How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression

We offer the first large scale, multiple source analysis of the outcome of what may be the most extensive effort to selectively censor human expression ever implemented. To do this, we have devised a system to locate, download, and analyze the content of millions of social media posts originating from nearly 1,400 different social media services all over China before the Chinese government is able to find, evaluate, and censor (i.e., remove from the Internet) the large subset they deem objectionable. Using modern computer-assisted text analytic methods that we adapt to and validate in the Chinese language, we compare the substantive content of posts censored to those not censored over time in each of 85 topic areas. Contrary to previous understandings, posts with negative, even vitriolic, criticism of the state, its leaders, and its policies are not more likely to be censored. Instead, we show that the censorship program is aimed at curtailing collective action by silencing comments that represent, reinforce, or spur social mobilization, regardless of content. Censorship is oriented toward attempting to forestall collective activities that are occurring now or may occur in the future --- and, as such, seem to clearly expose government intent.Governmen

A crystal on decreasing factorizations in the 00-Hecke monoid

We introduce a type $A$ crystal structure on decreasing factorizations of fully-commutative elements in the 0-Hecke monoid which we call $\star$-crystal. This crystal is a $K$-theoretic generalization of the crystal on decreasing factorizations in the symmetric group of the first and last author. We prove that under the residue map the $\star$-crystal intertwines with the crystal on set-valued tableaux recently introduced by Monical, Pechenik and Scrimshaw. We also define a new insertion from decreasing factorization to pairs of semistandard Young tableaux and prove several properties, such as its relation to the Hecke insertion and the uncrowding algorithm. The new insertion also intertwines with the crystal operators.Comment: 37 pages; in revision 1 Sections 3.1, 4.3 and 4.4 were updated; in revision 2 the phrase 321-avoiding is replaced by fully-commutative, typos are fixed, reference adde

Buying Inertia: Preempting Social Disorder With Selective Welfare Provision in Urban China

A considerable number of welfare programs and social policies are adopted by authoritarian regimes, but we know relatively little about what shapes the pattern of redistribution in the absence of electoral competition. This dissertation demonstrates that in authoritarian regimes like China, selective welfare provision is used to preempt disruptions to social order when the regime can obtain information about the private preferences of individuals. For China’s Minimum Livelihood Guarantee (Dibao) program, threats of collective action cause governments to be more responsive to applicants for Dibao, individuals who have greater potential to disrupt social order are more likely to be recipients of benefits, and benefits are distributed before time periods when disruptions are expected to occur and in localities where the threat of disruptions is a greater concern. Contrary to previous understandings, information enables welfare benefits to be targeted at specific individuals, and provision is shaped by a fear of social disorder, even when disorder does not pose a direct threat to the survival of the regime.Governmen

A rare schizophrenia risk variant of CACNA1I disrupts CaV3.3 channel activity

CACNA1I is a candidate schizophrenia risk gene. It encodes the pore-forming human CaV3.3 α1 subunit, a subtype of voltage-gated calcium channel that contributes to T-type currents. Recently, two de novo missense variations, T797M and R1346H, of hCaV3.3 were identified in individuals with schizophrenia. Here we show that R1346H, but not T797M, is associated with lower hCaV3.3 protein levels, reduced glycosylation, and lower membrane surface levels of hCaV3.3 when expressed in human cell lines compared to wild-type. Consistent with our biochemical analyses, whole-cell hCaV3.3 currents in cells expressing the R1346H variant were ~50% of those in cells expressing WT hCaV3.3, and neither R1346H nor T797M altered channel biophysical properties. Employing the NEURON simulation environment, we found that reducing hCaV3.3 current densities by 22% or more eliminates rebound bursting in model thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) neurons. Our analyses suggest that a single copy of Chr22: 39665939G > A CACNA1I has the capacity to disrupt CaV3.3 channel-dependent functions, including rebound bursting in TRN neurons, with potential implications for schizophrenia pathophysiology

Mineralogy and stratigraphy of the Gale crater rim, wall, and floor units

The Curiosity rover has detected diverse lithologies in float rocks and sedimentary units on the Gale crater floor, interpreted to have been transported from the rim. To understand their provenance, we examine the mineralogy and geology of Gale's rim, walls, and floor, using high-resolution imagery and infrared spectra. While no significant differences in bedrock spectral properties were observed within most Thermal Emission Imaging System and Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) scenes, some CRISM scenes of rim and wall rocks showed olivine-bearing bedrock accompanied by Fe/Mg phyllosilicates. Hydrated materials with 2.48 μm absorptions in Gale's eastern walls are spectrally similar to the sulfate unit in Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons). Sedimentary strata on the Gale floor southwest of the landing site, likely coeval with the Bradbury units explored by Curiosity, also are hydrated and/or have Fe/Mg phyllosilicates. Spectral properties of these phyllosilicates differ from the Al-substituted nontronite detected by CRISM in Mount Sharp, suggesting formation by fluids of different composition. Geologic mapping of the crater floor shows that the hydrated or hydroxylated materials are typically overlain by spectrally undistinctive, erosionally resistant, cliff-forming units. Additionally, a 4 km impact crater exposes >250 m of the Gale floor, including finely layered units. No basement rocks are exposed, thus indicating sedimentary deposits ≥250 m beneath strata studied by Curiosity. Collectively, the data indicate substantial sedimentary infill of Gale crater, including some materials derived from the crater rim. Lowermost thin layers are consistent with deposition in a lacustrine environment; interbedded hydrated/hydroxylated units may signify changing environmental conditions, perhaps in a drying or episodically dry lake bed

La educación física y el acoso escolar: una propuesta de intervención a través del juego bueno

El acoso escolar produce un desajuste en la personalidad de la víctima, del agresor e incluso de resto de compañeros y profesores que los rodean. En este trabajo se busca encontrar una solución a través de la educación física para combatir el acoso escolar. Primero muestro una fundamentación teórica sobre el acoso escolar para luego crear una propuesta educativa, titulada “Creamos juegos buenos para mejorar nuestras relaciones”. Una propuesta educativa sobre el juego bueno, en el que se busca la creación de este, mientras se mejoran las relaciones entre los alumnos. Se le considera al juego como lugar donde se dan conflictos, lo usaré para tratarlo de forma pedagógica, trabajar los conflictos con los alumnos para resolverlos y mediar los, mediante la creación de un juego bueno basado en las relaciones. Los alumnos propondrán normas para determinados juegos que les permitan mejorar sus relaciones y obtener un juego bueno.Grado en Educación Primari

Federated Graph Representation Learning using Self-Supervision

Federated graph representation learning (FedGRL) brings the benefits of distributed training to graph structured data while simultaneously addressing some privacy and compliance concerns related to data curation. However, several interesting real-world graph data characteristics viz. label deficiency and downstream task heterogeneity are not taken into consideration in current FedGRL setups. In this paper, we consider a realistic and novel problem setting, wherein cross-silo clients have access to vast amounts of unlabeled data with limited or no labeled data and additionally have diverse downstream class label domains. We then propose a novel FedGRL formulation based on model interpolation where we aim to learn a shared global model that is optimized collaboratively using a self-supervised objective and gets downstream task supervision through local client models. We provide a specific instantiation of our general formulation using BGRL a SoTA self-supervised graph representation learning method and we empirically verify its effectiveness through realistic cross-slio datasets: (1) we adapt the Twitch Gamer Network which naturally simulates a cross-geo scenario and show that our formulation can provide consistent and avg. 6.1% gains over traditional supervised federated learning objectives and on avg. 1.7% gains compared to individual client specific self-supervised training and (2) we construct and introduce a new cross-silo dataset called Amazon Co-purchase Networks that have both the characteristics of the motivated problem setting. And, we witness on avg. 11.5% gains over traditional supervised federated learning and on avg. 1.9% gains over individually trained self-supervised models. Both experimental results point to the effectiveness of our proposed formulation. Finally, both our novel problem setting and dataset contributions provide new avenues for the research in FedGRL.Comment: FedGraph'22 workshop (non archival) version. (https://sites.google.com/view/fedgraph2022/accepted-papers