Multi-Scale Matrix Sampling and Sublinear-Time PageRank Computation

A fundamental problem arising in many applications in Web science and social network analysis is, given an arbitrary approximation factor $c>1$, to output a set $S$ of nodes that with high probability contains all nodes of PageRank at least $\Delta$, and no node of PageRank smaller than $\Delta/c$. We call this problem {\sc SignificantPageRanks}. We develop a nearly optimal, local algorithm for the problem with runtime complexity $\tilde{O}(n/\Delta)$ on networks with $n$ nodes. We show that any algorithm for solving this problem must have runtime of ${\Omega}(n/\Delta)$, rendering our algorithm optimal up to logarithmic factors. Our algorithm comes with two main technical contributions. The first is a multi-scale sampling scheme for a basic matrix problem that could be of interest on its own. In the abstract matrix problem it is assumed that one can access an unknown {\em right-stochastic matrix} by querying its rows, where the cost of a query and the accuracy of the answers depend on a precision parameter $\epsilon$. At a cost propositional to $1/\epsilon$, the query will return a list of $O(1/\epsilon)$ entries and their indices that provide an $\epsilon$-precision approximation of the row. Our task is to find a set that contains all columns whose sum is at least $\Delta$, and omits any column whose sum is less than $\Delta/c$. Our multi-scale sampling scheme solves this problem with cost $\tilde{O}(n/\Delta)$, while traditional sampling algorithms would take time $\Theta((n/\Delta)^2)$. Our second main technical contribution is a new local algorithm for approximating personalized PageRank, which is more robust than the earlier ones developed in \cite{JehW03,AndersenCL06} and is highly efficient particularly for networks with large in-degrees or out-degrees. Together with our multiscale sampling scheme we are able to optimally solve the {\sc SignificantPageRanks} problem.Comment: Accepted to Internet Mathematics journal for publication. An extended abstract of this paper appeared in WAW 2012 under the title "A Sublinear Time Algorithm for PageRank Computations

Improving Identification of SSI in SNF

Educational deficit in basic wound assessment can lead to failure to recognize early signs of infection or wound deterioration. Despite many challenges towards wound care, there are potential opportunities to reduce patient injury and clinical outcomes through continuing education. The purpose of this paper is to review literature on current wound care knowledge in nurses and assess existing wound care knowledge in nurses at a skilled nursing facility. A 10-question pre-test wound assessment quiz based on the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) selected by the Wound Care Coordinator (WCC)/Wound Care Specialist (WCS) was given to 22 nurses: 5 Registered Nurses (RN) and 17 Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) working at this SNF. Results showed that only 13% (3) scored higher than 75%. Additional clinical education was provided according to knowledge deficits. A post-test was then given with the same questions as the pre-test. Results showed that 77 percent (17) scored equal or higher than 97%, and 22.7 percent (5) scored 77 percent. There was an increase of 32 percent in correctly answered questions. This shows that education has a significant impact on enhancing clinical knowledge

Journey Mapping: A New Approach to Extension Program Design and Evaluation

With origins in service and human-centered design and customer experience, journey mapping is a research and evaluation method that allows users to visualize the journey a person or group takes while engaging in a service, program, or system. Using this method, individuals provide feedback on their experience, highlighting successes and challenges along the way. Minnesota Extension educators have utilized journey mapping in program design and evaluation contexts and have found great value in both. This article highlights three use cases which provide insight into lessons learned during the process and how Extension staff may use the tool in the future

Ultrasound : an alternative solution for removing tattoos

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-70).The recent influx of tattoos has been accompanied by a rise in demand for tattoo removals. Due to the recent success of ultrasound as a noninvasive alternative for multiple medical therapies, the feasibility of ultrasound-mediated tattoo removals will be investigated in this thesis. During tattoo applications, dermal cells consume and store tattoo particles in vacuoles in the same manner fat cells store lipids. It is therefore assumed that tattooed cells adopt an "effective density" analogous to the way fat cells develop a lower density. Using this change in mechanical property, the hypothesis is that focused, high frequency ultrasound can target tattooed cells. These cells may be selectively disrupted based on differences in mechanical and acoustic properties between healthy and tattooed cells. As no previous studies have investigated the ultrasound effects or mechanical properties of particle-filled cells, a preliminary model of crudely simulated tattooed cells is designed treating each cell as a homogenous structure. Microspheres of various materials are used to represent and generate a range of density and elasticity that capture these effective properties.(cont.) This thesis applies this preliminary model to a pilot study examining the interactions of ultrasound with glass and polystyrene microspheres. Microspheres were suspended in agar gel samples to simulate tattooed cells. Each gel sample underwent a series of ultrasound treatments. Two sets of experiments were conducted for each microsphere type testing the variables of intensity, pulse length, and microsphere size. The ultrasound treatments were limited to a maximum frequency of 10MHz and intensity of 25.6W/cm² due to the ultrasound equipment used. After each set of treatments, the agar was cut into 1mm slices and treated microspheres were examined under the microscope. The results in both experiments showed mechanical disruption of the tested microspheres with a particle size threshold. Furthermore, damage to glass beads exhibited a greater dependency on pulse length while polystyrene beads showed a greater sensitivity to intensity. The disruption of the treated microspheres demonstrates ultrasound's ability to affect microspheres in a primitive simulation of tattooed cells and ink particles.by Jennifer Teng.S.B

Australian rural football club leaders as mental health advocates: an investigation of the impact of the Coach the Coach project

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mental ill health, especially depression, is recognised as an important health concern, potentially with greater impact in rural communities. This paper reports on a project, Coach the Coach, in which Australian rural football clubs were the setting and football coaches the leaders in providing greater mental health awareness and capacity to support early help seeking behaviour among young males experiencing mental health difficulties, especially depression. Coaches and other football club leaders were provided with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Pre-post measures of the ability of those club leaders undertaking mental health training to recognise depression and schizophrenia and of their knowledge of evidence supported treatment options, and confidence in responding to mental health difficulties were obtained using a questionnaire. This was supplemented by focus group interviews. Pre-post questionnaire data from players in participating football clubs was used to investigate attitudes to depression, treatment options and ability to recognise depression from a clinical scenario. Key project stakeholders were also interviewed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Club leaders (n = 36) who were trained in MHFA and club players (n = 275) who were not trained, participated in this evaluation. More than 50% of club leaders who undertook the training showed increased capacity to recognise mental illness and 66% reported increased confidence to respond to mental health difficulties in others. They reported that this training built upon their existing skills, fulfilled their perceived social responsibilities and empowered them. Indirect benefit to club players from this approach seemed limited as minimal changes in attitudes were reported by players. Key stakeholders regarded the project as valuable.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Rural football clubs appear to be appropriate social structures to promote rural mental health awareness. Club leaders, including many coaches, benefit from MHFA training, reporting increased skills and confidence. Benefit to club players from this approach was less obvious. However, the generally positive findings of this study suggest further research in this area is desirable.</p

Ukuran Perusahaan, Profitabilitas, Leverage, dan Likuiditas terhadap Nilai Perusahaan Manufaktur Sektor Industri Konsumsi yang Terdaftar di BEI

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of firm size, profitability, leverage and liquidity on firm value. This research method is descriptive quantitative. The population used in this study is all manufacturing companies in the consumer goods industry sector listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2018-2020, the sample selected by purposive sampling technique and obtained as many as 25 samples of companies. Researchers used secondary data and tested using multiple linear regression methods. The results showed, based on the results of the T test, it was found that, a) the firm size variable has a tcount value of 1.561, with a sig value of 0.123, and a tcount value &lt; ttable which is 1.561&lt;1.994; b) the profitability variable has a tcount value of 7.062, with a sig value of 0.000, and a tcount &gt; ttable value which is 7.062&gt;1.994; c) Leverage variable has a value of tcount with a value of -0.524, with a sig value of 0.602, and a value of -tcount &gt; -ttable which is -0.524&gt;-1.994; d) Liquidity variable has a tcount value of -2,351, with a sig value of 0.022, and a tcount&gt; ttable value of -2,353&gt;1,994. In conclusion, firm size has no effect on firm value, profitability has no effect on firm value, Leverage has no effect on firm value and liquidity has no effect on firm value. Keywords: Leverage, Liquidity, Firm Value, Profitability, Firm Siz

Mind and Attention in Indian Philosophy: Workshop Report

This report highlights and explores five questions that arose from the workshop on mind and attention in Indian philosophy at Harvard University, September 21st to 22nd, 2013: 1. How does the understanding of attention in Indian philosophy bear on contemporary western debates? 2. How can we train our attention, and what are the benefits of doing so? 3. Can meditation give us moral knowledge? 4. What can Indian philosophy tell us about how we perceive the world? 5. Are there cross-cultural philosophical themes

Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) and Other Assimilated Hydrological Data at NASA GES DISC

The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) provides science support for several data sets relevant to agriculture and food security, including the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS), or FLDAS data set. The GES DISC is one of twelve NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) data centers that process, archive, document, and distribute data from Earth science missions and related projects. The GES DISC hosts a wide range of remote sensing and model data, and provides reliable and robust data access and other services to users worldwide. Beyond data archive and access, the GES DISC offers many services to visualize and analyze the data. This presentation provides a summary of the hydrological data available at the GES DISC, along with an overview of related data services. Specifically, the FLDAS data set has been adapted to work with domains, data streams, and monitoring and forecast requirements associated with food security assessment in data-sparse, developing country settings. The FLDAS global monthly data have a 0.1 x 0.1 degree spatial resolution covering the period from January 1982 to present. Global FLDAS monthly anomaly and monthly climatology data are also available at the GES DISC to evaluate how current conditions compare to averages over the FLDAS 35-year period. Several case studies using the FLDAS soil moisture, evapotranspiration, rainfall, runoff, and surface temperature data will be presented

Do People with Low Back Pain Walk Differently? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background The biomechanics of the trunk and lower limbs during walking and running gait are frequently assessed in individuals with low back pain (LBP). Despite substantial research, it is still unclear whether consistent and generalizable changes in walking or running gait occur in association with LBP. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify whether there are differences in biomechanics during walking and running gait in individuals with acute and persistent LBP compared with back-healthy controls. Methods A search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO in June 2019 and was repeated in December 2020. Studies were included if they reported biomechanical characteristics of individuals with and without LBP during steady-state or perturbed walking and running. Biomechanical data included spatiotemporal, kinematic, kinetic, and electromyography variables. The reporting quality and potential for bias of each study was assessed. Data were pooled where possible to compare the standardized mean differences (SMD) between back pain and back-healthy control groups. Results Ninety-seven studies were included and reviewed. Two studies investigated acute pain and the rest investigated persistent pain. Nine studies investigated running gait. Of the studies, 20% had high reporting quality/low risk of bias. In comparison with back-healthy controls, individuals with persistent LBP walked slower (SMD = –0.59, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): –0.77 to –0.42)) and with shorter stride length (SMD = –0.38, 95%CI: –0.60 to –0.16). There were no differences in the amplitude of motion in the thoracic or lumbar spine, pelvis, or hips in individuals with LBP. During walking, coordination of motion between the thorax and the lumbar spine/pelvis was significantly more in-phase in the persistent LBP groups (SMD = –0.60, 95%CI: –0.90 to –0.30), and individuals with persistent LBP exhibited greater amplitude of activation in the paraspinal muscles (SMD = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.23–0.80). There were no consistent differences in running biomechanics between groups. Conclusion There is moderate-to-strong evidence that individuals with persistent LBP demonstrate differences in walking gait compared to back-healthy controls

Gene Modification Strategies to Induce Tumor Immunity

The immune system provides an attractive option for use in cancer therapy. Our increasing understanding of the molecular events important in the generation of an effective immune response presents us with the opportunity to manipulate key genes to boost the immune response against cancer. Genetic modification is being employed to enhance a range of immune processes including antigen presentation, activation of specific T cells, and localization of immune effectors to tumors. In this review, we describe how many diverse cell types, including dendritic cells, T cells, and tumor cells, are being modified with a variety of genes, including those encoding antigens, cytokines, and chemokines, in order to enhance tumor immunity