GOES-next navigation operations

The next generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, GOES-I through -M (hereafter referred to as GOES-Next), begins a new era in the operation of weather satellites by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With a new spacecraft design, three-axis attitude stabilization, new ground support equipment, and improved methods of image navigation and registration that use on board compensation techniques to correct images for satellite motion, NOAA expects improved performance over the current series of dual-spin spacecraft. To meet these expectations, planning is currently underway for providing the complex and intensive operational environment that will meet the challenge of operating the GOES-Next spacecraft. This paper describes that operational environment

Observation of Competing Order in a High-TcT_{c} Superconductor with Femtosecond Optical Pulses

We present studies of the photoexcited quasiparticle dynamics in Tl$_{2}$Ba$_{2}$Ca$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{y}$ (Tl-2223) using femtosecond optical techniques. Deep into the superconducting state (below 40 K), a dramatic change occurs in the temporal dynamics associated with photoexcited quasiparticles rejoining the condensate. This is suggestive of entry into a coexistence phase which, as our analysis reveals, opens a gap in the density of states (in addition to the superconducting gap), and furthermore, competes with superconductivity resulting in a depression of the superconducting gap.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Percutaneous placement of self-expandable metallic stents in patients with obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous placements of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients (mean age, 62.4 years; range, 27-86 years) who underwent percutaneous placements of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy were included. The technical success rate, clinical success rate, complication rate, stent patency, patient survival and factors associated with stent patency were being evaluated. RESULTS: The median interval between the gastrectomy and stent placement was 23.1 months (range, 3.9-94.6 months). The 50 patients received a total of 65 stents without any major procedure-related complications. Technical success was achieved in all patients. The mean total serum bilirubin level, which had been 7.19 mg/dL ± 6.8 before stent insertion, decreased to 4.58 mg/dL ± 5.4 during the first week of follow-up (p < 0.001). Clinical success was achieved in 42 patients (84%). Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage catheters were removed from 45 patients (90%). Infectious complications were noted in two patients (4%), and stent malfunction occurred in seven patients (14%). The median stent patency was 233 ± 99 days, and the median patient survival was 179 ± 83 days. Total serum bilirubin level after stenting was an independent factor for stent patency (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous transhepatic placement of a biliary stent for obstructive jaundice secondary to metastatic gastric cancer after gastrectomy is a technically feasible and clinically effective palliative procedure

A Wearable Wrist Band-Type System for Multimodal Biometrics Integrated with Multispectral Skin Photomatrix and Electrocardiogram Sensors

Multimodal biometrics are promising for providing a strong security level for personal authentication, yet the implementation of a multimodal biometric system for practical usage need to meet such criteria that multimodal biometric signals should be easy to acquire but not easily compromised. We developed a wearable wrist band integrated with multispectral skin photomatrix (MSP) and electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors to improve the issues of collectability, performance and circumvention of multimodal biometric authentication. The band was designed to ensure collectability by sensing both MSP and ECG easily and to achieve high authentication performance with low computation, efficient memory usage, and relatively fast response. Acquisition of MSP and ECG using contact-based sensors could also prevent remote access to personal data. Personal authentication with multimodal biometrics using the integrated wearable wrist band was evaluated in 150 subjects and resulted in 0.2% equal error rate ( EER ) and 100% detection probability at 1% FAR (false acceptance rate) ( PD.1 ), which is comparable to other state-of-the-art multimodal biometrics. An additional investigation with a separate MSP sensor, which enhanced contact with the skin, along with ECG reached 0.1% EER and 100% PD.1 , showing a great potential of our in-house wearable band for practical applications. The results of this study demonstrate that our newly developed wearable wrist band may provide a reliable and easy-to-use multimodal biometric solution for personal authentication

Acute dystonia by droperidol during intravenous patient-controlled analgesia in young patients.

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an important means for postoperative analgesia with parenteral opioid. However, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) remains a major problem with a PCA system. Droperidol is used in PCA to prevent PONV. Extrapyramidal reactions by droperidol are, however, occasionally induced. We describe two cases of severe extrapyramidal hypertonic syndrome with an intravenous administration of droperidol in PCA in young patients, following orthopedic surgery

Relationship between Physical Disability and Depression by Gender:A Panel Regression Model

Background Depression in persons with physical disabilities may be more common than in the general population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical disability and depression by gender among adults, using a large, nationally representative sample. Methods This study used data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, Wave one through four, and ran a series of random effect panel regression models to test the relationship between physical disability status and depression by gender. We tested the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between disability status and depression level by examining the significance of the cross-product term between disability status and gender. Results After controlling for self-rated health, marital status, employment status, education, and age, subjects who were female or diagnosed as having any disability presented higher levels of depression scores. Further, the difference in terms of their depression level measured by Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D 10) scores between those who were diagnosed as having any disability and those who were not was greater for females than for their male counterparts. Conclusion This study reaffirmed that disability is the risk factor of depression, using longitudinal data. In addition, female gender is the effect modifier rather than the risk factor. The effect of gender in the non-disability group, mostly composed of older persons, is limited. On the contrary, the female disability group showed more depressive symptoms than the male disability group. The gender difference in the disability group and the role of culture on these differences need further research

Healthcare Costs and Utilization Associated with Participation in the National Fitness Award Program: Analysis using Linked NHIS Data

PURPOSE This study examined the influence of participation in the National Fitness Award (NFA) program on healthcare costs and utilization by analyzing linked data from the NFA database and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). METHODS A total of 721 individuals who participated in the NFA program between 2013 and 2017 and consented to data linkage were included in the study. A control group comprising 1,426 individuals was selected from the NHIS big data through 1:2 propensity score matching based on age, sex, and healthcare utilization in the year before the index date. This study was conducted as part of an official NHIS research project. Changes in healthcare utilization and costs before and after NFA participation were analyzed and compared with the control group to assess the effectiveness of the program. RESULTS From the year before the intervention to the year following NFA participation, total healthcare costs increased by approximately 70,000 KRW in the participating group and by approximately 470,000 KRW in the control group. After adjusting covariates and applying the difference-in-differences (DiD) methodology, the NFA participants demonstrated the following reductions relative to the control group: 0.1 fewer total number of inpatient visits, approximately 402,000 KRW lower total healthcare costs, 1.9 fewer inpatient visit days, 2.4 fewer inpatient treatment days, and a reduction of approximately 339,000 KRW in inpatient healthcare costs. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that participation in the NFA program was associated with reductions in overall healthcare costs and utilization. These results highlight the effectiveness of fitness programs as a cost-efficient strategy for managing rising healthcare costs

Translation of Korean Medicine Use to ICD-Codes Using National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort

Background. Korean medicine was incorporated into the Korean Classification of Diseases (KCD) 6 through the development of U codes (U20–U99). Studies of the burden of disease have used summary measures such as disability-adjusted life years. Although Korean medicine is included in the official health care system, studies of the burden of disease that include Korean medicine are lacking. Methods. A data-based approach was used with National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort data for the year 2012. U code diagnoses for patients covered by National Health Insurance were collected. Using the main disease and subdisease codes, the proportion of U codes was redistributed into the related KCD 6 codes and visualized. U code and KCD code relevance was appraised prior to the analysis by consultation with medical professionals and from the beta draft version of the International Classification of Diseases-11 traditional medicine chapter. Results. This approach enabled redistribution of U codes into KCD 6 codes. Musculoskeletal diseases had the greatest increase in the burden of disease through this approach. Conclusion. This study provides a possible method of incorporating Korean medicine into burden of disease analyses through a data-based approach. Further studies should analyze potential yearly differences

Activation of Protein Kinase G After Repeated Cocaine Administration Is Necessary for the Phosphorylation of α-Amino-3-Hydroxy-5-Methyl-4-Isoxazolepropionic Acid Receptor GluA1 at Serine 831 in the Rat Nucleus Accumbens

Phosphorylation of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors in the striatum plays a crucial role in regulating the receptor-coupled signaling cascades leading to behavioral changes associated with psychostimulant exposure. The present study determined if activation of protein kinase G (PKG) contributes to the phosphorylation of AMPA receptor GluA1 subunit at the position of serine 831 (GluA1-S831) in the rat nucleus accumbens (NAc) after repeated cocaine administration. The results demonstrated that repeated intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of cocaine (20 mg/kg) once a day for seven consecutive days significantly increased the level of phosphorylated (p)GluA1-S831. This increase was decreased by the intra-NAc infusion of either the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) analog, Rp-8-Br-PET-cGMPS (5 nmol/1 μL), or the PKG inhibitor, KT5823 (2 nmol/1 μL). Repeated cocaine administration increased PKG binding activity to GluA1. This increase in GluA1-S831 phosphorylation after repeated cocaine administration was decreased by the intra-NAc infusion of the synthetic peptide (Tat-tagged interfering peptide (Tat-GluA1-i)), that interferes with the binding of PKG to GluA1. Intra-NAc infusion of the interfering peptide also reduced the repeated cocaine-induced increase in locomotor activity. These findings suggest that activated PKG, after repeated exposure to cocaine, binds to AMPA receptor GluA1 and is required for the phosphorylation of S831, contributing to behavioral changes

Geomagnetic field influences probabilistic abstract decision-making in humans

To resolve disputes or determine the order of things, people commonly use binary choices such as tossing a coin, even though it is obscure whether the empirical probability equals to the theoretical probability. The geomagnetic field (GMF) is broadly applied as a sensory cue for various movements in many organisms including humans, although our understanding is limited. Here we reveal a GMF-modulated probabilistic abstract decision-making in humans and the underlying mechanism, exploiting the zero-sum binary stone choice of Go game as a proof-of-principle. The large-scale data analyses of professional Go matches and in situ stone choice games showed that the empirical probabilities of the stone selections were remarkably different from the theoretical probability. In laboratory experiments, experimental probability in the decision-making was significantly influenced by GMF conditions and specific magnetic resonance frequency. Time series and stepwise systematic analyses pinpointed the intentionally uncontrollable decision-making as a primary modulating target. Notably, the continuum of GMF lines and anisotropic magnetic interplay between players were crucial to influence the magnetic field resonance-mediated abstract decision-making. Our findings provide unique insights into the impact of sensing GMF in decision-makings at tipping points and the quantum mechanical mechanism for manifesting the gap between theoretical and empirical probability in 3-dimensional living space.Comment: 32 pages, 5 figures, 4 supplementary figures, 2 supplementary tables, and separate 15 ancillary file