pink1-deficiency remains obscure. Experimental design : Striatal synaptic mitochondria from 3-month-old Pink1-deficient rats were characterized using bioenergetic and mass spectroscopy (MS)-based proteomic analyses. Results : Striatal synaptic mitochondria from Pink1-deficient rats exhibit decreased complex I-driven respiration and increased complex II-mediated respiration compared with wild-type rats. MS-based proteomics revealed 69 of the 811 quantified mitochondrial proteins were differentially expressed between Pink1-deficient rats and controls. Down-regulation of several electron carrier proteins, which shuttle electrons to reduce ubiquinone at complex III, in the Pink1-knockouts suggests disruption of the linkage between fatty acid, amino acid, and choline metabolism and the mitochondrial respiratory system. Conclusions and clinical relevance : These results suggest that complex II activity is increased to compensate for loss of electron transfer mechanisms due to reduced complex I activity and loss of electron carriers within striatal nerve terminals early during disease progression. This may contribute to the pathogenesis of PD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
A Comparative Usability Study of Independent Web-Based Personal Health Records

Previous research on personal health records (PHRs) has focused on applications that are “tethered” to a specific electronic health record (EHR). However, there is a gap in research on the usabilit...
Effects of acute and chronic caffeine on risk-taking behavior in children and adolescents:

Consumption of caffeinated beverages is associated with increased risk-taking behavior. The purpose of this study was to determine if acute caffeine administration influences risk-taking behavior i...
A comparison between consumer and industry perspectives on sustainable practices throughout the apparel product lifecycle

ABSTRACTApparel companies have adopted different practices in the product lifecycle to reduce their environmental impact. The purpose of this study is to investigate consumers’ purchase preference for the apparel industry’s sustainable practices throughout the product lifecycle and to ascertain whether consumers are willing to pay a premium for products produced through these sustainable practices. The Brand Environmental Module of the Higg Index 2.0 was used as the benchmark of the industry’s perspective on sustainable practices. An online survey was conducted to collect information about consumers’ purchase preference of the industry’s sustainable practices. It was found that consumers’ purchase preference were not in line with the apparel industry’s perspective throughout the apparel lifecycle, as well as within the stages of materials, manufacturing, and end of use. Furthermore, the consumers’ willingness to pay a premium on the apparel industry’s sustainable practices did not match the industry’s per...
A Hierarchical Framework with Consistency Trade-off Strategies for Big Data Management

Geo-replicated cloud storage provides good scalability, availability and fault-tolerance for managing big data of high-volume, velocity and variety nature. However, the prickly trade-off between consistency, cost and response time, which is brought in by geo-replicated cloud storage, poses great challenges to big data management. The goal of this work is to allow geo-replicated cloud storage used in big data management to dynamically switch to an appropriate consistency level at runtime in the consideration of cost and performance constraints. In this paper, we present a hierarchical consistency framework which supports the implementations of a strong protocol and a range of consistency semantics. The framework adopts a set of consistency trade-off strategies at both the data level and the transaction level. Based on a probabilistic model, a cost balance formula and a new metric Consistency-ResponseTime Efficiency defined in the trade-off strategies provides a basis to dynamically switch consistency levels by using performance records collected at runtime. Our evaluation verifies the effectiveness of our hierarchical framework and trade-off strategies.
Transabdominal Breast Augmentation: A Review of 114 Cases Performed over 14 Years.

Background:Abdominoplasty patients are frequently candidates for breast rejuvenation as well. Transabdominal breast augmentation permits insertion of breast implants through the abdominoplasty incision. This combined procedure is preferentially performed in an outpatient setting under monitored anes
A novel experimental device for investigating the multiscale behavior of granular materials under shear

In this paper, we report a set of experiments performed on a novel mechanical device that allows a specimen composed of a two-dimensional opaque granular assembly to be subjected to quasi-static shear conditions. A complete description of the grain-scale quantities that control the mechanical behavior of granular materials is extracted throughout the shear deformation. Geometrical arrangement, or fabric, is quantified by means of image processing, grain kinematics are obtained using Digital Image Correlation and contact forces are inferred using the Granular Element Method. Aiming to bridge the micro-macro divide, macroscopic average stresses for the granular assembly are calculated based on grain-scale fabric parameters and contact forces. The experimental procedure is detailed and validated using a simple uniaxial compression test. Macroscopic results of shear stress and volumetric strain exhibit typical features of the shear response of dense granular materials and indicate that critical state is achieved at large deformations. At the grain scale, attention is given to the evolution of fabric and contact forces as the granular assembly is sheared. The results show that shear deformation induces geometrical (fabric) and mechanical (force) anisotropy and that principal stresses and force orientation rotate simultaneously. At critical state, stress, force and fabric orientation reach the same value. By seamlessly connecting grain-scale information to continuum scale experiments, we shed light into the multiscale mechanical behavior of granular assemblies under shear loading.
High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and causes of death in chronic kidney disease.

Background Recent data suggest a U-shaped association between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and death in chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, whether the increased mortality in patients with extreme levels is explained by specific causes of death remains unclear. Objectives We studied the associations between HDL-c and cause-specific deaths in CKD. Methods We included 38,377 patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate 15–59 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . We classified deaths into 3 major categories: (1) cardiovascular; (2) malignant; and (3) noncardiovascular/nonmalignant causes. We fitted Cox regression models for overall mortality and separate competing risk models for each major cause of death category to evaluate their respective associations with categories of HDL-c (≤30, 31–40, 41–50 [referent], 51–60, >60 mg/dL). Separate analyses were conducted for men and women. Results During a median follow-up of 4.5 years, 9665 patients died. After adjusting for relevant covariates, in both sexes, HDL-c 31 to 40 mg/dL and ≤30 mg/dL were associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, malignancy-related deaths, and noncardiovascular/nonmalignancy–related deaths. HDL-c >60 mg/dL was associated with lower all-cause (hazard ratio: 0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.69, 0.81), cardiovascular, malignancy-related, and noncardiovascular/nonmalignancy–related deaths among women but not in men. Similar results were noted when HDL-c was examined as a continuous measure. Conclusions In a non–dialysis-dependent CKD population, HDL-c ≤40 mg/dL was associated with risk of higher all-cause, cardiovascular, malignant, and noncardiovascular/nonmalignant mortality in men and women. HDL >60 mg/dL was associated with lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, malignant, and noncardiovascular/nonmalignant mortality in women but not in men.
Black Gay Men of the South: Research Implications and E. Patrick Johnson’s Sweet Tea

E. Patrick Johnson’s Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South raises many research questions for future study of Black gay men in the south. The mens’ stories shed light on the lived experiences of the target population, and far more research is needed to expand upon Johnson’s themes. In this chapter, several specific possibilities for psychological studies are presented using specific research questions that are inspired by Johnson’s findings. Several research questions are prompted by these stories with respect to issues such as social development, sexual behavior, gender identity and gender diversity, personality and creative expression, spiritual identity, perfectionism, and relationships. Johnson’s findings also suggest more investigation into the psychology of same sex behaviors within the contexts of churches, the military, and HBCUs. Vast opportunities for further research are evident by Johnson’s exploratory interviews of the men of Sweet Tea. Also, as is common in discussing research with Black LGBT populations, gaining access to Black gay men or men who have sex with men who are less open about their sexuality, is necessary to expand the knowledge gained from Johnson’s interviews.
Heart transplantation. Long-term management related to immunosuppression, complications, and psychosocial adjustments.

Successful outcomes in the long-term care of cardiac transplant recipients begin with excellent discharge preparation. Prompt detection of myriad problems commonly associated with long-term survival is contingent on the abilities of both the patient and the health care team to recognize potential complications. Long-term complications including rejection, infection, hypertension, nephrotoxicity, osteoporosis, malignancy, diabetes, accelerated graft atherosclerosis, and psychosocial difficulties present a unique challenge for posttransplant patients, their family members, and the health care team.
Baby Boomlets and Baby Health: Hospital Crowdedness, Hospital Spending, and Infant Health

To identify the causal relationship between health-care spending and infant health, we employ the following source of identifying variation: hospital crowdedness measured in its simplest form, by t...
Temperature Sensitivity Study of Eddy Current and Digital Gauge Probes for Oxide Measurement

ABSTRACTNovel fuels are part of the nationwide effort to reduce the enrichment of Uranium for energy production. Fuel performance is determined by irradiating tfuel plates. The plate checker used i...
Stress-Buffering Effects of Social Support on Depressive Problems: Perceived vs. Received Support and Moderation by Parental Depression

The impact of parental depressive problems on children’s depressive symptoms has been widely studied. The stress-buffering hypothesis states that social support acts as a protective factor between the impacts of stress from negative life events on physical and psychological health. The current study examined the stress-buffering hypothesis in terms of the relationship between parental depressive problems and emerging adult depressive problems. Participants included 708 emerging adults who reported on their parents’ and their own depressive problems as measured by the Adult Behavior Checklist and Adult Self Report, respectively. Participants also reported their perceived social support using a modified version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, received social support using the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior, and negative life events using the Risky Behavior and Stressful Events Scale. Neither perceived nor received social support significantly moderated the aforementioned relationship. When parental depressive problems were added to the model, the three-way interaction among received social support, perceived stress, and paternal depressive problems on male depressive problems was significant (b = 0.22). Perceptions of available support may be more important than received support when buffering between stress and depression. Likewise, parental depression may have a stronger influence on emerging adult outcomes over and beyond negative life events. Other significant pathways and models were discussed.
The Reception of Fake News: The Interpretations and Practices That Shape the Consumption of Perceived Misinformation

How do people make sense of, and deal with, a changing media landscape perceived to be filled with misinformation and fake news? To answer this, we draw upon data from seventy-one in-depth intervie...
A systematic review of surgical margins utilized for removal of cutaneous mast cell tumors in dogs

Traditionally, wide lateral surgical margins of 3 cm and one fascial plane deep have been recommended for resection of canine cutaneous mast cell tumor (MCT). Several studies have been published assessing surgical margins of less than this traditional recommendation. The objective of this systematic review was to determine if resection MCT with lateral surgical margins < 3 cm results in low rates of incomplete resection and local tumor recurrence. Systematic searches of digital bibliographic databases were performed with two authors (AR & LES) screening abstracts to identify relevant scientific articles. Studies regarding surgical treatment of dogs with cutaneous MCT were reviewed. Data abstraction was performed and the quality of individual studies and the strength of the body of evidence for utilization of surgical margins < 3 cm for removal of MCTs was assessed. From the initial 78 citations identified through the database searches, four articles were retained for data abstraction after both relevance screenings were performed. Two studies were retrospective observational studies, one was a prospective case series and one was a prospective clinical trial. Assessment of the quality level of the body of evidence identified using the GRADE system was low. Excision of MCT at 2 cm and 3 cm was associated with comparably low rates of incomplete excision and recurrence. Despite the low quality of the overall body of evidence, a recommendation can be made that resection of canine cutaneous MCTs (< 4 cm) of Patnaik grade I and II with 2 cm lateral margins and 1 fascial plane deep results in low rates of incomplete excision and local tumor recurrence.
Deep Thought: An Intelligent Logic Tutor for Discrete Math

Undergraduate students often struggle to learn optimal logic proof solving strategies in Discrete Math courses, primarily because of the open-ended nature of the domain. Students can, therefore, benefit from personalized tutoring, where they can receive user-adaptive support. Over the past decade, the advancements in the field of intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) have made it possible to provide personalized tutoring with minimal involvement of a teacher or a human expert. While such tutoring systems have the potential to augment student learning on a large scale, few intelligent tutors are made open source. Deep Thought is a logic tutor where students practice constructing deductive logic proofs. Extensive research has been conducted for 11 years to provide data-driven intelligent tutoring support in Deep Thought. The logic tutor provides adaptive support using data-driven approaches on two levels: problem level, where the tutor decides whether the student should view the next problem as a worked example or they should solve it, and step level, where the tutor decides when an unsolicited partially-worked step should be provided to the student to direct them towards optimal problem-solving strategies. We have found encouraging evidence to support that the intelligent policies in Deep Thought help undergraduate students learn logic. Deep Thought is currently being used in discrete math classes at two universities: North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Our aim is to make this tutor available to a larger audience so as to contribute to the Computer Science Education community.
The pathogenicity of Yersinia enterocolitica for piglets.

Abstract The pathogenicity of Yersinia enterocolitica, a bacterium that has been isolated frequently from healthy swine, was studied in piglets by oral challenge of two litters, one derived by cesarean section and deprived of colostrum, and the other delivered at full-term. Eight cesarean-derived piglets were divided into groups of two and challenged with four serotypes of Y. enterocolitica (O:8, O:21, O:3, O:13). Two deaths occurred and two piglets were killed because of severe illness before termination of the experiment eight days after challenge. Surviving piglets showed no clinical signs of illness. Rectal cultures were consistently positive and all cesarean-derived piglets were colonized in the small intestine and throat at necropsy. Full-term piglets were allowed access for 36 hours to sow colostrum containing low levels of antibody against the challenge strains. Six full-term piglets challenged with three serotypes of Y. enterocolitica (O:8, O:21, O:13) survived for 15 days without any signs of illness. These piglets had fewer positive rectal cultures and showed less extensive colonization of internal organs at necropsy than did cesarean-derived piglets. It is uncertain whether this increased resistance to infection with Y. enterocolitica resulted from colostrum-derived antibody, intestinal colonization with other bacteria, or an improved physical condition which accompanied full-term development. Nevertheless, the results of this challenge experiment suggest that piglets are capable of restricting colonization by Y. enterocolitica to the throat and intestinal tract without development of serious illness.
Development and performance characteristics of Platelet Virtual Crossmatch (PLT VXM), a software application for the evaluation and management of platelet transfusion-refractory patients.

Background Platelet (PLT) transfusion refractoriness increases bleeding complications, hospital stays, and PLT inventory usage. Immune-mediated refractoriness can be evaluated for using a physical PLT crossmatch with ABO-compatible inventory and, if positive, managed with HLA-compatible PLT inventory and donors. Manual completion of these complex tasks can be time-consuming and potentially error-prone. This study was conducted to determine if a Web-based software application could improve process efficiency and accuracy. Study design and methods Workflow analysis was performed to identify process, data, and analytic requirements for a software application for three PLT transfusion-refractoriness associated tasks: (a) physical PLT crossmatch inventory selection, (b) HLA-compatible inventory selection, and (c) HLA-compatible donor selection. After software application development, a comparison study was performed over 10 consecutive days, with each task performed manually and with the software application (Platelet Virtual Crossmatch [PLT VXM]) for a different unique immune-mediated PLT transfusion-refractory recipient. Task completion time, number of incompatible units/donors presented, and number of documentation errors were compared. Results PLT VXM is a Web-based software application developed using R and the Shiny Web application framework. PLT VXM significantly reduced median task completion times by 4.5 (49%), 11.2 (79%), and 59.1 minutes (94%), respectively. PLT VXM did not present any incompatible PLT units or donors for user consideration. PLT VXM also had a lower number of documentation errors than the manual process, and none of these documentation errors were software generated. Conclusion Computer-aided evaluation and management of immune-mediated PLT transfusion-refractory recipients can significantly improve workflow and reduce manual errors in this complex process.
When do dry cows get heat stressed? Correlations of rectal temperature, respiration rate, and performance

Abstract Previous studies have documented the negative effects of heat stress during the dry period on dairy cow performance during the next lactation, but an easy method to assess heat stress for dry cow management is lacking. In an effort to determine a threshold for heat stress based on the physiological response of respiration rate, an easily measured variable, an analysis including data collected from 6 different studies (n = 144 cows) was performed to summarize the correlations among rectal temperature (RT) and respiration rate (RR) during the dry period, milk production during the first 8 wk of lactation (MK), calf birth weight (CW), body weight at calving (BW), gestation length (GL), and dry matter intake (DMI) pre- and postpartum. Studies were conducted in Florida during the summer, and dry cows were assigned to 2 treatments: heat stress (only shade; HT, n = 75 cows) and cooling (shade, fans, and soakers; CL, n = 69 cows). Average RT (0.3°C) and RR [26 breaths per min (bpm)] of HT cows increased compared with CL. In addition, the CL group produced more milk (2.8 kg/d) during the first 8 wk of the subsequent lactation relative to HT. Correlation analysis indicated that RR of HT was negatively correlated with MK and GL. Within HT, RT was also negatively correlated with MK and GL and tended to be negatively correlated with CW. In addition to being negatively correlated with RT and RR, HT MK was positively correlated with CW, GL, and DMI postpartum. In CL, no correlations were observed for RR, but RT was positively correlated with BW, and MK was positively correlated with DMI postpartum and tended to be positively correlated with GL. Moreover, the overall RT was 39.1 ± 0.48°C and RR was 61 ± 19.5 bpm, which indicates that RR over 61 bpm is an indicator of heat stress in cows during the dry period and can be easily assessed at the cow level. In summary, the more heat load a cow carries in the dry period, the greater the negative effects are on subsequent milk production, which may suggest a threshold for the effects of heat stress. Also, variation among cows within the HT group indicates that cows with longer gestation length have heavier calves, eat more postpartum, and produce more milk, but not as much as CL cows.
Towards Semi-Supervised Semantics Understanding from Speech

Much recent work on Spoken Language Understanding (SLU) falls short in at least one of three ways: models were trained on oracle text input and neglected the Automatics Speech Recognition (ASR) outputs, models were trained to predict only intents without the slot values, or models were trained on a large amount of in-house data. We proposed a clean and general framework to learn semantics directly from speech with semi-supervision from transcribed speech to address these. Our framework is built upon pretrained end-to-end (E2E) ASR and self-supervised language models, such as BERT, and fine-tuned on a limited amount of target SLU corpus. In parallel, we identified two inadequate settings under which SLU models have been tested: noise-robustness and E2E semantics evaluation. We tested the proposed framework under realistic environmental noises and with a new metric, the slots edit F1 score, on two public SLU corpora. Experiments show that our SLU framework with speech as input can perform on par with those with oracle text as input in semantics understanding, while environmental noises are present, and a limited amount of labeled semantics data is available.
Longitudinal evaluation of the impact of school characteristics on changes in physical activity opportunities.

BACKGROUND Even as many states adopt physical activity policies to promote physical activity and prevent childhood obesity, little is known about differences in policy implementation based on school characteristics. We studied association of school characteristics and changes in physical activity opportunities at the school level during the implementation of a statewide physical activity policy in the state of Georgia. METHODS A web-based school survey was administered to elementary schools at two time points (before and during policy execution). Matched respondents (289 classroom teachers, 234 administrators) reported the frequency and duration of recess and integrated physical activity time. We used paired t-test to assess changes in physical activity opportunities and chi-square tests to assess the association of change in physical activity opportunities with school characteristics. We then constructed a multiple linear regression model following a change score method to identify school-level factors that predict the magnitude of change in physical activity opportunities. RESULTS There was an overall significant increase in total physical activity opportunities across time; however, schools with higher poverty showed a decrease in physical activity time by 5.3 minutes per day (95% CI: -9.2, -1.3). Further, the changes in physical activity time for schools in suburban Georgia were smaller (-5.7, 95% CI: -9.5, -1.9) compared to schools located in towns. CONCLUSIONS The change in physical activity opportunities was not the same across schools and school characteristics predicted the magnitude of change. Additional efforts at the local level might be needed for equitable policy implementation based on schools' geographical location and poverty level of the student population.
Therapeutic effects of non-invasive, individualized, transcranial neuromodulation treatment for voiding dysfunction in multiple sclerosis patients: study protocol for a pilot clinical trial

Voiding dysfunction (VD) is a common neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Currently, the only effective management for VD and urinary retention in MS patients is catheterization, prompting us to look for novel therapeutic options beyond the bladder, such as the brain. Transcranial rotating permanent magnet stimulator (TRPMS) is a non-invasive, portable, multifocal neuromodulator that simultaneously modulates multiple cortical regions, enhancing or attenuating strengths of functional connections between these regions. The objective of this pilot clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility of a TRPMS trial to address lower urinary tract symptoms in MS patients, through investigating the therapeutic effects of TRPMS in modulating brain regions during voiding initiation and mitigating VD in female MS individuals. Ten adult female MS patients with VD (defined as having %post-void residual/bladder capacity (%PVR/BC) ≥ 40% or Liverpool nomogram percentile < 10%) will be recruited for this study. Concurrent urodynamic and functional MRI evaluation with a bladder filling/emptying task repeated three to four times will be performed at baseline and post-treatment. Predetermined regions of interest and their blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activation at voiding initiation will be identified on each patient’s baseline anatomical and functional MRI scan, corresponding to the microstimulators placement on their individualized TRPMS treatment cap to either stimulate or inhibit these regions. Patients will receive 10 40-min treatment sessions. Non-instrumented uroflow and validated questionnaires will also be collected at baseline and post-treatment to evaluate clinical improvement. Despite the crucial role of the central nervous system in urinary control and its sensitivity to MS, there has been no treatment for urinary dysfunction targeting the brain centers that are involved in proper bladder function. This trial, to our knowledge, will be the first of its kind in humans to consider non-invasive and individualized cortical modulation for treating VD in MS patients. Results from this study will provide a better understanding of the brain control of neurogenic bladders and lay the foundation for a potential alternative therapy for VD in MS patients and other NLUTD in a larger neurogenic population in the future. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.Gov ( NCT03574610 , 2 July 2018.) and Houston Methodist Research Institute IRB (PRO00019329)
Brilliant, Bored, or Badly Behaved? Media Coverage of the Charter School Debate in the United States

BackgroundIn recent years, charter schools have received a great deal of media attention, appearing in documentary films, newspaper articles, magazine profiles, television news programs, and even s...
Modeling soil texture and residue management effects on conservation agriculture productivity in Nepal

Abstract Conservation agriculture (CA) is characterized by zero or minimum tillage, permanent land cover with crop residue or plant growth, and crop rotation. Only a few studies have addressed the impact of soil texture on relative CA:CP productivity, and none have simultaneously evaluated soil texture interactions with optimal residue retention rate. We simulated the interaction effects of soil texture and residue retention on crop yield for CA and conventional practices (CP) for a monsoon-season maize [Zea mays L.] and dry-season wheat [Triticum aestivum L.] double-cropping system in the midhills of Nepal. The simulation used 35 years of historical weather data, fifteen soil profile descriptions representing a range of soil texture classes, and variable rates of residue retention. Crop models were calibrated with field data and simulation results evaluated against measured field data from other published studies. Optimal maize residue retention rate was 60 % and optimal wheat residue retention rate was 10 %, regardless of soil texture. At optimal residue retention, CA maize yielded 0.37 Mg ha−1 less than CP on clayey soils and 0.25 Mg ha−1 less than CP on loam soils, equivalent to 5 % and 4 % yield loss, respectively. However, mean wheat yield was greater with CA than CP for all soil textures, with an average yield increase of 0.17 Mg ha−1, or 18 % increase in wheat yield. The time required for CA to produce equivalent maize yields to CP increased by approximately 1.23 yr per % of soil clay. Possible non-linearities exist in the relationship between soil clay and time-to-equivalent maize yield. Wheat yield was more stable, but maize yield less stable, with CA compared with CP for all soil texture categories.
Remission of Recalcitrant Psoriasis on Combined Biologic Therapy With Infliximab and Ustekinumab

Introduction:Anti-TNF treatment is effective for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), however it also has the potential to cause paradoxical psoriasis which can be challenging to manage. Discontinuati...
The DADO Machine

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the DADO machine. DADO is a medium-grain, parallel computer with distributed memory. A full-scale production version of the DADO machine would comprise a very large set of processing elements (PEs) interconnected in a complete binary tree. Each PE contains its own processor, a small amount of local random access memory (RAM), and a specialized I/O section. The PEs of a DADO machine is interconnected to form a complete binary tree. Broadcast permits any node in the DADO tree to broadcast data to all of its descendants. Conversely, any node can report data to an ancestor. The third operation supported by the I/O section is a high-speed, hardware-maximizing network. During a resolve operation, all PEs offer a candidate value, and at each node of the tree, a three-way comparison is performed between the value at the node and two values computed by the children. As very large-scale integration technology continues its downward trend in scaling, it will be possible to integrate ever more complicated processing elements on a single chip. Future microcomputer technology may permit many DADO PEs to be placed on a single chip. It is important to interconnect a large number of processors in the most area-efficient topology possible.
Fatigue crack tip plasticity

Theoretical calculation and experimental measurement of fatigue crack tip plastic zone size are reviewed, and recent plastic zone measurements using selected area electron channeling are presented. The relationships between state of stress, measurement technique, and plastic zone shape and size are discussed. It is shown that there exists only limited agreement between theory and experimental measurements, but that general conclusions concerning the appropriate plastic zone dimensions for various conditions can be drawn. The importance of plastic zone shape is demonstrated for the case of overload-induced crack growth retardation.
Science education : Multicultural and universal

In this paper, I first explore the reasons for embracing multiculturalism, arguing that multiculturalism is best conceived and defended in universalistic moral, rather than epistemic, terms. I then criticize the common view that multiculturalism is incompatible with a universalistic conception of science, and argue that multiculturalism is compatible with a suitably characterized epistemic universalism. Finally, I consider whether or not that sort of universalism is itself morally objectionable, and argue that it is not. The upshot is that science educators ought to embrace both a universalistic conception of multiculturalism (on moral grounds), and a universalistic conception of science (on epistemic grounds).
Automatic Differentiation, Tangent Linear Models, and (Pseudo)Adjoints1

This paper provides a brief introduction to automatic differentiation and relates it to the tangent linear model and adjoint approaches commonly used in meteorology. After a brief review of the forward and reverse mode of automatic differentiation, the ADIFOR automatic differentiation tool is introduced, and initial results of a sensitivity-enhanced version of the MM5 PSU/NCAR mesoscale weather model are presented. We also present, a novel approach to the computation of gradients that, uses a reverse mode approach at the time loop level and a forward mode approach at every time step. The resulting “pseudoadjoint” shares the characteristic of an adjoint code that the ratio of gradient to function evaluation does not depend on the number of independent variables. In contrast to a true adjoint approach, however, the nonlinearity of the model plays no role in the complexity of the derivative code.
Output tracking in first-order time-delay systems: A dynamic control approach

Abstract Output tracking of systems, which are represented through a surrogate first-order model with a delay in the control input, is examined in this paper. A dynamic control input is proposed to maintain the system output to track a desired reference profile, while providing closed-loop stability. The system closed-loop response is demonstrated for fueling control in leanburn gasoline spark ignition engines addressing the varying transport and combustion delays. The developed methodology, which is validated on a Ford F–150 SI lean-burn engine model with large time-varying delay in the control loop, exhibits improved performance in terms of disturbance attenuation, measurement noise accommodation and robustness against delay estimation anomalies. The proposed controller is compared with a PI controller equipped with a Smith predictor and the results are discussed for various operating conditions.
Comment: Interrogating the neo-pluralist orthodoxy in American Anthropology

Anthony Marcus has crafted a trenchant critique of what he supposes to be the position of a school of thought according to which the state is a mere chimera, a figment of the scholarly and political imagination. But what if the imagined target of his critique were the chimera, and his argument a misprision? I have never claimed that the state does not exist, and I am pretty sure that neither has Gupta. Indeed, such a position is like saying that facts do not exist?an absurdity, or perhaps a caricature of postmodernism. I would argue instead, with Vico, that facts do exist; they are representations of an ultimately inaccessible reality because all knowledge of that reality is necessarily mediated by senses and signs. An empirical approach demands open-ended recognition of the conditionality of all knowledge. The state is, like other structures such as "the kinship system" and "exchange relations," emergent in practice; while it does "exist," our knowledge of it comes from our practical engagements with its various realizations in bureaucracy, law, and surveillance. This entity is, moreover, unlike some of the less successful forms of modern institution-building only in that it has proved remarkably adept at solidifying its history as always-already in place ("we have always been a nation," "this has always been our territory," and so on) and at resisting challenges to such illusions of Ozymandias-like permanence. A theory of practice demands that we recognize both the illusion and its remarkable success in real time. But this does not add up to saying that the state does not exist; on the contrary, it makes nonsense of such formulations. If Marcus believes that the discursive and symbolic aspects of the state do not belong to the phenomenal world or that they cannot be treated as res, his argument comes far closer to Radcliffe-Brown's than anything I have ever written (to say nothing of what it does to the rich semantic nuances of the Latin word). Anthropologists encounter the state through its realization (should I write "real-ization"?) in moments of ethnographic encounter, and piece its substance
Spinwaves in spintronics structures

We have been applying in situ and ex situ spin-wave Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) techniques to spinwave structures we are growing by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE). The sensitivity of our BLS technique is illustrated by our ability to measure spin-wave excitations for samples as thin as 1 monolayer of Co buried by as much as 20 nanometers of Au. This talk will describe the use of in situ and ex situ BLS in combination with appropriate structural probes to determine the origin of several interesting and useful physical phenomena in spintronics structures.
Changes in neural activity associated with a surprising change in the predictive validity of a conditioned stimulus

Changes in how well a conditioned stimulus (CS) predicts future events can alter the amount of attention paid to that cue. For example, the unexpected violation of a previously established relationship between a CS and another stimulus can increase attentional processing and subsequent conditioning to that cue [J.M. Pearce & G. Hall (1980)Psych. Rev., 106, 532-552]. Previous lesion studies have implicated the central nucleus of the amygdala (CN) and basal forebrain corticopetal cholinergic system in mediating surprise-induced changes in attention. Here, expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos was used to determine which cortical targets of the basal forebrain cholinergic system are activated during an increase in attentional processing. Consistent with previous studies, increased Fos expression was observed in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) when a visual stimulus no longer reliably predicted occurrence of a tone. Similar results were observed in the secondary auditory cortex; however, there were no significant changes in Fos expression in other auditory or visual cortices or in other cortical association areas that have been implicated in attentional function (frontal, cingulate or retrosplenial cortex). These findings support the notion that the PPC is the primary cortical component of a neural system mediating incremental changes in attention. In addition, an increase in Fos-positive cells was detected in the substantia innominata/nucleus basalis and the CN at the time of surprise. An opposite pattern of results was observed in the basal lateral nucleus of the amygdala, providing evidence for different stimulus-processing mechanisms in regions of the amygdala.