Astrophysics and cosmology with a deci-hertz gravitational-wave detector: TianGO

We present the astrophysical science case for a space-based, deci-Hz gravitational-wave (GW) detector. We particularly highlight an ability in inferring a source's sky location, both when combined with a network of ground-based detectors to form a long triangulation baseline, and by itself for the early warning of merger events. Such an accurate location measurement is the key for using GW signals as standard sirens for constraining the Hubble constant. This kind of detector also opens up the possibility of testing type Ia supernovae progenitor hypotheses by constraining the merger rates of white dwarf binaries with both super- and sub-Chandrasekhar masses separately. We will discuss other scientific outcomes that can be delivered, including the precise determination of black hole spins, the constraint of structure formation in the early Universe, and the search for intermediate-mass black holes

Astrophysics and cosmology with a decihertz gravitational-wave detector: TianGO

We present the astrophysical science case for a space-based, decihertz gravitational-wave (GW) detector. We particularly highlight an ability to infer a source’s sky location, both when combined with a network of ground-based detectors to form a long triangulation baseline, and by itself for the early warning of merger events. Such an accurate location measurement is the key for using GW signals as standard sirens for constraining the Hubble constant. This kind of detector also opens up the possibility to test type Ia supernovae progenitor hypotheses by constraining the merger rates of white dwarf binaries with both super- and sub-Chandrasekhar masses separately. We will discuss other scientific outcomes that can be delivered, including the constraint of structure formation in the early Universe, the search for intermediate-mass black holes, the precise determination of black hole spins, the probe of binary systems’ orbital eccentricity evolution, and the detection of tertiary masses around merging binaries

Astrophysics and cosmology with a deci-hertz gravitational-wave detector: TianGO

We present the astrophysical science case for a space-based, deci-Hz gravitational-wave (GW) detector. We particularly highlight an ability in inferring a source's sky location, both when combined with a network of ground-based detectors to form a long triangulation baseline, and by itself for the early warning of merger events. Such an accurate location measurement is the key for using GW signals as standard sirens for constraining the Hubble constant. This kind of detector also opens up the possibility of testing type Ia supernovae progenitor hypotheses by constraining the merger rates of white dwarf binaries with both super- and sub-Chandrasekhar masses separately. We will discuss other scientific outcomes that can be delivered, including the precise determination of black hole spins, the constraint of structure formation in the early Universe, and the search for intermediate-mass black holes

Validating the Postdischarge Surgical Recovery Scale 13 as a Measure of Perceived Postoperative Recovery After Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy

Objectives No postoperative recovery measurement tools have been validated among women undergoing laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy for pelvic organ prolapse, which impedes development and testing of strategies to improve recovery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Postdischarge Surgical Recovery Scale (PSR) as a measure of perceived recovery in laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy patients. Methods Women (N = 120) with stage 2 or higher pelvic organ prolapse undergoing laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy completed a 15-minute postoperative survey (days 7, 14, 42, and 90 [each ± 3 days]) which included the 15-item PSR. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using data from 14 days postsurgery, when patients would have begun to recover, but there was likely to be substantial variability in recovery across patients. We also assessed validity and explored sensitivity to change over time and minimally important difference values. Results Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fitting model for a reduced version of the PSR (ie, PSR13). Regressions showed that the PSR13 prospectively predicted single-item recovery scores. The PSR13 recovery significantly improved from days 7 to 42, suggesting the PSR13 is sensitive to change. Descriptive statistics including minimally important differences are reported. The minimally important difference was estimated to be around 5 points. Conclusions The PSR13 is a psychometrically sound tool for measuring recovery over time in this population. Its short length makes it an ideal postoperative recovery measure in clinical practice or research

A Scoping Study of Psychosocial Factors in Women Diagnosed With and/or Treated for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Objective Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is prevalent and can impact women's physical and psychosocial health. To develop interventions that support this population, an understanding of the state of research on psychosocial factors related to POP is essential. We conducted a scoping study focused on the psychosocial experience of women with POP. The purpose of this review was to (1) inventory and describe the current state of knowledge of the psychosocial experience of women with POP, (2) identify gaps in knowledge, and (3) identify targets for future research. Method Electronic databases PsycINFO, PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched through November 1, 2017. Results Of 524 titles reviewed, 103 articles met all inclusion criteria. Articles were grouped by the disease period (ie, prediagnosis, diagnosis/preintervention, intervention, follow-up, and mixed) and psychosocial factors. Most articles (n = 73) focused on women undergoing intervention. Articles focusing on the preintervention period was the next largest category (n = 14). Follow-up after intervention (n = 8) and samples of mixed disease periods (n = 7) were less common. One article focused on women before diagnosis. Articles focused on quality of life (QOL; n = 79), sexual function (n = 51), satisfaction (n = 16), body image (n = 13), psychological distress (n = 4), and knowledge (n = 3). Conclusions Research on the psychosocial experience of POP has largely focused on changes in QOL and sexual function. Future research should target emotional experience of women with POP; relationships among QOL, psychological distress, body image, and sexual function; and psychosocial factors related to treatment outcomes

Predictors of Postdischarge Surgical Recovery Following Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objectives Our aim was to identify sociodemographic/clinical, surgical, and psychosocial predictors of postdischarge surgical recovery after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy. Methods Study participants (N=171) with ≥ stage 2 pelvic organ prolapse completed a preoperative survey measuring hypothesized sociodemographic/clinical, surgical, and psychosocial recovery predictors followed by a postoperative survey at four time points (day 7, 14, 42, and 90) that included the Postdischarge Surgical Recovery (PSR)13 scale. One multivariate linear regression model was constructed for each time point to regress PSR13 scores on an a priori set of hypothesized predictors. All variables that had p values less than 0.1 were considered significant predictors of recovery because of the exploratory nature of this study and focus on model building rather than model testing. Results Predictors of recovery at one or more time points included the following: Sociodemographic/clinical predictors: older age, higher body mass index, fewer comorbidities, and greater preoperative pain predicted greater recovery. Surgical predictors: fewer perioperative complications and greater change in the leading edge of prolapse after surgery predicted greater recovery. Psychosocial predictors: less endorsement of doctors locus of control, greater endorsement of others locus of control, and less sick role investment predicted greater recovery. Conclusions Identified sociodemographic/clinical, surgical, and psychosocial predictors should provide physicians with evidence based guidance on recovery times for patients and family members. This knowledge is critical for informing future research to determine if these predictors are modifiable by changes to our narrative during the preoperative consultation visit. These efforts may reduce the postdischarge surgical recovery for patients with pelvic organ prolapse after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy, accepting the unique demands on each individual’s time

Text2Shape: Generating Shapes from Natural Language by Learning Joint Embeddings

We present a method for generating colored 3D shapes from natural language. To this end, we first learn joint embeddings of freeform text descriptions and colored 3D shapes. Our model combines and extends learning by association and metric learning approaches to learn implicit cross-modal connections, and produces a joint representation that captures the many-to-many relations between language and physical properties of 3D shapes such as color and shape. To evaluate our approach, we collect a large dataset of natural language descriptions for physical 3D objects in the ShapeNet dataset. With this learned joint embedding we demonstrate text-to-shape retrieval that outperforms baseline approaches. Using our embeddings with a novel conditional Wasserstein GAN framework, we generate colored 3D shapes from text. Our method is the first to connect natural language text with realistic 3D objects exhibiting rich variations in color, texture, and shape detail. See video at https://youtu.be/zraPvRdl13

Case Repositories: Towards Case-Based Reasoning for AI Alignment

Case studies commonly form the pedagogical backbone in law, ethics, and many other domains that face complex and ambiguous societal questions informed by human values. Similar complexities and ambiguities arise when we consider how AI should be aligned in practice: when faced with vast quantities of diverse (and sometimes conflicting) values from different individuals and communities, with whose values is AI to align, and how should AI do so? We propose a complementary approach to constitutional AI alignment, grounded in ideas from case-based reasoning (CBR), that focuses on the construction of policies through judgments on a set of cases. We present a process to assemble such a case repository by: 1) gathering a set of ``seed'' cases -- questions one may ask an AI system -- in a particular domain, 2) eliciting domain-specific key dimensions for cases through workshops with domain experts, 3) using LLMs to generate variations of cases not seen in the wild, and 4) engaging with the public to judge and improve cases. We then discuss how such a case repository could assist in AI alignment, both through directly acting as precedents to ground acceptable behaviors, and as a medium for individuals and communities to engage in moral reasoning around AI.Comment: MP2 workshop @ NeurIPS 202