Layer-switching cost and optimality in information spreading on multiplex networks

We study a model of information spreading on multiplex networks, in which agents interact through multiple interaction channels (layers), say online vs.\ offline communication layers, subject to layer-switching cost for transmissions across different interaction layers. The model is characterized by the layer-wise path-dependent transmissibility over a contact, that is dynamically determined dependently on both incoming and outgoing transmission layers. We formulate an analytical framework to deal with such path-dependent transmissibility and demonstrate the nontrivial interplay between the multiplexity and spreading dynamics, including optimality. It is shown that the epidemic threshold and prevalence respond to the layer-switching cost non-monotonically and that the optimal conditions can change in abrupt non-analytic ways, depending also on the densities of network layers and the type of seed infections. Our results elucidate the essential role of multiplexity that its explicit consideration should be crucial for realistic modeling and prediction of spreading phenomena on multiplex social networks in an era of ever-diversifying social interaction layers.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure

Pricing Parisian Option under a Stochastic Volatility Model

We study the pricing of a Parisian option under a stochastic volatility model. Based on the manipulation problem that barrier options might create near barriers, the Parisian option has been designed as an extended barrier option. A stochastic volatility correction to the Black-Scholes price of the Parisian option is obtained in a partial differential equation form and the solution is characterized numerically

Interfacial chemical bonding-mediated ionic resistive switching.

In this paper, we present a unique resistive switching (RS) mechanism study of Pt/TiO2/Pt cell, one of the most widely studied RS system, by focusing on the role of interfacial bonding at the active TiO2-Pt interface, as opposed to a physico-chemical change within the RS film. This study was enabled by the use of a non-conventional scanning probe-based setup. The nanoscale cell is formed by bringing a Pt/TiO2-coated atomic force microscope tip into contact with a flat substrate coated with Pt. The study reveals that electrical resistance and interfacial bonding status are highly coupled together. An oxygen-mediated chemical bonding at the active interface between TiO2 and Pt is a necessary condition for a non-polar low-resistance state, and a reset switching process disconnects the chemical bonding. Bipolar switching mode did not involve the chemical bonding. The nature of chemical bonding at the TiO2-metal interface is further studied by density functional theory calculations

I-gel as a first-line airway device in the emergency room for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Aim. The optimal method for advanced airway management during cardiac arrest remains controversial. Most patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Korea are managed with a bag-valve mask by paramedics, while physicians perform advanced airway management in emergency departments (ED). Endotracheal intubation (ETI) has a risk of failure at the first attempt. By contrast, I-gel, a supraglottic airway device, is easier to insert than an endotracheal tube and shows a higher first-attempt success rate than ETI in out-of-hospital settings by paramedics in the United States. We reviewed the use of ETI and I-gel by ED physicians to assess the first attempt success rate in a hospital setting. Methods. We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with non-traumatic OHCA who were managed with either ETI using a Macintosh laryngoscope, or I-gel in the ED of Korean hospital from January 2012 to January 2014. Results. Of 322 adult patients with non-traumatic OHCA, 160 received I-gel and 162 received ETI. The first-attempt success rate was higher in the I-gel group (96.9%) than in the ETI group (84.6%, p < 0.001). The time from arrival to obtaining advanced airway management was shorter in the I-gel group than in the ETI group. Conclusions. I-gel showed a better first-attempt success rate and shorter insertion time compared with ETI when performed by physicians in a hospital setting

Laser and radiofrequency ablations for benign and malignant thyroid tumors.

A growing body of evidence is being published regarding the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive image-guided ablation techniques. While clinical applications of these techniques are increasing, international societies have started to publish treatment guidelines and to make efforts to standardize both terminology and reporting criteria for image-guided thyroid ablations. Laser ablation and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are among the most common ablation techniques either for benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Unlike laser ablation and RFA in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, where safety and efficacy have been widely demonstrated, evidence regarding local tumor control of thyroid malignancies is still limited. However, preliminary results are encouraging and image-guided thermal ablation techniques can be considered a valid alternative to surgery for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. This review evaluates the basic concept of RFA and laser ablations, their techniques, clinical outcomes, and complications based on the suggestions of several society guidelines. Multidisciplinary collaboration remains critical to identify patients which may benefit from minimally invasive image-guided thermal ablations, especially if surgery or radioiodine therapy are not feasible options

Tau functions as Widom constants

We define a tau function for a generic Riemann-Hilbert problem posed on a union of non-intersecting smooth closed curves with jump matrices analytic in their neighborhood. The tau function depends on parameters of the jumps and is expressed as the Fredholm determinant of an integral operator with block integrable kernel constructed in terms of elementary parametrices. Its logarithmic derivatives with respect to parameters are given by contour integrals involving these parametrices and the solution of the Riemann-Hilbert problem. In the case of one circle, the tau function coincides with Widom's determinant arising in the asymptotics of block Toeplitz matrices. Our construction gives the Jimbo-Miwa-Ueno tau function for Riemann-Hilbert problems of isomonodromic origin (Painlev\'e VI, V, III, Garnier system, etc) and the Sato-Segal-Wilson tau function for integrable hierarchies such as Gelfand-Dickey and Drinfeld-Sokolov.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figure

Ultraviolet photodepletion spectroscopy of dibenzo-18-crown-6-ether complexes with alkali metal cations

Ultraviolet photodepletion spectra of dibenzo-18-crown-6-ether complexes with alkali metal cations (M+-DB18C6, M = Cs, Rb, K, Na, and Li) were obtained in the gas phase using electrospray ionization quadrupole ion-trap reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The spectra exhibited a few distinct absorption bands in the wavenumber region of 35450−37800 cm^(−1). The lowest-energy band was tentatively assigned to be the origin of the S_0-S_1 transition, and the second band to a vibronic transition arising from the “benzene breathing” mode in conjunction with symmetric or asymmetric stretching vibration of the bonds between the metal cation and the oxygen atoms in DB18C6. The red shifts of the origin bands were observed in the spectra as the size of the metal cation in M^+-DB18C6 increased from Li^+ to Cs^+. We suggested that these red shifts arose mainly from the decrease in the binding energies of larger-sized metal cations to DB18C6 at the electronic ground state. These size effects of the metal cations on the geometric and electronic structures, and the binding properties of the complexes at the S_0 and S_1 states were further elucidated by theoretical calculations using density functional and time-dependent density functional theories

Image-Object-Specific Prompt Learning for Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning

While many FSCIL studies have been undertaken, achieving satisfactory performance, especially during incremental sessions, has remained challenging. One prominent challenge is that the encoder, trained with an ample base session training set, often underperforms in incremental sessions. In this study, we introduce a novel training framework for FSCIL, capitalizing on the generalizability of the Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training (CLIP) model to unseen classes. We achieve this by formulating image-object-specific (IOS) classifiers for the input images. Here, an IOS classifier refers to one that targets specific attributes (like wings or wheels) of class objects rather than the image's background. To create these IOS classifiers, we encode a bias prompt into the classifiers using our specially designed module, which harnesses key-prompt pairs to pinpoint the IOS features of classes in each session. From an FSCIL standpoint, our framework is structured to retain previous knowledge and swiftly adapt to new sessions without forgetting or overfitting. This considers the updatability of modules in each session and some tricks empirically found for fast convergence. Our approach consistently demonstrates superior performance compared to state-of-the-art methods across the miniImageNet, CIFAR100, and CUB200 datasets. Further, we provide additional experiments to validate our learned model's ability to achieve IOS classifiers. We also conduct ablation studies to analyze the impact of each module within the architecture.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 4 table