Pair Formation within Multi-Agent Populations

We present a simple model for the formation of pairs in multi-agent populations of type A and B which move freely on a spatial network. Each agent of population A (and B) is labeled as Ai (and Bj) with i=1,.. NA (and j=1,..NB) and carries its own individual list of characteristics or 'phenotype'. When agents from opposite populations encounter one another on the network, they can form a relationship if not already engaged in one. The length of time for which any given pair stays together depends on the compatibility of the two constituent agents. Possible applications include the human dating scenario, and the commercial domain where two types of businesses A and B have members of each type looking for a business partner, i.e. Ai+Bj-->Rij. The pair Rij then survives for some finite time before dissociating Rij-->Ai+Bj. There are many possible generalizations of this basic setup. Here we content ourselves with some initial numerical results for the simplest of network topologies, together with some accompanying analytic analysis.Comment: Special Issue on Complex Networks, edited by Dirk Helbin

2000 Commencement Address: G. Timothy Johnson, M.D.

Timothy Johnson, M.D., medical editor for ABC News will deliver the principal address and receive an honorary degree at the 154th commencement exercises at the College of the Holy Cross on Friday, May 26, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Fitton Field. Johnson, one of the nation’s leading medical communicators of health care information, has provided commentary on medical problems and answers for viewers since 1975. In addition to commentary on Good Morning America, Johnson provides on-air analysis of medical news for World News Tonight, Nightline and 20/20. He consults with ABC News regardingcoverage of medical news. He is also medical editor for WCVB-TV, Channel 5 in Boston. Johnson holds joint positions in medicine at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is the founding editor of the Harvard Medical School Health Letter and co-editor of the Harvard Medical School Health Letter Book. He is also coeditor of the book, “Your Good Health,” published by Harvard Press, as well as co-author with former US Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop of the book, “Let’s Talk,” published by Zondervan in 1992. He originally intended to join the ministry and graduated from the North Park Seminary in 1963. Two years later he decided to enter medicine. Johnson, who is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Augustana College, graduated summa cum laude from Albany Medical College and holds a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University. Johnson served as an assisting minister at the Community Covenant Church in West Peabody, Mass.https://crossworks.holycross.edu/commence_address/1012/thumbnail.jp

NMS, and Why We Should Call It (Malignant) Catatonia

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The Guide to Community Preventive Services Review of Interventions to Promote Health Equity in the United States

The optimal approach to eliminating health inequities is through evidence-based interventions. In 2009, the non-federal Community Preventive Services Task Force launched a series of systematic reviews of interventions to promote health equity. Topics to be considered include education, employment, housing, and transportation. Thus far, reviews have focused on educational interventions: center-based early childhood education, full-day kindergarten programs, out-of-school time academic programs, high school completion programs, and school-based health centers. These reviews demonstrate the benefits of diverse educational interventions in advancing health equity. Here, we summarize the strategy of Community Guide health equity reviews, first findings and challenges

The Contribution of Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter to Indoor Air Quality in Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand – Are Indoor Dwellers Safe?

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between indoor and outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations and to characterize factors that may contribute to domestic PM2.5 concentrations, including smoking, printer/copier, and cooking activities. Methods: We measured the ambient and indoor PM2.5 concentrations from 7 sampling sites in Bangkok Metropolitan and vicinity area, Thailand by using PM2.5 concentrations sensor (SN-GCHA1, Panasonic Photo & Lighting Co., Ltd). Real-time PM2.5 concentrations, temperature, and relative humidity (RH) measurements were recorded hourly for two consecutive days during February 20th to March 2nd, 2018. We collected real-time indoor and outdoor PM2.5 mass concentrations at the same time. Factors influencing domestic PM2.5 production in the indoor environment were recorded. Results: The mean indoor PM2.5 concentrations from each site ranged from 20.05-45.85 μg/m3 and the mean outdoor PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 9.42-56.56 μg/m3. The ambient and indoor PM2.5 mass concentrations curves tended to fluctuate in a similar trend. There was a significantly positive correlation between the average ambient and the average indoor PM2.5 mass concentrations in all studied places. The correlation coefficient (r) varied from 0.6 to 0.833. Five from seven sites demonstrated a strong correlation (r ≥ 0.7), whereas, two from seven sites demonstrated a moderate correlation (0.5 ≤ r < 0.7). The average indoor/ambient PM2.5 concentration ratio from each place ranged from 0.37 to 3.57. Conclusion: The indoor PM2.5 concentrations are correlated with the ambient PM2.5 concentrations. The concentrations of PM2.5 in most sampling sites were higher than the recommended threshold. Hence, indoor dwellers are still at risk for health impacts from PM2.5. Besides public management of the ambient PM2.5, the interventions dealing with the indoor PM2.5 should be promoted concurrently

Complications of the spine in ankylosing spondylitis with a focus on deformity correction

NKYLOSING spondylitis is a systemic inflammatory disease of unknown origin. Affected patients are predominantly but not exclusively male. Chronic inflammatory back pain is the most common presenting symptom and typically develops between the ages of 20 and 40 years. 65 Patients with AS can also have extra-articular manifestations such as ocular, cardiac, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and renal involvement. A patient&apos;s susceptibility to the disease is largely genetically determined. 60 Because there is no single suitable laboratory test, clinicians must know as many of the characteristic signs and symptoms as possible to make a diagnosis. Even though AS is a systemic disease, the presenting symptoms, treatment, and morbidity are largely dependent on how the disease affects the spine. Thus, we believe that a review on spinal disease in AS will be of great value. In this review, we first describe the latest published algorithm to diagnose early disease and the classic inflammatory lesions. We then explore the diseased spine&apos;s susceptibility to noninflammatory lesions such as microfractures and deformity. We also describe other sequelae of AS, such as early osteoporosis and CES. Both the medical and surgical approaches to treatment are summarized. There is a special focus on osteotomy techniques. By the conclusion of the article, the clinician should have a better understanding of the diagnostic and treatment possibilities in AS spinal disease. Diagnosis of Inflammatory Back Pain and AS Because AS can markedly respond to the newer biological agents (discussed later), effective treatment of the disease requires early diagnosis. However, the high prevalence of back pain in the general population and the lack of radiographically demonstrated characteristic lesions in early AS often delay recognition of the disease. To make an early diagnosis, it is important to distinguish inflammatory from mechanical back pain on presentation. Factors consistent with inflammatory back pain include morning stiffness lasting longer than 30 minutes, onset of chronic back pain at an early age (before 35 years of age), improvement in pain with physical activity rather than with rest, awakening with back pain during the 2nd half of the night, alternating buttock pain, and a prolonged period of back pain. 48 One factor by itself does not have sufficient sensitivity or specificity to determine if the back pain is inflammatory. Note, however, that in a study of European patients with AS in which only 4 factors were considered, if 2 symptoms Abbreviations used in this paper: AS = ankylosing spondylitis; CES = cauda equina syndrome; DEXA = dual energy x-ray absorptiometry; HLA = human leukocyte antigen; MR = magnetic resonance; NSAID = nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug; PSO = pedicle subtraction osteotomy; SPO = Smith-Peterson osteotomy; TNF = tumor necrosis factor

Ideal Spin Filters: Theoretical Study of Electron Transmission Through Ordered and Disordered Interfaces Between Ferromagnetic Metals and Semiconductors

It is predicted that certain atomically ordered interfaces between some ferromagnetic metals (F) and semiconductors (S) should act as ideal spin filters that transmit electrons only from the majority spin bands or only from the minority spin bands of the F to the S at the Fermi energy, even for F with both majority and minority bands at the Fermi level. Criteria for determining which combinations of F, S and interface should be ideal spin filters are formulated. The criteria depend only on the bulk band structures of the S and F and on the translational symmetries of the S, F and interface. Several examples of systems that meet these criteria to a high degree of precision are identified. Disordered interfaces between F and S are also studied and it is found that intermixing between the S and F can result in interfaces with spin anti-filtering properties, the transmitted electrons being much less spin polarized than those in the ferromagnetic metal at the Fermi energy. A patent application based on this work has been commenced by Simon Fraser University.Comment: RevTeX, 12 pages, 5 figure