Evaluating Lebesgue constants by Chebyshev polynomial meshes on cube, simplex and ball

We show that product Chebyshev polynomial meshes can be used, in a fully discrete way, to evaluate with rigorous error bounds the Lebesgue constant, i.e. the maximum of the Lebesgue function, for a class of polynomial projectors on cube, simplex and ball, including interpolation, hyperinterpolation and weighted least-squares. Several examples are presented and possible generalizations outlined. A numerical software package implementing the method is freely available online

The Association Between Coping Strategies, Resilience, and Flourishing Among Students at Large U.S. University During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Research Study

Background: Mental illness indicators increased among U.S. university students in recent years; COVID-19 associated disruptions presented additional mental health challenges for students. Aim: This research aimed to assess the relationship between coping strategies identified by university students and scores on resilience and flourishing scales and to identify additional themes that described student experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was administered to students at a large public Midwestern University. Quantitative data were assessed using nonparametric tests for association and qualitative data were analyzed using cycles of open coding. Results: Most of the 3,473 respondents were female (76.5%) and white (83.6%), with a mean age of 24.67 years (SD = 8.08). The most frequent coping strategy was physical activity participation (n = 712), followed by socializing (n = 507). The highest resilience and flourishing scores were associated with compliance to COVID-19 associated recommendations or spiritual activities. Qualitative themes included the value of focusing on controllable aspects, the need to be strong for others, and the experience of academic overload during transition to online learning. Conclusions: Universities should endeavor to provide ongoing availability of counseling during university disruptions. Universities might also consider proactive efforts to guide students toward proficiency in strategies that improve coping skills, including some that do not center around technology

2016 Aerial Imagery Acquired to Monitor the Distribution and Abundance of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays

Multispectral aerial imagery acquired in 2016 to monitor the distribution and abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation in Chesapeake Bay and coastal bays

Evaluation of Color Imagery and Direct Referencing for Mapping Submersed Aquatic Vegetation in Chesapeake Bay - Final Report

The VIMS Annual Submersed Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Monitoring Program has used black and white aerial photography to map SAV in Chesapeake Bay each year from 1984 to the present, with the exception of 1988. In 2008, VIMS initiated a pilot project to address two potential enhancements identified by a recent external program review: color film and direct referencing technology. Simultaneous color and black and white imagery was captured for three regions. In addition, GPS/inertial mapping unit (IMU) direct referencing data was acquired for two of the regions

The Use of Substances Other Than Nicotine in Electronic Cigarettes Among College Students

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have grown in popularity, especially among youth and young adults. Although e-cigarettes were originally intended to vaporize a liquid mixture containing nicotine, there appears to be an increasing trend in other substance use in e-cigarettes (OSUE). Materials and methods: Cross-sectional data from 1542 undergraduate college student e-cigarette users from a large Midwestern university were collected via online survey to assess prevalence of e-cigarette use, reasons for use, perceived harm, and prevalence and predictors of OSUE. Results: Nearly 7% (6.94%) reported using an e-cigarette to vaporize and inhale a substance other than nicotine. Current tobacco cigarette smokers were significantly more likely to report OSUE (51.0%) as compared with never (33.7%) and former (15.4%) smokers. Among respondents reporting OSUE, the primary reason for e-cigarette use was “safer than cigarettes” (21.7%), followed by “experimentation” (18.9%) and “friends use” (17.0%). Most (77.9%) reported using cannabis or some derivative of cannabis in an e-cigarette. Binomial logistic regression found that women were less likely to report OSUE by a factor of 0.60, former tobacco cigarette smokers as compared with never smokers were more likely to report OSUE by a factor of 1.87, and e-cigarette users who reported using e-cigarettes for “cool or trendy” reasons were more likely to report OSUE by a factor of 2.89. Discussion: Little is known regarding the health effects of cannabis and cannabis derivatives delivered through e-cigarettes. Concern may also be warranted regarding the potential dangers of this young population using substances more dangerous than cannabis in e-cigarettes. Knowledge is limited regarding the public health impact of vaping cannabis or other illicit substances among college student populations. This study stresses the need for continued research regarding the vaping of cannabis and other illicit substances among college students

The worldwide costs of dementia in 2019

Introduction: Dementia is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Estimating total societal costs demonstrates the wide impact of dementia and its main direct and indirect economic components. Methods: We constructed a global cost model for dementia, presenting costs as cumulated global and regional costs. Results: In 2019, the annual global societal costs of dementia were estimated at US $1313.4 billion for 55.2 million people with dementia, corresponding to US$23,796 per person with dementia. Of the total, US $213.2 billion (16$448.7 billion (34%) direct social sector costs (including long-term care), and US $651.4 billion (50$1313.4 in 2019. Sixty-one percent of people with dementia live in low-and middle-income countries, whereas 74% of the costs occur in high-income countries. The impact of informal care accounts for about 50% of the global costs. The development of a long-term care infrastructure is a great challenge for low-and middle-income countries. There is a great need for more cost studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Discussions of a framework for global cost comparisons are needed

Somatic gene therapy for cancer. The utility of transferrinfection in generating ‘tumor vaccines’

The last few years have seen the development of a branch of somatic gene therapy which aims at strengthening the immune surveillance of the body, leading to eradication of disseminated cancer tumor cells and occult micrometastases after surgical removal of the primary tumor. Such a tumor vaccination protocol calls for cultivation of the primary tumor tissue and the insertion of one of three types of genes into the isolated cultured tumor cells followed by irradiation of the transfected or transduced cells to render them incapable of further proliferation. The cells so treated constitute the ‘tumor vaccine’. A review of the literature suggests that for mouse models, in the initial period after inoculation, rejection of the tumor cells is usually effected by non-T-cell immunity, whereas the long-term systemic immune response is based on cytotoxic T-cells. High expression of the gene inserted into the tumor cells may be critical for the success of the vaccination procedure. Examples are given which indicate that transferrinfection, a procedure to introduce genes by adenovirus-augmented receptor-mediated endocytosis, meets some important prerequisites for successful application of this type of gene therapy

Kinks in the discrete sine-Gordon model with Kac-Baker long-range interactions

We study effects of Kac-Baker long-range dispersive interaction (LRI) between particles on kink properties in the discrete sine-Gordon model. We show that the kink width increases indefinitely as the range of LRI grows only in the case of strong interparticle coupling. On the contrary, the kink becomes intrinsically localized if the coupling is under some critical value. Correspondingly, the Peierls-Nabarro barrier vanishes as the range of LRI increases for supercritical values of the coupling but remains finite for subcritical values. We demonstrate that LRI essentially transforms the internal dynamics of the kinks, specifically creating their internal localized and quasilocalized modes. We also show that moving kinks radiate plane waves due to break of the Lorentz invariance by LRI.Comment: 11 pages (LaTeX) and 14 figures (Postscript); submitted to Phys. Rev.

Telemonitoring Devices and Systems: Current Status and Future Trends

In the future, the number of elderly and chronically ill will be quite large. Additionally, pathologies will in many cases be in comorbidity. Alongside this reality, the health care resources will be insufficient for the population, thus the current research for solutions that can be fully implemented in the future. There are available several telemonitoring devices and systems for chronic diseases. Massive use of these devices will be essential to address the current and future lack of health system resources. Research on telemonitoring devices and systems for chronic diseases was con-ducted in academic and scientific databases. The technical specifications were collected in the manufacturers’ web page. The gathered data was analysed and compared in order to propose scenarios for the future trend of technical specifi-cations required in telemonitoring devices/system is performed. Telemonitoring for chronic diseases can bring great benefits to patient and health systems. Widening this practice will be a reality in the near future. This procedure will be fostered by the promotion and regulation of interoperability between de-vices/systems, as well as of front-end programs providing the link between health support systems. Interoperability issues are the main flaw of tedevicesring devices/systems on the market today.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Telemonitoring Devices and Systems: Current Status and Future Trends

In the future, the number of elderly and chronically ill will be quite large. Additionally, pathologies will in many cases be in comorbidity. Along with this reality, the health care resources will be insufficient for the population, thus the current research for technological solutions needs to be implemented in the future. There are available several telemonitoring devices and systems for chronic diseases. Massive use of these devices will be essential to address the current and future lack of health system resources. Research on telemonitoring devices and systems for chronic diseases was conducted in academic and scientific databases. The technical specifications were collected from the manufacturers’ web page. The collected data was analysed and compared in order to propose scenarios for the future trend of technical specifications required in telemonitoring devices/system. Telemonitoring for chronic diseases can bring great benefits to patient and health systems. Widening this practice will be a reality in the near future. This procedure will be fostered by the promotion and regulation of interoperability between devices/systems, as well as of front-end programs providing the link between health support systems. Interoperability issues are the main flaws of telemonitoring devices/systems on the market today.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio