An empirical analysis of the distribution of overshoots in a stationary Gaussian stochastic process

The frequency distribution of overshoots in a stationary Gaussian stochastic process is analyzed. The primary processes involved in this analysis are computer simulation and statistical estimation. Computer simulation is used to simulate stationary Gaussian stochastic processes that have selected autocorrelation functions. An analysis of the simulation results reveals a frequency distribution for overshoots with a functional dependence on the mean and variance of the process. Statistical estimation is then used to estimate the mean and variance of a process. It is shown that for an autocorrelation function, the mean and the variance for the number of overshoots, a frequency distribution for overshoots can be estimated

Social Reckoning? In This Economy?

\u27A business student\u27s take on what society is demanding, academics are critiquing, and business schools seem to be ignoring.\u27 This essay is a personal account of how the College of Business and Economics at Western failed to fulfill their mission statement to be a student-focused college that contributes to the well-being of society. It explores society\u27s sentiments towards businesses, general critiques of \u27the business school\u27, where CBE fell short of their mission, and suggestions for reform

Effectiveness of Harm Reduction on Substance Abuse in Homeless Adults

In addressing the high-risk substance misuse and addictive disorders that have emerged as a public health crisis over the last 40 years, we looked into the following evidence based PICOT question: In homeless adults are harm reduction therapies compared to preventative therapies effective in reducing the rate of substance abuse in one year? Harm reduction therapy is an alternative approach that aims to decrease direct and indirect harm associated with drug use without necessarily preventing drug consumption. This form of therapy is guided by clinical ethics to institute policies and services, such as naloxone availability and clean needle exchanges for those with substance use disorders. In contrast, preventative policies that focus on interventions to prevent the use of drugs, such as reducing the prescription drug supply, may ultimately lead to increased illicit drug use and reduced quality of life. A literature search was conducted using the databases CINHAL, OneSearch, and Google Scholar, using the phrases “harm reduction”, “benefits of harm reduction,” “shelters,\u27\u27 “reducing substance use,” “homeless adults,\u27\u27 and “substance abuse.” Inclusion criteria involved homeless adults between the ages of 21-65 years, and articles limited to adolescents and children were excluded from the search. Eleven articles were chosen that fell within the search criteria. Research suggests that continued use of harm reduction therapies along with the integration of preventative substance use policies will help decrease substance abuse within the homeless population

Barriers to and solutions for representative inclusion across the lifespan and in life course research: The need for structural competency highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Exclusion of special populations (older adults; pregnant women, children, and adolescents; individuals of lower socioeconomic status and/or who live in rural communities; people from racial and ethnic minority groups; individuals from sexual or gender minority groups; and individuals with disabilities) in research is a pervasive problem, despite efforts and policy changes by the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. These populations are adversely impacted by social determinants of health (SDOH) that reduce access and ability to participate in biomedical research. In March 2020, the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute hosted the Lifespan and Life Course Research: integrating strategies Un-Meeting to discuss barriers and solutions to underrepresentation of special populations in biomedical research. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how exclusion of representative populations in research can increase health inequities. We applied findings of this meeting to perform a literature review of barriers and solutions to recruitment and retention of representative populations in research and to discuss how findings are important to research conducted during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight the role of SDOH, review barriers and solutions to underrepresentation, and discuss the importance of a structural competency framework to improve research participation and retention among special populations