Bounded gaps between primes in number fields and function fields

The Hardy--Littlewood prime $k$-tuples conjecture has long been thought to be completely unapproachable with current methods. While this sadly remains true, startling breakthroughs of Zhang, Maynard, and Tao have nevertheless made significant progress toward this problem. In this work, we extend the Maynard-Tao method to both number fields and the function field $\mathbb{F}_q(t)$

The first use of Fulton's K for assessing and comparing the conditions of inter-tidal fish populations

Fulton's K condition factor was applied, for the first time, to inter-tidal specimens of the shanny (Lipophrys pholis) and long-spined scorpion fish (Taurulus bubalis) from two English rocky shore and two Welsh rocky shore sites during summer 2010 and winter 2011. As both species contribute to the diet of commercial species such as cod (Gadus morhua) and near-threatened species such as the European otter (Lutra lutra), their condition may affect that of these predators. Fulton's K found that inter-tidal Welsh fish maintained a ‘good’ condition between seasons, whereas the inter-tidal English fish were in a poorer condition during winter. Although condition also changed amongst the sites on each coast, further studies are needed into fish morphologies, environmental parameters, prey availabilities and abundances, and fish specimen sex and maturities

Investigating the lexico-grammatical resources of a non-native user of English:The case of can and could in email requests

Individual users of English as a first or second language are assumed to possess or aspire to a monolithic grammar, an internally consistent set of rules which represents the idealized norms or conventions of native speakers. This position reflects a deficit view of L2 learning and usage, and is at odds with usage-based approaches to language development and research findings on idiolectal variation. This study problematizes the assumption of monolithic ontologies of grammar for TESOL by exploring a fragment of genre-specific lexico-grammatical knowledge (the can you/could you V construction alternation in requests) in a single non-native user of English, post-instruction. A corpus sample of the individual’s output was compared with the input he was exposed to and broader norms for the genre. The analysis confirms findings in usage-based linguistics which demonstrate that an individual’s lexico-grammatical knowledge constitutes an inventory of constructions shaped in large part by distributional patterns in the input. But it also provides evidence for idiosyncratic preferences resulting from exemplar-based inertia in production, suggesting that input is not the sole factor. Results are discussed in the context of a “plurilithic” ontology of grammar and the challenges this represents for pedagogy and teacher development

Shining new light on mammalian diving physiology using wearable near-infrared spectroscopy

Investigation of marine mammal dive-by-dive blood distribution and oxygenation has been limited by a lack of non-invasive technology for use in freely diving animals. Here, we developed a non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device to measure relative changes in blood volume and haemoglobin oxygenation continuously in the blubber and brain of voluntarily diving harbour seals. Our results show that seals routinely exhibit preparatory peripheral vasoconstriction accompanied by increased cerebral blood volume approximately 15 s before submersion. These anticipatory adjustments confirm that blood redistribution in seals is under some degree of cognitive control that precedes the mammalian dive response. Seals also routinely increase cerebral oxygenation at a consistent time during each dive, despite a lack of access to ambient air. We suggest that this frequent and reproducible reoxygenation pattern, without access to ambient air, is underpinned by previously unrecognised changes in cerebral drainage. The ability to track blood volume and oxygenation in different tissues using NIRS will facilitate a more accurate understanding of physiological plasticity in diving animals in an increasingly disturbed and exploited environment

UC-37 Interactive PDF File Editing for Online Classes

This system aims to create an interactive environment for teachers to view/grade/edit student submission in virtual classes. Objectives for this project are to create independent component or logic model that includes the following functions. This component should be integrated with a .net core application easily. -Upload pdf files to the system and save files to the server; -Record audio online and save audio to the system; also, the audio can be played online; -Upload and play video or video link (YouTube); -Split file. When uploading a PDF file, the system will allow to split or crop the file (partial file content) and upload the file; -PDF edit: be able to view the pdf file and leave comments;Advisors(s): Yang Ming - Capstone Professor Derek Shi - Project SponsorTopic(s): Software EngineeringIT 498

Supervised and unsupervised language modelling in Chest X-Ray radiological reports

Chest radiography (CXR) is the most commonly used imaging modality and deep neural network (DNN) algorithms have shown promise in effective triage of normal and abnormal radiograms. Typically, DNNs require large quantities of expertly labelled training exemplars, which in clinical contexts is a major bottleneck to effective modelling, as both considerable clinical skill and time is required to produce high-quality ground truths. In this work we evaluate thirteen supervised classifiers using two large free-text corpora and demonstrate that bi-directional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) networks with attention mechanism effectively identify Normal, Abnormal, and Unclear CXR reports in internal (n = 965 manually-labelled reports, f1-score = 0.94) and external (n = 465 manually-labelled reports, f1-score = 0.90) testing sets using a relatively small number of expert-labelled training observations (n = 3,856 annotated reports). Furthermore, we introduce a general unsupervised approach that accurately distinguishes Normal and Abnormal CXR reports in a large unlabelled corpus. We anticipate that the results presented in this work can be used to automatically extract standardized clinical information from free-text CXR radiological reports, facilitating the training of clinical decision support systems for CXR triage

A systematic review evaluating the implementation of technologies to assess, monitor and treat neurodevelopmental disorders: A map of the current evidence

Technology-based interventions provide an attractive option for improving service provision for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), for example, widening access to interventions, objective assessment, and monitoring; however, it is unclear whether there is sufficient evidence to support their use in clinical settings. This review provides an evidence map describing how technology is implemented in the assessment/diagnosis and monitoring/ treatment of NDD (Prospero CRD42018091156). Using predefined search terms in six databases, 7982 articles were identified, 808 full-texts were screened, resulting in 47 included papers. These studies were appraised and synthesised according to the following outcomes of interest: effectiveness (clinical effectiveness/ service delivery efficiencies), economic impact, and user impact (acceptability/ feasibility). The findings describe how technology is currently being utilised clinically, highlights gaps in knowledge, and discusses future research needs. Technology has been used to facilitate assessment and treatment across multiple NDD, especially Autism Spectrum (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) disorders. Technologies include mobile apps/tablets, robots, gaming, computerised tests, videos, and virtual reality. The outcomes presented largely focus on the clinical effectiveness of the technology, with approximately half the papers demonstrating some degree of effectiveness, however, the methodological quality of many studies is limited. Further research should focus on randomised controlled trial designs with longer follow-up periods, incorporating an economic evaluation, as well as qualitative studies including process evaluations and user impact

‘Getting Back Into the Swing of Things’: A Qualitative Study Into Barriers and Facilitators to Golf Participation for Stroke Survivors

This paper draws on interviews with four stroke survivors (age range = 52–68 years), who participated in a six week ‘Get-into-Golf’ program and four coaches with experiences of delivering disability golf sessions, to examine the barriers and facilitators to golf participation. Findings indicate a positive response from participants, who referred to the social and physical benefits of the program that was perceived to promote independence. The results also highlight that considerations in regards to format, equipment, cost, access and overall awareness should be borne in mind for golf programs among people with disabilities. Golf clubs could employ this framework to help facilitate the participation of people with physical limitations. It is argued that opportunities to promote golf as a lifelong physical activity among people with disabilities may be missed in clubs where personnel are unsure of the barriers and facilitators to participation outlined here

Individual monitoring of immune response in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar following experimental infection with Infectious Salmon Anaemia Virus (ISAV)

This work was funded by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs, grant G1100675). The authors are grateful to the Marine Scotland aquarium staff (Ben Williamson, Louise Feehan and Mark Paterson) for help in the experimental work. Hendrix-Genetix (formerly Landcatch Natural Selection) is also acknowledged for providing PIT tagged fish for the purpose of this project.Peer reviewedPublisher PD