Opportunity for Regulating the Collective Effect of Random Expansion with Manifestations of Finite Size Effects in a Moderate Number of Finite Systems

One reports computational study revealing a set of general requirements, fulfilling of which would allow employing changes in ambient conditions to regulate accomplishing the collective outcome of emerging active network patterns in an ensemble of a moderate number of finite discrete systems. The patterns within all these component systems emerge out of random expansion process governed by certain local rule. The systems modeled are of the same type but different in details, finite discrete spatial domains of the expansion within the systems are equivalent regular hexagonal arrays. The way in which elements of a component system function in the local information transmission allows dividing them into two classes. One class is represented by zero-dimensional entities coupled into pairs identified at the array sites being nearest neighbors. The pairs preserve their orientation in the space while experiencing conditional hopping to positions close by and transferring certain information portions. Messenger particles hopping to signal the pairs for the conditional jumping constitute the other class. Contribution from the hopping pairs results in finite size effects being specific feature of accomplishing the mean expected network pattern representing the collective outcome. It is shown how manifestations of the finite size effects allow using changes in parameters of the model ambient conditions of the ensemble evolution to regulate accomplishing the collective outcome representation.Comment: 22 pages, 10 eps figures, corrected URL address placing in text, minor editorial correction in sec.2, author e-mail change

Population response of triploid grass carp to declining levels of hydrilla in the Santee Cooper Reservoirs, South Carolina

Approximately 768,500 triploid grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella Valenciennes) were stocked into the Santee Cooper reservoirs, South Carolina between 1989 and 1996 to control hydrilla ( Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle). Hydrilla coverage was reduced from a high of 17,272 ha during 1994 to a few ha by 1998. During 1997, 1998 and 1999, at least 98 triploid grass carp were collected yearly for population monitoring. Estimates of age, growth, and mortality, as well as population models, were used in the study to monitor triploid grass carp and predict population trends. Condition declined from that measured during a previous study in 1994. The annual mortality rate was estimated at 28% in 1997, 32% in 1998 and 39% in 1999; however, only the 1999 mortality rate was significantly different. Few (2 out of 98) of the triploid grass carp collected during 1999 were older than age 9. We expect increased mortality due to an aging population and sparse hydrilla coverage. During 1999, we estimated about 63,000 triploid grass carp system wide and project less than 3,000 fish by 2004, assuming no future stocking. management, population size Ctenopharyngodon idella, Hydrill

How Supervisors Influence Performance: A Multilevel Study of Coaching and Group Management in Technology-Mediated Services

This multilevel study examines the role of supervisors in improving employee performance through the use of coaching and group management practices. It examines the individual and synergistic effects of these management practices. The research subjects are call center agents in highly standardized jobs, and the organizational context is one in which calls, or task assignments, are randomly distributed via automated technology, providing a quasi-experimental approach in a real-world context. Results show that the amount of coaching that an employee received each month predicted objective performance improvements over time. Moreover, workers exhibited higher performance where their supervisor emphasized group assignments and group incentives and where technology was more automated. Finally, the positive relationship between coaching and performance was stronger where supervisors made greater use of group incentives, where technology was less automated, and where technological changes were less frequent. Implications and potential limitations of the present study are discussed

Autonomy supportive environments and mastery as basic factors to motivate physical activity in children: a controlled laboratory study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Choice promotes the experience of autonomy, which enhances intrinsic motivation. Providing a greater choice of traditional active toys may increase children's activity time. Mastery also increases intrinsic motivation and is designed into exergames, which may increase play time of a single exergame, reducing the need for choice to motivate activity compared to traditional active toys. Providing both choice and mastery could be most efficacious at increasing activity time. The energy expenditure (EE) of an active play session is dependent on the duration of play and the rate of EE during play. The rate of EE of exergames and the same game played in traditional fashion is not known. The purpose was to test the basic parameters of choice and mastery on children's physical activity time, activity intensity, and energy expenditure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>44 children were assigned to low (1 toy) or high (3 toys) choice groups. Children completed 60 min sessions with access to traditional active toys on one visit and exergame versions of the same active toys on another visit.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Choice had a greater effect on increasing girls' (146%) than boys' (23%) activity time and on girls' (230%) than boys' (minus 24%) activity intensity. When provided choice, girls' activity time and intensity were no longer lower than boys' activity time and intensity. The combination of choice and mastery by providing access to 3 exergames produced greater increases in physical activity time (1 toy 22.5 min, 3 toys 41.4 min) than choice alone via access to 3 traditional games (1 toy 13.6 min, 3 toys 19.5 min). Energy expenditure was 83% greater when engaging in traditional games than exergames.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Boys and girls differ in their behavioral responses to autonomy supportive environments. By providing girls with greater autonomy they can be motivated to engage in physical activity equal to boys. An environment that provides both autonomy and mastery is most efficacious at increasing physical activity time. Though children play exergames 87% longer than traditional games, the rate of energy expenditure is 83% lower for exergames than traditional indoor versions of the same games.</p

H4LO:Automation Platform for Efficient RF Fingerprinting using SLAM-derived Map and Poses

© 2020 The Institution of Engineering and Technology. One of the main shortcomings of received signal strength-based indoor localisation techniques is the labour and timecost involved in acquiring labelled \u27ground-truth\u27 training data. This training data is often obtained through fingerprinting, whichinvolves visiting all prescribed locations to capture sensor observations throughout the environment. In this work, the authorspresent a helmet for localisation optimisation (H4LO): a low-cost robotic system designed to cut down on said labour by utilisingan off-the-shelf light detection and ranging device. This system allows for simultaneous localisation and mapping, providing thehuman user with accurate pose estimation and a corresponding map of the environment. The high-resolution location estimationcan then be used to train a positioning model, where received signal strength data is acquired from a human-worn wearabledevice. The method is evaluated using live measurements, recorded within a residential property. They compare the groundtruthlocation labels generated automatically by the H4LO system with a camera-based fingerprinting technique from previous work.They find that the system remains comparable in performance to the less efficient camera-based method, whilst removing theneed for time-consuming labour associated with registering the user\u27s location

Vesta:A Digital Health Analytics Platform for a Smart Home in a Box

© 2020 This paper presents Vesta, a digital health platform composed of a smart home in a box for data collection and a machine learning based analytic system for deriving health indicators using activity recognition, sleep analysis and indoor localization. This system has been deployed in the homes of 40 patients undergoing a heart valve intervention in the United Kingdom (UK) as part of the EurValve project, measuring patients health and well-being before and after their operation. In this work a cohort of 20 patients are analyzed, and 2 patients are analyzed in detail as example case studies. A quantitative evaluation of the platform is provided using patient collected data, as well as a comparison using standardized Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) which are commonly used in hospitals, and a custom survey. It is shown how the ubiquitous in-home Vesta platform can increase clinical confidence in self-reported patient feedback. Demonstrating its suitability for digital health studies, Vesta provides deeper insight into the health, well-being and recovery of patients within their home

Chemical modification of glycosaminoglycan polysaccharides

The linear anionic class of polysaccharides, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), are critical throughout the animal kingdom for developmental processes and the maintenance of healthy tis-sues. They are also of interest as a means of influencing biochemical processes. One member of the GAG family, heparin, is exploited globally as a major anticoagulant pharmaceutical and there is a growing interest in the potential of other GAGs for diverse applications ranging from skin care to the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions, and from the treatment and prevention of microbial infection to biotechnology. To realize the potential of GAGs, however, it is necessary to develop effective tools that are able to exploit the chemical manipulations to which GAGs are susceptible. Here, the current knowledge concerning the chemical modification of GAGs, one of the principal approaches for the study of the structure-function relationships in these molecules, is reviewed. Some additional methods that were applied successfully to the analysis and/or processing of other carbohydrates, but which could be suitable in GAG chemistry, are also discussed