More ties than we thought

We extend the existing enumeration of neck tie-knots to include tie-knots with a textured front, tied with the narrow end of a tie. These tie-knots have gained popularity in recent years, based on reconstructions of a costume detail from The Matrix Reloaded, and are explicitly ruled out in the enumeration by Fink and Mao (2000). We show that the relaxed tie-knot description language that comprehensively describes these extended tie-knot classes is context free. It has a regular sub-language that covers all the knots that originally inspired the work. From the full language, we enumerate 266 682 distinct tie-knots that seem tie-able with a normal neck-tie. Out of these 266 682, we also enumerate 24 882 tie-knots that belong to the regular sub-language.Comment: Accepted at PeerJ Computer Science 12 pages, 6 color photograph

Home Oxygen Program review: Regionalization in Vancouver Coastal Health and British Columbia

The Home Oxygen Program in British Columbia began as a small, centralized program clerically managed by the Ministry of Health in British Columbia. A pilot program launched in the mid-1990s, however, demonstrated the feasibility and myriad benefits of managing the program locally. Approximately seven years later, the pilot's model and recommendations were implemented in British Columbia's five health authorities, and the program has grown to include many clients. This article describes the development of the program from its infancy to its present-day success, focusing on regionalization and its incumbent challenges

Developing Student Leaders in Campus Outdoor Recreation Programs: An Appreciative Inquiry

Campus outdoor recreation programs can play an integral role in developing student leaders. In this study, we sought a better understanding of the shared positive elements exemplary outdoor programs are using to develop their student leaders. The study was designed using a collec­tive case study methodology and the theoretical lens of the Leadership Identity Development (LID) model. Representatives from five exemplary outdoor programs were interviewed with an appreciative inquiry approach. Five common themes emerged from the data: (a) Institutional Support, (b) Transformative Experiences, (c) Meaningful Culture, (d) Facilitative Structures, and (e) the Keys to the Castle: Authentic Leadership Opportunities. Themes were interrelated and contributed to an overall understanding of the environment that allows for successful leadership development in campus outdoor programs

What factors affects a dairy farms growth? : a comparison between Sweden and Denmark

Dairy farms have during a long time been under pressure and this situation was aggravated during the spring and summer of 2009, when profitability declined to historically low levels. Lower milk price and relatively high input prices have caused Swedish dairy farms great liquidity concerns and profitability problems. For a long time, Denmark has been identified as a leading country for the agrarian development with a leading structural rationalization and willingness to grow. In 2009, it was shown that the Danish agriculture, which is generally more leveraged, has difficulties in maintaining profitability and when market price of land started to fall, the proportion of technically insolvent agricultural enterprises rose dramatically. In light of this prevailing situation, this study highlights differences between Denmark and Sweden with the hope to learn from each other. The study aims to identify the main factors influencing the Swedish and Danish dairy farmers decision making about their farm development and thereby contributes to the different rates of development between the countries. The study has adapted an exploratory approach, which means that the study seeks broad, and focuses on identifying the areas where differences exist. The explorative approach and geographical distance contributed to the choice of a quantitative survey, in form of a mail questionnaire. With four hypotheses, several aspects of the purpose are tested and the results of the study show that two could be rejected. These were the hypotheses that the Danish dairy farms experienced a more favorable business environment and that they have more business-oriented motivations and values. The hypotheses concerning Danish dairy farmers experiencing more strength in their farms and that Danish dairy farmers are more active in their role as managers are supported by empirical evidence, where there were significant differences on several points. Dairy farms in both countries have similar motivations and values in their business, but the Danish dairy farmers have a higher drive to continue developing because of their personal characteristics, farm conditions, interest, business confidence and use of strategic management. The strongest reason for Swedish and Danish dairy farmers deciding to phase out their production is the lack of successors. The Swedish dairy farmers who plan to develop their business feel hindered by the difficulty of finding additional land, while the Danish dairy farmers planning to develop their business feel that laws and rules are the strongest hindrance. Since the survey results are analyzed country by country it has a large degree of generalization and it is likely that there are relatively large groups of dairy farms who are more or less effective, have a greater or lesser confidence, and so on in each country. This means that the result's explanatory power varies between individual dairy farms. An analysis of the dairy farms, which have more than 100 cows, was also carried out. This analysis was based on the difference in mean values without going through statistical tests, because only 14% of Swedish respondents had over 100 cows. The result shows that it is no longer any differences in educational level between the groups, the Swedish dairy farmers are younger, have similar farm size, but still has a less positive view of their business, not as much interest in the production and are not as active in their use of strategic management compared to the Danish famers with a head size over 100 cows.Mjölkbranschen har länge varit pressad och denna situation förvärrades under våren och sommaren 2009, när lönsamheten sjönk till historiskt låga nivåer. Sänkta avräkningspriser och relativt höga priser på insatsvaror gjorde att svenska mjölkföretagare fick stora likviditetsbekymmer och lönsamhetsproblem. Under lång tid har Danmark angivits som ett föregångsland för den agrara utvecklingen med en långt gången strukturrationalisering och utvecklingsbenägna lantbrukare. Under 2009 har det dock visat sig att de danska mjölkföretagarna, som generellt sett är högt belånade, har svårt att upprätthålla lönsamheten. När markvärdena sjunker ökar andelen tekniskt insolventa lantbruksföretag drastiskt. Mot bakgrund av denna rådande situation belyser denna studie skillnader mellan Danmark och Sverige med förhoppningen att ta lärdom av varandra. Studien syftar till att finna de huvudsakliga faktorer som påverkar svenska och danska mjölkföretagares beslutsfattande kring företagens utveckling och därigenom leder till skillnader i utvecklingstakt länderna emellan. Studien har en explorativ ansats, vilket innebär att studien söker brett, och fokus ligger på att identifiera de områden, där skillnader föreligger. Den explorativa ansatsen och de geografiska avstånden bidrog till valet av en kvantitativ undersökning, i form av postenkät. Med fyra hypoteser har flera aspekter av syftet testats, och resultatet av studien visar att två kunde förkastas. Dessa var hypoteserna kring att danska mjölkföretagare upplever ett gynnsammare företagsklimat samt att de har fler företagsinriktade drivkrafter och egenskaper. Hypoteserna att danska mjölkföretagare upplever fler styrkor i sina företag och att danska mjölkföretagare är mer aktiva i sin roll som företagsledare stöds av empirin, då det på flera punkter fanns signifikanta skillnader. Studien visar att danska mjölkföretagare har en högre utvecklingsvilja på grund av personlig karaktäristika, gårdsförutsättningar, intresse, tilltro och användning av företagsstyrning. Det som starkast påverkar både de svenska och danska mjölkföretagarna i beslutet att avveckla sin produktion, är avsaknaden av en efterträdare som vill driva mjölkproduktionen vidare. De svenska mjölkföretagare som planerar att fortsätta eller utveckla sina mjölkföretag känner sig mest hindrade av svårigheten att finna ytterligare mark samtidigt som de danska mjölkföretagarna, som planerar att fortsätta eller utveckla anser att lagar och regler är mest hindrande. Då studiens resultat analyseras landsvis finns en viss grad av förenkling, och det är tänkbart att det finns förhållandevis stora grupper av mjölkföretagare, som är mer eller mindre effektiva, har en större eller mindre framtidstro och så vidare i respektive land. Detta innebär att resultatets förklaringsvärde varierar mellan varje enskild mjölkföretagare. Det genomförs också en analys med de mjölkföretagare som uppger att de har över 100 årskor. I denna dataanalys analyseras endast skillnader i medelvärden utan att genomgå statistiska test, detta då endast 14 % av de svenska respondenterna har över 100 årskor. Resultatet visar att det inte längre går att se några skillnader i utbildningsnivå mellan grupperna, att de svenska mjölkföretagarna är yngre, har liknande driftsenheter men fortfarande har en mindre positiv syn på sitt företagande. Vidare har de inte lika stort intresse för mjölkproduktionen och använder heller inte företagsstyrning lika aktivt som de danska mjölkföretagarna med en besättning över 100 kor

Fully digital self-screening for atrial fibrillation with patch electrocardiogram

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide. The AF is associated with severe mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs, and guidelines recommend screening people at risk. However, screening methods and organization still need to be clarified. The current study aimed to assess the feasibility of a fully digital self-screening procedure and to assess the prevalence of undetected AF using a continuous patch electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring system. Individuals ≥65 years old with at least one additional risk factor for stroke from the general population of Norway were invited to a fully digital continuous self-screening for AF using a patch ECG device (ECG247 Smart Heart Sensor). Participants self-reported clinical characteristics and usability online, and all participants received digital feedback of their results. A total of 2118 individuals with a mean CHA2DS2-VASc risk score of 2.6 (0.9) were enrolled in the study [74% women; mean age 70.1 years (4.2)]. Of these, 1849 (87.3%) participants completed the ECG self-screening test, while 215 (10.2%) did not try to start the test and 54 (2.5%) failed to start the test. The system usability score was 84.5. The mean ECG monitoring time was 153 h (87). Atrial fibrillation was detected in 41 (2.2%) individuals.publishedVersio

Affordances, constraints and information flows as ‘leverage points’ in design for sustainable behaviour

Copyright @ 2012 Social Science Electronic PublishingTwo of Donella Meadows' 'leverage points' for intervening in systems (1999) seem particularly pertinent to design for sustainable behaviour, in the sense that designers may have the scope to implement them in (re-)designing everyday products and services. The 'rules of the system' -- interpreted here to refer to affordances and constraints -- and the structure of information flows both offer a range of opportunities for design interventions to in fluence behaviour change, and in this paper, some of the implications and possibilities are discussed with reference to parallel concepts from within design, HCI and relevant areas of psychology

Brain size and brain/intracranial volume ratio in major mental illness

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper summarizes the findings of a long term study addressing the question of how several brain volume measure are related to three major mental illnesses in a Colorado subject group. It reports results obtained from a large N, collected and analyzed by the same laboratory over a multiyear period, with visually guided MRI segmentation being the primary initial analytic tool.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Intracerebral volume (ICV), total brain volume (TBV), ventricular volume (VV), ventricular/brain ratio (VBR), and TBV/ICV ratios were calculated from a total of 224 subject MRIs collected over a period of 13 years. Subject groups included controls (C, N = 89), and patients with schizophrenia (SZ, N = 58), bipolar disorder (BD, N = 51), and schizoaffective disorder (SAD, N = 26).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ICV, TBV, and VV measures compared favorably with values obtained by other research groups, but in this study did not differ significantly between groups. TBV/ICV ratios were significantly decreased, and VBR increased, in the SZ and BD groups compared to the C group. The SAD group did not differ from C on any measure.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study TBV/ICV and VBR ratios separated SZ and BD patients from controls. Of interest however, SAD patients did not differ from controls on these measures. The findings suggest that the gross measure of TBV may not reliably differ in the major mental illnesses to a degree useful in diagnosis, likely due to the intrinsic variability of the measures in question; the differences in VBR appear more robust across studies. Differences in some of these findings compared to earlier reports from several laboratories finding significant differences between groups in VV and TBV may relate to phenomenological drift, differences in analytic techniques, and possibly the "file drawer problem".</p

Exploring gender and fear retrospectively:stories of women’s fear during the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ murders

The murder of 13 women in the North of England between 1975 and 1979 by Peter Sutcliffe who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper can be viewed as a significant criminal event due to the level of fear generated and the impact on local communities more generally. Drawing upon oral history interviews carried out with individuals living in Leeds at the time of the murders, this article explores women’s accounts of their fears from the time. This offers the opportunity to explore the gender/fear nexus from the unique perspective of a clearly defined object of fear situated within a specific spatial and historical setting. Findings revealed a range of anticipated fear-related emotions and practices which confirm popular ‘high-fear’ motifs; however, narrative analysis of interviews also highlighted more nuanced articulations of resistance and fearlessness based upon class, place and biographies of violence, as well as the way in which women drew upon fear/fearlessness in their overall construction of self. It is argued that using narrative approaches is a valuable means of uncovering the complexity of fear of crime and more specifically provides renewed insight onto women’s fear