cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bandwidth and buffer dimensioning for guaranteed quality of service in wireless ATM networks

Extending ATM services to the wireless environment is intended to provide quality of service guarantees to multimedia applications. However, provisioning of QoS over the wireless link is made difficult by the fact that the burstiness of the channel and the re-transmission mechanism of the data link layer protocol result in a randomly varying transmission rate for the ATM connection. In this paper the randomly varying connection rate is modeled by a generalized Gilbert/Elliot (1959) channel model. A queueing analysis is performed for this system and the cell loss rate from the transmitter's buffer is evaluated in terms of the connection's allocated bandwidth, the buffer size and the parameters of the FEC code used in the ARQ system. Numerical results are presented for the cell loss rate as a function of the system parameters. These can be used for bandwidth allocation, buffer dimensioning and optimal code rate selection in order to guarantee the cell loss performance of the connection.
Constrained Kalman filtering for IMRT optimization

In this paper, we develop a new optimization algorithm for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) planning using a dynamical systems approach. IMRT is a technique used to deliver precise radiation doses to a targeted tumor while avoiding surrounding critical structures. Modeling and optimizing an IMRT plan is a challenging task since tumors can change in size, shape, and position during the course of fractionated treatment. Accordingly, re-optimization of radiation beam weights is generally needed for each treatment fraction, which is computationally expensive and practically inefficient. We establish a recursive algorithm, which is based on the development of a constrained Kalman filter, to develop a complete treatment plan that takes changes in the tumor geometry into account. We implement this new algorithm to a model case demonstrating its robustness for IMRT planning.
Cigarette smoking exposure and heart failure risk in older adults: The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study

Background Although there is evidence linking smoking and heart failure (HF), the association between lifetime smoking exposure and HF in older adults and the strength of this association among current and past smokers is not well known. Methods We examined the association between smoking status, pack-years of exposure, and incident HF risk in 2,125 participants of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study (age 73.6 ± 2.9 years, 69.7% women, 54.2% whites) using proportional hazard models. Results At inception, 54.8% of participants were nonsmokers, 34.8% were past smokers, and 10.4% were current smokers. During follow-up (median 9.4 years), HF incidence was 11.4 per 1,000 person-years in nonsmokers, 15.2 in past smokers (hazard ratio [HR] vs nonsmokers 1.33, 95% CI 1.01-1.76, P = .045), and 21.9 in current smokers (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.30-2.84, P = .001). After adjusting for HF risk factors, incident coronary events, and competing risk for death, a dose-effect association between pack-years of exposure and HF risk was observed (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.05-1.14, P 35 pack-years of exposure in fully adjusted models ( P Conclusions In older adults, both current and past cigarette smoking increase HF risk. In current smokers, this risk is high irrespective of pack-years of exposure, whereas in past smokers, there was a dose-effect association.
Application of the proximal flow convergence method to calculate the effective regurgitant orifice area in aortic regurgitation

Abstract Objectives. We sought to determine the reliability of the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method for calculation of effective regurgitant orifice (ERO) of aortic regurgitation (AR). Background. The ERO area can be calculated by the PISA method, but this method has not been validated in AR. Methods. ERO calculation by the PISA method was undertaken prospectively in 71 consecutive patients with isolated AR and achieved in 64 and compared with two simultaneous reference methods (quantitative Doppler and quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography). In addition, this method was compared with angiography in 12 patients, with surgical assessment in 18 patients and with ventricular volumes in all patients. Results. Good correlations between PISA and reference methods were obtained (both r = 0.90, both p 220°), and on multivariate analysis this variable was the only independent determinant of underestimation of the ERO. In contrast, in 59 patients with a flat flow convergence (≤220°), the PISA method, in comparison with reference methods, showed excellent correlations, with a narrow standard error of the estimate (r = 0.95, SEE 5.4 mm2, and r = 0.95, SEE 5.8 mm2; all p Conclusions. In patients with AR, the PISA method can be used to measure the ERO with reasonable feasibility. Underestimation of the ERO by PISA may occur in patients with an obtuse flow convergence angle. However, in most patients with appropriate flow convergence, PISA provides reliable measurement of the ERO of AR.
Healing fats of the skin: the structural and immunologic roles of the ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids

Linoleic acid (18:2ω6) and α-linolenic acid (18:3ω3) represent the parent fats of the two main classes of polyunsaturated fatty acids: the ω-6 (n-6) and the ω-3 (n-3) fatty acids, respectively. Linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid both give rise to other long-chain fatty acid derivatives, including γ-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid (ω-6 fatty acids) and docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid (ω-3 fatty acids). These fatty acids are showing promise as safe adjunctive treatments for many skin disorders, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne vulgaris, systemic lupus erythematosus, nonmelanoma skin cancer, and melanoma. Their roles are diverse and include maintenance of the stratum corneum permeability barrier, maturation and differentiation of the stratum corneum, formation and secretion of lamellar bodies, inhibition of proinflammatory eicosanoids, elevation of the sunburn threshold, inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, and interleukin-12), inhibition of lipoxygenase, promotion of wound healing, and promotion of apoptosis in malignant cells, including melanoma. They fulfill these functions independently and through the modulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors and Toll-like receptors.
HIV/AIDS case profile of African Americans: guidelines for ethnic-specific health promotion, education, and risk reduction activities for African Americans.

There are discrepancies in health care services for the poor and ethnic minorities in the United States. Within the past decade widespread concerns regarding the need to reform the nation's health care services, including the problem of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among African Americans has continued. These inequalities have been the cornerstone of the U.S. Healthy People 2010 national priority objectives.1 The objectives focus on health and social outcomes such as low quality of life and mortality rates, poverty, lak of accessibility to and appropriateness of care, and the prevalence of certain degenerative conditions and infectious diseases. The dearth of preventive health services for the high-risk groups, particularly children, adolescents, young adults, and older African American adults undermines early intervention efforts, including prompt HIV/AIDS identification and diagnosis, prevention education, health promotion, effective substance abuse treatment, and counseling services. This work reviews the magnitude of HIV/AIDS among African Americans between 1996 and 1999 by race/ethnicity, gender, and age groups. It also addresses the major factors responsible for the continued upward trend in the distribution and rate of infectiousness of HIV/AIDS among African Americans. The study recommends and discusses culturally sensitive and ethnic-specific intervention strategies for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS among African Americans.
Rigorous Analytical/Graphical Injection Locking Analysis of Two-Port Negative Resistance Oscillators

In this paper, the authors present a simple but rigorous nonlinear analysis for understanding and predicting steady-state operation and injection locking in two-port nonlinear negative-resistance oscillators (such as the Colpitts, Pierce, etc., topologies commonly used in RFICs). Key advances of our approach include the use of vector-based nonlinear feedback analysis and treatment of amplitude and frequency components in a coupled way. The authors develop rigorous and insightful graphical approaches for output voltage estimation and injection lock range prediction. The authors validate the analytical approach against transient and harmonic balance simulations
Geometric hashing with attributed features

Geometric hashing systems for object recognition have typically made use of point features in order to describe models and objects. When lines have been included as primitive features, they have been used to generate collections of points from pairwise intersections. In the experiments described in the paper, the authors use line features that include location and orientation information. These features, for which the orientation information is an attribute, are incorporated into a geometric hashing system using weighted voting in order to effect a Bayesian-based maximum likelihood object recognition system. The authors show results of this system which is the first example of the use of attributed features (features with more than coordinate position information) in a geometric hashing application. >
Nodulation of Soybean: Bradyrhizobium Japonicum Physiology and Genetics

The establishment of a successful symbiotic association between rhizobia and legumes is a complex process requiring functions of both symbiont and host. The symbiotic relationship resulting from rhizobia-plant interactions is an intimate one requiring close coordination. In addition, rhizobia-host combinations exhibit specificity; particular rhizobia species-host species combinations are favored, others are excluded. The intimacy and specificity of rhizobia-plant interaction suggest the necessity for the exchange of regulatory signal molecules between host and symbiont.
Recirculating Regenerative Environmental Control System

The rapid increase of liquid cooling demand from high-power and high-density avionics in military aircraft has been a challenge for aircraft cooling system designers. A number of state-of-the-art approaches were presented in SAE 2003-01-2399. This paper is a continuation of that discussion on the advancement of environmental-control-system design to meet the higher demands for liquid cooling. In this paper, another advanced environmental control system will be presented. The advanced system is one of a new generation of bootstrap air-cycle cooling systems. Similar to a traditional bootstrap air-cycle system, the advanced system is powered by high-pressure engine bleed air and uses ambient ram air and/or on-board fuel as a heat sink. However, unlike a typical air-cycle system, the advanced system maximizes usage of engine bleed pressure to form a recirculation flow path. It is also able to recover waste energy from electronics equipment, so as to maximize re-use of aircraft-generated energy to boost system efficiency. This new approach will significantly reduce bleed-air consumption and heat-sink demand, both of which are key parameters for energy-efficient aircraft design.
Medicolegal analysis of errors in diagnosis and treatment of surgical endocrine disease.

Background. The medicolegal impact of adverse events in surgical endocrine disease has not been described previously. This study was undertaken to determine the causes, costs, and outcomes of endocrine malpractice litigation. Methods. Jury verdict reports from the U.S. civil court system from 1985 through 1991 were reviewed. Sixty-two malpractice cases were identified from 21 states
Low-profile visible intraluminal support device: immediate outcome of the first three US cases

Introduction Dissecting and wide-necked aneurysms that incorporate a large portion of the parent artery can be challenging to treat with currently available devices. This study reports three cases treated with a new hybrid stent design that incorporates a smaller cell size and more pliable design than current generation stents and results in some flow diversion characteristics. Methods In all three cases, use of the low-profile visible intraluminal support (LVIS) device in conjunction with coil embolization was determined to provide the best opportunity to achieve aneurysm occlusion while mitigating adverse events. The institutional review board reviewed all cases and approval was obtained. All cases were performed under emergent use exemption from the US Food and Drug Administration. Results All three patients were successfully stent coiled with the LVIS device. One patient was completely occluded initially and remained so at follow-up, one patient progressed to complete occlusion at follow-up, and the last patient had stable incomplete occlusion of their fusiform aneurysm. There were no complications related to the procedures and the patients were maintained on dual-antiplatelet therapy. Conclusion The LVIS device offers promise as a stent-assisted coil device with certain characteristics that may be advantageous over currently available microstents.
Feasibility of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Self-Administered Acupressure for Symptom Management in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis.

Abstract Objectives: To assess the feasibility of a study to evaluate the efficacy of self-administered acupressure in pain and related symptom management for older people with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Feasibility with regard to (1) sample recruitment and retention, (2) treatment fidelity and adherence, and (3) tolerability and adverse events was examined. Methods: The study was a randomized controlled trial. Community-living older adults were recruited and randomly assigned to one of three groups: verum acupressure, sham acupressure, and usual care. Participants in the first two groups learned their respective acupressure protocol during their first center visit and from a set of materials. They were asked to practice the protocol at home once daily, 5 days a week, for 8 weeks. Participants attended three center visits and received weekly phone calls from a research assistant in an 8-week study period. Both quantitative and qualitative data collected from center visits and weekly phone calls were...
The Homegrown Threat: State Strength, Grievance, and Domestic Terrorism

ABSTRACTScholars maintain that, similar to insurgency, terrorist violence is precipitated by both relative deprivation and state weakness. Yet aggrieved minority groups within a country should turn to terrorism when they are weak relative to the state rather than strong. Empirical evidence shows minority group discrimination and fragile political institutions to independently increase domestic terror attacks. But it remains unclear whether grievances drive domestic terrorism in both strong and weak states. Using data from 172 countries between 1998 and 2007, we find that for strong states the presence of minority discrimination leads to increased domestic terrorism, while for weak states the presence of minority discrimination actually leads to less domestic terrorism. Consequently, increasing state capacity may not be a panacea for antistate violence, as nonstate actors may simply change their strategy from insurgency or guerrilla warfare to terrorism. Efforts to reduce terrorist violence must focus on r...
Long-Range Ordering of Ionic Liquid Fluid Films.

We report the transformation of ionic liquid films from isotropic bulk to a fluid-ordered state over micrometer length scales. Data from infrared and nonlinear spectroscopy measurements show clear transitions that, for varying ionic liquids, occur over time frames of 10 min to 2 h. These maturation times depend linearly on the chosen ionic liquids’ bulk viscosities. Interestingly, the ionic liquids do not form solids upon ordering but do exhibit strong preferential alignments of molecules that persist throughout the fluid films’ thicknesses. Our measurements characterize this ordering process and show that it is largely insensitive to substrate surface chemistry or small amounts of absorbed water. Additional experiments show the transition is observed across several of the most common ionic liquid cations and that the process is completely reversible. The driving force for this organization is attributed to electrostatic and steric forces combined with a slow shearing of the viscous ionic liquid. These in...
Sternal dehiscence: Early detection by radiography

Abstract A study was conducted to look for radiographic indicators that might provide a clue to threatened separation of the median sternotomy closure. To evaluate this problem, we studied two groups of patients. In group A the postoperative plain chest roentgenograms of 50 consecutive patients having cardiac operations were reviewed until the time of their complete recovery from the operation. Sternal problems were not identified in these patients clinically. However, chest roentgenograms showed that one patient had a displaced sternal wire and another had a classic sternal separation as judged by the change in wire topography. In the second series of patients, group B, 10 patients with clinical separation of the sternum were similarly evaluated. In seven of the 10 an early subtle change in position of one or more sternal wires preceded clinical detection of separation by 1 to 8 days, and a gross change in the sternal wire positions preceded clinical diagnosis in five patients by 1 to 6 days. The appearances of the wires by roentgenogram showed four common patterns. These findings indicate that thoracic surgeons and radiologists alike do not always carefully examine the appearance of the sternal wires on the postoperative roentgenograms. Subtle changes or gross changes in the position of the wires is an indicator of sternal separation. Therefore, the topography of the sternal wires should be scrutinized along with the other postoperative changes seen on roentgenograms after median sternotomy. (J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG 1994;108:616-9)
Using ultrasound technology to predict pork carcass composition.

Twenty market hogs were evaluated with real-time ultrasound both before and after slaughter. Fat measures (n = 9) were taken at various body locations along with the longissimus muscle area measurement at the 10th rib. After live ultrasound, the hogs were slaughtered and the unsplit carcasses were measured with ultrasound at the same live ultrasound locations. After chilling, carcass measures were taken at the same locations using a backfat probe for fat measures and a loin eye dot grid for measuring the longissimus muscle area. One side of each carcass was fabricated into the four lean cuts, which then were expressed as a percentage of the side weight. The most appropriate prediction equation found was a two-variable equation (fat thickness at the anterior tip of gluteus medius and longissimus muscle area) with a R2 of .83 and a RSD value of 1.67. This prediction equation was verified on a different sample of 20 market hogs; actual vs predicted four lean cuts revealed that the prediction equation had a R2 of .63 and a RSD value of 2.04. Although some accuracy and precision was lost when this live animal prediction equation was incorporated in market hog evaluation, this equation offers producers an objective mechanism for identifying carcass merit in live hogs.
pH heterogeneity during exercise in localized spectra from single human muscles

We investigated whether pH heterogeneity in skeletal muscle during exercise, observed with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance, represents muscle fiber type heterogeneity. Localized spectra were simultaneously acquired from the soleus, medial, and lateral gastrocnemius using a multivolume localization technique, the Hadamard spectroscopic imaging (HSI) technique. Contamination of nonselected regions to the localized volumes was < 5%. HSI-localized spectra were obtained from the calf muscles of untrained subjects and a small group of athletes. Two plantar flexion exercise protocols were implemented: a "maximal" high frequency protocol and a "steady-state" protocol at low contraction frequency (0.25 Hz). pH heterogeneity was observed in localized spectra of single muscles during both exercise protocols, as indicated by the large Pi line width. During maximal exercise the Pi line width was up to three times wider than the phosphocreatine line width, covering an entire pH unit. During the steady-state exercise, in three subjects the Pi peak clearly resolved into two distinct peaks, one at low pH and one at high pH. As pH heterogeneity was observed in localized spectra of single muscles during both exercise protocols, it most likely reflects the metabolic heterogeneity between fiber types.
Core Stability Exercise Versus General Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain

Reference: Wang XQ, Zheng JJ, Yu ZW, et al. A meta-analysis of core stability exercise versus general exercise for chronic low back pain. PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52082. Clinical Questions: Is core st...
Decentralization and Economic Growth: Specification, Measurement, and Direction of Causal Relationship

The concept of decentralization has attracted the attention of scholars and policy makers alike for number of decades. Yet, there still remains a significant amount of confusion over its measuremen...
Children and Technology: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities

(2001). Review of Research: Children and Technology: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities. Childhood Education: Vol. 78, No. 1, pp. 37-41.
A Note About Meta-Metaphors: Considering the Theoretical Implications of Terms Used to Discuss Metaphor

Although it is difficult to avoid metaphorical language in discussing and theorizing about communication, language, and metaphor itself, the metaphors we use have entailments that may not be consistent with the analyses they are intended to support. This essay discusses and compares the implications of some of the most common ‘meta-metaphors,’ metaphors used in discussions of metaphor.
Race, Ethnicity, and Religion in the Workplace

Given an increasingly racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse workforce in the United States and internationally and the globalization of business and industry initiatives, governmental and organizational leaders and managers must be proactive, not just reactive, in creating and implementing strategies to recruit, manage, retain, and promote workers of diverse races, ethnicities, and religions. An equally important imperative is providing equal access and opportunity for racial, ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups heretofore underrepresented in the workforce. This chapter has a global focus, highlighting demographic changes, challenges, and successful policy and strategic initiatives to support a racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse workforce in the UK/Europe, Asia, North America, and elsewhere.
Refractory acute respiratory failure due to Pneumocystis jiroveci (PCP) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonitis: A case report and review of literature.

Background Opportunistic infections with Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) are common in patients with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and are encountered once the CD4 count decreases below 200 cells/mm3. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) tends to cause disease once the CD4 count drops below 50 cells/mm3. CMV pneumonitis is not common in this population. However, detecting its presence in broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The role of antiviral therapy against CMV remains unclear.
The Chemist and the Architect

To imagine a structure and then express it in material form is one of the most satisfying of human activities. It is pervasive throughout the arts and crafts and it is one of the defining features of architecture. It is also at the heart of synthetic chemistry.
Short-Term Satisfaction and Long-Term Coverage: Understanding How Users Tolerate Algorithmic Exploration

Any learning algorithm for recommendation faces a fundamental trade-off between exploiting partial knowledge of a user»s interests to maximize satisfaction in the short term and discovering additional user interests to maximize satisfaction in the long term. To enable discovery, a machine learning algorithm typically elicits feedback on items it is uncertain about, which is termed algorithmic exploration in machine learning. This exploration comes with a cost to the user, since the items an algorithm chooses for exploration frequently turn out to not match the user»s interests. In this paper, we study how users tolerate such exploration and how presentation strategies can mitigate the exploration cost. To this end, we conduct a behavioral study with over 600 people, where we vary how algorithmic exploration is mixed into the set of recommendations. We find that users respond non-linearly to the amount of exploration, where some exploration mixed into the set of recommendations has little effect on short-term satisfaction and behavior. For long-term satisfaction, the overall goal is to learn via exploration about the items presented. We therefore also analyze the quantity and quality of implicit feedback signals such as clicks and hovers, and how they vary with different amounts of mix-in exploration. Our findings provide insights into how to design presentation strategies for algorithmic exploration in interactive recommender systems, mitigating the short-term costs of algorithmic exploration while aiming to elicit informative feedback data for learning.
Endoscopic eradication therapy for Barrett’s esophagus: Adverse outcomes, patient values, and cost-effectiveness

Abstract Endoscopic therapy for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) aims to replace dysplastic BE epithelium with neosquamous epithelium to prevent and reduce the risk of progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and treat early-stage EAC. Various modalities of endotherapy of dysplastic BE are described. Although endoscopic therapy is safe and effective in treating subjects with intramucosal carcinoma (IMCa), high-grade dysplasia (HGD), and confirmed low-grade dysplasia (LGD), challenges to successful treatment are being recognized. Though adverse outcomes of endotherapy such as bleeding, perforation, pain, and stricture formation are observed, they are not common and can usually be treated medically or endoscopically. Patient values and preferences toward endoscopic therapy and the cost-effectiveness of these endoscopic approaches also have crucial implications for the selection of appropriate treatment and subsequent outcomes in patients with BE.
Strategies to avoid empiric blood product administration in liver transplant surgery.

Massive blood loss has been a dreaded complication of liver transplantation, and the accompanying transfusion is associated with adverse outcomes in the form of decreased patient and graft survival. With advances in both surgical techniques and anesthetic management during transplantation, blood and blood products requirements reduced significantly. However, transfusion practices vary among different centers. The altered coagulation parameters in patients with liver cirrhosis results in a state of “rebalanced hemostasis” and patients are just as likely to clot as they are to bleed. Commonly used coagulation tests do not always reflect this new state and can, therefore, be misleading. Transfusion of blood products solely to correct abnormal parameters may worsen the coagulation status, thus adversely affecting patient outcome. Point-of-care tests such as thromboelastometry more reliably predict the risk of bleeding in these patients and in addition may provide quicker turnaround times compared to routine tests. Perioperative management should also include the possibility of thrombosis in these patients, and the use of low-molecular-weight heparin correlates with better patient survival. This review article aims to highlight the concept of rebalanced hemostasis, limitation of routine coagulation tests, and harmful effect of empiric transfusion of blood products.
Autologous blood-derived products compared to corticosteroids for treatment of plantar fasciopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction/Background This review article evaluated the efficacy of autologous blood-derived products (ABPs), including autologous blood (AB) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), in reducing pain and improving function compared with corticosteroids (CS) for plantar fasciopathy (PF) patients. Material and method Literature comparing ABP and CS to treat PF up to August 2017 was systematically reviewed. The visual analogue scale score or American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot score was evaluated at 1.5, 3, and 6 months’ follow-up. A subgroup analysis concerning PRP preparation techniques and study designs was performed. Twelve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and three quasi-experimental studies with 680 patients were included. Results CS reduced pain more than AB within 1.5 months and 3 months, but the effect disappeared at 6 months. PRP reduced pain more effectively at 6 months post-injection than CS. However, there was no significant difference in AOFAS scores between PRP and CS injections at all time points. In the subgroup analysis, pain was significantly reduced due to self-prepared PRP, one-step separation, and RCT-designed studies at 6 months. Conclusion The results of this meta-analysis will provide evidence-based information for making treatment decisions for patients with PF.
A High-Reliability Approach to Risk Management in an IT Project

This article describes how an organization successfully managed a particularly high-risk and complex IT implementation project using an approach found in High-Reliability Organizations (HROs). HROs...
Leveraging Filial Support Laws Under the State Partnership Programs to Encourage Long-Term Care Insurance

As thousands of the United States’ baby-boomers retire each day, people live longer, families disperse, and the population ages. Financing long-term care needs has become an increasingly important focal point in both civilian and government budget discussions. In order to reduce reliance on government provided long-term care funding programs such as Medicaid, states can leverage the often unenforced filial responsibility laws and State Long-Term Care Partnership Programs. Through the enforcement of existing filial responsibility laws, states can provide the proverbial “stick” to incentivize people to purchase long-term care insurance by increasing their personal liability for their family members’ long-term care expenditures. Furthermore, by offering liability protections from filial responsibility laws under the state’s long-term care insurance partnership program, states will be able to offer a “carrot” to encourage participation in the long-term care insurance market. Ultimately, by leveraging these two existing legal structures, states can incentivize the purchase of long-term care insurance and reduce reliance on government provided long-term care financing programs.
When embeddedness matters: Electrophysiological evidence for the role of head noun position in Chinese relative clause processing

Abstract This ERP study of Chinese subject- and object-modifying relative clauses (RCs) aimed at investigating how sentence context (embeddedness) temporally interacted with relativization in terms of processing load. In stead of adotping a static view of processing costs of RCs, we focused on the dynamic modulation of processing load by sentence context at two critical words–the relative marker de and head noun. Using cluster-based permutation analyses of ERPs, our study found an early relativization effect (110–220 ms) followed by an embeddedness effect (411–441 ms) and a late interaction effect (540–620 ms) at the relative marker de. The main effect of relativization as an early left anterior negativity suggests a transitory processing advantage of subject-relativization independent of sentence context. The sentence context was processed just 410 ms after word onset as a late left-lateralized anterior negativity for the center-embedded RCs, indicating increased working memory load introduced by sentence context constraints. A late centro-posterior positivity registered for object-relativization RCs with preceding sentence context due to structural reanalysis. An early anterior negativity (73–123 ms) reflecting the embeddedness effect at the head noun suggests the complexity of information encoded in phrase markers when semantic contents of verb arguments are instantiated. Our results indicate that it is necessary to adjust the account of RC processing beyond a universal processing advantage for subject-relativization to integrate the effects of sentence context cross-linguistically.
Plane Elementary Bipartite Graphs with Forcing or Anti-forcing Edges

Let G be a plane elementary bipartite graph with more than one finite face. We first characterize forcing edges and anti-forcing edges of G in terms of handles and forcing faces. We then introduce the concept of a nice pair of faces of G, which allows us to provide efficient algorithms to construct plane minimal elementary bipartite graphs from G. We show that if $$G'$$ is a minimal elementary spanning subgraph of G, then all vertices of a forcing face of G are contained in a forcing face of $$G'$$ , and any forcing face of G is a forcing face of $$G'$$ if it is still a face of $$G'$$ . Furthermore, any forcing edge (resp., anti-forcing edge) of G is still a forcing edge (resp., an anti-forcing edge) of $$G'$$ if it is still an edge of $$G'$$ . We conclude the paper with the co-existence property of forcing edges and anti-forcing edges for those plane minimal elementary bipartite graphs that remain 2-connected when any handle of length one (if exists) is deleted.
Thick ice deposits in shallow simple craters on the Moon and Mercury

Permanently shadowed regions near the poles of Mercury and the Moon may cold-trap water ice for geologic time periods. In past studies, thick ice deposits have been detected on Mercury, but not on the Moon, despite their similar thermal environments. Here we report evidence for thick ice deposits inside permanently shadowed simple craters on both Mercury and the Moon. We measure the depth/diameter ratio of approximately 2,000 simple craters near the north pole of Mercury using Mercury Laser Altimeter data. We find that these craters become distinctly shallower at higher latitudes, where ice is known to have accumulated on their floors. This shallowing corresponds to a maximum infill of around 50 m, consistent with previous estimates. A parallel investigation of approximately 12,000 lunar craters using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data reveals a similar morphological trend near the south pole of the Moon, which we conclude is also due to the presence of thick ice deposits. We find that previously detected surface ice deposits in the south polar region of the Moon are spatially correlated with shallow craters, indicating that the surface ice may be exhumed or linked to the subsurface via diffusion. The family of lunar craters that we identify are promising targets for future missions, and may also help resolve the apparent discrepancy between the abundance of frozen volatiles on Mercury and the Moon. Ice deposits up to around 50 m thick infill some craters near the Moon’s south pole and Mercury’s north pole, as inferred from the poleward shallowing of simple craters.
Exploring induced pluripotency in human fibroblasts via construction, validation, and application of a gene regulatory network

Reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells, by overexpressing certain factors referred to as the reprogramming factors, can revolutionize regenerative medicine. To provide a coherent description of induced pluripotency from the gene regulation perspective, we use 35 microarray datasets to construct a reprogramming gene regulatory network. Comprising 276 nodes and 4471 links, the resulting network is, to the best of our knowledge, the largest gene regulatory network constructed for human fibroblast reprogramming and it is the only one built using a large number of experimental datasets. To build the network, a model that relates the expression profiles of the initial (fibroblast) and final (induced pluripotent stem cell) states is proposed and the model parameters (link strengths) are fitted using the experimental data. Twenty nine additional experimental datasets are collectively used to test the model/network, and good agreement between experimental and predicted gene expression profiles is found. We show that the model in conjunction with the constructed network can make useful predictions. For example, we demonstrate that our approach can incorporate the effect of reprogramming factor stoichiometry and that its predictions are consistent with the experimentally observed trends in reprogramming efficiency when the stoichiometric ratios vary. Using our model/network, we also suggest new (not used in training of the model) candidate sets of reprogramming factors, many of which have already been experimentally verified. These results suggest our model/network can potentially be used in devising new recipes for induced pluripotency with higher efficiencies. Additionally, we classify the links of the network into three classes of different importance, prioritizing them for experimental verification. We show that many of the links in the top ranked class are experimentally known to be important in reprogramming. Finally, comparing with other methods, we show that using our model is advantageous.
Utilization of a Simple Educational Tool in Science Education: The V-Shape Spring

Nowadays, inquiry-based learning is getting a lot of attention as an effective education method. Therefore, it has been researched and implemented in various countries. Inquiry-based learning has been used in various subjects such as biology, mathematics, social studies, and others. In order to encourage a smooth implementation of inquiry-based learning in science, enhancement of scientific knowledge is primarily important. In general, scientific knowledge is taught to students in usual sessions of each subject such as physics, chemistry, and biology. During these sessions, the students mostly use some kind of textbook, in which various scientific terms and theories are described efficiently. However, the knowledge acquired via textbook-based learning could sometimes deviate from reality. And, consequently, the superficial and restrictive knowledge deviating from reality could prevent students’ appropriate interpretations and inspirations in inquiry-based learning. I would like to propose one effective approach to have students realize the gap between their knowledge acquired from textbooks and a real phenomenon, by using the spring as an example.
Lightning Strike: Thunderbolts and Lightning, Very, Very Frightening…The Cosmic DC Countershock

In the United States, there are approximately 25 million lightning strikes per year with an average of 47 deaths per year from lightning strikes. Lightning strikes are one of the leading causes of weather-related death with an approximately 10% mortality rate in the United States. Death usually results from prolonged respiratory arrest with secondary cardiac arrest from hypoxia. The most common type of lightning injury occurs when the lightning strikes the ground and the current is passed into the victim. Direct strikes are rare. The lifetime risk of being struck by lightning in the United States is approximately 1 in 14,600.
The Symbols for Various Pareto Imperfections, Private and Allocative Concepts, Categories of Resource-Uses, and Categories of Resource Allocations

This chapter has five sections. Section 5.1 specifies the symbols I use to reference, respectively, each of the seven types of Pareto imperfections an economy may contain. Section 5.2 specifies the symbols I use to reference, respectively, private-benefit, private-cost, (private) profit, allocative-benefit, allocative-cost, and allocative-efficiency figures. Section 5.3 specifies the symbols I use to reference, respectively, three categories of resource-uses. And Sect. 5.4 specifies the symbols I use to reference, respectively, particular categories of resource allocations.
Theory of ( s + i d ) pairing in mixed-valent correlated metals

Motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in square-planar nickelates as well as by longstanding puzzling experiments in heavy-fermion superconductors, we study Cooper pairing between correlated $d$ electrons coupled to a band of weakly correlated electrons. We perform self-consistent large N calculations on an effective $t\ensuremath{-}J$ model for the $d$ electrons with additional hybridization. Unlike previous studies of mixed-valent systems, we focus on parameter regimes where both hybridized bands are relevant to determine the pairing symmetry. For sufficiently strong hybridization, we find a robust $(s+id)$ pairing which breaks time-reversal and point-group symmetries in the mixed-valent regime. Our results illustrate how intrinsically multiband systems such as heavy fermions can support a number of highly nontrivial pairing states. They also provide a putative microscopic realization of previous phenomenological proposals of ($s+id$) pairing and suggest a potential resolution to puzzling experiments in heavy-fermion superconductors such as ${\mathrm{U}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Th}}_{x}{\mathrm{Be}}_{13}$ which exhibit two superconducting phase transitions and a full gap at lower temperatures.
Systematic review of endoscopic-assisted surgical management for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

Abstract Objectives Epiphora is a common presenting complaint in infants affecting up to 6% of infants in the United States. It is most frequently due to congenital anomalies of the nasolacrimal duct system, termed congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO). Nasolacrimal duct probing is widely accepted as the primary surgical intervention in cases that fail conservative management. Recently, nasal endoscopy has been combined with traditional probing to improve success rates and outcomes. Several studies have been conducted, but the results have been inconclusive overall. The goal of this systematic review is to examine the existing literature on the role of nasal endoscopy during nasolacrimal duct probing and evaluate patient outcomes. Methods A systematic search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, LILAC, and EMBASE to identify peer-reviewed research. Eligible studies were those containing original peer-reviewed research in English addressing nasolacrimal duct probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction in conjunction with nasal endoscopy. Two investigators independently reviewed all articles and extracted data. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool, the Newcastle-Ottawa Assessment scale, and the NIH Quality Assessment scale. Results A literature review ultimately yielded 11 articles that were selected and included in our analysis. Of the seven case series, the success rate was 92.5% for a total of 492 eyes. Of the four cohort/case-control studies, the success rate in conventional probings was 75.3% for a total of 293 eyes. In probings with nasal endoscopy, the success rate was 95.3% for 162 eyes. Overall, there was a high risk of bias and variation in data reporting amongst studies. Conclusion Infants with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction that does not resolve with conservative treatment often require surgical intervention. Based on this systematic review of the current literature, nasal endoscopy is a useful adjunct for nasolacrimal duct probing.
Imaging the future: the emerging era of single-cell spatial proteomics

The proteome of a human cell is partitioned within organelles, such as the nucleus, and other subcellular compartments, such as the cytoplasm, forming a myriad of membrane-bound and membrane-free ultrastructures. This compartmentalization allows discrete biochemical processes to occur efficiently in isolation, with relevant proteins localized to appropriate niches to fulfill their biological function(s). Proper delivery and dynamic exchange of proteins between compartments underlie the regulation of many cellular processes, such as cell signaling, division, and programmed cell death. To this end, cells deploy dedicated trafficking mechanisms to ensure correct protein localization, as mis-localization can result in pathology. In addition to trafficking, variation in the expression, modification, and physical associations of proteins within and between cells can result in biological heterogeneity, motivating the need for single-cell measurements. In this review, we introduce diverse platform technologies developed for subcellular proteomics and high-throughput systems biology, with the aim of providing mechanistic insights into fundamental cell biological processes underlying healthy and diseased states, and valuable public data resources. In contrast to the rapidly advancing field of single-cell genomics, the single-cell spatial proteomics toolbox remains in its infancy, but is poised to make considerable advances in the coming years.
A Deep Learning-Based Reliability Model for Complex Survival Data

The reliability of products is a critical issue as it has high economic impacts, especially in current competitive markets. In modern applications, the complex and high-dimensional data of products are collected that can be used for reliability analysis and failure prediction. The existing reliability approaches, however, cannot efficiently model complex covariates and their effects on the time-to-failure of products. In this article, we propose a novel deep learning-based reliability approach to model the complex relationship between the covariates and product failure. To estimate model parameters, neither the traditional deep learning parameter estimation method nor the maximum likelihood estimation method is applicable. To overcome this difficulty, a new model parameter estimation method is developed based on the partial likelihood framework. Furthermore, as there are often only a limited number of samples for real-world reliability problems, a new penalized partial likelihood estimation method is developed for this special circumstance. The developed method is capable of estimating model parameters for censored reliability data. A simulation study is conducted to verify the developed methods. The proposed method is justified by a real-world case study of the reliability analysis of materials. The case study shows that the proposed model outperforms the existing ones.
Imaging in Orbital Trauma

SUMMARY The objective of this article is to provide the reader with information on the different imaging modalities available for the diagnosis of specific bony orbital injuries. After the history and clinical evaluation, initial radiographic examination should include plain radiographs, and if orbital injuries are suspected, CT scanning is of the most diagnostic value. By combining axial and coronal CT scanning of the orbit and midfacial structures, the full extent of involvement can be appreciated to provide goals for surgical repair. In matching the clinical examination with the imaging findings, a management plan in terms of timing, operative approach, and surgical technique can best be prepared prior to surgery.