Incremental planning to control a blackboard-based problem solver

To control problem solving activity, a planner must resolve uncertainty about which specific long-term goals (solutions) to pursue and about which sequences of actions will best achieve those goals. A planner is described that abstracts the problem solving state to recognize possible competing and compatible solutions and to roughly predict the importance and expense of developing these solutions. With this information, the planner plans sequences of problem solving activities that most efficiently resolve its uncertainty about which of the possible solutions to work toward. The planner only details actions for the near future because the results of these actions will influence how (and whether) a plan should be pursued. As problem solving proceeds, the planner adds new details to the plan incrementally, and monitors and repairs the plan to insure it achieves its goals whenever possible. Through experiments, researchers illustrate how these new mechanisms significantly improve problem solving decisions and reduce overall computation. They briefly discuss current research directions, including how these mechanisms can improve a problem solver's real-time response and can enhance cooperation in a distributed problem solving network

Hereditary angioedema.

A 14-year-old African American female presented to the emergency department with spontaneous, sudden-onset lip swelling for 1 h. On examination, there was significant water-bag edema of the upper lip extending to the philtrum and premaxilla. Nasopharyngeal laryngoscopy revealed a patent airway without edema. She was initiated on intravenous dexamethasone, famotidine, and diphenhydramine, after which her edema improved but did not resolve. She was subsequently transferred to a local pediatric hospital and upon further testing she was found to have a C1 esterase inhibitor de novo gene mutation. Angioedema causes localized, non-pitting edema of the dermis, subcutaneous and submucosal tissue, and often manifests in the lips, face, mouth, and throat. Signs of laryngeal involvement include change in voice, stridor, dysphagia, and dyspnea. When laryngeal edema is present, it may necessitate definitive airway management and patients should be monitored in the intensive care unit

States Of Wisdom In Marketing During An Era Of Economic Turbulence

In 1975, Cundiff (1975) wrote an editorial in the Journal of Marketing titled, “What is the Role of Marketing in a Recession?”  The 1974/1975 recession was more damaging to the economy than any recession since the Great Depression.  Implicit in his editorial was the momentary concern corporations would emphasize cost reduction over marketing innovation to insure their short-term survival. Numerous articles were published in response to his article about how marketing and consumers appeared to be changing during the period

Automatic Detection of Seizures with Applications

There are an estimated two million people with epilepsy in the United States. Many of these people do not respond to anti-epileptic drug therapy. Two devices can be developed to assist in the treatment of epilepsy. The first is a microcomputer-based system designed to process massive amounts of electroencephalogram (EEG) data collected during long-term monitoring of patients for the purpose of diagnosing seizures, assessing the effectiveness of medical therapy, or selecting patients for epilepsy surgery. Such a device would select and display important EEG events. Currently many such events are missed. A second device could be implanted and would detect seizures and initiate therapy. Both of these devices require a reliable seizure detection algorithm. A new algorithm is described. It is believed to represent an improvement over existing seizure detection algorithms because better signal features were selected and better standardization methods were used

STR-806: EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE ROBUSTNESS OF SINGLE PLATE SHEAR CONNECTIONS UNDER QUASI-DYNAMIC LOAD

Flexible (simple) shear connections commonly used in steel-framed buildings are very economical and are relatively easy to fabricate. These connections are used for shear resistance, but recent studies have shown that they are capable of sustaining an interaction of rotational and axial load demand necessary for steel-framed building structures to help resist collapse in the event of unanticipated damage scenarios. The objective of this paper is to outline and discuss an experimental effort designed to evaluate the robustness of single plate shear connections under a quasi-dynamic loading scenario simulating the loss of a central column. The experimental program included eleven full-scale tests of a system consisting of two wide flange beams connected to a central wide flange column stub by means of the shear plate connections. Three, four, and five bolt configurations were tested, and two of the tests utilized galvanized bolts. The experimental testing provides important information regarding the ability of these connections to sustain large rotational demands in conjunction with axial tension forces generated through geometric stiffness (catenary) effects when subjected to rapidly applied vertical loads

Mapping the predicted and potential impacts of metal mining and its mitigation measures in Arctic and boreal regions using environmental and social impact assessments: a systematic map protocol

Abstract : Background: Since the 1960s, environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and recently, social impact assessments (SIAs), have been conducted during the planning stages of large development projects to identify potential adverse effects and propose mitigation measures to ameliorate these impacts. EIAs and SIAs should outline all possible posi- tive and negative effects of a proposed action or development on ecological and social systems, respectively, includ- ing biodiversity, flora and fauna, abiotic components (such as air quality), human health, security and wellbeing. The work outlined herein aims to generate a list of all possible direct and indirect effects of metal mining (including gold, iron, copper, nickel, zinc, silver, molybdenum and lead) along with the impacts of mitigation measures proposed, that are mentioned in EIAs and SIAs in Arctic and boreal regions of the following countries/regions: Canada, Alaska (USA), Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Methods: We will conduct searches for environmental and social impact assessments in Swedish and English, and until theoretical saturation is reached (i.e. no new action-impact pathways are identified). We will perform searches of specialist websites (e.g. public repositories of environmental and social impact assessments) and Google Scholar. We will also contact relevant stakeholders (that have been identified in the wider 3MK project https://osf.io/cvh3u/) and make a call for additional information. Eligibility screening will be conducted at two levels: title and full text. Meta-data will be extracted from eligible studies including type of mining activity, location of mine, type of impacts, and planned mitigation measures. Findings will be presented narratively, in a searchable relational database and in an evidence altas (a cartographic map). We will produce a framework of different mining impacts and related mitiga- tion measures from practitioners’ knowledge reflected in EIAs and SIAs. This framework will further form the basis of a multiple knowledge base on mining impacts and mitigation measures generated from different knowledges includ- ing scientific, Indigenous, and practitioners’ knowledge

Aplicación de isótopos ambientales en la determinación de la biodegradación de compuestos orgánicos

Se realizaron experimentos de microcosmos para determinar el fraccionamiento de los isótopos estables de carbono durante la biodegradación de naftaleno. Los microcosmos se realizaron bajo condiciones aeróbicas, anaeróbicas (con adiciones de sulfatos, con adiciones de nitratos y sin adiciones) y controles estériles. Se analizó la fase líquida para determinar la concentración e isótopos estables de carbono de naftaleno. Los microcosmos aeróbicos muestran que el naftaleno se degradó aeróbicamente en menos de 60 horas. El d13C se incrementó de -25.5 a -25.1‰ (enriquecimiento de 0.4 ± 0.08‰) en una sola muestra, en la que 95% del naftaleno había sido biodegradado. Los microcosmos anaeróbicos muestran que después de 288 días, los microcosmos sin adiciones, con adición de NO3 - y con adición de SO4 = habían consumido, respectivamente, 30, 50 y 60% de naftaleno en promedio, comparados con los microcosmos de control. Bajo condiciones desnitrificantes, el d13C de naftaleno aumentó de -25.2 a -23.9‰ (enriquecimiento de 1.3 ± 0.3‰) después de una biodegradación de 95% del naftaleno. Para los microcosmos sin adiciones se detectó un ligero enriquecimiento en d13C de naftaleno de -25.2 a -24.5‰ (enriquecimiento de 0.7±0.3‰) después de una biodegradación de un 65% (después de 288 días). Para los microcosmos en condiciones reductoras de SO4 = no se percibieron cambios significativos en el d13C de naftaleno durante su biodegradación

Developing theory and practice: Creation of a Community of Practice through Action Research produced excellence in stroke care

The study was funded by a grant from the Special Trustees of the Trust. Copyright @ 2010 Informa UK, Ltd.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Much emphasis is placed on expert knowledge like evidence-based stroke guidelines, with insufficient attention paid to processes required to translate this into delivery of everyday good care. This paper highlights the worth of creating a Community of Practice (CoP) as a means to achieve this. Drawing on findings from a study conducted in 2000/2002 of processes involved in establishing a nationally lauded high quality Stroke Unit, it demonstrates how successful development of a new service was linked to creation of a CoP. Recent literature suggests CoPs have a key in implementing evidence-based practice; this study supports this claim whilst revealing for the first time the practical knowledge and skills required to develop this style of working. Findings indicate that participatory and democratic characteristics of Action Research are congruent with the collaborative approach required for developing a CoP. The study is an exemplar of how practitioner researchers can capture learning from changing practice, thus contributing to evidence-based healthcare with theoretical and practical knowledge. Findings are relevant to those developing stroke services globally but also to those interested in evidencebased practice.This article is available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund

Implementation and Validation of the 2013 Caprini Score for Risk Stratification of Arthroplasty Patients in the Prevention of Venous Thrombosis

© The Author(s) 2019. Appropriate chemoprophylaxis choice following arthroplasty requires accurate patient risk assessment. We compared the results of our prospective department protocol to the Caprini risk assessment model (RAM) retrospectively in this study group. Our goal was to determine whether the department protocol or the Caprini score would identify venous thromboembolism (VTE) events after total joint replacement. A secondary purpose was to validate the 2013 Caprini RAM in joint arthroplasty and determine whether patients with VTE would be accurately identified using the Caprini score. A total of 1078 patients met inclusion criteria. A Caprini score of 10 or greater is considered high risk and a score of 9 or less is considered low risk. The 2013 version of the Caprini RAM retrospectively stratified 7 of the 8 VTE events correctly, while only 1 VTE was identified with the prospective department protocol. This tool provided a consistent, accurate, and efficacious method for risk stratification and selection of chemoprophylaxis