cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CLARE: a joint approach to label classification and tag recommendation

Data classification and tag recommendation are both important and challenging tasks in social media. These two tasks are often considered independently and most efforts have been made to tackle them separately. However, labels in data classification and tags in tag recommendation are inherently related. For example, a Youtube video annotated with NCAA, stadium, pac12 is likely to be labeled as football, while a video/image with the class label of coast is likely to be tagged with beach, sea, water and sand. The existence of relations between labels and tags motivates us to jointly perform classification and tag recommendation for social media data in this paper. In particular, we provide a principled way to capture the relations between labels and tags, and propose a novel framework CLARE, which fuses data CLAssification and tag REcommendation into a coherent model. With experiments on three social media datasets, we demonstrate that the proposed framework CLARE achieves superior performance on both tasks compared to the state-of-the-art methods.
Evaluation and characterisation of Passive Infrared Detectors to monitor pig activities in an environmental research building

In confined feeding operations, animal activity can affect environmental variables such as indoor gas and dust concentrations, which can have negative impact on animal health and welfare. Therefore, monitoring animal activities is important in research into the environment of animal rearing. In this study, low-cost Passive Infrared Detector (PID) motion sensors were studied to monitor pig activities in the Swine Environmental Research Building, Purdue University, USA. Special functions were programmed into custom-developed data acquisition software to process the sensor analogue output signals and provide real-time, continuous, and quantitative data, which reflected behaviour-related pig activities. Signals from the PID sensors were averaged at different time intervals for data interpretation. Data using the PID sensors demonstrated substantial differences in activity magnitudes of pigs between day and night, which confirmed diurnal patterns of pig behaviours. Short-time disturbance by operational work in the rooms could cause prolonged excitement and activities of the pigs. In addition, the study revealed that pigs were active at different times of the day as they grew up. Pigs were most active between 30 and 100 post-weaning days. Based on the results of this study, PID sensors can be used to assist in monitoring pig activities in livestock production and research into animal behaviours and welfare.
The determinants and outcomes of good provider communication: a cross-sectional study in seven African countries.

Objectives To determine the extent of provider communication, predictors of good communication and the association between provider communication and patient outcomes, such as patient satisfaction, in seven sub-Saharan African countries. Design Cross-sectional, multicountry study. Setting Data from recent Service Provision Assessment (SPA) surveys from seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. SPA surveys include assessment of facility inputs and processes as well as interviews with caretakers of sick children. These data included 3898 facilities and 4627 providers. Participants 16 352 caregivers visiting the facility for their sick children. Primary and secondary outcome measures We developed an index of four recommended provider communication items for a sick child assessment based on WHO guidelines. We assessed potential predictors of provider communication and considered whether better provider communication was associated with intent to return to the facility for care. Results The average score of the composite indicator of provider communication was low, at 35% (SD 26.9). Fifty-four per cent of caregivers reported that they were told the child’s diagnosis, and only 10% reported that they were counselled on feeding for the child. Caregivers’ educational attainment and provider preservice education and training in integrated management of childhood illness were associated with better communication. Private facilities and facilities with better infrastructure received higher communication scores. Caretakers reporting better communication were significantly more likely to state intent to return to the facility (relative risk: 1.19, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.22). Conclusions There are major deficiencies in communication during sick child visits. These are associated with lower provider education as well as less well-equipped facilities. Poor communication, in turn, is linked to lower satisfaction and intention to return to facility among caregivers of sick children. Countries should test strategies for enhancing quality of communication in their efforts to improve health outcomes and patient experience.
Mindful Parenting and Emotion Socialization Practices: Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations

Caregivers play a crucial role in the socialization of youth emotion understanding, competence, and regulation, which are implicated in youth social and emotional health; however, there is less understanding of parental psychosocial or cognitive factors, like mindful parenting, that may be associated with the use of particular emotion socialization (ES) strategies. This study tests a model of the cross-sectional and short-term longitudinal associations between mindful parenting and supportive and nonsupportive ES strategies in a community sample of parents (N = 246; 63.8% mothers) of youth ranging from ages 3-12. Caregivers reported on mindful parenting and ES strategies at two time points 4 months apart. The structural equation model indicated that higher levels of mindful parenting are positively related to supportive ES responses and negatively related to nonsupportive ES responses both concurrently and over time. The longitudinal association between mindful parenting and nonsupportive, but not supportive, ES was marginally larger for fathers as compared to mothers. Given the documented impact of ES strategies on youth emotional and behavioral outcomes and interventions emerging to educate parents about how to provide a healthy emotional atmosphere, incorporating a focus on mindful parenting strategies may provide one pathway to increase supportive responses and decrease nonsupportive ones.
Handling Missing Data in the Modeling of Intensive Longitudinal Data

Myriad approaches for handling missing data exist in the literature. However, few studies have investigated the tenability and utility of these approaches when used with intensive longitudinal data. In this study, we compare and illustrate two multiple imputation (MI) approaches for coping with missingness in fitting multivariate time-series models under different missing data mechanisms. They include a full MI approach, in which all dependent variables and covariates are imputed simultaneously, and a partial MI approach, in which missing covariates are imputed with MI, whereas missingness in the dependent variables is handled via full information maximum likelihood estimation. We found that under correctly specified models, partial MI produces the best overall estimation results. We discuss the strengths and limitations of the two MI approaches, and demonstrate their use with an empirical data set in which children's influences on parental conflicts are modeled as covariates over the course of 15 days (Schermerhorn, Chow, & Cummings, 2010).
Risk Premia in the 8:30 Economy

Financial asset risk premia are widely agreed to vary over time. This paper decomposes these risk premia into expected excess returns earned in short windows around the times of macroeconomic news ...
Evolving abundance and clonal pattern of human germinal center B cells during childhood

Childhood is a critical period for the development of the memory B- lymphocyte repertoire necessary in protective humoral immunity. This study addressed the natural history of memory B cells based on the previous identification of germinal center and mantle zone cells as the probable precursor and mature memory cell populations, respectively. Using flow cytometric quantitation of these B-cell subpopulations in human tonsil, we found that germinal center cells were abundant (70% of tonsil B cells) during early childhood (2 to 3 years), but decline by early adolescence (8 to 14 years) to a low level (33%, P = .0003). To study the clonal evolution of these B-cell subpopulations, germinal center and mantle zone B cells were isolated using a preparative magnetic immunobead method, and analyzed using a novel polymerase chain reaction-based quantitative assay to measure the abundance of B-cell clones bearing certain rearranged VH subfamilies. Two VH subfamilies were informative: VH1N clones were uniquely deficient in germinal center B cells at the early age period, but became abundant in later childhood; and VH3L clones were absent among germinal center cells regardless of age. In contrast, B-cell clones bearing each VH subfamily were abundant in the mantle zone subpopulation throughout childhood. These findings suggest that the abundance and clonal pattern of germinal center B cells evolves during childhood, presumably due to changing antigenic or ontogenic processes. Moreover, the distinct clonal pattern of germinal center versus mantle zone B cells suggests that a major phase of clonal selection occurs after germinal center emigration.
PANDAS: Immune-Related OCD

In some instances, neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as obsessive–compulsive symptoms and tics, can have a sudden and dramatic onset following an infection in a condition known as Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS). This chapter discusses the PANDAS phenotype, immune triggers, diagnosis, and treatment of the condition, as exemplified through a case study.
Shame and Shyness

Shame and shyness play a highly important role in human affairs, but they have been much less studied than emotions such as anger and fear. The apparent relationship between anger and at least some forms of aggression and the relationship between fear and the complex concept of anxiety have resulted in extensive studies of at least certain aspects of these emotions. The social and clinical significance of both normal and deviant anger- and fear-related behavior and the effects of these emotions upon individuals and groups have caught the attention of scientists for many decades. The effects of shame on the individual and on social relations, however, has not been so evident or compelling for most behavioral scientists.
Part II: Verification of the TrueBeam head shielding model in Varian VirtuaLinac via out-of-field doses

Purpose A good Monte Carlo model with an accurate head shielding model is important in estimating the long-term risks of unwanted radiation exposure during radiation therapy. The aim of this paper was to validate the Monte Carlo simulation of a TrueBeam linear accelerator (linac) head shielding model. We approach this by evaluating the accuracy of out-of-field dose predictions at extended distances which are comprised of scatter from within the patient and treatment head leakage and thus reflect the accuracy of the head shielding model. We quantify the out-of-field dose of a TrueBeam linac for low-energy photons, 6X and 6X-FFF beams, and compare measurements to Monte Carlo simulations using Varian VirtuaLinac that include a realistic head shielding model, for a variety of jaw sizes and angles up to a distance of 100 cm from the isocenter, in both positive and negative directions. Given the high value and utility of the VirtuaLinac model, it is critical that this model is validated thoroughly and the results be available to the medical physics community. Materials and method Simulations were done using VirtuaLinac, the GEANT4-based Monte Carlo model of the TrueBeam treatment head from Varian Medical Systems, and an in-house GEANT4-based code. VirtuaLinac included a detailed model of the treatment head shielding and was run on the Amazon Web Services cloud to generate spherical phase space files surrounding the treatment head. These phase space files were imported into the in-house code, which modeled the measurement setup with a solid water buildup, the carbon fiber couch, and the gantry stand. For each jaw size (2 × 2 cm2 , 4 × 4 cm2 , 10 × 10 cm2 , and 20 × 20 cm2 ) and angular setting (0°, 90°, 45°, 135°), the dose was calculated at intervals of 5 cm along each measurement direction. Results For the 10 × 10 cm2 jaw size, both 6X and 6X-FFF showed very good agreement between simulation and measurement in both in-plane directions, with no apparent systematic bias. The percentage deviations for these settings were as follows: (mean, STDEV, maximum) (8.34, 6.44, 24.84) for 6X and (13.21, 8.93, 35.56) for 6X-FFF. For all jaw sizes, simulation agreed well in the in-plane direction going away from the gantry, but, some deviations were observed moving toward the gantry at larger distances. At larger distances, for the jaw sizes smaller than 10 × 10 cm2 , the simulation underestimates the dose compared with measurement, while for jaw sizes larger than 10 × 10 cm2 , it overestimates dose. For all comparisons between ±50 cm from isocenter, average absolute agreement between simulation and measurement was better than 28%. Conclusion We have validated the Varian VirtuaLinac's head shielding model via out-of-field doses and quantified the differences between TrueBeam head shielding model created out-of-field doses and measurements for an extended distance of 100 cm.
Experimental and Theoretical Comparison of Transition-Metal and Actinide Tetravalent Schiff Base Coordination Complexes.

A series of homoleptic tetravalent transition-metal and actinide Schiff-base coordination complexes, ML2 {M = Zr, Hf, Th, U; L = N,N′-bis[(4,4′-diethylamino)salicylidene]-1,2-phenylenediamine}, have been synthesized that feature a rigid phenyl backbone. These complexes create the opportunity for comparing a series of complexes containing metal cations in the formal IV+ oxidation state by structural, spectroscopic, and theoretical analysis that also incorporate the previously reported Ce(IV) and Pu(IV) analogues. X-ray crystallographic analysis reveals that all complexes are isomorphous and feature a co-facial ligand geometry. TD-DFT and other quantum mechanical methods were used to explore bonding differences across between the complexes, and resulting calculated absorbance spectra for ML2 are in good agreement with the experimental data. The computational results also suggest that U(IV) and Pu(IV) analogs have more covalent character in their bonding than found with the other metal cations reported here.
Evaluation and Management of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

Abstract Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is a common condition that leads to increased health care costs and decreased quality of life. A systematic approach to AUB evaluation can simplify management and enhance women's well-being. Abnormal uterine bleeding describes any variation from normal bleeding patterns in nonpregnant, reproductive-aged women beyond menarche lasting for at least 6 months. Ambiguous and inconsistent use of terminology and definitions to characterize AUB in the past decades necessitated a new, consensus-based approach to nomenclature and AUB evaluation. This led to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) System 1 in 2007, which standardized nomenclature, set parameters, and defined normal and abnormal bleeding based on the 5th to 95th percentile data from available large-scale epidemiologic studies. FIGO System 1, endorsed by several national and international societies, improved worldwide communication among educators, clinicians, and researchers. FIGO System 2, published in 2011, focused on classifications of AUB etiology into structural and nonstructural entities using the PALM-COEIN (polyp[s], adenomyosis, leiomyoma, malignancy, coagulopathy, ovulatory dysfunction, endometrial disorders, iatrogenic, and not yet classified) classification system. The PALM-COEIN classification is facilitated by a complete patient history combined with appropriate imaging, histopathologic analysis, or laboratory evaluation to ensure accurate diagnostic and treatment approaches to AUB. Herein we present the systematic evaluation of AUB.
Dogs and cats and the well-being of older adults.

The article, “Typologies of Older Adult Companion Animal Owners and Non-Owners: Moving Beyond the Dichotomy,” (Carr, Taylor, Gee, & Sachs-Ericsson, this issue) represents a major step forward in co...
Acetaminophen Protein Adducts in Hospitalized Children Receiving Multiple Doses of Acetaminophen.

Previous reports have questioned the safety of multiple doses of acetaminophen administered to ill children. Acetaminophen protein adducts (adducts) are a biomarker of acetaminophen-induced liver injury and reflect the oxidative metabolism of acetaminophen, a known mechanism in acetaminophen toxicity. In this prospective observational study, we analyzed adduct concentrations in 1034 blood samples obtained from 181 hospitalized children (1 to 18 years inclusive) who received 2 or more doses of acetaminophen. Linear regression analysis showed that serum adduct concentrations increased as a function of the cumulative acetaminophen dose, which could be attributed, in part, to a long half-life of adducts (2.17 ± 1.04 days [mean ± standard deviation]) in children. However, few patients (2%) were found to have adduct concentrations higher than 1.0 nmol/mL, a previously identified toxicity cut point for the diagnosis of acetaminophen-induced liver injury in patients with alanine aminotransferase values exceeding 1000 IU/L. A small cohort of patients with suspected infection was noted to show higher adduct concentrations. In addition, adduct concentrations showed a stronger correlation with cumulative acetaminophen doses in adolescents compared with children (R2 = 0.41 vs 0.26). No other covariates (body weight, body mass index z score, sex, race, or surgery) remarkably correlated with adduct elevation. In summary, low levels of adducts can be detected in hospitalized children receiving multiple doses of acetaminophen, and adduct levels correlate with cumulative acetaminophen dose.
Forest adaptation strategies aimed at climate change: Assessing the performance of future climate-adapted tree species in a northern Minnesota pine ecosystem

Abstract Climate change is expected to impact the function, health, and productivity of many northern latitude forests, including North American mixed-pine ecosystems. Additionally, forest managers face increasing challenges to sustaining forests in the face of high uncertainty associated with response to climate change. The Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) project was developed to provide operational-scale research opportunities to assess and demonstrate various adaptation approaches to forest management in regionally important forest types. The ASCC project framework includes three treatments (resistance, resilience, and transition) representing a gradient of silvicultural approaches aimed at climate change. The first of five ASCC installations is located on the Cutfoot Experimental Forest-Chippewa National Forest (CEF), Minnesota USA, in a mixed-species northern pine forest. Using habitat suitability models under projected future climates, as well as expert opinion, we chose eight future climate-adapted species for planting as part of the transition treatment, consisting of four native species to the CEF: eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.), bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.), and red maple (Acer rubrum L.); and four novel species to the CEF: white oak (Quercus alba L.), bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis Wangenh.), black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson). The seedlings were planted under two canopy conditions, a thinned matrix (14–18 m2 ha−1 residual basal area) and 0.2-ha gap openings (through harvesting). We measured how overstory canopy conditions (gap openings versus a thinned matrix) and understory shrub/herbaceous cover affect species performance. We measured 45 plots over the course of three growing seasons (Spring 2016 – Fall 2018), taking measurements of seedling basal diameter and survival, as well as estimates of understory vegetation density. Our findings highlight strong variations in species performance across treatment conditions. While overstory canopy condition was found to be a weak predictor of seedling survival and growth, our results show post-treatment colonization of understory shrub/herbaceous cover being a strong predictor of seedling survival (p
Scalar-field reconstruction algorithms using plenoptic cameras

Several volumetric reconstruction algorithms are surveyed and evaluated using plenoptic images of a burner flame. Automatic generation of static and dynamic masks is implemented to limit the scope of the reconstruction problem. Volumetric reconstructions of the flame are performed using all surveyed algorithms with a number of plenoptic cameras ranging from one to four. Simultaneous Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (SART), a reconstruction algorithm widely used in medical imaging, is identified as the most promising algorithm of those surveyed. When combined with inter-iteration minimization of L1 Total Variation (TV-L1), SART-TV reconstructions of a burner flame are shown to be smooth, circular, and uniform. Two-camera reconstructions recover the approximate shape of the flame, yielding qualitative information about the flame structure. Three-and four-camera yield the full three-dimensional flame structure.
Broadband single-shot transient absorption spectroscopy

The duration of transient absorption spectroscopy measurements typically limits the types of systems for which the excited state dynamics can be measured. We present a single-shot transient absorption (SSTA) instrument with a spatially encoded 60 ps time delay range and a 100 nm spectral range that is capable of acquiring a transient spectrum in 20 s. We describe methods to spatially overlap the flat-top pump and probe beams at the sample plane, calibrate the spatially encoded time delay, and correct for non-uniform excitation density. SSTA measurements of organic materials in solution and film demonstrate this technique.
HippoBellum: acute cerebellar modulation alters hippocampal dynamics and function

Here we examine what effects acute manipulation of the cerebellum, a canonically motor structure, can have on the hippocampus, a canonically cognitive structure. In male and female mice, acute perturbation of the cerebellar vermis (lobule 4/5) or simplex produced reliable and specific effects in hippocampal function at cellular, population, and behavioral levels, including evoked local field potentials, increased hippocampal cFos expression, and altered CA1 calcium event rate, amplitudes, and correlated activity. We additionally noted a selective deficit on an object location memory task, which requires objection-location pairing. We therefore combined cerebellar optogenetic stimulation and CA1 calcium imaging with an object-exploration task, and found that cerebellar stimulation reduced the representation of place fields near objects, and prevented a shift in representation to the novel location when an object was moved. Together, these results clearly demonstrate that acute modulation of the cerebellum alters hippocampal function, and further illustrates that the cerebellum can influence cognitive domains. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The cerebellum, a canonically motor-related structure, is being increasingly recognized for its influence on nonmotor functions and structures. The hippocampus is a brain region critical for cognitive functions, such as episodic memory and spatial navigation. To investigate how modulation of the cerebellum may impact the hippocampus, we stimulated two sites of the cerebellar cortex and examined hippocampal function at multiple levels. We found that cerebellar stimulation strongly modulates hippocampal activity, disrupts spatial memory, and alters object-location processing. Therefore, a canonically cognitive brain area, the hippocampus, is sensitive to cerebellar modulation.
Coming of Age in Physician Assistant Education: Evolution of Program Characteristics.

PURPOSE This study aimed to describe the characteristics of physician assistant (PA) programs developed in 3 previously defined time periods. METHODS Data were extracted from the websites of 238 PA programs, including admissions, curriculum, faculty, and program characteristics. Institutional characteristics were gathered from the Carnegie Classification website and the US Census Bureau. Program characteristics were analyzed in 3 groups based on when the program was first accredited-early (before 1980), middle (1980-1999), and current (2000-2019). RESULTS Early (n = 40), middle (n = 69), and current (n = 129) phase programs are similar regarding the number of admissions, curriculum, faculty, program, and institutional characteristics. Program phase had the greatest effect on undergraduate GPA of matriculating students, the number of PA faculty at the rank of professor, and the size of the admitted cohort. The effect size was medium for outcomes including the number of required biology, chemistry, or physics prerequisites; the probability that the program required a graduate record examination for admission; the number of PA program faculty at the rank of associate professor; the annual tuition and fees; and the probability that the PA program was housed with a medical school. CONCLUSION The data describe some of the similarities and differences among the programs established in the 3 previously described time periods in the history of PA education. With the recent surge in new programs, there is value in deepening our understanding of how newer programs compare with more established programs.
Rogue wave patterns in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Abstract Rogue wave patterns in the nonlinear Schrodinger equation are analytically studied. It is shown that when an internal parameter in the rogue waves (which controls the shape and phase of initial weak perturbations to the uniform background) is large, these waves would exhibit clear geometric structures, which are formed by Peregrine waves in shapes such as triangle, pentagon, heptagon and nonagon, with a possible lower-order rogue wave at its center. These rogue patterns are analytically determined by the root structures of the Yablonskii–Vorob’ev polynomial hierarchy, and their orientations are controlled by the phase of the large parameter. It is also shown that when multiple internal parameters in the rogue waves are large but satisfy certain constraints, similar rogue patterns would still hold. Comparison between true rogue patterns and our analytical predictions shows excellent agreement.
Similarity in Appearance—“Chinaman” in German and American Satire Magazines Around 1900

The development of satire magazines and their form of transnational communication reveals an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of globalization and empires of the late nineteenth century.
Online peer mentoring and remote learning

The spread of COVID-19 rapidly altered the way music teachers deliver instruction. Now instead of interacting face to face with their students in a classroom setting, instructors often have to teac...
Bone Morphogenic Protein for Upper Extremity Fractures: A Systematic Review:

PURPOSE This review discusses success, time to healing, and complications of bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) 7 and 2 in treating upper extremity nonunions. METHODS Systematic review identified 26 of 479 studies that met inclusion criteria. Publications described application of BMPs to acute and chronic upper extremity delayed unions/nonunions. Unions, complications, patient demographics, and fracture/healing patterns were pooled and analyzed. RESULTS Nonunions treated with BMP-7 (n=302) involved the humerus (64%), forearm (22%), clavicle (11%), and hand/wrist (3%), with prior surgical correction attempted in 84%. Nonunions treated with BMP-2 (n=96) involved the humerus (58%), hand/wrist (27%), forearm (14%), and clavicle (1%), with prior surgical correction attempted in all. Most nonunions (80%) were present for over 12 months before BMP application. Union rates of BMP-7 varied according to site: hand/wrist (95%), humerus (74%), forearm (29%), and clavicle (6.2%) nonunions achieved union as defined by study authors in 232 days (confidence interval=96-369, Q<0.001) on average. While not significant across studies, BMP-2 union rates were 71% of hand/wrist and 75% of humerus nonunions. Comparison of the BMPs demonstrates different proportions of success in humerus and hand/wrist fractures (P<.001) but not forearm fractures (P<.77) and longer time to radiographic union with BMP-7 (P<.011). CONCLUSIONS Most hand/wrist and humerus nonunions treated with BMP-7 and BMP-2 achieved union, with significant similarity among BMP-7 studies not observed in BMP-2 studies. Nonunions treated with BMP-7 have longer healing times yet similar complication rates compared with BMP-2. Overall, BMPs are an effective adjunct to fracture healing with acceptable complication profile.
Theory on the other Side of the Veil: Reckoning with Legacies of Anti-Blackness and Teaching in Social Theory

Classical Theory courses in the U.S. present a history of our discipline grounded in the works of Durkheim, Marx, and Weber, defining “classic” by space and time, giving pre-World War II Europe credit for creating the foundation of contemporary sociology. While past critiques of this canon have argued for expanding the geographic bounds outside of Europe, these efforts still ground the origins of social theory in a time period of racial exclusion and segregation. We argue for a reckoning with the racial origins of the discipline in the United States in anti-Blackness and the legacies of racial exclusions. We must grapple with the histories of exclusion and segregation that continue to impact the discipline’s present and futures. In this paper, we argue that the teaching of sociology’s history should be through the “Foundations of Social Theory,” a broad approach to teaching that rejects the ideas of both “classics” and a “canon.” This approach roots theory in our history through core issues of study (e.g., the origins and consequences of capitalism) and directly addresses past racial and gendered exclusions by centering BIPOC intellectual contributions across time. By lifting the time and space restrictions, we open the doors to including voices omitted and repressed due to the exclusion of BIPOC people, especially Black women, from higher education in the U.S. This approach acknowledges the diverse histories and voices in our classrooms and profession, and highlights the relevance of social theory for our future.
A GNN Based Approach to LTL Model Checking

Model Checking is widely applied in verifying complicated and especially concurrent systems. Despite of its popularity, model checking suffers from the state space explosion problem that restricts it from being applied to certain systems, or specifications. Many works have been proposed in the past to address the state space explosion problem, and they have achieved some success, but the inherent complexity still remains an obstacle for purely symbolic approaches. In this paper, we propose a Graph Neural Network (GNN) based approach for model checking, where the model is expressed using a B{\"u}chi automaton and the property to be verified is expressed using Linear Temporal Logic (LTL). We express the model as a GNN, and propose a novel node embedding framework that encodes the LTL property and characteristics of the model. We reduce the LTL model checking problem to a graph classification problem, where there are two classes, 1 (if the model satisfies the specification) and 0 (if the model does not satisfy the specification). The experimental results show that our framework is up to 17 times faster than state-of-the-art tools. Our approach is particularly useful when dealing with very large LTL formulae and small to moderate sized models.
SERVICES SUPPLY CHAIN IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF CURRENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Services acquisition in the US Department of Defense (DoD) has continued to increase in scope and dollars in the past decade with over $200 billion spent for services in 2008. In this empirical study, we conducted a web-based survey to collect primary data on management practices in services acquisition in the U. S. Navy and studied such areas as contract characteristics, management approaches, and program management issues. The paper presents summary results of our survey, implications of current management practices, and recommendations useful for improving services acquisition in the Navy.
Radiation-sensitive severe combined immunodeficiency: The arguments for and against conditioning before hematopoietic cell transplantation—what to do?

Defects in DNA cross-link repair 1C (DCLRE1C), protein kinase DNA activated catalytic polypeptide (PRKDC), ligase 4 (LIG4), NHEJ1, and NBS1 involving the nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) DNA repair pathway result in radiation-sensitive severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Results of hematopoietic cell transplantation for radiation-sensitive SCID suggest that minimizing exposure to alkylating agents and ionizing radiation is important for optimizing survival and minimizing late effects. However, use of preconditioning with alkylating agents is associated with a greater likelihood of full T- and B-cell reconstitution compared with no conditioning or immunosuppression alone. A reduced-intensity regimen using fludarabine and low-dose cyclophosphamide might be effective for patients with LIG4, NHEJ1, and NBS1 defects, although more data are needed to confirm these findings and characterize late effects. For patients with mutations in DCLRE1C (Artemis-deficient SCID), there is no optimal approach that uses standard dose-alkylating agents without significant late effects. Until nonchemotherapy agents, such as anti-CD45 or anti-CD117, become available, options include minimizing exposure to alkylators, such as single-agent low-dose targeted busulfan, or achieving T-cell reconstitution, followed several years later with a conditioning regimen to restore B-cell immunity. Gene therapy for these disorders will eventually remove the issues of rejection and graft-versus-host disease. Prospective multicenter studies are needed to evaluate these approaches in this rare but highly vulnerable patient population.
Pigeon liver malic enzyme. II. Isolation, crystallization, and some properties.

Abstract Pigeon liver malic enzyme (malate dehydrogenase (decarboxylating), EC 1.1.1.38) was purified and crystallized from ammonium sulfate solution as its triphosphopyridine nucleotide complex. The crystalline protein is homogeneous in the ultracentrifuge, in gradient centrifugation, and in gradient chromatography. A constant specific activity of 28 units per mg of protein is obtained. The crystalline enzyme has an s20 of 10.0, an apparent diffusion coefficient of 3.17 x 10-7 cm2 per sec, and an apparent partial specific volume of 0.74. Its molecular weight is 2.8 x 105. Purified malic enzyme has an ultraviolet absorption maximum at 278 mµ. The extinction coefficients for the purified enzyme and the crystalline TPN complex are 0.86 and 0.92, respectively, for a 0.10% protein solution. The purified enzyme catalyzes the decarboxylation of oxalacetate at a rate comparable to the decarboxylation of malate. Reversible inactivation of these activities occurs upon storage of the enzyme. Reactivation is obtained by incubation with dithiothreitol.
Seismic Protection of Structures using Base Isolation and Active Control

We propose the use of robust control in conjunction with base isolation in order to assure arbitrarily small motion of a seismically excited structure. The proposed method requires control force application only at the base (first) floor. The efficacy of the scheme is illustrated by extensive simulations for a prototype six-story building.
The expression of high molecular weight kininogen on human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

High molecular weight kininogen (HMWK) functions as a cofactor for activation of plasma serine zymogens and as an inhibitor of tissue cysteine proteases. Cell surfaces to which HMWK binds may provide sites for regulation of these systems. Localization of these HMWK-dependent processes at sites of vascular injury may depend on its binding to specific receptors on endothelial cells. In culture, passaged human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) bind anti-HMWK antibody to the cell surface and contain 171 +/- 75 ng of HMWK/10(8) cells. [35S]Methionine-labeled HUVEC in culture synthesize a 120-kDa protein immunoisolated using an anti-kininogen antibody, and a 3500-nucleotide message for human HMWK was detected by Northern blot in RNA extracted from HUVEC. HUVEC also express unoccupied binding sites for HMWK on their surface. 125I-HMWK specifically binds to HUVEC in a reaction requiring Zn2+. 125I-HMWK binding to HUVEC is saturable at 4 degrees C but not at 23 degrees C. 125I-HMWK binds to HUVEC with equal affinity as unlabeled HMWK. Kallikrein, factor XII, fibrinogen, fibronectin, and thrombin do not inhibit 125I-HMWK binding to HUVEC. 125I-HMWK-HUVEC binding remains fully reversible at 60 min following the addition of a 50-fold molar excess HMWK. HUVEC express 9.3 +/- 2.0 X 10(5) (mean +/- S.E.) HMWK binding sites/cell (Kd = 52 +/- 13 nM). Both added and cell-bound 125I-HMWK migrate at 120 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, suggesting that the protein remains uncleaved upon binding to the HUVEC surface. These studies indicate that HUVEC synthesize HMWK and the HUVEC surface has a site for its expression. By synthesizing and localizing HMWK to the cell surface, endothelial cells may contribute to the activation of plasma's contact serine zymogens and regulation of tissue cysteine proteases.
Ribosome Profiling: Principles and Variations

Ribosome profiling provides a snapshot of ribosome positions and density across the transcriptome at a sub-codon resolution. By sequencing the entire set of ribosome-protected mRNA fragments, this powerful approach has been successfully used to measure ribosome dynamics and reveal the hidden coding potential of transcriptome. Since its conceptual inception, ribosome profiling has evolved into a versatile method with many innovative variations. It has been applied to study translation in diverse cell types, adapted to capture specific subsets of ribosomes and further improved to address translational regulation in multicellular organisms. The continuous development of ribosome profiling technologies over the coming decade promises a broad view of translational regulation of gene expression. Key Concepts Ribosome profiling reveals a global translation snapshot. Ribosome profiling is applicable to diverse cell types. Profiling of specific ribosomes permits analysis of nascent chains. Profiling of initiating ribosomes allows the identification of alternative start codon. Ribosome profiling can be adapted to probe translation in vivo. Keywords: ribosome profiling; translation; initiation; elongation; genome-wide; deep-sequencing
Stochastic modeling of TCP in networks with abrupt delay variations

An analytical model of TCP (Transport Control Protocol) over an end-to-end path with random abrupt round-trip time (RTT) changes is presented. Modeling the RTT as a stochastic process, we analytically quantify and compare between the degree of degradation of the steady-state average throughput and window size due to spurious retransmissions for the different versions of TCP (Reno/New Reno versus Tahoe). The modeling methodology in this paper is used for evaluating different design alternatives for TCP for highly dynamic networks.
Shamanic Voices: A Survey of Visionary Narratives

(1980). Shamanic Voices: A Survey of Visionary Narratives. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 81-82.
Bidirectional edges problem: Part I--A simple algorithm

The "bidirectional edges problem" is to find an edge-labeling of an undirected network,G=(V, E), with a source and a sink, such that an edge [u, v] źE is labeled (u, v) or (v, u) (or both) depending on the existence of a (simple) path from the source to sink that visits the verticesu andv, in the orderu, v orv, u, respectively. We provide several algorithms for this problem in the current paper and the sequel. In this paper we show the relation between this problem and the classical two-vertex-disjoint-paths problem and then devise a simple algorithm with a time complexity ofO(|E|·|V|2). In the sequel we improve the time complexity toO(|E|·|V|). The main technique exploits aclever partition of the graph into a set of paths and bridges which are then analyzed recursively. The bidirectional edges problem arises naturally in the context of the simulation of an MOS transistor network, in which a transistor may operate as a unilateral or a bilateral device, depending on the voltages at its source and drain nodes. For efficient simulation, it is required to detect the set of transistors that may operate as bilateral devices. Also, sometimes it is intended to propagate information in one direction only, and propagation in the wrong direction (resulting in asneak path) can cause functional error. Our algorithms can be used to detect all the sneak paths.
Pneumococcus: The First One Hundred Years

Some of the major contributions to biology and medicine resulting from studies of the pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) and of the diseases caused by it in the century following its initial isolation are reviewed briefly. Among the topics considered are cellular and humoral defenses against pneumococcal infection, the role of pneumococcus in the development of quantitative immunochemistry, the historical position of the pneumococcus in the recognition of bacterial resistance to drugs, and the fundamental role played by this organism in the origins of molecular genetics and molecular biology. Because of the vast store of knowledge of the pneumococcus that has been acquired in the past 100 years, the hope is expressed that this knowledge will continue to grow and to serve as a basis for the extension of understanding both the bacterial cells and of the processes of infection.
Overexpression of nucleolin in engrafted acute myelogenous leukemia cells.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a heterogenous clonal disorder of hematopoietic progenitor cells leading to loss of normal differentiation and the ability to respond to regulators of cellular proliferation. More than 50% of all patients with AML either fail to achieve an initial remission or experience a subsequent relapse [1,2]. Thus, AML remains poorly treated, despite the intensive clinical investigation of new therapeutic options. AML blast cells have been reported to over-express the antiapoptotic protein bcl-2, and overexpression of bcl-2 is thought to allow cells that are genetically unstable to avoid apoptosis and become tumorigenic [3]. Nucleolin, a multifunctional protein that induces stabilization of bcl-2 mRNA [4], is overexpressed in the blast cells of patients with AML compared with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the healthy human volunteers. Confocal microscopy studies indicate that overexpression of nucleolin in the AML cells was primarily the result of increased levels of nucleolin in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane of the AML cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that nucleolin should also be overexpressed by AML cells engrafted into nonobese diabetic (NOD), severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice, if nucleolin has a role in AML pathogenesis. Indeed, we found that nucleolin is overexpressed in the engrafted AML cells, consistent with the concept that nucleolin is a therapeutic target for treating AML, and that its overexpression is pathogenetically relevant to the malignant phenotype of AML.
Following the clues: Teaching medical students to explore patients’ contexts

Objective Physicians often overlook important contextual clues that patients give during an encounter. The objective of our study was to increase medical students’ knowledge and skills in identifying contextual issues.
Explaining Asia's “Missing Women”: A New Look at the Data

THE FACT THAT millions of women are “missing” in East Asia and South Asia 1 has received attention from scholars, policymakers, and governments because of its profound human and social implications. Both India and China have banned the use of sex-selective technologies. Officials in both countries have spoken out against female infanticide, and both countries seek in various ways to encourage parents to view daughters as no less valuable than sons. Even a century ago, British colonial authorities in India were trying to redress the problem by imposing collective punishment on villages with highly imbalanced sex ratios among children, while in China clans were offering incentives to parents to raise daughters. 2 The assumption underlying such policies is that a strong cultural preference for sons is driving the imbalance in sex ratios. The literature relates son preference to a variety of social and economic factors in these regions, which interact to make females less valuable to their families: people are pressured to bear sons while limiting the number of daughters in order to conserve scarce household resources. 3 Households have variously resorted to female infanticide and postnatal withholding of health care; and since the mid-1980s, when technology permitting fairly low-cost determination of the sex of fetuses became available, there has been a shift toward prenatal sex selection by means of induced abortion. 4 And because cases of female infanticide are often not reported as live births, they can be hard to distinguish from the consequences of prenatal sex selection in the reported sex ratio of births. But another factor may underlie the deficit. According to the literature many diseases—both communicable and noncommunicable—affect males and females differently. 5 If a disease widespread in these Asian popu
Designing directories in distributed systems: a systematic framework

Proposes a framework for the systematic design of directory-based distributed applications. We evaluate a space of directory designs using our framework. We present a case study consisting of design, implementation and analysis of directories for a multicast application. Our framework is based on a model that extends the formal concept of process knowledge in distributed systems. This concept is used informally in phrases such as "process p knows when it is in state s that process q is active". We show that this definition of knowledge is too strong for many distributed applications, including directory design. We propose a weaker concept: estimation. We describe the meaning of phrases of the form: "process p in state s estimates with probability 0.9 that process q is active". We specify directory design as an optimization problem with the objective function of maximizing estimation probabilities, and with constraints on the amount of bandwidth, computation and storage used. We show how this specification helps in a systematic analysts of alternative directory designs.