Paths Through Different Domains: A Cognitive Grammar Analysis of Mandarin Dào

Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (1987), pp. 408-42

Integrative Use of Information Extraction, Semantic Matchmaking and Adaptive Coupling Techniques in Support of Distributed Information Processing and Decision-Making

In order to press maximal cognitive benefit from their social, technological and informational environments, military coalitions need to understand how best to exploit available information assets as well as how best to organize their socially-distributed information processing activities. The International Technology Alliance (ITA) program is beginning to address the challenges associated with enhanced cognition in military coalition environments by integrating a variety of research and development efforts. In particular, research in one component of the ITA ('Project 4: Shared Understanding and Information Exploitation') is seeking to develop capabilities that enable military coalitions to better exploit and distribute networked information assets in the service of collective cognitive outcomes (e.g. improved decision-making). In this paper, we provide an overview of the various research activities in Project 4. We also show how these research activities complement one another in terms of supporting coalition-based collective cognition

The burden of perioperative hypertension/hypotension: A systematic review

Study objective: Our goal is to review the outcomes of acute hypertensive/hypotensive episodes from articles published in the past 10 years that assessed the short- and long-term impact of acute hypertensive/hypotensive episodes in the perioperative setting. Methods: We conducted a systematic peer review based upon PROSPERO and Cochrane Handbook protocols. The following study characteristics were collected: study type, author, year, population, sample size, their definition of acute hypertension, hypotension or other measures, and outcomes (probabilities, odds ratio, hazard ratio, and relative risk) and the p-values; and they were classified according to the type of surgery (cardiac and non-cardiac). Results: A total of 3,680 articles were identified, and 66 articles fulfilled the criteria for data extraction. For the perioperative setting, the number of articles varies by outcome: 20 mortality, 16 renal outcomes, 6 stroke, 7 delirium and 34 other outcomes. Hypotension was reported to be associated with mortality (OR 1.02-20.826) as well as changes from the patient's baseline blood pressure (BP) (OR 1.02-1.36); hypotension also had a role in the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) (OR 1.03-14.11). Postsurgical delirium was found in relation with BP lability (OR 1.018-1.038) and intra- and postsurgical hypotension (OR 1.05-1.22), and hypertension (OR 1.44-2.34). Increased OR (37.67) of intracranial hemorrhage was associated to postsurgical systolic BP >130 mmHg. There was a wide range of additional diverse outcomes related to hypo-, hypertension and BP lability. Conclusions: The perioperative management of BP influences short- and long-term effects of surgical procedures in cardiac and non-cardiac interventions; these findings support the burden of BP fluctuations in this setting

A Comparison of Components of Written Expression Abilities in Learning Disabled and Non-Learning Disabled Students at Three Grade Levels

Although written language plays a critical role in academic success, little empirical evidence exists on the normal development of processes involved in producing written products. Even less is known about the writing performance of LD children. This study empirically compared the written products of LD and normal students at three grade levels on The Test of Written Language. Results showed that LD subjects scored significantly lower than normal subjects on most written expression abilities, especially in the mechanical tasks of spelling, punctuation, and word usage.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

An Exo-Kuiper Belt with an Extended Halo around HD 191089 in Scattered Light

We have obtained Hubble Space Telescope STIS and NICMOS and Gemini/GPI scattered-light images of the HD 191089 debris disk. We identify two spatial components: a ring resembling the Kuiper Belt in radial extent (FWHM ∼ 25 au, centered at ∼46 au) and a halo extending to ∼640 au. We find that the halo is significantly bluer than the ring, consistent with the scenario that the ring serves as the birth ring for the smaller dust in the halo. We measure the scattering phase functions in the 30°-150° scattering-angle range and find that the halo dust is more forward- and backward-scattering than the ring dust. We measure a surface density power-law index of -0.68 ± 0.04 for the halo, which indicates the slowdown of the radial outward motion of the dust. Using radiative transfer modeling, we attempt to simultaneously reproduce the (visible) total and (near-infrared) polarized intensity images of the birth ring. Our modeling leads to mutually inconsistent results, indicating that more complex models, such as the inclusion of more realistic aggregate particles, are needed

Essays in Applied Public Policy and Health Economics

In the first chapter, we investigate the changing landscape of America’s marijuana legislation. We first build a theoretical model to determine the impact of these changing laws on adolescents and take a closer look at the intricacies within the market. Then we provide an empirical analysis to test our hypotheses and improve upon econometric models used in previous research. We use data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) administered from 2009 to 2017 in the United States. Our identification strategy included a non-linear generalized difference-in-differences approach and a group-time treatment effect. When focused on adolescent usage in the past 30 days we find consistent significant decreases in the probability of usage regardless of model specification. The second chapter includes a literature review and theoretical model of the demand for health insurance and insurance pooling. This chapter provides a framework for chapters 3 and 4. The third chapter examines the association between firm size and the premiums paid by single employees for their employer-based health insurance coverage. We use survey data on single employees, ages 26-64, in 2017, and a secondary analysis using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. We estimated interval regression models of monthly health insurance premiums by maximum likelihood to determine differences by firm size and plan type. Employees in smaller firms (less than 50 people) pay more in premiums and individuals with HMO plans pay about $20 less than those in PPO plans. The current structure of the U.S. health insurance marketplaces an undue burden on single employees in small firms. These findings may help guide future U.S. policies that promote fairness in the U.S. health insurance marketplace. The fourth chapter examines the values that single adults with employer-based coverage place on health insurance plan attributes using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). As part of an online survey, each respondent completed 28 paired comparisons trading-off four attributes: source of coverage, plan type, monthly out-of-pocket premium, and quality of coverage. Based on our results (N=2,207), single employees slightly preferred their employer over the Marketplace as a source of coverage (0.726 odds ratio; p-value\u3c0.01). Single employees would be willing to switch to the Marketplace for a$25 reduction in monthly premiums. Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans were overwhelmingly preferred over all other plan types, especially compared to Fee-for-Service (FFS) plans (4.230 odds ratio; p-value\u3c0.01). The predicted probability that a health insurance plan from the Marketplace would be chosen ranged from 42% to 43.7%

Veterans Affairs general surgery service: the last bastion of integrated specialty care

BACKGROUND: In a time of increasing specialization, academic training institutions provide a compartmentalized learning environment that often does not reflect the broad clinical experience of general surgery practice. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of the Veterans Affairs (VA) general surgery surgical experience to both index Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements and as a unique integrated model in which residents provide concurrent care of multiple specialty patients. METHODS: Institutional review board approval was obtained for retrospective analysis of electronic medical records involving all surgical cases performed by the general surgery service from 2005 to 2009 at the Nashville VA. Over a 5-year span general surgery residents spent an average of 5 months on the VA general surgery service, which includes a postgraduate year (PGY)-5, PGY-3, and 2 PGY-1 residents. Surgeries involved the following specialties: surgical oncology, endocrine, colorectal, hepatobiliary, transplant, gastrointestinal laparoscopy, and elective and emergency general surgery. The surgeries were categorized according to ACGME index requirements. RESULTS: A total of 2,956 surgeries were performed during the 5-year period from 2005 through 2009. Residents participated in an average of 246 surgeries during their experience at the VA; approximately 50 cases are completed during the chief year. On the VA surgery service alone, 100% of the ACGME requirement was met for the following categories: endocrine (8 cases); skin, soft tissue, and breast (33 cases); alimentary tract (78 cases); and abdominal (88 cases). Approximately 50% of the ACGME requirement was met for liver, pancreas, and basic laparoscopic categories. CONCLUSIONS: The VA hospital provides an authentic, broad-based, general surgery training experience that integrates complex surgical patients simultaneously. Opportunities for this level of comprehensive care are decreasing or absent in many general surgery training programs. The increasing level of responsibility and simultaneous care of multiple specialty patients through the VA hospital systems offers a crucial experience for those pursuing a career in general surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc

Five-step Correction of Congenital Symmastia

Summary: Congenital symmastia is distressing and difficult to treat, and traditional surgical modalities have met with limited success. We present a novel approach for a patient that failed all traditional surgical options. The anatomic deformity is analyzed using a modified version of Blondeel’s 3-step analysis (conus, footprint, and skin envelope, to which we added a fourth element “intermammary web”). Combining operative principles from breast cancer reconstruction, we describe 5 operative steps that help correct the deformity, followed by a new postoperative splinting regimen that addresses the common pitfalls that could lead to recurrence

Spiritual Healing: A Triple Scoping Review of the Impact of Spirituality on Burn Injuries, Wounds, and Critical Care

Burn patients are unique because their recovery requires prolonged hospital admissions, often complicated by a myriad of medical and surgical complications as well as psychological and emotional challenges. Religion and spirituality have been linked to improved health outcomes in other medical fields. Our scoping review aimed to examine the available literature for evidence of the impact of spirituality on burns, complex wounds, and critical care to shed more light on the relationship between spirituality and the conditions treated by multidisciplinary burn center teams. We performed three systematic reviews to examine the relationship between spirituality and these conditions. Searches were performed using MeSH terms utilizing four databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus). A systematic and independent title/abstract screening was carried out by two independent reviewers and a full-text review was followed. Our review demonstrated a clear lack of overlap between study outcomes and lack of objective spirituality measurements. Most articles primarily focused on psychological outcomes, such as stress or mental health, instead of objective measures such as wound size or scar formation. We found a trend toward better psychological outcomes in patients with more spirituality, either pre-existing or interventional. To increase comparability and uniformity of outcomes, future studies would benefit from utilizing standardized spiritual assessment tools and objective wound metrics