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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of school districts in California will not have in-person teaching in fall 2020. Over the months ahead, parents, educators, and the public will have to navigate uncertainty in weighing the costs and benefits of opening schools versus supporting learning remotely. This brief offers the questions that parents, educators, and the public should ask about the education, health, safety, and social-emotional needs of children and adults when considering plans for reopening during the pandemic. The authors, education and health policy experts, summarize what is known in these areas and provide a set of questions intended to prompt a cooperative effort to encourage safe, effective, and equitable teaching and learning in every phase of pandemic schooling.

Machine-learning (ML) technology has been a key enabler in the push towards realizing ever more sophisticated autonomous-driving features. In deploying such technology, the automotive industry has relied heavily on using "black-box" software and hardware components that were originally intended for non-safety-critical contexts, without a full understanding of their real-time capabilities. A prime example of such a component is CUDA, which is fundamental to the acceleration of ML algorithms using NVIDIA GPUs. In this paper, evidence is presented demonstrating that CUDA can cause unbounded task delays. Such delays are the result of CUDA’s usage of synchronization mechanisms in the POSIX thread (pthread) library, so the latter is implicated as a delay-prone component as well. Such synchronization delays are shown to be the source of a system failure that occurred in an actual autonomous vehicle system during testing at WeRide. Motivated by these findings, a broader experimental study is presented that demonstrates several real-time deficiencies in CUDA, the glibc pthread library, Linux, and the POSIX interface of the safety-certified QNX Operating System for Safety. Partial mitigations for these deficiencies are presented and further actions are proposed for real-time researchers and developers to integrate more complete mitigations.

Machine-learning (ML) technology has been a key enabler in the push towards realizing ever more sophisticated autonomous-driving features. In deploying such technology, the automotive industry has relied heavily on using "black-box" software and hardware components that were originally intended for non-safety-critical contexts, without a full understanding of their real-time capabilities. A prime example of such a component is CUDA, which is fundamental to the acceleration of ML algorithms using NVIDIA GPUs. In this paper, evidence is presented demonstrating that CUDA can cause unbounded task delays. Such delays are the result of CUDA’s usage of synchronization mechanisms in the POSIX thread (pthread) library, so the latter is implicated as a delay-prone component as well. Such synchronization delays are shown to be the source of a system failure that occurred in an actual autonomous vehicle system during testing at WeRide. Motivated by these findings, a broader experimental study is presented that demonstrates several real-time deficiencies in CUDA, the glibc pthread library, Linux, and the POSIX interface of the safety-certified QNX Operating System for Safety. Partial mitigations for these deficiencies are presented and further actions are proposed for real-time researchers and developers to integrate more complete mitigations.

The goal of a real-time locking protocol is to reduce any priority-inversion blocking (pi-blocking) a task may incur while waiting to access a shared resource. For mutual-exclusion sharing on an m-processor platform, the best existing lower bound on per-task pi-blocking under suspension-oblivious analysis is a (trivial) lower bound of (m-1) request lengths under any job-level fixed-priority (JLFP) scheduler. Surprisingly, most asymptotically optimal locking protocols achieve a per-task pi-blocking upper bound of (2m-1) request lengths under JLFP scheduling, even though a range of very different mechanisms are used in these protocols. This paper closes the gap between these existing lower and upper bounds by establishing a lower bound of (2m-2) request lengths under global fixed-priority (G-FP) and global earliest-deadline-first (G-EDF) scheduling. This paper also shows that worst-case per-task pi-blocking can be arbitrarily close to (2m-1) request lengths for locking protocols that satisfy a certain property that is met by most (if not all) existing locking protocols. These results imply that most known asymptotically optimal locking protocols are almost truly optimal (not just asymptotic) under G-FP and G-EDF scheduling.

This paper presents a real-time locking protocol whose design was motivated by the goal of enabling safe GPU sharing in time-sliced component-based systems. This locking protocol enables a GPU to be shared concurrently across, and utilized within, isolated components with predictable execution times. It relies on a novel resizing technique where GPU work is dimensioned on-the-fly to run on partitions of an NVIDIA GPU. This technique can be applied to any component that internally utilizes global CPU scheduling. The proposed locking protocol enables increased GPU parallelism and reduces GPU capacity loss with analytically provable benefits.

This paper presents a real-time locking protocol whose design was motivated by the goal of enabling safe GPU sharing in time-sliced component-based systems. This locking protocol enables a GPU to be shared concurrently across, and utilized within, isolated components with predictable execution times. It relies on a novel resizing technique where GPU work is dimensioned on-the-fly to run on partitions of an NVIDIA GPU. This technique can be applied to any component that internally utilizes global CPU scheduling. The proposed locking protocol enables increased GPU parallelism and reduces GPU capacity loss with analytically provable benefits.

Six tasks, selected from assessments administered in 2007 as part of the Cognitively-Based Assessments of, for, and as Learning (CBAL) project, were revised in an effort to remove difficulties with the tasks that were unrelated to the construct being assessed. Because the revised tasks were piloted on a different population from the original tasks, it was not possible to make direct comparisons between the performance of the revised tasks and that of the original tasks, other than to make a qualitative assessment of whether or not the nonconstruct difficulties had, in fact, been removed. But we were able to pilot between 2 and 4 versions of each revised task, and we could compare the performance of our pilot sample on the various versions of each task. For Mix It Up, we prepared 2 nonparallel versions--the first attempted to preserve the construct-related difficulty of the original while removing the nonconstruct-related ambiguities, and the second was intended to be an easier task that measured the same skills and abilities. For Fruit Drink and Paste we created 4 versions, carefully varying different aspects of the language while keeping other aspects constant. For the 2 tasks from Bigfoot, we varied 2 features independently, creating 2 versions of each feature and therefore 4 versions of each task. Finally, for Forest Carbon, we created 4 versions, varying from unscaffolded to carefully scaffolded. Because the revision of each task was its own experiment, the analysis of each task, and our conclusions from that analysis, are described separately. Appended are: (1) Revised Items; and (2) Codes Used in Scoring Tasks and Frequency of Response Data. (Contains 29 figures and 36 tables.)

BACKGROUND: The effect of marine omega-3 PUFAs on risk of stroke remains unclear. METHODS: We investigated the associations between circulating and tissue omega-3 PUFA levels and incident stroke (total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic) in 29 international prospective cohorts. Each site conducted a de novo individual-level analysis using a prespecified analytical protocol with defined exposures, covariates, analytical methods, and outcomes; the harmonized data from the studies were then centrally pooled. Multivariable-adjusted HRs and 95% CIs across omega-3 PUFA quintiles were computed for each stroke outcome. RESULTS: Among 183 291 study participants, there were 10 561 total strokes, 8220 ischemic strokes, and 1142 hemorrhagic strokes recorded over a median of 14.3 years follow-up. For eicosapentaenoic acid, comparing quintile 5 (Q5, highest) with quintile 1 (Q1, lowest), total stroke incidence was 17% lower (HR, 0.83 [CI, 0.76–0.91]; P<0.0001), and ischemic stroke was 18% lower (HR, 0.82 [CI, 0.74–0.91]; P<0.0001). For docosahexaenoic acid, comparing Q5 with Q1, there was a 12% lower incidence of total stroke (HR, 0.88 [CI, 0.81–0.96]; P=0.0001) and a 14% lower incidence of ischemic stroke (HR, 0.86 [CI, 0.78–0.95]; P=0.0001). Neither eicosapentaenoic acid nor docosahexaenoic acid was associated with a risk for hemorrhagic stroke. These associations were not modified by either baseline history of AF or prevalent CVD. CONCLUSIONS: Higher omega-3 PUFA levels are associated with lower risks of total and ischemic stroke but have no association with hemorrhagic stroke.

BACKGROUNDPreclinical studies suggest that cholesterol accumulation leads to insulin resistance. We previously reported that alterations in a monocyte cholesterol metabolism transcriptional network (CMTN) - suggestive of cellular cholesterol accumulation - were cross-sectionally associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Here, we sought to determine whether the CMTN alterations independently predict incident prediabetes/T2D risk, and correlate with cellular cholesterol accumulation.METHODSMonocyte mRNA expression of 11 CMTN genes was quantified among 934 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants free of prediabetes/T2D; cellular cholesterol was measured in a subset of 24 monocyte samples.RESULTSDuring a median 6-year follow-up, lower expression of 3 highly correlated LXR target genes - ABCG1 and ABCA1 (cholesterol efflux) and MYLIP (cholesterol uptake suppression) - and not other CMTN genes, was significantly associated with higher risk of incident prediabetes/T2D. Lower expression of the LXR target genes correlated with higher cellular cholesterol levels (e.g., 47% of variance in cellular total cholesterol explained by ABCG1 expression). Further, adding the LXR target genes to overweight/obesity and other known predictors significantly improved prediction of incident prediabetes/T2D.CONCLUSIONThese data suggest that the aberrant LXR/ABCG1-ABCA1-MYLIP pathway (LAAMP) is a major T2D risk factor and support a potential role for aberrant LAAMP and cellular cholesterol accumulation in diabetogenesis.FUNDINGThe MESA Epigenomics and Transcriptomics Studies were funded by NIH grants 1R01HL101250, 1RF1AG054474, R01HL126477, R01DK101921, and R01HL135009. This work was supported by funding from NIDDK R01DK103531 and NHLBI R01HL119962.

BackgroundEach year an estimated 2.3 million newborns die in the first 28 days of life. Most of these deaths are preventable, and high-quality neonatal care is fundamental for surviving and thriving. Service readiness is used to assess the capacity of hospitals to provide care, but current health facility assessment (HFA) tools do not fully evaluate inpatient small and sick newborn care (SSNC).MethodsHealth systems ingredients for SSNC were identified from international guidelines, notably World Health Organization (WHO), and other standards for SSNC. Existing global and national service readiness tools were identified and mapped against this ingredients list. A novel HFA tool was co-designed according to a priori considerations determined by policymakers from four African governments, including that the HFA be completed in one day and assess readiness across the health system. The tool was reviewed by > 150 global experts, and refined and operationalised in 64 hospitals in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania between September 2019 and March 2021.ResultsEight hundred and sixty-six key health systems ingredients for service readiness for inpatient SSNC were identified and mapped against four global and eight national tools measuring SSNC service readiness. Tools revealed major content gaps particularly for devices and consumables, care guidelines, and facility infrastructure, with a mean of 13.2% (n = 866, range 2.2-34.4%) of ingredients included. Two tools covered 32.7% and 34.4% (n = 866) of ingredients and were used as inputs for the new HFA tool, which included ten modules organised by adapted WHO health system building blocks, including: infrastructure, pharmacy and laboratory, medical devices and supplies, biomedical technician workshop, human resources, information systems, leadership and governance, family-centred care, and infection prevention and control. This HFA tool can be conducted at a hospital by seven assessors in one day and has been u

Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods(1,2). A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome(3,4). Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins(5-7). However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes(8). This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies(9) provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade.

Using time-resolved sum-frequency generation spectroscopy, the C—O stretch vibration of carbon monoxide adsorbed on a single-crystal Ru(001) surface is investigated during femtosecond near-IR laser excitation leading to desorption. A large transient redshift, a broadening of the resonance, and a strong decrease in intensity are observed. These originate from coupling of the C—O stretch to low-frequency modes, especially the frustrated rotation, that are highly excited in the desorption process.

A novel type of surface vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy is presented that enables a highly specific measurement of the coupling of molecules on surfaces. With this doubly vibrationally resonant technique, two-dimensional vibrational spectroscopy of molecules on surfaces becomes possible. The technique is demonstrated for the C-O stretch vibration of CO on a ruthenium (001) surface. It allows for the determination of the intermolecular coupling strength of dipole-coupled CO molecules on the surface.

Training and assessment of agility is often prioritised by soccer coaches and practitioners aiming to develop multi-directional speed. Although the importance of agility is advocated throughout childhood and adolescence, limited data evidence agility performance at different stages of adolescence. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in multi-directional speed performance in youth soccer players spanning an entire soccer academy. A total of 86 male junior-elite soccer players volunteered to participate. Anthropometric data were collected, alongside performance data from a battery of physical tests including sprinting, jumping, change of direction, reaction time, and agility. Bayesian models using log-likelihoods from posterior simulations of parameter values displayed linear or curvilinear relationships between both chronological and biological age and performance in all tests other than agility and reaction time. For agility and reaction time tests, performance improved until ~14 years of age or the estimated age of peak height velocity whereby arrested development in performance was observed. Our results demonstrate that while most performance skills improve as chronological or biological age increases, measures of agility and reaction time may not. These findings support the notion that agility performance is complex and multifaceted, eliciting unique, challenging physical demands and non-linear development.

In hyperglycemia, the serum sodium concentration ([Na]S) receives influences from (a) the fluid exit from the intracellular compartment and thirst, which cause [Na]S decreases; (b) osmotic diuresis with sums of the urinary sodium plus potassium concentration lower than the baseline euglycemic [Na]S, which results in a [Na]S increase; and (c), in some cases, gains or losses of fluid, sodium, and potassium through the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, and the skin. Hyperglycemic patients with hypernatremia have large deficits of body water and usually hypovolemia and develop severe clinical manifestations and significant mortality. To assist with the correction of both the severe dehydration and the hypovolemia, we developed formulas computing the fractional losses of the body water and monovalent cations in hyperglycemia. The formulas estimate varying losses between patients with the same serum glucose concentration ([Glu]S) and [Na]S but with different sums of monovalent cation concentrations in the lost fluids. Among subjects with the same [Glu]S and [Na]S, those with higher monovalent cation concentrations in the fluids lost have higher fractional losses of body water. The sum of the monovalent cation concentrations in the lost fluids should be considered when computing the volume and composition of the fluid replacement for hyperglycemic syndromes.

QRS Construction Company is a business that specializes in constructing buildings, houses, apartments, infrastructure, and other types of construction projects. They have been providing quality construction services since 2018, and they are located in Deparo Caloocan City. This study aims to improve the office procedures in the Human Resource Department of QRS Construction Company and identify any issues or problems that may arise in the department. By doing so, the company can improve its office procedure system and become even better than it is now. The researchers used the Qualitative method and Descriptive design in this feasibility study to gather information about the department. They conducted interviews and surveys with the owner and the HR Assistant to gather data about the company and determine possible areas for improvement. The researchers recommend using email as the primary mode of communication, conducting skill assessments and background checks for applicants, conducting exit interviews for resigning employees, filing leave forms at least one week before the actual date of leave, and adding average offenses, suspensions, and verbal warnings for false complaints to the accuser. The respondents strongly agree with these recommendations and stated that they may adopt them in the future. They are also satisfied with the result of the study. The main objective of the proposed recommendations is to improve the procedure in the Human Resource Department and minimize possible issues or problems that may arise in the future. The researchers believe that following the proposed recommendations will improve the quality of their work and their employees.

The physical link between AGN activity and the suppression of star formation in their host galaxies is one of the major open questions of AGN feedback. The Spitzer space mission revealed a subset of nearby radio galaxies with unusually bright line emission from warm ($T\ge 100$ K) H$_2$, while typical star-formation tracers were exceptionally faint or undetected. We present JWST NIRSpec and MIRI IFU observations of 3C 326 N at z=0.09 and identify 19 ro-vibrational H$_2$ emission lines that probe hot ($T\sim 1000$ K) gas as well as the rotational lines of H$_2$ 0--0 S(3), S(5), and S(6) which probe most of the $2\times 10^9$ M$_\odot$ of warm H$_2$ in this galaxy. CO band heads show a stellar component consistent with a "slow-rotator", typical of a massive $3\times10^{11}$ M$_\odot$ galaxy, and provide us with a reliable redshift of $z=0.08979\pm 0.0003$. Extended line emission shows a bipolar bubble expanding through the molecular disk at velocities of up to 380 km s$^{-1}$, delineated by several bright clumps along the Northern outer rim, potentially from gas fragmentation. Throughout the disk, the H$_2$ is very broad, FWHM ~100-1300 km s$^{-1}$, and shows dual-component Gaussian line profiles. [FeII]$\lambda$1.644 and Pa$\alpha$ follow the same morphology, however [NeIII]$\lambda$15.56 is more symmetric about the nucleus. We show that the gas, with the exception of [NeIII]$\lambda$15.56, is predominantly heated by shocks driven by the radio jet and that the accompanying line broadening is sufficient to suppress star formation. We also compare the rotational and ro-vibrational lines, finding that the latter can be a good proxy to the global morphology and kinematic properties of the former in strongly turbulent environments. This enables studies of turbulence in galaxies at intermediate and high redshifts while most rotational lines are redshifted out of the MIRI bandpass for $z$>1.5., Comment: Accepted with comments by A&A, 14 Figures, 5 Tables

A kilonova, the electromagnetic emission produced by compact binary mergers, is formed through a delicate interplay of physical processes, involving r-process nucleosynthesis and interactions between heavy elements and photons through radiative transfer. This complexity makes it difficult to achieve a comprehensive understanding of kilonova spectra. In this study, we aim to enhance our understanding and establish connections between physical parameters and observables through radiative-transfer simulations. Specifically, we investigate how ejecta temperature and element mass influence the resulting kilonova spectrum. For each species, the strength of its line features depends on these parameters, leading to the formation of a distinct region in the parameter space, dubbed the Prominent Signature Region (PSR), where the line signature of that species is notably evident in the kilonova spectrum. We explore the origin and applications of PSRs. Among explored r-process elements (31$\leq$Z$\leq$92), we find that four species -- Sr$_{\rm II}$, Y$_{\rm II}$, Ba$_{\rm II}$, and Ce$_{\rm II}$ -- exhibit large and strong PSRs, suggesting their significant contributions to kilonova spectra at specific wavelengths. In addition, we discuss potential challenges and future perspectives in observable heavy elements and their masses in the context of PSRs., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, ApJ accepted

Comparing the performance of different continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems is challenging due to the lack of comprehensive guidelines for clinical study design. In particular, the absence of concise requirements for the distribution of comparator (reference) blood glucose (BG) concentrations and their rate of change (RoC) that are used to evaluate CGM performance, impairs comparability. For this article, several experts in the field of CGM performance testing have collaborated to propose characteristics of the distribution of comparator measurements that should be collected during CGM performance testing. Specifically, it is proposed that at least 7.5% of comparator BG concentrations are <70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) and >300 mg/dL (16.7 mmol/L), respectively, and that at least 7.5% of BG-RoC combinations indicate fast BG changes with impending hypo- or hyperglycemia, respectively. These proposed characteristics of the comparator data can facilitate the harmonization of testing conditions across different studies and CGM systems and ensure that the most relevant scenarios representing real-life situations are established during performance testing. In addition, a study protocol and testing procedure for the manipulation of glucose levels are suggested that enable the collection of comparator data with these characteristics. This work is an important step toward establishing a future standard for the performance evaluation of CGM systems., Comparing the performance of different continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems is challenging due to the lack of comprehensive guidelines for clinical study design. In particular, the absence of concise requirements for the distribution of comparator (reference) blood glucose (BG) concentrations and their rate of change (RoC) that are used to evaluate CGM performance, impairs comparability. For this article, several experts in the field of CGM performance testing have collaborated to propose characteristics of the distribution of comparator measurements that should be collected during CGM performance testing. Specifically, it is proposed that at least 7.5% of comparator BG concentrations are <70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) and >300 mg/dL (16.7 mmol/L), respectively, and that at least 7.5% of BG-RoC combinations indicate fast BG changes with impending hypo- or hyperglycemia, respectively. These proposed characteristics of the comparator data can facilitate the harmonization of testing conditions across different studies and CGM systems and ensure that the most relevant scenarios representing real-life situations are established during performance testing. In addition, a study protocol and testing procedure for the manipulation of glucose levels are suggested that enable the collection of comparator data with these characteristics. This work is an important step toward establishing a future standard for the performance evaluation of CGM systems.

Tridecaptins comprise a class of linear cationic lipopeptides with an N-terminal fatty acyl moiety. These 13-mer antimicrobial peptides consist of a combination of D- and L-amino acids, conferring increased proteolytic stability. Intriguingly, they are biosynthesized by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases in the same bacterial species that also produce the cyclic polymyxins displaying similar fatty acid tails. Previously, the des-acyl analog of TriA1 (termed H-TriA1) was found to possess very weak antibacterial activity, albeit it potentiated the effect of several antibiotics. In the present study, two series of des-acyl tridecaptins were explored with the aim of improving the direct antibacterial effect. At the same time, overall physico-chemical properties were modulated by amino acid substitution(s) to diminish the risk of undesired levels of hemolysis and to avoid an impairment of mammalian cell viability, since these properties are typically associated with highly hydrophobic cationic peptides. Microbiology and biophysics tools were used to determine bacterial uptake, while circular dichroism and isothermal calorimetry were used to probe the mode of action. Several analogs had improved antibacterial activity (as compared to that of H-TriA1) against Enterobacteriaceae. Optimization enabled identification of the lead compound 29 that showed a good ADMET profile as well as in vivo efficacy in a variety of mouse models of infection.

Strain-induced crystallization (SIC) prevalently strengthens, toughens, and enables an elastocaloric effect in elastomers. However, the crystallinity induced by mechanical stretching in common elastomers (e.g., natural rubber) is typically below 20%, and the stretchability plateaus due to trapped entanglements. We report a class of elastomers formed by end-linking and then deswelling star polymers with low defects and no trapped entanglements, which achieve strain-induced crystallinity of up to 50%. The deswollen end-linked star elastomer (DELSE) reaches an ultrahigh stretchability of 12.4 to 33.3, scaling beyond the saturated limit of common elastomers. The DELSE also exhibits a high fracture energy of 4.2 to 4.5 kJ m −2 while maintaining low hysteresis. The heightened SIC and stretchability synergistically promote a high elastocaloric effect with an adiabatic temperature change of 9.3°C.

The noradrenergic system is engaged by arousal and novel stimuli, and has a widespread influence throughout the body, indirectly innervating areas that control heart rate, respiratory rate, perspiration rate, pain sensitivity, and pupil diameter. This study aimed to create anxiety using threatening virtual reality protocols and determine whether that anxiety was sufficient to cause physiological responses consistent with locus coeruleus activation and thus noradrenaline release. Ten participants were exposed to three different types of virtual reality protocol (relaxing, implied threat and overt threat) and one mental arithmetic protocol, each designed to elicit a different level of anxiety for comparison. Anxiety level was assessed after each protocol using a five-point Likert scale, with a minimum of 1 (not anxious at all) and maximum of 5 (extremely anxious). While experiencing these protocols pupil diameter, pressure pain threshold, heart rate, and galvanic skin resistance were recorded. These autonomic and sensory measures are known to be influenced by locus coeruleus activation and noradrenaline release. Increases in pupil diameter, in particular, are correlated with locus coeruleus activity. Virtual reality threat protocols were successful in promoting anxiety in participants, however, the mental arithmetic protocol created greater anxiety. Virtual reality threat protocols resulted in significant increases in two of the outcome measures (pupil diameter and pressure pain threshold) and had a median anxiety score of ≤ 2.5, while mental arithmetic resulted in significant changes in three of the outcome measures (pupil diameter, pressuanixre pain threshold, galvanic skin resistance) and a median anxiety score of 3. Exploratory repeated measures correlations showed that pupil diameter correlated with pressure pain threshold (rrm = 0.27 [0.029, 0.49], p = 0.03), pressure pain threshold with galvanic skin resistance (rrm = -0.3 [-0.5, -0.075], p = 0.01), and galvani

This paper presents a novel Cross-document Abstract Meaning Representation (X-AMR) annotation tool designed for annotating key corpus-level event semantics. Leveraging machine assistance through the Prodigy Annotation Tool, we enhance the user experience, ensuring ease and efficiency in the annotation process. Through empirical analyses, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our tool in augmenting an existing event corpus, highlighting its advantages when integrated with GPT-4. Code and annotations: https://github.com/ahmeshaf/gpt_coref, Comment: EACL 2024 System Demonstration

Cloud radiative feedback impacts early tropical cyclone (TC) intensification, but limitations in existing diagnostic frameworks make them unsuitable for studying asymmetric or transient radiative heating. We propose a linear Variational Encoder-Decoder (VED) to learn the hidden relationship between radiation and the surface intensification of realistic simulated TCs. Limiting VED model inputs enables using its uncertainty to identify periods when radiation has more importance for intensification. A close examination of the extracted 3D radiative structures suggests that longwave radiative forcing from inner core deep convection and shallow clouds both contribute to intensification, with the deep convection having the most impact overall. We find that deep convection downwind of the shallow clouds is critical to the intensification of Haiyan. Our work demonstrates that machine learning can discover thermodynamic-kinematic relationships without relying on axisymmetric or deterministic assumptions, paving the way towards the objective discovery of processes leading to TC intensification in realistic conditions., Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures (main text)

Jersey number recognition is an important task in sports video analysis, partly due to its importance for long-term player tracking. It can be viewed as a variant of scene text recognition. However, there is a lack of published attempts to apply scene text recognition models on jersey number data. Here we introduce a novel public jersey number recognition dataset for hockey and study how scene text recognition methods can be adapted to this problem. We address issues of occlusions and assess the degree to which training on one sport (hockey) can be generalized to another (soccer). For the latter, we also consider how jersey number recognition at the single-image level can be aggregated across frames to yield tracklet-level jersey number labels. We demonstrate high performance on image- and tracklet-level tasks, achieving 91.4% accuracy for hockey images and 87.4% for soccer tracklets. Code, models, and data are available at https://github.com/mkoshkina/jersey-number-pipeline.

This paper is dedicated to the design and evaluation of the first AMR parser tailored for clinical notes. Our objective was to facilitate the precise transformation of the clinical notes into structured AMR expressions, thereby enhancing the interpretability and usability of clinical text data at scale. Leveraging the colon cancer dataset from the Temporal Histories of Your Medical Events (THYME) corpus, we adapted a state-of-the-art AMR parser utilizing continuous training. Our approach incorporates data augmentation techniques to enhance the accuracy of AMR structure predictions. Notably, through this learning strategy, our parser achieved an impressive F1 score of 88% on the THYME corpus's colon cancer dataset. Moreover, our research delved into the efficacy of data required for domain adaptation within the realm of clinical notes, presenting domain adaptation data requirements for AMR parsing. This exploration not only underscores the parser's robust performance but also highlights its potential in facilitating a deeper understanding of clinical narratives through structured semantic representations., Comment: Accepted to the 6th Clinical NLP Workshop at NAACL, 2024

Event coreference resolution (ECR) is the task of determining whether distinct mentions of events within a multi-document corpus are actually linked to the same underlying occurrence. Images of the events can help facilitate resolution when language is ambiguous. Here, we propose a multimodal cross-document event coreference resolution method that integrates visual and textual cues with a simple linear map between vision and language models. As existing ECR benchmark datasets rarely provide images for all event mentions, we augment the popular ECB+ dataset with event-centric images scraped from the internet and generated using image diffusion models. We establish three methods that incorporate images and text for coreference: 1) a standard fused model with finetuning, 2) a novel linear mapping method without finetuning and 3) an ensembling approach based on splitting mention pairs by semantic and discourse-level difficulty. We evaluate on 2 datasets: the augmented ECB+, and AIDA Phase 1. Our ensemble systems using cross-modal linear mapping establish an upper limit (91.9 CoNLL F1) on ECB+ ECR performance given the preprocessing assumptions used, and establish a novel baseline on AIDA Phase 1. Our results demonstrate the utility of multimodal information in ECR for certain challenging coreference problems, and highlight a need for more multimodal resources in the coreference resolution space., Comment: To appear at LREC-COLING 2024

Event Coreference Resolution (ECR) as a pairwise mention classification task is expensive both for automated systems and manual annotations. The task's quadratic difficulty is exacerbated when using Large Language Models (LLMs), making prompt engineering for ECR prohibitively costly. In this work, we propose a graphical representation of events, X-AMR, anchored around individual mentions using a \textbf{cross}-document version of \textbf{A}bstract \textbf{M}eaning \textbf{R}epresentation. We then linearize the ECR with a novel multi-hop coreference algorithm over the event graphs. The event graphs simplify ECR, making it a) LLM cost-effective, b) compositional and interpretable, and c) easily annotated. For a fair assessment, we first enrich an existing ECR benchmark dataset with these event graphs using an annotator-friendly tool we introduce. Then, we employ GPT-4, the newest LLM by OpenAI, for these annotations. Finally, using the ECR algorithm, we assess GPT-4 against humans and analyze its limitations. Through this research, we aim to advance the state-of-the-art for efficient ECR and shed light on the potential shortcomings of current LLMs at this task. Code and annotations: \url{https://github.com/ahmeshaf/gpt_coref}, Comment: LREC-COLING 2024 main conference

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have transformed our understanding of the nanoscale, driving breakthroughs in materials science, computational chemistry, and several other fields, including biophysics and drug design. Even on exascale supercomputers, however, runtimes are excessive for systems and timescales of scientific interest. Here, we demonstrate strong scaling of MD simulations on the Cerebras Wafer-Scale Engine. By dedicating a processor core for each simulated atom, we demonstrate a 179-fold improvement in timesteps per second versus the Frontier GPU-based Exascale platform, along with a large improvement in timesteps per unit energy. Reducing every year of runtime to two days unlocks currently inaccessible timescales of slow microstructure transformation processes that are critical for understanding material behavior and function. Our dataflow algorithm runs Embedded Atom Method (EAM) simulations at rates over 270,000 timesteps per second for problems with up to 800k atoms. This demonstrated performance is unprecedented for general-purpose processing cores., Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables

Artificial neural networks trained on large, expert-labelled datasets are considered state-of-the-art for a range of medical image recognition tasks. However, categorically labelled datasets are time-consuming to generate and constrain classification to a pre-defined, fixed set of classes. For neuroradiological applications in particular, this represents a barrier to clinical adoption. To address these challenges, we present a self-supervised text-vision framework that learns to detect clinically relevant abnormalities in brain MRI scans by directly leveraging the rich information contained in accompanying free-text neuroradiology reports. Our training approach consisted of two-steps. First, a dedicated neuroradiological language model - NeuroBERT - was trained to generate fixed-dimensional vector representations of neuroradiology reports (N = 50,523) via domain-specific self-supervised learning tasks. Next, convolutional neural networks (one per MRI sequence) learnt to map individual brain scans to their corresponding text vector representations by optimising a mean square error loss. Once trained, our text-vision framework can be used to detect abnormalities in unreported brain MRI examinations by scoring scans against suitable query sentences (e.g., 'there is an acute stroke', 'there is hydrocephalus' etc.), enabling a range of classification-based applications including automated triage. Potentially, our framework could also serve as a clinical decision support tool, not only by suggesting findings to radiologists and detecting errors in provisional reports, but also by retrieving and displaying examples of pathologies from historical examinations that could be relevant to the current case based on textual descriptors., Comment: Under Review

This paper discusses the results of the third edition of the Monocular Depth Estimation Challenge (MDEC). The challenge focuses on zero-shot generalization to the challenging SYNS-Patches dataset, featuring complex scenes in natural and indoor settings. As with the previous edition, methods can use any form of supervision, i.e. supervised or self-supervised. The challenge received a total of 19 submissions outperforming the baseline on the test set: 10 among them submitted a report describing their approach, highlighting a diffused use of foundational models such as Depth Anything at the core of their method. The challenge winners drastically improved 3D F-Score performance, from 17.51% to 23.72%., Comment: To appear in CVPRW2024

This paper presents data covering the representation of African Americans among physics and geoscience degree recipients at each stage of the educational system. The data were collected by several statistical agencies and are here provided in far more detail than has ever been available before. By placing all the data in one place, this paper presents a snapshot of the supply side of physics and the geosciences. In addition to compiling the data from disparate sources into one document, this report also places the education of African American physicists and geoscientists within the larger context of the educational system and social structure. The lack of adequate representation of African American physicists and geoscientists cannot be understood without a thorough examination of the role of African Americans in the educational system as a whole, beginning with high school preparation and extending to the relationship between geographical location and higher education. Then, it is essential to examine the structural barriers some students must circumvent. This paper identifies institutions that have been able to remove or reduce some of these barriers so that we know where we might find solutions to help students overcome these obstacles. This report highlights the striking contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in supplying the scientific workforce of African Americans. It also lists departments that have been successful in attracting and retaining African American students so that they might be used as role models by departments wishing to increase their numbers of African American students. The data in this report allow institutions to evaluate the extent to which they have been serving the science education needs of African American students. These data can be used by departments that have noticed that the racial composition of their majors differs significantly from the composition of the undergraduates attending their institutions. (Contains 17 tables and 5 figures.)

This handbook synthesizes research on the education of various subpopulations of students who tend to be highly mobile and explores common characteristics and significant differences. It provides a comprehensive array of resources for teachers and schools. Part 1, "Defining Highly Mobile Children and Youth," includes: (1) "Students on the Move"; (2) "Children Living in High Poverty"; (3) "Migratory Children and Youth"; (4) "Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness"; (5) "Children of Military Families"; (6) "Students Experiencing Mobility on a Global Scale"; and (7) "Future Steps." Part 2, "How to Reach and Teach the Highly Mobile Student," includes: (8) "Reaching Highly Mobile Students: What Administrators Can Do" and (9) "Teaching Highly Mobile Students: School and Classroom Strategies." Part 3, "Tools You Can Use," includes appendices containing a complete checklist of interventions and strategies to support highly mobile students, a PowerPoint presentation on the issues for staff development and training, children's literature and activities, and suggested references and resources. (Contains over 100 endnotes.)(SM)

Real-time locking protocols are typically designed to reduce any priority-inversion blocking (pi-blocking) a task may incur while waiting to access a shared resource. For the multiprocessor case, a number of such protocols have been developed that ensure asymptotically optimal pi-blocking bounds under job-level fixed-priority scheduling. Unfortunately, no optimal multiprocessor real-time locking protocols are known that ensure tight pi-blocking bounds under any scheduler. This paper presents the first such protocols. Specifically, protocols are presented for mutual exclusion, reader-writer synchronization, and k-exclusion that are optimal under first-in-first-out (FIFO) scheduling when schedulability analysis treats suspension times as computation. Experiments are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of these protocols.

Taxonomic identification of whale bones found during archaeological excavations is problematic due to their typically fragmented state. This difficulty limits understanding of both the past spatio-temporal distributions of whale populations and of possible early whaling activities. To overcome this challenge, we performed zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry on an unprecedented 719 archaeological and palaeontological specimens of probable whale bone from Atlantic European contexts, predominantly dating from ca 3500 BCE to the eighteenth century CE. The results show high numbers of Balaenidae (many probably North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)) and grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) specimens, two taxa no longer present in the eastern North Atlantic. This discovery matches expectations regarding the past utilization of North Atlantic right whales, but was unanticipated for grey whales, which have hitherto rarely been identified in the European zooarchaeological record. Many of these specimens derive from contexts associated with mediaeval cultures frequently linked to whaling: the Basques, northern Spaniards, Normans, Flemish, Frisians, Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians. This association raises the likelihood that early whaling impacted these taxa, contributing to their extirpation and extinction. Much lower numbers of other large cetacean taxa were identified, suggesting that what are now the most depleted whales were once those most frequently used.

This fact sheet uses a question-and-answer format to provide an overview of what physical fitness is and how it relates to people with mental retardation. Questions address the following topics: the fitness movement; a definition of physical fitness; the different components of physical fitness (muscle strength and endurance, flexibility, body composition, and cardiovascular endurance); the importance of each part of fitness to aging adults; evidence that the physical fitness of people with mental retardation is substantially poorer than that of the general population; the fitness levels of older adults with mental retardation; the physical aging process; the importance of older people with mental retardation becoming more active; and a five-step program for starting a structured exercise program for an aging adult with mental retardation. A list of suggested print and organizational resources is attached. (DB)

Multiple-user domains--the most common names are MUDs (Multiple-User Domain), MOOs (Multiple user domain, Object Oriented), and MUSHes (Multiple User Shared Hallucination)--can be effectively used for teaching. While each may be slightly different, they are all interactive internet sights with real time connections and exchanges. Often described as "fantasy games" or "super-chat rooms," multiple user domains are text-based virtual worlds that are easy to use, entertaining, informative, and educationally useful. Most educational multiple user sites have some provision for allowing teachers to bring students on-line. One teacher of interpersonal communication has devised several assignments around multiple-user sites. One requirement of multiple user sites is that users take a name and develop a character or role. Characters evolve slowly as individuals interact with each other. These processes afford an excellent opportunity for students to observe and experience role playing. Beyond characterization and role-taking, social support, repair/rehabilitation, and accounting behavior can be studied. Students may be asked, for instance, to observe the ways users help and support each other in the presentation of their respective identities. A character or role operates like a dynamic story that is situated and made real by the way others respond to the role taker. These instances of social support are particularly interesting in situations where something unexpected or untoward occurs. Multiple user domains are a place where students can try out new behaviors that they may not be fully comfortable with yet. (TB)