Improving financial flows of a product claims handling process

Paper delivered at the 20th Annual Logistics Research Network Conference, 9th to 11th Sept 2015, Derby

MR connectomics: a conceptual framework for studying the developing brain

The combination of advanced neuroimaging techniques and major developments in complex network science, have given birth to a new framework for studying the brain: “connectomics.” This framework provides the ability to describe and study the brain as a dynamic network and to explore how the coordination and integration of information processing may occur. In recent years this framework has been used to investigate the developing brain and has shed light on many dynamic changes occurring from infancy through adulthood. The aim of this article is to review this work and to discuss what we have learned from it. We will also use this body of work to highlight key technical aspects that are necessary in general for successful connectome analysis using today's advanced neuroimaging techniques. We look to identify current limitations of such approaches, what can be improved, and how these points generalize to other topics in connectome research

Placental Flattening via Volumetric Parameterization

We present a volumetric mesh-based algorithm for flattening the placenta to a canonical template to enable effective visualization of local anatomy and function. Monitoring placental function in vivo promises to support pregnancy assessment and to improve care outcomes. We aim to alleviate visualization and interpretation challenges presented by the shape of the placenta when it is attached to the curved uterine wall. To do so, we flatten the volumetric mesh that captures placental shape to resemble the well-studied ex vivo shape. We formulate our method as a map from the in vivo shape to a flattened template that minimizes the symmetric Dirichlet energy to control distortion throughout the volume. Local injectivity is enforced via constrained line search during gradient descent. We evaluate the proposed method on 28 placenta shapes extracted from MRI images in a clinical study of placental function. We achieve sub-voxel accuracy in mapping the boundary of the placenta to the template while successfully controlling distortion throughout the volume. We illustrate how the resulting mapping of the placenta enhances visualization of placental anatomy and function. Our code is freely available at https://github.com/mabulnaga/placenta-flattening .Comment: MICCAI 201

Effects of Peer Mentoring on Types of Mentor Support, Program Satisfaction and Graduate Student Stress: A Dyadic Perspective

Examines the effects of a graduate student peer-mentoring program from the perspectives of both members of the mentoring dyad, the mentors and proteges. Results indicate that peer mentoring provides students with both increased levels of psychosocial and instrumental support, and that those with high levels of support are more satisfied with their peer mentoring relationships

Re-Crafting Careers for Mid-Career Faculty: A Qualitative Study

Mid-career faculty are a growing population within academia, and yet their career issues have been surprisingly under-researched. The purpose of this study was to conduct a rich exploration of the career experiences of mid-career faculty using the lens of job crafting theory. Interviews were conducted with 16 tenured professors at a mid-size public university. Faculty reported high levels of autonomy in their jobs and substantial flexibility in setting their long term teaching and research goals. For this reason, job crafting provided an excellent framework to understand how faculty are using task, relational, and cognitive strategies to shape their careers

Rule Out (R/O) Vasculitis

When imaging patients for vasculitis, the goals are: (1) to determine if there is evidence of acute or subacute cerebral injury and (2) to assess the contour of the major intracranial arteries. An additional but still experimental goal is (3) to determine if there are areas of altered perfusion that suggest active small vessel disease. Standard MR images and diffusion‐weighted imaging are used to detect and determine the age of parenchymal lesions. The 3‐D TOF MRA helps evaluate the large and medium vessels. Perfusion‐weighted imaging may detect regions of altered relative blood flow and blood volume. This unit contains a basic protocol for the evaluation of stable patients as well as an alternative protocol for unstable patients.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145238/1/cpmia0106.pd