cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lived employment experiences of college students and graduates with physical disabilities in the United States

This phenomenological study aims at understanding lived experiences of college seniors and recent college graduates with physical disabilities seeking employment opportunities after graduation in the USA The extensive interviews revealed that participants’ attitudes about and experiences with disability are diverse (pain to pride, denied accommodation to support); their major areas of concern are their own marketable skills and credentials as well as accessibility and accommodation in workplaces; continued education beyond the baccalaureate is a priority for many participants rather than an immediate transition to work; and the Office of Disability and professors were considered important advising agencies. Even among participants with similar physical disabilities, the symptoms, needs, and experiences varied.
Explaining the Awakening: Engagement, Publicity, and the Transformation of Iraqi Sunni Political Attitudes

This article explores the reasons for the dramatic change in Sunni Arab Iraqi attitudes toward the United States from 2004 to 2007, which made possible the “Awakenings,” local groups of mostly Sunni tribes and former insurgents that decided to cooperate with the United States against al Qaeda in Iraq. While there have been many studies of the military strategy, there has been little attention paid to the reasons for the underlying attitude change. This article argues that the dramatic changes in the information environment and in the nature of direct contacts across a range of Sunni society played a crucial role. It draws on a wide range of Arabic language primary sources that have generally been neglected in U.S. military-centric accounts. No single dialogue flipped the Sunnis, and the change would not likely have happened without the material changes underpinning their interests. But years of ongoing, intensive dialogues across a wide range of interlocutors reshaped the foundations of the relationship a...
MASS TRANSFER VARIATIONS IN UX MONOCEROTIS: EIGHT YEARS OF AUTOMATED PHOTOMETRIC MONITORING

We analyze eight years (1999-2007) of automated photometric observations of the active Algol binary UX Monocerotis to search for mass transfer bursts similar to those seen in U Cephei. The largest photometric anomaly is the mean gainer luminosity difference between the stream-impact hemisphere and the opposite hemisphere. We find an updated Wilson-Devinney solution for earlier six-color observations. The UX Mon donor star fills its Roche lobe and the gainer nearly fills its rotational lobe. Instead of isolated bursts of the U Cep type, we found nearly continuous brightness fluctuations likely produced by variable mass transfer. We discuss implications for mass transfer.
Building a Coordination Framework to Support Behavior-Based Adaptive Checkpointing for Open Distributed Embedded Systems

Checkpointing is a commonly used approach to provide fault-tolerance and improve system dependability. However, using a constant and pre-configured checkpointing frequency may compromise other QoS criteria when there are resource and timing constraints. The frequency of checkpointing should be based on the importance of corresponding entities' behaviors and should also be runtime adaptable. The paper presents a behavior-based coordination framework. In this framework, behavior-based adaptive checkpointing is treated as a coordination concern; different coordination constraints are applied based on the behaviors that the entities are currently engaged in. Our prototyping and empirical experiments have shown that we are able to achieve behavior-based coordination in a more modular way with limited performance overhead. The experiments also demonstrate that the framework scales well when the number of entities involved in the system increases
Diabetes Mellitus After GDM

The impact of factors that influence diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) incidence rates among former gestation diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients undermine attempts at interstudy comparisons. The recommended diagnostic standards for GDM by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) are the O'Sullivan and Mahan criteria and the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for IGT, which result in prevalence rates of 2.5 and 7.2%, respectively, when applied to 752 unselected pregnant women. In applying the O'Sullivan and Mahan criteria, the current open-ended definition of GDM without rules either to exclude overt diabetes uncovered by pregnancy or to require a return to a normal OGTT after pregnancy is shown to be a major source of differences in subsequent incidence rates of diabetes. For subsequent nonpregnant diagnoses, the differences between WHO and National Diabetes Data Group criteria and the allowable modifications within each of the diagnostic standards all result in different incidence rates of diabetes. Review of 12 worldwide studies of diabetes among former GDM patients indicated a wide range of incidence rates, from 19 to 87% for combined DM and IGT and 6 to 62% for DM. In applying WHO DM criteria to GDM patients and control subjects, the excess risk of diabetes among GDM patients was 18% in Copenhagen and 30.9% in Boston, MA. The potential impact of varying observation periods within studies was seen when the application of an actuarial method added a further 50% to the Boston incidence rates of both GDM patients and control subjects. Although the variability in diabetes incidence rates is wide, there is broad general agreement on the predictive nature of gestational blood glucose levels.
Chain member perception of chain performance: the role of relationship quality

The purpose of the paper is to measure perceived performance of bilateral relationships in the chain. Therefore, quantitative data were collected from 270 chain members from 3 EU countries in 6 traditional food product categories. First, perceived performance of bilateral relationships was analysed which revealed a generally high perceived contribution of each chain member to its partners' performance. Second, cluster analysis was conducted resulting in 4 clusters: 1) Low performing chains; 2) Low perceived food manufacturer's (FM) performance by supplier (S) and customer (C); 3) High perceived FM performance by S and C; 4) High performing chains. Third, binary logistic regression was used to identify 7 relationship constructs that significantly predict cluster membership: trust, economic satisfaction, social satisfaction, dependency, coercive power, reputation, conflict and integration.
Genetic characterization of three varieties of Astragalus lentiginosus (Fabaceae)

Abstract Knaus, B. J. (Oregon State University, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, 2082 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331-2902, U.S.A.; knausb@science.oregonstate.edu), R. C. Cronn (USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, U.S.A.; rcronn@fs.fed.us) & A. Liston (Oregon State University, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, 2082 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331-2902, U.S.A.; listona@science.oregonstate.edu). Genetic characterization of three varieties of Astragalus lentiginosus (Fabaceae). Brittonia 57: 334–344. 2005.—Astragalus lentiginosus is a polymorphic species that occurs in geologically young habitats and whose varietal circumscription implies active morphological and genetic differentiation. In this preliminary study, we evaluate the potential of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers to resolve infraspecific taxa in three varieties of Astragalus lentiginosus. Distance-based principle coordinate and neighbor-jo...
Intravenous glucagon:Does it optimize evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract on helical CT?

Forty outpatients were randomized into two groups of 20. Twenty patients received 1 mg of intravenous glucagon and the other 20 did not. Three radiologists evaluated the bowel using a qualitative score and mean scores for each bowel level were compared. A different radiologist measured the maximal diameter of bowel at seven levels. There were no significant differences in qualitative or quantitative data for the two groups. Intravenous glucagon is therefore not routinely recommended for helical CT of the abdomen.
PVDF Multielement Lamb Wave Sensor for Structural Health Monitoring

The characteristics of Lamb waves, which are multimodal and dispersive, provide both challenges and opportunities for structural health monitoring (SHM). Methods for nondestructive testing with Lamb waves are well established. For example, mode content can be determined by moving a sensor to different positions and then transforming the spatial-temporal data into the wavenumber-frequency domain. This mode content information is very useful because at every frequency each mode has a unique wavestructure, which is largely responsible for its sensitivity to material damage. Furthermore, mode conversion occurs when the waves interact with damage, making mode content an excellent damage detection feature. However, in SHM, the transducers are typically at fixed locations and are immovable. Here, an affixed polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) multielement sensor is shown to provide these same capabilities. The PVDF sensor is bonded directly to the waveguide surface, conforms to curved surfaces, has low mass, low profile, low cost, and minimal influence on passing Lamb waves. While the mode receivability is dictated by the sensor being located on the surface of the waveguide, both symmetric and antisymmetric modes can be detected and group velocities measured.
Confusion, Creativity, and Credibility in Therapy

Abstract Therapists are human beings that get confused and make mistakes at times no matter how well trained and experienced we are. This article demonstrates how one therapist learned to turn his own confusion in sessions into a productive therapeutic technique.
Enhanced cycle life and capacity retention of iron oxide ultrathin film coated SnO2 nanoparticles at high current densities

Tin oxide (SnO2) has a high theoretical capacity (∼782 mA h g−1), but it experiences large volume changes during charge and discharge cycles that cause rapid capacity fade, which limits its practical use as an anode material. In an attempt to solve this, we coated these particles with ultrathin electrochemically active iron oxide (FeOx) films that act as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase layer, thus stabilizing the SnO2 particles for better longevity of significantly improved performance at high current densities in a practical voltage window. Since there exists a tradeoff between species transport and protection of particles (expecting long life), a film with an optimum thickness was achieved by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of FeOx on SnO2 particles. With an optimum thickness of about 0.24 nm after 20 cycles of iron oxide ALD (20Fe), an initial capacity of ∼658 mA h g−1 was achieved at a high current density of 1250 mA g−1. After 1000 cycles of charge/discharge at 1250 mA g−1, the 20Fe sample showed a capacity retention of 94% as compared to 52% of the uncoated sample when cycled at room temperature; at 55 °C, the capacity retention of the 20Fe sample was 93% compared to 33% of the uncoated sample.
Insights from venous oxygen profiles: oxygen utilization and management in diving California sea lions

The management and depletion of O2 stores underlie the aerobic dive capacities of marine mammals. The California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ) presumably optimizes O2 store management during all dives, but approaches its physiological limits during deep dives to greater than 300 m depth. Blood O2 comprises the largest component of total body O2 stores in adult sea lions. Therefore, we investigated venous blood O2 depletion during dives of California sea lions during maternal foraging trips to sea by: (1) recording venous partial pressure of O2 ( P O2) profiles during dives, (2) characterizing the O2–hemoglobin (Hb) dissociation curve of sea lion Hb and (3) converting the P O2 profiles into percent Hb saturation ( S O2) profiles using the dissociation curve. The O2–Hb dissociation curve was typical of other pinnipeds ( P 50=28±2 mmHg at pH 7.4). In 43% of dives, initial venous S O2 values were greater than 78% (estimated resting venous S O2), indicative of arterialization of venous blood. Blood O2 was far from depleted during routine shallow dives, with minimum venous S O2 values routinely greater than 50%. However, in deep dives greater than 4 min in duration, venous S O2 reached minimum values below 5% prior to the end of the dive, but then increased during the last 30–60 s of ascent. These deep dive profiles were consistent with transient venous blood O2 depletion followed by partial restoration of venous O2 through pulmonary gas exchange and peripheral blood flow during ascent. These differences in venous O2 profiles between shallow and deep dives of sea lions reflect distinct strategies of O2 store management and suggest that underlying cardiovascular responses will also differ. * a-v : arterio-venous ADL : aerobic dive limit cADL : calculated aerobic dive limit Hb : hemoglobin P O2 : partial pressure of oxygen S O2 : percent Hb saturation TDR : time-depth recorder Δa-v O2 : arterio-venous oxygen difference
Aeroelastic Analysis of Membrane Micro Air Vehicles

The fluid and structural response of two different membrane wing Micro Air Vehicles is studied through computation and experiment. A (three) batten-reinforced fixed wing membrane micro air vehicle is used to determine the effect of membrane prestrain and fixed angle of attack on flutter and limit cycle behavior of fixed wing membrane Micro Air Vehicles. For each configuration tested, flutter and subsequent limit cycle oscillations are measured in wind tunnel tests and predicted using an aeroelastic computational model consisting of a nonlinear finite element model coupled to a vortex lattice solution of the Laplace equation and boundary conditions. Correlation between the predicted and measured onset of limit cycle oscillation is good as is the prediction of the amplitude of the limit cycle at the trailing edge of the lower membrane. A direct correlation between levels of strain and the phase of the membranes during the limit cycle is found in the computation and thought to also occur in the experiment. The second membrane wing micro air vehicle configuration is that of a plunging membrane airfoil model. This model is studied computationally using a sixth-order finite difference solution of the Navier-Stokes equations coupled to a nonlinear string finite element model. The effect, on the structural and fluid response, of plunging Strouhal number, reduced frequency and static angle of attack is examined. At two degree angle of attack, and Strouhal number of 0.2, the effect of increasing the plunging reduced frequency is to decrease the sectional lift coefficient and increase the sectional drag coefficient. At this angle of attack, minimal change in the sectional lift coefficient is found when increasing from a Strouhal number of 0.2 to 0.5 at reduced frequencies of 0.5 and 5.903, the lowest and highest values of this parameter which are studied in this work. For this angle of attack the maximum change which occurs when increasing the Strouhal number from 0.2 to 0.5 is at a reduced frequency of 1.5. When the effect of angle of attack is studied, it is found that at a Strouhal number of 0.5 and reduced frequency of 1.5 the plunging flexible model demonstrates improved lift characteristics over the fixed flexible airfoil case. The greatest improvement occurs at an angle of attack of 2 degrees followed by 10 degrees and then 6 degrees. Finally the effect on the flow characteristics of airfoil flexibility is investigated by increasing the membrane pre-strain from a nominal value of 5 percent to that of 20 percent. This increase in pre-strain results in a reduced value of sectional lift coefficient as compared the 5 percent pre-strain case at the same fixed angle of attack, Strouhal number and reduced frequency.© 2009 ASME
Optimal Trading Of An Asset In The Open Market: A Dynamic Programming Approach

AbstractAssuming that the asking price of an asset is a random observation from a known distribution function, we first consider the problem of buying an asset and selling it later within a limited period of time. The optimal strategies, derived by means of a stochastic dynamic programming technique, maximize the present value of the expected profit. We then consider the infinite-stage model where there is no time constraint. As a special case of the optimal selling strategy with finite stages, we also propose an option valuation model for the case where the buyer has the right to purchase a certain asset at a specified exercise price within a specified time. The optimal buying and selling strategies derived in the paper can be extended to various directions such as the serially correlated process and the rank-based trading strategy.
Benign Pneumoperitoneum After Fiberoptic Colonoscopy: A prospective study of 100 patients

A prospective study of 100 consecutive unselected patients undergoing both diagnostic and therapeutic firoptic colonoscopy was undertaken. Our incidence of colonic perforation is 1%, which is similar to the incidence reported in the literature. This study suggests that even when immediate postcolonoscopic supine and erect abdominal radiographs as well as pre- and postcolonoscopic total blood counts and enzyme levels to supplement clinical impressions are obtained, the incidence of perforation of the colon after fiberoptic colonoscopy is low and not any higher than that reported in the literature. Pneumoperitoneum may occur after fiberoptic colonoscopy with minimal or no clinical evidence suggesting perforation. Perforation in some patients may be treated conservatively without the need of emergency laparotomy.
Managing the wicked problem of transdisciplinary team formation in socio-ecological systems

Abstract Transdisciplinary teams are called upon to research and resolve problems associated with socio-ecological systems, which are notoriously wicked. We propose that the formation of these teams is itself a wicked problem. We support this claim by identifying in transdisciplinary team formation characteristics from Rittel and Weber's (1973) list of wicked problem attributes. We recommend a set of strategies for managing the wickedness of team formation, drawn from our experience in forming teams to conduct research on socio-ecological systems and the team formation literature.
One step closer to viral eradication in HIV

Despite the fact that people diagnosed with HIV who adhere to combination antiretroviral therapy can expect long-term survival, HIV persists in CD4+ T cells due to stable integration into the host genome, even in patients with undetectable viral load. A major objective in the field is to eradicate this latent viral reservoir. The current work by Yang and colleagues, representing a combined effort by an academic group and a biotechnology company, brings us one step closer to achieving this goal. The authors draw upon a technology that they previously developed for redirecting T cells against cancer. They produced bispecific protein constructs comprising a pan–T cell antigen CD3 recognition domain on one side and a T cell receptor (TCR) against an immunodominant epitope of the HIV protein Gag, in the context of a common MHC class I molecule, on the other side. The TCR-peptide-MHC affinity was such that even very low amounts of the HIV protein could be recognized, which is important because the CD4+ T cells that harbor the viral reservoir tend to express only low levels of Gag. Binding CD3 conferred the ability to recruit polyclonal cytotoxic T cells, thus considerably increasing the pool of T cells that are capable of recognizing HIV. In a series of in vitro experiments, the authors showed that the redirected T cells could eliminate HIV-infected CD4+ T cells much more efficiently than the patients’ own naturally primed CD8+ T cells that were specific for the same Gag epitope. They also demonstrated that redirected CD8+ T cells inhibit HIV replication and clear HIV from resting CD4+ T cells. One additional observation was that patients’ autologous T cells were less efficient than healthy donor T cells at attacking the viral reservoir. This observation is consistent with the known T cell exhaustion that occurs in chronically infected individuals and represents an important limitation of this technology. However, a distinct strength of this approach is the modular design of these bispecific constructs, which means that in future it will be possible to treat patients with cocktails of constructs that recruit T cells against a variety of HIV-associated epitopes, thus potentially circumventing HIV’s known propensity for developing escape mutants. H. Yang et al. , Elimination of latently HIV-infected cells from antiretroviral therapy-suppressed subjects by engineered immune-mobilizing T-cell receptors. Mol. Ther. 10.1038/mt.2016.114 (2016). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/mt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/mt2016114a.html
Temperature dependence of viscosity in a two-dimensional dusty plasma without the effects of shear thinning

An experiment was designed to measure viscosity and its temperature dependence in a two-dimensional dusty plasma. To avoid shear thinning while maintaining a uniform temperature, the shear flow and heating were provided separately, using different kinds of laser manipulation. The viscosity was found to be significantly higher than that was reported in three previous experiments most similar to ours, probably due to our avoidance of shear thinning. The viscosity increases linearly with the inverse temperature Γ, as predicted by simulations for a liquid-like strongly coupled plasma at low temperatures.
Piece-wise constant models for RFID traffic

Available security standards for RFID networks (e.g. ISO/IEC 29167) are designed to secure individual tag-reader sessions and do not protect against active attacks that could also compromise the system as a whole (e.g. tag cloning or replay attacks). Proper traffic characterization models of the communication within an RFID network can lead to better understanding of operation under “normal” system state conditions and can consequently help identify security breaches not addressed by current standards. We consider the adaptation of two known piece-wise linear models for the purposes of modeling RFID command arrivals at a reader: Bayesian Blocks and Knuth's rule. Our preliminary results indicate that both methods could potentially be used to detect changes in system state (e.g. changes in the rate of command arrivals at a reader).
The effects of technology on interpersonal fraud

Fraud has expanded in frequency as e-commerce has become a dominant part of business strategy and found widespread use. Previous research in the Information Systems domain has focused on how the adoption of technology influences behavioral decisions, and previous research in the accounting domain has typically explored why people choose to commit fraud. However, a holistic model of how technology influences a person’s decision to commit a criminal act, such as fraud, is underrepresented. This manuscript explores how the characteristics of the technologies being used to facilitate e-commerce transactions affect the complex cognitive and social processes that result in fraud. The fraud triangle is a useful and widely supported representation of the elements necessary for a perpetrator to engage in fraud: a perceived pressure that motivates action, a perceived opportunity to successfully deceive another individual, and the ability to rationalize an act of fraud. By combining extant research in the fields of accounting and information systems, this manuscript incorporates the fraud triangle into a behavioral model that can be used to measure how the capabilities of the technologies being used to facilitate online transactions influence a person’s decision-making processes and, ultimately, their choices related to fraudulent behaviors.
Early Puberty, Friendship Group Characteristics, and Dating Abuse in US Girls

OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between advanced pubertal development and adolescent dating abuse (ADA) and to test if this relationship is moderated by friendship group characteristics in a nationally representative sample of US girls. METHODS: Data were drawn from wave 1 and 2 (1995–1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. The sample included 3870 girls aged 13 to 17 years, all of whom were in romantic and/or nonromantic sexual relationships. Relative pubertal development was measured as perceived physical development as compared with peers of the same age and race and age at menarche at wave 1. Participants reported at wave 2 whether they had experienced any verbal or physical abuse in their relationships. Friendship group characteristics included the percentage of boy friends, older friends, and friends’ risk behavior level. RESULTS: Negative binomial regression analyses revealed an interaction between advanced pubertal development and percentage of boy friends on ADA victimization, adjusted for age, race, parents’ marital status, household income, number of relationships, self-esteem, self-control, and antisocial behavior history. Advanced pubertal development was associated with more ADA victimization when girls’ friendship groups comprised a higher percentage of boys. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of pubertal timing and friendship group characteristics to ADA victimization. Early pubertal development is a risk marker for ADA victimization, particularly when a higher percentage of girls’ friends are boys. Pediatricians and adolescent health specialists should be sensitive to the elevated risk for ADA victimization in early-maturing girls.
Particle deposition and deformation from high speed impaction of Ag nanoparticles

Abstract The impaction of a single Ag nanoparticle onto an (001) Ag substrate was studied as a function of particle diameter (2–9 nm) and impaction velocity (10–1500 m/sec) using molecular dynamics simulations. The final crystallographic structures were observed to transition from a polycrystalline to an epitaxial morphology as impaction velocity was increased and the velocity required to achieve epitaxy increased with particle size. To understand how the crystallographic structures evolved to their final state, the deformation mechanisms were then studied over a range of time scales, beginning immediately upon impaction. The observed mechanisms included disordering of the atoms and the initiation and propagation of partial dislocations. Deformation increased with impaction velocity due to increases in the degree of disordering and the partial dislocation density. At longer time scales, relaxation of the disordered particles produced epitaxial morphologies, whereas polycrystalline morphologies were observed following incomplete disordering. These results suggest that the microstructures of thick films produced by high speed impaction of nanoparticle aerosols are strongly influenced by processing parameters.
Extended Periarterial Sympathectomy: Evaluation of Long-term Outcomes.

BACKGROUND Periarterial sympathectomy is a proposed surgical treatment for patients with refractory Raynaud syndrome; however, there is debate regarding the indications and extent of dissection. Due to the segmental arterial sympathetic innervation, we favor an extended sympathectomy in concert with vein graft reconstruction of occluded vessels when necessary. The purpose of this study is to examine outcomes of extended periarterial sympathectomy in our patients. METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed on 46 patients who underwent 58 periarterial sympathectomies (12 bilateral) since 1981. The data collected include demographics, comorbidities, previous therapy, operative details, and surgical outcomes. In addition, we contacted available patients for a phone survey. RESULTS Of 58 cases, 68.9% were female, 29.3% were current smokers, and 58.6% had known connective tissue disease. Thirty-three vein graft reconstructions were performed with a long-term patency of 77.4%. Sustained improvement of ischemic pain was reported in 94.8% of cases, and 78% of patients with ulcers completely healed. For the most symptomatic fingertip, mean Semmes-Weinstein monofilament measurements improved from 4.15 preoperatively to 3.29 postoperatively ( P ≤ .05). Mean follow-up was 3.97 years. Of 10 patients contacted by telephone, all reported a decrease in frequency and severity of Raynaud attacks, while 9 reported a long-term decrease in pain an average of 11.6 years after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Extended periarterial sympathectomy is an effective and safe procedure for patients with refractory Raynaud syndrome. Our data demonstrate long-term improvement in ischemic pain and sensibility, along with a high rate of ulcer healing and patient satisfaction.
Temporally Selective Attention Model for Social and Affective State Recognition in Multimedia Content

The sheer amount of human-centric multimedia content has led to increased research on human behavior understanding. Most existing methods model behavioral sequences without considering the temporal saliency. This work is motivated by the psychological observation that temporally selective attention enables the human perceptual system to process the most relevant information. In this paper, we introduce a new approach, named Temporally Selective Attention Model (TSAM), designed to selectively attend to salient parts of human-centric video sequences. Our TSAM models learn to recognize affective and social states using a new loss function called speaker-distribution loss. Extensive experiments show that our model achieves the state-of-the-art performance on rapport detection and multimodal sentiment analysis. We also show that our speaker-distribution loss function can generalize to other computational models, improving the prediction performance of deep averaging network and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM).
Approximate Computing Techniques for Iterative Graph Algorithms

Approximate computing enables processing of large-scale graphs by trading off quality for performance. Approximate computing techniques have become critical not only due to the emergence of parallel architectures but also due to the availability of large scale datasets enabling data-driven discovery. Using two prototypical graph algorithms, PageRank and community detection, we present several approximate computing heuristics to scale the performance with minimal loss of accuracy. We present several heuristics including loop perforation, data caching, incomplete graph coloring and synchronization, and evaluate their efficiency. We demonstrate performance improvements of up to 83% for PageRank and up to 450x for community detection, with low impact on accuracy for both the algorithms. We expect the proposed approximate techniques will enable scalable graph analytics on data of importance to several applications in science and their subsequent adoption to scale similar graph algorithms.
What is new in pain modification in osteoarthritis

There is a big need for the development of novel therapies for the safe management of chronic pain associated with OA. Here we reviewed PubMed (2015 onward) and ClinicalTrials.gov for ongoing and recently completed trials where pain in OA is the primary outcome measure. Three broad categories were identified: biological therapies, small molecules and cryoneurolysis. The most promising new strategy is blockade of nerve growth factor with antibodies. Two anti-nerve growth factor antibodies, tanuzemab and fasinumab, are in active development after the 2010 hold on trials was lifted in 2015. In addition, several active clinical trials are testing distinct mechanism-based interventions, including cytokine inhibition, selective μ, δ or κ opioid receptor agonists, zoledronate and intra-articular capsaicin. In addition to pharmacological approaches, cryoneurolytic strategies that directly target peripheral nerves may play a role in OA pain management, but efficacy profiles and long-term effects of such treatments need more study. Clearly, the therapeutic landscape for OA pain is rapidly expanding. Since symptomatic OA is a heterogeneous disease, the challenge will be to identify patients that will benefit the most from specific approaches.
Postscript—Man or Monster?*

postscript, a thing appended … an additional or conclusory action … an afterthoughtfrom Latin postscribere, write after 1Man or Monster? is a book without an end. I tried to finish it, even using t...
Dialectics, Materialism, and Mathematics

Karl Marx is one of the founders of what has come to be called “the sociology of knowledge and science”. While Marx did not develop his ideas about knowledge and science systematically, it is easy to identify passages in his works which reveal his sociological perspective on science. He and Engels argued in general that even the simplest sensuous certainties are products of “social development, industry and commercial intercourse”.1 Elsewhere, Marx clearly sketched the idea of science as a social activity:2 Even when I carry out scientific work, etc., an activity which I can seldom conduct in direct association with other men — I perform a social, because human, act. It is not only the material of my activity — like the language itself which the thinker uses — which is given to me as a social product. My own existence is a social activity.
The CMU-InterACT 2008 Mandarin Transcription System

We present our Mandarin BN/BC transcription system recently developed for the GALE07 evaluation. The system employs a 3-pass decoding strategy trained with over 1300 hours of quickly transcribed audio. We successfully apply discriminative training, dynamic unsupervised language model adaptation, and system combination techniques in our system. We furthermore achieve improvements by combining an Initial-Final system with a genre dependent phone system. On the GALE07 phase 2 retest evaluation, our system achieves a character error rate(CER) of 13.3% on dev07 test set and 13.5% on eval07 unsequestered test set. Our system also allows combination with other sites and in this paper, we investigate different system combination strategies which significantly improve thefinal recognition performance.
Adaptive mouse-replacement interface control functions for users with disabilities

We discuss experiences employing a video-based mouse-replacement interface system, the Camera Mouse, at care facilities for individuals with severe motion impairments and propose adaptations of the system. Traditional approaches to assistive technology are often inflexible, requiring users to adapt their limited motions to the requirements of the system. Such systems may have static or difficult-to-change configurations that make it challenging for multiple users to share the same system or for users whose motion abilities slowly degenerate. As users fatigue, they may experience more limited motion ability or additional unintended motions. To address these challenges, we propose adaptive mouse-control functions to be used in our mouse-replacement system. These functions can be changed to adapt the technology to the needs of the user, rather than making the user adapt to the technology. We present observations of an individual with severe cerebral palsy using our system.
Two Types of Discourse in Hölderlin’s Madness

Holderlin, who had already suffered schizophrenic attacks, became ill in 1802, i.e., in his thirty-second year — according to medical opinion, “with an acute schizophrenic psychosis.”1 Schelling described him in a letter to Hegel of July 11, 1803 as “with his mind completely shattered” and, although “still to a certain degree capable” of a few more literary works, “otherwise in a state of total oblivion.”2 In August 1806, Holderlin’s mother received a letter from his close friend, Isaak Sinclair, reporting that it was no longer possible that “my unhappy friend, whose madness has reached an advanced stage, remain any longer … in Homburg” and “that his continued freedom could even become dangerous to the public.”3 After a few agonizing months in a Tubingen asylum, the ill man, in keeping with his poetic premonition, remained for an entire “Halfte des Lebens” [Half of One’s life] “Weh mir, wo nehm ich, wenn // Es Winter ist, die Blumen”[Alas, where shall I find, when // It is winter, the flowers]4 in the house of a Tubingen carpenter, Ernst Zimmer, “given lodgings and care” until the end of his life [1843 — Trans.]. According to the reminiscences of the pastor Max Effert (published in 1849), “the unhappy poet Holderlin,” the inhabitant of the little tower room in the carpenter’s house near the old animal pen, “wandered … to and fro” “until a few years ago, out of his mind, engaged in an eternally confused conversation with himself.”5
Student Perceptions of Classroom Learning: Plus Ça Change, Plus C'est la Même Chose?1

Despite billions of invested dollars and numerous reform initiatives, American K–12 student achievement has stagnated. Researchers have identified factors ostensibly responsible for the problem but...
Results of Minimally Invasive HVAD Insertion in a Large Cohort of Unselected Patients

Purpose Prior reports on minimally invasive LVAD insertion have focused on smaller and/or highly selected populations. Since 2016 we have used the lateral thoracotomy-hemisternotomy (LTHS) technique and the Heartware HVAD as our default approach for all patients. We compare these outcomes to our results with conventional sternotomy (CS). Methods Since April 2016, 58/61 HVAD patients (representing 61/62 total LVAD insertions) underwent LTHS. Two patients had CS due to stem-cell trial restrictions; one had a posterolateral thoracotomy due to hostile sternum . Outcomes of 60 LTHS procedures were compared to 52 CS dating to 2011. Results Preoperative characteristics (Table 1) were similar except for more males in the LTHS group. No patient was excluded from LTHS due to low Intermacs profile, presence of PFO/ASD, or high RV failure risk. Postoperative outcomes are shown in Table 2. Operative time was longer for LTHS. However, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time, RVAD use, intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion ≥4U, reoperation for bleeding, operative mortality , and hospital length of stay (LOS) were all lower. One-year Kaplan-Meier estimated survival was 90% LTHS vs 65% CS (p=0.003). Conclusion Improved perioperative and long-term outcomes were observed when employing LTHS as the default technique in a large group of unselected patients.
Heparanase regulation of sFLT-1 release in trophoblasts in vitro

Abstract Introduction Preeclampsia is a common pregnancy disorder which is characterized by new onset hypertension and endothelial dysfunction. Despite efforts to determine the causal factors of this disease, little progress has been made in discerning the etiology. The hypoxic and ischemic placenta, however, is generally accepted as the source for secreted factors in the maternal circulation, such as sFLT-1, which drive the maternal syndrome. Methods Using BeWo placental trophoblast cells, we measured the role of hypoxia on sFLT-1 mRNA as well as protein production. We also exposed the cells to treatment with heparin and heparanase inhibitor OGT-2115. Results We found that under hypoxic conditions mRNA levels of sFLT-1 were unchanged compared to normoxic controls. Although the message level did not differ under hypoxic conditions, the sFLT-1 release into the media was significantly greater in hypoxia. Additionally, we found that sFLT-1 is able to bind heparan strands in the extracellular matrix with its heparin binding site. These heparan strands can be cleaved by the extracellular enzyme heparanase. We found that heparanase expression was significantly increased in hypoxia, and inhibiting the actions of heparanase attenuated the release of sFLT-1 into the media. Discussion While the placenta remains a source of sFLT-1, the mechanism of increased circulating sFLT-1 may differ than simple upregulation of the protein. These data demonstrate the potential importance of the role heparanase may play in releasing previously made sFLT-1 into the maternal circulation.
The limits of complex partial nephrectomy: are there any?

We read with great interest the recent publication by Beksac et al . that explored outcomes following robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) for anatomically complex, defined as R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score ≥10, cT1-cT2 renal masses (1). The authors aimed to determine the relationship between baseline clinicopathologic characteristics with “trifecta” achievement, defined as warm ischemia time <25 minutes, lack of perioperative complications, and negative surgical margins (1). Using a multi-institutional dataset, they found that the trifecta was achieved in 62% of patients and that no preoperative baseline, clinical, or tumor characteristics were associated with trifecta achievement. Interestingly, only pathologic tumor stage was significantly associated with achievement of trifecta. This manuscript contributes to the still developing literature for the important topic regarding the role of partial nephrectomy for large and complex renal masses.
Acute total body ionizing gamma radiation induces long-term adverse effects and immediate changes in cardiac protein oxidative carbonylation in the rat

Radiation-induced heart disease presents a significant challenge in the event of an accidental radiation exposure as well as to cancer patients who receive acute doses of irradiation as part of radiation therapy. We utilized the spontaneously hypertensive Wistar-Kyoto rat model, previously shown to demonstrate drug-induced cardiomyopathy, to evaluate the acute and long-term effects of sub-lethal total body gamma irradiation at two, four, and fifty-two weeks. We further examined irreversible oxidative protein carbonylation in the heart immediately following irradiation in the normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rat. Both males and females sustained weight loss and anemic conditions compared to untreated controls over a one-year period as reflected by reduced body weight and low red blood cell count. Increased inflammation was detected by elevated IL-6 serum levels selectively in males at four weeks. Serum cardiac troponin T and I analyses revealed signs of cardiomyopathy at earlier timepoints, but high variability was observed, especially at one year. Echocardiography at two weeks following 5.0Gy treatment revealed a significant decrease in cardiac output in females and a significant decrease in both diastolic and systolic volumes in males. Following 10.0Gy irradiation in the normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rat, the heart tissue showed an increase in total protein oxidative carbonylation accompanied by DNA damage indicated by an increase in γ-H2AX. Using proteomic analyses, we identified several novel proteins which showed a marked difference in carbonylation including those of mitochondrial origin and most notably, cardiac troponin T, one of the key proteins involved in cardiomyocyte contractility. Overall, we present findings of acute oxidative protein damage, DNA damage, cardiac troponin T carbonylation, and long-term cardiomyopathy in the irradiated animals.
Novel strategy for manufacturing autologous dendritic cell/allogeneic tumor lysate vaccines for glioblastoma.

Background Glioblastoma, the most common primary malignant brain tumor, is nearly universally fatal by 5 years. Dendritic cell vaccines are promising but often limited clinically by antigen choice, dendritic cell potency, and/or manufacturing yield. We optimized vaccine manufacture, generating potent mature autologous dendritic cells pulsed with allogeneic glioblastoma lysates. Methods Platelet lysate-based supplement was used to establish human glioblastoma cell lines. Phenotype and genotype were assessed. An improved culture technique to generate mature dendritic cells from glioblastoma patients' monocytes was developed. The ability of T cells stimulated with autologous dendritic cells pulsed with allogeneic glioblastoma cell lysate to kill HLA-A2-matched glioblastoma cells was assessed. Results Glioblastoma cell lines established with platelet lysate supplement grew faster and expressed more stem-like markers than lines grown in neural stem cell media or in the presence of serum. They expressed a variety of glioma-associated antigens and had genomic abnormalities characteristic of glioblastoma stable up to 15 doublings. Unlike standard culture techniques, our optimized technique produced high levels of mature dendritic cells from glioblastoma patients' monocytes. Autologous T cells stimulated with mature dendritic cells pulsed with allogeneic glioblastoma cell line lysate briskly killed HLA-A2-matched glioblastoma cells. Conclusions Our glioblastoma culture method provides a renewable source for a broad spectrum glioblastoma neoantigens while our dendritic cell culture technique results in more mature dendritic cells in glioblastoma patients than standard techniques. This broadly applicable strategy could be easily integrated into patient care.
The Politics of Curiosity

Curiosity, a simultaneously intellectual and emotional phenomenon, is surprisingly unstudied, yet pivotal for social critics and activists to understand. While recognizing curiosity as frequently positive and necessary for creating new solidarities and political movements, it also considers the social and political roots and consequences of in curiosity, apathy, and ignorance, including such topics as willful apathy as cultural resistance and self-defense, ignorance as an ethical choice, incuriosity as arrogance, and the generalized anxiety of neoliberal society and the shrinking of curiosity.
Solving the empty container problem using double-container trucks to reduce vehicle miles

This paper proposes a mathematical model for the empty container reuse problem using double-container trucks. The model discretises time and makes sure demand is met. Several model properties are presented, along with two heuristics that allow the model to be solved. By solving the empty container reuse problem, truck miles can be reduced since less truck trips are needed to satisfy the demand. Furthermore, since double-container trucks can deliver two containers per truck trip, the amount of trucks needed to satisfy the demand is decreased even more, further reducing truck miles. This will in turn make the system more environmental friendly. The model is then tested using the data from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and on randomised datasets.
An Exploration of Stress: Leveraging Online Data from Crowdsourcing Platforms

Background: Early detection of community health risk factors such as stress is of great interest to health policymakers, but representative data collection is often expensive and time-consuming. It is important to investigate the use of alternative means of data collection such as crowdsourcing platforms. Methods: An online sample of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers (N = 500) filled out, for themselves and their child, demographic information and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), designed to measure the degree to which situations in one’s life are appraised as stressful. Internal consistency reliability of the PSS-10 was examined via Cronbach’s alpha. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to explore trends in the average perceived stress of both adults and their children. Last, Rasch trees were utilized to detect differential item functioning (DIF) in the set of PSS-10 items. Results: The PSS-10 showed adequate internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.73). ANOVA results suggested that stress scores significantly differed by education (p = 0.024), employment status (p = 0.0004), and social media usage (p = 0.015). Rasch trees, a recursive partitioning technique based on the Rasch model, indicated that items on the PSS-10 displayed DIF attributable to physical health for adults and social media usage for children. Conclusion: The key conclusion is that this data collection scheme shows promise, allowing public health officials to examine health risk factors such as perceived stress quickly and cost effectively.