Model Of States Research Articles

One state's journey with a reflective supervision professional development series: Development, implementation, and adaptation.

Reflective supervision (RS) has been viewed as best practice and is therefore incorporated-and often mandated-as a key feature of many relationship-based infant and early childhood serving programs. To promote the implementation of high-quality RS for infant and early childhood professionals, it is critical that a focus is placed on how infant and early childhood professionals are trained to build RS capacities. To this end, we describe Rhode Island, United States's journey developing, implementing, and iteratively adapting an RS professional development series. We describe the structure of the curricula as well as the content and learning objectives, which strive to bridge the gap between the theoretical concepts foundational to RS, process-oriented self-reflection, and the practical application of RS skills and strategies. We also outline the development and process of iterative adaptation that has refined the curricula over the past decade. Finally, we chronicle the history of coordination and collaboration that promoted the development and implementation of this series, which has been disseminated within home visiting and early care and education settings. This narrative can serve as a model for organizations, systems, and states that are undertaking efforts to provide professional development focused on RS.

Statistical model for quantum spin and photon number states

Statistical model for quantum spin and photon number states

The modeling of macrophage phenotypic states in diseases regulated by physical properties of extracellular matrix

The modeling of macrophage phenotypic states in diseases regulated by physical properties of extracellular matrix

Inverse Electron-Demand Diels–Alder Reaction of Pyrazines with 2,5-Norbornadiene as Acetylene Precursor

AbstractThe reaction of pyrazines with 2,5-norbornadiene, an acetylene precursor, as a cascade of Diels–Alder reactions is reported yielding substituted pyridines. In contrast to the known examples of intermolecular Diels–Alder type reaction of pyrazines with acetylene, which usually leads to a mixture of products, in our case the formation of a single isomer was observed. The proposed approach allows the conversion of pyrazines with different types of substitution, except those containing methyl and amino donor groups, to pyridines. In addition, highly functionalized aminonicotic esters were obtained, which can be used for the synthesis of bioactive compounds. An unusual course of the Diels–Alder reaction was found in the case of tetrasubstituted pyrazines, which cleave organic nitriles instead of HCN. Quantum-chemical modeling of possible transition states showed that this Diels–Alder reaction proceeds via cycloaddition of 2,5-norbornadiene to pyrazine with sequential elimination of HCN and cyclopentadiene; the reaction pathway including initial formation of acetylene from norbornadiene and subsequent Diels–Alder reaction with the acetylene was rejected as kinetically unfavorable.

The internal conflicts and contemporary dilemmas of America’s national characteristics

Since the twenty-first century, the political landscape of the United States has undergone dramatic changes. One of the key manifestations is the rise of evangelical Christian nationalism and its significant internal and external political consequences. While the causes behind the rise of evangelical Christian nationalism in the United States and its resulting political effects are multifaceted, fundamentally, these developments are closely linked to issues that have existed throughout the history of the American nation-building process, such as the ambiguity of national objectives and the conflict of value systems. The root cause lies in the instability and multifaceted nature of the American national characteristics. Since its founding, the U.S. has consistently wavered in its national characteristics, presenting three competing models of the modern American state: the empire of liberty, the liberal civic state, and the Anglo-Saxon Protestant nation. The positioning of these three national characteristics, which are seemingly contradictory yet often coexisting, has, on the one hand, shaped the unique character of the United States, while on the other hand, it has exposed the U.S. to periodic conflicts and crises. It is important to note that the rise of evangelical Christian nationalism in the twenty-first century, coupled with the increasing polarization of American politics, may disrupt the previously existing balance of conflicting yet coexisting national identities. With the continuous decline in the population of the white majority, this balance is likely to break down further, potentially resulting in prolonged internal strife within the U.S.

Detectability of Self-lensing Flares of White Dwarfs with Compact Companions

Binaries containing compact objects, viewed nearly edge on, can produce periodic brightening events under certain conditions on the masses, radii, and binary separation. Such flares are caused by one object gravitationally lensing another, in what is known as self-lensing flares. We present a simulation tool that efficiently reproduces the main features of self-lensing flares and facilitates a detection sensitivity analysis for various sky surveys. We estimate the detection prospects for a handful of representative surveys when searching for systems of either two white dwarfs or a white dwarf with other compact objects, i.e., neutron stars and black holes. We find only a marginal ability to detect such systems in existing surveys. However, we estimate many such systems could be detectable by surveys in the near future, including the Vera Rubin Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). We provide a quantitative analysis of the detectability of double-compact object self-lensing flares across the landscape of system parameters, and a qualitative discussion of survey and follow-up approaches to distinguish such flares from confounding events, such as stellar flares, satellite glints, and cosmic rays. We estimate 0.3, 3 and 247 double white dwarf systems could be detected by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, Zwicky Transient Facility, and LSST, respectively. A similar number of systems with a neutron star or black hole companion could be detected, but we caution that the number densities of such binaries is model dependent and so are our detection estimates. Such binaries can be used to constrain models of the end states of binary evolution.

System Dynamics Modeling of Caries Severity States in Long-Term Care

Dental caries among long-term care (LTC) residents is a persistent and complex problem driven by social and structural factors. Systems thinking may be useful in considering novel approaches to reducing disease. This study aimed to develop a system dynamics model to simulate the progression of dentate older adults in LTC through caries severity states and estimate the effects of 3 intervention scenarios on the progression of caries: preventive topical fluoride (TF), arrest of caries with silver diamine fluoride (SDF), and a combination of TF and SDF. Dentate older adults in LTC were categorized into 4 caries severity states by their number of untreated carious lesions. The model assumed that changes in severity states were consistent with incidence rates reported in the literature and available billing data for dental care and that individuals move in and out of the system by entering and exiting the facility or experiencing edentulism. For all scenarios, the proportion of dentate older adults in LTC with 1 or more untreated lesions stays stable, the distribution of disease shifts from a high severity state, and the system approaches equilibrium after 4 y. The TF intervention predicts minimal impacts on decreasing the proportion of dentate older adults with 1 or more untreated lesions (2.5% decrease), while the SDF intervention and the combination interventions were most disruptive. There was a 29.6% and 33.6% decrease, respectively. Given the specific population dynamics in LTC, these findings suggest that long-term (greater than 4 y) interventions should be designed to address both the management of existing lesions and their incidence. This system dynamics model allows researchers to render institution-specific data points from LTCs to estimate the effects of proposed interventions at the respective site.

Legal Aspects of Disintegration: Lessons of States’ Withdrawals from European Regional Organizations

INTRODUCTION. Viewed for a long time as an outstanding example of restoring durable peace on the continent and a major precondition for its prosperity, the European integration project is increasingly running existential risks. The precedents of States’ withdrawals from the main European regional organisations – the European Union and the Council of Europe – command a critical review of both their experience and the perspectives for their continuing existence. While the aforementioned events were unique in nature, they have shaken in their own ways the long-established architecture of Pan-European cooperation and prompted in-depth studies of political and legal models of States’ withdrawals from European regional organisations.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study is based on a broad ensemble of international and national norms and case-law that have shaped the Great Britain’s exit from the European Union. The analysis has been nurtured by an array of sources connected with the long negotiation process and the parallel legal and political processes within the UK. Mass media publications have been used along with official speeches and statements by high-level lawyers and politicians. The research also benefits from an in-depth study of the doctrine and practice, including the commentaries by direct actors of the pivotal events. Beyond the traditional methods of legal analysis the author has used historic and dialectic approach with a view to combining the study of the formal legal sense of the desintegration processes with their systemic understanding as interconnected elements within the broader dynamics of international law and international relations.RESEARCH RESULTS. The study has analysed through the prism of Brexit the legal aspects of desintegration as a complex process of the State’s desengaging from a highly organised supranational union. On the one hand, the article reviews the international-law dimension of the desintegration process through the denunciation of the statutory treaties and the conclusion of new ones with a view to a «soft exit», thus ensuring a progressive transformation of the intra-union relations into new formats, cutting off multiple connections, while preserving some others. On the other hand, the article explores the way the desintegration is framed and its consequences managed in national law. The progressive transformation of the nationaly rooted elements of the European legal order requires thousands of new legal acts, let alone the review of a more voluminous body of the EU-related case-law through national judicial decisions.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The geopolitical shifts in Europe and the world, allied with the unprecedented deterioration of the political and economic situation within the European Union itself, raise doubts at both its continued leadership and even its capacity to survive in its present format. The current international context therefore commands a review of the Brexit experience in a comparative perspective, taking it as a highly sophisticated legal model, albeit not the only one, of withdrawal from the regional integration project. While the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU presents notable differences with Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe, which deserves a separate study, certain parallels have been identified between the two phenomena both in terms of their framing in international and national law and in terms of their significance for further desintegration on the European arena.

Acoustic Phonon Scattering in Free‐Standing Anisotropic Silicon Plates

The electron–acoustic‐phonon interaction in a free‐standing anisotropic Si plate with (001) surface is studied taking into account the elastic anisotropy of the Si crystal and the modulated phonon modes. The interaction potential is derived from the modulated phonon modes and the anisotropic deformation potential constants. The effective deformation potential constant Dac is then calculated considering only the lowest electronic sub‐band. In the quantum well model for the electronic states, it is shown that the effective deformation potential for the modulated phonons in an anisotropic Si plate becomes Dac ≈ 13 eV in the thinner region of the plate thickness . It is also shown that both the phonon modulation and the crystal anisotropy have non‐negligible effects on the effective deformation potential and electron mobility.

EUROPEAN TAX SYSTEM: PROBLEMS OF HARMONIZATION AND WAYS TO SOLVE THEM

The problem of harmonization of national tax legislation of EU member states is particularly urgent today, without solving which it is difficult to achieve competitive advantages in the world market and to realize the potential inherent in the simple market of the European Union. The purpose of our research is to identify the main reasons that stand in the way of the harmonization of national tax legislation of EU member states, trends and initiatives aimed at overcoming internal contradictions and increasing the international competitiveness of the European Union. In the course of the study, proposals for Ukraine regarding the preparation of its tax system for joining the EU were also substantiated. The study showed that the main factors that complicate the process of implementation of initiatives coming from European institutions are tax competition, significant differences in the tax models of EU member states, the interest of a number of economic entities in preserving national differences in tax rates, general conservatism tax systems. The European Commission’s efforts to simplify the VAT system and converge rates between member countries to reduce imbalances in the market, introduce a common consolidated tax base, use minimum tax rates and strengthen the fight against payment evasion may be the primary measures on the way to harmonize the tax legislation of EU member states. taxes, improving the taxation of digital companies. Although the harmonization of tax systems in the EU is difficult due to the economic, political and social differences between the member states, gradual steps towards the convergence of tax rules and the fight against tax competition can ensure a more efficient functioning of the single market. This will contribute not only to economic integration, but also to a fairer distribution of the tax burden between companies. Ukraine’s task of preparing the national tax system for joining the EU is complicated by the lack of uniform European standards in this area. Therefore, today it is important to adhere to the general principles of construction of taxation systems operating in the EU, and to choose the model that best corresponds to national interests.

From loss-making to profit-generated units: Haryana power discoms as a benchmarking model

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to conduct a critical review of the operational and financial trends of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited. Furthermore, the study aims to determine whether loss-making utilities would benefit from adopting the strategic model employed by Haryana.Design/methodology/approachTime series data from 2005–2006 to 2022–2023 is analysed using various significant accounting ratios and operational and financial performance parameters to assess the annual performance over the period.FindingsThe substantial operational and financial performance results of UHBVNL and DHBVNL indicate that from 2017 to 2018 onwards, the power discoms started performing well and are in an improving stage. These results create a strong profile for the utilities, suggesting that their model could be a viable solution for other loss-making power distribution companies.Practical implicationsAs a policy recommendation, rather than privatizing the discoms, authorities should study the strategic model of profit-making states like Haryana and implement it in other states without any political interference.Originality/valueThe relevant research questions addressed are: What best practices have Haryana power discoms adopted to enhance financial performance and minimize losses? What lessons can other loss-making state-owned power discoms learn from Haryana? Can Haryana power discoms be a benchmarking model for public and private discoms operating at a loss?

Structures of Oligomeric States of Tau Protein, Amyloid-β, α-Synuclein and Prion Protein Implicated in Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and Prionopathies.

In this review, we focus on the biophysical and structural aspects of the oligomeric states of physiologically intrinsically disordered proteins and peptides tau, amyloid-β and α-synuclein and partly disordered prion protein and their isolations from animal models and human brains. These protein states may be the most toxic agents in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. It was shown that oligomers are important players in the aggregation cascade of these proteins. The structural information about these structural states has been provided by methods such as solution and solid-state NMR, cryo-EM, crosslinking mass spectrometry, AFM, TEM, etc., as well as from hybrid structural biology approaches combining experiments with computational modelling and simulations. The reliable structural models of these protein states may provide valuable information for future drug design and therapies.

ФРАЗЕОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ВЕРБАЛИЗАЦИЯ ЭМОЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ МЕТАФОРЫ В АНГЛОЯЗЫЧНОЙ И РУССКОЯЗЫЧНОЙ ЛИНГВОКУЛЬТУРАХ

The paper deals with the analysis of the emotional metaphor as a means of emotion conceptualization in phraseology. The interest to such idioms is accounted for by their capacity to reflect the understanding of emotions based on the socio-cultural experience of the language community, as well as to illustrate the national peculiarities of world perception through metaphoric meanings. On the material of English and Russian, metaphoric models of the emotional state are characterized, the role of metaphor in mapping the emotional domain is considered. In the context of a comparative study the authors find it relevant to expand the scope of understanding of the emotional model of the world formation by different linguocultures. Metaphors widely used to explicate the emotional concepts are orientational and ontological ones. A special attention is paid to anthropomorphic and zoomorphic metaphoric types. It is argued that the most productive metaphor is the anthropomorphic one, which can be explained by the anthropocentric mode of human cognition. Anthropomorphic metaphor assigns typically human properties or actions to emotions. Physiological metaphor also seems to be frequent in emotion conceptualization, based on similarity of physiological symptoms and emotional states. Zoomorphic metaphor is also actively used in metaphorical structuring the emotional sphere due to the special significance of animal images for people. In such idioms, animal images are metaphorically patterned to give characteristics of human emotions. The analysis of the material allows to make a conclusion that English and Russian phraseology represent nationally and culturally specific ways of metaphorical mapping of the human emotional experience. The common features in the metaphoric emotion representation are revealed in universal domain spheres for emotional metaphors. The distinctive features reveal themselves in different ways and frequency value, used in the process of figurative representation of positive and negative emotions in the phraseology of English and Russian, differences and gaps in metaphoric meanings, cognitive patterns of emotional concepts.

AlphaFold2-Based Characterization of Apo and Holo Protein Structures and Conformational Ensembles Using Randomized Alanine Sequence Scanning Adaptation: Capturing Shared Signature Dynamics and Ligand-Induced Conformational Changes.

Proteins often exist in multiple conformational states, influenced by the binding of ligands or substrates. The study of these states, particularly the apo (unbound) and holo (ligand-bound) forms, is crucial for understanding protein function, dynamics, and interactions. In the current study, we use AlphaFold2, which combines randomized alanine sequence masking with shallow multiple sequence alignment subsampling to expand the conformational diversity of the predicted structural ensembles and capture conformational changes between apo and holo protein forms. Using several well-established datasets of structurally diverse apo-holo protein pairs, the proposed approach enables robust predictions of apo and holo structures and conformational ensembles, while also displaying notably similar dynamics distributions. These observations are consistent with the view that the intrinsic dynamics of allosteric proteins are defined by the structural topology of the fold and favor conserved conformational motions driven by soft modes. Our findings provide evidence that AlphaFold2 combined with randomized alanine sequence masking can yield accurate and consistent results in predicting moderate conformational adjustments between apo and holo states, especially for proteins with localized changes upon ligand binding. For large hinge-like domain movements, the proposed approach can predict functional conformations characteristic of both apo and ligand-bound holo ensembles in the absence of ligand information. These results are relevant for using this AlphaFold adaptation for probing conformational selection mechanisms according to which proteins can adopt multiple conformations, including those that are competent for ligand binding. The results of this study indicate that robust modeling of functional protein states may require more accurate characterization of flexible regions in functional conformations and the detection of high-energy conformations. By incorporating a wider variety of protein structures in training datasets, including both apo and holo forms, the model can learn to recognize and predict the structural changes that occur upon ligand binding.

Valuation survey for SF-6Dv2 in Japan based on the international protocol.

The SF-6D Classification System was recently updated (SF-6Dv2). We performed a valuation survey to construct a value set for the SF-6Dv2 in Japan. An online discrete choice experiment (DCE) with duration was used to estimate a value set for the SF-6Dv2 for Japan based on public preferences. The target sample number was 3800. Respondents were asked to complete 15 choice tasks. A conditional logit model that estimates interactions between time and each dimension was used to develop the value set. The collected sample included 3933 respondents for the DCE tasks. The results of all the unconstrained models showed some inconsistencies. In particular, inconsistencies in the two most severe levels of the role limitation (RL) and vitality (VT) dimensions were observed in all models. The number of inconsistencies was smallest in a core model (n = 3) and in a model for core and common health states (n = 2). The physical functioning (PF) and pain (PA) dimensions had the greatest influence on utility at the overall level across all models. RL, VT, and social functioning (SF) had smaller overall impacts on utility. The PF weights for the two most severe levels are much lower than those in the UK and Australia. The Japanese scores tended to be lower compared with the UK SF-6Dv2 scores. We obtained a value set for Japan (model 5). With the development of this value set, it is now possible to calculate quality-adjusted life years for economic evaluation in Japan when the SF-6Dv2 has been used.

Hydrogen Bonding and Noncovalent Electric Field Effects in the Photoconversion of a Phytochrome.

A profound understanding of protein structure and mechanism requires dedicated experimental and theoretical tools to elucidate electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions in proteins. In this work, we employed an approach to disentangle noncovalent and hydrogen-bonding electric field changes during the reaction cascade of a multidomain protein, i.e., the phytochrome Agp2. The approach exploits the spectroscopic properties of nitrile probes commonly used as reporter groups of the vibrational Stark effect. These probes were introduced into the protein through site-specific incorporation of noncanonical amino acids resulting in four variants with different positions and orientations of the nitrile groups. All substitutions left structures and the reaction mechanism unchanged. Structural models of the dark states (Pfr) were used to evaluate the total electric field at the nitrile label and its transition dipole moment. These quantities served as an internal standard to calculate the respective properties of the photoinduced products (Lumi-F, Meta-F, and Pr) based on the relative intensities of the nitrile stretching bands. In most cases, the spectral analysis revealed two substates with a nitrile in a hydrogen-bonded or hydrophobic environment. Using frequencies and intensities, we managed to extract the noncovalent contribution of the electric field from the individual substates. This analysis resulted in profiles of the noncovalent and hydrogen-bond-related electric fields during the photoinduced reaction cascade of Agp2. These profiles, which vary significantly among the four variants due to the different positions and orientations of the nitrile probes, were discussed in the context of the molecular events along the Pfr → Pr reaction cascade.

Machine learning-based prediction of elevated N terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide among US general population.

Natriuretic peptide-based pre-heart failure screening has been proposed in recent guidelines. However, an effective strategy to identify screening targets from the general population, more than half of which are at risk for heart failure or pre-heart failure, has not been well established. This study evaluated the performance of machine learning prediction models for predicting elevated N terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in the US general population. Individuals aged 20-79years without cardiovascular disease from the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004 were included. Six prediction models (two conventional regression models and four machine learning models) were trained with the 1999-2002 cohort to predict elevated NT-proBNP levels (>125pg/mL) using demographic, lifestyle, and commonly measured biochemical data. The model performance was tested using the 2003-2004 cohort. Of the 10237 individuals, 1510 (14.8%) had NT-proBNP levels >125pg/mL. The highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was observed in SuperLearner (AUC [95% CI]=0.862 [0.847-0.878], P<0.001 compared with the logistic regression model). The logistic regression model with splines showed a comparable performance (AUC [95% CI]=0.857 [0.841-0.874], P=0.08). Age, albumin level, haemoglobin level, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and systolic blood pressure were the most important predictors. We found a similar prediction performance even after excluding socio-economic information (marital status, family income, and education status) from the prediction models. When we used different thresholds for elevated NT-proBNP, the AUC (95% CI) in the SuperLearner models 0.846 (0.830-0.861) for NT-proBNP>100pg/mL and 0.866 (0.849-0.884) for NT-proBNP>150pg/mL. Using nationally representative data from the United States, both logistic regression and machine learning models well predicted elevated NT-proBNP. The predictive performance remained consistent even when the models incorporated only commonly available variables in daily clinical practice. Prediction models using regularly measured information would serve as a potentially useful tools for clinicians to effectively identify targets of natriuretic-peptide screening.

What Explains Differences in Minimum Wage Growth Between EU Member States?

Abstract There are considerable differences in minimum wage growth between EU member states with national minimum wages. Potential sources for these differences are discrepancies in economic fundamentals and institutional differences in how minimum wages are adjusted. Using a novel dataset based on macroeconomic data, institutional information on minimum wage setting and data on economic policy orientation and elections, the article tests whether growth differences in the minimum wage of 21 EU member states during the time period 2000 to 2020 can be explained by a catch-up dynamic in new EU member states, by different growth models of EU member states or by differences in the actors that are responsible for the adjustment of minimum wages. The results show that across the entire sample and irrespective of actors, minimum wage growth follows consumer price inflation and wage growth most closely. Higher than average minimum wage growth rates in EU member states stem from overshooting inflation during the period of EU accession, reducing wage inequality and increasing the Kaitz index. Actors also mattered for minimum wage growth. Adjustments by social partner consensus led to higher minimum wage growth than the benchmark of indexed minimum wages, introducing a distributive element to minimum wage adjustments.

Assessing Structures and Conformational Ensembles of Apo and Holo Protein States Using Randomized Alanine Sequence Scanning Combined with Shallow Subsampling in AlphaFold2 : Insights and Lessons from Predictions of Functional Allosteric Conformations.

Proteins often exist in multiple conformational states, influenced by the binding of ligands or substrates. The study of these states, particularly the apo (unbound) and holo (ligand-bound) forms, is crucial for understanding protein function, dynamics, and interactions. In the current study, we use AlphaFold2 that combines randomized alanine sequence masking with shallow multiple sequence alignment subsampling to expand the conformational diversity of the predicted structural ensembles and capture conformational changes between apo and holo protein forms. Using several well-established datasets of structurally diverse apo-holo protein pairs, the proposed approach enables robust predictions of apo and holo structures and conformational ensembles, while also displaying notably similar dynamics distributions. These observations are consistent with the view that the intrinsic dynamics of allosteric proteins is defined by the structural topology of the fold and favors conserved conformational motions driven by soft modes. Our findings support the notion that AlphaFold2 approaches can yield reasonable accuracy in predicting minor conformational adjustments between apo and holo states, especially for proteins with moderate localized changes upon ligand binding. However, for large, hinge-like domain movements, AlphaFold2 tends to predict the most stable domain orientation which is typically the apo form rather than the full range of functional conformations characteristic of the holo ensemble. These results indicate that robust modeling of functional protein states may require more accurate characterization of flexible regions in functional conformations and detection of high energy conformations. By incorporating a wider variety of protein structures in training datasets including both apo and holo forms, the model can learn to recognize and predict the structural changes that occur upon ligand binding.

Building 1D lattice models with $G$-graded fusion category

We construct a family of one-dimensional (1D) quantum lattice models based on GG-graded unitary fusion category \mathcal{C}_G𝒞G. This family realize an interpolation between the anyon-chain models and edge models of 2D symmetry-protected topological states, and can be thought of as edge models of 2D symmetry-enriched topological states. The models display a set of unconventional global symmetries that are characterized by the input category \mathcal{C}_G𝒞G. While spontaneous symmetry breaking is also possible, our numerical evidence shows that the category symmetry constrains the models to the extent that the low-energy physics has a large likelihood to be gapless.